Quran Garden

Session 385

Chapter 3

Verses 51 & 52

"Indeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path."

(Chapter 3: Verse 51)

The message of Jesus, peace be upon him, is the same eternal heavenly message of all the prophets and messengers:

"Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path." (3:51)

When you hear the phrase "the straight path," you immediately imagine one long road leading to your destination.  No road exists for its own sake; it always leads to a destination.  God's path is no different; it leads to eternal paradise in the Hereafter.  He says:

This is My straight path, so follow it. And do not follow other paths, lest they scatter you from His path. This He has enjoined upon you, that you keep from disobedience to Him in reverence for Him and piety to deserve His protection. (6:153)

Thus, Jesus, peace be upon him, made it clear to his people which path to follow: "Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path."

By definition, "to worship" means to obey God's commands and avoid His prohibitions. Hence, when God says, "do," then I must do, and when He says, "do not do," then I must refrain.  But worship is not limited to Islam's established pillars such as prayer, Zakat almsgiving, and fasting the month of Ramadan.  These are the foundation on which Islam is built, but a foundation without a building is meaningless.  For example, it is not appropriate for you to dissociate yourself from God between the Maghrib sunset prayer and the Isha night prayer.  The pillars of Islam are meant to recharge your faith and give you the energy to act righteously at all times.  Worship encompasses every aspect of life because Allah wants a universe built by faith, not a few minutes of prayers.  He says:

O you who believe, when the call to prayer is made on the day of congregation, hasten to remember God, putting aside your trade–that is better for you, if only you knew. Then, when the prayer is finished, disperse in the land and seek out God's bounty. Remember God often so that you may prosper. (62:9-10)

Allah did not only order you to pray your Friday congregation prayers, but He also ordered you to go out and earn a living after the prayer is done.  Both are acts of worship.  He does not want you to be so involved in your trade and worldly affairs that you are late or forget your prayers.  Likewise, Allah does not want you to spend all your time in the mosque and ignore your family's needs.  Islam brings balance to your life.  The ritual of Friday prayers is meant to connect you with God and charge your faith with the necessary energy to run your trade ethically for the rest of the week.   

Take note that Allah chose "trade," not agriculture or manufacturing, because it is the moment a merchant, farmer, or industrialist collects profit.  Selling is the ultimate goal of all businesses.  The farmer can easily leave the land to pray because crops take months to mature.  So, when Allah orders you to leave trade, then leaving other professions is implied.  A buyer may buy out of necessity, but the seller is always happy to sell. 

In fact, you can turn every action of your day into worship by obeying God's command "when the prayer is finished, disperse in the land and seek out God's bounty."  If all Muslims obeyed their Lord's commands both in prayers and at work, the entire society would be prosperous.  And this is how we understand the verse narrating the words of our beloved Jesus: "Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path." He, peace be upon him, called on his people to be mindful of Allah in all aspects of their lives.  Sadly, the call to God did not go well with the Israelites.  God says in the next verse of Al-Imran:

And when Jesus sensed their faithlessness, he said, "Who will be my supporters toward God?" The Disciples said, "We will be supporters of God. We believe in God, so be our witness that we submit to Him."(Chapter 3: Verse 52)

The phrase "when Jesus sensed their faithlessness" gives us a valuable lesson in leadership.  Every person with a mission must be vigilant to the actions of those around him or her.  This is especially true in matters of faith because faith is the salvation that brings people out of darkness and into the light.

Here you may wonder: why do people, even when in the presence of a messenger from God, choose darkness over light?  We answer that many people gather power and riches by way of corruption and oppressing others.  Thus, the call to faith and justice threatens their way of life.  Such people detest the words of logic and often hate both the message and the bearer of that message. 

Our beloved Jesus knew that the society of the Israelites was rife with corruption.  While the oppressed were guided and comforted by his words, there were many others whom he angered.  Jesus had to be vigilant, so he could spot those who plotted against God's message. Thus when he sensed that the supporters of injustice and transgression did not appreciate him, he wanted to assemble a sincere and faithful group to help him on God's path.  He asked, "Who will be my supporters toward God?"