Lauren Simerlink Prof. A.

Pryor Honors Reading Conference 2 October 2013 12 Theories of Human Nature: Islam Many people when they hear the word Muslim immediately have visions of Al-Qaeda men in beards and turbans going on suicide missions. This picture could not be further from the truth of the Islamic religion. In chapter seven of Twelve Theories of Human Nature, Leslie Stevenson offers a more accurate portrayal of this religion. Although according to the Koran, Islam began with Abraham in 2100 B.C. (Konig), it officially became a religion in the seventh century when the prophet Muhammad had a series of revelations from God which he then compiled into a sacred text known as the Koran (137). Over time, the Islamic empire expanded between the 8th and 12th centuries, leading to great advances in science, religious philosophy, art, and medicine. Muslims took these advances as signs that their religion was the God-ordained one (138). Some sects are so strong in their conviction that Islam is the only true religion that they believe all people are born Muslim and then are instilled with a different religion (151). In accordance with this view, others consider the Koran to be a third testament, an addition to the Christian Bible. The Koran has many of the same stories as the Bible, but differs in the details and interpretations of them. For example, the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), points to humans linguistic diversity as a punishment for humans trying to stay in one place instead of fulfilling Gods command to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth (Genesis 9:1), while the Koran celebrates human diversity as a gift from God intended

to enable humans to learn from each others differences. Aside from stories and doctrinal differences, in the Koran, Jesus is viewed not as the God incarnate, but rather as a fully human yet unusually pure prophet. Muslims consider the Koran to be a third testament created to rectify what they regard as the Christian mistake of deifying Jesus (143). Although Muslims believes in the same God as Christians do, Islam is a fiercely monotheistic religion to the point where the Trinity seems heretical. Muslims adhere to the concept of one God, holy, sovereign, unfathomable, and indivisible. He never takes human form, but he does speak through prophets and give people the power to perform miracles. Therefore, they regard Jesus as a prophetic figure who like Adam, had a miraculous birth and became a great prophet (143). Adam and Jesus were considered extremely pure men meant to be held as examples to all future generations, but neither is considered to be even comparable to God because God cannot be understood or humanized. God is a class apart from all His creation. As holy as He is, God is understanding, which is why He only punishes people in proportion to their sins and always offers them forgiveness if they are willing to repent (145). This is exemplified in the Islamic tale of creation. In this story, Satan tempts Adam and Eve together and both decide to eat the forbidden fruit. Later, Adam turned to God to beg for forgiveness. In doing so, he became the first prophet, establishing a new kind of connection with God (145). Although people sin and are therefore in need of redemption, according to Islam, people are not bad. Evil is the result of the naf, the soul that craves beautiful things, valuing Gods creation over God himself (148). Therefore humans themselves hold no evil, but instead are led to evil through their own distracted thoughts. However, people are to be held accountable for

their actions. A distracted soul is no excuse for disobedience to God because humans were made to represent God on earth. That is not to say that humans are equal to God, but rather that they were given authority by Him and so must take care not to represent Him. Despite this high calling, humans are filled with a mix of desires. They may crave good or bad things, but these wants do not give them any direction in life, so Muslims look to the examples of prophets such as Adam, Abraham, Joseph, Jesus, and Muhammad for guidance. From the examples of all these figures one can see that Islam is a religion that teaches peace and obedience to God above all else. Works Cited Konig, George and Ray Konig. Bible History Timeline. Konig.org. 2 October 2013. The Holy Bible.

Questions: 1) According to the Koranic version of the creation story, Satan tempts Adam and Eve as a pair, as opposed to the Judeo-Christian creation story in which Eve committed the first sin. How does the Islamic story differ from the Judeo-Christian view of human nature? - Islam places the blame for the entrance of sin on both Adam and Eve. This is drastically from the Judeo-Christian story which appears to point to Eve as the one who first disobeyed God. 2) After eating the Forbidden Fruit with Eve, Adam turned to God to ask for pardon and received it. Does this mean that instead of having what Christians call sin nature humans have a redemption nature? 3) Whether Eve also asked for forgiveness is not mentioned. What do you think this means?

4) How does the Islamic concept of evil relate to humans redemptive nature? -If only human actions are evil, then sinners can receive pardon merely by simply for forgiveness and changing their ways. 5) When Allahs actions are being told about, His name is referred to in third person singular, but in the Koran, when Allah is speaking, he speaks in the plural our. How does this affect your view of Islam as a monotheistic religion?