1. What are the greatest differences you see in various Quranic translations?
Here is a brief example of how each translation varies from the other. Pl read the entire article in the following link to know what happens in the process of translation.
http://quranica.com/divergence-in-translations/
Qur’an – Ch 2, Verse 2
هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
Yusuf Ali: in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah
Sahih International: a guidance for those conscious of Allah
Ghali: a guidance to the pious
Pickthall: a guidance unto those who ward off (evil)
Shakir: a guide to those who guard (against evil)
Muhsin Khan: a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun
2. Why would God create people who would reject him?
Belief in God is not a need of God. God creates people and gives them an opportunity to find out truth and believe in it. But He does not impose any faith on anybody. Those who decide not to believe in him in this world will be subjected to trial in the next life and will have to face the consequences of having rejected an existing truth.
3. Since people clearly doubt even when they want to believe, why doesn’t God directly reveal god self to them?
Once again, belief in God is not a need of God. In fact seeking to see God in person as a precondition to have faith in him is not a very modern or scientific approach. This approach existed even during the ancient times. Look at those hundreds of scientific theories and Laws, people unanimously believe in the modern age. These facts, theories and laws did not reveal themselves before us or did not beg us to have faith in them. We discovered them. It was our need. God has nothing to gain or lose from people who believe in Him or reject Him. Existence of God is a truth and those who are interested in Truth will go in search of it and will find it too. It is in their own interest. If they choose to ignore God or reject Him it is for them to face the consequences of their own conscious decision.
4. Is there evidence for the Jinn?
In fact Jinn, just like angel is one of the unseen and invisible beings and there is no universally tangible evidence for their existence.. It is part of Islamic faith that human being is not capable of seeing everything. A realistic human being will acknowledge such limitations of his own being. I believe in the existence of Jinn because:
1. the God I believe in has said so.
2. I know for sure there are many things that exist but they are not visible.
3. If I insist that I will believe only things that are visible and that can be experienced, I will have to reject many facts.
4. Human beings consider logic and reasoning as their sources to know the facts and believe in them. For me the reason No.1 cited above is sufficient logical evidence to believe in the existence of the species called the Jinn.
5. Why were the Jinn able to help Solomon but not able to engage with other people?
Like human beings, Jinns are independent species. It rarely happens that Human beings control some Jinns or some Jinns control human beings, for a limited period and to a limited extent. Solomon (a) was a messenger of God and had his own God given privileges.
6. Why is there a separate section of laws for the prophet?
Different positions call for different codes. You know the rights and privileges enjoyed by President Trump or the Chief of Army are not enjoyed by all citizens of the US. In the meantime people in high positions of responsibility have to perform many more duties compared to the others. In the case of the Prophets, generally the common Law applies to them, with some exceptions.
7. What would make God care about people having faith?
God cares because being the Most Compassionate and Merciful is his essential attribute or characteristic. He cares for people irrespective of whether they believe n Him or not. In fact His compassion extends to all His creations.
8. If the world is a test isn’t that pointless if God knows us perfectly and knows how we will react?
Yes. God knows everything we have done or everything that we are going to do. But that is His knowledge which He has not shared with us. We are being tested by the set of instructions given to us. Just because the Testing authority has the knowledge of the ultimate result of the test, the test itself does not lose its relevance. The person being tested deserves an opportunity to to prove what he is worth by undergoing a course of test.
Let us imagine a scenario on the day of Judgement:
A punishment is declared against a person for having violated a particular decree issued by God.
The person asks God: You knew very well even before creating me that I am going to violate this law. Now why are you holding me responsible for this act?
God will say: Did I give you the book of my knowledge about you and your deeds?
The person: No.
God: Therefore you can not say now that you committed that act because it was in your destiny or that I knew about it in advance. Tell me now whether anybody compelled you to commit that act?
The person: No.
God: Did you not know through the book of guidance provided by Me that committing this act is a sin?
The Person: Yes I knew.
God: The book of your destiny was not accessible to you. You never knew what that particular sin was written in your book of destiny until you committed that sin. It was the book of my guidance that was available to you. Don’t you deserve a punishment for violating the dictate of that book ? By your own free will you have violated the law given to you and that is reason enough to hold you accountable.
9. How do Muslims view the Torah (like how much is seen as corrupted)?
We do not know exactly what percentage of the Torah or the Old Testament has been corrupted. When it comes to determine what is right and what is wrong we consider Quran as the reliable Criterion and judge older scriptures on the basis of Quran. A lot of research conducted by Christian scholars is available to know more about the extent of corruption in the OT.
Eg:https://www.quora.com/Who-corrupted-the-original-Old-Testament-text#
http://www.answering-christianity.com/sake12.htm
10. Why does God wait hundreds of years between messengers?
I don’t think he does so. In fact, during many phases of history, the prophets were sent in quick succession. In fact history is witness to instances when there were many prophets during the same period of time in different regions. Ultimately I think it is god’s wisdom that is more reliable regarding the timings of the appointment of His messengers.
11. If humans are created to worship God but serve others doesn’t that make God selfish?
The question is not very clear to me. If a person tells his children, Call me alone as your Father and don’t call anybody else as Father, I don’t see any element of selfishness in it. Because It is only a statement of truth. One appoints a servant and expects to be served by him exclusively, there is nothing wrong.
12. Why have a hell as opposed to just reforming corrupted souls?
God does not pack a person and throw him to hell just because he has committed a few sins. In fact in this world God provides hundreds of opportunities to every individual to get reformed. Even at the age of 100, a person has the door of repentance open before him. If a person consistently commits sins for a hundred year and just a few moments before his death, he repents for those sins and submits himself in humility before God, God will forgive his sins and protects him from hell. Now, in spite of all these opportunities somebody refuses to avail them and is hell bent upon treading the path of hell, don’t you think he deserves that destination of his choice?
13. Why would God create people basically attracted to those of the same sex but not want them to act on it?
Life is all about doing what has been commanded and only that which has been permitted by God and restraining from everything that has been prohibited by him. Even in case of Men and women belonging to distinctly opposite sex and having attraction towards the opposite sex, they are bound by an elaborate set of rules, regulations and restrictions. They are not absolutely free to indulge in sex the way they wish. Sex is permitted only within the framework of marriage between persons belonging to two distinctly opposite genders. Very few in this world are born with abnormal physical disabilities or abnormal psychological tendencies. Inability to be attracted towards the opposite sex in one such disability. Just like blindness, deafness and such other conditions this too is a test from God both for the person suffering and those around him. God never commits injustice. He has his own ways to compensate people born with disabilities or those who were disabled at some later stage in life. This world is not the final abode of human beings. This is only an interim abode. A period of test which will be over very fast. The next world is the real world. Those who strive their best to abide by the rules given by God for this world, will be free from all disabilities in the next world apart from being rewarded for their good deeds they will be generously compensated for the disabilities they suffered in this world. Their reward and compensation will be such that every able bodied person will envy them.
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear…” (Qur’an, 2:286).
Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that Allah’s Messenger (s) said, “On the Day of Resurrection, when people who have suffered affliction are given their reward, those who are healthy will wish their skins had been cut to pieces with scissors when they were in the world.” (Al-Tirmidhi, 1570)
14. Which hadiths are the most respected?
There are specific tests to judge the degree of authenticity of each Hadith. Hadith that are identified as Saheeh and Mutawatir are graded as the most authentic.
