Appendix 27
Who Is Your God?
Most people
are
outraged
upon
hearing
this
question.
“What
do
you
mean,
‘Who is your god?’
” they ask. “My god is the Creator of the
heavens
and
the
earth.” And most of these people will be shocked
to find out that their proclamation that their god is the Creator of the heavens and the earth is no more than lip service, and that they are in fact destined
for Hell (12:106).
Your god is whoever
or whatever occupies your mind most of the time. |
Your god can be your children (7:190), your
spouse
(9:24),
your
business
(18:35), or your ego (25:43).
This is why we note that one of the most important and most repeated commandments in the Quran is:
O you who believe, you shall remember
God frequently; glorify Him day and night. [33:41] |
To put this
commandment
into
practice,
we
must
establish
certain
habits
whereby we guarantee that God occupies our minds more than anything
else. The Quran helps us establish
such soul saving habits:
1. The Contact Prayers (Salat): those who observe the 5 daily prayers come a long way towards commemorating God a significant proportion of their waking hours. Salat helps
us remember God not only during the few minutes of prayer, but also throughout the times of anticipation. At 11:00 AM, one may look at his or her watch to see if the noon prayer is due yet. This act causes one to think about God, and one is credited accordingly (20:14).
2. Commemorate God before eating: Verse 6:121 enjoins us to mention God’s name before we
eat: “You shall not eat from that upon which God’s name has not been mentioned.”
3. God Willing (IN SHAA ALLAH): “You shall not say, ‘I will do this or that tomorrow,’ without
saying, ‘God willing’
(IN SHAA ALLAH). If you forget to do this, then apologize
and say, ‘May my Lord guide me to do better next time.’ ” [18:24]. This is a direct commandment that we must carry out, no matter who we are talking with.
4. God’s Gift
(MAA SHAA ALLAH): To invoke God’s protection for our beloved
objects—our children, our cars, our homes, etc.—we are enjoined in 18:39 to say “MAA SHAA ALLAH” (This is God’s gift).
5. Glorify God day
and
night: When we eat anything, we shouldn’t be like animals; we must
reflect on God’s creation
of the food we are eating—the flavor, our enjoyment due to the senses God has given
us, the perfect
packaging of the banana or the orange,
the varieties of sea foods created by God, etc.—and
glorify Him as we enjoy His provisions. When we see a beautiful flower, or animal,
or sunsets, we must glorify
God. We must seize every possible
opportunity to remember and glorify God, so that God may be our God.
6. First Utterance: Make it a habit to say: “In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful. There is no other god besides God,” the moment you wake up every morning. If you establish
this good habit, this is what you will utter when you are resurrected.
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