It is not your wealth or your children by which you are brought nearer in proximity to Our Presence: only people who have faith and do good are those for whom is compounded reward for what they have done, and they’ll be secure in the chambers on high. And those who strive to thwart Our signs are brought into the torment. Surah 34:37-38
As we read holy scripture, we are like Moses at the junction of the two seas. Here, at this metaphorical junction, we are called upon to rely on the power of our intellect, our heart, and our reasoning as we promise to listen to God’s Word and commit to the straight path of faith, always with the possibility of becoming a new creation.
Yet, sometimes, I struggle with this process, as making promises usually involves unveiling weakness and limitations. Am I up to the task? With these doubts, another feeling creeps in, something else at this junction of possible change. My spirit is restless. I feel anxious.
Maybe you feel this as well? The ground under our feet may not be as sturdy as we hoped; we begin to ask questions. Does reading holy scripture matter? Does my life matter? Why do I care? Is there such a thing as Truth? Am I on the right path? And then comes the question, of which we may be most fearful:
What if Hell really does exist? Am I saved? Will my life on the Day of Resurrection prove worthy? Have I been heedless too often, stiff-necked, and not mindful of God enough?
Addressing this anxiety, the Qur’an repeats, don’t be motivated by fear. Don’t “throw yourselves” upon holy scriptures with the desire to “appear” religious, with a shallow eagerness only, and not a commitment to explore (Surah 25:73). Appearing faithful will not ease your anxiety.
Don’t let fear rush you, says Qur’an, do not be a creature of haste (Surah 21:37). If you try to find a quick fix to your anxiety, you will become a victim of a second-hand religion, never your own, borrowed from your elders with no long-lasting commitment, no sense of your own identity in making a promise. Blind imitation (taqlid in the Arabic) is not faith.
Rather, take these anxieties to prayer. By the Grace of God, before long, especially if we listen, we are in touch with a longing to know and to understand, without fear! With God, the dread of Judgment Day is gone. God will never abandon us, no matter what.
Yet, how often the Day of Judgment, in Christianity as well, is described in vivid images of flames and despair. If you stray, you will suffer for eternity the torment of endless torture. Terrifying.
This is not true. The Radiance of the Only Reality is always resurrecting all into a new creation, always.*
Thank God. Throughout the Qur’an, the Day of Judgment is revealed as a metaphor, as a wake-up call, to remind you that your actions matter. There are consequences that will affect you and others today! I believe all of us have seen people, sometimes our own loved ones, sometimes even ourselves, create a living hell. The question that matters… how do you want to live?
The Qur’an is clear. Rather than obsess about the death of your mortal body, commit to a life of faith. Recognize that you live by your soul, given to you by God. The rise of all things comes from the Light of God. Let go of the petty demands of your ego. You are endless, ceaseless, and if you embrace this, then you have already died, with no fear. Eternity was born within you.
Die to your ‘small self’ before you die, freeing you to live within the luminosity of God’s ways.
* See well authenticated parabolic, Hadith of the Intercession whereas the Sublimely Exalted will take all sinners out of hell, throw them into the River of Life, and they will rise, yellow and budding, indicating new life for all.
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One of my favorite stories, “Moses and the Shepherd,” told by the poet Rumi begins with Moses overhearing a shepherd praying to God. This keeper of sheep and goats wants to help God: “I will fix your shoes, comb your hair, wash your clothes, pick the lice off, bring you milk, kiss your little hands and feet when it’s time to go to bed… God, my sheep and goats are yours. All I can say, remembering you, is ayyyy and ahhhhhhhhh.”
Moses breaks in and begins to ridicule the shepherd for his blasphemous familiarity: “Sounds like you’re chatting with your uncles. Don’t talk about shoes and socks with God! And what’s this with your little hands and feet? Only something that grows needs milk. Body-and-birth language are right for us on this side of the river, but not for addressing the Origen, not for Allah.”
The shepherd repents, sighing, tearing his clothes, and then he wanders into the desert.
God comes to Moses and speaks:
“You have separated me from one of my own. Did you come as a Prophet to unite, or to sever? I have given each being a separate and unique way of seeing and knowing and saying what they know. What seems wrong to you is right for him. Purity and impurity, sloth and diligence in worship, these mean nothing to me. I am apart from all that.
“It’s not me that’s glorified in acts of worship. It’s the worshippers! I didn’t hear the words they say. I look inside at the humility.
“I want burning, burning. Be friends with your burning.”
Moses is overwhelmed with insight. He gets it and paraphrases God’s reproach: “Don’t scold the Lover. The ocean diver doesn’t need snowshoes! The love-religion has no code or doctrine.”
And then in his desire to confess, Moses runs after the shepherd and finally catches up with him.
“I was wrong. God has revealed to me that there are no rules for worship. Say whatever and however your loving tells you to. Your sweet blasphemy is the truest devotion. Through you a whole world is freed.”
Day 22: Reflection
What is your “separate and unique way of seeing and knowing and saying” the beauty of your faith? How are you trusting in your own humility to be the best you can be, living in the freedom of God’s security for you?
