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If I was spending 99% of my time being appreciative and counting God’s blessings, I wouldn’t have time to feel bothered or get upset or worry about what needs to be changed. I have enough of my own faults to correct, let alone worrying about what others are doing.
So is there anything I should be doing when associating with others?
[3:20] If they argue with you, then say, “I have simply submitted myself to GOD; I and those who follow me.” You shall proclaim to those who received the scripture, as well as those who did not, “Would you submit?” If they submit, then they have been guided, but if they turn away, your sole mission is to deliver this message. GOD is Seer of all people.
Praise be to God, God provides us with everything! Everything is already His, including our own selves. Through His mercy, God sent the Quran that teaches how to deal with believers, disbelievers and hypocrites. I have to constantly battle myself to worship God alone at all times and be appreciative of His blessings. When dealing with others all I need to do is remind them to also submit to God alone. I don’t have to worry if they actually submit. It seems like my job is to ask others to submit to God, but my focus is on submitting myself to God. [10:105] I was commanded: “Keep yourself devoted to the religion of monotheism; you shall not practice idol worship. God is telling me to keep myself devoted to the religion of monotheism. Just keeping myself positive and appreciative 99% of the time is hard enough, let alone worrying about keeping others on track.
[75:13] The human being will be informed, on that day, of everything he did to advance himself, and everything he did to regress himself. Thank You, God, for the mercy that I will only have to answer for what I did myself. Imagine my fate if I had to answer for what others were doing.
[26:3] You may blame yourself that they are not believers. [26:4] If we will, we can send from the sky a sign that forces their necks to bow.
[5:105] O you who believe, you should worry only about your own necks. If the others go astray, they cannot hurt you, as long as you are guided. To GOD is your ultimate destiny, all of you, then He will inform you of everything you had done.
How can I focus on myself in my submission to God alone?
[17:36] You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them.
There are so many opinions and so much nonsense in the world that I am skeptical of most things. Even when I am verifying something, I question the source. The only things that I fully trust as a source are God and the Quran. This is a blessing because it helps keep me less involved with nonsense.
[6:114] Shall I seek other than GOD as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed? Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been revealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt.
A beautiful thing about reading a verse in the Quran is: God is the Teacher who inspires us to understand it how it is meant for us at that time. We could read a verse and have two different understandings and it doesn’t make you right and me wrong, or you wrong and me right. Only God is all knowing. May God increase my knowledge, it seems like this is one of the reasons I should focus on my own self.
[79:40] As for the one who reverenced the majesty of his Lord, and enjoined the self from sinful lusts. Enjoin the self from sinful lusts. Sinful lusts can be classified as a lot of different things. Anything that diverts our attention from worshiping God alone could be a sinful lust. The human being must work hard to not be engaged with sinful lusts.
[7:205] You shall remember your Lord within yourself, publicly, privately, and quietly, day and night; do not be unaware. This covers 100% of our time. Remember God within ourselves, all the time. Praise God.
[10:49] Say, “I possess no power to harm myself, or benefit myself; only what GOD wills takes place.” Each community has a predetermined life span. Once their interim comes to an end, they cannot delay it by one hour, nor advance it.
That verse is the key with the self. It provides the secret of how the self operates, how changes are made within the self, and how the self exists. God is in control of all things at all times, He is even in control of our own selves. God provides us with the Quran as a guidance of how to deal with the believers, disbelievers and hypocrites. God even gives us the exact words to use. God shows us in several verses that we need to focus on our own selves and worry about our own necks. How we see the world depends on how we are, how dirty our own windows are.
There was a great example provided at Quran study about dealing with road rage and aggressive drivers. When someone is racing in front of us, cuts us off, or whips around us, we have a choice to be appreciative or unappreciative. Will we get upset and yell at them or will we remember 58:11?
[58:11] O you who believe, if you are told, “Please make room,” you shall make room for each other to sit. GOD will then make room for you. If you are asked to get up and move, get up and move. GOD raises those among you who believe, and those who acquire knowledge to higher ranks. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.
Depending on how our self is, that will dictate how we react. If the windows of our eyes are dirty everything will look dirty to us. If the windows of our eyes are clean, God willing, we can be appreciative.
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