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Holy Day of Atonement is not a twenty-four hour day, but, it ushers
in a period of grace and mercy that allows those of us who have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of Allah (God) to acknowledge
our shortcomings, confess them, repent of them, atone for them,
accept forgiveness and then, the process of reconciling ourselves to
Allah (God) and to those whom we have offended allows us to become
whole and wholesome and it gives us a chance to make a new start.
This period of time that Allah (God) has given
for humanity to reconcile itself with Allah (God) and with self,
that we may avert the consequences of our actions, is a great
period, indeed. It is a period of time during which every human
being should strive to take advantage of the Great Mercy of Allah
(God).
We live in a world in which each year is filled
more and more with violence. Violence once was orchestrated by
elites or governments to take over nations and the raw materials of
nations, to overthrow governments, kings and rulers who stood in the
way of access to those minerals and precious stones that would lead
a nation to great wealth.
This violence has gone all the way down in the
society to children, especially in the United States of America,
where murder, robbery, assault, and rape is committed every so many
seconds, however, these crimes are now being committed by children.
Some of the penologists and those who are in
charge of prisons are saying that the youth are committing crimes of
violence more heinous, cold and callous than anything that they have
ever seen. Violence now has permeated the entire society. America
now is the most violent, crime-ridden society on the earth.
We see so many wars going on throughout the
planet even as we speak. Civil wars, tribal wars, wars that are
taking untold thousands and even millions of human lives are going
on all over the earth. What is the root of this violence? Where did
it start? How can it end?
We see in the first family that is recorded in
the Bible and the Holy Qur�an, that when Allah created Adam He gave
him very specific instructions. Although said differently than the
Qur�an, but, very exquisitely, the Bible says that Allah (God) made
man and woman in His own image and after His own likeness.
The Qur�an says that Allah created the man and
called him Khalifa. That first man was Allah (God�s) own successor.
That man was to be standing in the place of Allah (God) over the
creation of Allah (God) and even over the angels of Allah (God).
This means that man and woman are the glory of
Allah (God) above all of His creation�sun, moon, and, stars. Man and
woman is the greatest of Allah (God�s) creation because we are
created by Allah (God) to stand in Allah�s (God)�s place in
rulership over what Allah (God) has created. We can only fulfill our
role as ordered by God when we willingly bring ourselves into
submission to the Will of Allah (God).
Allah gave Adam specific instructions to keep and
dress the garden and gave him his wife to help him to meet the
obligation, the duty, and the service that Allah (God) demanded of
Adam. So, when Adam disobeyed Allah (God) his eyes opened to a lower
self that was hidden from him. Whenever we disobey the Divine, we
open our eyes to the lower self and its call to us. When Adam and
Eve disobeyed God, they became involved in a relationship that was
not based on service to Allah (God) in keeping with His purpose for
their creation. Therefore, their marriage was rooted in lust and not
in love. As a result of that, they produced the first dysfunctional
family. A family that was divided.
The nature of the human being is to submit to the
Will of Allah (God). This is the best way, and really the only way
to be made secure, and it is the best way to enter into true peace
and contentment of mind. However, since the first family disobeyed
God, they lost the way to peace and security from the Hand of Allah
(God). They were put out of the garden, a place of security and they
had to do their best to secure themselves by whatever means
necessary.
From that day to this, man has been trying to
secure himself, not by obedience to Allah (God), but, by use of his
wits, skills, weapons, lies and deceit. Why do we lie to escape
consequences? It is because our nature is to be made secure. So,
lying is natural or instinctive when we are disobedient to Allah
(God) and trying to cover wrong or default in our duty, and, the
only way we do that is through the art of deception and lying.
Morality is based on observance of our Duty to
Allah (God), to self, to family, to community, and to the nation.
True morality is based upon obedience to the Will of Allah (God) and
that which is good, right and proper. One of the worst forms of
hypocrisy is the hypocrisy of self-righteousness. The self-righteous
see themselves as better than someone that they feel ought to be
condemned. This hypocrisy of self-righteousness makes the
self-righteous person to want full punishment for any sinner except
self, because they are blinded to their own unworthiness in the eyes
of God. If I polled the members of Congress and asked them whether
they have lied, they would say, "Yes, I have lied, but, I have never
lied under oath".
I
s the consequence of a
lie told outside of a courtroom or outside of a grand jury�s
deposition less damaging or is the consequence of a lie told in
court more damaging? Man has said if you lie under oath you
committed perjury, and, this carries a consequence in law. What
about lies that are told not under oath? Do you mean to say, you can
dismiss a lie told outside of a courtroom that doesn�t appear to be
unlawful, and, yet hold somebody�s foot to the fire because they
lied in court, when the nature of the lie is the same�to protect an
individual from consequences of their inappropriate and wrongful
behavior or their failure or default in duty?
When a president or an elected official takes an
oath of office, why do they raise their right hand and put their
left hand on the Bible? Why is the Bible used at all? I believe it
is because the Bible is represented as a book of truth and law. The
hand on that Bible is verifying that the right hand of the
individual will uphold not only the constitution of the state or the
country�s laws, but, the connection of the right hand to the left
and the left on top of the Bible should signify that the oath of
office would also require that the person must uphold the truthful
principles contained, in the scriptures and live up to the character
and principles of righteousness that is found in both the Bible and
Constitution.
Some politicians who take the oath of office are
false to their oath. Some of them represent big business, and,
moneyed interests, while they yet proclaim to uphold the
constitution and represent their constituents. Have they lied to the
American people? Whenever one accepts to abide by the Constitution,
their hand is not on the Constitution, but, their hand is on the
Bible. Then, should they not be held to the principles of the book,
as well as the principles of that Constitution?
In closing, I give to you what Jesus gave to the
people who said to Him, "Master, give us a sign of the end." And
Jesus said,"this wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a
sign, but there shall be no sign given to it except the sign of
Jonah". As Jonah was in the belly of the fish, three days and three
nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth. Jonah
means "the dove." That�s why I have a dove on a blue background.
Blue is the color of deceit. The sky looks blue, but it isn�t. The
water looks blue, but it isn�t. Blue is the color of deception. In
the midst of a nation filled with lies and deception, Allah (God)
yet offers His Mercy and His Forgiveness if the nation would repent.
The dove represents Christ. The dove represents
the soul of God, the spirit of God, and Jonah was a sign. Jonah was
the only prophet who went to a city that Allah (God) had determined
to destroy and saved it. Jonah came out in sack cloth and ashes and
then call on the people of Nineveh to repent and bow down. But the
beauty of this story is that the king of Nineveh heard this, and the
king came out in sack cloth and ashes and called on all the people
to fast and pray, to atone and repent. When they did this, Allah
(God) delayed His Judgment for hundreds of years.
"If My people who are called by My name will
humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their
sin and heal their land."
