Dialogue with a Pagan

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful


Dialogue with a Pagan


Muslim: Do you believe in other deities beside God?


Pagan: Yes.


Muslim: Let us address an essential question about God. Is God one or more than one? I believe that God must be one. Look at the universe around you with the amazing coherent system. Do you see any discrepancy?


Pagan: No.


Muslim: This is because the Lord is one. If there were more than one lord, corruption would take place in the universe system. God stats in the Qur'an 21:22:


Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah (God), they both would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.


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Now let us drew an example from our life. All countries, companies and other organizations must have one leader (a president, a king, a director etc.). It is unacceptable to have two presidents or two kings or two directors for one position at the same time because they would give different orders that could result in confusion among the people of any organization. The highest position fits only one person. One case can not fit two swards. If it is obvious in human leadership, it should be more obvious in the universe Lordship. Therefore, the Lord must be one.


When we contemplate about the creation issue, we should ask ourselves this question: "Who created the universe? Is the creator one or two or three or hundreds or thousands? In order to answer this question we should know the essence of the creator. The following are some essential essence of the Creator:


-The Creator must not be created.


-The Creator is ever living.


-The Creator is eternal (no beginning no end).


-The Creator must not be in the universe.


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-The Creator is not in need of his creatures.


-The Creator begets not nor is he begotten.


-The Creator is self-sufficient and must not have any shortages such as becoming weak, tired, sick, hungry, thirsty, sleepy etc.


Deities are in form of men, animals, stars, plants, idols and other creatures such as that in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and other religions. Let us expose the above essence to these deities. Does the above essence fit them? No, because they are created and those living creatures of them die thus they must not be creators. Indeed, the Creator is eternal and does not die. In addition, the integrity of the universe indicates that the creator wise and one. If there were more than one creator, every creator would try to overcome others. God stats in the Qur'an 23:91:


Allah (God) has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others.


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Exalted is Allah above what they describe [concerning Him].


Pagan: You are right that deities can not create but we take them as mediators between us and God during our worship.


Muslim: A mediator should not have the ability to communicate. Think with me please. Can a dead man, an animal, a star, a plant or an idol hear or talk or even understand. We have not heard that these deities communicated with their worshipers through the human history. Prophet Abraham argued with his people about their idols that they have no will to hear or the ability to benefit or harm. It is only God Who does whatever He wills. God stats in the Qur'an 26:69-82:


And recite to them the news of Abraham, When he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?" They said, "We worship idols and remain to them devoted." He said, "Do they hear you when you supplicate? Or do they benefit you, or do they harm?" They said, "But we


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found our fathers doing thus." He said, "Then do you see what you have been worshipping, You and your ancient forefathers? Indeed, they are enemies to me, except the Lord of the worlds, Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me. And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink. And when I am ill, it is He who cures me And who will cause me to die and then bring me to life And who I aspire that He will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense."


God gave no excuse for the idols' worshippers when they claimed that they followed their fathers because both of them were wrongdoers. Indeed, parents in any society influence their children to follow their beliefs blindly. In fact every human is born on the state of truth but his parents make him astray. Following the steps of parents has been the major barrier towards the truth brought by God's prophets and messengers. God stats in the Qur'an 5:104:


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And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allah (God) has revealed and to the Messenger," they say, "Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our fathers." Even though their fathers knew nothing, nor were they guided?


While God guides human to the way of truth that leads to Paradise, Satan always misguides human to drag him to the Hell Fire. God ordered His servants to follow His prophets and messengers but Satan urged them to fulfill the false commitments of their fathers even after the clarification of the truth. God stats in the Qur'an 31:21


And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that upon which we found our fathers." Even if Satan was inviting them to the punishment of the Blaze?


Pagan: It seems to me that God did not leave His servants without guidance.


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Muslim: This is true. God sent prophets and messengers to their people to guide them to the truth. The main message that they conveyed was to worship God alone and to avoid false gods. God stats in the Qur'an 16:36:


And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship God and avoid false gods." And among them were those whom God guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers.


God did not give His servants the permission to worship deities beside Him because they are nothing but names which people invented. God stats in the Qur'an 12:40:


You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. Legislation is not but


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for Allah. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.


Those who believe in false gods and worship them have no reason to prove the truth. But those who build beliefs according to logic and reason reject false gods once they see the signs. For example, while a young man from Brazil was prostrating to an idol claimed to be his god, a dog walked into the temple and passed urine on the idol. He was angry towards the dog at the beginning but after that he realized that the idol could not be the Lord of the universe. Another example, at the time of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. There was a man who had an idol claimed to be his god. Then two Muslims of his relatives wanted to prove to him that this idol is a false god. They toke the idol and threw it into a deep hole. The man searched for his god (idol) and found it in the hole. Then they toke the idol and threw it into the garbage. The man searched for his god again and found it in the


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garbage but this time he decided to hang on his god a sword to defend itself. Then they toke the idol to the garbage and tide it to a dead dog. When the man saw his god being tied to the dead dog in a dirty place, he cursed the idol and realized that it could not be the Lord of the universe and finally he embraced Islam.


Associating deities or partners besides God in any from of worship such as prayer, supplication, invocation, and sacrifice is the greatest sin. Whoever dies without repenting from this sin he/she shall enter Hell-Fire in humiliation and God has forbidden him paradise. God stats in the Qur'an 4: 48:


Verily Allah (God) will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whomsoever He whishes; and whoever sets up partners with Allah (in worship) he has indeed invented a tremendous sin)) (Qura’n 4: 48).


And God stats in the Qur'an 5:72:


Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise,


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and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.


Pagan: But Paganism like Hinduism and Buddhism and others have guidance through their books and holly men.


Muslim: Devoted followers of every religion always claim that they follow the true guidance yet every religion has different beliefs particularly that are related to the essence of God and worship. We can distinguish between the true guidance and false ones through the following basic principles: 1) The oneness of lordship which means that God is the only Lord Who has the creation, the kingdom and the command. 2) The oneness of worship which means that God is the only One Who has the right to be worshipped with no mediators. 3) God is one and unique and no one is like unto Him. The guidance which holds these major principles is the true guidance of God. In fact the Qur'an and Sinnah (Prophet Muhammad's teaching) is the only guidance that holds these principles.


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Therefore, Islam is the only true religion of God.


Islam was not named after a person like Christianity, which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after buddah, nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the universal religion for all mankind from Adam until the Day of Judgment. All Prophets of God came to call people to Islam (to submit to God who created them). The prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said ((The prophets are brothers and their religion is one)). Also all Prophets admitted that they are Muslims because they had full submission to God. The Qura’n stressed the Prophets' submission to God in many places such as:


The Qura’n 2:132:


And this (submission to God, Islâm) was enjoined by Ibrâhim (Abraham) upon his sons and by Ya'qûb (Jacob), (saying), "O my sons! God has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die not except in submission to God (as Muslims - Islâmic Monotheism.


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The Qura’n 2:133:


Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya'qûb (Jacob)? When he said unto his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We shall worship your Ilâh (God), the Ilâh (God) of your fathers, Ibrâhim (Abraham), Ismâ'il (Ishmael), Ishâque (Isaac), One Ilâh (God), and to Him we submit (in Islâm).


The Qura’n 3:52:


But when Jesus felt (persistence) in disbelief from them, he said, “who are my supporters for (the cause of) God?” The disciples said we are supporters for God. We have believed in God and testify that we are Muslims (submitting to Him).


Therefore, Islam is not a new religion brought by Muhammad peace be upon him to Arabs only; rather it is the true religion of God for all mankind from Adam until the end of this world re-expressed in its final form through the message of the Qura’n and the Prophethood of Muhammad peace be upon


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him. The following are some verses that confirm the universality of Islam and prophet Muhammad peace be upon him:


The Qur'an 3:19:


Indeed, the religion in the sight of God is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of God, then indeed, God is swift in [taking] account.


The Qur'an 3:85:


And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.


The Qur'an 34:28:


And We have not sent you (Muhammad) except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. But most of the people do not know.


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Pagan: It is clear from what you have said so far that God is one and no one has the right to be worshipped except Him. Also you explained that God has only one religion which all prophets and messengers of God followed. Therefore, the last question is: How can I become a Muslim?


Muslim: You can become a Muslim by pronouncing the testimony of Islam:


"Ashhadu un la ilah illa Allah wa un Muhammad rasul Allah" which means: I bear witness that there is no true god but Allah (God) and Muhammad is His messenger.


Pagan: "Ashhadu un la ilah illa Allah wa una Muhammad rasul Allah"


Muslim: Praises and thanks are due to Allah.