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Religiosity is to be conscious
not to be a cultural pot
When
we look at Prophet Abraham's story in Islam, we find hidden
treasures of wisdom, and the bases of human's common sense, and we
discover the importance of meditation on God's creation, which is
the seed of Islam (the simple truth which nobody can disagree with).
It's well known that Prophet Abraham
lived in time were people worshiped planets and idols. It's well
known also that Abraham -like other prophets- had a great gift of
intelligence and enlightenment; prophets just don't "go with the
flow", they were distinct from the public and that's what put them
in troubles!
As the story goes.. Abraham believed
that God can resurrect the dead, but he wanted to see that with his
naked eyes, according to the Islamic heritage, Abraham slaughtered
four birds, and put each one in a different Mountain peak, then he
saw how God resurrected them all to their first form (So Abraham
didn't just believe as we do, instead he wanted to witness the God
glory in a deeper level).
And we should not forget that science
today is our tool to explore the "question of HOW", how gravity
works? how planes fly? how an eye sees? etc. Isn't this evidence
that science is a path to the true religion and Religiosity?
When man enjoy intellect, he will not
Just "walking with the herd", and will not keep pace with the
routine, but he will get out of it. Quran never mentions a story or
an incident that is not directly related to the reader also! so it's
not just for the Prophet Muhammad, so for.. each story or incident
in Quran, there is a lesson for the reader -and who hears more gets
more- because Quran helps us to get rid of the fear from death or
poverty, because we are living in Gods paradise, and we will never
realize that if we don't have prophet's qualities: intelligence and
enlightenment.
From there we can enter to Prophet
Abraham's story and the incident which helped people to wake up and
stop worshiping idols, the story tells that Abraham broke their
idols –this action from Abraham did not awake them up- and he was
sentenced to death by burning.
((When night drew over him, he saw
a planet. "This, " he said: "is surely my Lord. "But when it set he
said: "I do not like the setting ones. "When he saw the rising moon,
he said: "This is my Lord" But when it set, he said: 'If my Lord
does not guide me, I shall surely be amongst the astray nation.
"Then, when he saw the sun rise, shining, he said: "This must be my
Lord, it is larger" But when it set, he said: "O nation I am quit of
what you associate (with Allah, the Creator).))(1)
There is a debate among the scholars
whether this dialogue was inside Abraham's mind, or he was looking
for a way to convince his people to stop worshiping planets and
idols, to help them return to their common sense.
We don't need to discuss any of these
opinions, but I think it was a way to convince his people to return
to their common sense, but what we can learn from this incident?
Abraham could go with his people's
believes in that time, but his common sense felt that something
wrong, something is missing, like any conscious person would feel in
a similar situation, because in this life there is right and there
is wrong, and our responsibility as humans to discover the best and
the higher, from this meaning comes of the concept of "Man as God's
Caliphs on Earth", because his responsibility to bring the God's
qualities and perfection to life here in Earth, and not be satisfied
with what happening but always seeking more and looking for the
best, and this is how life goes. Man should bring Gods quality on
earth.. to make earth a paradise as it was ever.
But what we are doing today? we are
satisfied with the daily routine, and we actually believe that we
reach the top level of civilization and morality! but the reality is
that we are at the "beginning of the end" for civilization, humanity
and religion, how that comes?
Abraham meditated on the celestial
bodies, he saw the bright moon and the shining Sun, but he realized
that they are not gods, and there is just one God with absolute
perfection, who's glory shining everyday with the Sun or without
sun, a God never disappears at sunset, he always exists, never
sleeps.
We find that Abraham in this story
didn't think in a philosophical way, or metaphysically, he didn't
sets in a temples, he didn't invent stupid and complex theological
concepts!
But he realized the true religion, and the real language that no one
fails to understand is through meditating on NATURE, universe and
the environment around the humankind, because these are the God's
visual book.
And when we compare between idols's
worshipers and Prophet Abraham we can find two opposites, those who
imitate their ancestors, and the one who is present in the moment
looking for the truth. The idols's worshipers are completely
satisfied, but Prophet Abraham is always in search, always wake,
always in the moment, always in NOW.
So which team you are with? You can
worship God like how idols's worshipers do! But you can also worship
God like how Prophet Abraham and all other prophets did, you can ask
God to teach what satisfy your heart and open your eyes and mind!
This is easy for God.
((And (remember) when Abraham said:
'Show me, Lord, how You raise the dead,' He replied: 'Have you not
believed? 'Rather, 'said Abraham, 'in order that my heart be
satisfied.))(2)
Ahmad Alfarhan
24/4/2015 Kuwait
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footnote:
(1) Holy Quran [6.76 to 6.78]
(2) Holy Quran [2.260]
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