Muslim Issues
Go ahead and sin because God loves you.
- 16 December 2010
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A wise man (Franklin P. Jones) once said “Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they're going to catch you in next” and I was to glean the full meaning of this insight on a grey Sunday afternoon in October, as I was lounging on our exceptionally comfortable new couch.
My seven year old son had recently been told by an adult Muslim relative, that committing sin was not something he should worry about because God being forgiving, He would forgive whatever sins anyone did. Basically it’s ok to do forbidden things because God is the most Merciful, which translates in the head of my child as, do exactly as you please because nothing is really that bad, hey if God can forgive it, so can dad. This rather self serving and convenient conception of God’s mercy I call “S.C gone mad”. By S.C. I mean ‘Sufi Concepts.’
My son can and ought to be forgiven for being confused by this rather deep and effectively, quite complex, theological matter. Particularly when it seems grown Muslims themselves are increasingly prone to adopting the “I can do whatever because God will forgive me” mode of reasoning. What has astounded me in my small scale investigation of the matter is that generally speaking, Muslims who adhere to this type of reasoning, tend to be the very same ones intent on following their whims and desires, whatever ugly muddy path this may take them down. They then seek to rationialise the reconciliation of their alleged religiosity and unorthodox actions, by using the now ultra ’in’ God-will-forgive-me card. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying God is the Most Merciful, nor that he does indeed forgive great sin, in his creation when - and this is the important caveat - his creation sincerely repents. But sincerity is key here. It is possible to err, we all do it to more or lesser degrees, but once we have realised our error, we repent and seek to avoid repeating the same error. The analogy I gave my son was that of a particular boy in school who goes around thumping all the kids. When it came to my son‘s turn to get a thump, the offender later approached him and apologised for hitting him. My son accepted the apology and school life resumed. But only days later, the boy came up to him and hit him once again for no reason. Again, the boy apologised, but my son came home flustered. He was willing to accept the apology, but only if this really meant an end to the thumping - otherwise as he quite rightly pointed out, they were just ‘words.’ Similarly, those people propounding the ‘God
Forgives anything’ pseudo-sufi concept are in essence demeaning and undermining the concept of repentance - and annoyingly for me - confusing my child.
In my view, this is a classic case of the abuse of Sufi teaching, when classical Sufi teachings are rightly focused on adherence to the sharia as the path to an enlightened state of being. It is with great sadness and no less frustration that I note that these days, all those claiming to be Sufis are essentially Muslims struggling with living out their faith and seeking get out clauses to legitimise their lifestyles. According to Fethullah Gulen a prominent Sufi writer “a sufi is one who totally adheres to the Sharia” - and he would know - he heads one of the oldest and most established Sufi tariqas in Turkey, with a massive global following.
There is evidence in the Quran to support the case for God’s infinite forgiveness, but to note this without noting the other aspects of God’s being is to read the Quran very selectively indeed:
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” Hadith–ul-Qudsi
But also the Messenger of God (may peace be upon him) said:
"God removes faith from one who engages in illicit sex or consumes intoxicants just as a man removes his shirt when pulling it over his head"
What these pseudo Sufis seem to not quite get, is that repentance is not a way to legitimise forbidden actions, but rather it is an acknowledgment of one’s straying i.e. disobedience of God. The essence of repentance is to return to God and to adhere to what He loves and renounce that which He dislikes. Something that is Haram ( forbidden) is still forbidden whether God loves us or not. Also, what is often forgotten (not to say, omitted), is that God has other attributes too - he is also the Most Just and The Punisher! Let‘s break it down (or revisit the discussion I had on Sunday). If we have two types of Muslims, one who understands that he must adhere to God’s duties and commands, but falls now and then, and sins but then repents sincerely - compared to a Muslim who actively chooses to live a particular lifestyle in full knowledge and awareness that it is antithetical to Islam, and contrary to its teachings. This person is sinning continually and sins willingly, not unconsciously or out of a momentary weakness. This person disobeys God, consumes intoxicants, fornicates, and banks on this notion of forgiveness. Would it be just of God who, as we are reminded, is the Most Just, to treat these two people in the same way?
I'm a big believer in doing things all the way or not doing them at all, so my advice to Muslims who have chosen a non- Islamic lifestyle , is this: You need to make a decision - which essentially comes down to being consistent with yourself and the world around you. Either you’re a Muslim and you strive to abide by God’s requirements, or you’re not! The notion of a Muslim as one who submits entirely to God is absolutely central to not misunderstanding what is meant here. When one submits oneself to God, there is a struggle at times between one’s desires, and one’s obligations. At times there may be complete symbiosis, but at times, there may also be conflict. If that struggle is absent, if the desires guide all actions and God’s forgiveness is just a way to sleep better at night - perhaps it is time to reconsider your route.
God does not need any single one of us, and He certainly doesn't need any favours from His creation. Someone once said that agnostics are atheists without balls. I think we have our own version of agnostics in the Muslim community. Basically, believers without balls. In my view, it’s not enough to merely claim to be Muslim because you believe in God and that Mohammed is the last prophet. Shaytan (the devil) too believes these facts and knows them to be true more than most of us. But Shaytan is not a disbeliever because he didn't believe - he is a disbeliever because he rebelled against God’s commandments and wilfully chose to live in sin. Now I'm not saying that a Muslim of this ilk is a disbeliever, there is plenty of room in the Muslim community for Muslims at all levels of progress in their Deen and I am far from perfect myself, but what I am saying is that the Muslims in question need to grow a pair and be consistent in whatever route they decide to take. Either you’re a Muslim and you sincerely strive in God’s way, falling off the bandwagon at times, but heaving yourself back on at all costs, OR you’d rather bat for the other camp. In which case, stop confusing our children with mishmash ideas and get on with living out your desires, in full knowledge that in the end, God will forgive you anyway, right? Not so sure anymore?
You may be curious as to my son’s response to this discussion. He quite shrewdly replied “Well, God does punish, if he didn't, then there wouldn't be hell fire would there.”. O the Wisdom of our youth… All praise be to God.
My son can and ought to be forgiven for being confused by this rather deep and effectively, quite complex, theological matter. Particularly when it seems grown Muslims themselves are increasingly prone to adopting the “I can do whatever because God will forgive me” mode of reasoning. What has astounded me in my small scale investigation of the matter is that generally speaking, Muslims who adhere to this type of reasoning, tend to be the very same ones intent on following their whims and desires, whatever ugly muddy path this may take them down. They then seek to rationialise the reconciliation of their alleged religiosity and unorthodox actions, by using the now ultra ’in’ God-will-forgive-me card. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying God is the Most Merciful, nor that he does indeed forgive great sin, in his creation when - and this is the important caveat - his creation sincerely repents. But sincerity is key here. It is possible to err, we all do it to more or lesser degrees, but once we have realised our error, we repent and seek to avoid repeating the same error. The analogy I gave my son was that of a particular boy in school who goes around thumping all the kids. When it came to my son‘s turn to get a thump, the offender later approached him and apologised for hitting him. My son accepted the apology and school life resumed. But only days later, the boy came up to him and hit him once again for no reason. Again, the boy apologised, but my son came home flustered. He was willing to accept the apology, but only if this really meant an end to the thumping - otherwise as he quite rightly pointed out, they were just ‘words.’ Similarly, those people propounding the ‘God
Forgives anything’ pseudo-sufi concept are in essence demeaning and undermining the concept of repentance - and annoyingly for me - confusing my child.
In my view, this is a classic case of the abuse of Sufi teaching, when classical Sufi teachings are rightly focused on adherence to the sharia as the path to an enlightened state of being. It is with great sadness and no less frustration that I note that these days, all those claiming to be Sufis are essentially Muslims struggling with living out their faith and seeking get out clauses to legitimise their lifestyles. According to Fethullah Gulen a prominent Sufi writer “a sufi is one who totally adheres to the Sharia” - and he would know - he heads one of the oldest and most established Sufi tariqas in Turkey, with a massive global following.
There is evidence in the Quran to support the case for God’s infinite forgiveness, but to note this without noting the other aspects of God’s being is to read the Quran very selectively indeed:
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” Hadith–ul-Qudsi
But also the Messenger of God (may peace be upon him) said:
"God removes faith from one who engages in illicit sex or consumes intoxicants just as a man removes his shirt when pulling it over his head"
What these pseudo Sufis seem to not quite get, is that repentance is not a way to legitimise forbidden actions, but rather it is an acknowledgment of one’s straying i.e. disobedience of God. The essence of repentance is to return to God and to adhere to what He loves and renounce that which He dislikes. Something that is Haram ( forbidden) is still forbidden whether God loves us or not. Also, what is often forgotten (not to say, omitted), is that God has other attributes too - he is also the Most Just and The Punisher! Let‘s break it down (or revisit the discussion I had on Sunday). If we have two types of Muslims, one who understands that he must adhere to God’s duties and commands, but falls now and then, and sins but then repents sincerely - compared to a Muslim who actively chooses to live a particular lifestyle in full knowledge and awareness that it is antithetical to Islam, and contrary to its teachings. This person is sinning continually and sins willingly, not unconsciously or out of a momentary weakness. This person disobeys God, consumes intoxicants, fornicates, and banks on this notion of forgiveness. Would it be just of God who, as we are reminded, is the Most Just, to treat these two people in the same way?
I'm a big believer in doing things all the way or not doing them at all, so my advice to Muslims who have chosen a non- Islamic lifestyle , is this: You need to make a decision - which essentially comes down to being consistent with yourself and the world around you. Either you’re a Muslim and you strive to abide by God’s requirements, or you’re not! The notion of a Muslim as one who submits entirely to God is absolutely central to not misunderstanding what is meant here. When one submits oneself to God, there is a struggle at times between one’s desires, and one’s obligations. At times there may be complete symbiosis, but at times, there may also be conflict. If that struggle is absent, if the desires guide all actions and God’s forgiveness is just a way to sleep better at night - perhaps it is time to reconsider your route.
God does not need any single one of us, and He certainly doesn't need any favours from His creation. Someone once said that agnostics are atheists without balls. I think we have our own version of agnostics in the Muslim community. Basically, believers without balls. In my view, it’s not enough to merely claim to be Muslim because you believe in God and that Mohammed is the last prophet. Shaytan (the devil) too believes these facts and knows them to be true more than most of us. But Shaytan is not a disbeliever because he didn't believe - he is a disbeliever because he rebelled against God’s commandments and wilfully chose to live in sin. Now I'm not saying that a Muslim of this ilk is a disbeliever, there is plenty of room in the Muslim community for Muslims at all levels of progress in their Deen and I am far from perfect myself, but what I am saying is that the Muslims in question need to grow a pair and be consistent in whatever route they decide to take. Either you’re a Muslim and you sincerely strive in God’s way, falling off the bandwagon at times, but heaving yourself back on at all costs, OR you’d rather bat for the other camp. In which case, stop confusing our children with mishmash ideas and get on with living out your desires, in full knowledge that in the end, God will forgive you anyway, right? Not so sure anymore?
You may be curious as to my son’s response to this discussion. He quite shrewdly replied “Well, God does punish, if he didn't, then there wouldn't be hell fire would there.”. O the Wisdom of our youth… All praise be to God.
