[Quote] i do not think anyone can really "explain", in any intellectual fashion, the "unexplainable" and whatever "god is" strikes me as something outside the dimensions of reality we can understand or really even grasp........some have developed neat constructs that satisfy them and sound good....[EndQuote]
Answer: We muslims believe the same thing: that God is unexplainable, He is nothing that we can begin to imagine or grasp or explain, that He is not like anything. Chapter 112 titled Al-Ikhlas [Absoluteness] reads: Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah, the eternally Besought of all! He begetteth not nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him. [translation by Pickthal]
[Quote] then too, i must be honest with myself, in terms of my motivations for the sorts of work i have done for so long...........i have to question why i chose to do this, for no one made me, and i had no "vision" at some point which said "go and help"........... [EndQuote]
Answer: God has gifted all of us with a conscience, a guide to what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong, and the free-will to choose our actions. The blessed ones among us choose to hear their conscience and choose to do the right thing.
[Quote] then, i read about Mother Teresa and the great emptiness she walked in for decades, feeling abandoned by the One who she felt "sent her to the poor"............perhaps she was just deluded and perhaps i have been also............i will have to give up.........i cannot do it anymore................i too have become empty inside.............it will kill me to continue..........i do not want R&R........i am getting out and making plans to do so.............it is as if there is no oxygen left in the air....... [EndQuote]
Answer: Even the Prophets and mystics have felt like that…….. God chooses when and who, but that is a very rare experience of a very few……….. He wants us to observe all around us and to know that there is somebody who has caused this, and is sustaining this, and wants us to believe inspite of no direct experience of the divine………. That is the test! If God were to reveal Himself to all of us, who then would not believe?? Why we’re being put through this test, I’m sure He knows…………. Though we can get an idea of it by exploring the different holy books, and figuring out what He has to say about it.
[Quote] i realize i am "seared" in heart and mind............i know i have bitterness............how could i not know it? as far as i can tell, all that is left is for my prayer to be granted..........to be filled with "awe and wonder"...........to "see" beyond what i can see...........this must be some form of "experiential" happening..............but, i cannot "demand" it, since i have no idea on whom i would make the demand..............:)))) [EndQuote]
Answer: Pray to “To whoever is the Creator and Sustainer of ALL” …………. You know how those letters begin: To whom it may concern. I pray that He will show you His way, and He will bless you. Being a muslim, I can’t resist the urge to ask you to atleast do a critical but unbiased reading of the Holy Quran, while waiting for your prayers to be answered.
[Quote] it is no longer possible for me to identify with any "faith"............too late for that................my only answer is to "walk away from it all" and focus on simple things like growing bananas, limes, tropical flowers and fishing off the coast at savanna la mar, jamaica.............. [EndQuote]
Answer: It is never too late……… don’t identify with faith….. just have faith….. that the Beneficent Being who created us loves us and that all that we see is not pointless or mere play, but that there are reasons beyond our knowledge………….. had He not loved us He could and would have made all of those who did not believe in Him or His religion suffer; but that is not what we see………. Rich and poor, healthy and sick, happy and sad, famished and well-fed, all shades of lives are being led by people of all faith……….. all get air to breathe, all get sustenance while alive, all get Earth below and sky above, all get to smell flowers, enjoy colours, see the same stars…………… yes, one would want to alleviate the sufferings of all who suffer, and one must try, but all have been given their own exam sheets, their own strengths and weaknesses, and their own capacity to bear the difficulties and forbearance, we just cannot judge of what we know and understand so little…………. What have the rich, healthy and successful people done to earn that state in which they’re in? Is it their birth-right? No, ofcourse not. We all have our lives to live, to touch others lives with our words and actions, and constantly strive for the better………. And our God-gifted conscience guides us and helps us know what’s right. Have faith, know that He exists, and pray in your heart that He shows you His way!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
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