I would like to explain the crucial elements of establishing a place of gathering; an actual community.
In our daily lives, we interact so much with people; families, friends, colleagues, acquaintances etc. We are all part of a community, part of some group. For example, I live in the Netherlands and I am part of the community of the town in live in.
I live with my parents and I see my siblings quite often. I see my colleagues 5 days a week at work. I see acquaintances at least once a month, be it in the supermarket, at the gym or at the town center.
The majority of us see our own blood relatives on a regular basis. Think about the amount of time that each one of us spends with the family members while in fact, it is God who states that it is not the blood-lineage that makes the true family.
49:10 The believers are members of one family; you shall keep the peace within your family and reverence God, that you may attain mercy.
The true believers are of one family as it is based upon something eternal; faith, monotheistic beliefs, standards, and lifestyle. And as a family, we ought to strive for God’s Cause at all times and support each other in unity.
3:200 O you who believe, you shall be steadfast, you shall persevere, you shall be united, you shall observe God, that you may succeed.
And so I wonder, how it is justified and possible for believers to be scattered all over the world. Each being in one corner of the earth, separated and isolated from each other? How is it possible to fully unite and observe God and His outlined path, when in fact the unity is merely based on electricity and internet connection?
Imagine for a moment, what it would be like if a catastrophic natural event would happen on earth, whereby we will all lose the connection through social media? We will all find ourselves completely isolated, being surrounded by people who are not living by God’s laws and standards, people who will not remind one another to the truth and will not support one another to remain steadfast and persevere. Imagine what a damage and downfall it could be for the believing soul, when it is being attacked at a moment of weakness and not being surrounded with believers, those who uphold the Quran alone and promote God’s truth?
103:1 By the afternoon.
103:2 The human being is utterly lost.
103:3 Except those who believe and lead a righteous life, and exhort one another to uphold the truth, and exhort one another to be steadfast.
Shouldn’t we realize that striving in God’s way brings implications along that surely needs to be implemented in each believer’s life?
The striving for God’s Cause includes for example:
– the spreading of the message (whereby we encounter other true submitters God willing)
– to be a witness of the truth 2:143 We thus made you an impartial community, that you may serve as witnesses among the people, and the messenger serves as a witness among you…..
– advocating righteousness and forbidding evil (even among ourselves, such as encouraging marriages for the single ones among us to avoid illegal sexual intercourse and find tranquility, practicing the Jumuah prayers in congregation as the word itself implies, etc)
– standing together in the face of persecution and war
Having a real community brings us the most effective way of accomplishing our duties and responsibilities as it is in accordance with the commandments of God.
Here are some verses of the Quran, where God is stating the importance and actually commanding us to establish a community of believers.
3:104 Let there be a community of you who invite to what is good, advocate righteousness, and forbid evil. These are the winners.
3:110 You are the best community ever raised among the people: you advocate righteousness and forbid evil, and you believe in God. If the followers of the scripture believed, it would be better for them. Some of them do believe, but the majority of them are wicked.
Even Abraham and Ismael were asking God for this special blessing of establishing future communities of true submitters.
2:128 “Our Lord, make us submitters to You, and from our descendants let there be a community of submitters to You. Teach us the rites of our religion, and redeem us. You are the Redeemer, Most Merciful.
We have the opportunity to be that community so it would be nice to establish it.
– and another very important way of striving for God’s cause is: believing, following and supporting the messenger
Here are some more verses emphasizing the proof that God sends messengers and what a great blessing that is.
16:36 We have sent a messenger to every community, saying, “You shall worship God, and avoid idolatry.” Subsequently, some were guided by God, while others were committed to straying. Roam the earth and note the consequences for the rejectors.
2:151 (Blessings) such as the sending of a messenger from among you to recite our revelations to you, purify you, teach you the scripture and wisdom, and to teach you what you never knew.
10:47 To each community, a messenger. After their messenger comes, they are judged equitably, without the least injustice.
13:30 We have sent you to this community, just as we did for other communities in the past. You shall recite to them what we reveal to you, for they have disbelieved in the Most Gracious. Say, “He is my Lord. There is no god except He. I put my trust in Him alone; to Him is my ultimate destiny.
35:24 We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of good news, as well as a warner. Every community must receive a warner.
28:59 For your Lord never annihilates any community without sending a messenger in the midst thereof, to recite our revelations to them. We never annihilate any community, unless its people are wicked.
Further again we see even the prayer of Abraham and Ismael of raising a messenger among the believers in the community of submitters.
2:129 “Our Lord, and raise among them a messenger to recite to them Your revelations, teach them the scripture and wisdom, and purify them. You are the Almighty, Most Wise.”
So how come we, the ones who had acknowledged that Rashad Khalifa was a messenger of God and who acknowledged the truth that came with him, and we, who know that God will still send messenger(s), why shouldn’t we ponder upon the fact that the Messenger of the Covenant has delivered the message he had to bring and fulfilled his mission and departed this world….?
How can we advance and progress on God’s path if we are not united as a community to welcome a future messenger sent by God to show us the way, the next stage of guidance when the cold and sad reality is that there is no “us” so far? How can we receive that person to teach us the scripture and God’s signs if we are not united and ready to support him?
It all emphasizes the need for believers who truly want to advance in God’s path.
Establishing a community is not an option, it is not something extra, it is needed for our own soul redemption, to progress and advance on the right path.
2:143 We thus made you an impartial community, that you may serve as witnesses among the people, and the messenger serves as a witness among you…..
10:98 Any community that believes will surely be rewarded for believing. For example, the people of Jonah: when they believed, we relieved the humiliating retribution they had been suffering in this world, and we made them prosperous.
21:6 We never annihilated a believing community in the past. Are these people believers?
So this question is not excluded for any of us. At all times we ought to check ourselves, repent and reform and strive…so again…are we true believers? Are we that impartial community to who God is referring to?
Or are we taking things for granted and choosing a comfortable earthly life above God’s way? A comfortable earthly life is not incompatible with faith, but it has to be accompanied by continuing and regular actions and efforts towards the establishment of a community of believers, ready to welcome God’s continuing guidance that comes through a messenger.
48:10 Surely, those who pledge allegiance to you, are pledging allegiance to God. God approves their pledge; He places His hand above their hands. Those who violate such a pledge, commit the violation to their own detriment. As for those who fulfill their pledge with God, He will grant them a great recompense.
90:10 Did we not show him the two paths?
11 He should choose the difficult path.
94:5 With pain there is gain.
94:6 Indeed, with pain there is gain.
And therefore anything or anyone in this world that keeps us away from the striving in God’s Cause can make us deviate from His path (even when we don’t notice it).
And the sooner we realize the importance of heeding God’s warnings and given prophecies, the closer we can get to God. Attaining high and even higher ranks with God comes through the heeding of His revelations and acting accordingly. That is striving in His cause.
And that is why I am convinced that being biding about this, it could easily be a tool for the devil to dupe us with.
For as long as we hide behind computer and phone screens, we can definitely not call ourselves an Ummah, a unity of believers. And that is a shame. A big shame. The existing online communities who claim to uphold the Quran alone, have all the potential to advance on God’s path, but for as long as we are not forming a solid basis we might as well close our eyes and stick our fingers in our ears. We might be subject to regression. That is how high the level of ignorance will appear.
61:4 God loves those who fight in His cause united in one column, like the bricks in one wall.
So it would be nice to end this state of being scattered around the world, as soon as possible. I sincerely hope that we all will take this as a reminder for ourselves and I am very looking forward to meeting and live among true brothers and sisters.
Nazgol Azarbad 