off topic

[Guest guest]

This is off topic. I happen to read here, so I though I might post:

 

The Noble Qur'an, Chapter II, Verse 28:

 

" How can ye reject the faith in Allah? - seeing that ye were without

life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will

again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return. "

 

Is this mention of reincarnation, or what?

[Guest guest]

shriadishakti , " furat " <springingriver>

wrote:

>

> This is off topic. I happen to read here, so I though I might

post:

>

> The Noble Qur'an, Chapter II, Verse 28:

>

> " How can ye reject the faith in Allah? - seeing that ye were

> without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die,

> and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye

> return. "

>

> Is this mention of reincarnation, or what?

 

 

Dear brother Furat,

 

Of course it is reincarnation. Let me give you more examples in the

Qur'an which will be posed to the ulema (Islamic learned scholars)

in future:

 

Rebirth: Surah 22:5 Al Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

 

Mankind! if ye have a doubt about the Resurrection, (Consider) that

We created you out of dust, then out of sperm,

Then out of leech-like clot, partly formed and partly unformed, in

order that We may manifest (Our Power) to you;

And We cause whom We will to rest in the womb for an appointed term.

Then do we bring you out as babes, (then foster) you, that ye may

reach your age of full strength;

And some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the

feeblest old age,

So that they know nothing after having known much.2776

 

surah 22:5 Al Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

(Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, Amana Corporation, 1989.)

 

 

Here the subtle message of reincarnation is hidden in the last

line: " So that they know nothing after having known much. "

But all the Muslim theologians could muster is this: " Here it is

used to illustrate Allah's power in giving us a future Life of

even greater promise. " Yes, that's all the illumination they

could give to a billion Muslims!

 

The stages human growth begins with the spring of childhood that

takes us through many, many enriching experiences where innocence is

bliss, and life an unending Divine Dream. Adolescent and a good

education expand our vision of the world and enable us to grasp and

penetrate the constantly unfolding mysteries of life. The zest of

youth — the raging desires for the summer of life — overcomes

most barriers, taboos and restrictions. Caution is a fool's fear

and blunders become landmarks on the landscape of Life to be avoided

in future. The transition into adulthood quickens the pace of

learning as added responsibilities increases experience, vision and

application of past knowledge. Life revolves around marriage,

children and the pursuit of wealth and happiness. The learning

process is in full swing. Then friends dwindle. Relatives disappear.

Children leave. Increasingly the stark realities of a mature world

bring about bittersweet lessons, bestowing an autumn maturity not

found in youth. There is little left to learn. One becomes wise.

Slowly age starts to sap the vigor, and the fires in the loins begin

to flicker and fade. The world passes by, hardly stopping to pay

attention. Old friends fall and are swallowed by the earth. Life-

partners depart without a parting kiss, a final goodbye, a few last

words of thanks. The solitude of life's cold winter silences. A

million memories are relived. Countless experiences are remembered.

There is nothing more to learn, only to be reflected. Knowledge of

life is complete.

 

So why does the Qur'an accuse humans of knowing nothing despite

knowing all? Why this deliberate contradiction in the same sentence?

What is the baffling paradox of " they know nothing after having

known much " ?

 

But we know nothing after having known so much. We know nothing of

our past lives. We know nothing of our past existence as spiritual

beings. We know nothing of our past experiences in His Dominion. We

know nothing of The Almighty Creator. We know nothing. We know

nothing despite knowing so much.

 

The Signs of Allah are everywhere for us to see and learn by

observance. We must know that spring will again burst forth in all

its splendor of hope, rejuvenation and renewal. We must know that

whatever we learn from all the seasons of this life will be the

seeds of rebirth. We must know that good deeds produce good seeds.

 

 

 

" Could you describe the process of reincarnation?

 

Reincarnation, known in Sanskrit as samsara, is a very openly

discussed subject these days. Shirley MacLaine went " out on a

limb " on this subject and made popular throughout the United

States. Now nearly every television script has standard statements

written into it such as " See you in the next life, " or " I

must have known you in a past life. " The TV serial " Quantum

Leap " is a great example of a program that is bringing this

knowledge of a one soul inhabiting many bodies to the forefront of

mass consciousness. I talked with Shirley a few weeks ago in San

Francisco and told her what a fantastic job we all thought she is

doing in spreading this knowledge, and assured her that she has the

full support of Hindus. . . .

 

Answer #1: Reincarnation, yes, carnate means flesh. The word

reincarnate means to " reenter the flesh. " We Hindus believe

the soul is immortal and keeps reentering a fleshy body time and

time again in order to resolve experiences and thereby learn all the

lessons life in the material world has to offer.

 

Answer #2: There have been many recorded out-of-the-body

experiences. These have been researched by scientists, psychiatrists

and parapsychologists during the last decade and documented in some

very good books. Even science is discovering reincarnation.

 

Answer #3: Yes, we Hindus believe in reincarnation. To us, it

explains the natural way the soul evolves from immaturity to

spiritual illumination. I myself have had many lives before this one

and expect to have more. Finally, when I have it all worked out and

all the lessons have been learned, I will attain mukti. This means I

will still exist but no longer be pulled back to incarnate in a

physical body. "

 

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

(Himalayan Academy, 1998, www.hinduismtoday.kauai.hi.us/welcome.html)