Muhammad

Surrender seems real.

I was excited this week about learning about Islam. I admittedly knew next to nothing about it before we began, and even now have only begun to scratch the surface. Despite this religion being one of the newest major religions to be accepted by the world, it seems to be built on principles and ideas prevalent among many other religions. I've said it before and will most likely say it again: at the core, many religions share the same thoughts. Do not harm others. Love your God. Be honest. Be good. Do what is right. Most religions are designed on principles, or built on the backs of a man and his words, or a combination of both. It seems, like Christianity, that Islam is built firmly on the words and life of a very worthy man.

When first reading this passage, a few things struck me immediately. One was the actual word choice of Muhammad. “We created men: We know the very whisperings within him and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.” To me, this says more than entire sections in the Bible. It seems real. I spoke in an earlier writing about how when the writer of a passage seems real, it becomes simpler to see the message he has. This is definitely the case with Muhammad. After these few words, the rest of the passage began to seem less like an assignment and more like plunging into wisdom. “Wherever you turn is God's face.” It's simple, elegant, complicated, and short. I can find many passages within the Bible that share this sentiment, but to find it in so few words is something rare.

“True religion is surrender.” I love these words. Every time I think of religious devotion, I think of a deal with God. Men pray to God, worship Him, and in return, he guides, touches, and accepts them. This short line speaks of an entirely different way of knowing God. He is not some change machine that you can receive from as you give: he is God. He is, and He is more than that. You cannot expect from him, but only jump off the cliff and feel him tearing your skin apart. You must jump into the ocean and know He is every drop, and feel them all at once. You must fall in love and know that to truly feel God's love would be more than your mere body could take. You would break in ecstasy.

God is God, and cannot be less than that.