Page 124 - Living in Accordance with the Qur'an
P. 124

LIVING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE QUR'AN


             PURIFYING THE SELF IN ACCORDANCE WITH
             THE QUR’AN INSTEAD OF DEFEND AND JUSTIFY IT
             (Yusuf said,) ‘I do not say my self was free from blame. The self in-
             deed commands to evil acts–except for those my Lord has mercy
             on. My Lord, He is Forgiving, Merciful.’ (Surah Yusuf, 53)
             Do you not see those who claim to be purified? No, God purifies

             whoever He wills. They will not be wronged by so much as the
             smallest speck. (Surat an-Nisa’, 49)
             You who believe! Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. Anyone
             who follows in Satan’s footsteps should know that he commands
             indecency and wrongdoing. Were it not for God’s favour to you
             and His mercy, not one of you would ever have been purified. But

             God purifies whoever He wills. God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
             (Surat an-Nur, 21)
             To whoever avoids the major wrong actions and indecencies–
             except for minor lapses–truly your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He
             has most knowledge of you when He first produced you from the
             earth, and when you were embryos in your mothers’ wombs. So
             do not claim purity for yourselves. He knows best those who
             guard against evil. (Surat an-Najm, 32)

             He who has purified himself will have success. (Surat al-A’la Sure-
             si, 14)
             ... Whoever is purified, is purified for himself alone. (Surah Fatir,
             18)
             And (I swear by) the self and what proportioned it and inspired it
             with depravity or sense of duty, he who purifies it has succeeded,

             he who covers it up has failed. (Surat ash-Shams, 7-10)
             Do not ever stand in it (a mosque set up to create division among


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