Discovering You (Part 2)
Throughout history, God has sent numerous prophets, each to a particular nation to call people to the worship of no one – except God alone (pure monotheism). Not only did prophets receive guiding instruction from God in the form of revelation, but prophets themselves exemplified true submission to the Rabb. Prophets therefore are role models for us to emulate and learn from. God gave them the ability to perform supernatural works, to help their people develop certainty in the message with which prophets were sent. Whilst the miracles they performed, the point in history in which they lived, and the language which they spoke varied, the message of all prophets has always been timelessly the same:
God is One, and only He is worthy of being worshipped.
All prophets – including (but not limited to) Adam, Noah , Moses, Abraham, Jesus and the last and final prophet – Muhammad (peace be upon them all) – were Muslims. A ‘Muslim’ means a person who submits to the commands and prohibitions of God. ‘Islam’ in Arabic means to “surrender in peace”, as only through willingly obeying God can one be set free from the subjugating shackles of the ego. Contrary to popular belief, Islam is not a ‘religion’ per se. It is a way of life, chosen by your Creator who offers you true and lasting happiness and peace through a close and loving slave-Master relationship with Him (Qur’an 5:3). Worshipping God goes beyond the five famous pillars of Islam (the declaration of faith, the five daily prayers, the annual charity, the annual fasting, and the pilgrimage). ‘Worship’ is an all-inclusive term for all actions pleasing to the Creator, and includes every day activities from sleeping, smiling, caring for family, being honest, listening empathetically, and so on and so forth. So long as such actions are done by the slave with the intention to please The Loving, Caring Master, they are considered actions of worship. It is important to note that this slave-master relationship is founded upon mutual love. Through adhering to a lifestyle that brings about goodness to self and others, you will naturally cultivate a lens of gratitude for all of the goodness which God does to you. It is through worship, that we manifest our full potential and bring to light our true purpose on Earth.
“Do good to others as God has done good to you. Do not seek to spread corruption in the land, for God does not love those who do this.” (Qur’an 28:77)
Your purpose therefore, is to come to know Allah through a lens of love, and to experience His qualities manifested in your life by submitting to Him. It is to be Muslim. It is the purpose of all humans. It is precisely what you were created for. Out of God’s love to you, you will find guidance if you sincerely ask Him for it. This may be a quiet moment by yourself, wholeheartedly requesting “My Creator and Creator of all things, guide me to the truth”.
Finally, know that the Qur’an is an interactive living miracle. It guides like a flashlight, enabling its reader to distinguish between the self-actualising path which leads to God’s eternal approval, from the self-harming paths that lead one astray. It is not the words of a human, but the Divine Speech of God. Due to its supernatural sophistication, the likes of even one chapter have not been able to be produced by any human being since it’s revelation 1400 years ago. It is to be approached with a sincere desire to seek God’s guidance on how to live. Humility and sincerity are the keys to extracting the Qur’an’s essence. Approaching the Qur’an with ego-based agendas can result in receiving from it only what one projects onto it. The Qur’an will water the seeds of goodness in the heart when one genuinely seeks the path of goodness through it (Qur’an 29:69). It is not just for Muslims, but is a reminder of the truth already planted within you … within everyone. It is a “reminder for all the worlds” (Qur’an 38:87). Since the propensity to submit to God’s oneness is already encoded within your being, the Qur’anic message will be recognised by your soul as a familiar logic, in a manner that is inconceivable to the mind (Helwa, 2020).
Its structure is beyond human form, and it points to a reality beyond time and space. Unlike the short-lasting miracles of prophets sent to previous communities, the Qur’an is an everlasting miracle which can be experienced with our own senses in the present moment (Helwa 2020). It is linguistically perfect and speaks directly to the human soul. The Qur’an never classifies itself as a rival of the Torah, Gospel or any other heavenly scripture, but rather as a reminder of God’s oneness, and is thus a confirmation of the original message of previous prophets. Afterall, Islam is not a newly invented way of life.
Even humans have the decency to provide instruction manuals for a potentially difficult-to-use device. How then, could a Lord, Who is the pinnacle of Love and Compassion, leave us without guidance on how to utilise this passing and precious life we have been given? The Qur’an tells us this life is a temporary opportunity to establish an intimate relationship with the Creator of life Himself. After death, our experience of the eternal life will be directly linked to the worship done out of our love and gratitude to God for all His favours upon us.
The Qur’an will confront your ego, challenge your subjective truths, generate friction against your resistance to submit to Truth, and dismantle your restricted ideas regarding who you are and who God is (Helwa, 2020). Each time you approach the Qur’an, it will meet you exactly where you are in your faith journey, and will continue to do so until through submission to God’s guidance, you come to experientially know, appreciate the greatness of, and draw close to God. In doing so, you will discover and come to experientially know exactly who you are.
Author: Marian Stevenson
Reference List:
Helwa, A. (2020). Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey Into the Heart of Islam. Naulit Publishing House.
Yousef, J. (2020). Reflecting on the Names of Allah: Understanding and Connecting to God in our Daily Lives. Al Buruj Press.
Allah. Qur’an.