Islamic Concept of God and Anwar Sheikh’s Thoughts: An Analytical Study

اسلامی تصورِ خدا اور انور شیخ کے افکار: ایک تنقیدی مطالعہ

Abstract

The thoughts and beliefs about God vary from religion to religion and Islam is quite apart from others in this regard as the Islamic conception is rooted back to the holy Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions. It is fundamentally centered on Tawḥīd (absolute oneness of God), His transcendence, and His immanence in human life through guidance, mercy, and justice. The thousand years of Muslim rule, during which the people grew intellectually, economically, socially, and culturally, are considered the Subcontinent's golden age. During the Mughal Empire, the East India Company had the chance to get trading privileges, and through trade, Christianity was subsequently spread throughout this land. A substantial number of Muslims departed from Islam after the British arrived. These apostates tended to be persons who had converted to Christianity. In addition to Christian missionaries, some Hindu movements began converting Muslims to Hinduism. Anwar Sheikh is one of the converts to Hinduism. He was born in India and migrated to England, where he converted to Hinduism. He wrote extensively against Islam thereafter. Pakistan's religious organizations called for his execution because of his disbelief and disrespect of Islam. In the article under review, a research review of his ideas regarding the concept of God is presented to the readers.