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But He has redeemed them, for He is Compassionate towards them, Most Merciful.
When we think of athletes, we think of them working so hard to master their chosen sport, going through different types of training for building strength, speed, flexibility and mobility, precision, power, muscle co-ordination, balance, core strength and endurance. Whatever goal they are striving for—Olympic gold, World Cup soccer, Super Bowl champ—they put in the time and effort necessary to reach that goal.
We are not tennis players, boxers or Marathon runners but we are players in a game that is called the Game of Life. Our aim is winning God’s pleasure and forgiveness and gaining entry to the Everlasting Paradise. This is much much bigger than the biggest prize money or the shiniest gold medal. We are not dealing with conditioning our physical bodies but with conditioning our souls over the whole period of our life span, so as to purify ourselves to enter Paradise.
We look at the examples from the Quran of the Prophets and the Immigrants who left their homes for the sake of God. We see what all they had to go through. And we read about those who were martyred for the sake of God and what they endured. Endure means to suffer something painful or difficult patiently; to remain steadfast and to deal with and accept something unpleasant.
The Inevitable Test
[3:186] You will certainly be tested, through your money and your lives, and you will hear from those who received the scripture, and from the idol worshipers, a lot of insult. If you steadfastly persevere and lead a righteous life, this will prove the strength of your faith.
So will we have to endure and have faith throughout our lives,
through all the tests that come our way, keeping faith in God and His promise that victory will come. We will need to remain steadfast in the face of adversity.
The Test is Mandatory
[29:2] Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe,” without being put to the test?
[29:3] We have tested those before them, for GOD must distinguish those who are truthful, and He must expose the liars.
We always hope that God will be Compassionate with us. [6:103] No visions can encompass Him, but He encompasses all visions. He is the Compassionate, the Cognizant.
And we know that to be worthy of that compassion, we need to work hard to please God. [2:207] Then there are those who dedicate their lives to serving GOD; GOD is compassionate towards such worshipers.
To earn God’s compassion, we need to be compassionate to others. Someone going through a test may need our sympathy, our charity, or perhaps just a hug. Our goal is to achieve Paradise, and the way there is through kindness, consideration, strength and steadfastness. It’s worshiping God alone, obeying His commands, and following His guidance.
[57:9] He is the One who sends down to His servant clear revelations, in order to lead you out of the darkness into the light. GOD is Compassionate towards you, Most Merciful.
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One of the early reminders or commandments we see in the Quran is to be reverent. In Sura 2, after the “great feud” and Adam being sent down, in 2:40 we see:
O Children of Israel, remember My favor, which I bestowed upon you, and fulfill your part of the covenant, that I fulfill My part of the covenant, and reverence Me.
The idea of reverence is repeated in 2:45-46: You shall seek help through steadfastness and the Contact Prayers (Salat). This is difficult indeed, but not so for the reverent, who believe that they will meet their Lord; that to Him they ultimately return.
Also [23:1] Successful indeed are the believers; [23:2] who are reverent during their Contact Prayers (Salat). [23:3] And they avoid vain talk.
Sura 23 is titled, “The Believers.” And it describes many important qualities we should work towards if we want to be successful and inherit Paradise. The first that’s listed is being reverent in Salat. Of course, we must observe all of God’s commandments including staying away from vain talk, giving zakat, being chaste, being honest and trustworthy (23:4-11). And perhaps there’s a connection between them. If one is mindful and reverent of God, that may help us to incorporate the positive traits of believers into our lives. And as we observe commandments, it may augment our reverence. So it’s a “cycle of good”. Perhaps the prostration in Salat, for example, helps us be more reverent. For the people of the scripture: [17:109] They fall down on their chins, prostrating and weeping. For it augments their reverence.
What does the word reverence mean? I think we all have a sense of it. Let’s also look at the dictionary:
Noun: Deep respect for. Verb: Regard or treat with deep respect.
Synonyms: respect - veneration - esteem - obeisance – regard verb. venerate - respect - honor
From this, I take away the sense of deep respect, esteem, regard, honor. When we reverence God, we look up to Him and regard Him as our Lord, our Master, the only One worthy of all worship. If we want to submit to God, the Lord of the universe,
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