Please, let’s be careful with some of the things we read on Social Media most importantly when it comes to religion and political issues. Lots of internal conflicts go on behind the scenes and we have no idea of how it all began. As my grandmother would say, “The most unintelligent stupid person is the one who is joining in a battle he never knew its origin”. Joining forces to fight someone or hate someone who did not offend you or do anything to wrong you is proof of your insanity.
So many people are in trouble today because they are getting themselves involved in matters that don’t concern them. Your Pastor or Imam is having issues with another Pastor or Imam and you join forces with him to fight the person because you want to prove to your Pastor or Imam that you are loyal to him. My friend, you are stupid. That is not loyalty, that is killing.
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
Allah said, “You will not enter Paradise until you have faith and you will not have faith until you love each other. So, if as a Muslim, you hate anyone for whatever reason, now you know what is up against you.
Both in Christianity and in Islam hating someone for whatever reason is not permitted. When you allow your religious leaders to instigate you against other people or persons probably because of their choice of faith or character, you are not acting for God and your actions are not of God. You are just being used by your religious leaders to create unnecessary chaos with individuals that God might use to be of help to you.
In the Bible Matthew 5:46-48 Jesus Christ said, “If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
In the Quran, Allah (swt) says: “Help one another in acts of piety and righteousness. And do not assist each other in acts of sinfulness and transgression. Because everyone is created by God Almighty, the Maker of all, humans must treat one another with full honour, respect, and loving-kindness.
My dear friends, be wise and stop picking issues with innocent people. No religion or person is bigger or greater before God. God is the greatest and the ultimate of all and it is He and Him all the flesh should reference. Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? Jeremiah 32:27
Quran 3:45 says, “And when the angels said: ‘O Mary! Allah gives you the glad tidings of a command from Him: his name shall be Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary. He shall be highly honoured in this world and in the next and shall be one of those near stationed to Allah. ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَthe righteous.
Hating each other in the name of religion or being loyal to a religious leader is uncalled for. Both the Bible and the Quran admonished us to love God and love humanity not to love God and hate one another.
I’ve heard some Islamic leaders saying that Prophet Muhammad did not make any reference to the person of Jesus Christ in his days and therefore Christianity is not acceptable before God.
In Quran 3:45-62 it was said that, “Behold! The angels said: “O Mary! Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah; ”He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous.”
She said: “O my Lord! how shall I have a son when no man has touched me?” He said: “Even so: Allah creates what He wills: when He has decreed a Plan, He but says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is!
“And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel, and (appoint him) a Messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): “I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah’s leave; and I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah’s leave; and I declare to you what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if you did believe; (I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord.
So fear Allah, and obey me.
”It is Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight.'” When Jesus found unbelief on their part, he said: “Who will be my helpers to (the work of) Allah?” Said the Disciples: “We are Allah’s helpers: we believe in Allah, and you bear witness that we are Muslims. “Our Lord! we believe in what You have revealed, and we follow the Messenger; then write us down among those who bear witness.” And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah.
Behold! Allah said: “O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow you superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: then you shall all return to me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein you dispute.
”As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help. “As to those who believe and work righteousness, Allah will pay them (in full) their reward; but Allah does not love those, who do wrong
“This is what We rehearse to you of the Signs and the Message of Wisdom.” The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam;
He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”: and he was. The Truth (comes) from Allah alone; so be not of those who doubt.
If anyone disputes in this matter with you, now after (full) knowledge has come to you, say: “Come! let us gather together, – our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves; then let us earnestly pray, and invoke) the curse of Allah on those who lie!” This is the true account: there is no god except Allah; and Allah – He is indeed the Exalted in Power, the Wise. But if they turn back, Allah has full knowledge of those who do mischief.”
Not only did the Quran and Prophet Muhammad (saw) recognise and speak about the person of Yeshua, “Jesus Christ” full account of his assignment was written as well in the Quran as a witness and as the manifestation of who God is.
For so long we have allowed religion and the religious leaders to cause unnecessary issues between us. Funny enough, both Christianity and Islam claimed Abraham as their forefather, but Abraham was never a Christian or a Muslim. Abraham was an Idol worshiper and a man of strong faith in God.
Muslim believes that Islam means faith, and so also the Christians believe that without faith no human being can please God. A chapter was dedicated to the acts of faith of some individuals in Hebrews 11, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Faith at the Dawn of History
By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Faithful Abraham
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
The Heavenly Hope
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
The Faith of the Patriarchs
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac, your seed shall be called,”concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
The Faith of Moses
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
By Faith They Overcame
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who [j]did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
If truly we intend to serve God and not to manipulate people and have them under our control as religious leaders; then our intentions and teachings should focus on having faith in God and not in religion or the religious leaders and not in loving our fellow religious members only but as well as loving humanity in general.
We must trust in God and not in Man if we are truly believers.” Quran 8:2 says “The true believers are those whose hearts tremble when God is mentioned, and when His revelations are recited to them, their faith is strengthened, and they trust in their Lord. Quran 8:49 says “If one puts his trust in God, then God is Almighty, Most Wise.”
As Christians and Muslims, we must constantly remind ourselves that God is Almighty, the Most Wise. Not our religion and not our religious leaders. Our faith must be in God always and so is our love. How can we hate someone God loves and still claim to love God? That is self-deception.
Qur’an 17:70 made us understand that Allah (God) honors all of us. Every single one of us, because we are the Children of Adam:
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا
And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.
In Surah 17:70 it was said that “۞ وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍۢ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًۭا ٧٠”
“Indeed, We have dignified the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, granted them good and lawful provisions, and privileged them far above many of Our creatures.”
Just as both Christians and Muslims honoured Abraham and recognized him as their forefathers so also do both Christians and Muslims recognized Adam as the father of all human beings on the earth.
In Surah 17:70 God was saying “Indeed, We (that is, God and the host of heaven. The “Us” God is mentioned in Genesis 1:26 when He said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”); have dignified the children of Adam (meaning Human Beings), carried them on land and sea, granted them good and lawful provisions, and privileged them far above many of Our creatures”.
God doesn’t play partisan among humanity all in the name of religion. In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus Christ said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Anything outside of love for God and humanity and strong faith in God is manipulation and it doesn’t matter how much we believe in such it will end up destroying us and making some people popular, richer and wealthier; and the rest poorer and ignorant.
The peace we seek in our world will materialize when we place God and His commandments above everything and anything else. My greatest desire is to love everyone just as God loves us and created us all in His image and His likeness. It doesn’t matter what religion you choose to serve God. As long as you are made in God’s image and likeness, I love you and I will always love you.
I love you ❤️
Sam Adeoye