There are as many ways to Paradise as there are human souls – Rumi
“Does God/Allah have an ego issue?” was one of the questions asked by a Muslim girl (judging by the headscarf she wore) to a well-known (judging by the YouTube hits) and knowledgeable Muslim sheikh at a gathering in Bristol (UK). However, to my surprise he did not have an answer and dodged the question. I presume because he had never come across such a controversial question before – especially from a Muslim.
I realised more clearly there that we (and I mean all of us!) wrongly take for granted and assume that everybody in our vicinity/close circle has the same amount of faith as we do. We also pretend that everyone will find the answers to their questions without anyone actually answering them – and therefore make no effort to gauge the theological/philosophical issues that exist within our communities.
Unfortunately we Muslims (generally speaking) do not have the same ‘free spirit’ as Westerners when it comes to asking controversial questions*. We think too much about what others would think and the reaction we would get, and maybe rightly so (as it would probably get us into trouble in the “backward” and corrupt countries that most of us are from)… However, virtually all of us harbour such questions** but mostly those who are born and bred in Western countries have the desire to seek answers and the guts to ask them to a scholar and/or in front of the public. However “why this is?” is another topic for us to ponder upon – and maybe for researchers to empirically analyse.
I believe that Islamic philosophy*** has to be resurrected from its ashes by today’s knowledgeable Muslim scholars to start contributing not just to the Muslim intellect, but to the World’s way of thinking (just as it was in the ‘Golden age’ of Islamic civilisations which lay the foundations for the ‘enlightenment’ in the West). For tough questions to be adequately approached, collaborations from many fields are required, which is the main missing ingredient in the ‘Islamic’ world at present… It is quite a shame as Islam lay its foundations on the brotherhood and unbreakable bonds between the Muhajir and the Ansar. But today, the ‘Muslim’ world is a mess! All hates all!
I am glad to say however that there are signs of change with some great movements (advocating dialogue, tolerance and peace) being initiated in the Muslim world. Hope they will bear fruits soon as we are fed up of living in a world full of killing, violence and bloodshed (some supposedly being done in the name of religion)!
Getting back to the question at the start, I have thought on this issue a bit and believe the answer should have been along the lines of: “Whatever I say, it is not going to convince everyone as the real answer lies within ourselves, not in any book or scholar. However the answer is a definite NO. God does not have an ego issue. It is we who do!”
“God has created us, given us everything that we have (from our parents to our intellect); and sent us to this Earth to test us for a tiny amount of time (in the grand scheme of things). However we have paid him back with disobedience, disloyalty, negligence to his message, ignorance to his messengers who were the greatest and most kind of mankind (list can go on)… But He (The Most Merciful, The Most Gracious) is willing to forgive each and every one of us if we wholeheartedly ask for His forgiveness. He will then grant us with Paradise (forever) for the little bit of good that we did in His name (in that finite time period that we call ‘life’).”
So to say that he has an “ego issue” after all the things that he has done for us, reflects the enormous “ego issue” that we have within ourselves. I am not a scholar (wish I was!) therefore I cannot give comprehensive answers, but all I can say is that there is need for us to return back to the basics and start teaching the true essence of Islam to people, starting within our own communities (i.e. Muslim).
* Just Google search the same question, and you will see that the it has been asked repeatedly by people of other faiths or no faith, but it is quite hard to find a similar one in an ‘Islamic’ website
** Being a Muslim does not change the fact that you are still a human being like any other – with ‘human’ problems
*** I do not mean the philosophical/theological thinking done by Ibn Taymiyyah or Omar Khayyam (whose ideas are totally against the teachings of the Prophet (s.a.v) and the Qur’an) but similar to ones carried out by (Sufi) intellectuals/scholars such as Rumi, Bayazid Bastami, Al-Ghazali and Ibn Arabi. A more recent example is Said Nursi, who is a scholar of the 20th century. His ‘Risale-i Nur‘ collection is considered one of – if not the – greatest Islamic exegesis (tafsir) by many; and thus should be read by all interested in deepening their understanding of the Qur’an, the Prophet (PbuH) and Islam as a whole.
PS: I do not like preaching my beliefs (although I do try and give answers if I am asked) as I believe everyone’s on their own journey to find the truth about God, life and the hereafter. We may all arrive at the same conclusion through (sometimes totally) different means…
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