2:A The extent to which the Islamic concept of Allah is coherent
For Against
- Intermediaries - angels serve as the link between God - Contradictory - transcendent and immanent at the
and humans to maintain transcendence. same time.
- Human imperfection - lack of coherence is not due to - Creation - if God is fully transcendent then he could not
the concept of Allah but the inability for humans to be involved in creation.
comprehend it. - Omniscience - if God knows everything before it
- Language - lack of coherence is due to a lack of tools happens, do we have free will?
i.e words cannot describe the nature of God. - Big Bang - Muslims believe God created the Big Bang,
- Transcendence - although God is immanent, humans but Quranic stories of Adam and Eve contradict this.
cannot have a personal divine experience because God
is transcendent.
Quran - “He is as close as your jugular vein.”
Turner - “Allah is as a creator who is never absent from his creation.”
Waines - “He is completely other than human and nature.”
Conclusion:
The Islamic concept of Allah is truly coherent to the believer as it is integral to the faith.
, 2:A Whether the Shahadah is more to do with private faith than public declaration
For Against
- Faith - faith and therefore the Shahadah, is a private - Public roles - Shahadah has too many public roles e.g,
matter between Allah and an individual believer. call to prayer, aqiqah, nikkah.
- Dying - recited to oneself just before death. - Revert - when one proclaims their faith for the first time,
- Birth - whispered in the ear of a baby when born. there must be witnesses.
- Shahadah - literally means ‘bear witness’, or actively
advocate for this truth.
Maqsood - “your whole life must back up what’s been declared.”
Turner - “The Shahadah is part of their mental makeup.”
Turner - “An important psychological mechanism.”
Conclusion:
The shahadah is more to do with private faith than public declaration as personal faith and intention is more important than
anything else to a muslim.
For Against
- Intermediaries - angels serve as the link between God - Contradictory - transcendent and immanent at the
and humans to maintain transcendence. same time.
- Human imperfection - lack of coherence is not due to - Creation - if God is fully transcendent then he could not
the concept of Allah but the inability for humans to be involved in creation.
comprehend it. - Omniscience - if God knows everything before it
- Language - lack of coherence is due to a lack of tools happens, do we have free will?
i.e words cannot describe the nature of God. - Big Bang - Muslims believe God created the Big Bang,
- Transcendence - although God is immanent, humans but Quranic stories of Adam and Eve contradict this.
cannot have a personal divine experience because God
is transcendent.
Quran - “He is as close as your jugular vein.”
Turner - “Allah is as a creator who is never absent from his creation.”
Waines - “He is completely other than human and nature.”
Conclusion:
The Islamic concept of Allah is truly coherent to the believer as it is integral to the faith.
, 2:A Whether the Shahadah is more to do with private faith than public declaration
For Against
- Faith - faith and therefore the Shahadah, is a private - Public roles - Shahadah has too many public roles e.g,
matter between Allah and an individual believer. call to prayer, aqiqah, nikkah.
- Dying - recited to oneself just before death. - Revert - when one proclaims their faith for the first time,
- Birth - whispered in the ear of a baby when born. there must be witnesses.
- Shahadah - literally means ‘bear witness’, or actively
advocate for this truth.
Maqsood - “your whole life must back up what’s been declared.”
Turner - “The Shahadah is part of their mental makeup.”
Turner - “An important psychological mechanism.”
Conclusion:
The shahadah is more to do with private faith than public declaration as personal faith and intention is more important than
anything else to a muslim.
