Thursday, December 21, 2006

Quran Surah 39:53 (Sufism and Grace)

"Say: Oh my servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not about the Grace of Allah for Allah forgives All sins. The Spirit is Forgiving and All Merciful."

How does Sufism approach the question of forgiveness, grace and legalism?

Let's begin by stating that Grace cannot be earned. It is a free gift from God to undeserving humans. The Abrahamic Faiths notoriously miss the mark when they posit either a necessary intermediary who serves as redeemer (such as Jesus) or a strict legalism (such as following the law as in popular Islam and Judaism). 39:53 clearly confirms what Sufis have been teaching for centuries, namely that forgiveness is for all humans/Jinn/spirits for any and ALL sins.

Just the very realization of the ultimate love of the Spirit should be enough to draw all beings back to the Source.

One of the strategies of Satan is drive people from the Light. Satan attempts to accomplish this by turning individuals against themselves. Guilt and shame acts, then, as a vehicle by which humans flee the Light. It is guilt and shame that become the prisons of our eternal hell.

If we embrace the Light and the Love of the Ultimate Source, realizing that grace is free to all, we will find ourselves drawn ever closer to Being.

So mote it be!

For more Rose Crescent commentary on the Noble Qur'an click here.

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