In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Is it decreed by God?
[22:30] Those who reverence the rites decreed by God have deserved a good reward at their Lord. All livestock is made lawful for your food, except for those specifically prohibited for you. You shall avoid the abomination of idol worship, and avoid bearing false witness.
[22:31] You shall maintain your devotion absolutely to God alone. Anyone who sets up any idol beside God is like one who fell from the sky, then gets snatched up by vultures, or blown away by the wind into a deep ravine.
[22:32] Indeed, those who reverence the rites decreed by God demonstrate the righteousness of their hearts.
The above three verses spell out the connection between the utmost dedication & respect of all the rites of worshiping God and the devotion to Him alone. Once we step out of the monotheistic path, we start to reverence other set of rites decreed by our idols and we are in a direct opposition of God and His message to humanity:
[21:25] We did not send any messenger before you except with the inspiration: "There is no god except Me; you shall worship Me alone."
[16:36] We have sent a messenger to every community, saying, "You shall worship God, and avoid idolatry." Subsequently, some were guided by God, while others were committed to straying. Roam the earth and note the consequences for the rejectors.span>
[30:30] Therefore, you shall devote yourself to the religion of strict monotheism. Such is the natural instinct placed into the people by God. Such creation of God will never change. This is the perfect religion, but most people do not know.
Over the years, Satan has been introducing many schemes to divert the human race from the perfect religion of monotheism. One of the most effective schemes he implements to have his targets commit idol worship is the use of sources besides Quran for religious guidance. The goal is successfully accomplished when rites and teachings decreed by other than God blend with the divine ones and believers start to reverence them as they reverence God's rites and teachings. This is how Satan's "precedents" get set for future generations.
It is noteworthy that the word "precedent" shares the same fundamental meaning of the word "Sunna" which is the act that serves as a guide for subsequent and similar situations; repetition establishes both precedents and Sunna. The latest have been deceiving multitudes of Muslims in all Islamic nations. Perhaps Satan is now going to use the word "precedent" instead of "Sunna" to claim different audience.
Some believers think that they are aware of that Satanic scheme. Moreover, they claim that Satan is not intelligent to deceive them! Such convictions prove that Satan managed to inflate their egos without their perception. Any moment we feel we are above the rule, fail to reevaluate our stands, or take our faith for granted is a moment of unawareness that costs us to slip in Satan's illusion. Despite his knowledge, Satan arrogantly tried to challenge God, and by all means that was not an intelligent choice. However, he has been claiming multitudes of humans through his clever approaches, his sneaky language and the variety of options he offers to trick the human race. Both humans and jinns, including Satan, were equally unintelligent when they questioned God's absolute authority, but it is evident by the deceived vast majority that only a very select minority of humans exhibit more intelligence than Satan does.
People of all faiths who reverence rites decreed by other than God have been blinded so that they do not ask a very simple, yet, crucial question when it comes to religious guidance and laws: "Is it decreed by God?"
The salvation of the human race relies on this crucial question when it comes to religious guidance simply because it defines the difference between monotheism and idol worship. Those who are engaged with the real purification process of their souls NEVER quit asking the above question, and NEVER fall as victims to Satan and follow anything decreed by other than God. However, despite all the warnings in Quran, the majority insists on following their own arrogance and ignorance and on swallowing all the sugar-coated venom that Satan spreads.
"Is it decreed by God?"
[3:83] Are they seeking other than God's religion, when everything in the heavens and the earth has submitted to Him, willingly and unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned?
[30:43] Therefore, you shall devote yourself completely to this perfect religion, before a day comes which is made inevitable by God. On that day, they will be shocked.
It is both arrogant and ignorant to think that the following warnings and reminders are meant for certain people or certain generations. History has been narrated by the Most Gracious for all people to learn and take heed. History has been repeated in front of our eyes and we are in a desperate need to review our basics, and reevaluate our path before we start to pass down idol worship to our children and grandchildren. Some claim they are Muslims, others say they are Christians, others are Jews and some are happy to be Submitters. All these titles do not matter. The majority of the people of the scripture, with no exception, have been committing idol worship, and no one is above the rule. The majority doesn't ask: "Is it decreed by God?". The majority is blinded by baseless justifications to follow what is not decreed by God:
[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.
[42:21] They follow idols who decree for them religious laws never authorized by God. If it were not for the predetermined decision, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the transgressors have incurred a painful retribution.
[5:49] You shall rule among them in accordance with God's revelations to you. Do not follow their wishes, and beware lest they divert you from some of God's revelations to you. If they turn away, then know that God wills to punish them for some of their sins. Indeed, many people are wicked.
[5:50] Is it the law of the days of ignorance that they seek to uphold? Whose law is better than God's for those who have attained certainty?
[45:6] These are God's revelations that we recite to you truthfully. In which Hadith other than God and His revelations do they believe?
[45:7] Woe to every fabricator, guilty.
[45:8] The one who hears God's revelations recited to him, then insists arrogantly on his way, as if he never heard them. Promise him a painful retribution.
[45:9] When he learns anything about our revelations, he mocks them. These have incurred a shameful retribution.
[45:10] Awaiting them is Gehenna. Their earnings will not help them, nor the idols they had set up beside God. They have incurred a terrible retribution.
[45:11] This is a beacon, and those who disbelieve in these revelations of their Lord have incurred condemnation and a painful retribution.
[75:18] Once we recite it, you shall follow such a Quran.
[18:27] You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord's scripture. Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it.
[65:10] God has prepared for them severe retribution. Therefore, you shall reverence God, O you who possess intelligence and believed. God has sent down to you a message -*
[65:11] a messenger* who recites to you God's revelations, clearly, to lead those who believe and work righteousness out of the darkness into the light. Anyone who believes in God and leads a righteous life, He will admit him into gardens with flowing streams; they abide therein forever. God will generously reward him.
*65:10-11 The ``Messenger'' here is clearly the Quran. Verse 10 talks about ``sending down a message,'' and this points to the Quran as the messenger in 65:11 (Appendix 20).
"Is it decreed by God?"
The only Shari'a laws to follow is God's Shari'a (42:13, 42:21, 5:48, 45:18.). The only Sunna for religious guidance to practice is God's Sunna (15:13, 17:77-twice, 33:38, 33:62 -twice, 35:43 -twice, 40:85, 48:23 -twice). The only Hadith to remind with for religious guidance is God's Hadith, the Best Hadith, Quran (39:23, 45:6, 68:44, 77:50). The only history that sets precedents for religious guidance is written and narrated by God (3:137, 4:26, 6:34, 11:17, 13:6, 14:45, 33:37, 43:56). The only rites, practices, teachings and laws that we must reverence are set and decreed by God. Those who could possibly reverence rites and practices that are decreed by other than God are duped by Satan so they quit asking : "Is it decreed by God?". They are in desperate need to review their basics and get back to God's guiding beacon, Quran.
[25:27] The day will come when the transgressor will bite his hands (in anguish) and say, "Alas, I wish I had followed the path with the messenger.
[25:28] "Alas, woe to me, I wish I did not take that person as a friend.
[25:29] "He has led me away from the message after it came to me. Indeed, the devil lets down his human victims."
[25:30] The messenger* said, "My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran."
*25:27-30 This verse refers also to God's Messenger of the Covenant whose name is mathematically coded in the Quran as ``Rashad Khalifa.'' If you write down the gematrical value of ``Rashad'' (505), followed by the gematrical value of ``Khalifa'' (725), followed by this sura number (25), followed by verses 27, 28, 29, and 30, the final number (5057252527282930) is a multiple of 19 (see Appendices 2 & 26 for details). The prophet Muhammad will also make such a statement as in 25:30 on the Day of Judgment.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.