Surely Allah is with those who perfect themselves
(Quran Ch. 29 Verse 69)
by, Dr. Halim Naeem, Ph.D
Jazakallah for the birthday wishes for Soof Proof turning 8. He had a great time and got some cool stuff too…
So another day in the car with Soof on the way to school:
Soof: Dad?
Me: yes?
Soof: Why did Allah make so many people?
Me: What do you mean?…
Soof: Like, why did he make so many people worship so many religions and pray to so many things that are not Allah?
Me: It’s because of His infinite mercy.
Soof: huh?
Me: He lets the human being choose what to worship. Not only that, many times, he lets them receive blessings just for sincerely praying to what they “think” is Allah, even though it might not be Allah.
Soof: hmm
Me: See, Allah gives infinite paths or ways to get to The Truth. He lets some people walk the path of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and all the other religions. Some people have to go through and explore certain things before getting to The Truth. Some paths are more direct than others. So Allah gives us the Mercy of infinite ways and paths for infinite people to go through and connect to Allah.
Soof: Okay, I see.
Me: Have a good day
Me: yes?
Soof: Why did Allah make so many people?
Me: What do you mean?…
Soof: Like, why did he make so many people worship so many religions and pray to so many things that are not Allah?
Me: It’s because of His infinite mercy.
Soof: huh?
Me: He lets the human being choose what to worship. Not only that, many times, he lets them receive blessings just for sincerely praying to what they “think” is Allah, even though it might not be Allah.
Soof: hmm
Me: See, Allah gives infinite paths or ways to get to The Truth. He lets some people walk the path of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and all the other religions. Some people have to go through and explore certain things before getting to The Truth. Some paths are more direct than others. So Allah gives us the Mercy of infinite ways and paths for infinite people to go through and connect to Allah.
Soof: Okay, I see.
Me: Have a good day
Soof: Salaamu Alaikum (peace be upon you)
Me: Wa alaikum Salaam (and on you be peace)
Me: Wa alaikum Salaam (and on you be peace)
Sometimes, we think we are ‘praying’ to Allah, when we are only worshipping our own desires. And we will swear by the “truth” we feel in our minds and hearts. We tell ourselves we follow a book and a path, but will disobey it in 2 seconds if something doesnt go our way. What Am I? What is my God truly? Do I really want a Prophet, or do I want To Profit? Sometimes I think I am a little toooo sure about how “religious” I am or how “spiritual” I want to be.I got an answer for everyone elses issues, but do I live by any answers for myself?
I don’t know about yall, but my Lord has been infinitely merciful to me, even when my hearts worships and desires things other than Him. He still blesses me…wow. Because, I cannot worship Allah, without Allah. Quran (Ch. 29 Verse 69)
“And as for those who sincerely strive hard towards Us, we will most certainly guide them through our paths. Surely Allah is with those who perfect themselves.”I pray that Allah guides Soof through the path of perfecting himself, and Unveils the Absolute Truth to him.
~Dr. Halim Naeem, Ph.D specializes in human behavior, personality and intellectual assessment, counseling (individual, adolescent, group, couple’s and family therapy), psychopathological issues, research methods, supervision, psychological theory, and ethics. He is also the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Muslim Center.
Muslim Center 