"Their only grievance against them was their faith in God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy, to whom all control over the heavens and earth belongs: God is witness over all things." (The Towering Constellations 85.8-85.9)
Sura eighty-five really highlights the all-powerfulness of Allah. Likewise, it also shows Allah's dedication to protecting his believers. This particular Sura stood out to me, amongst the rest because it wasn't like anything we've read before in search up until this point. The Allah portrayed in this Sura seems more removed from the actions of mortals yet very stern in deciding an individual's experience in the afterlife. In a sense Allah is portrayed in a paternal light looking out for his followers in the long run. Although not providing immediate condolences or punishment for the persecutors of his followers, the Quran states, " For those who persecute believing men and women, and do not repent afterwards, there will be the torment of Hell and burning, (The Towering Constellations 85.11)" My question for you, my fellow classmates is how would the Quran's description of Allah, their God/divine authority, compare to the other portrayals of "God" we've read about this year?
The God depicted in the Quran is similar and different than the other depictions that we've read about. The Quran emphasizes God's forgiving and protective nature, while the Old Testament mainly displays a harsh God who is always punishing the people. These depictions are very different from the gods in the Aeneid who constantly interfere and meddle in the mortals' lives. These gods are very immersed, while the other God is more removed from the people, although it does seem that he ultimately controls their fate.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. The God in the Old Testament is very harsh whereas the God in the Quran is shown as a more forgiving figure. I thought that the God in the Quaran would be similar to the God in the Old Testament just because of all of the radical believers of the Quaran, but after reading it I was shocked because of how forgiving the God in the Quaran is.
ReplyDeleteI think the Allah figure in the Qur'an is similar to the figure of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. He is seen as merciful and forgiving, creating a parallel to Jesus rather than the harsh and unforgiving God in the Old Testament. Allah also strongly differs from any of the gods/goddesses of Greek/Roman mythology in my opinion as they are seen as meddling forces in mortals lives that often lead to more destruction than good. Allah is not seen in this light whatsoever.
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