Muhammed

[Malificus]

A lot of people think of words as images, when you are reading thats what you are doing,

No, when I read, I translate images into words, a certain string of letters will make me think of this word, sound or sentance, when I'm writing, I translate it the other way, when I'm speaking or thinking, I keep it purely as the sound, I don't think of the leters of a word when I think to myself or talk to people, I don't even consiously think of the meaning, I just think the word, nothing more. Thinking 'car' doesn't make me visualize a car, thinking 'and' doesn't make me think of the letters a-n-d. I only think of an image when I'm thinking specifically about the image, and trying to remember the appearance or make it up.

But the point was never that you though of something when you think of God, you think of something when you think about anything, my point is that you don't have to think of an image. I would know, I don't have an image for God in my mind, I've tried thinking of some before, but they never stuck,so when I think of God, I don't think of those images. I think of the concept of God, not an image. No floating letter, ray of light and sparkles, blank faced person, old man or whatever. I don't require these things to focus on an image, therefor they aren't required for worship. Just the name, and knowlege of what they are and what they want or don't want.

 

[Anonym0uz Bitch]

When you read a book you are reading the letters, and words, which could be considered the same thing and forming images in your head, or ideas, etc. This is when you are reading, and actually when someone is talking about a car, or thinking about a car, normally its there own car they are thinking about, or a car they want. You do not seem to be able to realize this, because most people do not actually think about it, which is one of the interesting things in my field of study. When you hear or read a word, something DOES pop into your head, regardless if you want to admit that or not. If you do not think of an image then you still think of something, as you said a concept, but that would still apply, you are worshiping the concepts that you have about God, etc. Instead of an actual image, you just think of the name, and knowledge, etc, which still applies here. Cooldude thinks of an image, which would go against his beliefs as a Muslim, if he wants to be that strict about it, you may not think of an image, but that is what you have attached to the word God, and some where along the lines you have seen an image, and it has stuck, or it pops into your head from time to time. I am not saying you have to dwell on it either, but my ass if you have never thought of some kind of image for God in the first place. If you think of an actual image, or just the word and meaning behind the word, etc then you are still attaching something to it, which would still be against Islam's teachings, and others, etc.