I Am Enjoying Being A Muslim
Muslims don't believe that we live on earth as a "punishment". Some believers think that Adam (peace be upon him) ate from the tree and so God punished him, and sent him to the earth. Therefore, coming to the earth, for some people, is a punishment.
No.
God put us on the earth before any tree, or any fruit, or anything. God already said that we are supposed to be on the earth, that was part of the plan. Allow me to give you an example that should make sense:
There's a person who works in a company and he is a secretary, very "low job", first at the front desk. Almost security guard kind of guy. He has to get tea for the boss, he has to drive his car, that's what he does. But he works pretty hard and he gets promoted. Then he goes to school and he gets promoted again.. and then he gets promoted again, and again, and again...
He serves for this company for 40 years. And now he is the vice-president of the company. He gave his whole life for this company.
Now there's only one person who has a higher job than him. Who's that? The president.
One day, the president walks into this man's office with a 15 year-old boy and he says to him, "Hey listen, this 15 year-old boy is our new vice-president. Go get him some tea".
This man served this company for 40 years. He got promoted .. and promoted.. and promoted.. then all of a sudden "this 15 year-old is going to be the vice president?! Excuse me?! No! They can't do that to me!" the man said, "Who is he?! What degree or qualification does he have?! What is he ever done?! He doesn't know anything! Look at what I have done! Look at my experience and my qualifications! Has he even graduated from school?! This boy?! Really?! I do not accept!"
Don't you feel bad for this man? Obviously, this is not fair.
But I'm not talking about a vice-president, am I? Who am I talking about?
Yes, Satan.
Did he serve God before? Yes. Did he get promoted? Yes. he got promoted even above the Angels. And all of the sudden, this thing is made from dirt, and God put soul in it and said that this gets the promotion. Satan says no, that's not fair.
The complaint of Satan is logical. It's understandable. Right?
Now imagine that you work in a company, and your company decided that they are going to transfer you to a less-developed country, but they don't tell you. They emailed the whole department, but they don't email you. Everybody knows, and the only one who does not know is you.
One day you come to office 5 minutes late, and your boss says "Can I talk to you for a second? You have come 5 minutes late. This is unacceptable. I'm transferring you to another country".
You say "But wait a minute, the plan was always to send me to that country".
Somebody came to tell you that everybody got the email and that you're going to be transferred. You said:
- "Really?!"
- "Yeah"
- "But I don't want to go to that country. I want to stay here"
- "If you want to stay here, meet me in my office. It will take only 5 minutes. You will only be 5 minutes late to work"
And when you came to office 5 minutes late, your boss says he's going to "punish you" and send you to that country. You say "No, you already decided. You're not sending me because I made a mistake. You are sending me because that was your plan. It's not my fault. You were always going to do that."
But I'm not talking about you, am I?
I'm talking about Adam (peace be upon him).
What did God tell the Angels? He told them that He was going to send Adam to the earth. But Adam did not begin his life on the earth. He begun his life in Paradise, and then he's living in Paradise, he's told that he can have anything he wants, and the only thing he cannot have is one tree, one forbidden fruit from that tree.
Now Satan comes to him, and we learn from [Quran 7:20] that he gives him two options:
Satan tells Adam that he's going to be sent to the earth, and the only ones who get to stay in Paradise are the Angels, and the only way for him to be like the Angels is to eat that fruit, and that's why God doesn't want him to eat from that tree.
And now Adam and his wife ate from the tree. What does God say? God tells them to get down from Paradise and go to the earth.
Now let's compare Adam to Satan:
Was Adam given a promotion?
Yes, even the Angels bowed down to him.
Was Satan given a promotion?
Yes, even above the ranks of the Angels.
Adam (peace be upon him) was honored by God.
Satan was also honored by God.
Adam disobeyed God.
Satan disobeyed God.
Satan has a logical complaint.
Adam can also have a logical compliant, right?
"You were always going to send me to the earth. This is a trap! I eat from the tree, or I don't eat from the tree, you were always going to send me to the earth . You already knew I was going to eat from the tree. God already knows what I'm going to do. It's not my fault".
So both Satan and Adam can have a logical complaint.
The difference is Satan makes the complaint. But Adam does not complain, he says [Quran 7:23]:
You know what happens when people want to blame God, they don't want to take responsibility. Adam (peace be upon him) took personal responsibility. When people want to blame God, they will be like Satan. And when people take personal responsibility, they will be like Adam (peace be upon him).
The entire problem of destiny is one problem; the problem of responsibility. That's all it is.
No.
God put us on the earth before any tree, or any fruit, or anything. God already said that we are supposed to be on the earth, that was part of the plan. Allow me to give you an example that should make sense:
There's a person who works in a company and he is a secretary, very "low job", first at the front desk. Almost security guard kind of guy. He has to get tea for the boss, he has to drive his car, that's what he does. But he works pretty hard and he gets promoted. Then he goes to school and he gets promoted again.. and then he gets promoted again, and again, and again...
He serves for this company for 40 years. And now he is the vice-president of the company. He gave his whole life for this company.
Now there's only one person who has a higher job than him. Who's that? The president.
One day, the president walks into this man's office with a 15 year-old boy and he says to him, "Hey listen, this 15 year-old boy is our new vice-president. Go get him some tea".
This man served this company for 40 years. He got promoted .. and promoted.. and promoted.. then all of a sudden "this 15 year-old is going to be the vice president?! Excuse me?! No! They can't do that to me!" the man said, "Who is he?! What degree or qualification does he have?! What is he ever done?! He doesn't know anything! Look at what I have done! Look at my experience and my qualifications! Has he even graduated from school?! This boy?! Really?! I do not accept!"
Don't you feel bad for this man? Obviously, this is not fair.
But I'm not talking about a vice-president, am I? Who am I talking about?
Yes, Satan.
Did he serve God before? Yes. Did he get promoted? Yes. he got promoted even above the Angels. And all of the sudden, this thing is made from dirt, and God put soul in it and said that this gets the promotion. Satan says no, that's not fair.
The complaint of Satan is logical. It's understandable. Right?
Now imagine that you work in a company, and your company decided that they are going to transfer you to a less-developed country, but they don't tell you. They emailed the whole department, but they don't email you. Everybody knows, and the only one who does not know is you.
One day you come to office 5 minutes late, and your boss says "Can I talk to you for a second? You have come 5 minutes late. This is unacceptable. I'm transferring you to another country".
You say "But wait a minute, the plan was always to send me to that country".
Somebody came to tell you that everybody got the email and that you're going to be transferred. You said:
- "Really?!"
- "Yeah"
- "But I don't want to go to that country. I want to stay here"
- "If you want to stay here, meet me in my office. It will take only 5 minutes. You will only be 5 minutes late to work"
And when you came to office 5 minutes late, your boss says he's going to "punish you" and send you to that country. You say "No, you already decided. You're not sending me because I made a mistake. You are sending me because that was your plan. It's not my fault. You were always going to do that."
But I'm not talking about you, am I?
I'm talking about Adam (peace be upon him).
What did God tell the Angels? He told them that He was going to send Adam to the earth. But Adam did not begin his life on the earth. He begun his life in Paradise, and then he's living in Paradise, he's told that he can have anything he wants, and the only thing he cannot have is one tree, one forbidden fruit from that tree.
Now Satan comes to him, and we learn from [Quran 7:20] that he gives him two options:
أَنْ تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ الْخَالِدِينَ
Become angels or immortals
Become angels or immortals
Satan tells Adam that he's going to be sent to the earth, and the only ones who get to stay in Paradise are the Angels, and the only way for him to be like the Angels is to eat that fruit, and that's why God doesn't want him to eat from that tree.
And now Adam and his wife ate from the tree. What does God say? God tells them to get down from Paradise and go to the earth.
Now let's compare Adam to Satan:
Was Adam given a promotion?
Yes, even the Angels bowed down to him.
Was Satan given a promotion?
Yes, even above the ranks of the Angels.
Adam (peace be upon him) was honored by God.
Satan was also honored by God.
Adam disobeyed God.
Satan disobeyed God.
Satan has a logical complaint.
Adam can also have a logical compliant, right?
"You were always going to send me to the earth. This is a trap! I eat from the tree, or I don't eat from the tree, you were always going to send me to the earth . You already knew I was going to eat from the tree. God already knows what I'm going to do. It's not my fault".
So both Satan and Adam can have a logical complaint.
The difference is Satan makes the complaint. But Adam does not complain, he says [Quran 7:23]:
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا
Our Master, we have wronged our souls
"Even if it doesn't make sense to me, my logic is limited because I am a human being. God knows way more than I do, and God has way more wisdom than I do. I know that I got greedy. I know my fault".Our Master, we have wronged our souls
You know what happens when people want to blame God, they don't want to take responsibility. Adam (peace be upon him) took personal responsibility. When people want to blame God, they will be like Satan. And when people take personal responsibility, they will be like Adam (peace be upon him).
The entire problem of destiny is one problem; the problem of responsibility. That's all it is.
