Don't ask too many questions about religion

[Hard Rock Moslem]

Assalamu'alaikum,

Just sharing.

http://theislamawareness.blogspot.com/2009/05/dont-ask-too-many-questions-about.html

 

[Hard Rock Moslem]

Example from Quran, the consequences asking too many:

And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "Verily, Allah commands you that you slaughter a cow." They said, "Do you make fun of us?" He said, "I take Allah's Refuge from being among Al-Jahilun (the ignorants or the foolish)." [Q, 2:67]

They said, "Call upon your Lord for us that He may make plain to us what it is!" He said, "He says, 'Verily, it is a cow neither too old nor too young, but (it is) between the two conditions', so do what you are commanded." [Q, 2:68]

They said, "Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us its colour." He said, "He says, 'It is a yellow cow, bright in its colour, pleasing to the beholders.' " [Q, 2:69]

They said, "Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us what it is. Verily to us all cows are alike, And surely, if Allah wills, we will be guided." [Q, 2:70]

He [Musa (Moses)] said, "He says, 'It is a cow neither trained to till the soil nor water the fields, sound, having no other colour except bright yellow.' " They said, "Now you have brought the truth." So they slaughtered it though they were near to not doing it. [Q, 2:71]

(Based on Muhsin Khan's translation)

When they were commanded to slaughter a female cow (Baqarah), to make it easy they should just get a female cow and slaughter it. Instead they keep asking the description etc until they almost could not find it. Likewise there are many things in religion which are already clear to us, but yet we still like to ask this and that. Finally the religion look tough to implement due to different answers you get.

Often we also ask questions relating to things which was made unclear to us, like the Quran mentioned in Chapter Al-Imran, 3:7, when we knew even scholars are divided on many issues, yet we dive our nose into something we should abstain from commenting

 

[septithol]

The fact that there are *some* questions that it is silly to ask about religion, does not mean that there are not *other* questions, that one SHOULD ask:

To take the case you mentioned, the point of all the questions was to get a very narrow definition of what the 'cow' was, to possibly get out of sacrificing it. And this was not only silly, it was also dishonest.

Now, it would have been valid, and also more honest, to ask if Moses had proof that God wanted the cow sacrificed, and why God wants people to hurt cows. Especially if the people had seen Moses in the past, stuffing his face on meat from 'sacrificed' cows, while they and their families went hungry.

 

[rahman2040]

:salam2:
Sister you need to understand the full story of this, check the Tafsir here



67. And remember Moses said to his people: "Allah commands that
ye sacrifice a heifer."

C80. This story or parable of the heifer in 2:67-71
should be read with the parable of the dead man brought
to life in 2:72-73.

The stories were accepted in Jewish traditions, which are
themselves based on certain sacrificial directions in the
Old Testament. The heifer story of Jewish tradition is
based on Num. 19:1-10, in which Moses and Aaron
ordered the Israelites to sacrifice a red heifer without
spot or blemish; her body was to be burnt and the ashes
were to be kept for the purification of the congregation
from sin.

The parable of the dead man we shall refer to later.

The lesson of the heifer parable is plain. Moses
announced the sacrifice to the Israelites, and they
treated it as jest. When Moses continued solemnly to ask
for the sacrifice, they put him off on one pretext and
another, asking a number of questions which they could
have answered themselves if they had listened to Moses'
directions.

Their questions were carping criticisms rather than the
result of a desire for information. It was a mere thin
presence that they were genuinely seeking for guidance.
When at last they were driven into a corner, they made
the sacrifice, but the will was wanting, which would have
made the sacrifice efficacious for purification from sin.

The real reason for their prevarications was their guilty
conscience, as we see in the parable of the dead man
(2:72-73).


72. Remember ye slew a man and fell into a dispute among
yourselves as to the crime,

C81. In Deut. 21:1-9 it is ordained that if the body of a
slain man be found in field and the slayer is not known, a
heifer shall be beheaded, and the elders of the city next
to the slain man's domicile shall wash their hands over
the heifer and say that they neither did the deed nor saw
it done, thus clearing themselves from the blood-guilt.

The Jewish story based on this was that in a certain case
of this kind, every one tried to clear himself of guilt and
lay the blame at the door of others. In the first place
they tried to prevaricate and prevent a heifer being slain
as in the last parable. When she was slain, Allah by a
miracle disclosed the real person. A portion of the
sacrificed heifer was ordered to be placed on the corpse,
which came to life and disclosed the whole story of the
crime.

The lesson of this parable is that men may try to hide
their crimes individually or collectively, but Allah will
bring them to light in unexpected ways.

Applying this further to Jewish national history, the
argument is developed in the following verses that the
Children of Israel played fast and loose which their rites
and tradition, but they could thus evade the
consequences of their own sin.

72. but Allah was to bring forth what ye did hide.



73. So We said: "Strike the (body) with a piece of the (heifer)."

Thus Allah bringeth the dead to life and showeth you His Signs,
perchance ye may understand.


Allah knows best

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

Dear Septithol,

What you are forgetting with this incident is the prior condition. There was no need for Musa to define the existence of God. These people had accepted this condition and followed Musa.

Thus there is no need for speculation about hungry families and cows...after the sacrifice the meat is distributed to all. It is blessed. I think, and correct me if I am wrong, you have the notion that the meat would be left to rot. That is not the case.

And an animal that is chosen for scarification is blessed.

 

[nyerekareem]

Please tell me if I am reading this wrong.... I think the poster is trying to say that we shouldn't ask religious questions in which there is no real way of knowing the answer. Kind of like asking if there are going to be cars or dunkin donuts in Jan ah etc.

 

[Hard Rock Moslem]

The fact that there are *some* questions that it is silly to ask about religion, does not mean that there are not *other* questions, that one SHOULD ask:

To take the case you mentioned, the point of all the questions was to get a very narrow definition of what the 'cow' was, to possibly get out of sacrificing it. And this was not only silly, it was also dishonest.

Now, it would have been valid, and also more honest, to ask if Moses had proof that God wanted the cow sacrificed, and why God wants people to hurt cows. Especially if the people had seen Moses in the past, stuffing his face on meat from 'sacrificed' cows, while they and their families went hungry.

I'm sorry, you have not come to the stage that you can understand what I've posted.

 

[Hard Rock Moslem]

Please tell me if I am reading this wrong.... I think the poster is trying to say that we shouldn't ask religious questions in which there is no real way of knowing the answer. Kind of like asking if there are going to be cars or dunkin donuts in Jan ah etc.

Pls read the link I provided.

There are two kind of questions,

1) asking to disbelieve (kufr). There are many examples in the Quran.
2) asking to clarify. This can be further break into two:

a) asking too many although it is already clear.

b) asking things which there is no explanation, even if there is it will not going to do anything with your iman.