How can an impure man or woman stand before God? All religions, especially Judaism, Islam and Christianity, believe that God is ultimately holy. And He is!
The Holy Bible refers to God as “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). Anything impure in His presence will be consumed. No sin can exist in His presence. In fact no impure thing can be in God’s presence (Isaiah 6:7). So, for anyone hoping to enter heaven and be in God’s presence forever, being absolutely pure is unconditional!
How does Islam look at purity? To Muslims, being pure is based on what one does. The focus tends to be external.
Women Must Cover Themselves
Islam tells women to cover themselves almost completely. Qs 33:59 states, “O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women, that they draw their veils close to them; so it is likelier they will be known, and not hurt.”
Qs 24:31 gives more detail to women about their veils. It states, “Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands.”
By covering themselves women protect men from committing sexual sins and becoming impure. Most Muslims believe men are enticed to sin by women. A politician in Aceh, Indonesia told the Jakarta Globe, “When women don’t dress according to sharia law, they’re asking to get raped.” Often, in the case of rape, the fault falls on the woman. Generally it is assumed that she enticed the rapist.
Impure People are Cut Off, Separated from God
Muslims must wash before they can pray. Washing cleanses them from physical impurity so that they can go before God. If someone of the opposite sex even touches a person, he or she is considered impure. Both must go through the ritual washing again before they pray.
According to Islam, the only way a woman can speak to God is if she has made herself pure. Unfortunately there are times when a woman is impure and nothing she does will change that. For example, during a woman’s period she is totally defiled. She cannot fast or pray (Qs. 2:222). She may not even enter a mosque. During her period she is totally cut off from God. She must wait for her period to end before she can resume these spiritual activities.
Is True Purity External or Internal?
The Injil clearly states that nothing outside of a person can make one pure. No outward act or religious ritual is adequate to purify a person and make him acceptable to God.
Jesus instructs religious people not to depend on outward acts for purity. “Nothing outside of you can make you ‘unclean’ by going into you. It is what comes out of you that makes you ‘unclean'” (Injil, Mark 7:15).
Only Isa Al-Masih Can Make You Pure
A person can never do enough to make himself completely pure to stand before Allah. A million religious acts will never make it possible for you to be in God’s presence, in God’s heaven.
There is only one solution, only one way. What is that? Believing in Isa and His death for you on the cross is the secret that produces the purity God demands. The blood of the Savior cleanses our sins and makes us pure before Allah.
The Road to Purity
The apostle Paul explained the road to purity this way, “Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory. The free gift of God’s grace makes all of us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free. God gave him as a sacrifice to pay for sins. So he forgives the sins of those who have faith in his blood. God did all of that to prove that he is fair” (Romans 3:23-25, NIrV).
When Allah looks at a Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, He sees him as pure. Why? Because God sees him as cleansed in the blood of Isa Al-Masih’s sacrifice on the Cross.
Stop trusting in religious acts to prepare you for God’s presence. It is futile. You will never attain the purity God demands. Instead come to Isa Al-Masih. If you are interested in finding out how to do this, please go to: https://www.isaandislam.com/Way-of-Salvation/five-steps-of-salvation.html.
[We invite you to visit us at https://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation to learn more about God’s gift of Salvation. God loves you and waits to hear from you. Isa clearly said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Injil, John 14:6). For a deeper understanding of Isa we suggest you subscribe to “Isa, Islam, and Al-Fatiha” at this link.]
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How do you look at purity? Is it necessery to be purified before God?
What can you do to be purified before God?
Do you agree that religious acts can never make us pure before God? Why?
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Your interpretation of Qs 2:222 in regards purity is 100% wrong. A Muslim woman is never cut of from God, not even in her period. She can pray at any time.
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Dear Funmi Alaka,
Thanks for your comment. You are correct that a woman can do du’a prayers. However, the Quran clearly says that woman cannot pray the salat prayers during her period because she is unclean. Most scholars also prohibit women from reciting or even touching the Quran during their period. Women are also not allowed to fast during Ramadan, and must make up those days later! All of these things point to women being cut off from God because they are “unclean.”
The thing is, every person without God is “unclean” and separated from God all the time because of the condition of our hearts. The only way that we can be made clean and not be separated from God is through believing in the sacrifice of Isa Al-Masih. To learn more about His sacrifice, please go to: https://www.isaandislam.com/muslim-beliefs/hidden-meaning-in-the-eid-al-adha-sacrifice.html.
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I challenge you the next time you go for a job interview at a company, to wear the most dirty clothes you can find. Also, don’t wash your body for an entire month. At the interview, I would then want you to convince the company that you are actually a very honest, hardworking person, and then see their responses. It’s only logical, when you go for an interview, you would wear your most cleanest clothes and try to beautify your appearance. All humans do it.
The same concept applies when you stand and pray in front of your Creator. Your clothes, your body, and the place where you worship must be clean.
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Saadiq,
But God doesn’t see much on what you wear, but how your heart is. Your heart proves everything! If you wear the nicest clothes, the cleanest apparels ever, but your heart is filthy, it’s a thing before Him. “Nothing outside of you can make you ‘unclean’ by going into you. It is what comes out of you that makes you ‘unclean’” (Injil, Mark 7:15).
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The emphasis is on “cleanliness”. I surely doubt that you eat with dirty hands (it’s illogical and unhealthy). You apply this logic in your daily life. Yet, somehow it appears that it does not apply when you approach the God of your Bible. How do you reconcile the two?
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Saadiq,
What is the moral value behind the “cleanliness” of washing hands? Is it more refer to Civil Law? And this Civil Law can’t be applied to all people in all circumstances. Many kids in villages don’t wash their hands when they eat nor using sandals on the wilderness, yet they are strong and healthy. However, it appears it’s not the same with mostly of the city kids. Is it sin if they don’t wash their hands and don’t use sandals while running on the pasture? God sees our heart (Torah, 1 Samuel 16:7). Our heart directs our attitude. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Zabur, Proverbs 4:23).
Thanks,
Aila
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