MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Tadarus and learning the Koran with Filipino Muslims is one of the routine da’wah activities held by the Dai Ambassador Dompet Dhuafa Philippines assignment. But that morning, the moment of tadarus and learning the Koran became more special because it was opened by a question that was quite intriguing from a congregation. Just like the Children of Israel once did in the days of Prophet Moses as.
As is known, back in the time of Prophet Moses, the Children of Israel defected their faith by worshiping a calf statue. They then made a request to Prophet Moses after being asked to repent to Allah. They asked to be able to see Allah with their eyes, just as they saw the calf statue that they deliberately worshipped. So, this story raises an interesting question in a predominantly Catholic country.
The question is why Islam does not represent God with something that can be depicted or touched, like Catholics who make statues of the Virgin Mary or statues of Jesus that they display in homes, even in restaurants? Then there are several answers delivered by the Dai Ambassador, Ustaz Andi Triyawan.
Firstly, this relates to the attributes of Allah Swt. One of the attributes of Allah is ‘laisa kamislihi syaiun’ which means ‘not like His creatures’. Therefore, when the form of the great God is depicted or a statue is made similar to the sculptor’s estimation, it directly contradicts this attribute of God. Even if it succeeds in making something that seems to be modelled on God, it is very certain that it is completely different.
Secondly, because it concerns the essence of time and space. We know that all things that enter the dimension of space and time will perish and disappear. So, when someone makes God into something, whether it is a statue or something else, it means that he is putting the essence of divinity into space and time. In fact, God is not limited by time and space.
How can something that is not limited in time and space be put into a limited time and space? Moreover, the second attribute of Allah is Baqa’, which means “eternal.” So, if people insist on materialising Allah’s substance into a form, they are in essence making the essence of the Godhead obsolete. So, if people insist on materialising Allah’s substance into a form, then they are essentially making the essence of divinity no longer eternal, but limited in time and space.
So, these are two proofs that are explained to confirm that it is not that humans cannot see Allah with their eyes, but the essence of Allah’s substance that makes humans unable to achieve this. When the Prophet Moses prayed to see Allah Swt with his eyes, the mountains at that time were destroyed instantly, and the Prophet Moses fainted instantly seeing it all.
Andi Triyawan, Dompet Dhuafa Dai Ambassador 2024