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God’s mercy, that I am not worthy of redemption. But by God’s Grace, when I read the Quran there is this repeated reassurance that that redemption is attainable. This knowledge easily allows us to understand that God’s love is not unconditional. He has given us the scripture to help us through this test. By God’s grace the Quran tells us exactly who God loves and who God does not love.
[2:190] … GOD does not love the aggressors.
[28:77] … GOD does not love the corruptors.
[3:32] … GOD does not love the disbelievers.
[3:57] … GOD does not love the unjust.
[4:107] … GOD does not love any betrayer, guilty.
[22:38] … GOD does not love any betrayer, unappreciative.
[6:141] … He does not love the wasters.
[7:31 ] … Surely, He does not love the gluttons.
[7:55] … He does not love the transgressors.
[28:76] … GOD does not love those who are arrogant.
[57:23] … GOD does not love those who are boastful, proud.
[2:195] … GOD loves the charitable.
[2:222] … GOD loves the repenters, and He loves those who are clean.
[5:93] … GOD loves the righteous.
[3:146] … GOD loves the steadfast.
[3:148] … GOD loves the good doers.
[5:42] … GOD loves those who are equitable.
[9:108] … GOD loves those who purify themselves.
[49:9] … You shall maintain justice; GOD loves those who are just.
[61:4] GOD loves those who fight in His cause united in one column, like the bricks in one wall.
[3:159] … Once you make a decision, carry out your plan, and trust in GOD. GOD loves those who trust in Him.
The Quran is very clear about who God loves and who God does not love. Always remember that you may find yourself in a negative place, but you can always repent and reform. I was a disbeliever for many years, but by God’s grace and mercy, I’m not anymore. May God guide us to continue to work hard for our redemption, and to be among those He loves.
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[113:0] In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
[113:1] Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak.
[113:2] “From the evils among His creations.
[113:3] “From the evils of darkness as it falls.
[113:4] “From the evils of the troublemakers.
[113:5] “From the evils of the envious when they envy.
I have always been intrigued by what God means by “evils of darkness”. For a long time, I thought this verse exclusively meant when it becomes dark at night. So, I used to subconsciously pray this sura more reverently in the night. We are brought up on stories about evil lurking in the dark. And while it is true that the cover of darkness is used to commit evil, there may be another dimension to this verse as well.
Similarly, there were other verses which intrigued me:
[57:12] The day will come when you see the believing men and women with their lights radiating ahead of them and to their right. Good news is yours that, on that day, you will have gardens with flowing streams. You will abide therein forever. This is the great triumph.
[57:13] On that day, the hypocrite men and women will say to those who believed, “Please allow us to absorb some of your light.” It will be said, “Go back behind you, and seek light.” A barrier will be set up between them, whose gate separates mercy on the inner side, from retribution on the outer side.
While descriptions of heaven and hell use allegories, I took the verses literally and would imagine the faces of the righteous people giving off some light.
But when we reflect on these verses, we realize these Quranic verses may allude to a metaphorical meaning as well, and a wealth of information can be gleaned if we are willing to contemplate them. When I reflected on these verses, I realized that the words light and darkness encompass the entire gamut of emotions a human being feels in his lifetime. They are the two extremes between which human emotion swings. Quran is replete with verses which if you look at them in the context of light and darkness—wherein light is good and darkness bad, or light is GOD and darkness Satan—you can navigate your life towards reaching the light mentioned in 57:12-13. Everything which happens to us can be interpreted within this spectrum of darkness and light.
[2:257] GOD is Lord of those who believe; He leads them out of darkness into the light. As for those who disbelieve, their lords are their idols; they lead them out of the light into darkness—these will be the dwellers of Hell; they abide in it forever.
[5:16] With it, GOD guides those who seek His approval. He guides them to the paths of peace, leads them out of darkness into the light by His leave, and guides them in a straight path.
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