RDB Qur'an and Sayings of Muhammad

In Church last Thursday, our preacher discussed the topic of death. He asked us what we would do with the last hours of our lives if we knew exactly when we were going to die. Since I have never really considered my mortality, this question really struck me hard. If I died tomorrow, what would I do tonight? Well, I know I would want to die doing something that would make a difference or at least die knowing that I had made a difference at some point in my life, but I am not really quite sure what that would entail. Jonathan Edwards, one of the most famous preachers of all time, wrote in his 7th Resolution that he, “Resolved, never to do anything, which (he) should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of (his) life (The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards, Resolution # 7).Jonathan Edwards

I think the lesson here was not really what I would do with my last hour, but living each day like I only had only one hour left to live. If I knew I was about to die I am sure that I would be more faithful than ever, and I believe that this is how God wants us to live everyday, full of faith and love for Him. In the movie Braveheart, William Wallace delivers a beautiful speech at the forefront of a major battle. While his countrymen want to retreat in fear of death, he challenges them to stay and fight for what they believe in.

Mel Gibson’s character delivers the famous lines, “Fight and you may die. Run and you will live, at least awhile. And dying in your bed many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here as young men and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!” (Mel Gibson, William Wallace, Braveheart 1995).

As William Wallace offers hope for the future to the Scottish troops, God’s promise for our future has been evident to His followers for all of eternity. The author of the Qur’an illustrates this hope through a metaphor by saying, “God is the light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of divine light is as if there was a niche and within it a lamp; the lamp enclosed in glass; the glass as it were a shining star; lit from a blessed olive tree, neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil is well-nigh luminous even without fire touching it. Light upon light: God guides whom God wills to divine light. God sets forth parables for men, and God does know all things” (Qur’an 24:35, “The Qur’an and Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad” 19). " God guides whom God wills to divine light. "

Like a light out of darkness, God’s love illuminates and ignites all things. To me it was amazing to see that this belief of my Christian religion was also highly important in Islam. The quote that says God is “neither of the East or the West” further emphasizes the fact that God is omnipresent and eternal. The author of the Qur’an also writes that, “Our God and your God is One, and it is unto God that we surrender ourselves”, further proving that God is not the God of Christianity nor the God of Judaism nor the God of Islam, He is the God of the universe (Qur’an 29:46, The Qur’an and Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad”149). While I have been battling with the idea of the interconnectedness of all monastic religions for quite sometime, these two statements really seemed to exemplify the strength and community found by being united under one God. For followers of these religions to have such faith and solidarity, fills my heart with joy and ignites in me a desire to learn and grow in my faith even more. While I am still not really quite sure what I would do with the last hours of my life, I am positive that I would be praising God in with all of my heart, and fighting for something I truly believe in. Until that day, I plan to live each day to its fullest with as much faith as possible, and continue to grow in love and community with all the other believers around the world. For, “who is better in faith than the one who willingly surrenders his being to God, and is the doer of good, and follows the way of Abraham the rightly oriented?” (Qur’an 49:14, “The Qur’an and Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad” 85).