"Truly man was created anxious; when evil befalls him, fretful; and when good befalls him, begrudging, save those who perform prayer, who are constant in their prayers, and in whose wealth is an acknowledged due for the beggars and the deprived, those who affirm the Day of Judgment, and who are wary of the punishment of their Lord - truly there is no security from the punishment of their Lord, those who guard their private parts, save from their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy; but whosoever seeks beyond that, they are the transgressors; those who abide by their trusts and their pact, who uphold their testimony, and who are mindful of their prayers, those shall be in Gardens, honored."
Quran 70:19-35
I have several folks with whom I talk about faith, although I don't normally go out of my way to broach the subject with others. A few of my friends like to ask me questions because they're either puzzled by my conversion (though it's been several years now), simply interested, or are a person of faith themselves who find it difficult to find other POF to chat with (at least ones who won't judge them). I've often proposed that the aspects of Islam that I appreciate the most are the ones that are the most like Buddhism (which begs the question of why I'm not a Buddhist, but ever since I had that fight with the Tibetan monk it just doesn't seem like a viable option). By this I mean that I'm drawn to the aspects of the faith, and naturally enough related surahs, that speak to how we're supposed to treat each other on a daily basis. As I've proposed previously, I don't devote one second of one day to worrying about my immortal soul, mainly because I think that if you devote sincere, consistent effort to treating others well then all that will take care of itself (essentially, I can't believe in a vengeful, angry God).
With that as backstory, I've always been drawn to surah 70, sometimes referred to as "The Ascending Ways". It seems to me that this short surah, and, as we know, the surahs get shorter as the Quran progresses, lays a simple (to understand, not necessarily to achieve) path. In the Study Quran Nasr discusses them as Responsibilities, and identifies eight of them here.
1) " . . save those who perform prayer, who are constant in their prayers . . . " This one is pretty straight forward, although, as I've discussed previously, and doubtless will again, I think prayer is a more complicated subject than simply prostrating (or bowing your head). I'll talk more about this later, but the key, as Nasr reminds us, are "those who are mindful of their prayers."
2) " . . . and in whose wealth is an acknowledged due for the beggar and the deprived . . ." The Prophet was a tremendous critic of inequality, and a champion for looking after the disadvantaged in society. As Nasr tells us, the importance of Muslims "recognizing the rights of the other in regard to one's wealth." Charity is one of the Five Pillars. This is a huge issue with me, especially since we live in a country which increasingly seem disinterested in the suffering of others.
3) " . . . those who affirm the Day of Judgment, . . . " While this relates, certainly, to a recognition of the Resurrection, it also reflects an emphasis on what Nasr calls "the weighing of deeds, and therefore leading a life focused on the Hereafter rather than this world." I don't know if I'm ready to say that the idea of an actual day of judgment is simply a metaphor, but I do think that what's key is the life you're leading, and the decisions you make and the actions you take, to get you to that point, rather than hoping against hope that something good happens that day. Essentially, I think you should always be trying to treat others kindly and compassionately because they, and you, are humans, not simply because you expect to get something out of it.
4) " . . . and who are wary of the punishment of their Lord - truly there is no security from the punishment of their Lord . . ." Again, I don't believe in an angry, vengeful God, or at least I can't believe in an angry, vengeful God. So, to me this relates to the points I've just made above. I think you should always be mindful of the consequences of your actions and the greater responsibilities you owe, whether it is to God or to the other occupants of the planet (which I think are one and the same if we consider that what God really wants is for us to be kind to each other).
5) " . . . those who guard their private parts, save from their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy; but whosoever seeks beyond that, they are the transgressors . . ." As the Prophet proposed in a famous hadith, "Whosoever is able to guarantee what is between his jawbones and what is between his legs, I will guarantee him Paradise." So, why is this important? As you might guess, I think God is much less concerned about illicit sex than He/She/It is to the fact that in carrying out this act you might very well be hurting other people: the person you're having sex with if you're not serious, as well as your wife is you're cheating on her or the woman's husband. And, of course, you might very well be hurting yourself.
6) " . . . those who abide by their trusts and their pact . . ." Obviously, this a huge rule with me as well, whether or not I was a Muslim or not. My friends will often propose that the world will end before I'll break a promise. This may be a Hoosier thing or a generational thing, but in the end you make promises and while we don't/can't always keep them we should move heaven and earth to do so.
7) " . . . who uphold their testimony . . ." While this mainly relates to keeping your word to God, in the broader context I think this also relates to keeping your word. So, in some senses this is doubtless a continuation of point six, it also speaks to the seriousness associated with telling the truth, making a vow and keeping your word. As Nasr writes, "It can also be relates to d\testifying ot the truth in all matters, even if it is against one's kin."
8) " . . . and who are mindful of their prayers, those shall be in Gardens, honored." Cycling back to the first point, it speaks to the obvious importance of praying. Again, from Nasr, "The manner in which this extended pericope on the responsibilities of Islam begins with prayer in vv. 22-23 and ends with prayer in this verse indicates the centrality of prayer to all other religious acts."
Quran 70:19-35
I have several folks with whom I talk about faith, although I don't normally go out of my way to broach the subject with others. A few of my friends like to ask me questions because they're either puzzled by my conversion (though it's been several years now), simply interested, or are a person of faith themselves who find it difficult to find other POF to chat with (at least ones who won't judge them). I've often proposed that the aspects of Islam that I appreciate the most are the ones that are the most like Buddhism (which begs the question of why I'm not a Buddhist, but ever since I had that fight with the Tibetan monk it just doesn't seem like a viable option). By this I mean that I'm drawn to the aspects of the faith, and naturally enough related surahs, that speak to how we're supposed to treat each other on a daily basis. As I've proposed previously, I don't devote one second of one day to worrying about my immortal soul, mainly because I think that if you devote sincere, consistent effort to treating others well then all that will take care of itself (essentially, I can't believe in a vengeful, angry God).
With that as backstory, I've always been drawn to surah 70, sometimes referred to as "The Ascending Ways". It seems to me that this short surah, and, as we know, the surahs get shorter as the Quran progresses, lays a simple (to understand, not necessarily to achieve) path. In the Study Quran Nasr discusses them as Responsibilities, and identifies eight of them here.
1) " . . save those who perform prayer, who are constant in their prayers . . . " This one is pretty straight forward, although, as I've discussed previously, and doubtless will again, I think prayer is a more complicated subject than simply prostrating (or bowing your head). I'll talk more about this later, but the key, as Nasr reminds us, are "those who are mindful of their prayers."
2) " . . . and in whose wealth is an acknowledged due for the beggar and the deprived . . ." The Prophet was a tremendous critic of inequality, and a champion for looking after the disadvantaged in society. As Nasr tells us, the importance of Muslims "recognizing the rights of the other in regard to one's wealth." Charity is one of the Five Pillars. This is a huge issue with me, especially since we live in a country which increasingly seem disinterested in the suffering of others.
3) " . . . those who affirm the Day of Judgment, . . . " While this relates, certainly, to a recognition of the Resurrection, it also reflects an emphasis on what Nasr calls "the weighing of deeds, and therefore leading a life focused on the Hereafter rather than this world." I don't know if I'm ready to say that the idea of an actual day of judgment is simply a metaphor, but I do think that what's key is the life you're leading, and the decisions you make and the actions you take, to get you to that point, rather than hoping against hope that something good happens that day. Essentially, I think you should always be trying to treat others kindly and compassionately because they, and you, are humans, not simply because you expect to get something out of it.
4) " . . . and who are wary of the punishment of their Lord - truly there is no security from the punishment of their Lord . . ." Again, I don't believe in an angry, vengeful God, or at least I can't believe in an angry, vengeful God. So, to me this relates to the points I've just made above. I think you should always be mindful of the consequences of your actions and the greater responsibilities you owe, whether it is to God or to the other occupants of the planet (which I think are one and the same if we consider that what God really wants is for us to be kind to each other).
5) " . . . those who guard their private parts, save from their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for then they are not blameworthy; but whosoever seeks beyond that, they are the transgressors . . ." As the Prophet proposed in a famous hadith, "Whosoever is able to guarantee what is between his jawbones and what is between his legs, I will guarantee him Paradise." So, why is this important? As you might guess, I think God is much less concerned about illicit sex than He/She/It is to the fact that in carrying out this act you might very well be hurting other people: the person you're having sex with if you're not serious, as well as your wife is you're cheating on her or the woman's husband. And, of course, you might very well be hurting yourself.
6) " . . . those who abide by their trusts and their pact . . ." Obviously, this a huge rule with me as well, whether or not I was a Muslim or not. My friends will often propose that the world will end before I'll break a promise. This may be a Hoosier thing or a generational thing, but in the end you make promises and while we don't/can't always keep them we should move heaven and earth to do so.
7) " . . . who uphold their testimony . . ." While this mainly relates to keeping your word to God, in the broader context I think this also relates to keeping your word. So, in some senses this is doubtless a continuation of point six, it also speaks to the seriousness associated with telling the truth, making a vow and keeping your word. As Nasr writes, "It can also be relates to d\testifying ot the truth in all matters, even if it is against one's kin."
8) " . . . and who are mindful of their prayers, those shall be in Gardens, honored." Cycling back to the first point, it speaks to the obvious importance of praying. Again, from Nasr, "The manner in which this extended pericope on the responsibilities of Islam begins with prayer in vv. 22-23 and ends with prayer in this verse indicates the centrality of prayer to all other religious acts."
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