The God Theory
By Yero Jallow
People are constantly in search of faith. One often wonders why. Supposedly, we have one God and He takes many names. Those many names don’t make Him multiples. It just describes Him in His many functions and attributes. The search for God and His true message to humanity will continue to dominate human controversy. It has always been the case from time immemorial. Humans over the years have continued to hang onto what represents them, and let us call that religion, so the God theory is not a supernatural being with imaginarily legs, hands, ears and eyes like the known human beings. It is not a stop policeman or some satellite in space stationed in orbit, looking at some certain things and not reaching others. Or yet still some sniper or guard soldier out there somewhere taking beings as hostage. If the later is your model of God, think again! It is just that He is the creator and we are for the sake of this reading going to limit our thinking to just where human thinking is commanded to stop at.
The Monthly Halaka in Minnesota –With Community Elder Kawsu Touray, Imams Kawsu Darboe and Abubacarr Jallow.
Imams Kawsu Darboe and Abubacarr Jallow were leading the discussion on Saturday April 19th 2014 at the Islamic Center and it is a monthly program. The discussions are quite enlightening and always structured well. At any given forum, at least for the ones that I have attended there, they have dealt with a topic, and gave some strong perspectives backing the teaching. It is certainly the reminder that any being like to hear, to straighten their belief, to ascertain that what they are doing is the right thing. Though as a curious student, one cannot help sometimes but challenge some of the “gray” areas needing more interpretations, we must show appreciation and gratitude for their continued efforts, and love for the religion.
Well, just in case, you are curious to know what transpired on Saturday April 19th 2014 at the Mosque Community in Minneapolis (Minnesota), here I give you a brief summary, and please note, this is just a brief summary.
For my good friend, educator and community elder, Kawsu Touray, who always carries his smiles, and probably most entertaining and patronizing with his known gentility, humor and willingness to listen to controversial debates, whether politics, science, religion or even the recent flight 370 that went missing. But Kawsu Touray isn’t just a community person by default. He has teaching and journalism background, together with his research in many other areas of interest. When I approached him about community activities at the mosque, as I always love poking his brain for dialogue, he said, thus: “We organize Saturday Islamic classes for Children Senegambian, Malian and Guinean origins. We organize monthly preaching sessions (halaka) on pertinent social and congregational issues. Yearly Ramadan (fasting) activities are also held at the mosque.”
For Imam Abubacarr Jallow, his topic yesterday, was on Chapter 102, At-Takathur (The Rivalry in World Increase). This chapter, according to Imam Jallow’s interpretation is where God warned humans on the dangers of continuing to “compete in the material world.” Oh well, in the chapter itself, God reminded beings to visit the graveyards as a way of reminding themselves that they will come to meet their Lord, so it is in a being’s best interest that that he completely desist from material exploitation that deviates him away from worshipping God.
For Imam Kawsu Darboe, it was a favorite topic, talking about the last days of the Prophet Muhammad which lead to his ultimate death. But then at some point of his sermon, Imam Darboe’s heart gave up aloud, and he started weeping, cleaning his cheeks from tear drops and that sparked in my heart, and too many other attendees, that something touching, and I would guess love for God and His prophet, has just poked somebody’s heart in broad day light. Something interesting caught my attention greatly and that is to say, some ruthless person must have poisoned the Prophet, which may have, as destined, contributed to his death.
There is something that comes with belief in God, and that is very fundamental, the effort to live with a doctrine that gives instructions of worship. One is tempted to ask: So, what is God going to do with all these mistake makers and others short in their belief requirements? Is hell meant for all this lot? At what point does God draw the curtains? This is certainly a complicated matter. The short answer is I personally have no idea. We know God gave the rules and He made strong regulations with it. In anyway, see an expert (some Islamic scholar) on this to form an opinion, perhaps you are welcome to share as well. All we know is, we can only try our best to follow, our own very best to do what is right, and with God’s infinite mercy, we hope He rates us as good, and in the time of judgment that He enters us into the heaven not because our individual deeds on earth being sufficient, but because He is the most merciful.