In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Convictions ; the perfect reflection of the soul

[20:7] Whether you declare your convictions (or not) He knows the secret, and what is even more hidden.

God is Omniscient, the Alpha and the Omega. His vision, knowledge and dominion encompass the entire process of creation and beyond. He is not bound by the known or unknown physical laws of the universe. He is in NO need to create this world and to bring us into existence on earth to recognize whoever believes in Him and whoever allies with Satan. Because of His divine qualities, He knows all of our choices from the beginning until the very end and our destinies are already engraved in profound records. It is out of His absolute justice and infinite grace that He has implemented an efficient plan to declare and execute His ruling of who is destined to Hell or Heaven (2:30, 7:172-174, 33:72-73). Our entire journey has been perfectly documented and eventually we will all get summoned and each one will have a fully detailed record - a record that reflects all the soul qualities with accuracy and complete transparency (23:62, 17:13). Their will be no legitimacy in questioning our fate on the Day of Judgment:

[45:22] God created the heavens and the earth for a specific purpose, in order to pay each soul for whatever it earned, without the least injustice.

[8:42] … But God was to carry out a predetermined matter, whereby those destined to be annihilated were annihilated for an obvious reason, and those destined to be saved were saved for an obvious reason. God is Hearer, Omniscient.

[3:154] … God thus puts you to the test to bring out your true convictions, and to test what is in your hearts. God is fully aware of the innermost thoughts.

[39:7] If you disbelieve, God does not need anyone. But He dislikes to see His servants make the wrong decision. If you decide to be appreciative, He is pleased for you. No soul bears the sins of any other soul. Ultimately, to your Lord is your return, then He will inform you of everything you had done. He is fully aware of the innermost thoughts.

What we think, utter and do define who we are. It is obvious that the convictions and values we esteem are an integral part of the identity of our souls; reverent or rebel.

God provided us with the measurement stick that would accurately assist us to determine if our belief in Him and in the Last Day is a true conviction or not. We must believe in Him alone and we must follow Him alone for that conviction to be a true one (21:25, 39:45, 16:36, 18:27, 17:45-46).

That is why the most crucial test for the human being is spelled out in 6:112-116. These verses define the reality of a monotheistic submitter:

[6:112] We have permitted the enemies of every prophet - human and jinn devils - to inspire in each other fancy words, in order to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and their fabrications.
[6:113] This is to let the minds of those who do not believe in the Hereafter listen to such fabrications, and accept them, and thus expose their real convictions.
[6:114] Shall I seek other than God as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed? Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been revealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt.
[6:115] The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He is the Hearer, the Omniscient.
[6:116] If you obey the majority of people on earth, they will divert you from the path of God. They follow only conjecture; they only guess.

There must be a very strong distinction between a conviction and an opinion. Conviction literally means a firm belief based on sound logic and proof. Those who attain knowledge are the ones who have convictions based on rationality and proofs. They are capable of defining, proving and defending what they believe in and they act upon that without hesitance or compromise.

Conversely, an opinion is a personal judgment without sufficient grounds. Therefore, it cannot be defined as a conviction or knowledge and has no relevance to the truth. The struggle against opinions and conjecture is the inevitable consequence of the quest for the truth. It is evident that we are equipped with the intelligence to analyze all evidence and pursue the truth.

Furthermore, with the unveiling of the mathematical miracle of Quran, the knowledgeable who choose to use their intelligence have the conviction that every word, every command and every value in this Quran is the absolute truth from the One and Only God.

Please reflect on the following reminders and notice the disastrous consequences of confusing conviction with opinion:

[21:16] We did not create the heavens and the earth, and everything between them just for amusement.
[21:17] If we needed amusement, we could have initiated it without any of this, if that is what we wanted to do.
[21:18] Instead, it is our plan to support the truth against falsehood, in order to defeat it. Woe to you for the utterances you utter.

[7:181] Among our creations, there are those who guide with the truth, and the truth renders them righteous.

[34:6] It is evident to those who are blessed with knowledge that this revelation from your Lord to you is the truth, and that it guides to the path of the Almighty, the Most Praiseworthy.

[22:8] Among the people there is the one who argues about God without knowledge, and without guidance, and without an enlightening scripture.

[10:36] Most of them follow nothing but conjecture, and conjecture is no substitute for the truth. God is fully aware of everything they do.

[29:49] In fact, these revelations are clear in the chests of those who possess knowledge. Only the wicked will disregard our revelations.

[5:77] Say, "O people of the scripture, do not transgress the limits of your religion beyond the truth, and do not follow the opinions of people who have gone astray, and have misled multitudes of people; they are far astray from the right path."

[30:29] Indeed, the transgressors have followed their own opinions, without knowledge. Who then can guide those who have been sent astray by God? No one can ever help them.

[38:26] O David, we have made you a ruler on earth. Therefore, you shall judge among the people equitably, and do not follow your personal opinion, lest it diverts you from the way of God. Surely, those who stray off the way of God incur severe retribution for forgetting the Day of Reckoning.

Validating what we claim to be our convictions as believers is a very dynamic and progressive process for our souls. Empowered by knowledge and evidence, every day passes by, we are better qualified to define and defend the truth by example.

[39:33] As for those who promote the truth, and believe therein, they are the righteous.
[39:34] They will get everything they wish, at their Lord. Such is the reward for the righteous.
[39:35] God remits their sinful works, and rewards them generously for their good works.

Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.