EXPLORING OBEDIENCE TO GOD

Lesson 2

Anyone who ever possessed guardianship to anything with life knows well how irritating disobedience can be. Observe your parents – when are they most cross with you? Check yourselves too – have you ever kept a pet or do you have one at the moment? When are you most angry with it? How does it make you feel when they refuse to do your bidding? Think about your siblings – what is the common cause of contention between you most of the time? Can it be that they refuse to listen to you – in other words they disobey you? Share these reactions with us.  Well, when those that must obey disobey, it stings and it may have negative consequences for the disobedient one.

Here is Allah’s call to us:

“Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good and follows the way of Ibrahim the true in faith; for Allah did take Ibrahim for a friend (4:125).”

Allah (S.W.A) expects total obedience from us. Here is a verse to confirm,

“On that day will men proceed in companies sorted out to be shown the deeds that they had done. Then shall anyone who has done an atoms weight of good see it! And anyone who has done an atoms weight of evil shall see it. (99:6,7,8)”

Sometimes we get away with some disobedience to our parents. We should not extend this leeway to Allah (S.W.A). He will not take it as the above verses indicate. We are to stand trial for our rebellion to Him, big or small. One may ask, “Is Allah a terrible dictator who wants to control our lives?”

Here He answers for Himself.

“If the truth had been in accord with their desires, truly the heavens and the earth, and all beings therein would have been in confusion and corruption! Nay, we have sent them their admonition, but they turn away from their admonition. (23:71)”

In the verse below, Allah wants us to also consider the situation from His perspective by using the experience of humankind. He says,

“He does explain to you an example from your own (experience): Do you have partners among those whom your right hand possess (those held in bondage), to share as equals in the wealth we have bestowed on you? Do you fear them as you fear each other? Thus do we explain the signs in detail to a people that understand (30:28).”

Allah is not a dictator at all. His insistence on obedience to his laws is for the purpose of maintaining peace and harmony for us all. For example, take the law on fornication – Thou shall not come nigh Adultery or fornication.

Let us think for a moment the consequences of disobeying this law. With this law out of existence, everyone would go out with anyone they liked. It would be a free world with love bells ringing everywhere. It would be wonderful if humankind had the discipline to take one partner for life – but do we? Oh no we don’t! Therefore, think of the heartbreaks for being dumped. Then think of the battles involved between girlfriend and boyfriend snatchers. In mass media even death has been reported as a result of boy/girl friend snatching. Think of the jealous partner who will not stop at anything to harm you if you left them for someone else. What about the diseases transmitted by multiple partner users. They would flourish. Then comes in unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. Can you imagine how many cute unborn, developing, peaceful with their fingers in their mouths, babies will be destroyed? They will be in millions to billions. What about those who are born but abandoned or don’t get adequate care because their parents are too young to care or don’t know how. What will become of them? Imagine for a moment what our parents go through in an effort to make us grow up responsible citizens of the world! Imagine the battles you fight with them over chores, over-dosing on T.V.  – All in an attempt to keep you upright. A lot of who we are comes from the work and labor of our parents. If they are not there to help us, a door may be left open for disaster. Therefore, for us and for all, Allah (S.W.A) orders us to abstain or to stay away from the game of fornication because it is an extremely dangerous game. We may say, “Who cares about the problems? It’s fun!” Well, fornication is an enemy – so ferocious that many teenagers have fallen prey to its interminable hunger. Only the strong remain standing in its wake. Now the question is, “Are you one of the strong ones?” If you teenagers feel strong and brave, ready to take on anything then try defying fornication. Maybe many of you will take the dare and give up along the way, but for sure those who will withstand the temptations of fornication, and abstain from it, will be those who do it out of fear and reverence to Allah (S.W.A). Register with us if you are going to take the dare of defying fornication.

Hence, Allah (S.W.A) decrees to abstain from fornication and our duty is to obey. In fact we should follow the slogan of all soldiers,

“Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die,”

Excessive questioning is highly discouraged by Allah (S.W.A), and he considers it the reason why many people go astray (living a life contradictory to obedience to Him). Here he explains it,

“Oh you who believe! Ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. But if you ask about things when the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be made plain to you. Allah will forgive those: for Allah is Oft Forgiving, Oft Forbearing (5:101)

Some people before you did ask such questions, and on that account lost their faith (5:102).”

Many practical questions that deal with man’s life are answered in the Qur'an, but stubborn questions such as “Where did Allah came from?” should be avoided.

Allah has already thought through everything. We just have to trust him and do as he says in the Holy Qur'an.  Total obedience to Allah (S.W.A) is the very essence of Islam – submission to the will of God. An obedient servant of Allah has no will of his own. He simply does, as it would please God. As one of my friends, Aziq Tariq   put it,

“In obedience, Allah (S.W.A) becomes the king of our hearts.”

His orders are our commands. If we hold tight onto obeying Allah, we stand to hope for a tranquil life – a life without harmful worries and stresses - a common feature of a life outside the boundaries set by God. In fact I am confident to say that all worries are due to a lapses in submission, belief, and trust in God. I am very sure that if we learn and practice verses like the one below, we can cut down on our worries, at least by 90%. The verse goes,

“If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If he forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? In Allah, then, let believers put their trust (3:160).”