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UNIVERSAL GOD: Message of Peace
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Promoting peace and harmony from an Abrahamic perspective
Magic and Sorcery
What is Black vs White Magic/Sorcery/witchcraft? Is it Really Real? Is my perception of Reality shaped by what I choose to Believe? Can I change my destiny through the use of external Forces? Am I able to will against the Will of my Maker? Can Truth change or is it only delusion that changes? Can Truth be destroyed by falsehood or does falsehood depend on hidden wisdom to exist? What is the Truth that hides within my external falsehood? What is the Source of wisdom through which I am created?
Do I use Sorcery in order to deceive others with false Miracles so that they can worship me? Am I under a Curse that prevents me from letting go of my need to control my destiny using my limited understanding? Or am I able to free myself from the spell of limitation so that I can Truly experience the Unseen?
What will protect us from the Evil Eye? What will grant us the ability to See The Face of our Creator in creation?
Can a truth that has a beginning and an end be Real if it is not eternal or if it changes? Can a truth which works through falsehood be God? Is the duality within creation not a mere distortion and distraction of the Truth of Oneness of Reality? Or is it an expression of it? Otherwise how would we perceive our existence? If our perception is limited to our physical senses- how can the physical be anything except a sorceress unless it acknowledges its direct and continuous connection to its Maker and Source of Existence?
Do I say "Be!" and it is? Does this power to create something out of nothing belong to me? Or can I only create something out of something by the permission of that which is Higher than me? Who gave me this power? Who Am I? Who can take it away from me? Did I create myself? Am I worthy of worship? Or does everything worship God both willingly and unwillingly? Why do I seek to self glorify and use spells to cut others off from worshipping their Maker Directly?
Am I The Creator or am I His created soul? Am I The Soul or am I the Body? Am I The Planter of seed or the Tilth in which the seed is planted? Am I the Grower or the Grown? Am I The Seeker or The Sought? Am I the Thinker or the thought? Am I the Knower or the Known? Am I the Speaker or am I the Word? Am I the Seer or the seen? Am I the Hearer or the heard? Am I The Wise or the wisdom? Am I the Word or the mind heart and soul that seeks it? Am I the Hand or the justice? Am I the Giver or Receiver? The Teacher or the Student? What is the Maker of What I Am?
Do I choose to surrender to my Maker or surrender to my evil inclination which seeks to deceive me and divert me from experiencing my connection with Higher Truth? Can I really be far from Truth or is it only falsehood that deceives me? Who Am I that I should rely on intermediary between myself and my Maker? Should I allow falsehood to make me feel separate from my Source?
Do we use the powers of our speech and behaviour to invite to the worship of our Creator Alone? or do we use our powers of speech and deeds in order to set up false gods beside Him? What is my responsibility if not only to serve my Master and express the Maker's Will in creation? Is not the Creator and His Creation One? Which is Higher? Which depends on which for Provision and sustenence? Who is The True Caster of Spells? The Lover or the beloved?
Do I deceive about Truth or do I speak Truth about Deception? or Do I deceive and try to separate The Creator from His Word using magic and sorcery or do I choose to use this physical world of delusion to reveal the Unity of our Creator with His Word?
Am I the Source of my blessings and curses? Does the power to bless or curse belong to me or am I merely a created vessel through which my Creator has chosen to express His Mercy and Wrath?
Is falsehood Real? If not, then why do we perceive it in this world of apparent duality?
What power do I choose to follow? The staff or the serpent? Is the staff separate from the serpent or are they one? Who is the Master that grasps them both? Who is our Shepherd so that we may follow Him?
How do I use my supernatural powers? in the Name of Truth or falsehood? to serve my Higher Purpose or to serve my ego? in accordance to The Higher Will or in accordance to my own desires? What drives my ability to bless or curse? My Compassion and Mercy or my Vengeance and Wrath?
Am I a conduit of Light or Darkness? The Bitter or Sweet Waters? Is the vessel that I am not a crystal of Light? What is the Foundation of my Structure that allows me to channel my powers from Above to Below? What is The substance of the Rock of my Foundation that allows me to contain this Heavy Word?
What do I choose to rely on for my guidance/provision/protection? Delusion or Reality? Falsehood or Truth? Deception or Sincerity? Darkness or Light? Is the Source of my evil inclination/darkness/delusion/deception/falsehood One with or seperarate from the Source of my Righteousness/Light/Reality/Truth/Sincerity?
Am I Healed through gazing at the bronze serpent? How can seeking the wisdom that hides behind the veil of deception help us to Return to experiencing our direct connection with our True Source of Life?
Is it the doctor that is the Source of my Healing or is it through the doctor that I am healed by my Creator? What is the True Source of my Medicine? On Whom do I rely to Heal from my wounds?- the temporary/creation or Eternal/Creator?
Which side of my Oneness do I choose to experience- my temporary Wrath or my Everlasting Peace? My Eternal Compassion or my temporary Pleasures? my Descension or my Ascension?
Am I able to go up by going down? Am I able to dive deeper into my darkness and transform it into Light by flying into Higher Heights of Wisdom and understanding? What is this power if not a Miracle from Above?
What do I choose to reveal by using magic/sorcery/deception other than my limited/superficial/false identity? How can I find True Inner Peace if I do not express my True Essence?
How can we break free from our slavery to false fears/superstitions and gain True protection from the Harm of the Delusions of this worldly Life? How can we transform our darkness into Light through submission to the Path of Truth?
How can seeking and revealing Truth help us to rise above all the temporary powers of falsehood that grasp hold of our hearts and cloud over our vision, hearing and understanding?
How can we be protected from the curses of our enemies if we disobey the Word of our Creator?
How can we transform our curses into blessings through revealing the Power of our Righteousness in the Name of our Creator?
How can Prayer and acts of loving kindness help us to turn from evil and do good, so that we purify our hearts in order to Rise above the deceptive power of the evil inclination that imprison us within our walls- through Unity in the Service, Praise and Glory of our Maker- using all of our Heavenly gifts blessings and talents to reveal and sanctify the Name/The Source of our Righteousness?
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What is Sorcery/ Divination?
Magic (according to our own understanding) can be described as the power of 'apparently' influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. Sorcery can be defined as the practice of using magic and divination can be defined as the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or unseen/unknown by supernatural means. A magician/enchanter/enchantress/mage/magic-user/sorcerer/sorceress/spell-caster/war-lock,witch or wizard is someone who uses or practices magic derived from supernatural, occult or arcane sources. A diviner/soothsayer is a person who practices divination.
Let's try to go to a deeper level- If we define 'magic' to be anything that 'portrays itself to be truth or reality, when it is in fact 'falsehood' or 'delusion' (or not real), and if 'Reality' is that which is only Truth- then what is this physical world (of truth mixed with falsehood) if not a delusion or 'magic?' that distracts us from Higher Truth? surely it is only if falsehood does not really exist can this physical world in its entirety and the way we perceive it be true 'Reality'?
Is there a difference between magic and miracles? Some of us might describe magic as a 'miracle' or vice verse because it was perceived to be a 'supernatural' event that is beyond our own understanding? Does Love cease to exist just because we cannot feel or define it? Does The Sky fall just because we do not see it? Is Life itself a magic or a miracle until we can truly 'Live' it? Does Eternal Life therefore destroy the concept of miracles? Do Magic and Miracles really exist or is it our level of perception that limits us from perceiving our Creator in everyone and everything and every space, whichever way we turn?
Should we be 'labelling' supernatural events as magic or miracles when they are in fact just part of a Higher Force of Nature/Understanding that our limited perceptions have not yet grasped? If that's the case then why is it wrong to seek help from a witch or a soothsayer if they are merely conduits for our Creator to bless/heal- is it not the same as seeking help from a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher or any other 'helper'? Is seeking help from anyone or anything classed as setting up an 'intermediary' between us and our Creator? Is this not contradictory to the teachings of Abrahamic Scripture itself where we are encouraged to help one another?
Is falsehood not real? Does it not exist at least in our perception of Reality? Is all that is not Truth, just a 'spell' or a 'veil' or a 'clouding' over our vision, hearing and understanding that deceives us away from having a direct connection to and perception of our Oneness?
Does the world of ego, greed, lusts, sloth, envy, anger, hatred, fears, sorrows not cause us to feel 'separate' from our Creator and from each other; causing separation/division of the masculine and feminine, the Yin and Yang, in a world of apparent duality/opposites? Does all diversity and existence not come from One Source? Is it not that each part of creation depends solely on its Maker for Life and existence no matter how 'apparently' separate they may appear to be or feel?
So what is the driving force behind the power given to magic and witchcraft? If its underlying driving force is to bring us to Higher Truth and submission to Higher Service through the art of deception -then why is it evil in nature? If its driving force is 'deception' and its powers used in order to self-glorify or set up a false god beside our True Source/Reality/Oneness- then surely this power must be limited only to a world in which falsehood exists? And how can falsehood exist without free-will? Surely it can only exist if there is truly a 'free-will' to either surrender to a Higher Path of Truth or to reject it- and it will remain to exist as an 'apparent' separate force (fuelled by falsehood and evil spirits who refuse to Surrender to the Higher Will of their Maker) maintained by its hidden wisdom until the path of falsehood is rejected by all, and 'magic' is destroyed by Truth.
Let's look into a deeper meaning of the meaning of 'witch' or 'wizard' or 'soothsayer'? If magic is the act of 'deception' of another person/creature or thing into a false perception of Reality or a false perception of there being 'many separate gods or powers' and 'intermediaries' between us and our Creator- then surely anyone who bears false witness to Truth while pretending to be trustworthy- is like a false prophet/witch/wizard/diviner/soothsayer? Surely then this whole world is full of deception and those who cling to its spells are imprisoned within a veil of false perception? Does the sin more lie in the object that deceives or does it lie in the one who chooses to be deceived by the external force which covers over its true essence?
Why is Sorcery/witchcraft/divination forbidden from an Abrahamic Perspective?
The practice of sorcery/divination/casting lots is strictly and apparently forbidden to those of the Abrahamic Faith, as is the act of relying on apparent powers of sorcerers/diviners/witches/wizards as gods beside the God of Abraham. So is it forbidden to seek help from a doctor to take a 'pill' as medicine or from a lawyer in order to pursue justice or from a teacher in order to seek education? At what point does seeking help from anything other than Our Creator become Idol worship? If God has allowed His Servants to seek Truth and help from some but not from others, then surely it must be that the forbidden is not able to transmit Higher Truth down to the servant in a way that Pleases our Creator? Let's question why sorcery/divination is displeasing to the God of Abraham..
From an Abrahamic perspective, any blessing, gift, or talent that an individual has is expected to use it in Higher Service to worship God- as there is no Reality other than Him. The use of magic therefore to cast spells of blessings and curses, and then attributing this power/glory/praise to the one who practices it- is like setting oneself up as a god beside our Creator. The practice of divination and fortune-telling is also similar to idol worship. Its practice is like setting up false gods beside our Creator as it expresses our reliance on external forces to control us and our future choices, instead of relying solely on our Maker who is the Only True Possessor of the Knowledge of the past, present and future, and The Only True Reliable Source of Guidance.
Perhaps when we experience 'magic' or 'miracles' we are in fact only being given the ability to 'see' with a different type of 'eye' through which the unseen becomes more revealed. Perhaps the deception lies not in the magic itself, but in the belief that the one who practices it is a separate 'god' beside the Creator. Perhaps that why it is forbidden to practice magic/sorcery/divination according to Abrahamic Scripture- because those who seek help from soothsayers, sorcerers, magicians and rely on them instead of directly to their Creator become like those who practice idol worship- they put intermediaries between them and their Creator causing separation between man and wife. But can this principle not be applied the same to doctors, lawyers, and teachers when they teach and practice that which is false and deviated from Higher Knowledge/Wisdom/Understanding/Truth and Justice? And those who practice magic/sorcery/divination or any type of work using their God-given gifts blessings and talents in order to self-glorify or gain worldly profit are making an idol or 'god' out of themselves, and causing separation between creation and its Creator by allowing themselves to be used as an intermediary while attributing their skills/abilities/gifts/power to themselves. By either practicing sorcery/divination, or allowing ourselves to seek help from one who does so- we bear witness that creation itself (which is an apparent mixture of truth and falsehood, good and evil) has a right to be worshipped beside the Creator. A follower of the Abrahamic Faith bears witness only to the belief that 'none has the right to be worshipped except God Alone' by surrendering to The Will of The Creator, seeking Truth and practicing the path of Righteousness, turning from evil and doing good. The servant of God is permitted to seek help from God Alone, and acknowledges the Hand of God working through others in response to their prayers and supplications made to Him.
If we are able to believe in 'magic' which is the deception of the eye to see that which is not normally perceivable, then why can we not find in ourselves the faith to Believe in the 'Unseen'? And if we can find within us to believe in the Unseen, then why can we not find in ourselves the faith to believe in the Creator of all that is seen and unseen, the One in Whose Hands lie the Keys to all the treasures of the worlds within Reality? Why do we find it difficult to Trust in Him Alone and Believe 'beyond' the delusional external powers of creation which grasp hold of our perception of Truth?
What is the difference between black and white magic? If black magic is the use of supernatural powers in order to spread darkness, and white magic is the use of supernatural powers in order to spread light- then why would white magic not be allowed? Is the practice of magic ever permissible? What if someone chose to use their supernatural powers to make peace between brethren, and to help them to 'return' to their Maker? What if the forces of evil could be transformed to forces of good through spells and witchcraft and by helping to unite the Will of the Creator in creation? What if all witches/wizards/soothsayers/diviners attributed their power/glory/talents/abilities to their Creator Alone and did not seek any worldly profits/gifts/praises for their efforts to use their magic for Higher Service? Would this Please the Lord? What if the one who practiced sorcery did so with a sincere good intention and was even willing to give their life in exchange for their spells to bring others closer to the Home of Peace? Would this act of sacrifice not Please the Lord? We must be careful not to be deceived by those who practice witchcraft in the name of 'Peace' -and then attribute the Source of their spells as 'gods' beside their Creator. Surely how we can determine if white magic is permissible from an Abrahamic perspective would depend on 'how' one uses white magic. If this person believes that the way to bring world peace, and spread the Light of God to unite souls is by making potions and spells in a way that contradicts Scripture- if one lies about the the true formula and prescription of Healing- then even though their intention may be good, the practice will not have power that is Sourced directly from The Creator, leaving room for leading others and their self astray towards paths of idol worship. If However, a person uses and believes in the Power of 'prayer' and 'charity' and an 'act of loving kindness' and follows the ways of peace and righteousness in accordance to Scripture- one bears witness that the Power to Heal lies in the Creator Alone and that they themselves are nothing other than a servant/or the hand of their Creator who serves the medicine. The prescription of Prayer and charity, and the ways of Justice, Truth, Peace and Love; the ways of the righteous; the True Medicine that God has prescribed for Humanity. No apparent 'external force' will ever overcome this formula/spell unless it be the Will of our Maker who allows it to 'apparently' exist as a temporary delusion for a period of time- and even then- it will only be a blessing in disguise of a curse - a spell cast by 'The Deceiver' (who is granted permission from The Creator) who disguises curses as blessings to test our Faith and commitment to our Creator. What we choose to 'see' of miracles and 'believe' is up to us, and when we 'choose' to unite 'our will' with that of our Creator, then 'us' and our Creator become 'One' and we are granted permission to explore the hidden realms (that were previously forbidden to us due to our rejection of Higher Truth) and transform darkness into light by His command.
What is the purpose of Sorcery/divination?
The perception of the existence of sorcery/divination are necessary in this physical world in order that we choose to discover and rely solely on The Creator of the Higher Power/Force that is behind its temporary powers.
How can the perceived existence of Sorcery/Divination help us?
How can we draw closer to understanding Truth, without perceiving the existence of falsehood? How can we Believe in the concept of Infinity if we do not live and experience the powers of the finite? How can we truly appreciate our Creator (God-unto Whom no image is comparable) if we do not experience what it is to be human (in His Image)? How can we seek to become more aware of unchanging Truth, if we are not living in a constant state of change? How do we truly feel the Mercy of our Maker if we do not live in a world of apparent falsehood from which we can be saved? How can we break free from our limitations into perceiving true Oneness with our Creator if we do not feel the pain and suffering of the brokenness of this world of duality and separation?
How can we Return to a Higher Understanding of the The Oneness of Reality if there are no perceived apparent separate external forces (in the delusional world of duality) that we can relate to and draw wisdom from in order to reveal Light? How can we go up to Higher Levels of Light, Knowledge, wisdom and understanding if we cannot go down into deeper depths of delusion and apparent falsehood in order to seek and reveal the hidden wisdom within those darker, denser, lower and more external layers of the world of created Space and Time?
If all that is deception is a lie that leads us to relying on our own understanding above that of our Creator, and in order that we self-glorify instead of ackowledging our True Maker/Source of Life and in order that we refuse to willingly worship Him- then what is a greater 'Sorcerer' or 'magician' than our own evil inclinations ( ego, greed, envy, lusts, sloth, vengeance, suspicion, ingratitude, impatience, etc..) which lead us astray from the paths of Peace? Surely the Deceiver/Satan that whispers into the hearts of man ( and anything which has free-will) must be perceived as an 'enemy' in order that we choose (with our free-will) to reject known falsehood in order to seek a path of Truth/reality?
How can the perceived existence of Sorcery/Divination cause us harm?
In this worldly life where truth and falsehood seem to be mixed together, every breath can feel painful, and every word we choose to speak and every action we choose to perform can either help to reveal or cover over our Light (Light of our Creator) which helps to navigate us through our difficult paths of Justice Truth and Peace.
When we convince ourselves that the forces of sorcery/magic/divination are forces that are 'separate' from our Creator- then we move away from Unity into the perception of duality and become more likely to rely on these external forces for our livelihood instead of our Creator who is True Reality and One. However if we perceive the powers of magic/sorcery/witchcraft as either a delusion (not real) or temporary forces which are 'permitted' by a Creator to exist for a Higher Purpose, through which He brings Justice to the worlds and tests our devotion to and faith in Him (through surrender to His Will and obedience to His Commandments) then we become free from feeling the need to rely on them as intermediaries between us and our Creator.
The more we give false witness to Higher Truth, and the more we deceive ourselves and others (by not being true to who we really Are and want to Become) , and the more we claim to 'own' what is not rightly ours while seeking honour and self-glorification with our God given blessings (instead of showing gratitude to our Creator), and the more we choose to 'disobey' the Guidance of our Creator Who invites to Justice, Truth and Peace- the more we give our God-given power over to false gods, deception, sorcery and external forces of evil and allow them to control our lives (by covering our sense of True Reality and hardening our hearts). By allowing deception to work through us as a tool of separation between Creator and creation and within the diversity of creation, we bear witness to choosing to worship by surrendering to our own perceived separate will and selfish evil inclinations while rejecting our Creator as our True King. When we do this- we find ourselves living within shadows, darkness, delusions, in fear and anxiety while surrounded by the mirage of the glitter of this physical world opening up channels/doorways whereby these perceived false external forces can cause us harm, suffering and destruction- nothing but a repayment for our willing arrogant rejection and denial of Higher Truth.
How does Sorcery/Divination affect our sense of Well-being?
When we choose to believe in and rely on the power of sorcery and falsehood to save us- instead of asking/relying on and Trusting in our Creator for redemption/Healing, ( through relying on external forces of creation for Provision/protection and Help beside or instead of our Creator)- we live in a life of 'Fear' and expose ourselves to the destructive forces/power of the 'evil eye.' This fear comes upon us and surrounds us when we go against our true essence- (righteousness in the Name of our Creator), So when we knowingly seek to deceive others, then we too will be deceived- when we knowingly seek to cause separation between a person and his/her Creator then we perceive separation within our own self. When we seek to use our God-given powers in order to cloud over the hearts eyes and ears of others through the practice of magic (while we know that it is deception)- we cause our own Heart to be veiled and hardened to the Guidance from and Perception of Higher Truth and therefore become compelled to have intermediaries (layers of hardness) between us and our Creator. When we use the forces of evil in order to knowingly cause harm to others because of our selfish ego, greed, envy, lusts, sloth, sorrows, fears etc, we in fact cause harm to our own self using that same force. On the other hand, when we willingly surrender to Higher Will of our Creator, repent, turn from evil and do good and choose to reject falsehood when we recognise it, and seek to Unite the Creator with creation by seeking and revealing Higher Truth using our physical lives and physical and spiritual gifts talents and possessions, while seeking only the Pleasure of our Creator to do His Will on earth as it is in Heaven- we unite and heal within; this increases our Faith, patience, and gratitude, and guides us to paths of righteousness and inner Peace while our Creator offers us protection from the perception of external forces ( which some worship as false gods) because we perceive The Face of our Creator whichever way we turn - and rely on His promise to help us in our efforts of spreading His Light and Justice within the worlds through the Human as His vessel.
The feeling of living in 'fear' has a huge impact on our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional well-being. How many of us live in the 'fear' of poverty? or in the 'fear' of losing our wealth, children, loved ones, health, physical and spiritual blessings? or the 'fear' of being caught for our lies and deception through stealing, adultery, bearing false witness, murder, and other crimes that we perform while seeking to satisfy our selfish desires and deceiving ourselves into believing that no-one will 'see' or 'hear' us or find out? How many of us live in the 'fear' which drives us to live our lives in accordance to the expectations/rule and opinions of others about us while we go against who we truly Are and want to Be- our Righteousness? Have we not stopped to ask ourselves- why do I live in fear? Do I love that which I fear? Do I love and fear this physical world more than my Creator and the Hereafter? Is that which I fear- worthy of my fear? Can that which I fear- cause me harm or help me? Is that which I fear able to create a fly? If a fly were to take some dust from me, would that which I love and fear more than or as equal to my Creator- be able to retrieve it from the fly?
So, when we deny our inner Truth by living a false life through deceiving speech (lies) and immoral behaviour (injustice) which goes against our True essence and the Righteousness of our Source/Creator- we live in fear. When we cause harm to others in a way that we would not like to be treated using our God-given blessings and talents/powers- we cause only destruction to ourselves using that same Force by the permission of our Creator. When we choose to put intermediaries between ourselves and our Creator by engaging in sorcery/deception/magic etc then we are compelled to rely on these same intermediaries (instead of our Inner Eternal Light) as our external sources of light (illuminates) when we face darkness- and only by the permission of our Creator can they help us- if it be His Will. We become a 'slave' of fear/anxiety/depression/distress- controlled by the external false delusion of this physical world where our selfless righteousness is covered over and controlled by our selfish ego- buried within layers of hard shell which cloud over our ability to 'See' and reveal the Light within the darkness of our heart, mind and soul.
How can we transform darkness to light, and delusion into Reality by connecting to our Divine Source and Power through our willing surrender to The Higher Will of our Creator?
By acknowledging that none has the right to be worshipped except our Creator, and that there is no Reality other than God (The Knower, The Knowledge and the Known are One), we will come to Fear and Love none other than God Alone and incline towards Truth as our Source of Life, Provision and Protection from falsehood ( in intention, thought, speech and behaviour- path of righteousness)
How can we apply this to our daily lives?
1) by seeking to draw closer to our creator while seeking to discover and reveal Truth at all times.
2) by speaking that which we know to be True ( by using our knowledge wisdom and understanding) while seeking the Pleasure/to fulfil the Will of our Creator- even if it goes against our own 'will'/ego- even if it results in physical 'loss' and hardship/suffering.
3) by fulfilling our commitments/promises to our Creator and one another in the cause of doing good/revealing Truth and refraining from evil/engaging in falsehood. Behaving 'justly' with one another (treating others how we would want to be treated) according to the Law/Will of our Creator.
4) by meditating on the Beautiful Attributes/Names of our Creator (taught to us through Scripture and experience) through meditation, and seeking His guidance and help through prayer while trying to incorporate and express His Attributes into and through our own lives by following His Ways of Peace/Righteousness.
5) by reflecting on our thought, speech and behaviour, acknowledging our past mistakes/sins and 0ft-repenting from our evil ways with a sincere and humble heart, while Returning to our Lord whenever possible (with each breath) and seeking guidance and Help directly from our Creator/Source of Life.
6) by relying on no Power Higher than that of our Creator as our Source of Life, existence and blessings. To Love our God and love others as ourself in order to receive and give blessings (to be a chariot/candle of Light). To Fear our God (by obeying His commandments and following His Guidance through revelation while seeking to fulfil our Higher purpose according His Will/Word) in order to be protected from the 'Evil Eye.'
7) let's not assume that our perception of 'truth' is Truth, and willingly accept that there is a Higher Truth than our limited awareness and understanding. Let's not try to create God in our Image, but accept that we are created in His Image. Our Creator will always be our King. Let's surrender and accept the Yoke of Heaven upon our hearts and serve Him wholeheartedly to the best our given potentials with our hearts minds and strength.
7) We will draw closer to seeing The Face of our Creator within creation when we choose to see the 'positive' in an apparent 'negative' experience, seek to reveal the good in others, pardon and forgive with patience and mercy, fight injustice with acts of loving kindness and truth, bless instead of cursing others, seek the 'light' as hidden wisdom in the darkness, and reveal 'Unity' within diversity. When we willingly surrender our will to His Will, and sacrifice our inner beast (evil inclinations) for a Higher Purpose as Humanity so that we may all Rise in together in Peace and justice. Let's seek refuge in our Creator from the temptations of Satan in order that we sanctify his Name.
Here are some self-reflection exercises that might help us:
Some Scripture verses about Sorcery/Divination:
Is not this the one my master drinks from? Why, he even divines with it! You have done evil by the way you have acted.' " Genesis 44:5
And Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have committed? Don't you know that a person like me practices divination?" Genesis 44:15
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile. And behold, seven cows of robust flesh and handsome form were ascending from the Nile, and they pastured in the marshland. And behold, seven other cows were ascending after them, emaciated and of very ugly form and with meager flesh; I have not seen such ugly ones throughout the entire land of Egypt. And the meager and ugly cows devoured the first seven healthy cows. And they went inside them, but it was not known that they had gone inside of them, for their appearance was as ugly as in the beginning; then I awoke. Then I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears of grain were growing on one stalk, full and good. And behold, seven ears of grain, hardened, thin, and beaten by the east wind, were growing up after them. And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven good ears of grain; I told the necromancers, but no one tells me [its meaning]." And Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dream is one; what God is doing He has told Pharaoh. Genesis 41:15-24
And of Levi he said: "Your Tummim and Urim belong to Your pious man, whom You tested at Massah and whom You tried at the waters of Meribah, who said of his father and his mother, 'I do not see him'; neither did he recognize his brothers, nor did he know his children, for they observed Your word and kept Your covenant. They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob, and Your Torah to Israel; they shall place incense before You, and burnt offerings upon Your altar. Deuteronomy 33:8-10
There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a diviner of [auspicious] times, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, a pithom sorcerer, a yido'a sorcerer, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations, the Lord, your God is driving them out from before you. Be wholehearted with the Lord, your God. For these nations, which you are to possess, hearken to diviners of [auspicious] times and soothsayers, but as for you, the Lord, your God, has not given you [things] like these. Deuteronomy 18:10-14
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: Should any man's wife go astray and deal treacherously with him, and a man lie with her carnally, but it was hidden from her husband's eyes, but she was secluded [with the suspected adulterer] and there was no witness against her, and she was not seized. But a spirit of jealousy had come upon him and he became jealous of his wife, and she was defiled, or, a spirit of jealousy had come upon him and he was jealous of his wife, and she was not defiled. Then the man shall bring his wife to the kohen and bring her offering for her, one tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He shall neither pour oil over it nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousies, a meal offering of remembrance, recalling iniquity. The kohen shall bring her forth and present her before the Lord. The kohen shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and some earth from the Mishkan floor, the kohen shall take and put it into the water. Then the kohen shall stand the woman up before the Lord and expose the [hair on the] head of the woman; he shall place into her hands the remembrance meal offering, which is a meal offering of jealousies, while the bitter curse bearing waters are in the kohen's hand. The kohen shall then place her under oath, and say to the woman, "If no man has lain with you and you have not gone astray to become defiled [to another] in place of your husband, then [you will] be absolved through these bitter waters which cause the curse. But as for you, if you have gone astray [to another] instead of your husband and have become defiled, and another man besides your husband has lain with you..." The kohen shall now adjure the woman with the oath of the curse, and the kohen shall say to the woman, "May the Lord make you for a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord causes your thigh to rupture and your belly to swell. For these curse bearing waters shall enter your innards, causing the belly to swell and the thigh to rupture," and the woman shall say, "Amen, amen." Then the kohen shall write these curses on a scroll and erase it in the bitter water. He shall then give the bitter, curse bearing waters to the woman to drink, and the curse bearing waters shall enter her to become bitter. The kohen shall take the meal offering of jealousies from the woman's hand, wave the meal offering before the Lord, and bring it to the altar. The kohen shall scoop out from the meal offering its reminder and burn it upon the altar, and then he shall give the woman the water to drink. He shall make her drink the water, and it shall be that, if she had been defiled and was unfaithful to her husband, the curse bearing waters shall enter her to become bitter, and her belly will swell, and her thigh will rupture. The woman will be a curse among her people. But if the woman had not become defiled and she is clean, she shall be exempted and bear seed. This is the law of jealousies when a woman goes astray to someone other than her husband and is defiled, or if a spirit of jealousy comes over a man, and he is jealous of his wife, and he presents the woman before the Lord, and the kohen shall do to her all of this law, the man shall be absolved of iniquity, and the woman shall bear her iniquity. Numbers 5:11-31
So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went, with magic charms in their hands, and they came to Balaam and conveyed Balak's message to him. He said to them, "Lodge here for the night, and I will give you an answer when the Lord speaks to me." So the Moabite nobles stayed with Balaam. God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor the king of Moab has sent [them] to me, [saying]: "Behold the people coming out of Egypt, a nation, has covered the 'eye' of the earth. Come and curse them for me, perhaps I will be able to fight against them and drive them out." God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them! You shall not curse the people because they are blessed." Numbers 22:7-12
The Lord opened the mouth of the she-donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?" Numbers 22:28
The Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a sword drawn in his hand. He bowed and prostrated himself on his face. Numbers 22:31
Balaam answered and said to Balak's servants, "Even if Balak gives me a house full of silver and gold, I cannot do anything small or great that would transgress the word of the Lord, my God. Numbers 22:18
When he returned, Balak was standing next to his burnt offering, he and all the Moabite dignitaries. He took up his parable and said, "Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east [saying], 'Come, curse Jacob for me and come invoke wrath against Israel.' How can I curse whom God has not cursed, and how can I invoke wrath if the Lord has not been angered? For from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills; it is a nation that will dwell alone, and will not be reckoned among the nations. Who counted the dust of Jacob or the number of a fourth of [or, of the seed of] Israel? May my soul die the death of the upright and let my end be like his." Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them!" He answered, saying, "What the Lord puts into my mouth that I must take care to say." Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place from where you will see them; however, you will see only a part of them, not all of them and curse them for me from there. He took him to the field of the lookouts, to the peak of the mountain, and he built seven altars and offered up a bull and a ram on [each] altar. He said to Balak, "Stand here next to your burnt offering and I will be chanced on here. The Lord chanced upon Balaam and placed something into his mouth. He said, "Return to Balak and so you shall speak." When he came to him, he was standing next to his burnt offering, and the Moabite dignitaries were with him, and Balak said to him, "What did the Lord speak?" He took up his parable and said, "Arise, Balak, and hear; listen closely to me, son of Zippor. God is not a man that He should lie, nor is He a mortal that He should relent. Would He say and not do, speak and not fulfill? I have received [an instruction] to bless, and He has blessed, and I cannot retract it. He does not look at evil in Jacob, and has seen no perversity in Israel; the Lord, his God, is with him, and he has the King's friendship. God has brought them out of Egypt with the strength of His loftiness. For there is no divination in Jacob and no soothsaying in Israel. In time it will be said to Jacob and Israel, 'What has God wrought?' Numbers 23:6-23
Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel; so he did not go in search of omens as he had done time and time again, but turned his face toward the desert. Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes, and the spirit of God rested upon him. He took up his parable and said, "The word of Balaam the son of Beor and the word of the man with an open eye. The word of the one who hears God's sayings, who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen yet with open eyes. How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! They extend like streams, like gardens by the river, like aloes which the Lord planted, like cedars by the water. Water will flow from his wells, and his seed shall have abundant water; his king shall be raised over Agag, and his kingship exalted. God, Who has brought them out of Egypt with the strength of His loftiness He shall consume the nations which are his adversaries, bare their bones and dip His arrows [into their blood]. He crouches and lies like a lion and like a lioness; who will dare rouse him? Those who bless you shall be blessed, and those who curse you shall be cursed. Numbers 24:1-9
'If Balak gives me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of the Lord to do either good or evil on my own; only what the Lord speaks can I speak.' Numbers 24:13
You shall not allow a sorceress to live. Whoever lies [carnally] with an animal shall surely be put to death. He who slaughters [a sacrifice] to the gods shall be destroyed, except to the Lord alone. Exodus 22:17-19
Thereupon, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said, "Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let out the people [of Israel] so that they may sacrifice to the Lord." And Moses said to Pharaoh, "Boast [of your superiority] over me. For when shall I entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and from your houses, [that] they should remain only in the Nile? " And he [Pharaoh] said, "For tomorrow." And he [Moses] said, "As you say, in order that you should know that there is none like the Lord, our God. And the frogs will depart from you and from your houses and from your servants and from your people; only in the Nile will they remain." And Moses and Aaron went away from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs that He had brought upon Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to Moses' word, and the frogs died from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. Exodus 8:4-9
[Thereupon,] Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the Lord had commanded; Aaron cast his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. [Then,] Pharaoh too summoned the wise men and the magicians, and the necromancers of Egypt also did likewise with their magic. Each one of them cast down his staff, and they became serpents; but Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs. But Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken. The Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is heavy; he has refused to let the people out. Go to Pharaoh in the morning; behold, he is going forth to the water, and you shall stand opposite him on the bank of the Nile, and the staff that was turned into a serpent you shall take in your hand. And you shall say to him, 'The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to you, saying, "Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me in the desert," but behold, until now, you have not hearkened. So said the Lord, "With this you will know that I am the Lord." Behold, I will smite with the staff that is in my hand upon the water that is in the Nile, and it will turn to blood. And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become putrid, and the Egyptians will weary [in their efforts] to drink water from the Nile.'" The Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch forth your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their canals, over their ponds, and over all their bodies of water, and they will become blood, and there will be blood throughout the entire land of Egypt, even in wood and in stone.' " Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord had commanded, and he raised the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile turned to blood. And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became putrid; the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile, and there was blood throughout the entire land of Egypt. And the necromancers of Egypt did likewise with their secret rites, and Pharaoh's heart was steadfast, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had spoken. Exodus 10:7-22
You shall not eat over the blood. You shall not act on the basis of omens or lucky hours. Leviticus 19:26
You shall not turn to [the sorcery of] Ov or Yid'oni; you shall not seek [these and thereby] defile yourselves through them. I am the Lord, your God. Leviticus 19:31
And the person who turns to Ov or Yid'oni, to stray after them I will set My attention upon that person, and I will cut him off from amidst his people. Leviticus 20:6
And a man or a woman who has [the sorcery of] Ov or Yid'oni, shall surely be put to death; they shall pelt them with stones; their blood is upon themselves. Leviticus 20:27
And now, hearken to this, delicate one, who sits securely, who says to herself, "I am [it], and there is none besides me; I will not sit [as] a widow; neither will I know bereavement." And these two shall come to you in a second in one day, bereavement and widowhood; in their full measure, they shall come upon you with the multitude of your sorceries, with the great abundance of your charms. And you trusted in your evil, you said, "No one sees me." Your wisdom and your knowledge-that perverted you. And you said to yourself, "I am [it], and there is none besides me." And evil shall come upon you, you shall not know how to remove it by prayer; and calamity shall befall you, you shall not know how to rid yourself of it; and desolation shall come upon you suddenly, you shall not know. Stand now with your charms and with the multitude of your sorceries, in which you toiled since your youth; perhaps you will be able to help, perhaps you will gain strength. You have wearied with the multitude of your counsels; let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators of what will come upon you, stand up and save you. Behold they were like stubble, fire burnt them, they shall not save themselves from the power of the flame; there is no coal by which to warm oneself, [or] fire opposite which to sit. So were they to you, those for whom you toiled; your traffickers since your youth, each one strayed to his side, no one saves you. Isaiah 47:8-15
"O house of Jacob, come and let us go in the light of the Lord." For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, for they are full of [witchcraft] from the East and soothsayers like the Philistines, and with children of gentiles they please themselves. And his land became full of silver and gold, without end to his treasures; and his land became full of horses, without end to his chariots. And his land is full of idols; to the work of his hands he prostrates himself, to that which his fingers made. Isaiah 2:6-8
For, behold, the Master, the Lord of Hosts removes from Jerusalem and from Judah a support and a stay, every support of bread and every support of water; Hero and warrior; judge and prophet and soothsayer and elder; Captain of fifty and man of esteem, and counsellor and skillful craftsman, and one who understands secrets. Isaiah 3:1-3
And the Lord shall smite with zaraath the crown of the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord shall pour out their "vessels." On that day, the Lord shall remove the glory of the shoes and the embroidered headdresses and the hairnets. The necklaces and the bracelets and the veils, The tiaras and the foot chains and the hair ribbons and the clasps and the earrings. The finger-rings and the nose-rings. The tunics and the bedspreads and the tablecloths and the purses. The mirrors and the sheets and the turbans and the clasps. And it shall come to pass, that, in the place of perfume, will be decay, and in the place of a girdle, laceration, and in the place of the deed, a wound that causes baldness, and in the place of the organ of levity, a sack-cloth girdle, for this is instead of beauty. Your men shall fall by the sword and your heroism in war. And her gates shall lament and mourn, and she shall be emptied out; she shall sit on the ground. Isaiah 3:17-26
And when they say to you, "Inquire of the necromancers and those who divine by Jidoa bone, who chirp and who mutter." "Does not this people inquire of its God? For the living, shall we inquire of the dead? For the Torah and for the warning?" If they will not say the likes of the thing, that it has no light. And the one who passes therein shall suffer hardships and hunger, and it shall come to pass, when he is hungry and wroth, that he shall curse his king and his god and face upwards. And he shall look to the land, and behold, distress and darkness, weariness of oppression, and to the darkness he is lost. For there is no weariness to the one who oppresses her; like the first time, he dealt mildly, [exiling only] the land of Zebulun and the land of Naftali, and the last one he dealt harshly, the way of the sea, and the other side of the Jordan, the attraction of the nations. Isaiah 8:19-23
The harsh prophecy of Egypt; Behold the Lord is riding on a light cloud and He shall come to Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall quake from before Him and the heart of the Egyptians shall melt in their midst. And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they shall war one man against his brother, and a man against his friend, a city against a city and a province against a province. And the spirit of Egypt shall empty out in its midst, and I will thwart its counsel, and they shall turn to the idols and to the sorcerers and to the necromancers and to those who divine by the jidoa bone. And I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a harsh master, and a mighty king shall rule over them; so says the Master, the Lord of Hosts. Isaiah 19:1-4
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own hearts: Hearken to the word of the Lord. So said the Lord God: Woe is to the mad prophets who follow their desire and what they have not seen. Like foxes in ruins were your prophets, O Israel. You have not gone up into the breaches nor have you built a fence for the house of Israel, to stand in war on the day of the Lord. They prophisied futility and false divination, those who say, 'The word of the Lord,' while the Lord did not send them, and expect their words to be fulfilled! Have you not prophesied vain prophecy, and spoken false divination; yet you say, 'The word of the Lord,' while I did not speak. Therefore, so said the Lord God: Since you spoke falsehoods and prophesied lies, therefore, behold I am against you, says the Lord God. And My hand shall be against the prophets who prophesy vanity and the diviners of lies; in the counsel of My people they shall not be, and in the roster of the house of Israel they shall not be inscribed, and to the land of Israel they shall not come, and you will know that I am the Lord God. Because, indeed because they misled My people, saying, 'Peace,' when there is no peace, and it is building a flimsy wall, and behold they are plastering it with daub. Say to the plasterers with daub, 'Behold, it will fall. If there will be driving rain, then you, gigantic hailstones, will fall, and a storm wind will crack [it]. And behold, the wall has fallen! Will it not be said to you, "Where is the plaster that you have plastered?"' Therefore, so said the Lord God: I will cause a storm wind to crack [the wall] with My fury, and there shall be a driving rain with My wrath, and gigantic hailstones with fury to destroy [it]. And I shall demolish the wall that you plastered with daub, and I shall make it reach the ground, and its foundation will be bared, and it will fall, and you will perish in its midst, and you will know that I am the Lord. And I shall spend My fury on the wall and on those who plaster it with daub, and I shall say to you, 'The wall is not here, neither are those who plaster it.' The prophets of Israel who prophesy about Jerusalem, and those who envision for it a vision of peace when there is no peace, says the Lord God. Now you, son of man, direct your face toward the daughters of your people who prophesy from their own heart, and prophesy about them. And you shall say; So said the Lord God: Woe to those who sew cushions on all armpits, and who make the veils for the head of people of every height, to ensnare souls. Will you ensnare the souls of My people and sustain your own souls? You have profaned Me before My people for fistfuls of barley and for morsels of bread to slay souls that will not die and to sustain souls that will not live, by your lying to My people, who hearken to lies. Therefore, so said the Lord God: Behold, I am against your cushions with which you ensnare the souls, [causing them] to fly away, and I shall tear them off your arms, and I shall free the people whose souls you ensnare to make them fly away. And I shall tear your veils and I shall save My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be ensnared, and you will know that I am the Lord. Because you break the heart of the righteous one with falsehood, whereas I did not pain him, and to strengthen the hands of the wicked one, keeping him from repenting of his way, to sustain him. Therefore, you shall neither prophesy vanity nor divine divinations any longer, and I shall save My people from your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord." Ezekiel 13
A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. Proverbs 17:8
And I will destroy the cities of your land, and I will break down all your fortresses. And I will destroy sorcery from your hand, and you will have no soothsayers. And I will destroy your graven images and your monuments from your midst, and you shall no longer prostrate yourself to your handiwork. Micah 5:10-12
And Hannah answered and said: No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit, and neither new wine nor old wine have I drunk, and I poured out my soul before the Lord. Deliver not your bondswoman before the unscrupulous woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation have I spoken until now. And Eli answered and said: Go in peace, and the God of Israel will grant your request which you have asked of Him. And she said: May your bondswoman find favor in your eyes; and the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was not (sad) anymore. And they arose early in the morning, and prostrated themselves before the Lord: and they returned and came to their house, to Ramah, and Elkanah knew Hannah, his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And it was, when the time came about, after Hannah had conceived, that she bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, because (she said); "I asked him of the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:15-20
"For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as idolatry and seraphim. Since you rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you from being a king." 1 Samuel 15:23
And Saul said to his servants, "Seek for me a necromanceress; and I shall go to her, and inquire of her." And his servants said, "Behold, there is a necromanceress in En-dor." And Saul disguised himself, and donned other garments. And he went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night, and he said, "Divine now for me with necromancy, and conjure up for me whom I shall tell you." And the woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, that he has abolished the necromancers and those who divine by the Jidoa bone, from the land; and why do you lay a snare for my life to cause me to die?" And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, "As the Lord lives, no punishment will happen to you for this thing." And the woman said, "Whom shall I conjure up for you?" And he said, "Conjure up Samuel for me." And the woman saw Samuel, and she cried aloud. And the woman said to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!" And the king said to her, "Fear not, for what have you seen?" And the woman said to Saul, "I have seen angels ascending from the earth." And he said to her, "What is his form?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a cloak." And Saul knew that he was Samuel; and he bowed down with his face to the ground, and prostrated himself. And Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you roused me, to bring me up?" And Saul said, "I am greatly distressed, and the Philistines are battling against me, and God has turned away from me, and has not answered me anymore, neither through the prophets, nor through dreams. And I have called you to let me know what I shall do." And Samuel said, "And why do you ask me, when the Lord has turned away from you, and has become (the supporter of) your adversary? And the Lord has done to him as He spoke by me; and the Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand, and has given it to your fellow-to David. Because you did not listen to the Lord's voice, and you did not execute the fierceness of His wrath against Amalek; therefore, the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
And you, heed not your prophets or your diviners or your dreams or your soothsayers or your sorcerers, who say to you, saying, "You shall not serve the king of Babylon." Jeremiah 27:9
And they said, each one with his fellow, "come, let's cast lots, so that we will know because of whom this evil has befallen us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Jonah 1:7
And I will approach you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely; and also against those who withhold the wages of the day laborers, of the widow and fatherless, and those who pervert [the rights of] the stranger, [and those who] fear Me not, says the Lord of Hosts. For I, the Lord, have not changed; and you, the sons of Jacob, have not reached the end. From the days of your fathers you have departed from My laws and have not kept [them]. "Return to Me, and I will return to you," said the Lord of Hosts, but you said, "With what have we to return?" Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me, and you say, "With what have we robbed You?"-With tithes and with the terumah-levy. You are cursed with a curse, but you rob Me, the whole nation! Bring the whole of the tithes into the treasury so that there may be nourishment in My House, and test Me now therewith, says the Lord of Hosts, [to see] if I will not open for you the sluices of heaven and pour down for you blessing until there be no room to suffice for it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake, and he will not destroy the fruits of your land; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field, says the Lord of Hosts. And then all the nations shall praise you, for you shall be a desirable land, says the Lord of Hosts. Malachi 3:5-12
And he passed his sons through fire in the valley of Ben Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, divination, and sorcery, and he consulted necromancers and those who divine by the jidoa bone; he did much that was evil in the eyes of the Lord, to provoke Him. 2 Kings 17:17
And he placed the graven image of the idol that he made, in the House of God, concerning which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this House and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My name forever. And I will not continue to remove Israel's feet from the land that I have given their forefathers; if they will but observe to do all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law, the statutes, and the ordinances that Moses My servant commanded them." And Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray to do what was evil, more than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed from before the Children of Israel. And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they did not listen. And the Lord brought upon them the generals of the king of Assyria, and they seized Manasseh with hooks and bound him with copper chains and brought him to Babylon. And when he was distressed, he entreated the Lord his God, and he humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And he prayed to Him, and He accepted his prayer, and He heard his supplication and He restored him to Jerusalem to his kingdom, and Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. 2 Chronicles 33:6-13
Because of the many harlotries of the harlot, charming and enchanting, who delivers nations with her harlotries, and families with her enchantments. Behold! I am against you, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will uncover your skirts upon your face-and I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame. And I will cast detestable things upon you and make you vile, and I will make you like dung. And it shall come to pass that whoever sees you shall wander away from you, and he shall say, "Nineveh has been plundered." Who will console her? Whence shall I seek comforters for you? Are you better than No-Amon, which was situated among the rivers, with water around it-whose wall was the sea and of the sea, its wall? Cush was [its] strength, and Egypt, which had no end; Put and the Lubim were your helpers. She, too, went into exile in captivity. Her young children, too, were dashed at the head of all the streets. And they cast lots on her dignitaries, and all her great men were bound in chains. You, too, shall become drunk; you shall disappear; you, too, shall seek refuge from the enemy. All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe fruits; if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. Behold! Your people are [like] women in your midst. For your enemies, the gates of your land shall be opened; a fire shall consume your bars. Draw siege water for yourself; strengthen your fortifications; come into the clay and tread the mortar; grasp the brickmold. There a fire shall consume you; a sword shall cut you off, it shall consume you as the nibbling locust [does]. You shall be swept away by the nibbling locust; you shall be swept away like the increasing locust. You have increased your traffickers more than the stars of the heavens; the nibbling locust spreads out and flies away. Your princes are like the increasing locust, and your marshals like armies of locusts which alight on the walls on a cold day; the sun shines, and it flies away, and its place is not known-where they are. Your leaders slumber, O King of Assyria; your mighty men are at rest; your people are scattered on the mountains, and no one gathers them in. No one is pained over your destruction; your wound is grievous; all who hear your report clap hands over you, for upon whom did your harm not pass constantly? Nahum 3:4-19
And the king commanded to summon the necromancers, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams, and they came and stood before the king. Daniel 2:2
The Chaldeans replied before the king and said, "There is no man on the earth who can declare the king's word; because no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any necromancer, astrologer, or Chaldean. And the matter that the king asks is difficult, and there is no other who can tell it before the king but the angels, whose dwelling is not with people." Daniel 2:10-11
Then Daniel entered and requested of the king that time be given him, and the interpretation would be told to the king. Then Daniel went home and let his colleagues, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, know of the matter. And to pray and beg of the God of heaven about this secret, that Daniel and his colleagues should not perish with the remaining wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in the vision of the night; then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel spoke up and said, "May the Name of God be blessed from everlasting even to everlasting, to Whom are wisdom and might. And He changes the times and the seasons, He removes kings and sets up kings; He grants wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who know understanding. He reveals the profound and secret things; He knows what is in the dark, and light dwells with Him. To You, O God of my forefathers, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and might, and now You have let me know what I requested of You, for the matter of the king You have let me know." Daniel 2:17-23
The king spoke up and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Do you have the ability to tell me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?" Daniel answered the king and said, "The secret that the king asks, no wise men, astrologers, necromancers, or demonologists can tell the king. But there is a God in heaven Who reveals secrets, and He lets King Nebuchadnezzar know what will be at the end of days; that is your dream and the visions of your head on your bed. You, O king, your thoughts came while on your bed, what will be after this, and the Revealer of secrets lets you know what will be. And I-not with wisdom that I possess more than all living, did He reveal this secret to me, but in order that they should let the king know the interpretation, and you should know the thoughts of your heart. O King, you were watching, and behold, one great image, an image which had a large base and with unusual splendor, was standing opposite you, and its form was frightening. That image had a head of fine gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of copper. Its legs were of iron, and its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. You were watching until one stone was hewn without hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and crumbled them. Then the iron, the clay, the copper, the silver, and the gold crumbled together, and they were like chaff from the threshing floors of the summer, and the wind carried them off, and no place was found for them, and the stone that struck the image became a huge mountain and filled the entire earth. This is the dream, and its interpretation we shall recite before the king. You, O King, the King of kings, the God of heaven gave you a strong, powerful, and prominent kingdom. And wherever people, wild beasts, and birds of the sky dwell, He has given into your hand and has given you dominion over them all. You are the head of gold. And after you will arise another kingdom lower than you, and another-a third kingdom- of copper, which will rule over the entire earth. And a fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, for iron crumbles and flattens everything, and like iron, which shatters all these, it will crumble and shatter. And what you saw, the feet and the toes-which were partly of potter's clay and partly of iron-so it will be a divided kingdom, and in it will be some of the strength of iron, in view of what you saw iron mixed with clay. And the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, for part of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be broken. And what you saw, iron mixed with clay, [connotes] that they will mingle with the seed of men, but they will not cleave one to the other, as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom forever, it will not be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left to another people; it will crumble and destroy all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. Just as you saw that from the mountain a stone was hewn without hands, and it crumbled the iron, the copper, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has let the king know what will be after this, and the dream is true, and its interpretation is reliable." Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and prostrated himself before Daniel, and he ordered to offer up a meal-offering and libations to bring him satisfaction. The king replied to Daniel and said, "Truly, your God is the God of the gods and the Master of the kings, and He reveals secrets, being that you were able to reveal this secret. Daniel 2:26-47
And they will banish you from mankind, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they will feed you grass like the cattle, and with the dew of the heavens you shall be drenched, and seven periods shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men, and to whom He wishes He gives it. And what they said to leave, the main roots of the tree, your kingdom will remain yours, as soon as you know that Heaven rules. Indeed, O king, may my counsel please you, and with charity you will remove your sin and your iniquity by showing mercy to the poor; perhaps your tranquility will last." Daniel 4:22-24
There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of holy angels, and in your father's time enlightenment, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the angels was found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, appointed him prince of the necromancers, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the demonologists; [so did] your father the king. All because a superior spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, tell riddles, and untie knots was found in him, in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar; now let Daniel be summoned and he will tell the interpretation." Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king raised his voice and said to Daniel, "You are Daniel, who is of the exiles of Judea, whom my father brought from Judea. And I heard about you that the spirit of the angels is in you, and enlightenment, understanding, and superior wisdom is found in you. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they may read this writing and let me know its interpretation, but they cannot interpret the matter to tell [it]. And I have heard about you that you can interpret interpretations and untie knots. Now if you can read the writing and let me know its interpretation, you shall wear purple and [have] a golden chain on your neck, and [over] a third of the kingdom you shall rule." Then Daniel raised his voice and said before the king, "Keep your gifts for yourself, and give your lavish gifts to someone else, but I shall read the writing for the king, and I shall let him know the interpretation. You are the king [because] the Most High God gave your father, Nebuchadnezzar, kingdom, greatness, honor, and glory. And through the greatness that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and tongues were quaking, and they feared him; whomever he wished he would slay, and whomever he wished he would let live; whomever he wished he would exalt, and whomever he wished he would humble. And when his heart became haughty and his spirit was toughened so that he dealt wickedly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and the honor was removed from him. And he was banished from mankind, and his heart was just like that of the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses. They fed him grass like the cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of the heavens, until he realized that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of man, and whomever He wishes He sets up on it. Daniel 5:11-21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Mathew 7:21-27
Whoever is hostile to God, and His angels, and His messengers, and Gabriel, and Michael—God is hostile to the faithless.
We have revealed to you clear signs, and none rejects them except the sinners. Is it not that whenever they make a covenant, some of them toss it aside? In fact, most of them do not believe. And when there came to them a messenger from God, confirming what they had, a faction of those who were given the Book threw the Book of God behind their backs, as if they do not know. And they followed what the devils taught during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but it was the devils who disbelieved. They taught the people witchcraft and what was revealed in Babylon to the two angels Harut and Marut. They did not teach anybody until they had said, “We are a test, so do not lose faith.” But they learned from them the means to cause separation between man and his wife. But they cannot harm anyone except with God's permission. And they learned what would harm them and not benefit them. Yet they knew that whoever deals in it will have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable is what they sold their souls for, if they only knew. Had they believed and been righteous, the reward from God would have been better, if they only knew. Quran 2:98-103
Prohibited for you are carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and animals dedicated to other than God; also the flesh of animals strangled, killed violently, killed by a fall, gored to death, mangled by wild animals—except what you rescue, and animals sacrificed on altars; and the practice of drawing lots. For it is immoral. Today, those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion, so do not fear them, but fear Me. Today I have perfected your religion for you, and have completed My favor upon you, and have approved Islam as a religion for you. But whoever is compelled by hunger, with no intent of wrongdoing—God is Forgiving and Merciful. Quran 5:3
O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, idolatry, and divination are abominations of Satan’s doing. Avoid them, so that you may prosper. Quran 5:90
When Joseph said to his father, “O my father, I saw eleven planets, and the sun, and the moon; I saw them bowing down to me.” He said, “O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers, lest they plot and scheme against you. Satan is man's sworn enemy. And thus your Lord will choose you, and will teach you the interpretation of events, and will complete His blessing upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He has completed it before upon your forefathers Abraham and Isaac. Your Lord is Knowing and Wise. In Joseph and his brothers are lessons for the seekers. Quran 12:4-6
“O My fellow inmates, are diverse lords better, or God, the One, the Supreme?” “You do not worship, besides Him, except names you have named, you and your ancestors, for which God has sent down no authority. Judgment belongs to none but God. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. This is the right religion, but most people do not know. “O my fellow inmates! One of you will serve his master wine; while the other will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head. Thus the matter you are inquiring about is settled.” Quran 12:39-41
“Joseph, O man of truth, inform us concerning seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean ones, and seven green spikes, and others dried up, so that I may return to the people, so that they may know.” He said, “You will farm for seven consecutive years. But whatever you harvest, leave it in its spikes, except for the little that you eat.” Then after that will come seven difficult ones, which will consume what you have stored for them, except for the little that you have preserved. Then after that will come a year that brings relief to the people, and during which they will press. The king said, “Bring him to me.” And when the envoy came to him, he said, “Go back to your master, and ask him about the intentions of the women who cut their hands; my Lord is well aware of their schemes.” “He said, “What was the matter with you, women, when you tried to seduce Joseph?” They said, “God forbid! We knew of no evil committed by him.” The governor’s wife then said, “Now the truth is out. It was I who tried to seduce him, and he is telling the truth.” “This is that he may know that I did not betray him in secret, and that God does not guide the scheming of the betrayers.” “Yet I do not claim to be innocent. The soul commands evil, except those on whom my Lord has mercy. Truly my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.” Quran 12:46-53
He said, “You throw!” And when they threw, they beguiled the eyes of the people, and intimidated them, and produced a mighty magic. And We inspired Moses: “Throw your staff.” And at once, it swallowed what they were faking. So the truth came to pass, and what they were producing came to nothing. There they were defeated, and utterly reduced. And the magicians fell to their knees. They said, “We have believed in the Lord of the Worlds.” “The Lord of Moses and Aaron.Pharaoh said, “Did you believe in Him before I have given you permission? This is surely a conspiracy you schemed in the city, in order to expel its people from it. You will surely know.” “I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides; then I will crucify you all.”They said, “It is to our Lord that we will return.” “You are taking vengeance on us only because we have believed in the signs of our Lord when they have come to us.” “Our Lord! Pour out patience upon us, and receive our souls in submission.” The chiefs of Pharaoh's people said, “Will you let Moses and his people cause trouble in the land, and forsake you and your gods?” He said, “We will kill their sons, and spare their women. We have absolute power over them.” Moses said to his people, “Seek help in God, and be patient. The earth belongs to God. He gives it in inheritance to whomever He wills of His servants, and the future belongs to the righteous.” They said, “We were persecuted before you came to us, and after you came to us.” He said, “Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy, and make you successors in the land; then He will see how you behave.”And We afflicted the people of Pharaoh with barren years, and with shortage of crops, that they may take heed. When something good came their way, they said, “This is ours.” And when something bad happened to them, they ascribed the evil omen to Moses and those with him. In fact, their omen is with God, but most of them do not know. And they said, “No matter what sign you bring us, to bewitch us with, we will not believe in you.” So We let loose upon them the flood, and the locusts, and the lice, and the frogs, and blood—all explicit signs—but they were too arrogant. They were a sinful people. Whenever a plague befell them, they would say, “O Moses, pray to your Lord for us, according to the covenant He made with you. If you lift the plague from us, we will believe in you, and let the Children of Israel go with you.” But when We lifted the plague from them, for a term they were to fulfill, they broke their promise. So We took vengeance on them, and drowned them in the sea—because they rejected Our signs, and paid no heed to them. And We made the oppressed people inherit the eastern and western parts of the land, which We had blessed. Thus the fair promise of your Lord to the Children of Israel was fulfilled, because of their endurance. And We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people had built, and what they had harvested. And We delivered the Children of Israel across the sea. And when they came upon a people who were devoted to some statues of theirs, they said, “O Moses, make for us a god, as they have gods.” He said, “You are truly an ignorant people.” “What these people are concerned with is perdition, and their deeds are based on falsehoods.” He said, “Shall I seek for you a god other than God, when He has favored you over all other people?” Remember how We saved you from Pharaoh’s people, who subjected you to the worst of sufferings—killing your sons and sparing your women. In that was a tremendous trial from your Lord. And We appointed to Moses thirty nights, and completed them with ten; and thus the time appointed by his Lord was forty nights. And Moses said to his brother Aaron: “Take my place among my people, and be upright, and do not follow the way of the mischief-makers.” Quran 7:116-142
He said, “Did you come to us to drive us out of our land with your magic, O Moses? We will produce for you magic like it; so make an appointment between us and you, which we will not miss—neither us, nor you—in a central place.” He said, “Your appointment is the day of the festival, so let the people be gathered together at mid-morning.” Pharaoh turned away, put together his plan, and then came back. Moses said to them, “Woe to you. Do not fabricate lies against God, or He will destroy you with a punishment. He who invents lies will fail.” They disagreed among themselves over their affair, and conferred secretly. They said, “These two are magicians who want to drive you out of your land with their magic, and to abolish your exemplary way of life. So settle your plan, and come as one front. Today, whoever gains the upper hand will succeed.” They said, “O Moses, either you throw, or we will be the first to throw.” He said, “You throw.” And suddenly, their ropes and sticks appeared to him, because of their magic, to be crawling swiftly. So Moses felt apprehensive within himself. We said, “Do not be afraid, you are the uppermost. Now throw down what is in your right hand—it will swallow what they have crafted. What they have crafted is only a magician’s trickery. But the magician will not succeed, no matter what he does.” And the magicians fell down prostrate. They said, “We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.” He said, “Did you believe in him before I have given you permission? He must be your chief, who has taught you magic. I will cut off your hands and your feet on alternate sides, and I will crucify you on the trunks of the palm-trees. Then you will know which of us is more severe in punishment, and more lasting.” They said, “We will not prefer you to the proofs that have come to us, and Him who created us. So issue whatever judgment you wish to issue. You can only rule in this lowly life. We have believed in our Lord, so that He may forgive us our sins, and the magic you have compelled us to practice. God is Better, and more Lasting.” Whoever comes to his Lord guilty, for him is Hell, where he neither dies nor lives. But whoever comes to Him a believer, having worked righteousness—these will have the highest ranks. The Gardens of Perpetuity, beneath which rivers flow, dwelling therein forever. That is the reward for him who purifies himself. And We inspired Moses: “Travel by night with My servants, and strike for them a dry path across the sea, not fearing being overtaken, nor worrying.” Pharaoh pursued them with his troops, but the sea overwhelmed them, and completely engulfed them. Pharaoh misled his people, and did not guide them. O Children of Israel! We have delivered you from your enemy, and promised you by the right side of the Mount, and sent down to you manna and quails. Eat of the good things We have provided for you, but do not be excessive therein, lest My wrath descends upon you. He upon whom My wrath descends has fallen. And I am Forgiving towards him who repents, believes, acts righteously, and then remains guided. “And what made you rush ahead of your people, O Moses?” He said, “They are following in my footsteps; and I hurried on to You, my Lord, that you may be pleased.” He said, “We have tested your people in your absence, and the Samarian misled them.” So Moses returned to his people, angry and disappointed. He said, “O my people, did your Lord not promise you a good promise? Was the time too long for you? Or did you want wrath from your Lord to descend upon you, so you broke your promise to me?” They said, “We did not break our promise to you by our choice, but we were made to carry loads of the people’s ornaments, and we cast them in. That was what the Samarian suggested.” So he produced for them a calf—a mere body which lowed. And they said, “This is your god, and the god of Moses, but he has forgotten.” Did they not see that it cannot return a word to them, and has no power to harm them or benefit them? Aaron had said to them before, “O my people, you are being tested by this. And your Lord is the Merciful, so follow me, and obey my command.” They said, “We will not give up our devotion to it, until Moses returns to us.” He said, “O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray. From following me? Did you disobey my command?” He said, “Son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard or my head. I feared you would say, `You have caused division among the Children of Israel, and did not regard my word.'“ He said, “What do you have to say, O Samarian?” He said, “I saw what they did not see, so I grasped a handful from the Messenger’s traces, and I flung it away. Thus my soul prompted me.” He said, “Begone! Your lot in this life is to say, ‘No contact.’ And you have an appointment that you will not miss. Now look at your god that you remained devoted to—we will burn it up, and then blow it away into the sea, as powder.” Surely your god is God, the One besides whom there is no other god. He comprehends everything in knowledge. Thus We narrate to you reports of times gone by; and We have given you a message from Our Presence. Whoever turns away from it will carry on the Day of Resurrection a burden. Quran 20:75-100
But when the truth came to them from Us, they said, “If only he was given the like of what was given to Moses.” Did they not disbelieve in what was given to Moses in the past? They said, “Two works of magic backing one another.” And they said, “We are disbelieving in both.” Say, “Then bring a scripture from God, more conductive to guidance than both, and I will follow it, if you are truthful.” But if they fail to respond to you, know that they follow their fancies. And who is more lost than him who follows his fancy without guidance from God? God does not guide the unjust people. We have delivered the Word to them, that they may remember. Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it believe in it. When it is recited to them, they say, “We have believed in it; it is the truth from our Lord; we were Muslims prior to it.” These will be given their reward twice, because they persevered; and they counter evil with good; and from Our provisions to them, they give.And when they hear vain talk, they avoid it, and say, “We have our deeds, and you have your deeds; peace be upon you; we do not desire the ignorant.” You cannot guide whom you love, but God guides whom He wills, and He knows best those who are guided. And they say, “If we follow the guidance with you, we will be snatched from our land.” Did We not establish for them a Safe Sanctuary, to which are brought all kinds of fruits, as provision from Ourselves? But most of them do not know. And how many a city did We destroy for turning unappreciative of its livelihood? Here are their homes, uninhabited after them, except for a few. And We became the Inheritors. Your Lord never destroys cities without first sending a messenger in their midst, reciting to them Our revelations. And We never destroy the cities, unless their people are wrongdoers. Whatever thing you are given is but the material of this world, and its glitter. But what is with God is better, and longer lasting. Do you not comprehend? Quran 28:58-60
Praise be to God, to Whom belongs everything in the heavens and the earth; and praise be to Him in the Hereafter. He is the Wise, the Expert.
He knows what penetrates into the earth, and what comes out of it, and what descends from the sky, and what ascends to it. He is the Merciful, the Forgiving. Those who disbelieve say, “The Hour will not come upon us.” Say, “Yes indeed, by my Lord, it will come upon you. He is the Knower of the unseen.” Not an atom's weight in the heavens and the earth, or anything smaller or larger, escapes His knowledge. All are in a Clear Record. That He may recompense those who believe and do good works. Those will have forgiveness, and a generous provision. As for those who strive against Our revelations, seeking to undermine them—for them is a punishment of a painful plague. Those who received knowledge know that what is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth; and it guides to the path of the Majestic, the Praiseworthy. Those who disbelieved said, “Shall we point out to you a man, who will tell you that, once torn into shreds, you will be in a new creation? Did he invent a lie about God, or is there madness in him?” Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter are in torment, and far astray. Do they not reflect upon what lies before them and behind them, of the heaven and the earth? If We will, We can make the earth cave in beneath them, or make pieces of the sky fall down on them. In that is a sign for every devout servant. We bestowed upon David favor from Us: “O mountains, and birds: echo with him.” And We softened iron for him. “Make coats of armor, and measure the links well; and work righteousness. I am Observant of everything you do.” And for Solomon the wind—its outward journey was one month, and its return journey was one month. And We made a spring of tar flow for him. And there were sprites that worked under him, by the leave of his Lord. But whoever of them swerved from Our command, We make him taste of the punishment of the Inferno. They made for him whatever he wished: sanctuaries, statues, bowls like pools, and heavy cauldrons. “O House of David, work with appreciation,” but a few of My servants are appreciative. Then, when We decreed death for him, nothing indicated his death to them except an earthworm eating at his staff. Then, when he fell down, it became clear to the sprites that, had they known the unseen, they would not have remained in the demeaning torment. In Sheba’s homeland there used to be a wonder: two gardens, on the right, and on the left. “Eat of your Lord’s provision, and give thanks to Him.” A good land, and a forgiving Lord. But they turned away, so We unleashed against them the flood of the dam; and We substituted their two gardens with two gardens of bitter fruits, thorny shrubs, and meager harvest. We thus penalized them for their ingratitude. Would We penalize any but the ungrateful? Between them and the towns We had blessed, We placed prominent towns, and We made the travel between them easy. “Travel between them by night and day, in safety.” But they said, “Our Lord, lengthen the distances of our journeys.” They wronged themselves; so We made them history, and We scattered them in every direction. In this are lessons for every steadfast and appreciative person. Satan was correct in his assessment of them. They followed him, except for a group of believers. He had no authority over them; except that We willed to distinguish him who believes in the Hereafter, from him who is doubtful about it. Your Lord is Guardian over all things. Say, “Call upon those whom you claim besides God. They possess not an atom's weight in the heavens or the earth, and they possess no share of either, and He has no backers from among them.” Intercession with Him is of no value, except for someone He has permitted. Until, when fear has subsided from their hearts, they will say, “What did your Lord say?” They will say, “The truth, and He is the High, the Great.” Say, “Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth?” Say, “God. And Either you, or we, are rightly guided, or in evident error.” Say, “You will not be asked about our misdeeds, nor will we be asked about what you do.” Say, “Our Lord will bring us together; then He will judge between us equitably. He is the All-Knowing Judge.” Say, “Show me those you have attached to Him as associates. No indeed! But He is God, the Powerful, the Wise.” We sent you only universally to all people, a herald and warner, but most people do not know. And they say, “When is this promise due, if you are truthful?” Say, “You are promised a Day, which you cannot postpone by one hour, nor bring forward.” Those who disbelieve say, “We will never believe in this Quran, nor in what came before it.” If you could only see the wrongdoers, captive before their Lord, throwing back allegations at one another. Those who were oppressed will say to those who were arrogant, “Were it not for you, we would have been believers.” Those who were arrogant will say to those who were oppressed, “Was it us who turned you away from guidance when it came to you? No indeed, you yourselves were sinful.” And those who were oppressed will say to those who were arrogant, “It was your scheming by night and day; as you instructed us to reject God, and to set up rivals to Him.” They will hide their remorse when they see the retribution. We will put yokes around the necks of those who disbelieved. Will they be repaid for anything other than what they used to do? We sent no warner to any town, without its affluent saying, “We reject what you are sent with.” And they say, “We have more wealth and more children, and we will not be punished.” Say, “My Lord spreads out His bounty to whomever He wills, or restricts it; but most people do not know.” It is neither your wealth nor your children that bring you closer to Us, but it is he who believes and does good deeds. These will have a double reward for what they did; and they will reside in the Chambers, in peace and security. But those who work against Our revelations, seeking to undermine them—those will be summoned to the punishment. Say, “My Lord extends the provision to whomever He wills of His servants, or withholds it. Anything you spend, He will replace it. He is the Best of providers.” On the Day when He gathers them all together, then say to the angels, “Was it you these used to worship?” They will say, “Be You glorified; You are our Master, not them. In fact, they used to worship the jinn, and most of them had faith in them.”“Today, none of you has the power to profit or harm the other.” And We will say to those who did wrong, “Taste the agony of the Fire which you used to deny.” And when Our enlightening Verses are recited to them, they say, “This is nothing but a man who wants to divert you from what your ancestors used to worship.” And they say, “This is nothing but a fabricated lie.” And when the Truth comes to them, the blasphemers say of the Truth, “This is nothing but plain magic.” But We gave them no book to study, and We did not send them any warner before you. Those before them also denied the Truth, yet they have not attained one-tenth of what We had given them. They rejected My messengers, so how was My disapproval? Say, “I offer you a single advice: devote yourselves to God, in pairs, or individually; and reflect. There is no madness in your friend. He is just a warner to you, before the advent of a severe punishment.” Say, “Whatever compensation I have asked of you, is yours. My compensation comes only from God, and He is Witness over all things.” Say, “My Lord projects the truth. He is the Knower of the Unseen.” Say, “The Truth has come; while falsehood can neither originate, nor regenerate.” Say, “If I err, I err only to my own loss; but if I am guided, it is by what my Lord inspires me. He is Hearing and Near." If you could only see when they are terrified, and there is no escape, and they are seized from a nearby place. And they say, “We have believed in it.” But how can they attain it from a distant place? They have rejected it in the past, and made allegations from a far-off place. A barrier will be placed between them and what they desire, as was done formerly with their counterparts. They were in disturbing doubt.
Quran 34
Woe on that Day to the deniers. Those who play with speculation. The Day when they are shoved into the Fire of Hell forcefully. “This is the Fire which you used to deny. Is this magic, or do you not see? Burn in it. Whether you are patient, or impatient, it is the same for you. You are only being repaid for what you used to do.” Quran 52: 12-16
So remind. By the grace of your Lord, you are neither a soothsayer, nor a madman. Or do they say, “A poet—we await for him a calamity of time”? Say, “Go on waiting; I will be waiting with you.” Or is it that their dreams compel them to this? Or are they aggressive people? Or do they say, “He made it up”? Rather, they do not believe. So let them produce a discourse like it, if they are truthful. Or were they created out of nothing? Or are they the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? In fact, they are not certain. Or do they possess the treasuries of your Lord? Or are they the controllers? Or do they have a stairway by means of which they listen? Then let their listener produce a clear proof. Or for Him the daughters, and for you the sons? Or do you demand a payment from them, and they are burdened by debt? Or do they know the future, and they are writing it down? Or are they planning a conspiracy? The conspiracy will befall the disbelievers. Or do they have a god besides God? God transcends what they associate. Even if they were to see lumps of the sky falling down, they would say, “A mass of clouds.” So leave them until they meet their Day in which they will be stunned. The Day when their ploys will avail them nothing; and they will not be helped. For those who do wrong, there is a punishment besides that; but most of them do not know. So patiently await the decision of your Lord, for you are before Our Eyes; and proclaim the praises of your Lord when you arise. And glorify Him during the night, and at the receding of the stars. Quran 52:29- 49
Those who disbelieve almost stab you with their glances when they hear the message, and say, “He is crazy!” Quran 68:51
Say, “I take refuge with the Lord of Daybreak. From the evil of what He created. And from the evil of the darkness as it gathers. And from the evil of those who practice sorcery. And from the evil of an envious when he envies.” Quran 113
Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind. The King of mankind. The God of mankind. From the evil of the sneaky whisperer. Who whispers into the hearts of people. From among jinn and among people.” Quran 114
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