Your Lifestyle = Your Religion

Which Law rules your life?

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

“Nay – those that keep their plighted faith and act aright –

Verily Allah loves those who act aright.

As for those who sell the faith they owe to Allah

And their own plighted word for a small price,

They shall have no portion in the Hereafter:

Nor will Allah (deign to) speak to them or look at them

On the Day of Judgment;

Nor will He cleanse them (of sin):

They shall have a grievous Penalty.”

(Quran: 76 – 77)

I have stated on many occasions that your true “religion” is not what you say you believe but what you actually practice daily. In other words, your “religion” is your actual lifestyle. I firmly believe that, based on years of study of lifestyles and “religions”.  By that measure, many of us are living fraudulent lifestyles if we judge our actual practices by our “religious” beliefs.

Because of the mental schisms created by man-made philosophies, many of us are led to believe that our “religion” is different and separate from our actual daily life. We have been carefully taught to believe that “religious” philosophy is “spiritual” in nature and, therefore, not applicable to “practical” life.  Many of us have been taught to compartmentalize our lives into “religious” and “secular” portions.  This allows us to be passionate “believers” in our “religion” and equally passionate performers of deeds absolutely abhorrent to its teachings without any conflicting feelings. In daily application, we support socially-destructive, man-made laws which blatantly contradict the “religious laws” which we claim to also believe.  Mind you, we willingly and knowingly elect the people who impose these conflicting laws upon our society. 

On the one hand, we claim to believe and respect the “law of God” (“religious” doctrine); on the other, we subjugate these laws to the “law of the land” (conflicting man-made laws).  These man-made laws direct us to perform and support activities often contradictory to our “religious” doctrine. There is no social outcry by those of us who “sincerely believe” in our “religion”, thereby indicating our tacit support for blatantly corrupt activities. This is only possible in societies where people have been deeply indoctrinated with the idea that their lives and “religions” are separate and unconnected; where the “laws of God” and the Day of Judgment are taken lightly.

  For most of us, “religious” activities are emotional salves; scheduled routines and performances that make us feel vindicated before God. Outside of these routines and schedules, we go about our “real” lives, doing what is “necessary to survive” in this material world. We don’t spare a random thought about our actions and their outcomes on the Day of Judgment; secure in our “religious” faith. Islam, however, debunks this attitude. It reminds us, at every turn, that whatever we do daily will be counted on the Day of Judgment. It keeps sincere believers focused on the fact that the Final Judgment will be about the life we lived while on Earth; every action, every thought, every intention.

The Issue of Shariah

 

Christian Shariah

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

“So if they dispute with thee,

Say: ‘I have submitted my whole self to Allah and so have those who follow me.’

And say to the People of the Book and to those who are unlearned:

‘Do you (also) submit yourselves?’

If they do, they are in right guidance, but if they turn back,

Thy duty is to convey the Message;

And in Allah’s sight are (all) His servants.”

(Quran 3: 20)

It is almost laughable when one hears Unbelievers speaking the word “shariah”. They speak the word in venomous tones, scared to death of the vision it conveys to their ignorant minds.  Most of them do not remember that they are speaking an Arabic word with perfectly defined meaning. To the majority of them and their leaders, this word signifies impending doom, were “shariah” ever to be instituted in the land. They know not what it means, but will fight tooth and nail to prevent its establishment in their land. Moreover, the professed “devout” people among them are the staunchest opponents of establishing “shariah” in their societies.

“Shariah” is an Arabic word meaning “the rules and regulations of society ordained by Allah (God)”.  It is contained in His Message to Mankind, detailing what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior in human society.  It also defines how to regulate these behaviors.  Its purpose is to ensure that people build a society that consistently operates in their best interest without anyone being above the law.  It originates in the Message of Allah, and is in every Book of Guidance sent to every people on Earth. Despite the fact that these rules are now considered “religious” in nature, there are no “religions” which do not have them.

bygone days of western modesty

In ignorant societies, there are always large groups of “religious” people who claim to be God-fearing and “devout” believers in the laws of God.  They preach to others to follow “God’s laws” and apply His recommended values in their lives. What they are doing in reality (if they only knew), is exhorting their people to adopt “shariah”. But it is these same people who are amongst the worst opposition to the implementation of “shariah law” in the land today.  On the one hand, they decry the degradation of morality in present-day society and call for the adoption of Allah’s moral values as outlined in their books. On the other hand, they are quite content to accept their moral standard as an abnormal, impractical feature of current society and thus subject their moral vision to the inconsistent views of rampant disbelief.  Therefore, they convict themselves as to the strength and reality of their Faith. 

Islam’s call to believers to implement shariah is nothing unusual or sinister. The issue is a simple, straightforward one.  If you accept Islam as your lifestyle and you truly believe in the Message, then these regulations are necessary for the Islamic society to emerge and exist. Without their implementation, the “Islamic” community is nothing but a sham; a pipe dream.  Islam is a practical lifestyle which cannot be relegated to lip-service.  It must become translated into a tangible reality where those who profess worship of Allah (God) can live their commitments. The Quran puts it quite bluntly:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

“O ye who believe!

Enter into Islam wholeheartedly;

And follow not the footsteps of the Evil One;

For he is to you an avowed enemy.”

(Quran 2: 208)

Belief and the signs of Allah

The Quran exhorts all believers to become “men of understanding” and contemplate on the signs of Allah in the environment. It encourages all people to adore the Creator of the “heavens and Earth” so that we can become “righteous” and “God-conscious”.

                “O ye people, adore your Guardian Lord

                Who created you and those before you,

                That ye may become righteous.

                (He) Who has made the Earth your couch

                And the Heavens your canopy;

                And sent down rain from the heavens

                And brought forth therewith Fruits for your sustenance.

                Then set not up rivals unto Allah

                When you know the truth.”

                (Quran: 2:21-21)

The Quran does not mince words when it gives us advice. It not only tells us what to do, but it also tells us why. We all agree that the same Creator Who created us also made the Earth environment in which we live. We all agree that He also created the weather systems which rule this planet, and that the foliage and food on this planet are also part of this grand, homogenous design. Then why are we divided about the worship of this most Gracious Being? Why are we in disarray when it comes to the worship and adoration of the Creator? Allah says to us, through His Quran, that we must worship Him if we wish to be “righteous (do things right)”.   Can it be that we are misreading the signs of Allah that surround us daily? 

In the Quran, Allah points out that this message is sent to all people, but only those with understanding will accept it. He also points out that He has surrounded us with His signs for us to convince ourselves of His abilities, if we will only think.

                “Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth;

                In the alternation of the Night and the Day;

                In the sailing of the ships through the Ocean,

                For the profit of mankind;

                In the rain which Allah sends down from the skies,

                And the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead;

                In the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth;

                In the change of the winds and the clouds which they trail like slaves

                Between the sky and the earth-

                Here indeed are signs for a people that are wise.

                Yet there are men who take for worship

                Others besides Allah, as equal with Allah;

                …”

                (Quran: 2:164 - 165)

the signs of Allah parade before us daily

The sheer stupidity of those who do not seriously contemplate the signs of Allah in our environment is astounding! To further give credit to others for what is clearly Allah’s handiwork is incredulous indeed. Yet, we continue today, as preceding generations have done, vociferously touting misleading “religious” propaganda of one sort or another, oblivious of the consequences to ourselves and other creatures around us. Meanwhile, the signs of Allah continually parade before our eyes daily, begging us to contemplate on the evidence before us. 

misconception of the sun

Almost every “religious” philosophy preaches a concept of Hell and its fiery environment.  Yet, most of us cannot envision such an environment with any certainty. Allah has, since time immemorial, put such an environment on daily display for our information: the sun! Humans have developed a tremendous array of misconceptions about this sign of Allah, none of them showing understanding of the fact that Allah can create and maintain such a ferocious environment.  Although we now live in an earth environment which reflects the effects of the sun’s power from a mind-bending distance, what is there to stop Allah from making your future environment the sun itself?

the real deal

Allah, in His Quran, has promised luxurious gardens to those who follow His instructions. Again we act as though this is an impossible promise. Distracted by our daily struggles for physical sustenance, we turn blind eyes to Allah’s displays of luscious greenery and gorgeous landscapes throughout the earth. We secretly envy the “owners” of such places but we do not in our hearts believe that one day, promised in our not-too-distant future, every believer will be awarded such a gift by Allah.

For brevity’s sake, we will not discuss, in this treatise, all the signs of Allah around us. Suffice it to say that taking the time to contemplate on the myriad of signs can awaken in any soul a true awareness of the power of the Creator. It is the means by which “God-consciousness” is maintained and the basis for righteousness. You cannot continue to behave irresponsibly when you are acutely aware of the presence of Allah all around you and of your inevitable meeting with Him to account for your behavior in Life.  ***********************************************************************************
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