No new resolutions for me, but a reminder for my daily living… What does it mean to believe?
“And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off evil;
Those who spend of that which God has given them in ease and in adversity, those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward mankind; God loves the good;
And those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember God and implore forgiveness for their sins — Who forgives sins except God alone? — and will not knowingly repeat the wrong they did.
The reward of such will be forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever — a bountiful reward for workers!”
Qur’an 3:133-136
In summary, those who believe should be:
- Charitable (generous in giving money or other help to the needy / mild or tolerant in judging others; lenient)
- Composed (serenely self-possessed; calm)
- Clement (inclined to be lenient or merciful)
- Contrite (feeling regret and sorrow for one’s sins or offenses; penitent)
If we can try to act on these daily, then perhaps we too can be counted among those being referred to. The best of resolutions, inshallah.
Last modified: 1 January 2015