Distraction Recognition Cont’d from page 1 God has given us a proven, miraculous scripture, and we have no better source (7:185, 12:111, 39:23). The messenger that is still with us is the Quran (11:1-2, 27:76-77). Even Dr. Khalifa based his ideas pertaining to religion on the guidance within the Quran. His job was to confirm what had previously been sent by God in order to set the religion straight, and the mathematical miracle of the Quran was supporting proof—inherent in the Quran (3:81, 98:1). The interlocking nineteen-based proofs from the Quran encourage belief in God and in His guidance. These tangible proofs expose the disbelief of those that fight or reject the miracle of nineteen as a whole (74:31). However, God’s standards of righteousness never change and the pious through the ages have followed the same criteria. God made the religion simple to comprehend and easy to follow. Understanding the mathematical miracle is not a prerequisite for admission into God’s kingdom, and it is not meant to divide those that submit to His will. While knowledge and guidance increases accountability (2:211, 5:114-115), they do not make us keepers of the religion—God takes care of His religion and He takes care of the believers (3:125-126, 5:11, 5:117-118, 6:112-113, 8:62). He is the only One to know the hearts of people around the world (3:167, 6:3) and the only One Almighty enough to take care of throngs of believers to come (110:1-2)!
God is also the One who guides and He controls | the hearts and minds of all people (6:110, 8:63), but in particular, those that sincerely submit to His will. He gives us the means to distinguish the truth from falsehood when it is necessary for our souls. People will be guided or repelled despite what we do. If we stick to God’s guidance and not let our egos or Satan’s many other distractions get in the way, we can attain a rank equal or better in righteousness to any of the messengers or prophets because they were only humans like us (4:69). God’s system works when we steadfastly observe all of God’s commandments, including the ones concerning how we treat each other. People who strive to worship God alone are few and far between, so we should treat them with due respect. Should everyone believe
exactly as we do? Proposing an idea is very different from pushing the acceptance of our opinions. Sometimes discussions turn into ego exhibitions and campaigns, instead of the actual exchange of knowledge that they should be. Rallying support for ideas is divisive and generates a distraction from the real message (20:16). Our goal should never be to make everyone believe exactly as we do. This type of opinion pushing as absolute “truth” is misleading. New understandings and research should be open to calm discussion, so that all involved may acquire more insight. We need to examine our ideas fairly and not be so set on them that we could find ourselves fighting or rejecting guidance from God (2:88, 41:52). Admitting to a lack of understanding may hurt egos, but it is far safer than creating lies about God (11:18) or mistreating others (31:18). | Our real trial is outlined in the following verses: Do you not recognize the fact that GOD possesses the kingship of the heavens and the earth; that you have none besides GOD as your Lord and Master? Do you wish to demand of your messenger what was demanded of Moses in the past? Anyone who chooses disbelief, instead of belief, has truly strayed off the right path. Many followers of the scripture would rather see you revert to disbelief, now that you have believed. This is due to jealousy on their part, after the truth has become evident to them. You shall pardon them, and leave them alone, until GOD issues His judgment. GOD is Omnipotent. You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat). Any good you send forth on behalf of your souls, you will find it at GOD. GOD is seer of everything you do. (2:107-110) Whatever happens, God is still the All-Powerful Ruler that is in control of everything. We shouldn’t jeopardize our souls by losing sight of that fact. What God prescribes for us is better: Forgiveness, steadfastly observing the Contact Prayers, charitable works—in other words, we need to make sure we nurture our souls by maintaining righteousness in the process, no matter what. All answers rest with God. It isn’t worth feeding our egos, if it costs us our righteous work and consequently the growth of our souls. It is better to push aside our egos and be patient. Turning to God whole-heartedly is the major portion of the answer to any problem. Not being distracted from the worship of God alone is a requirement in the process. Cont’d on page 4 |