Page\ue0003\ue000of\ue0007
Accordingly,\ue000 if\ue000 a\ue000 man\ue000 prays\ue000 to\ue000 a\ue000 tree\ue000 and\ue000 his\ue000 prayers\ue000 are\ue000 answered,\ue000 it\ue000 is\ue000 not\ue000 the\ue000 tree\ue000 which
answers\ue000 his\ue000 prayers\ue000 but\ue000 God,\ue000 who\ue000 allows\ue000 the\ue000 circumstances\ue000 prayed\ue000 for\ue000 to\ue000 take\ue000 place.\ue000 One
might\ue000 say,\ue000 \u201cThat\ue000 is\ue000 obvious\u201d.\ue000 However,\ue000 to\ue000 tree-worshippers,\ue000 it\ue000 might\ue000 not\ue000 be\ue000 so.\ue000 Similarly,
prayers\ue000 to\ue000 Jesus,\ue000 Buddha,\ue000 or\ue000 Krishna\ue000 or\ue000 Saint\ue000 Christopher,\ue000 or\ue000 Saint\ue000 Jude\ue000 or\ue000 even\ue000 to
Muhammad,\ue000 are\ue000 not\ue000 answered\ue000 by\ue000 them,\ue000 but\ue000 are\ue000 answered\ue000 by\ue000 God.\ue000 Jesus\ue000 did\ue000 not\ue000 tell\ue000 his
followers\ue000to\ue000worship\ue000him\ue000but\ue000to\ue000worship\ue000God,\ue000as\ue000the\ue000Quran\ue000states:
\u201cAnd\ue000 behold!\ue000
A
llah\ue000 will\ue000 say:\ue000 \u2018O\ue000 Jesus,\ue000 the\ue000 son\ue000 of
Mary!\ue000 Did\ue000 you\ue000 say\ue000 to\ue000 men,\ue000 worship\ue000 me\ue000 and\ue000 my
mother\ue000as\ue000gods\ue000besides\ue000Allah?,\ue000He\ue000will\ue000say:\ue000\u201cGlory\ue000to
you,\ue000 I\ue000 could\ue000never\ue000 say\ue000 what\ue000 I\ue000 had\ue000 no\ue000 right\ue000 (to\ue000 say).\u201d
[Qur\u2019an\ue0005:118]
Nor\ue000did\ue000Jesus\ue000worship\ue000himself\ue000when\ue000he\ue000worshipped,\ue000but\ue000rather\ue000he\ue000worshipped\ue000God.\ue000And\ue000Jesus
was\ue000reported\ue000in\ue000the\ue000Gospels\ue000to\ue000have\ue000said,
\u201cIt\ue000is\ue000written:\ue000'Worship\ue000the\ue000Lord\ue000your\ue000God\ue000and\ue000serve\ue000Him
only.\u2019\u201d\ue000[Luke\ue0004:8]
This\ue000 basic\ue000 principle\ue000 is\ue000 contained\ue000 in\ue000 the\ue000 opening\ue000 chapter\ue000 of\ue000 the\ue000 Qur\u2019an,\ue000 known\ue000 as\ue000 Soorah\ue000 al-
Faatihah,\ue000verse\ue0004:
\u201cyou\ue000alone\ue000 do\ue000 we\ue000worship\ue000 and\ue000 from\ue000 you\ue000 alone\ue000 do\ue000we
seek\ue000help.\u201d
Elsewhere,\ue000in\ue000the\ue000final\ue000book\ue000of\ue000revelation,\ue000the\ue000Quran,\ue000God\ue000also\ue000said:
\u201cAnd\ue000 you\ue000 Lord\ue000 says:\ue000 \u2018Call\ue000 on\ue000 Me\ue000 and\ue000 I\ue000 will\ue000 answer
your\ue000(prayer).\u2019\u201d\ue000[Qur\u2019an\ue00040:60]
It\ue000is\ue000worth\ue000emphasizing\ue000that\ue000the\ue000basic\ue000message\ue000of\ue000Islam\ue000(namely,\ue000the\ue000worship\ue000of\ue000God\ue000alone)\ue000also
proclaims\ue000that\ue000God\ue000and\ue000His\ue000creation\ue000are\ue000distinctly\ue000different\ue000entities.\ue000God\ue000is\ue000neither\ue000equal\ue000to\ue000His
creation\ue000nor\ue000a\ue000part\ue000of\ue000it,\ue000nor\ue000is\ue000His\ue000creation\ue000equal\ue000to\ue000Him\ue000or\ue000a\ue000part\ue000of\ue000Him.
This\ue000 might\ue000 seem\ue000 obvious,\ue000 but\ue000 man\u2019s\ue000 worship\ue000 of\ue000 creation,\ue000 instead\ue000 of\ue000 the\ue000 Creator\ue000 is\ue000 to\ue000 a\ue000 large
degree\ue000based\ue000on\ue000ignorance,\ue000or\ue000neglect,\ue000of\ue000this\ue000concept.\ue000It\ue000is\ue000the\ue000belief\ue000that\ue000the\ue000essence\ue000of\ue000God\ue000is
everywhere\ue000 in\ue000 His\ue000 creation\ue000 or\ue000 that\ue000 His\ue000 divine\ue000 being\ue000 is\ue000 or\ue000 was\ue000 present\ue000 in\ue000 some\ue000 parts\ue000 of\ue000 His
creation,\ue000which\ue000has\ue000provided\ue000justification\ue000 for\ue000 the\ue000 worship\ue000of\ue000 God\u2019s\ue000 creation\ue000 and\ue000 naming\ue000 it\ue000 the
worship\ue000 of\ue000 God.\ue000 However,\ue000 the\ue000 message\ue000 of\ue000 Islam,\ue000 as\ue000 brought\ue000 by\ue000 the\ue000 prophets\ue000 of\ue000 God,\ue000 is\ue000 to
worship\ue000only\ue000God\ue000and\ue000to\ue000avoid\ue000the\ue000worship\ue000of\ue000His\ue000creation\ue000either\ue000directly\ue000or\ue000indirectly.
In\ue000the\ue000Qur\u2019an\ue000God\ue000clearly\ue000states:
\u201cFor\ue000 we\ue000 assuredly\ue000 sent\ue000 amongst\ue000 every\ue000 people\ue000 a
prophet,\ue000 with\ue000 the\ue000 command\ue000 Worship\ue000 Me\ue000 and\ue000 avoid
false\ue000Gods.\u201d\ue000[Qur\u2019an\ue00016:36]
When\ue000idol\ue000 worshippers\ue000 are\ue000 questioned\ue000 as\ue000 to\ue000why\ue000 they\ue000 bow\ue000 down\ue000 to\ue000 idols\ue000 created\ue000 by\ue000 men,\ue000 the
invariable\ue000 reply\ue000 is\ue000 that\ue000 they\ue000 are\ue000 not\ue000 actually\ue000 worshipping\ue000 the\ue000 stone\ue000 image,\ue000 but\ue000 God\ue000 who\ue000 is
present\ue000within\ue000it.\ue000They\ue000claim\ue000that\ue000the\ue000stone\ue000idol\ue000 is\ue000 only\ue000 a\ue000 focal\ue000 point\ue000 for\ue000 God\u2019s\ue000essence\ue000 and\ue000 is
not\ue000in\ue000itself\ue000God!\ue000One\ue000who\ue000has\ue000accepted\ue000the\ue000concept\ue000of\ue000God\ue000being\ue000present\ue000in\ue000any\ue000way\ue000within\ue000His
creation\ue000will\ue000be\ue000obliged\ue000to\ue000accept\ue000this\ue000argument\ue000for\ue000idolatry.\ue000Whereas,\ue000one\ue000who\ue000understands\ue000the
basic\ue000 message\ue000of\ue000 Islam\ue000 and\ue000 its\ue000 implications\ue000 would\ue000 never\ue000 agree\ue000 to\ue000 idolatry\ue000 no\ue000 matter\ue000 how\ue000it\ue000 is
rationalized.
Those\ue000who\ue000have\ue000claimed\ue000divinity\ue000for\ue000themselves\ue000down\ue000through\ue000the\ue000ages\ue000have\ue000often\ue000based\ue000their
claims\ue000on\ue000the\ue000mistaken\ue000belief\ue000that\ue000God\ue000is\ue000present\ue000in\ue000man.\ue000Taking\ue000one\ue000step\ue000further,\ue000they\ue000claim
that\ue000 God\ue000 is\ue000 more\ue000 present\ue000 in\ue000 them\ue000 than\ue000 in\ue000 the\ue000 rest\ue000 of\ue000 us,\ue000 and\ue000 that\ue000 other\ue000 humans\ue000 should
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