[Saispapedlimi]

I wanted to ask you something else... quran does not give muslims any sureness that you will be in paradise yourselves.
the only way to be sure of paradise is to die as a martyr - otherwise you can NEVER know whether you will be in paradise or not. That is why many muslims fear death and die in trembling as to what will happen to them.
in christianity it is the opposite, the death of Christ on the Cross is a historical fact and christians are SURE that when they die they will go to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus for ever.
dont you think it is fair and good of Allah to treat his followers this way and loking at them as they die in agony and terrible fear since he didnt provide muslims with salvation?
secondly, Jesus is a living God and He touches the lives of people, He heals them, blesses them financially, helps them, guides them and speaks to them. Allah is a far awaya and a distant remote god and he is not invlved in thelives of muslims in any practical way then how can you even be sure he exists?

Dear sister,

It does seem that you have a very ill-conceived understanding of what Muslims actually believe about God. Importantly, A Muslim is constantly in a state of balance between hope and fear. Yes, one may tremble and be fearful of the prospect of death as one does not know what Allah will judge to happen for that person, however Muslims actually do know that whoever testifies in Allah and His Prophet with sincerity, they will be granted a place in Paradise, though they may have to spend some time in Hellfire first to account for the sins that they did. We are told that "Allah's mercy precedes His wrath", and it is actually sinful to despair in the Mercy of Allah, no matter what sin you have committed, as the Qur'an tells us that Allah is the most merciful of the merciful.

Further, what must be remembered is that Christians, Muslims and Jews actually all believe in the same God - Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, just as the french say Dieu. Christian Arabs and Jews use the word Allah, which can be seen if one reads an Arabic version of the bible. It is just our conception of God in which we differ. Allah is not distant in any way as you claim. He is transcendent over all things, and there is nothing whatsoever like unto Him. However, He is a loving Creator, an Immanent Lord who is closer to us than our jugular vein (as stated in the Qur'an). Rather than confessing through religious leaders, every single muslim has a deeply personal relationship with God, and we supplicate to Him night and day, and the very purpose of our existence and of our worship is to draw close to Him and love Him as He loves us. Allah is maintaining our lives at this very moment, I wouldn't be able to type this post right now were it not for the limbs that He has blessed me with, and with the understanding of the English language and of basic Islamic beliefs that He has endowed me with through His grace and generosity.

Muslims revere Jesus as a noble Prophet, one of the greatest Prophets sent by God to earth. However it is not befitting that He, the Almighty, should have a son, or any partner in any way. He is Exalted beyond anything that can be described as being like Him. If all Christians are sure they will go to Paradise, then what accountability is there? One could sin and do all sorts, and simply by proclaiming Jesus to be his/her lord they are then not accountable for anything? In Islam each individual human being has a close and intimate relationship with God, and is accountable to Him for every single action, every living moment, and will be questioned for every single thing He did. As for the crucifixion being a historical fact, this is something that is highly disputed... and many historians have discussed the matter in more detail than I am capable to expound upon here.

And Allah knows best