There are two main issues to think about here: (1) How is our love and devotion to God compared to those who love and adore false gods? And (2), in the end, those who worship others (setting up rivals to God) will be humiliated and will come to realize the true essence of God and His capacity for inspiring those who truly love and obey Him. But God wants us to prove this—He is here waiting for our actions and devotions.
We ought to find a time and place to reflect on our lives, our surroundings, and the purpose of life. The 21st century, filled with unprecedented consumerism, get-rich-quick schemes around the world, and rich nations and rich people flaunting their wealth without respect for their fellow nations and neighbors, makes it very difficult for us to keep a proper perspective on life and what should be our primary pursuits. The Prophet spent a significant amount of time in the cave reflecting and contemplating prior to his prophethood. My questions then to each of us are, where is our cave, and when was the last time any of us went there to think about, reflect on, and make corrections to our lives? Setting proper priorities is extremely important, as we should be focusing on what the Prophet did and how we can follow his lead and not on how he looked or dressed, which some Muslims are totally obsessed with.
These verses begin with advice from God calling for patience and constancy in worship while reminding us that we will be tried in many different ways so that God knows who is the best in conduct and truest in belief. A trial itself should not cause us to despair but to see it as a challenge and opportunity for us to prove our faith in God and our resolve to overcome such trials.
In turning to the Ka’bah, no matter where you are or where you are from, it serves as a constant reminder that the purpose and priorities of all Muslims (or for that matter, any person of faith) are and should be the same: to bring our communities and members together and serve for the common good, as this is the true way to serve God.
The Qur’an always asks for reconciliation and agreement, even at a small scale. The Prophet formed alliances with Jewish tribes in Medina and had no problem going to the Christian uncle of his wife Khadija when he was unsure of the incidence of early revelations and prophethood; he compromised in peace treaties, such as Hudaibiya, agreeing to unfair terms for Muslims, all for the sake of peace and prosperity for people of all faiths, and we need to accept the same attitude today. Prophet Mohammad used to be actively engaged with community members and support all moral tenets of his community even before he became a prophet. Too many Muslims are distant from their own communities due to differences in opinion and failure to collaborate or implement necessary changes, and, in countries where they are a minority, they stay distant from the larger community in which they live and thrive. This has to change!
These verses show that Islam has always left a mark of distinction, whether through the matter of selecting the kiblah or through the preference of the middle-of-the-road position on all matters of importance. Muslims who are either very conservative or noncommittal need to reflect on the pragmatic aspects of Islamic teachings and practices.
These verses make the universal case for Islam as the religion of all the prophets, confirming the unified theme of Islam to bring all people of all ages to the same way of life. As prophets came throughout time and propagated the same guidance, so should people of all times and ages continue on the same path.
Prophet Abraham is a unique individual in the history of mankind. He is considered one of the early followers of true monotheism and is revered by Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike. While Jews claim that Abraham belongs to them and the Christians claim that Abraham belongs to them, the Qur’an makes the point that he was a predecessor to both of these religions and, as such, could belong to neither. In reality, he believed in true monotheism, offered total acceptance of and surrender (the true meaning of the word Muslim) to God Almighty, and dedicated his life to the betterment of his generation and beyond.
The following are three important points to reflect on: (1) Evidence of God and the truth is everywhere, and miracles are not needed and should not be demanded, (2) True guidance is in the revealed Books, and we need to follow that guidance, and (3) God only favors those who believe in Him and do good deeds, irrespective of whether they are Jewish, Christian, or Muslim.
It is important to repeat how critical it is for us all to do a self-assessment and focus more on what we do and less on what we say or look like. Too many of our children and people in general are taught to do things based on prevailing customs and values derived from pre-Islamic traditions and not on the teachings and values derived from the Qur’an. This and a lack of education, economic empowerment, and well-established civil societies are the major challenges faced by Muslims and the human race at large. The Qur’an is very clear when it says that Muslims are a nation created to benefit humanity so that we can (1) uphold truth and justice, (2) eradicate falsehood and injustice, and (3) establish the worship of God. One wonders how far we have deviated in regard to these three central responsibilities and priorities.
The Qur’an unifies the true guidance from God with mankind and encourages us to follow it with care and commitment. It is equally important to understand the fundamental principles and values on which Qur’anic instructions and recommendations are based, as each generation must learn how to put them into practice in the context of their time and environment. The prophetic tradition says that in each century a reformer will come to the community to provide continued contextual understanding and application of Qur’anic instruction, especially with respect to human interactions and community affairs while the fundamental elements of faith such as the Oneness of God, worship/service, and other pillars of Islam stay constant.
We need to understand the Qur’an as clearly as we can and avoid any superstitions and evil practices. Over the years, some of these practices have made their way into various Muslim societies; however, these practices need to be curtailed by propagating better understanding of the faith based on the teachings in the Qur’an and on science.
This verse is of major significance to Muslims today, as we are very eager to blame others for our misfortunes while we are unwilling to keep our commitments as Muslims—perhaps we are lacking in faith as the Qur’an says! When one declares faith, it is a solemn pledge to God and to mankind. We do not take our commitments seriously, and faith has become a matter of a simple label as opposed to a sincere and deliberate commitment that should be upheld at all costs and at all times. We may fail now and then since we are human, but we need to stay focused and be steadfast in our missions in life and in our commitment to God and mankind.
It is important for us to begin to focus on what we need to do as opposed to claiming who we are. God recognizes our true nature through our actions and not through our claims. As God observes all we do and does not neglect even an atom-sized bad deed or an atom-sized good deed, we all need to focus a part of our lives on worldly pursuits but at the same time dedicate a part of our time and resources to upholding social justice and human well-being. This balancing act is critical for success and is a true measure of how good a Muslim each of us is today and will be in the future, including in the Afterlife.
We need to respect other religions, especially Judaism and Christianity, knowing that God reprimanded their followers for denying our Prophet, and we should not commit the same mistakes. As God said in the Qur’an, “Repel what is evil with what is good . . .” (23:96). How far away we have moved from following this simple guidance!
Nothing can be stronger and more poignant than these verses to help us understand the underlying causes of our current situation. Each and every Muslim needs to get serious about keeping his commitment as a Muslim, and we need to support each other in carrying out our individual and collective responsibilities and keeping from exploiting one another unjustly to Muslims, other nations, and people of other faiths.
In today’s context, Muslims need to think about three things: (1) Are we misusing our Qur’an in the same way the Jews used to hide and recast the message of Moses, as contained in the Old Testament (Torah)? (2) Are we making false promises to our people, especially to our youth who are inclined to use terror in the name of Islam to achieve temporary fame? (3) The vast majority of Muslims need to under- stand and truly believe in the message that God’s grace to Muslims will come only when we collectively demonstrate genuine faith through education, rightful practice, and righteous deeds.
Two key points we need to reflect on are that we have a God-given responsibility to assess what happens around us and that God will take note of what we do or do not do in response to those happenings. Too many of us think that we are responsible only for what we do, but what is equally as important is what we do not do when we should be doing something.
These verses draw attention to critical aspects of disobedience to God: (1) God’s punishment can sometimes take the form of transforming our mental condition to that of an animal (lower than man), and (2) People have the tenacity to ask irrelevant questions only to refuse or delay obeying what they are being asked to do. This never fools God or people of faith and goodwill.