RE: General argument for Islam.
April 5, 2015 at 1:30 pm
(This post was last modified: April 5, 2015 at 1:38 pm by Mystic.)
(April 5, 2015 at 1:06 pm)paulpablo Wrote: Where does it say in the quran that shirk is only a sin that won't be forgiven if people know better?
There are verses that talk about mustafeen saying perhaps God will forgive them and God is forgiving merciful. The Mustafaen were the polytheists who weren't able to migrate and come to the message and it's proof. They weren't aware of the truth to deny it nor aware of the truth to accept it.
Tabatabai in his tafsir states:
A man is oblivious of the established truth of the religion and its tenets, and his thoughts have not led him to it, but at the same time he has no enmity towards truth, is not averse to it at all; if he knew the reality he would have readily accepted it; but the truth has remained hidden from him because of some factors [and, therefore, he does not know it].
This too is a 'weak' person who does not have a means and does not find a way to escape from his ignorance - not because of any enemies who might be threatening him from all sides with swords and spears - but because of other factors which have overpowered his thinking and put him under oblivion. Obviously, with this oblivion he has no power and with this ignorance he cannot find a way to the truth.
This explanation is based on the generality of the verse which shows that the given cause is unrestricted [and covers cases of unavoidable ignorance and oblivion]We have a hadith:
Zurarah says: "I asked Abu Ja'far (a.s.) about al-mustad'af = weak, weakened). He said: 'He is the one who does not have a means to disbelief (that he may disbelieve), nor does he find a way to belief; he is unable to believe and unable to reject (the belief); among them are the children as well as those men and women whose understanding is like that of the children; they are freed from responsibility'." (al-Kafi)
More from tafsir Al-Mizan:
Sulayman has narrated from as-Sadiq (a.s.) that he said about this verse: "0 Sulayman! In these weak ones there are those who have thicker necks than yours. Weak are the people who fast and pray, keep their stomachs and genitals away [from forbidden things]; they do not believe that the right is with our adversaries; they are holding the tree's branches; these are that Allah may pardon them if they keep the hold of the tree's branches and know those. Then if Allah pardons them it will be by His mercy, and if He punishes them it will be because of their error." (Ma'ani'l-akhbar)
The author says: The words, "they do not believe that the right is with our adversaries", mean that they do not have ill-feelings towards us, or that such ideas are not based on their own negligence, as is clear from the following traditions.
as-Sadiq (a.s.) has said that weak ones are of many kinds, differing among themselves; and anyone among the People of the Qiblah (i.e. Muslims) who is not inimical to us, is mustad'af, weak. (ibid.)
as-Sadiq (a.s.) said explaining this verse: " 'who have not in their power the means' to our enmity, so that they could have got ill-feelings [towards us], 'nor can they find a way' to the truth, that they could come on the right path; they will enter the garden because of their good deeds and their abstaining from the unlawful things forbidden by Allah, but they will not get the rank of the righteous ones." (ibid; at-Tafsir, al-'Ayyashi)
(April 5, 2015 at 1:22 pm)Rhythm Wrote: We talking the sky...sky. Big blue thing over my head, or is that metaphor for metaphysical reality as well? Like how the greek gods live on Mt. Olympus?
Metaphysical reality. Not the blue sky.
This is further explained that God has blessed it for the worlds to visit. It's not just for Mohammad, but for us to make the journey their spiritually.
There are verses talking about "ladder to the sky" "opening to the earth", "if they ascended the sky...".
The word sky is heaven too. You can translate it as heaven.
