Allah is "Emmanuel"

[Faith Hope Charity]

Glory to God, peace on earth, goodwill to all.

but althought "there's alot of philosophy" surrounding the matter... I believe it's this matter that forms the basis of our belief in god and the basis by which each religion is formed...

Salam naseeha :peace:



I'm happy to continue our discussion if you are :) My time's limited though - I have exactly one week left before I go on holidays. We might not be able to finish what we start. Anyways, it's your call.

Just to add a few words to this matter about We. Since I all started it....


Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion.

Salam umm :peace:



If your post was intended for my benefit then thank you very much :)


For the record, I never doubted that Islam is a monotheistic religion.


Out of curiousity, does Allah (SWT) refer to Himself in the first person plural all throughout the Quran?


Cheers!


May God bless you both.

[naseeha]

Hey FHC... dont know if there's much more to discuss...


the only remaining issue i think... is the importance. because you dont seem to attach much to it... but I see it as a fundamental building block :)

[Faith Hope Charity]

Glory to God, peace on earth, goodwill to all.

the only remaining issue i think... is the importance. because you dont seem to attach much to it... but I see it as a fundamental building block :)

Sorry naseeha... I don't quite know what you're talking about. If it's not too much trouble, please elaborate on that point :)


By the way... I don't find any aspect of my religion to be unimportant.


God bless.

[wel_mel_2]

Bismillah: Assalamo Alikum.


Just wanted to share this with you all.


I got in touch with Rabbi Aaron Parry, and I asked him few questions about the term "Elohim" and why "US" and "WE" were used when God refered to Himself in the OT. And this was his reply:


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Shalom Wael,



Thank you for your question. The exact meaning of the


word Elohim is a bit complex, for in the Torah we find


it used in at least 3 contexts, it can mean God (as


the judge or strict creator of the world), it can


connote an angel (as we find by Abraham and Moshe and


Aaron when they come be for the Pharoah), and it can


mean a judge. The root is the word El, which means


"mighty."


Eventhough the name Elohim appears to be in the


plural, <b>it should not be construed to have anything to</b>


do with the Trinity as it is understood by most of


Christianity. It merely means that God has many


attributes.


When for instance, however, such as in Genesis 1:26


where God says "let us (or shall we) create man in our


image," the Jewish sages explain that God was speaking


to none other than His own created being, the angelic


forces. He was essentially teaching humility, implying


that it is appropriate for someone of highter


authority to take counsel with someone beneath him.


God certainly didn't need any help from angels to


create man - He wanted to demonsrate humility. <b>It</b>


never implies that He was consulting beings of equal


status as his.


May Elohim bless us in our effort to understand His


truth.


Shalom,


rabbi aaron parry ravparry@yahoo.com


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I also asked him the followings:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dear Rabbi Aaron, Assalamo Alikum.



What do you say of those who interpret the words "US" and "WE" as plural of majesty? Is there any plural of majesty/respect found in the Hebrew language as it is found in Arabic? Could you please provide some examples from the OT or from the Hebrew language in general?


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


but i got no reply yet. insh a Allah will share with you his view point when i receive his response.


Salam :)


Wael.

This post was last modified: 07-13-2007, 10:33 AM by wel_mel_2.

[Faith Hope Charity]

In the Name of the Father Son Holy Spirit - One God - now & forever. Amen.

Just wanted to share this with you all.


I got in touch with Rabbi Aaron Parry, and I asked him few questions about the term "Elohim" and why "US" and "WE" were used when God refered to Himself in the OT.

My dearest Wael,


The only reason why I'm responding is because you made an effort to highlight the sentence pertaining to Christianity. I don't have anything to say in that regard though - hehe! I'm just wondering why you're interested in what a Jewish Rabbi thinks & how his views affect anyone here??? You go to way too much trouble sometimes :D


Thanks buddy!


God bless you.

[Hadji]

Alsalam alaykum,


Wael, who is Rabbi Aaron Parry?

I'm just wondering why you're interested in what a Jewish Rabbi thinks & how his views affect anyone here???

I always thought that Jews were more knowledgable about the Old Testament, or at least when it comes to language. The same applies to Muslims and the Qur'an. We've seen what happens when non-Muslims try to interpret the Qur'an don't we?


FHC - Awesome display pic by the way.

[wel_mel_2]

Bismillah: Assalamo ALikum.

My dearest Wael,
The only reason why I'm responding is because you made an effort to highlight the sentence pertaining to Christianity. I don't have anything to say in that regard though - hehe! I'm just wondering why you're interested in what a Jewish Rabbi thinks & how his views affect anyone here??

Because Jews are the best to explain their language, and the OT was written in Hebrew, not in English or any other language. So when you understand the meaning of certain Hebrew words found in the OT, you will understand the concept of God in Judaism and Christianity better. and that's what I was trying to emphasis, that "US" and "OUR" have nothing to do with Trinity as Jewish explained.


Salam


Wael

This post was last modified: 09-30-2007, 03:52 AM by wel_mel_2.

[wel_mel_2]

Bismillah: Assalamo Alikum.

Wael, who is Rabbi Aaron Parry?

One of the Jewish Rabbis; you may find more details about him in this website. virtualjerusalem.com

I always thought that Jews were more knowledgable about the Old Testament, or at least when it comes to language.

I agree.


Salam


Wael

This post was last modified: 09-30-2007, 03:52 AM by wel_mel_2.

[naseeha]

Glory to God, peace on earth, goodwill to all.


Sorry naseeha... I don't quite know what you're talking about. If it's not too much trouble, please elaborate on that point :)


By the way... I don't find any aspect of my religion to be unimportant.


God bless.

I was referring to the fact that we agreed to disagree :)


what I meant to say is that... you seem to take the issue of "where is allah" to be a RELATIVELY trivial matter...


but i think it is one of the most fundamental part of any religion to be firm on their understanding of where god is..... because, if you dont know god... in the most fundamental ways... how can you worship him... how can you worship one you dont know..... this is why islam goes at length for us to understand god....


it formulates what we call our "aqeedah" and the most fundamental pillar in this aqeedah or belief system is tauhid (monotheism)


get it :D

[Faith Hope Charity]

Glory to God, peace on earth, goodwill to all.

I always thought that Jews were more knowledgable about the Old Testament, or at least when it comes to language. The same applies to Muslims and the Qur'an. We've seen what happens when non-Muslims try to interpret the Qur'an don't we?

Salam Hadji :peace:


There's no <i>Old</i> Testament is Judaism... because there's no <i>New </i> Testament according to their religion. The sacred text of Judaism is called the 'Hebrew Scriptures' & what Catholics have is called the 'Holy Bible'. We have 7 books in our "Old Testament" that are rejected by Jews. If I wanted to learn about Judaism I'd ask a Jew for an interpretation & if I wanted to learn about The Catholic Faith I'd consult a Catholic. You're free to accept what you want but I'm quite confident in the biblical scholars who teach me at university.

FHC - Awesome display pic by the way.

Cheers :) It broke my heart at first glance - still does. Regardless of that little girl's religion, I'd sacrifice my life to protect her.


Peace & blessings.

This post was last modified: 07-17-2007, 05:18 AM by Faith Hope Charity.