"As for one who gives and is reverent, and attests to what is most beautiful, We shall ease his way unto ease."
Quran 92:6-8
I think this is the first time I've drawn anything from al-Layl, the 92nd surah, here rendered as "The Night." As we know by now it has a nigh number so it's a short surah, only around six sentences in English. In the Study Quran Nasr tells us that most beautiful refers to belief in God or simply God Himself/Herself/Itself. But what does that even mean? I've grown to feel that at the heart of everything there is a kindness and compassion and quietness, and, well, beauty at the heart of all things, which we mainly see in nature anymore (or at least what's left of nature; as the great Canadian philosopher opined decades ago, we do have nature on the run). We see those horrible pictures of kids being dragged to White Supremacist rallies so that they can learn to be racist; in their natural state, kids are not racist. Again, it brings us back to Mencius and the well. To me, God is not, has never been, and will never be, a terrifyingly powerful and judgmental figure sitting on a throne, doling out rewards and punishments as She/He/It sees fit. I think this view borders on the absurd, and, more importantly, is an insult to God. Rather, I think God is that ineffable beauty that is always just beyond our ability to comprehend fully. When we want to approach God, to worship God, then we do our best to manifest those divine qualities in how we treat one another.
Quran 92:6-8
I think this is the first time I've drawn anything from al-Layl, the 92nd surah, here rendered as "The Night." As we know by now it has a nigh number so it's a short surah, only around six sentences in English. In the Study Quran Nasr tells us that most beautiful refers to belief in God or simply God Himself/Herself/Itself. But what does that even mean? I've grown to feel that at the heart of everything there is a kindness and compassion and quietness, and, well, beauty at the heart of all things, which we mainly see in nature anymore (or at least what's left of nature; as the great Canadian philosopher opined decades ago, we do have nature on the run). We see those horrible pictures of kids being dragged to White Supremacist rallies so that they can learn to be racist; in their natural state, kids are not racist. Again, it brings us back to Mencius and the well. To me, God is not, has never been, and will never be, a terrifyingly powerful and judgmental figure sitting on a throne, doling out rewards and punishments as She/He/It sees fit. I think this view borders on the absurd, and, more importantly, is an insult to God. Rather, I think God is that ineffable beauty that is always just beyond our ability to comprehend fully. When we want to approach God, to worship God, then we do our best to manifest those divine qualities in how we treat one another.
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