Subject: [Masjid Tucson] Submission weekly reminder

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

	Kill Your Ego*
[Quran 2:54] Recall that Moses said to his people, "O my people, you have wronged your souls by worshiping the calf. You must repent to your Creator. You shall kill your egos. This is better for you in the sight of your Creator." He did redeem you. He is the Redeemer, Most Merciful.
*2:54 It is the ego that led to Satan's fall. It is the ego that caused our exile to this world, and it is the ego that is keeping most of us from redemption to God's Kingdom.

What is this thing called "ego" which God advises us to kill? We all have a feeling of what it is, but looking at a dictionary can be confusing as the word has multiple definitions. From the Quran, we learn that ego is arrogance augmented by ignorance. The result of following our ego can be terrible. It was ego that provoked Adam's son into murdering his brother (Quran 5:30), and the ego led people to reject and kill God's messengers (Quran 2:87). For some, the ego becomes their god and they end up astray despite their knowledge (Quran 45:23).

With God's help, we try to work on killing our ego. It takes hard work. And we may likely find ourselves repenting to God and seeking His forgiveness for yet another mistake where we let our ego take over instead of following God's advice to us in Quran. But the rewards of killing our ego are worth the effort.


References
Ego, https://www.masjidtucson.org/submission/perspectives/more/traits/ego.html
Introduction to Quran, https://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/appendices/introduction.html
Invited to Fall Prostrate, https://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/sp/2016/nov/page1.html

Peace.