Wednesday, March 18, 2020

CIRA International seeking light in the dark; who is the true shepherd?

In answer to the video "Islamic Original Sin Dilemma: Introduction: Are Muslims Born Sinless?"

God is the utlimate and exclusive guide, because all direct and indirect means by which one is spiritually purified and elevated come from Him ultimately. He clarifies the right from the wrong, after which each one is free to make a conscious choice
2:38,16:9,92:12-13"Surely on Us is the guidance"  
9:122,2:187,6:154"..so that they should believe in the meeting of their Lord". 
The first sura, sura fatiha teaches mankind in the form of a supplication that we should seek help exclusively from Allah
1:5"You alone (iyyaka) we ask for help"
in order that He guides us to the one and only path that leads to Him, the same path the Prophets and Messengers of Allah throughout history have called human beings to follow called Al-Sirat Al-Mustaqim
1:6"Keep us on the right path".
It is a path that Allah has Himself appointed for His servants and the only one leading to success
30:60"Did I not enjoin on you, 0 children of Adam! that you should not worship the Satan..And that you should worship Me; this is the straight path".
Worshiping God is the shortest path
2:186"..I am near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me, that they may walk in the right way".
Other ways also lead to God
5:15-6"Indeed, there has come to you a light and a clear Book from Allah; with it Allah guides him who follows His pleasure into the ways of safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His permission and guides them to the straight path".
God guides those in search for the truth to these many ways 29:69 that all lead to one and same straight path.

Trinitarianism can be deemed one of those ways, to an individual coming from outright polytheism for example, and with no other available religious system than it to adhere to. But through it, and despite its obvious deficiencies, one may come closer and closer to a purer form of monotheism until he is naturally led to the straight path of Islam. The Quran has alluded to these deficient ways
12:106"And most of them do not believe in Allah without associating others (with Him)"
this verse along with 13:16,29:61 is indiscriminate, it addresses both Muslims and non-Muslims who claim to believe in One God while associating with Him in His supreme authority, consciously or unconsciously, their religious authorities, saints, personalities and even their own selves. Linguistically, mustaqim stems from q-y-m whose primary meaning is standing upright. siratul mustaqim is thus a vertical, upright path, taking the human away from the world, carrying him to heaven.

Some however have strayed far from any tiniest rivulet leading to the torrent, willfuly rejecting all guidance. Sura fatiha teaches the supplicant to only seek God's guidance to the straight path, so that he is preserved from straying far to these crooked, forsaken ways leading to destruction
1:6-7"Keep us on the right path, The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray".
This straight path is a favor from Allah to His creation and brings about blessings and felicity to its sincere followers
4:69"They will be in the company of those whom Allah has blessed from among the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous".

God's guidance is thus contingent on freewill, it can never be forced on anyone. It is only natural then that each person is allowed to alk the path it willfully chooses. Those who want to be guided will be shown guidance and those that arent interested in being guided, then God will utlimately withdraw the guidance from them
5:41"Those are they for whom Allah does not desire that He should purify their hearts".
The Quran illustrates this through the people's reaction to its parables. It shows how one and same cause produces two opposite reactions. The right response is the acceptance of the guidance, the reaction of the muttaqin 2:2. The wrong response is the "going astray" by adding more threads to the already existing web of doubts, the reaction of the fasiqin 2:26.

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