Page 234 - A Call For Unity
P. 234
A Call for Unity
Jesus' (pbuh) religion in obedience to him.
The Gospel states that those who persisted in rejecting
the Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) teachings accused his disciples of
forsaking their forefathers' traditions:
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from
Jerusalem and asked: "Why do your disciples break the tradition
of the elders?" (Matthew, 15: 1-2)
Another passage from the Gospel reveals the Prophet
Jesus' reply to such accusations, as follows:
So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus: "Why don't
your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders?" … He
[Jesus] replied: "You have let go of the commands of Allah and are
holding on to the traditions of men." And he said to them: "You
have a fine way of setting aside the commands of Allah in order to
observe your own traditions!" (Mark, 7: 5-9)
Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the
sake of your tradition? (Matthew, 15: 3)
Avoiding Hypocrisy and Ostentation
One other shared moral quality of believers is sincerity.
Believers are aware that Allah knows everything and that
they will have to account in the Hereafter for all of their
thoughts, speeches, and conduct in this world. They strive to
earn Allah's approval and are sincere in their conduct. As
they expect to be rewarded by Allah for their actions, they
have no petty interests and do not behave in ways designed
to impress or gain the love of other people.
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