"That is because God never changes a blessing by which He blesses a people until they change what is in themselves and because God is Hearing, Knowing."
Quran 8:53
Here is a brief passage that is drawn from the 8th surah, which is usually rendered as "The Spoils." Sometimes when I'm rereading a section and I see that I marked it on an earlier reading I momentarily wonder why - and obviously it works both ways, because sometimes I look at a section which exists in its pristine form and I'm amazed because it's amazing. This falls into neither for the former nor the latter category because I loved it the first time I read it and have every time since.
As part of his commentary Nasr tells us, "In its most general sense, God never changes a blessing by which He blesses a people until they change what is in themselves means that God gives human beings intelligence, strength, free will, and good things in life, so that they can worship God and do good, but when they turn away from these blessings in favor of sin and lack of faith, they have changed what is in themselves." (Study Quran, p. 496)
As I've proposed previously, in many ways I think that the concepts to "worship God and do good" are actually the same thing. That is, we are given the opportunity, and the tools, to do good, and in the process of doing good we are worshiping God. Or, to put it another way, if you want to worship God then do good things, because, at least in my mind, God is not so lonely or insecure that He needs our attention. Having said that, of the two options I find the former more beautiful than the latter, simply because we should do good things because that is what humans should do, not because I want to be paid off in the end with some sort of divine prize.
In addition, what speaks to me about this passage is that it addresses a measure of human agency. Even if God is immeasurably powerful and all-knowing, in the end we are not merely motes floating in the cosmic breeze. If humans don't have the power to "change what is in themselves" then what is the point of faith?
Quran 8:53
Here is a brief passage that is drawn from the 8th surah, which is usually rendered as "The Spoils." Sometimes when I'm rereading a section and I see that I marked it on an earlier reading I momentarily wonder why - and obviously it works both ways, because sometimes I look at a section which exists in its pristine form and I'm amazed because it's amazing. This falls into neither for the former nor the latter category because I loved it the first time I read it and have every time since.
As part of his commentary Nasr tells us, "In its most general sense, God never changes a blessing by which He blesses a people until they change what is in themselves means that God gives human beings intelligence, strength, free will, and good things in life, so that they can worship God and do good, but when they turn away from these blessings in favor of sin and lack of faith, they have changed what is in themselves." (Study Quran, p. 496)
As I've proposed previously, in many ways I think that the concepts to "worship God and do good" are actually the same thing. That is, we are given the opportunity, and the tools, to do good, and in the process of doing good we are worshiping God. Or, to put it another way, if you want to worship God then do good things, because, at least in my mind, God is not so lonely or insecure that He needs our attention. Having said that, of the two options I find the former more beautiful than the latter, simply because we should do good things because that is what humans should do, not because I want to be paid off in the end with some sort of divine prize.
In addition, what speaks to me about this passage is that it addresses a measure of human agency. Even if God is immeasurably powerful and all-knowing, in the end we are not merely motes floating in the cosmic breeze. If humans don't have the power to "change what is in themselves" then what is the point of faith?
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