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We have to use our brain to filter out the bad and discard it. Don’t hold onto it; certainly don’t pass it on. We see things all the time with our gift of sight—movies, books, even billboards. Again, there is good and bad in these things and the job of our brain is to store the good for future use and get rid of the bad.
As submitters, our most important job is to worship God alone. Most religions say that that’s their way of thinking, yet most of them have been corrupted and actually promote the worship of idols. Growing up in a Christian household, I understood that Jesus was the son of God and that I needed to accept him into my heart in order to be saved. It was simply the established rule. I never asked my parents or my minister why; I simply went along. Baptism, confirmation, reciting the Apostle’s Creed, Christmas, Easter—it was all a part of my life, with no more thought than guarding a dead rose bush or throwing away good lamb.
God is the only One who can guide us out of that darkness and lead us into the light. When we begin to question the accepted norm, it can be upsetting and quite scary. How can all these millions of people be wrong?
[5:77] Say, “O people of the scripture, do not transgress the limits of your religion beyond the truth, and do not follow the opinions of people who have gone astray, and have misled multitudes of people; they are far astray from the right path.”
We know now that it’s not numbers that matter. [6:116] If you obey the majority of people on earth, they will divert you from the path of GOD. They follow only conjecture; they only guess.
In fact, claiming numbers as a proof of being on the right path is something the disbelievers do, not the believers. [19:73] When our revelations are recited to them, clearly, those who disbelieve say to those who believe, “Which of us is more prosperous? Which of us is in the majority?”
Going against our family and friends can be daunting. But the consequences of not following God’s guidance, due to peer pressure, is far more devastating.
Social Pressure: A Profound Disaster
[29:25] He said, “You worship beside GOD powerless idols due to peer pressure, just to preserve some friendship among you in this worldly life. But then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will disown one another, and curse one another. Your destiny is Hell, wherein you cannot help one another.”
The most difficult pressure is our parents. They raised us and took care of us and as children we feel they can do no wrong. And God tells us to honor our parents in both the Old Testament (Exodus 20:12) and the Quran (6:151, 17:23, 46:15). But we can honor them and be kind to them and treat them well and still follow God’s true guidance.
[9:23] O you who believe, do not ally yourselves even with your parents and your siblings, if they prefer disbelieving over believing. Those among you who ally themselves with them are transgressing.
[31:14-5] We enjoined the human being to honor his parents…. If they try to force you to set up any idols beside Me, do not obey them. But continue to treat them amicably in this world….
The most important thing is not to follow blindly. Not to follow anyone or anything blindly. We hear something and believe it to be true and, without verifying, we accept and perhaps pass it on to others as fact. This is dangerous in everything, but is especially horrible when it comes to our soul and our salvation.
[5:104] When they are told, “Come to what GOD has revealed, and to the messenger,” they say, “What we found our parents doing is sufficient for us.” What if their parents knew nothing, and were not guided?
God has given us this amazing brain. We need to continuously implore Him to increase our knowledge and understanding
and follow His guidance, and only His guidance, to the right path. As Abraham said: [43:27] “Only the One who initiated me can guide me.”
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The biggest sin of all is idol worship.
The Unforgivable Sin
[4:48] GOD does not forgive idolatry,* but He forgives lesser offenses for whomever He wills. Anyone who sets up idols beside GOD, has forged a horrendous offense.
*4:48 Idol worship is not forgivable, if maintained until death. One can always repent from any offense, including idolatry before death comes (see 4:18 & 40:66).
The Unforgivable Sin
[4:116] GOD does not forgive idol worship (if maintained until death),* and He forgives lesser offenses for whomever He wills. Anyone who idolizes any idol beside GOD has strayed far astray.
*4:116 A simple definition of idolatry: Believing that anything beside God can help you.
Idol worship seems “harmless”. No one got killed or hurt, did they? But God calls it a horrendous offense. One reason why it may seem “benign” is humans measure against the body. When we speak of the soul, idolatry does lead to “death”—our own—and the worst kind of misery. Hellfire. While it’s usually the self that is the victim, if one puts an eternity in hell into perspective, it’s the worst thing we could do. Also, it goes hand-in-hand with other sins. If one can commit idolatry, one can block out God’s commands at different levels. This may also be why it’s called the “mother of all evil” in the subtitle for 14:30 and an abomination in 22:30.
Idol Worship: The Mother of All Evil
[14:30] They set up rivals to rank with GOD and to divert others from His path. Say, “Enjoy for awhile; your final destiny is Hell.”
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