Yet Allah envisages a different purpose in life for us: "And I did not Create the jinn [mystical Islamic creatures] and humans except they should worship Me." (Quran 51:56). Debate Question: For the sake of argument, consider yourself the God of the Heavens, the all-powerful Creator of the Universe. Would you decree for humans that their primary purpose is to obey and worship you, or would you instead determine for them that their primary purpose is to live for each other? Or is there a different primary purpose you would want for them?
If one believes in the revelations of Muhammad and obey all directives from the Allah of Muhammad, then Allah will reward that person, we are told, with eternity in Islamic heaven (Quran 3:132-136). If, however, you refuses to believe Muhammad's revelations then Allah will burn you forever (Quran 4:56). But Einstein had this to say: "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own — a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty..." and this as well: "I do not believe that a man should be restrained in his daily actions by being afraid of punishment after death or that he should do things only because in this way he will be rewarded after he dies. This does not make sense. The proper guidance during the life of a man should be the weight that he puts upon ethics and the amount of consideration that he has for others."
Debate Question: Einstein (an agnostic) also said "Morality is of the highest importance -- but for us, not for God." Is this notion completely consistent with Islam?
If one believes in the revelations of Muhammad and obey all directives from the Allah of Muhammad, then Allah will reward that person, we are told, with eternity in Islamic heaven (Quran 3:132-136). If, however, you refuses to believe Muhammad's revelations then Allah will burn you forever (Quran 4:56). But Einstein had this to say: "I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own — a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty..." and this as well: "I do not believe that a man should be restrained in his daily actions by being afraid of punishment after death or that he should do things only because in this way he will be rewarded after he dies. This does not make sense. The proper guidance during the life of a man should be the weight that he puts upon ethics and the amount of consideration that he has for others."
Debate Question: Einstein (an agnostic) also said "Morality is of the highest importance -- but for us, not for God." Is this notion completely consistent with Islam?