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Showing posts with label The Blessings of Paradise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Blessings of Paradise. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
The Blessings of Paradise
The Blessings of Paradise
As for their second point of contention regarding the presence of palaces, damsels and other material delights in Paradise, this too is not a valid objection.
In any case the Muslims do not claim that the blessings and delights of Paradise are only physical, as is very often misstated by the Protestant theologians, but the Muslims believe - and this belief is strongly supported by Qur’anic verses and other authentic arguments - that the blessings and pleasures of Paradise are both, physical and spiritual, the latter being stronger and more prominent than the former.
The Holy Qur’an says:7[7]
7[7] Qur’an 9:72.
Allah has promised to the believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, in which they shall dwell for ever; and beautiful mansions in the Gardens of Eden, but the greatest bliss is the pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme felicity.
The “pleasure of Allah” in the above verse has been described as being the greatest of all the blessings of Paradise, qualitatively as well as quantitively. That is to say, this spiritual blessing of having the pleasure of Allah exceeds all the physical delights such as mansions, gardens and damsels etc. The same is alsa indicated by the last phrase, “That is the supreme felicity.”
Man has been created of two elements: spirit and matter. The supreme felicity of man or his ultimate success lies in the achievement of both physical and spiritual delights. He cannot be said to have achieved his ultimate salvation if he is denied either of the two felicities.
The Christian Concept of Paradise
It has already been elucidated earlier 8[8] that to the Muslims the Evangel strictly means the book that was originally revealed to the Prophet Jesus. Now if any of the statements of Jesus is found to be in contradiction with any Qur’anic injunction, effort should be made to explain away the discrepancy. According to the Christian scriptures, the comparison of the dwellers of Paradise with the angels does not negate their eating and drinking there. Have they not read in Genesis chapter 18 that the angels who visited Abraham were presented with “dressed calf, butter and milk, which they did eat”? 9[9] Similarly the angels who appeared to Lot ate the bread and other food that Lot prepared for them, which is clearly written in chapter 19 of the book of Genesis.
It is surprising that the Christians believe in the physical resurrection of human beings on the Day of Judgment and yet insist on denying physical delights for them in Paradise! It would have been less objectionable if they totally denied the resurrection of man as did the associators of Arabia, or believed only in spiritual resurrection as was believed by the followers of Aristotle.
Physical attributes, like eating and drinking, are ascribed to God by the Christians because they believe that Jesus was God incarnate. On the other hand we are made to understand that Jesus was not as abstinent and ascetic as was John the Baptist. Christ’s opponents even accuse him of being, “gluttonous and winebibber”,10[10] though we Muslims totally deny this accusation and firmly believe that he was totally free from such defects.
We unhesitatingly claim that the Prophet Jesus was purely human. Now, when physical pleasures like eating and drinking could not pre- vent him experiencing spiritual delights and as he enjoyed the spiritual blessings more than the physical ones in this life, so the physical pleasures in Paradise will not deprive people of their spiritual delights.
In fact, the Protestant claim that there will be no physical pleasure in Paradise is clearly denied by innumerable statements appearing in the Bible. We produce a few examples of such statements below:
And the Lord God commanded the man (Adam) saying, Of every tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eat.” 11[11]
This clearly indicates that there are many trees in Paradise bearing fruit to eat. In this context they contend that Adam’s Paradise was on the earth while the Paradise of the Hereafter is in the heavens and that the former was different from the latter. Firstly, their claim of Adam’s Paradise being on earth is not supported by any statement of their sacred books; secondly, if we assume it to be true, they have no argument to support that this Paradise was different from the one in heavens. On the contrary the Gospels make us believe that there will be physical pleasures in the Paradise of the Hereafter. The Prophet Jesus is reported to have said itto his apostles:
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 12[12]
Also see Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18. Similarly we read the following under the description of the Hereafter in Luke 13:29:
And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
It is on the basis of such statements that the ancient Christians believed in both physical and spiritual pleasures in Paradise. Saint Augustine also said that he liked the opinion that Paradise consisted of physical as well as spiritual pleasures. Saint Thomas Aquinas has also refuted those who deny physical pleasures in Paradise.
The third contention with regard to Jihad (Religious War) will be discussed later in this book. This is regarded by the Christians as their strongest point against the Holy Prophet and we intend to discuss it in depth.
8[8] Before proceeding further into this discussion it should be remembered that the Christians totally deny physical blessings and pleasures in Paradise. They believe only in spiritual delights in Paradise for which they seek justifying arguments from some verses of the Bible.
9[9] The Qur’an also describes the event of the angels appearing to the Prophet Ibrahim with the difference that it clearly states that the angels did not even touch the dressed calf prepared by the Prophet Ibrahim (See chapter 51 of the Holy Qur’an). Our author is answering the Christians according to their own belief.
10[10] Matthew 11:19
11[11] Genesis 2:16.
12[12] Matt. 26:29
As for their second point of contention regarding the presence of palaces, damsels and other material delights in Paradise, this too is not a valid objection.
In any case the Muslims do not claim that the blessings and delights of Paradise are only physical, as is very often misstated by the Protestant theologians, but the Muslims believe - and this belief is strongly supported by Qur’anic verses and other authentic arguments - that the blessings and pleasures of Paradise are both, physical and spiritual, the latter being stronger and more prominent than the former.
The Holy Qur’an says:7[7]
7[7] Qur’an 9:72.
Allah has promised to the believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, in which they shall dwell for ever; and beautiful mansions in the Gardens of Eden, but the greatest bliss is the pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme felicity.
The “pleasure of Allah” in the above verse has been described as being the greatest of all the blessings of Paradise, qualitatively as well as quantitively. That is to say, this spiritual blessing of having the pleasure of Allah exceeds all the physical delights such as mansions, gardens and damsels etc. The same is alsa indicated by the last phrase, “That is the supreme felicity.”
Man has been created of two elements: spirit and matter. The supreme felicity of man or his ultimate success lies in the achievement of both physical and spiritual delights. He cannot be said to have achieved his ultimate salvation if he is denied either of the two felicities.
The Christian Concept of Paradise
It has already been elucidated earlier 8[8] that to the Muslims the Evangel strictly means the book that was originally revealed to the Prophet Jesus. Now if any of the statements of Jesus is found to be in contradiction with any Qur’anic injunction, effort should be made to explain away the discrepancy. According to the Christian scriptures, the comparison of the dwellers of Paradise with the angels does not negate their eating and drinking there. Have they not read in Genesis chapter 18 that the angels who visited Abraham were presented with “dressed calf, butter and milk, which they did eat”? 9[9] Similarly the angels who appeared to Lot ate the bread and other food that Lot prepared for them, which is clearly written in chapter 19 of the book of Genesis.
It is surprising that the Christians believe in the physical resurrection of human beings on the Day of Judgment and yet insist on denying physical delights for them in Paradise! It would have been less objectionable if they totally denied the resurrection of man as did the associators of Arabia, or believed only in spiritual resurrection as was believed by the followers of Aristotle.
Physical attributes, like eating and drinking, are ascribed to God by the Christians because they believe that Jesus was God incarnate. On the other hand we are made to understand that Jesus was not as abstinent and ascetic as was John the Baptist. Christ’s opponents even accuse him of being, “gluttonous and winebibber”,10[10] though we Muslims totally deny this accusation and firmly believe that he was totally free from such defects.
We unhesitatingly claim that the Prophet Jesus was purely human. Now, when physical pleasures like eating and drinking could not pre- vent him experiencing spiritual delights and as he enjoyed the spiritual blessings more than the physical ones in this life, so the physical pleasures in Paradise will not deprive people of their spiritual delights.
In fact, the Protestant claim that there will be no physical pleasure in Paradise is clearly denied by innumerable statements appearing in the Bible. We produce a few examples of such statements below:
And the Lord God commanded the man (Adam) saying, Of every tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eat.” 11[11]
This clearly indicates that there are many trees in Paradise bearing fruit to eat. In this context they contend that Adam’s Paradise was on the earth while the Paradise of the Hereafter is in the heavens and that the former was different from the latter. Firstly, their claim of Adam’s Paradise being on earth is not supported by any statement of their sacred books; secondly, if we assume it to be true, they have no argument to support that this Paradise was different from the one in heavens. On the contrary the Gospels make us believe that there will be physical pleasures in the Paradise of the Hereafter. The Prophet Jesus is reported to have said itto his apostles:
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. 12[12]
Also see Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18. Similarly we read the following under the description of the Hereafter in Luke 13:29:
And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
It is on the basis of such statements that the ancient Christians believed in both physical and spiritual pleasures in Paradise. Saint Augustine also said that he liked the opinion that Paradise consisted of physical as well as spiritual pleasures. Saint Thomas Aquinas has also refuted those who deny physical pleasures in Paradise.
The third contention with regard to Jihad (Religious War) will be discussed later in this book. This is regarded by the Christians as their strongest point against the Holy Prophet and we intend to discuss it in depth.
8[8] Before proceeding further into this discussion it should be remembered that the Christians totally deny physical blessings and pleasures in Paradise. They believe only in spiritual delights in Paradise for which they seek justifying arguments from some verses of the Bible.
9[9] The Qur’an also describes the event of the angels appearing to the Prophet Ibrahim with the difference that it clearly states that the angels did not even touch the dressed calf prepared by the Prophet Ibrahim (See chapter 51 of the Holy Qur’an). Our author is answering the Christians according to their own belief.
10[10] Matthew 11:19
11[11] Genesis 2:16.
12[12] Matt. 26:29
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The Blessings of Paradise
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