Remember Your Mission & Avoid Metaphysical Distractions

Imagine this: you wake up one morning and find yourself immersed in a vivid virtual world. The sunlight glimmers across a pixelated horizon, and the faint cries of trapped villagers echo through the air. You’ve been chosen as the hero, tasked with rescuing the innocent, defeating the final boss, and restoring peace. The controls are intuitive, the path is clearly marked, and the instructions are simple. Yet, instead of grabbing your sword and stepping into the first level, you hesitate. You sit down and start speculating over the code that powers the game and the nature of the developer of the game.

“How does this digital world exist?” you wonder. “What is the connection between your avatar and your real self? What is the nature and essence of the designer? What’s the algorithm behind this NPC’s behavior?” Hours turn into days, days into weeks, and you’re still sitting on the start screen. The villagers remain trapped. The boss waits untouched. The mission is ignored.

It’s easy to laugh at the absurdity. What gamer forgets to play the game? But step back for a moment. Is this not a striking metaphor for how many of us approach life—and, more specifically, religion?

For some, religion becomes a labyrinth of metaphysical speculation. Endless questions swirl: What exactly is the nature of God? What was God’s first creation? What was the mechanism that God utilized to bring the universe into being? These are profound questions, but when they dominate our focus, we risk forgetting the mission at hand. Reflecting on these mysteries will not determine whether we succeed in fulfilling our purpose.

Imagine if the game developer left a note for players: “I’ve given you all you need to succeed. The tools, the instructions—they’re all in place. What’s not revealed is irrelevant to completing the mission. Don’t waste time on what you can’t understand yet. These mysteries will be revealed to you when you finish the game. But to win, you must focus on the mission.”

Would you keep speculating about the source code, or would you finally press “start” and step into the game?

This isn’t to dismiss the value of curiosity or philosophical inquiry. There’s beauty in contemplating the grand mysteries of existence. But when this curiosity becomes an end in itself—paralyzing action and eclipsing purpose—we risk failing the very reason for which we exist.

Life, like the game, is finite. The clock is ticking, and there’s no restart button. The mission is urgent. Worship God by prioritizing doing the things that please Him above all else. Express gratitude, give to charity, abide by His commands, and live with integrity. Seek justice. Cultivate humility. Align yourself with what is good, true, and meaningful.

By all means, marvel at the design of the game. Contemplate the mysteries of the Creator. But don’t forget: the villagers are still waiting to be rescued. The final boss still looms. The mission is still yours to complete. If you never press “start,” the greatest mystery won’t be how the game was built but why you never played it at all.

[2:62] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts—anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life—will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.”

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ وَٱلنَّصَـٰرَىٰ وَٱلصَّـٰبِـِٔينَ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

[6:103] No visions can encompass Him, but He encompasses all visions. He is the Compassionate, the Cognizant.

 لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ

[17:85] They ask you about the revelation. Say, “The revelation comes from my Lord. The knowledge given to you is minute.”
[17:86] If we will, we can take back what we revealed to you, then you will find no protector against us.

 وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّى وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

 وَلَئِن شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَكَ بِهِۦ عَلَيْنَا وَكِيلًا

[3:200] O you who believe, you shall be steadfast, you shall persevere, you shall be united, you shall observe GOD, that you may succeed.

 يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱصْبِرُوا۟ وَصَابِرُوا۟ وَرَابِطُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

[5:35] O you who believe, you shall reverence GOD and seek the ways and means to Him, and strive in His cause, that you may succeed.

 يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱبْتَغُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ ٱلْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

[7:69] “Is it too much of a wonder that a message should come to you from your Lord, through a man like you, to warn you? Recall that He made you inheritors after the people of Noah, and multiplied your number. Remember GOD’s blessings, that you may succeed.“

 أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَن جَآءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ مِّنكُمْ لِيُنذِرَكُمْ وَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَزَادَكُمْ فِى ٱلْخَلْقِ بَسْطَةً فَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ ءَالَآءَ ٱللَّهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

[22:77] O you who believe, you shall bow, prostrate, worship your Lord, and work righteousness, that you may succeed.

 يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱرْكَعُوا۟ وَٱسْجُدُوا۟ وَٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ وَٱفْعَلُوا۟ ٱلْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

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