In answer to the video "Decapitating Allah (and "Defacing" Islam)"
Christianity’s dogma of incarnation, a theology resulting from centuries of later reflections, is the climax of anthropomorphism. The NT is far removed from the Hebraic universe and closer to the Hellenestic world view. It isnt theocentric but christocentric.
Islam emphasizes God’s transcendence, protecting it from any shades of corporealism. Countless verses substantiate this principle, without resorting to textual contortions or external help to safeguard this paradigm. The Quran makes it clear, God is unknown in His essence, but is known through His signs, attributes, qualities and actions.
God's essence is, as shown earlier, one that can never be perceived, meaning we cannot speak of Him in terms of any point of reference, including spatio-temporal. However, nothing is more evident than God's attributes within and outside ourselves. He, through His attributes, is everywhere in the heavens and earth
57:4,12:105,31:20,2:115"so whichever way you turn, there is the Face of Allah".These attributes manifest in every aspect of creation, down to our
45:3-4,51:21"own souls (too); will you not then see?".It is a continuously unfolding phenomenon as denoted with the present progressive tense in 41:53. As also denoted with "musiun" 51:47 which carries the meaning of expanding, the universe is not a finished work, but in continuous expansion, with new manifestations of God's creation
87:2"Who creates, then makes complete".Musiun stems from W-S-Ayn meaning wide or to encompass something. It is often used in the Quran to imply both meanings 4:97,130,7:156,20:98,29:56. Musiun is a noun describing the subject doing the widening or the encompassing. Here the meaning that fits better the context is widening or expanding. The passage turns the audience's attention to the sky whose primary characteristics they know and see, obvisouly is its vasteness. It first says God built it with power, because something that vast could only have been done with immesurable might. This verse is part of a group of verses arguing for the resurrection by pointing to mankind's creation as insignificant in terms of complexity and strength needed to achieve it, compared to the heavens above 40:57. The idea of making the heavens vast thus then naturaly follows the initial description of the creation from the perspective of the strength needed.
Strength however does not necessarily imply exertion and effort. And this is where the eloquence of the Quran manifests. The statement "musiun" is a noun denoting a state, not a temporary action. It also implies ease. The Quran could have used here other words to derive the same meaning of expanding, but without that nuance of ease. Muwassi3 for instance carries the same meaning but with an emphasis on effort because of the shadda. Ibn Abbas comments
"(We have built) created (the heaven with might, and We it is who make the vast extent (thereof)) as We will; it is also said that this means: we expand the provision thereof".He understood musiun as implying vastness, and as reflected in the view he reports, musiun is a constant action. Ancient people did not know the universe is in expansion and in a constant state of creation, so they connected musiun to the provision from the heaven, ie the rain. Here is a typical case of Quranic eloquence, allowing its words not to violently disturb nor confirm its audience's understanding of nature, so as to not deflect the attention from the spiritual portents of the verse. This is because the Quran's objective isnt to cause scientific, but spiritual reform.
The Quran has pointed and explained the implications of many signs which exist in the world around and within man calling, him to ponder on every aspect of existence. These are in fact the true miracles happening everyday and only the one with an open heart is able to derive the higher realities from them. This is the particularity of the Quranic argument, to grasp things, concepts, phenomena which the human sees and experiences on a near daily basis, and teaches him the right angle from which to perceive them. The Quran uses simple scenes long familiar to man to attract attention to the higher realities and build profound faith. From a spiritual point of view, the same miraculous complexity applies to the building blocks of life as to gigantic structures and the universe. These scenes are used by the Quran because it addresses every human being, at all times and conditions. It does not seek to accommodate the philosophical and scientific intellectual elite while disregarding less educated people. The observations to which it points can be utilized by anyone so as to derive spiritual benefits. Through this approach among others, including a balance of warnings and glad tidings, as well as prophecies progressively unfolding, history attests that the prophet Muhammad, although often denigrated by Judeo-Christian critics who are ignorant of their own books, this prophet was in fact the most successful in implementing the will of God on an unprecedented scope and scale. Every time the prophet's opponents asked him for a miracle on demand, he was told to point them to ta similar phenomena occurring daily under their eyes as evidence of a wise Creator
45:25-6"And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, their argument is only that they say, "Bring [back] our forefathers, if you should be truthful". Say, "Allah causes you to live, then causes you to die; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt, but most of the people do not know".
How will they admit to a miraculous sign the like of which they are demanding, if they arent able to se the imprint of a Creator in everyday causality? That is why we find that even those prophets that did perform miracles on demand to those kinds of obdurate people, were accused of sorcery and had in fact very little following
45:23"Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded?"
The human mind has been designed so as to observe and meditate upon the creation, not the Creator. Our minds cannot and will not ever be able to absorb Allah's infinite essence. Once, the prophet said to his companions who were in deep contemplation;
"Contemplate and reflect on Allah's creation, and not on the Creator for you will never be able to understand Allah in measures or quantum".The Quran embraces all scientific endeavor that does not reject the spiritual dimension, which is present in all things, in and outside of man
3:190-1"Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for men who understand. Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth".The Quran guides and imparts knowledge regarding the unseen realm, which is beyond our reach. But the material world is available for anyone to explore. That is why the Quran doesnt impart new knowledge in relation to our world but rather seeks to purge the scientist's intention and attitude when exploring it. These passages lay the ground for the proper understanding of many verses that mention God's attributes. For instance, looking towards Allah in the Hereafter 75:23 is the same as seeing His face in this world 2:115 except that the perception and experience will be far more intense. This is because the believers will literally be
3:107"in Allah's mercy".Looking towards Allah 75:23 is the most suited expression to convey the idea of the very strong perception of God's manifestation through His attributes. The Quran averts any possible misuse of such verses through its explicit statements
6:103"Visions comprehends Him not, and He comprehends (all) vision".To leave no room for ambiguity, the verse actually says alabsar/visions in the plural. This covers any type of physical vision, even including the impossibility to imagine God. Allah's mathal or example, is therefore unimaginable, uncomparable
30:27"and His is the most exalted essence/mathal in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Mighty, the Wise".The statement that He "comprehends all visions" is quite powerful as it entails God not only seeing but encompassing the entity He sees. Creatures with vision are limited to the physical sight of things, without always seeing its inner reality. That is how precise and complete the Quran is in its monotheistic approach to the divine essence. He does not need to be detached from the creation to remain beyond all perception. He is fully present and aware of the reality of all things.
Similarly to seeing their Lord, the believers meeting Him in the Hereafter is equal to an intense perception of the way in which He manifests His attributes 2:46. In fact it clearly says, that in the Hereafter, the successful will meet God's good promise 28:61. Another aspect through which the Quran places the divine reality beyond human perception is the statement
112:4,42:11"there is nothing like a likeness of Him"This is the Quran axiom as regards the manner by which God manifests in this world, He does so through His attributes, but never through His imperceptible essence. 42:11 literally says
"like a likeness of Him"meaning His reality is not only above all material limitations, but even above the limitation of metaphor. This also carries the meaning that even the "how" of His being is beyond the category of human thought.
Humans, like every creation, are a manifestation of God's attributes. They in turn are encouraged to try and emulate some of those attributes as best as possible, such as generosity, mercy and forgiveness. So they are in a sense in "God's image". Similarly, Man has the ability to create, like the Creator of all things does, but in reality he is only reshaping what God previously created. He can judge, be good, show mercy but not and never in an equal manner to God
2:115"so whichever way you turn, there is the Face of Allah".
So clearly one can see God's face in all of creation, because all things reflect His attributes to some degree. Humans, and more particularily their face, reflects God's image just as the rest of creation does
“Do not say ‘May Allaah deform your face’, for the son of Adam was created in the image of the Most Merciful".
The similitude does not pertain to physical resemblence but in the way the divine attributes manifests. The face contains the foremost elements that allow perception, relfexion and action. The Eyes for instance allow the brain to perceive and process the surrounding signs, shaping our thoughts that are then expressed with speech. Only God however is able to manifest these shared attributes, like the aforementioned sight and speech, to infinite perfection. The manner, the "how" in which this is done is unfathomable to our minds
42:11"nothing like a likeness of Him".
Just as the human face reflects God's image, the prophet said
“The first group to enter Paradise will be in the image of the moon”.
The intent is obviously that they will manifest some of the moon's attributes like radiance and glorious appearance, as the Quran describes them beaming with light. They will however retain their specific human form, which is completely different than that of the moon. The prophet even described the righteous as being the embodiment of Allah
"Allah Almighty said: My servant continues to grow closer to me with extra good works until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks".
The senses and limbs remain that of a human being but due to his righteousness and the ensuing divine guidance, each perception, expression and action is done with a level of spiritual awareness so high that it reflects God's attributes and will.
"For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil".
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