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Thursday, May 15, 2014

10 WAYS TO BE CLOSER TO GOD

Do you want God in your life in the most personal and rewarding way possible? Here are 10 ways to increase your love for God and His love for you. (For detailed “how-to” instructions, call the numbers listed below.) These ten actions are based on the teachings of Islam in the Holy Quran and from the life example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him). These were written by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as conditions of initiation into the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which he founded in 1889 in Qadian, Northern India.

1. Do not associate any partners with God. This means believing that God is singularly One, the only Supreme Being and sole Creator of the Universe and everything in it. He has no children or partners or “persons” comprising His Eternal, non-physical make-up. There is only God alone. 

2. Keep away from falsehood, fornication, adultery, trespasses of the eye, debauchery, unrestrained indulgence in physical pleasures (especially drunkenness), cruelty, dishonesty, mischief and rebellion. Do not let yourself be carried away by passions, however strong they may be.

3. Regularly offer the five daily prayers in accordance with the command of God and the Holy Prophet (pbuh); and try your best to regularly offer the Tahajjud (pre-dawn optional) prayer, and invoke blessings of God upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Make it your daily routine to ask forgiveness for your sins, to remember the bounties of God and to praise and glorify Him.

4. Under the impulse of any passions, cause no harm whatsoever to the creatures of God and human beings in general, nor to those who are completely submitted to Him; neither by your tongue, your hands, nor by any other means. You should embody “Love for All – Hatred for None.”

5. Remain faithful to God in all circumstances of life -- in sorrow and happiness, adversity and prosperity, in good times and bad; and in all conditions remain steadfast to the Will of God and be ready to face all kinds of indignities and sufferings in His way and never turn away from it at the onslaught of any misfortune; on the contrary, march resolutely forward.

6. Refrain from following immoral, un-Islamic customs and lustful inclinations, and completely submit yourself to the authority of the Holy Quran; and make the Word of God and the Sayings of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) the guiding principle in every walk of life.

7. Entirely give up pride and vanity and pass all your life in humbleness, cheerfulness, forbearance and meekness.

8. Hold faith, the honor of faith, and the cause of Islam dearer to you than your life, wealth, honor, children and all other dear ones.

9. Keep yourself occupied in the service of God's creatures for His sake only; and strive to benefit mankind to the best of your God-given abilities.

10. Enter into a bond of brotherhood with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad -- the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi -- pledging obedience to this humble servant of God in everything good, for the sake of God alone, and remain faithful to it until your last breath. Exert such a high devotion in the observance of this bond as is not to be found in any other worldly relationship and connections demanding dutiful devotion.

To learn how to do all these things in Islam, call 866-WHY-ISLAM or 909-627-2252 or 909-636-8332. Free daily and weekly classes are on-going at the Baitul Hameed Mosque at 11941 Ramona Ave. in Chino, just north of the 60 freeway. For on-line info, visit Alislam.org or Email Imam Shamshad at: shamshadanasir@Gmail.com

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[ with Imam Shamshad A. Nasir;appeared online at AhmadiyyaTimes.com on Thursday. May 15th at this link: http://ahmadiyyatimes.blogspot.com/2014/05/10-ways-to-be-closer-to-god.html and ran in an abridged form as: "9 ways to become closer to God" in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin "From the Pulpit" religion section on Sat., May 24th in print and online at this link:  ]