format_quote Originally Posted by
truth finder
Could you tell me who are those few people that enjoy intimate friendship with God?
All devout Muslims do!
People who spend lots of time for prayer?
Indeed, what better way to communicate directly with God?
People who spend lots of time for fast?
Indeed what better way to give up all worldly pleasure to become closer to God?
People who donate large money to the poor?
Indeed, what better way to establish kinship and brotherhood with the creation of God?
Although these things can be good, they do not make people come truly close to God.
Really based on what? what
I am as My servant thinks I am (1). I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.
(1) Another possible rendering of the Arabic is: "I am as My servant expects Me to be". The meaning is that forgiveness and acceptance of repentance by the Almighty is subject to His servant truly believing that He is forgiving and merciful. However, not to accompany such belief with right action would be to mock the Almighty.
It was related by al-Buhkari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah).
The only way people can come close to God is to become a child of God again.
God isn't human and he has no children, a God that begets and is begotten is no god at all!
Although we were created a child of God, we became the enemy of God with our rebellions and sins.
We weren't created children of God, and certainly a devout faithful isn't rebellious!
O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you, O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other that blame no one but himself.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).
Unless the problem of sin is dealt with completely, we could never go before God, thus eternally separated from God.
That is a christian myth, and sadly that fear of sin hasn't stopped any christian from committing sins, they fornicate, they bribe, they use usury, they have children out of wedlock, they don't keep God's commandments, they covet, they are gluttonous, they don't feed the poor, they don't establish prayer or fast or charity, and love to be exalted for their deeds, paltry as they are, as if committing any sort of decency is something to be praised for as opposed to mere common sense and human nature!
It does not matter how many good deeds you perform to compensate your past mistakes and sins in the balance of judgement. Complete forgiveness requires not only sincere repentance, but also paying the appropriate consequence for the sin.
Indeed, payment for sins lies with God, however:
1
“Allâh will change their sins into good deeds”
Some explanations to Surah al Furqân: 68-71
Abu Umayza ibn Abd Al-Râhman
All praise is due to Allâh. We praise Him and seek His aid and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allâh from the evil of our own selves and from the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allâh guides, none can send astray and whoever Allâh sends astray, none can guide.
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allâh alone, who has no partner. And I bear
witness that Muhammad ( is His slave and His Messenger. May Allâh send peace and blessings
upon him, his family and his Companions until the Last Day.
Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? (Ar Rahmân)
It is indeed a favour upon favour and a blessing upon blessing that Allâh
has created infinite means to His Mercy and ways to be granted His Forgiveness. Every aspect of Islâm contains within it, ways to achieve this.
Allâh’sو Mercy is indeed more endearing than His Anger as the Messenger of Allâh (ِ
و) said: “When Allâh decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down
with Him: ‘My mercy prevails over my wrath.’” [Hadeeth Qudsi; related by Muslim, al-Bukhâri, Nasâ'i and Ibn
Mâjah]
The Lord of the Worlds provides opportunities for the Muslim to earn His Forgiveness and continuously work
goodness. As humans we always look for a good deal in life; something that is profitable. Allâh
) is giving us something far more and greater than a mere worldly reward; rather He is offering something beyond anything that man can offer.
From the moment we awake to the moment we sleep, every moment has the potential to become a means of forgiveness for us. From the innumerate adhkar and du’a (supplication and invocation) we make at various juncture of our daily lives to the salah (obligated prayers); even to the way we conduct our personal and professional duties towards our families and work can become a means of ‘ibâdah (comprehensive worship).
Further to our daily junctures, we have weekly junctures that provide more opportunities to reap rewards and
forgiveness, for example on Jumu’ah (Friday); or the encouragement to fast on Mondays and Thursdays etc.
We also have opportunities to gain maximum rewards and times of forgiveness during the month of Ramadan.
These are but some of the opportunities which our Lord
(
) provides His creation with in order to forgive them. It takes a very little part on our behalf to gain something so precious and rewarding that it has been described as the true success for us: And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to
Paradise, he indeed is successful. (Aal Imrân: 185)
As Muslims, we understand the critical and negative consequences sin has on our salvation. Allâh is promising to turn our sins into good deeds! Can there be a better deal than this? Which human is there who is happy to take on your debt and in return give you equal amount of credit for free?
Allâh
(
) says in His Noble Book:
And those who invoke not any other illah (god) along with Allâh, nor kill such life as Allâh has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;
Except those who repent and believe (in Islâmic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds, for those, Allâh will
change their sins into good deeds, and Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds, then verily, he repents towards Allâh with true
repentance. [Al Furqân: 68-71]
Indeed these four ayat should be received with the elation and happiness and hope. Allâh
(
) is promising to turn our sins into good deeds; what other result would we achieve if not success? Commenting on ayah 70, Ibn Katheer writes in his acclaimed tafseer: “Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Dharr said, "The Messenger of Allâh (
said: I know the last person who will be brought forth from
Hell, and the last person who will enter Paradise. A man will be brought and it will be said, "Take away his major sins and ask him about his minor sins.'' So it will be said to him: "On such and such a day, you did such and such, and on such and such a day, you did such and such.'' He will say, "Yes, and he will not be able to deny anything.'' Then it will be said to him: "For every evil deed you now have one good merit.'' He will say: "O Lord, I did things that I do not see here.'') He (Abu Dharr) said: "And the Messenger of Allâh (
smiled so broadly that his molars could be seen.'' Muslim recorded it. Ibn Abi Hâtim recorded that Abu Jabir heard Makhul say, "A very old man with sunken eyes came and said, `O Messenger of Allâh, a man betrayed others and did immoral deeds, and there was no evil deed which he did not do. If (his sins) were to be distributed among the whole of mankind, they would all be doomed. Is there any repentance for him'' The Messenger of Allâh said: (Have you become Muslim) He said, "As for me, I bear witness that there is no God but Allâh Alone, with no partner or associate, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.'' The Prophet said: (Allâh will forgive you for whatever you have done like that, and will replace your evil deeds with good merits.) The man said: "O Messenger of Allâh, even my betrayals and immoral actions'' The Prophet said: (Even your betrayals and immoral actions.) The man went away saying `Lâ illâha illallâh' and `Allâhu Akbar.' Allâh tells us how His mercy extends to all His creatures, and that whoever among them repents to Him, He will accept his repentance for any sin, great or small.
Allâh
(
) says: And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then indeed he has repented to Allâh Mataba - meaning, Allâh will accept his repentance. This is like the Ayat: And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allâh's Forgiveness, he will find Allâh Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (An Nisa’: 110)
Know they not that Allâh accepts repentance from His slaves and takes theSadaqât (alms, charities) and that
Allah Alone is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful? (At Tawbah: 104)
A large chuck of Torah was given to us by God to show the way to God’s forgiveness.
when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Exodus 12:13) By the way, have you ever read Torah and understood the spiritual implication? Or still struggling to find the spiritual meaning of all kinds of animal sacrifices?
animal sacrifices and all other such nonsense seems to plague the christian and the Jew (although I doubt Jews are plagued by it)-- if God cared for sacrifices he wouldn't have spared Ishmeal life and granted life and celebration!
all the best