seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Quran 6:151. Say, “Come, let me tell you what your Lord has forbidden you: that you associate nothing with Him; that you honor your parents; that you do not kill your children because of poverty—We provide for you and for them; that you do not come near indecencies, whether outward or inward; and that you do not kill the soul which God has sanctified—except in the course of justice. All this He has enjoined upon you, so that you may understand.”
152. And do not come near the property of the orphan, except with the best intentions, until he reaches maturity. And give full weight and full measure, equitably. We do not burden any soul beyond its capacity. And when you speak, be fair, even if it concerns a close relative. And fulfill your covenant with God. All this He has enjoined upon you, so that you may take heed.
153. This is My path, straight, so follow it. And do not follow the other paths, lest they divert you from His path. All this He has enjoined upon you, that you may refrain from wrongdoing.
154. Then We gave Moses the Scripture, perfect for the righteous, and explaining everything clearly, and a beacon, and mercy, that they may believe in the encounter with their Lord.
155. This too is a blessed Scripture that We revealed; so follow it, and be righteous, that you may receive mercy.
156. Lest you say, “The Scripture was revealed to two parties before us, and we were unaware of their teachings.”
157. Or lest you say, “Had the Scripture been revealed to us, we would have been better guided than they.” Clarification has come to you from your Lord, and guidance, and mercy. Who then does greater wrong than he who gives the lie to God's messages, and turns away from them? We will repay those who turn away from Our messages with the worst kind of punishment, because of their turning away.
158. Are they waiting for anything but for the angels to come to them, or for your Lord to arrive, or for some of your Lord’s signs to come? On the Day when some of your Lord’s signs come, no soul will benefit from its faith unless it had believed previously, or had earned goodness through its faith. Say, “Wait, we too are waiting.”
159. As for those who divided their religion and became sects—you have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with God; then He will inform them of what they used to do.
160. Whoever comes up with a good deed will have ten times its like; and whoever comes up with an evil deed will be repaid only with its equivalent—they will not be wronged.
161. Say, “My Lord has guided me to a straight path, an upright religion, the creed of Abraham the Monotheist, who was not a polytheist.”
162. Say, “My prayer and my worship, and my life and my death, are devoted to God, the Lord of the Worlds.
163. No associate has He. Thus I am commanded, and I am the first of those who submit.
164. Say, “Am I to seek a Lord other than God, when He is the Lord of all things?” No soul gets except what it is due, and no soul bears the burdens of another. Then to your Lord is your return, then He will inform you regarding your disputes.
165. It is He who made you successors on the earth, and raised some of you in ranks over others, in order to test you through what He has given you. Your Lord is Quick in retribution, and He is Forgiving and Merciful.
Here's the commentary....
Because in Arabia there lived only the Jews and the Christians besides the idolaters, the Arabs spoke of only two parties to whom the Book was given.
The execution of punishment having already been spoken of in the coming of angels and the coming of the Lord, what is meant by coming of “some of the signs of thy Lord”? According to a √adßth there is a reference here to the signs which would precede the day of Resurrection, such as the appearance of Anti-Christ and the advent of the Messiah and other connected signs. But there is one difficulty in accepting this to be the interpretation of these words. The coming of the Messiah is according to all authorities a sign of a general spiritual awakening to be brought about in the world, which in other words is the prevalence of Islåm, but here we are told that when some of the signs come, faith would not benefit a man. The only time when faith does not benefit a man is the approach of death, and hence I am of opinion that by “some of the signs of thy Lord” are meant clear signs of approach of death. A man’s death is in one sense also his resurrection: “Whoever dies, his resurrection comes to pass”.
This refers primarily to the Jews and the Christians, but includes sectarians of all religions who split up the unity of their religion and become divided into sects, each sect dissipating its energy in wrangling with others, instead of advancing the common cause.
The idea of entire submission to the Divine Being conveyed in the word Islåm finds its perfect manifestation in the Holy Prophet, who is the first of the Muslims (v. 163). There are different motives, love of one’s self, of one’s wife and children, of one’s friends and relatives, of one’s country or nation, which prompt a man to action; and there is no doubt that the grander, the purer, and the more selfless the object, the nobler is the deed done; but above even the noblest object that a man can set for himself stands the love of the Divine Being. The deed done may be for the welfare of one’s self, or of those dearest to one, or of one’s country or nation, but the mainspring of that action must be the love of the Divine Being, for then only is it that perfect disinterestedness combined with absolute justice to all creatures can be achieved. It is the highest goal of human life, and every Muslim is taught to set that goal before himself. He is taught to pray in the words of this verse when he begins his daily prayers, the only difference being that the concluding words of this prayer are wa ana min al-Muslimßn, i.e., I am one of those who submit, while v. 163, giving a description of the Prophet, ends with the words, I am the first of those who submit
“Nor does a bearer of burden bear another’s burden” are the words in which the Christian doctrine of atonement is rejected by the Holy Qur’ån. Elsewhere we have: “That no bearer of burden bears another’s burden, and that man can have nothing but what he strives for”. Every man that is born is called a bearer of burden, not because he is a sinner, but because he starts life with certain responsibilities of his own. It is groundless to assert that Jesus Christ entered into life without any responsibilities of his own. The study of his life shows him as feeling his own responsibilities and as caring for them.
With the highest goal of life before them, the Muslims are now told that they were going to be made rulers in the land. Their exaltation above others, however, was not due to their wealth or to their great political power but simply to the fact that they submitted themselves to God, that their prayers and their sacrifices were not for their nation or their country but for God, Who was the Rabb, the Nourisher unto perfection, of the whole of humanity. Hence they were a people who had the betterment of the whole of humanity in view. But even they are told, in the concluding words of the verse, that if they fall off and follow evil ways they will be requited, though the forgiveness and mercy of the Divine Being will ultimately take them by the hand.
Oh my this is a heavy discussion this morning. Here's another "difference" between Islam and Christianity.
Muslims are taught that Jesus couldn't have come to pay for our sins. They are taught.... you're born with certain responsibilities and no one can answer the call but you. In other words.... Salvation is on your shoulders.
Now see, I can see the corrupt church of the 7th Century all over that. Muslims are taught that Jesus can't be the Son of God because Mary was just a human. Like God couldn't create that scenario after creating everything everywhere. Like I said... Mary wasn't God's wife. There is no Mrs. God that I know of. But the corrupt church was erroneously teaching she is part of the Trinity. The Trinity.... just so you remember.... is God, Jesus, and the Spirit. The Spirit is not Mary. The Spirit is that part of you that needs God. It's in our DNA.
Way back when.... when I was a barmaid at a bar on Water Street in Baltimore..... I was telling someone about Jesus and they came back with a Muslim response. He said..... "I just cannot believe that anyone can claim to be Christian and then automatically they are forgiven. If that's the case.... everyone would be going around doing horrible things... then saying 'I Believe so I'm forgiven' and getting away with what ever the ill was at that instance."
Argue that one from a Christian perspective.... because a lot of people think that's what we believe. They think we think we are forgiven before we sin.... they think we think we are like a "miracle cure for sin".
So.... let me set the record straight.... I don't think we are like a "miracle cure for sin". I'm old now... 70 this year.... and let me warn you... your past is going to pop up and bug you. You'll be cooking dinner, or sanding a piece of wood, or driving down the road, or whatever.... and then out of the blue you will remember something you said or did that set a course to hurt someone.... it will pierce your heart with regret... and then leave.
Jesus didn't come to us with a big stick and a lot of rules. He taught us to love one another.... to be kind to one another.... to be generous with our belongings... share. Those are our responsibilities... and yes... the Muslims are right... we are born with them.... just like Jesus. The difference is, some of us have that DNA that makes us aware of our responsibilities. We know kindness makes us feel better. Jesus brought us that.... not a sword.... kindness.
Jews are all about the "rules". Christians are all about "kindness without need of the rules". Muslims are all about being "responsible to God".
All three are civil. I can't take your place in "the Fire" but I can offer you a way to avoid it. That's civil.
The guiding rules of life will help you remain faithful.
