Question

Explain any two main features of Islamic Culture?

Answer 1

What are the most important features of Islam?

The belief that the universe has a finite origin which spurred its expansion and development. This uncaused cause and origin of everything is Allah (God), the lord and creator of all worlds. There can be nothing before this universe because God is its origin and the source of all things in it.

God (the uncaused cause and origin of everything) is characterized by three major qualities:

Infinite, ever-present self-existence: God is self-existent and all creatures depend on His ever-presence, as they cease to exist without Him.

Divine Unity: He has no partner or associate, nor is He composed of parts (i.e. He is not limited to a body). He is beyond all types of boundaries and limitations, such as time and place.

Absolute attributes: God possesses infinite attributes of perfection that are inseparable from His essence (i.e., they are not achieved through acquisition), such as knowledge, power, wisdom, justice, and more. All perfection is from Him and terminates with Him.

God is He who created the physical world of the five senses and the world which is beyond perception. Hence, He is the creator of the plants, animals, and inanimate objects, as well as imperceptible creatures like angels and jinn.  However, the greatest of all creatures are human beings, whom God honored by giving them reason, free will, and numerous capabilities for accessing and utilizing the resources of the universe, which makes the perpetual journey towards perfection full of discovery and creativity.

God is all-knowing and is the source of knowledge for humankind. He supplies them with information which they then comprehend, study, and analyze, and thereby chart out their path of fulfillment through innovations, achievements, and the eventual accomplishment of their desired human perfection. As such, God communicates His knowledge to certain chosen of His humankind through one of the following means: