Friday 16 September 2011

Friendship and Faith

In verse 9:67
the 'hypocrites' are described as
"one from from another": ba3Dhuhum min ba3Dh.
A few verses later (9:71),
the 'believers' are compared & described differently:
"awliyaa [helpers/friends] of one another"; ba3Dhuhum awliyaa'u ba3Dh.
This raises the question:
why the difference in wording?
If nothing else,
these verses release a hint about the nature of relationships
between true believers,
and relationships between those lacking in faith.
Whereas a person lacking faith in God
will tend to base his relationships on self-interest,
a person of faith
is expected to base his relationships on heart-to-heart friendship:
wishing & doing well for the other.
His friendship & concern ultimately acts of submission to God,
and thus constant,
remaining the same under all conditions.
Lasting; the mark of this faith.

Saturday 3 September 2011

Language

To increase the commitment of my message,
to be persuasive, engaging, confident,
so the advice goes,
words that water down my message,
words like "hopefully", "quite" and "I'll do my best";
negatives and baggage,
should be omitted.

This has me questioning then:
where does this put the phrase "... if God wills"?
Because,
acknowledging my weakness
and the bounds of my control,
carries the hint that I might not deliver,
and in the business world, it's promise that matters most...