Salvation 2

Salaam All

Night 22

Salvation is the creative act of God – not us making ourselves better!

Simply using the term "salvation" brings about visions of pulpit pounding, running from satan and sin, and getting your fire insurance. Salvation however is a four-letter word.

“And God is Lord of Extreme Grace” Al-Baqara 2.105 reframes the salvation experience and allows it to be what it is - LOVE...God's love for man and man's response to that love. Grace is a primary characteristic of God. Grace means that we receive the love and mercy of God through no merit of our own, but simply because of God’s great compassion and tenderness.

And this is what we seek in the last ten days of Ramadan which are considered the most sacred; Muhammad (p) spent intense nights in prayer during this period. It is also the period during which Laylat al-Qadr, or The Night of Power, occurs. This is the night in which the Quran was revealed.

Muslims believe that this night is “better than a thousand months,” and that those who spend their time in acts of worship on this night earn special favour and reward with God. Some even go so far as to live inside the mosque for the entire ten day period, in a constant regimen of prayer and worship – this is called “i`tikaf.” In many mosques there will be sleeping bags, pillows and backpacks for those who had moved in to observe i’tikaf.

There is an overriding sense of building anticipation, of hope, during these last ten days.

Hope is a commendable thing, because it is a source of incentive, whereas despair is reprehensible and is the antithesis of hope, because it distracts from prayer/work. Know that action on account of hope is of a higher order than action on account of fear, because those who are nearest to God are those who love Him most, and love dominates hope.

The state of hope produces sustained spiritual combat through actions, and perseverance in obedience.  Among its effects are finding pleasure in unbroken acceptance with God, contentment in private prayer with Him and fondness for deferring to Him.

Shamal...Make supplications like this:  O God you are the one who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me. This is an antidote for our sinful sickness.