World Blog by humble servant.Fulfilling our obligations [3:76] Indeed, those who fulfill their obligations and lead a righteous life, GOD loves the righteous

Fulfilling our obligations

[3:76] Indeed, those who fulfill their obligations and lead a righteous life, GOD loves the righteous.

[3:77] As for those who trade away GOD's covenant, and their obligations, for a cheap price, they receive no share in the Hereafter. GOD will not speak to them, nor look at them, on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. They have incurred a painful retribution.

From these verses of the Quran, we can see that all humans have certain obligations to fulfill in order to enjoy God’s grace and be redeemed by Him. In the Quran, God has provided us with the information we need about our obligations and how to fulfill them. There are both religious obligations and obligations for everyday righteous living.

Obligation is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “An act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.”

Religious obligations

Our religious obligations include the religious practices: The Contact Prayers (Salat), the obligatory charity (Zakat) (2:110, 6:141, 20:14, 22:78), fasting during the month of Ramadan (2:185) and performing Hajj pilgrimage for those who can afford it (3:97, 22:27-29).

Observing the worship practices also helps us develop and strengthen our souls—our real selves (2:177, 30:44). Since the religious rites are so important for developing our souls, we need to be careful not to be distracted from them by this worldly life. The example of Solomon comes to mind; he became preoccupied with his beautiful horses and missed a Contact Prayer (38:30-32).

Furthermore, obeying God is part of our obligation (24:52-54). We obey God by obeying His laws and commandments (4:13, 33:70-71, 57:27). God’s commandments have an inherent wisdom and we benefit as individuals and as a society when we follow them (6:151-153, 8:73).

[24:52-53] Those who obey GOD and His messenger, and reverence GOD and observe Him, these are the triumphant ones. They swear by GOD, solemnly, that if you commanded them to mobilize, they would mobilize. Say, “Do not swear. Obedience is an obligation. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.”

When there is a human messenger among us we want to obey and follow him (4:59, 20:90, 26:106-108, 43:63, 64:12, 72:19-23, 2:143). After a messenger’s death we follow the message delivered by the messenger, which includes observing the practices and rites they taught us (2:135, 31:15). The Quran is a messenger of God (11:1-3, 65:10-11).

Personal obligations

Besides religious obligations, we also have personal obligations in our daily lives and affairs (3:76). Examples of fulfilling personal obligations given in the Quran include repaying loans (3:75-3:76), Moses fulfilling his work agreement (28:27-29) and the witnesses of a loan testifying when they are asked to testify (2:282). The Quran also discusses obligations in marriage and divorce (4:24, 4:34, 2:226-233, 2:240-241).

Our Covenant with God

One of the ways we can remind ourselves about our obligations to God is to think about obligations in terms of covenants.

Covenant is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as “a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement.” An article that discusses the meaning of covenant in the Old Testament states that a covenant is elected and relational as two parties enter it by choice. Furthermore, it is “a relationship of obligation, because it always binds one or both of the parties to certain specified duties.”

 

Therefore, a covenant is in fact an obligation we have taken upon ourselves to fulfill. We all made a covenant with God to worship Him alone (36:60-61). Making a covenant comes with responsibility (17:34). It is important for us to act responsibly and fulfill our covenants with God and others (5:1, 5:7, 6:152).

[17:34] You shall not touch the orphans' money except for their own good, until they reach maturity. You shall fulfill your covenants, for a covenant is a great responsibility.

 In this life we have religious and personal obligations to fulfill and when we fulfill them, we reap the rewards here and in the Hereafter.                                                                                               THE REMINDER REMINDS THE REMINDER

Why does God mention “remind” so often in the Quran? Because He knows that we need constant reminders. And why does He tell us frequently to remind others? Because He knows that by reminding someone else, we are also reminding ourselves.

[51:55] And remind, for the reminder benefits the believers.

When you remind your child to do his homework, it’s to his benefit to follow this advice. But if he does or doesn’t do his homework, it doesn’t affect you directly. If you remind your small child not to touch the hot stove, you will not be harmed if he doesn’t listen.

But when you remind someone to worship God alone, this not only provides a benefit for the person being reminded, but it also, by God’s immense mercy and grace, benefits the reminder. God gives you credit for remembering Him and exhorting others, in a nice manner, to do the same. Whether or not the person pays any attention to your reminder, you still receive the credit. And only God knows what’s in the heart of this person; perhaps years later, he or she will remember the reminder and finally take heed.

[6:69] The righteous are not responsible for the utterances of those people, but it may help to remind them; perhaps they may be saved.

We know that the majority of people on earth will not worship God and even those that do will pollute their worship with idols (12:103 & 106).

[37:13] When reminded, they take no heed[74:49-53] Why are they so averse to this reminder? Running like zebras. Who are fleeing from the lion!  Does each one of them want to receive the scripture personally? Indeed, they do not fear the Hereafter.

This is the behavior of disbelievers. They don’t want to hear it; they turn away in aversion— [26:5] Whenever a reminder from the Most Gracious comes to them, that is new, they turn away in aversion.

[32:22] Who is more evil than one who is reminded of these revelations of his Lord, then insists upon disregarding them? We will certainly punish the guilty.

Yet, we are told to remind. [87:9] Therefore, you shall remind; perhaps the reminder will benefit. The word “remind” means to cause someone to remember something. So, this is something we need to do for one another in submission. When we remind each other that it’s time to pray, this is a benefit for everyone. When we remind each other that we need to be charitable or humble or forgiving, this benefits the person receiving the advice and the person giving it. And the person receiving the admonition needs to remember that.  [25:73] When reminded of their Lord's revelations, they never react to them as if they were deaf and blind.

Sometimes, however, advice sounds like criticism. If someone says it’s time to pray, you might react as if they are implying that without the reminder you would not remember to pray. When you’re going through some hardship and someone says, “You need to repent and reform,” this reminder might sound like a rebuke. You can react with anger and frustration—“I know what I have to do!”—or you can appreciate the caring of the other person and take the reminder to heart. And the person giving the reminder needs to intend it with heartfelt concern, first asking if there’s any way they can be of help and offering prayers of solace. Both parties need to remember that God has set up the situation for all involved, and the reminder will remind both the reminder and the reminder. For the believers, this becomes a reason for celebration and giving thanks to God.

[38:49] This is a reminder: The righteous have deserved a wonderful destiny.

[50:8] This is an enlightenment, and a reminder for every pious worshiper.

[76:29] This is a reminder: whoever wills shall choose the path to his Lord.

We are told to remind, and a reminder is always of benefit if we get our ego out of the way and open up to God’s guidance.