In case this was not obvious.....
-
peace all,
I have been a forum member for a while and even though I've mentioned this in the past, I cant recall if I started a specific thread for it, so I thought I would...
Many people who read the forum may notice there are varying views on many issues and whilst this can seem like a problem or a negative, we must appreciate that it is almost irrelevant what another believes or practices (as long as it does not cause a direct problem for you in any way).
e.g.
let's say there are two neighbours, neighbour A and neighbour B, and they both believe in the basics, and practice honesty, justice, righteousness, charity etc. And they both try to follow The Quran, if one likes to uphold salat by praying, and the other doesn't, this does not impact either in any significant way. Or if one likes to do 7 cartwheels/handstands to end their fast/abstinence and the other doesn't, again, there is no issue.
In fact, even if your neighbour has a cat and believes their cat is their God, if they practice honesty/justice/righteousness/charity in their day to day lives then it is almost irrelevant what they believe.
Sure, you can discuss the merits of each other's beliefs etc but ultimately it is each to their own.The Quran clearly states it is all upon you, the individual. One must do their best with what they have been given, be sincere and try and do good deeds. Its that simple.
For me personally, everything I discuss on the forum is academic, i.e. I only discuss it because I want to find out what The Quran is saying, and exchanging ideas/research is a good way of doing that. I personally do not care what anyone else believes or does (as long as it does not cause a direct problem for myself/others in any way).
The clear things in The Quran are clear, and they are clear for a reason, they are things everyone can unite on, e.g. tell the truth, uphold justice, be fair/impartial, give in charity, help others, forgiveness, do good deeds, take care of the poor/orphans etc these things are the basics. Never ever lose sight of this core/foundation in all that you do.
Whilst establishing the basics, continue to increase your knowledge, learn and share with each other, and hopefully as well as self-growth, others will grow along with you, as ultimately, we are all trying to go in the same direction. -
Well said
peace
-
Thanks for the highlighting this Wakas.
Many people especially those who are religious see it as a problem or confusion that there aren't any consensus on certain topics i.e salah. But I've always believed that those issues that we all can agree on are the core and the foundation of the message. The rest will take patience and studying to come closer to the truth and yet we may all come to a different conclusion.......people forget that diversity is allowed according to God in the Quran peace
-
I hope everyone on the forum can do this.
Good reminder.Peace
-
Well said Wakas!
Peace and thanks
-
That is what I say to Sunnis (and in my recent "articles" except they have to follow "the Sunna" and think that they are right or else they will not be real Sunnis. A Muslims can believe the Qur'an and accept varying interpretations, but a Sunni Muslim has to follow scholars or ignore them (nullifying their Sunniformity).
Peace.
-
Salam Waqas
It should not matter to us if they make their cat their God as long as they are good but the question is, does it matter to God?Or is being good,good enough.What is the quranic viewpoint on this.
Or to put in another way,God consciousness and being good as apparently present in many of my Hindu and christian friends good enough, even though they might practice different methods of worship?
Yet another way to put it is to ask whether there is only one way or many ways to attain divine grace.
Waiting to hear inputs from all of you.
Javed -
Peace Wakas
Very good point of view. After reading what you wrote I remember reading this below, which is kind of related
Why is variety good in this world?
As human beings, we are born and used with this type of world a world where variety is abundant. We are different, the places we live in are different, we have different tastes. Although we have basically the same structure (like the base of the tree) we have spread branches and grown entirely different leaves.
We also think that one of the most important things in our life is the fact that we are able to choose we choose our education, we choose our social group, we choose what to eat, to drink, where to live, all in the period of a lifetime. As we are surrounded by these outstanding number of decisions we have and want to make, we grow a personality and we create a society where every individual is different and unique.
Where does variety help?
It helps us evolve. Just like Darwin?s theory of Evolutionism, where variety in species and individuals is the key to evolve to a better species. The bad traits of the species are left over in favor of the good traits, and by experimenting (a different, new individual is born), nature leaves way to the better, more capable of outliving individuals.I?m not saying that we should judge by appearances, but by the essence and the effects it will have in the future. We can support a new way, but only if we know that its essence is for the best and it can stand all possible forces that try to take it apart.
Variety in governments
Governing a society is never easy. It has to withstand all different types of individuals that must live together in a ?form? of harmony. So, since the civilisations emerged, humans have tried different ways to govern the societies. Some of them were brilliant, but they also had a bad part, a bad part that was underestimated and then it consumed the establishment right away, therefore leading to the downfall of that civilization.But variety serves its purpose by observing behaviors along the time, people have come to a rather stable form of government, which is democracy as it is in the majority of today?s countries. Thus the conclusion that many small governments evolve much faster than a single one and so people become aware of what is good for a society.
This could be seen all over the world where different types of governments have different reactions from the population (the society). And it looks like a trial and error thing if a country wants to adopt some kind of law or regulation, it thinks, who else has done this, and sees if it?s convenient or not.
Variety in companies and organizations
The same applies to companies and strategies. They use historical analysis of what has been done before in order to make a decision on how they are going to act now.
In the present, there are so many forms of products, services and other results of consumerism that you can find the best one for each person. You can find that perfect sweater that you adore, you will find that laptop that suits every need of yours, that phone, etc. But they are so scattered and spread that you will need a lifetime to find every perfect product for you, and after you found it, you will want a different one.I feel our differences help us progress and become better/tolerant people. We should embrace it rather than seeing it as a problem.
Peace
-
Do you want to hear a joke? A man brushes his teeth with miswak 4 times instead of 3. He is then shot dead by separatists for not adhering to sunnah.
Honestly though, there is a basic format to doing good. The single most important thing, is to be self-accusing. All else will easily follow, it is a direct result of that. In day to day life we make judgements upon others, and they pile up. Look again in your past and notice that for 90% of the judgements you have made upon others at times, you probably fall under the same umbrella at some point too!
The purpose of this life is to define ourselves, to write our judgement day autobiography. And when it comes to that fateful day, are you going to be ready to be judged in the way you have judged others?
Most people just flinch at the very thought of being unafraid about their own selves, when that is the very thing leading them into utter ruin in the end.
