Idolatry or Submission

Are they seeking other than God’s religion, when everything in the heavens and the earth
has submitted to Him, willingly and unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned?
(3:83)

Our lives at times can be chaotic and seem unreasonable. For example a sure plan can easily turn into a disaster. At other times a simple get-together with family or friends becomes a feud. Different people can view their lives in their own separate ways. The majority of people may view their lives as a sequence of coincidences. These people use words like chance or luck to describe the good or bad that happens to them. Other people may view their lives as superstitions, and they go about lengthy procedures to avoid bad happenings.
However, the reader of the Quran has a more apt answer to the way our lives behave. The Quran strongly states that nothing is coincidental or superstitious about our lives. The understanding is directly

based on many verses in the Quran which describe that God is in total control of all creatures in this Universe. Anything that happens to any of us is ultimately controlled by God Almighty. The following verse from Sura ‘Amramites’ is one such verse which depicts God’s control over all things:

To God belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth, and all matters are controlled by God. (3:109)

Since God is in total control, it could only mean, firstly, our lives are not coincidental. Words like chance and luck are void and meaningless. Secondly, nobody other than God can give us joy or unhappiness, therefore there is no reason to be superstitious. The following verse from Sura ‘Consultation’

further gives meaning to our lives.

Anything bad that happens to you is a consequence of your own deeds, and He overlooks many (of your sins). (42:30)

Some people may object to this verse. They might say if God is Most Gracious and Merciful, and He is also in control, why then does He give unhappiness to some. Obviously these people are not aware of God’s system.
God indeed is Most Gracious and Merciful, because He created for us all the nice things which surround us, and provided us with shelter and provisions. However, we are indeed responsible for our own day to day lives.

Continued on page 2