Sometimes, children ask questions that are as honest as it gets. A friend of mine was telling me about one particularly difficult question that her daughter posed to her one day.
Her daughter has a non-Muslim best friend. Upon hearing from her Ustazah that only Muslims go to Heaven (here we go again...), she naturally got quite sad.
The question of where we (Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus etc) will end up versus the other guy is something we have asked at some point in our lives. I can't remember the answer that kept my curiousity at bay, but my friend had a pretty good one for her daughter.
She said (crudely paraphrased):
Even Muslims can go to Hell if we're bad. Whether you go to Heaven or Hell, it's all up to God and that's something for Him to look over.Posted by Najah Nasseri at 2004年02月10日 21:19 | TrackBack
I have a friend whose Ustazah insisted that everyone else would go to hell. And she kept drumming that into my friend's eight year old head over and over again (bear in mind this person comes from mixed parentage and babysat by Hindus). Imagine the damage this does to a little child's thinking.
Look around us. Your friend's answer IMHO was a good one. Too many around eager to make spots for themselves in Heaven, it seems.
Posted by: Ash.ox at 2004年02月10日 22:15Yeah, these religious teachers should be careful with what they say sometimes. I've had the Catholic drumming, about how only people who know Jesus can go to heaven and I've had people from other faiths tell me, I'm going to hell.
Now, at the end of the day if a small child asks me a question like that, I'd answer as your friend did, it's up to God, now you run along and play and be the best person you can be and know that anyone who is a good person will gain paradise.
Or we could all just listen to Rowan Atkins and give up now, and say the Jews got it right ;)
Posted by: meesh at 2004年02月11日 05:36yes , i think thats the best answer you could give. heres a verse / ayah from surah al-Baqarah (2:94)
Say to (them): "If the home of the Hereafter with God is indeed for you specially and not for others, of mankind, then long for death if you are truthful."
http://www.qurantoday.com/BaqSec11.htm
Posted by: faren at 2004年02月11日 10:28Kids nowadays can be cute, cheeky, playful and a 'pain in the ass' sometime. Well, we've been there b4 as a kid. I totally agreed with yr friend's answer & indeed, there's a blurry line of whether one belongs to heaven or hell. you don't have to be a non-muslim to go to hell.
We should compile all Faren's comments and post it somewhere, he's good.
This is EVANGELISING, and spreading the GOOD NEWS, not all the self-righteous, misaligned morality people have somehow started to throw around the web...
Three cheers for Faren!
Posted by: meesh at 2004年02月11日 15:57I think people have been taking the context of heaven and hell too far by stating who should and shouldn't go to hell. Who are we to judge ?
It is very sad that these words come out from teachers who are suppose to help guide our young children in understanding morality and faith. Why do they let their understanding of religion make them so narrow-minded?
in the first place, what is heaven? what is hell? are there such places? i know i am a catholic and i am suppose to beleive in heaven and hell... and i do... but then sometimes i do question myself what indeed is heaven and hell.
Posted by: lucia at 2004年02月11日 21:11Ch 2 verse 94 was targeted at the wicked who claim only their clan will enter heaven.
The next verse shows they are not truthful:
2:95 :"They will never wish for it because of what their hands have done; and God is aware of the wicked."
Just have faith and do good..
4.124 "If any do deeds of righteousness,- be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them."
Posted by: zlanz at 2004年02月12日 13:58and the question is... is there really heaven and hell? or was it all metaphorically said in the Books...
Posted by: inbam at 2004年02月15日 02:36