We often choose to associate ourselves with certain people,
groups, banners, or campaigns in an attempt to fulfill certain
obligations or fill an empty space in our lives. We tend to be
attached to "my" home country, "my" roots, "my"
race, "my" culture, "my" traditions, "my"
color, or "my" language. The feeling or the urge for "belonging"
inside each and every one might grow wild until it becomes an IDOL
or turns into a desperate need of fitting in or blending with a
group irrespective of the cause.
As Submitters to God alone and students of God's final word
to the world, Quran, we are blessed with the knowledge of
one universal code of "belonging" dictated
to us by the One Lord of the Universe. We are all under one
unifying banner, one roof, and one system. We are taking one
path and hopefully heading , at different speeds, towards
one destiny. We all "belong" to the creed
of "Submission." Irrespective of the barriers created by
our different native languages, we are all fluent in one
common language: the language of "Submission."
Through our Quranic study, we all realize one fact:
there will be a moment that shall certainly come to pass for
every one of us. A breath will be inhaled and never comes
out or a breath will be exhaled and be our last one
on planet earth. This moment might take place in any place
at any time. No one knows where or when.
Things We May and May Not
Know*
[31:34] With GOD is the knowledge
about the Hour (end of the world).* He is the One who sends
down the rain, and He knows the contents of the womb.
No soul knows what will happen to it tomorrow,
and no one knows in which land he or she will die.
GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.
*31:34 God reveals His knowledge whenever He wills. We
learn from this verse that we may be able to predict the
rain, and the gender of the fetus.
But we can never know the
time or place of death. In accordance with 72:27,
God has revealed the end of the world through His Messenger
of the Covenant. See 15:87, 20:15, and Appendix 25 for the
details.
At this moment, all that matters is if we have made the
decision in our life to "belong" to God or
not. We grow old, move from home to home, family to family,
from one stage to another. We change jobs, countries, and we
meet different people, friends and enemies, throughout our
lifetimes. We change our companies, our spouses, our
languages and even our names. We strive to find our own
spot, our own identity. However, with all this changing,
traveling, and struggling, our moment of death will catch up
with us anytime, anywhere in accordance to God's will, and
it is our "belonging" to God and
our loyalty to His teachings that will determine our fate.The
only valid ID we will hopefully carry in that moment is
the one with the Seal of Submission to God alone. This will
be the only approved identity.
One God/One Message/One Religion
[21:25] We did not send any
messenger before you except with the inspiration:
"There is no god except Me; you shall worship Me
alone."
Only One Religion
Monotheists vs Idol Worshipers
[42:13] He decreed for
you the same religion decreed for Noah, and what we
inspired to you, and what we decreed for Abraham, Moses,
and Jesus: "You shall uphold this one religion, and do
not divide it." The idol worshipers will greatly resent
what you invite them to do. GOD redeems to
Himself whomever He wills; He guides to Himself only
those who totally submit.
Only One Religion Approved by God
[3:85]
Anyone who accepts
other than Submission as his religion, it
will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will
be with the losers.
[2:208] O you who believe,
you shall embrace total submission; do not
follow the steps of Satan, for he is your most ardent enemy.
Submission: The Only Religion
[3:19] The only
religion approved by GOD is "Submission."
Ironically, those who have received the
scripture are the ones who dispute this fact, despite
the knowledge they have received, due to jealousy.
For such rejectors of GOD's revelations, GOD is
most strict in reckoning.
In our search for our true identity as submitters to God
alone, these Quranic reminders are very helpful:
[21:35]
Every person
will taste death, after we put you to the test through
adversity and prosperity, then to us you ultimately return.
[2:156]
When an affliction
befalls them, they say, "We belong to GOD,
and to Him we are returning."
[2:123] Beware of the day
when no soul will help another soul, no ransom
will be accepted, no intercession will be useful, and
no one will be helped.
[3:30] The day will come when
each soul will find all the good works it had done
brought forth. As for the evil works, it
will wish that they were far, far removed. GOD alerts you
that you shall reverence Him alone. GOD is
Compassionate towards the people.
[59:18] O you who believe, you shall
reverence GOD, and let every soul
examine what it has sent ahead for tomorrow.
You shall reverence GOD; GOD is fully
Cognizant of everything you do.
The Only Criterion
For Distinguishing Among The People
[49:13] O people, we created you from
the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples
and tribes, that you may recognize one another.
The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most
righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.
The only criterion that determines who we should unite with
and who we should choose as allies is the loyalty to God's
words:
Believers are United
[3:103] You shall hold fast
to the rope of GOD, all of you, and do not be
divided. Recall GOD's blessings upon you - you used
to be enemies and He reconciled your hearts. By His grace,
you became brethren. You were at the brink of a pit of fire,
and He saved you therefrom. GOD thus explains His
revelations for you, that you may be guided.
[5:55] Your real allies are
GOD and His messenger,
and the
believers who observe the Contact Prayers (Salat),
and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and they bow down.
[9:71] The believing
men and women are allies of one another.
They advocate righteousness and forbid evil,
they observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the
obligatory charity (Zakat), and they obey GOD and His
messenger. These will be showered by GOD's
mercy. GOD is Almighty, Most Wise.
Our land of choice is where we are able to be loyal
to the word of God and to practice His teachings
freely with pride and dignity:
[39:10] Say, "O My servants
who believed, you shall reverence your Lord." For
those who worked righteousness in this world, a good
reward. GOD's earth is spacious, and
those who steadfastly persevere will receive their
recompense generously, without limits.
Apathy Condemned
[4:97] Those whose lives are
terminated by the angels, while in a state of
wronging their souls, the angels will ask them,
"What was the matter with you?" They will
say, "We were oppressed on earth." They will say,
"Was GOD's earth not spacious enough for you to
emigrate therein?" For these, the final abode is
Hell, and a miserable destiny.
[24:22] Those among you who
are blessed with resources and wealth shall be
charitable towards
their relatives, the poor, and those who
have immigrated for the sake of GOD. They shall
treat them with kindness and tolerance;
do you not love to attain GOD's forgiveness? GOD is
Forgiver, Most Merciful.
Once we are able to create that balance inside
us, and we establish our submitting identity on the
right basis, the basis of righteousness as defined
by God, we can sever our harmful obsession and
attachments that tend to blind us and pollute our
religion for us. We let go of false and
useless identities, while melting into that true
one. This is when we can appreciate the true meaning
of "belonging" in the following beautiful
verses:
[6:161] Say, "My Lord has
guided me in a straight path - the
perfect religion of Abraham, monotheism.
He never was an idol worshiper."
[6:162] Say, "My
Contact Prayers (Salat), my
worship practices, my life
and my death,
are all devoted absolutely to GOD alone, the Lord of
the universe.
[6:163] "He
has no partner. This is what I am commanded to
believe, and I am the first to submit."
[6:164] Say, "Shall I
seek other than GOD as a lord, when He is the Lord
of all things? No soul benefits except
from its own works, and none bears the burden of
another. Ultimately, you return to your
Lord, then He informs you regarding all your
disputes."
[6:165] He is
the One who made you inheritors of the earth,
and He raised some of you above others in rank, in
order to test you in accordance with what He has
given you. Surely, your Lord is efficient in
enforcing retribution, and He is Forgiver, Most
Merciful.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and may God bless you.
