of the Authorized English translation of the Quran by Dr. Rashad Khalifa
Who Is Your God?
Most people are outraged upon hearing this
question. "What do you mean, `Who is your god?' they ask, `My god is the
Creator of the heavens and the earth.' "
And most of these people will be shocked
to find out that their proclamation that their god is the Creator of the
heavens and the earth is no more than lip service, and that they are in
fact destined for Hell (12:106).
Your
god is whoever or whatever occupies your mind most of the time.
Your god can be your children (7:190),
your spouse (9:24),
your business (18:35),
or your ego (25:43).
This is why we note that one of the most
important and most repeated commandments in the Quran is:
"O
you who believe, you shall remember God frequently; glorify Him day and
night.
" [33:41]
To put this commandment into practice, we must establish certain habits whereby we guarantee that God occupies our minds more than anything else. The Quran helps us establish such soul saving habits:
1. The Contact Prayers (Salat): those who
observe the 5 daily prayers come a long way towards commemorating God a
significant proportion of their waking hours. Salat helps us remember God
not only during the few minutes of prayer, but also throughout the times
of anticipation.
At 11:00 AM, one may look at his or her
watch to see if the noon prayer is due yet. This act causes one to think
about God, and one is credited accordingly (20:14).
2. Commemorate God before eating: Verse 6:121 enjoins us to mention God's name before we eat: "You shall not eat from that upon which God's name has not been mentioned."
3. God Willing (IN SHAA ALLAH): "You shall not say, `I will do this or that tomorrow,' without saying, `God willing' (IN SHAA ALLAH). If you forget to do this, then apologize and say, `May my Lord guide me to do better next time.'" [18:24]. This is a direct commandment that we must carry out, no matter who we are talking with.
4. God's Gift (MAA SHAA ALLAH): To invoke God's protection for our beloved objects - our children, our cars, our homes, etc. - we are enjoined in 18:39 to say "MAA SHAA ALLAH" (This is God's gift).
5. Glorify God day and night: When we eat
anything, we shouldn't be like animals; we must reflect on God's creation
of the food we are eating - the flavor, our enjoyment due to the senses
God has given us, the perfect packaging of the banana or the orange, the
varieties of sea foods created by God, etc. - and glorify Him as we enjoy
His provisions. When we see a beautiful flower, or animal, or sunsets,
we must glorify God.
We must seize every possible opportunity
to remember and glorify God, so that God may be our God.
6. First Utterance: Make it a habit to
say: "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. There is no other
god besides God," the moment you wake up every morning. If you establish
this good habit,
this is what you will utter when you are
resurrected.
