Alhamdulillāh… All praise and thanks are due to the Almighty Allāh. I send peace and blessings upon Ḥabībī Muḥammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path, till the Day of Judgement.
This is part 2 of ‘Reflections from the Qur'an’ series, which is posted here on GSalam.Net, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, throughout the holy month of Ramaḍān 2014. I pray that Allah grants us more understanding of His book and religion. If you find it useful, kindly share it with your loved ones, and be part of the #Share_the_Khair.
In Sūrah al-Nisāʾ, 4:36, Allāh commands us with guidance, to worship Him alone. He also prohibits us from worshiping any other deity other than Him. He says:
وَاعْبُدُوا اللَّـهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا
“Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him.”
The meaning of this verse is also emphasized in Surah al-Anʿām, 6:151, when Allah says:
قُلْ تَعَالَوْا أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ، أَلَّا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا
“Say, “Come! I will tell you what your Lord has really forbidden you! Do not associate anything with Him”
Upon reflecting on these verses, we know whom ‘Allāh’, the One we are obliged to worship, is. Especially that He has described Himself in several verses, including the following:
اللَّـهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all that is in existence. [Sūrah ʾĀli ʿImrān, 3:1].
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣﴾ مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Universe; the Beneficent, the Merciful; Lord of the Day of Judgement.” [Sūrah al-Fātiḥah, 1:2-4].
When Allah warned us from associating other gods with Him, he referred to such gods as ‘anything.' He didn't say ‘anyone'.
This is because deities worshiped besides Allah vary from beings to objects. Some people worship living things, while others worship non-living things. Some worship visible things, at the time that others worship invisible things. Some prefer to worship spirits and some worship desires. In fact, some worshiped some of the messengers sent to guide them. You know that some worship the sun, the moon, trees, stones, money, sex, ideas, and the list continues.
أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ
“Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire?”
The desire mentioned in the verse above also includes ‘anything’, which Allāh forbids us from worshiping.
Worshiping substantial idols purposefully can be avoided. This is because it’s too obvious to be embraced. But the most deceiving form of associating others (things, persons, etc) with Allāh is when one chooses to worship his desire.
This takes place knowingly and unknowingly. When the caller to prayer (ṣalāh) says, “Come to Prayer… Come to Success” and we decide to reject the call or delay our response (without valid reason), we are prioritizing our desire over Allāh’s.
Sometimes, we argue or go emotional, when Allāh and His Messenger are mentioned to remind us. The worst part is when we accept the word of Allāh and His Messenger, and yet respond to it with “It’s true, but…” When we do this, we are knowingly or unknowingly, preferring our desires to the desires (teachings and orders) of Allāh and His Messenger.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّـهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ، وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّـهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
“Believers, obey Allah and the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. Know that Allāh stands between man and his heart, and you shall all be gathered in His presence.”
وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هَوَاهُ تَبَعاً لِمَا جِئْتُ بِهِ
“By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, none of you (truly) believes until his desire is in accordance with what I have brought.” [Ḥadīth].
May Allah guide us to the straight path; the path of those, upon whom He has bestowed His blessings, not the path of those who prefer their desires to His. Amīn.
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Allah knows best.
Allāhu Ḥāfiẓ 🙂
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