SACRAMENT is strictly speaking a Christian term meaning an act that will make you pure Christian or in other terms will make you one with Jesus Christ. Usually it means Baptism but You may also have sacrament of the table or Eucharist or Holy communion. This is something related to New Testament (Paul describes it) but here also Mathew, Luke and Mark mention the Last Supper but John does not.
I was reading a book of Hans Kung, " Islam, Past , Present, and Future" (intriguing!!)
A very remarkable book indeed. He mentions there is no sacrament in Islam and I thought it is true but then I looked into more details why it is not and found that actually there is the concept in Islam also but Qur'an mentions it differently like, not needed. Also Kung says Islam does not have "confession"kind of custom for sins. Here he is totally un-informed.
Briefly about sacrament/Baptism: (Not meant to be comprehensive)
There was a "purification (tahara) in Judaism already known called "Mikveh" immersion in water (sort washing away the sins and same in Christianity) in a special pool in the Synagogue or flowing water and all for the same reasons as in Islam one needs a Ghusel (Ritual bath) after Janabat state plus more.
Christianity also has the same but only once in life because reasons are different. All different denomination starting from Catholicism,Anglican, Lutheran Baptist, United Methodist, Jehova's witness, Later day Saints etc. etc. all recognize it as essential except Quakers and one or two others . You dip in water (or other methods,)to coincide with "death of Jesus" and come out with "resurrection" and you become one with Jesus I have problems with this interpretation because the same Christians say Jesus was batised by John the Baptist (Yahya AS). Somewhere in description I read the intention of the person (adult) is necessary that "After this you will lead a life according to God's pleasure and not follow your own will (Remember Lord's prayer) So you become perfect person of God and your sins are all forgiven. After that are sins are 'removed' by confession and Christians do not need repeat immersion in water. When a person coverts to Islam he makes intention takes a bath (Ghusal) and performs shahada and that is enough cleansing from all previous sins and becoming a Muslim - subjecting his/her will (Muslim) to the Will of Allah (Like The Christian Baptism)
Aya 138 of S. II al-Baqara, (Yusuf Ali)
"(Our religion is) Baptism (Sibghah) of Allah and who can baptize better than Allah? and it is He whom we worship"
Sibgha means color, dye, hue, pigment, shade air, character baptism, religion etc. among other meanings ((Arabic dictionary). This aya was in fact in response to the ahl kitab saying you have no sibgha. Allah is saying here when you have made a conscious commitment to obey Allah's orders (Following Allah's will) that is by itself the sibghah or Baptism and thus ritual immersion is not needed to take the "color" indicating baptism of Christianity (That is why instead of color YusufAli writes baptism in translation.)
CONFESSION: Rev. Kung does not understand the process or significance of Tawbah in Islam and that is between God and the person DIRECT, no intervening human or other authority and the first step of tawbah after praying two raka is CONFESSION and accepting that sin and its responsibility and next step is to feel ashamed and sorry and finally, to make a covenant never to do it again (well=known three steps of ttawba in Islam)
Allah forgives you remember Sura Zumer,Aya 53 "Say: O my servants who have transgressed against their souls, despair not of the MERCY of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins: for He is OFT-Forgiving, Most Merciful"
There you see the difference. On the one hand once baptised you are already one with Jesus Christ and so Jesus is in with you and yet/why you seek confession with another person a priest who has no authority to forgive at all and he is not representative of Jesus or God? (that is a question and not criticism)
For Muslims "God is nearer than your Jugular vein"
To me after all is said and done, I am only amazed at the similarity of the three "religions" in the concept as referred to above
Please visit my Urdu blog at خیالات و احساسات
I was reading a book of Hans Kung, " Islam, Past , Present, and Future" (intriguing!!)
A very remarkable book indeed. He mentions there is no sacrament in Islam and I thought it is true but then I looked into more details why it is not and found that actually there is the concept in Islam also but Qur'an mentions it differently like, not needed. Also Kung says Islam does not have "confession"kind of custom for sins. Here he is totally un-informed.
Briefly about sacrament/Baptism: (Not meant to be comprehensive)
There was a "purification (tahara) in Judaism already known called "Mikveh" immersion in water (sort washing away the sins and same in Christianity) in a special pool in the Synagogue or flowing water and all for the same reasons as in Islam one needs a Ghusel (Ritual bath) after Janabat state plus more.
Christianity also has the same but only once in life because reasons are different. All different denomination starting from Catholicism,Anglican, Lutheran Baptist, United Methodist, Jehova's witness, Later day Saints etc. etc. all recognize it as essential except Quakers and one or two others . You dip in water (or other methods,)to coincide with "death of Jesus" and come out with "resurrection" and you become one with Jesus I have problems with this interpretation because the same Christians say Jesus was batised by John the Baptist (Yahya AS). Somewhere in description I read the intention of the person (adult) is necessary that "After this you will lead a life according to God's pleasure and not follow your own will (Remember Lord's prayer) So you become perfect person of God and your sins are all forgiven. After that are sins are 'removed' by confession and Christians do not need repeat immersion in water. When a person coverts to Islam he makes intention takes a bath (Ghusal) and performs shahada and that is enough cleansing from all previous sins and becoming a Muslim - subjecting his/her will (Muslim) to the Will of Allah (Like The Christian Baptism)
Aya 138 of S. II al-Baqara, (Yusuf Ali)
"(Our religion is) Baptism (Sibghah) of Allah and who can baptize better than Allah? and it is He whom we worship"
Sibgha means color, dye, hue, pigment, shade air, character baptism, religion etc. among other meanings ((Arabic dictionary). This aya was in fact in response to the ahl kitab saying you have no sibgha. Allah is saying here when you have made a conscious commitment to obey Allah's orders (Following Allah's will) that is by itself the sibghah or Baptism and thus ritual immersion is not needed to take the "color" indicating baptism of Christianity (That is why instead of color YusufAli writes baptism in translation.)
CONFESSION: Rev. Kung does not understand the process or significance of Tawbah in Islam and that is between God and the person DIRECT, no intervening human or other authority and the first step of tawbah after praying two raka is CONFESSION and accepting that sin and its responsibility and next step is to feel ashamed and sorry and finally, to make a covenant never to do it again (well=known three steps of ttawba in Islam)
Allah forgives you remember Sura Zumer,Aya 53 "Say: O my servants who have transgressed against their souls, despair not of the MERCY of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins: for He is OFT-Forgiving, Most Merciful"
There you see the difference. On the one hand once baptised you are already one with Jesus Christ and so Jesus is in with you and yet/why you seek confession with another person a priest who has no authority to forgive at all and he is not representative of Jesus or God? (that is a question and not criticism)
For Muslims "God is nearer than your Jugular vein"
To me after all is said and done, I am only amazed at the similarity of the three "religions" in the concept as referred to above
Please visit my Urdu blog at خیالات و احساسات
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