| CONFESSIONS
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FOR THE 'CONFESSIONS OF FAITH' TO BE FOUND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE QUR'AN  After the study of comparative religions, over a number of years, I have discovered that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are not only the three children of a common patriarch sharing a common heritage, but they all have a common belief in the existence of Revealed Scriptures. The preaching and practices of these religions are based upon the guidance and the norms that are dictated in their Holy Books. There is a heavenly thread that binds these books of Divine Instructions. The 'Great Instructor' being the ONE, I find conceptual similarities in quite a few instances between the norms dictated in the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Qur'an (Koran). Upon a closer study, one can easily notice that there happens to be a continuity of the Divine Instructions, linking one to another. Furthermore, these dictated fundamental Instructions are of a progressive nature. The bridges can be built between the three children of Abraham - "People of The Books" - if every son and daughter of the great patriarch reads with a wider perspective, the books of the other family members and respect their prophets. Reading of all the three scriptures, specially what the great prophets themselves had originally spoken or revealed, is bound to develop an attitude whose outlook would be panoramic enough to sweep the conceptual harmony between them. In the Qur'an, Jews and Christians are addressed as the "People of the Books". However, from an overall perspective, Muslims too are People of the Book, since Islam is also founded upon a Revealed Book - the Qur'an. The development of a newly born child's ability to successfully communicate his thoughts by speech is not possible within a short period of few years. The parents and teachers have to impart that skill gradually and through various progressive stages. The process demands years of hard labor and patience. The warmhearted compassionate parental love turns this endless and staggering task into a greatly overwhelming pleasure. The results of all these enormous efforts are immeasurably rewarding. Similarly, the development of mankind's ability to efficaciously comprehend its Creator, Sustainer and Benefactor is not possible within a short period of few generations. After the comprehension or acquiring of the belief comes the stage of acknowledgment or the confession of faith. The God in its infinite Mercy has been sending various Messengers to impart that spiritual knowledge gradually. The progressive step by step Divine Instructions (the Cardinal Messages), as recounted below.
INITIATING: Prophet Abraham (a.s) - the great patriarch and an upright caravan trader, spread the Primary Message for the 'Unity of God', (Indivisibility or the Oneness of the Supreme Creator). This itinerant nomad carried the Primary Message to every important trading post. The process of initiating was like a pre-school education in the early history of mankind's spiritual upbringing.
LISTENING: Prophet Moses (a.s.) - the stately consolidator of the early Semite tribes, taught his people the credo of 'Shema'; "Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one". Deut. 6:4. Moses, who came nearly six and half centuries after Abraham, instructed the Children of Israel to repeat and hear, this Primary Fundamental Message for the 'Unity of God' (Tawhid), in their ritual prayers, thrice a day. The process of listening the Primary Message over and over again was like a primary school education.
UNDERSTANDING:
Prophet Jesus (a.s.) - the righteous Messiah, advanced the Primary Message
of his predecessors and asked his followers to Know, Understand and Comprehend
what they have been hearing for the last twelve centuries. Prophet Jesus
said; "And
this is eternal life, that they may know Thee the only true God and Jesus
Christ whom Thou hast sent. I glorified Thee on earth, having
accomplished the work which Thou hast given me to do." John 17 :
3-4. Jesus came to glorify the One and Only True God who had sent
him. Understanding this Eternal Truth was
a kind of Secondary school education for mankind's Spiritual knowledge.
TESTIFYING: Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) - the seal of Prophets, gave the final instruction to his Ummah (Brotherhood). Nearly seven centuries after his predecessor, prophet Muhammad asked his followers to Affirm and Confess the Eternal Message with faith. A Muslim is supposed to testify with faith; "I perceive that there is no god except 'The God' and I perceive that Muhammad is the Messenger of 'The God'." when he joins the Islamic Brotherhood. This definitive confession for the Oneness of 'The God' combined with the absolute negation of its divisibility, was the Final Message. One may call it the Final Graduation. A believing Muslim submits his/her whole self to Allah (The God). Whatever had been Divinely Revealed or Inspired to the earlier prophets, in its untainted form, came from the One and Only Almighty Allah. He had placed therein, the Divine Light and the Guidance, for mankind. Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord: We make no difference (distinction) between one and another of them: And we submit to Allah." To visit the Home Page or read other articles by the author, click:
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Akbarally Meherally at webmaster9@mostmerciful.com
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