seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Quran 2:21. O people! Worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may attain piety.
22. He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure, and sends water down from the sky, and brings out fruits thereby, as a sustenance for you. Therefore, do not assign rivals to God while you know.
23. And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like these, and call your witnesses apart from God, if you are truthful.
24. But if you do not—and you will not—then beware the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.
25. And give good news to those who believe and do righteous deeds; that they will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with fruit therefrom as sustenance, they will say, “This is what we were provided with before,” and they will be given the like of it. And they will have pure spouses therein, and they will abide therein forever.
26. God does not shy away from making an example of a gnat, or something above it. As for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, “What did God intend by this example?” He leads astray many thereby, and He guides many thereby; but He misleads thereby only the evildoers.
27. Those who violate God’s covenant after its confirmation, and sever what God has commanded to be joined, and commit evil on earth. These are the losers.
28. How can you deny God, when you were dead and He gave you life, then He will put you to death, then He will bring you to life, then to Him you will be returned?
29. It is He who created for you everything on earth, then turned to the heaven, and made them seven heavens. And He is aware of all things.
30. When your Lord said to the angels, “I am placing a successor on earth.” They said, “Will You place in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we declare Your praises and sanctify You?” He said, “I know what you do not know.”
So I did a little digging. I found some commentary that makes sense to me.
Not to set up others as rivals to Allah means not to make anyone other than God the object of worship, service and obedience that one owes to God alone. Later on we shall see, in some detail, how the Qur'an itself specifies the forms of worship and service which we owe exclusively to God, and wherein associating anyone else amounts to shirk (associating others with God in His divinity). This, the Qur'an seeks to eradicate.
I wasn't raised on this book. I have no right to question or comment yet. I found the commentary. But the commentary and the book warn me about depending on others ot translate for me. I'm still confused about the difference [if there is one] between unbelievers and disbelievers. Did the disbelievers once believe and then quit or did the unbelievers just refute the truth and decide not to believe?
I love the end of verse 30..... "I know what you do not know". God knows everything. He knows what I was taught. He knows what I have learned. He knows that I love God.... I don't intentionally disbelieve or unbelieve..... I believe He knows my past, present, and future.... so He knows what I don't know..... He knows how it all turns out. I'm just going through this life blind..... wow.
I mean no disrespect.... I'm reading this for the first time.
:coffee"