A man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life? The man then recited the Ten Commandments and commented that he had kept them from the time of his youth. Jesus replied, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The man was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
(The Gospel of Mark 10:17-22)
Yasmina:
As a Muslim, I believe that the path to eternal life is belief in God and living righteously. The means for staying upright and walking on this path are interdependent, and building one’s life on them can be described as servitude to God and His creation. They include belief in God, His messengers, the Scriptures and the Day of Judgment; ritual practice; and Ihsan, high moral character, which is reflected by doing acts of kindness. The messengers and prophets exemplify righteous living, and people who follow their example in life will be closest to them in the hereafter. It is for this reason that Jesus [Peace and Blessings be upon him] invited the man to an even higher place in heaven, where he would find treasure and companionship with the most upright beings. The prophet Muhammad [Peace and Blessings be upon him] said: “A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good he does in this world to his fellow man.” As a Muslim, I believe in all the prophets, whose lessons were given in different times and contexts but share a common thread: love and servitude to God, and dependence on Him alone.
This is the second of three reflections on Eternal Life, originally posted in October 2011. During the summer, we will rerun several conversations that didn't receive much attention (according to Google Analytics) when we first launched the blog. Please tell us what you think in the comments section!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Eternal Life (continued)
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good series kept it coming!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! We'll try to keep posting weekly through the summer. B'shalom, Tziporah
DeleteIt's interesting, as a woman, to read the word "servitude" with regard to eternal life and a relationship to God. As I believe God gives us freedom, abundance and fullness of life, and participation with Him in his boundlessly generous creativity, I can't bring that into an equation with the concept of "servitude". I've just returned from time in a country where to be female is to be in servitude, and is also to accept being beaten, being underfed, being subjected to harmful ritual practices, and being trafficked.
ReplyDeleteIs "servitude" really the right word?
VinaigretteGirl
What an excellent point about language, VinaigretteGirl. Personally, I find the word "submission" equally problematic for the same reason. Since Yasmina is not able to reply, I will say--from my place of full knowledge of Hebrew & limited knowledge of Arabic--that these are English translations of Arabic words, and most probably fall short of encompassing the full connotation of the root words. Thanks for your comment! B'shalom, Tziporah
DeleteThe prophet Muhammad [Peace and Blessings be upon him] said: “A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good he does in this world to his fellow man.”
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful teaching. In Judaism there is the teaching that in the world to come, the soul will be garbed in a garment of light, made out of all of the mitzvot (commandments / good deeds) which one performed in this life. The more good deeds one does (including caring for others, feeding the hungry, etc), the brighter one's garment in the afterlife will shine.
Rachel, Your teaching of the Jewish idea of eternal life is equally beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. B'shalom, Tziporah
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