Sacrifice: A Means of Becoming Closer to God
Lead Article
When the truth of our seemingly small actions is revealed to us in the Hereafter, they will make us say in astonishment, “O God, how bountiful You are! You have taken these little things, made them bloom, flourish, transform, become eternal, and now You are offering them to us!”
| Fethullah Gulen | Issue 159 (May - Jun 2024)
This article has been viewed 5800 times
![Sacrifice: A Means of Becoming Closer to God](/templates/yootheme/cache/22/01-2222423f.jpeg)
In This Article
-
A person supporting others with their personal wealth—be it in the form of alms or sacrificial meat—is the minimal degree of generosity for one who considers himself or herself a believer.
-
“They (believers) prefer [others] over themselves, even though poverty be their own lot.” (al-Hashr 59:9)
At the beginning of the second chapter of the Qur’an, God Almighty declares that He is the actual owner of things and we are temporary keepers: “Out of what We have provided for them they spend...” Namely, what we donate is actually nothing but blessings He has granted us. By pointing out that “He” is the actual Provider of sustenance, He reminds us that there is no need for us to worry about depletion. This point is more directly expressed in another verse, that God Almighty, the Omnipotent One, is the Provider of sustenance of all creatures (al-Dhariyat 51:58).
More Coverage
Steadfastness
Emotions like resentment, enmity, hatred, and jealousy, which, if left unchecked, can render us morally blind, deaf, and heartless. These emotions have the power to transform humans into aggressive beasts and, in extreme cases, strip us of our hum...
Cooperation
A holistic perspective on the universe reveals one common feature at all levels of existence: cooperation. From cells and tissues in our body to communities helping one another, cooperation is a key dynamic in biological life and for the survival ...
Burning Books or Preserving Them?
Memorization is an important tool in human development. We memorize for school, learning languages, or for stage performances. Despite criticisms that memorization often comes without understanding and lacks proper contextualization, there is a co...
Distraction Timed
I have given myself approximately two hours, 12 minutes, and 14 seconds to write this essay. The amount of time it takes me to get to work and back on the train.
Now, I have eight seconds less.
I never timed how long it took to write a senten...