25:43 Have you seen the one whose god is his own ego? Will you be his advocate?
I'd like to talk about early death. It's not the death of the body; and of course not the soul. It's the death of who we think we are. The traumas we experience throughout our lives inevitably shape how we interact with the world even as adults, when we're entirely removed from those situations on a physical level. The fear we felt back then lingers in our behavior, leading us to seek out those limiting actions which make us feel safe even when the threat may no longer be present. However, we don't need to identify so strongly with our past experiences. It can be very difficult to move past trauma, but ridding ourselves of those exhausting behaviors and recognizing the newfound freedoms we possess can help us live our lives more fully rather than remaining trapped in the past.
Google describes "Die before you die" as a metaphorical phrase that refers to a profound personal transformation where one symbolically lets go of their old self, attachments, and ego-driven
identity to embrace a new perspective on life, essentially experiencing a "death" of the old self to be reborn into a more authentic and present state.
It involves willingly letting go of old beliefs, habits, and patterns that no longer serve you. The idea is to transcend the limitations of the ego-self and attain a heightened state of spiritual enlightenment and inner peace.
2:54 Recall that Moses said to his people, "O my people, you have wronged your souls by worshiping the calf. You must repent to your Creator. You shall kill your egos. This is better for you in the sight of your Creator." He did redeem you. He is the Redeemer, Most Merciful.
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This verse says kill your ego, not kill Satan. We know fear is Satan's tool so what is the connection to ego? The ego fears death of itself. Of its identity. One of the worst things people feel is 'worthless'.
25:77 Say, "You attain value at my Lord only through your worship. But if you disbelieve, you incur the inevitable consequences."
Freud tells us that the ego is part of our personality, perhaps a necessary evil, helping us function in the reality of the world. But as psychologist Ian Cron once said, "Your personality shows up when your true self doesn't." The word personality comes from the Latin persona, which means a mask, like actors would wear in ancient Roman theatre. The personality, which includes the ego, is a set of posturing mechanisms, responses, and reactions to what the world expects us to be. In fact, Freud spoke of the ego operating from the "reality principle", meaning it governs our responses based on what the outer world might expect or dictate. "All of us waste precious life doing things we don't like, to prove ourselves to people we don't respect, and to get things we don't want." (Ryan Holiday, Ego Is the Enemy)
In his Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, Ignatius says that when we find ourselves drifting from God and curving back on ourselves we actively need to take measures to shift the focus from ourselves to others.
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Letting Go Of The Ego
We move outside of our egos by intentionally caring for others more, offering a kind word, exercising patience, or spending time with people we care about. These things are risks to our ego because they can raise doubts or fears.
GOD wants us to kill our ego and live in the present.
24:55 GOD promises those among you who believe and lead a righteous life, that He will make them sovereigns on earth, as He did for those before them, and will establish for them the religion He has chosen for them, and will substitute peace and security for them in place of fear. All this because they worship Me alone; they never set up any idols beside Me. Those who disbelieve after this are the truly wicked.
GOD is inviting us to turn over our life and every moment and action to HIM to ask Him to guide it.
6:43 If only they implored when our test afflicted them! Instead, their hearts were hardened, and the devil adorned their works in their eyes.
Look at what Satan used in our great fall. 7:20 The devil whispered to them, in order to reveal their bodies, which were invisible to them. He said, "Your Lord did not forbid you from this tree, except to prevent you from becoming angels, and from attaining eternal existence." He is tempting us with our two top ego items: I am better, and I need to be remembered forever.
But GOD is a better god than the ego.
The twelve steps for alcoholics anonymous has insightful lessons here. Since we sometimes call ourselves members of "idol worshippers anonymous" we can use lots of these lessons. A key one is the concept of my life has become unmanageable. I know for me I turned my life over to books, tv, parents, friends and my ego. But I was unhappy. I had the things that I was supposed to want but I felt empty. It was like the example in Matthew 16:26 "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" It was at this point that I started being more sincere about what makes a person happy—the soul and GOD. I eventually got to the Quran and started turning things over to GOD to decide.
Your ego's job is to feel important. Its survival depends on it. Unfortunately, this translates to your ego needing to fight and defend itself. It seems counterintuitive, but the ego needs negative situations to arise so it can have something to do, something to worry about, or something to change. So if you're happy, and everything is perfect, your ego will already be looking for an issue to cling to or a drama to create. The ego does not live in the present. Your ego wants you to be thinking about the past and future. This means thinking about things that have gone wrong in the past, or things that may go wrong in the future. As a rule, every single time you take something personally, this is the work of your ego. https://ihasco.co.uk
45:23 Have you noted the one whose god is his ego? Consequently, GOD sends him astray, despite his knowledge, seals his hearing and his mind, and places a veil on his eyes. Who then can guide him, after such a decision by GOD? Would you not take heed?
Your ego limits your access to the Most Gracious and keeps you stuck in what your mind has experienced. It misses out on GOD's inspiration. GOD's inspiration can come in prayer or meditation. We can find it in things like love, awe, charity, appreciation and steadfastness.
When you carry your ego, you are weighted down. 4:28 GOD wishes to lighten your burden, for the human being is created weak.
Your ego is a set of thoughts that define your universe. It can become a prison. 5:30 His ego provoked him into killing his brother. He killed him, and ended up with the losers
When we worship the ego as our god we have given ourselves to a god that does nothing but take. We give him worship, devotion, and slavish obedience, and he graciously rewards us by draining the life out of us. This is why we are unhappy, because we are bowing down to a god who does nothing but demand and take.
Perhaps the first thing we can do is squarely face our worship of the ego and feel our natural distaste and even revulsion over it. Imagine yourself physically bowing down before your ego, prostrating to it as lord and master. It will make you feel sick.
We need to let go of "my" will and substitute the will of God, as in, "Thy will be done." We must say "I submit to what GOD is doing. I believe wholeheartedly in what GOD is doing."
2:112 Indeed, those who submit themselves absolutely to GOD alone, while leading a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord; they have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.
2:131 When his Lord said to him, "Submit," he said, "I submit to the Lord of the universe."
12:101 …. Initiator of the heavens and the earth; You are my Lord and Master in this life and in the Hereafter. Let me die as a submitter, and count me with the righteous."
30:31 You shall submit to Him, reverence Him, observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), and―whatever you do―do not ever fall into idol worship.
41:33 Who can utter better words than one who invites to GOD, works righteousness, and says, "I am one of the submitters"?
Rizwan
Reference:
https://godinallthings.com/ 2021/05/24/the-ego/
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Mercy
Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. God has the power to punish us for our sins. But He is the Most Merciful.
6:12 Say, "To whom belongs everything in the heavens and the earth?" Say, "To GOD." He has decreed that mercy is His attribute. He will surely summon you all on the Day of Resurrection, which is inevitable. The ones who lose their souls are those who disbelieve.
6:54 …. Your Lord has decreed that mercy is His attribute. Thus, anyone among you who commits a transgression out of ignorance, and repents thereafter and reforms, then He is Forgiving, Most Merciful."
God has decreed that mercy is His attribute (6:12,54). He didn't have to show us mercy; we're really not worthy of it, having rebelled. But God gave us chances. And He grants us His mercy over and over. All the time. In so many ways. Just being here at all is a great mercy. We could have been in hell. The angels thought that the rebels should be exiled right away (2:30). But we are here, by God's mercy. This world and its beauty are God's mercy. And every time He forgives another sin, that's mercy. One of His names, that begins all suras but 1, is Most Merciful. What a tremendous gift.
If you search for "mercy" in the Quran, there are 130+ results and that doesn't even include the word "merciful".
His mercy is infinite. 6:147 If they disbelieve you, then say, "Your Lord possesses infinite mercy, but His retribution is unavoidable for the guilty people."
17:100 Proclaim, "If you possessed my Lord's treasures of mercy, you would have withheld them, fearing that you might exhaust them. The human being is stingy."
He tells us never to despair of His mercy. Satan will try to tell us that we are not worthy of forgiveness; we should just give up. But God makes it clear that His mercy is always there for us.
God's Infinite Mercy
39:53 Proclaim: "O My servants who exceeded the limits, never despair of GOD's mercy. For GOD forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful
His mercy is available to all who seek it, but God, in the Quran, tells us how we can attain it.
If we are steadfast: 2:155 We will surely test you through some fear, hunger, and loss of money, lives, and crops. Give good news to the steadfast. 2:156 When an affliction befalls them, they say, "We belong to GOD, and to Him we are returning." 2:157 These have deserved blessings from their Lord and mercy. These are the guided ones.
If we believe, emigrate & strive: 2:218 Those who believe, and those who emigrate and strive in the cause of GOD, have deserved GOD's mercy. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
If we strive, and possibly fight and die: 3:157 Whether you get killed or die in the cause of GOD, the forgiveness from GOD, and mercy are far better than anything they hoard.
If we hold fast to God: 4:175 Those who believe in GOD, and hold fast to Him, He will admit them into mercy from Him, and grace, and will guide them to Him in a straight path.
If we are righteous: 7:56 Do not corrupt the earth after it has been set straight, and worship Him out of reverence, and out of hope. Surely, GOD's mercy is attainable by the righteous.
7:63 "Is it too much of a wonder that a reminder should come to you from your Lord, through a man like you, to warn you, and to lead you to righteousness, that you may attain mercy?"
If we follow His practices, especially giving zakat regularly and cheerfully:
24:56 You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and obey the messenger, that you may attain mercy.
Requirements For Attaining God's Mercy: The Importance of Zakat
7:156 ….He said, "My retribution befalls whomever I will. But My mercy encompasses all things. However, I will specify it for those who (1) lead a righteous life,
(2) give the obligatory charity (Zakat),
(3) believe in our revelations….
If we listen and follow the scripture: 7:204 When the Quran is recited, you shall listen to it and take heed, that you may attain mercy.
Ultimately, God grants His mercy to whomever He wills: 3:74 He specifies His mercy for whomever He wills; GOD possesses unlimited grace.
17:54 Your Lord knows you best. According to His knowledge, He may shower you with mercy, or He may requite you. We did not send you to be their advocate.
The Quran is a great blessing and a mercy from God. 6:154-155 And we gave Moses the scripture, complete with the best commandments, and detailing everything, and a beacon and mercy, that they may believe in meeting their Lord. This too is a blessed scripture that we have revealed; you shall follow it and lead a righteous life, that you may attain mercy.
7:52 We have given them a scripture that is fully detailed, with knowledge, guidance, and mercy for the people who believe.
10:57 O people, enlightenment has come to you herein from your Lord, and healing for anything that troubles your hearts, and guidance, and mercy for the believers. 10:58 Say, "With GOD's grace and with His mercy they shall rejoice."
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Mercy
This is far better than any wealth they can accumulate
The Quran is All We Need
12:111 In their history, there is a lesson for those who possess intelligence. This is not fabricated Hadith; this (Quran) confirms all previous scriptures, provides the details of everything, and is a beacon and mercy for those who believe.
God's guidance to us is a great mercy to keep us from being misled by the devil.
4:83 When a rumor that affects security comes their way, they spread it. Had they referred it to the messenger, and those in charge among them, those who understand these matters would have informed them. If it were not for GOD's grace towards you, and His mercy, you would have followed the devil, except a few.
God does not punish us every time we mess up. He could wipe us out, but instead He gives us chance after chance. 6:133 Your Lord is the Rich One; possessor of all mercy. If He wills, He can remove you, and substitute whomever He wills in your place, just as He produced you from the progeny of other people.
Out of His mercy He sends messengers to help us find the way:
The Messenger's Kindness
3:159 It was mercy from GOD that you became compassionate towards them. Had you been harsh and mean-hearted, they would have abandoned you. Therefore, you shall pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them. Once you make a decision, carry out your plan, and trust in GOD. GOD loves those who trust in Him.
There are many prayers for mercy in the Quran. We should recite these often to remember God's mercy.
3:8 "Our Lord, let not our hearts waver, now that You have guided us. Shower us with Your mercy; You are the Grantor.
7:23 They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged our souls, and unless You forgive us and have mercy on us, we will be losers."
10:86 "Deliver us, with Your mercy, from the disbelieving people."
11:47 He said, "My Lord, I seek refuge in You, lest I implore You again for something I do not know. Unless You forgive me, and have mercy on me, I will be with the losers."
23:118 Say, "My Lord, shower us with forgiveness and mercy. Of all the merciful ones, You are the Most Merciful."
Previous scriptures also mention God's mercy often. In the Psalms:
(Psalm 103:8) "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy."
(Psalm 136) "For His mercy endureth forever." (repeated 26 times)
In the New Testament: (Matthew 5:7) "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
The Guru Granth Sahib, the central scripture of Sikhism, describes God as the ocean of mercy (Dyal). It has verses like, "He is Merciful to the meek, forever Compassionate." (Ang 1142)
For believers, His mercy is such a blessing. And the best mercy is for those who can make it to Paradise.
3:107 As for those whose faces are brightened, they will rejoice in GOD's mercy; they abide therein forever.
9:21 Their Lord gives them good news: mercy and approval from Him, and gardens where they rejoice in everlasting bliss.
9:71 The believing men and women are allies of one another. They advocate righteousness and forbid evil, they observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and they obey GOD and His messenger. These will be showered by GOD's mercy. GOD is Almighty, Most Wise.