Persecuting believers for their faith is as old as Adam, when one of Adam’s son slayed the other because of his righteousness.
[5:27] Recite for them the true history of Adam’s two sons. They made an offering, and it was accepted from one of them, but not from the other. He said, “I will surely kill you.” He said, “GOD accepts only from the righteous. [5:28] “If you extend your hand to kill me, I am not extending my hand to kill you. For I reverence GOD, Lord of the universe. [5:29] “I want you, not me, to bear my sin and your sin, then you end up with the dwellers of Hell. Such is the requital for the transgressors.” [5:30] His ego provoked him into killing his brother. He killed him, and ended up with the losers.
This trend is repeated in another example from the Quran regarding a community that God refers to as “the people of the canyon” who sat around to watch the burning of the believers.
[85:4] Woe to the people of the canyon. [85:5] They ignited a blazing fire. [85:6] Then sat around it. [85:7] To watch the burning of the believers. [85:8] They hated them for no other reason than believing in GOD, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy. [85:9] To Him belongs the kingship of the heavens and the earth. And GOD witnesses all things. [85:10] Surely, those who persecute the believing men and women, then fail to repent, have incurred the retribution of Gehenna; they have incurred the retribution of burning.
We see a similar example in the Bible in the Book of Daniel. In Chapter 3 of the Book of the Daniel in the Bible, we read about the persecution and burning of the believers. In this account, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made a golden statute and commanded that all the people to fall down and worship when commanded, and whoever does not will be thrown into a blazing fiery furnace.
Despite this decree, three believers refused to fall down and worship when commanded. Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their story is continued in the following verses of the Bible.
13. Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14. and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden statue I have set up? 15. Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”
16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17. If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king. 18. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”
19. At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual, 20. and he commanded some mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing fiery furnace. 21. So they were tied up, wearing robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, and they were thrown into the blazing fiery furnace. 22. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, firmly bound, fell into the blazing fiery furnace.
24. Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they replied. 25. “Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the fourth looks like an angel of God!” 26. Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire, 27. and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28. Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces and their houses reduced to rubble. For there is no other god who can deliver in this way.” 30. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
God knows that not all believers are going to be as brave as the people of the Canyon, or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or Abraham at that. Individuals who are willing to not only be persecuted, but also willing to die because of their absolute love of God. Because of this God informs us that if we are forced to ally with the disbelievers or profess disbelief to avoid persecution or violence then God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
[3:28] The believers never ally themselves with the disbelievers, instead of the believers. Whoever does this is exiled from GOD. Exempted are those who are forced to do this to avoid persecution. GOD alerts you that you shall reverence Him alone. To GOD is the ultimate destiny.
لَا يَتَّخِذِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا أَنْ تَتَّقُوا مِنْهُمْ تُقَاةً وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ
[16:106] Those who disbelieve in GOD, after having acquired faith, and become fully content with disbelief, have incurred wrath from GOD. The only ones to be excused are those who are forced to profess disbelief, while their hearts are full of faith.
مَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَٰكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
God informs us that He never burdens a soul beyond its means (2:285), but at the same time that as believers we will be tested through insults from those who do not believe (3:187).
[2:286] GOD never burdens a soul beyond its means: to its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits. “Our Lord, do not condemn us if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, and protect us from blaspheming against You, like those before us have done. Our Lord, protect us from sinning until it becomes too late for us to repent. Pardon us and forgive us. You are our Lord and Master. Grant us victory over the disbelieving people.”
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا أَنْتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
[3:186] You will certainly be tested, through your money and your lives, and you will hear from those who received the scripture, and from the idol worshipers, a lot of insult. If you steadfastly persevere and lead a righteous life, this will prove the strength of your faith.
لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَذًى كَثِيرًا وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ
So therefore we cannot go our whole lives avoiding worshipping God alone in public or professing disbelief because we are concerned about the possible blowback from society. At some point we need to build the courage to stand up against tyranny.
God informs us that this test is mandatory, and essential to bring out our true convictions.
[29:2] Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe,” without being put to the test? [29:3] We have tested those before them, for GOD must distinguish those who are truthful, and He must expose the liars.
In the same Sura, God provides the example of people who were being persecuted because of belief and their reverting away from God by equating the people’s persecution with God’s retribution.
[29:10] Among the people there are those who say, “We believe in GOD,” but as soon as they suffer any hardship because of GOD, they equate the people’s persecution with GOD’s retribution. But if blessings from your Lord come your way, they say, “We were with you.” Is GOD not fully aware of the people’s innermost thoughts? [29:11] GOD will most certainly distinguish those who believe, and He will most certainly expose the hypocrites.
Individuals who only believe in God when things are good are categorized as fair weather friends. In order to show our true faith we need to show our devotion to God under all circumstances, when things are good and when things get rough.
But how does this apply today? As believers our submission, devotion, and worship practices are to be exclusively devoted to God alone.
[6:162] Say, “My Contact Prayers (Salat), my worship practices, my life and my death, are all devoted absolutely to GOD alone, the Lord of the universe.
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
As worshipers of God, part of our worship practices to God are through bowing, prostrating, fasting, commemorating, and any other physical act we partake to glorify God. Sura 45, of the Quran is entitled Kneeling (Al-Jãtheyah) and shows kneeling is a form of homage that we show towards our Creator.
[45:27] To GOD belongs all sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. The day the Hour (Judgment) comes to pass, that is when the falsifiers lose. Kneeling [45:28] You will see every community kneeling. Every community will be called to view their record. Today, you get paid for everything you have done.
This doesn’t mean that we are not allowed to kneel for other purposes, but when someone is demanding that we kneel and profess an ideology that we know goes against God’s words in the Quran, then this is where we must draw the line.
One of the misconceptions many people have is regarding the definition of religion. Make no mistake, everyone has a religion and everyone worships. The choice we have is what we choose to worship, be it God, our careers (68:28), our children (7:190), our money (18:42), or our ideologies (25:43).
As stated by David Foster Wallace in his famous commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005, later published as a book called “This Is Water”:
“[H]ere’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.”
[25:43] Have you seen the one whose god is his own ego? Will you be his advocate?
أَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ أَفَأَنْتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكِيلًا
The Arabic word هَوَاهُ can be translated as whims, desires, opinions as well as ego.
The simple definition of ego as a god is when we place our own personal opinion above that of God’s commandments.
All across the country we see mobs of BLM protestors demanding that individuals to kneel for their ideology. They interpret that if someone is not willing to follow their commands then they are to be forced into submission.
On July 6th, 2020 BLM protesters gathered in front of the home of the mayor Lily Mei of Fremont California demanding her to defund the police. Part of the motivation for targeting the mayor and her home during the protest was because the previous month Mei was criticized by some for not kneeling during a Black Lives Matter protest in the city; she later explained she didn’t do so because she only kneels for God.
One of the Organizers of the protest, Michael Chapman, 19, of Union City, said “Mei’s refusal to kneel then was tantamount to saying she doesn’t care for Black lives.” Additionally, one of the chalk messages written on Mei’s driveway said “Take a knee.”
We see protestors holding up signs and declaring that “silence is violence” that it is not enough if you choose not to engage with them, they will not settle until you show absolute support for their ideology.
On July 6th, an Indianapolis mother of a 3-year old was shot and killed for declaring that “all lives matter” when confronted by a mob of protestors at a local canal.
If there is any doubt that Leftism has turned into a full fledge atheistic religious movement here is an article entitled “Six Ways Leftism Acts Like a Religion” that I think does a good job proving this point.
- Ritualistic practices of taking a knee and screaming the names of their martyrs and saints.
- Sins and blasphemy laws such as stating that only women can menstruate or have babies
- Excommunication and cancel culture
- Priest class of who is most marginalized
- Atonement by putting a black square as your profile photo or reading White Fragility
- They have repentance by declaring your privilege and hidden racism
"You must understand racism and admit that you cannot understand racism. You must admit to your complicity in racism and pledge to do better knowing that it is impossible to do better. You must be an ally but accept that you will always do your allyship wrong." – The Cult Dynamic of Wokeness.
What is interesting is that if we listen to the next part of David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech regarding what we choose to worship he stumbles on a Quranic truth:
“…And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship […] is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you. On one level, we all know this stuff already – it’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, bromides, epigrams, parables: the skeleton of every great story. The trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.”
God informs us in the Quran that if we take any other god beside God then it will destroy us through the following allegory.
[29:41] The allegory of those who accept other masters beside GOD is that of the spider and her home; the flimsiest of all homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
It is interesting that the Arabic of this verse uses the feminine form in reference to the spider and her home. Not only is a home of a spider inhospitable to its guests, but a female spider, such as a black widow, eats its mate.
These protests have been ongoing for over six weeks and what are the results that we are seeing? Freedom of speech being curtailed, the flames of a civil war being started, and rampant violence among the black community with a surge in black on black crime and homicide.
In 2020, 230 people had been shot across Minneapolis from the start of the year to July 7th. This is a 60% increase compared with the same time period in 2019.
Within a 24-hour period on May 31, Chicago saw its deadliest day in at least 30 years, with 18 killings . Over Father’s day weekend alone 104 people were shot, 15 fatally, including a 3-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl killed in separate shootings.
In Atlanta, there were at least 11 shooting incidents and 31 people shot between July 3 and July 5, including the five people who were killed. One of the victims was 8-year-old Secoria Turner who was shot in front of the Wendy’s where Rayshad Brooks was killed by police. Her father, Secoria Turner, gave this heart breaking message for the BLM protestors.
When the founding of a movement is started by self identified atheist, marxist, homosexuals in an effort to propagate their racists, oppressive, anti-morality, anti-God agenda then it shouldn’t be a surprise that the communities who adopt and propagate such an agenda are the ones who are bound to suffering from it.
[9:109] Is one who establishes his building on the basis of reverencing GOD and to gain His approval better, or one who establishes his building on the brink of a crumbling cliff, that falls down with him into the fire of Hell? GOD does not guide the transgressing people.
[16:25] They will be held responsible for their sins on the Day of Resurrection, all of them, in addition to sins of all those whom they misled by their ignorance. What a miserable load! [16:26] Others like them have schemed in the past, and consequently, GOD destroyed their building at the foundation, causing the roof to fall on them. The retribution struck them when they least expected.
It is our duty as believers to uphold the commandments of God in all our affairs. If we fail to do this then the results would be chaos and destruction.
[8:73] Those who disbelieved are allies of one another. Unless you keep these commandments, there will be chaos on earth, and terrible corruption.
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