Muhammad records these words in the Qur’an, In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful Thus God, the Mighty One, the Wise One, inspires you as He inspired others before you. His is what the heavens and the earth contain.. He is the Most High, the Supreme One. The heavens above well-nigh break apart as the angels give glory to their Lord and beg forgiveness for those on earth. God is the Benign One, the Merciful. As for those that serve other masters besides Him, God Himself is watching over them. You are not accountable for what they do. Thus, We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur’an, that you may warn Mecca and those who dwell around it; that you may forewarn them of the day which is sure to come: when all mankind are brought together, some in Paradise, and some in Hell. Had it been God’s will, He could have made them all of one religion. But God brings who he will into His mercy; the wrongdoers have none to befriend or help them. Have they set up other guardians besides Him? Surely God alone is the Guardian. He brings back the dead to life and has power over all things. Whatever the subject of your disputes, the final word belongs to God. Such is God, my Lord. In him I have put my trust, and to Him I turn in repentance. Creator of the heavens and the Earth, He has given you wives from among yourselves to multiply you, and cattle male and female. Nothing can be compared with Him. He alone hears all and sees all. His are the keys of the heavens and the earth. He gives abundantly to whom He will and sparingly to whom he pleases. He has knowledge of all things. He has ordained for men the faith He has revealed to you and formerly enjoined on Noah and Abraham, on Moses and Jesus, saying "Observe this faith and be united in it." But that to which you call them is unacceptable to the idolators. God chooses for it whom He will, and guides to it those that repent. Yet men divided themselves through their own wickedness only after knowledge had been given them. And had God not deferred their punishment to an appointed time, they surely would have been punished in this life. Those who inherited the Scriptures after them have their grave doubts too. Therefore call men to the true faith, and follow the straight path as you are bidden. Do not be led by their desires, but say: "I believe in all the scripture that God has revealed. I am commanded to exercise justice among you. God is our Lord and your Lord. We have our own works and you have yours; let there be no argument between us. God will bring us together, for to Him we shall return." As for those who argue about God after pledging Him obedience, their arguments will have no weight with their Lord, and His wrath will fall upon them. They shall be sternly punished. It is God who has revealed the Book with truth and justice. And who can tell? The Hour of Doom may be fast approaching. Those who deny it seek to hurry it on; but the true believers dread its coming and know it is the truth. Indeed, those who doubt the Hour are in the grossest error. Benign is God towards His servants. He is bountiful to whom He will. He is the Invincible One, the Almighty. Whoever seeks the harvest of the world to come, to him We will give in great abundance; and whoever desires the harvest of this world, a share of it shall be his: but in the hereafter he shall have no share at all. Have they idols which in the practice of their faith have made lawful to them what God has not allowed? Had the decisive word not been pronounced already, their fate would surely have been settled in this life. The wrongdoers shall endure a harrowing torment. On that day you shall see the wrongdoers aghast at their own deeds, for then Our scourge will surely smite them. But those that have faith and do good works shall dwell in the fair gardens of Paradise and receive from their Lord all that they desire. Surely this is the supreme boon. Such is God’s promise to true believers who do good works. Say: "For this I demand of you no recompense. I ask you only to love your kindred. He that does a good deed shall be repaid many times over. God is forgiving and bountiful in His rewards" Do they say: "He has framed a falsehood about God?" But if God pleased, he could seal your heart. He will bring falsehood to nothing and vindicate the truth by His words. He knows the secret thoughts of men. He accepts the repentance of His servants and pardons their sins. He has knowledge of all their actions. He hears the prayer of those who have faith and do good works, and enriches them through His bounty. But a woeful punishment awaits the unbelievers. Had God bestowed abundance upon his servants, they would have filled the earth with evil. He gives them what He will in due measure; He knows and observes His servants. It is He who sends down the rain for them when they have lost all hope, and spreads abroad His blessings. He is the Glorious Guardian. Among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the living things which He has dispersed over them. If He will, He can gather them all together. If a misfortune befalls you, it is the fruit of your own labors. He forgives much. On this earth you cannot escape Him, nor is there any besides God to protect or help you. And among His signs are the ships which sail like mountains upon the ocean. If He will, He calms the wind so that they lie motionless upon its bosom (surely there are signs in this for steadfast men who render thanks); or causes them to founder as a punishment for their misdeeds. Yet many are the sins that He forgives. Those who dispute Our revelations shall know that they have no escape. That which you have been given is but the fleeting comfort of this life. Better and more enduring is God’s reward to those who believe and put their trust in Him; who avoid gross sins and indecencies and, when angered, are willing to forgive; who obey their Lord, attend to their prayers, and conduct their affairs by mutual consent; who bestow in alms a part of that which We have given them and, when oppressed, seek to redress their wrongs. Let evil be rewarded with like evil. But he that forgives and seeks reconcilement shall be rewarded by God. He does not love the wrongdoers. Those who avenge themselves when wronged incur no guilt. But great is the guilt of those who oppress their fellowman and conduct themselves with wickedness and injustice. These shall be sternly punished. To endure with fortitude and to forgive is a duty incumbent on all. He whom God leads astray has none to protect him. When they face their punishment, you shall see the wrongdoers exclaim: "Is there no way back?" You shall see them brought before the Fire. Humbled by shame, they shall look back upon it with furtive glances. The true believers will say: "Great indeed is the loss of those who forfeited their souls and all their kindred on the Day of Resurrection." The wrongdoers shall suffer an everlasting punishment. They shall have no friend to help them besides God. He whom God leads astray shall be lost indeed. Obey your Lord before that day arrives which none can defer against the will of God. For on that day there shall be no refuge for you, nor shall you be able to deny your sins. If they give no heed, know that We have not sent you, Muhammad, to be their keeper. Your only duty is to warn them. When We bestow a blessing on man, he rejoices in it; but when through his own fault evil befalls him he is ungrateful. To God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He will. He gives daughters to whom He will, and sons to whom He pleases. To some He gives both sons and daughters, and to others He gives none at all. Mighty is God, and all knowing. It is not vouchsafed to any mortal that God should speak to him except by revelation, or from behind a veil, or through a messenger sent and authorized by Him to make known His will. He is exalted and wise. Thus We have inspired you with a spirit of Our will when you knew nothing of faith or scripture, and made it a light whereby We guide those of Our servants whom We please. You shall surely guide them to the right path: the path of God, to whom belongs all that the heavens and the earth contain. All things shall in the end return to Him.
Matthew records these words from Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament "Take heed that you do not give your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise you can have no reward of your God who is in heaven." "Therefore when you do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do that they may have the glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward, but you would not wish it." "Give your alms in secret: and God who sees this in secret himself shall reward you openly." "And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing that they may be seen by men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward, but you would not wish it" "When you pray, make your prayers to God in private, and God who hears your payers in solitude shall reward you openly." "When you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathens do: for they think that they shall be heard better for their longer prayers. Do not be like them, for God knows what things you have need of even before you ask him." "Therefore pray in this manner:" Our God, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom comes. Thy will be done in this world, As it is heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, And the power, and the glory, For ever. Amen. "For if you forgive other men and women in this world their trespasses, God will also forgive you: But if you do not forgive others, then neither will God forgive you." "Lay not up for yourself treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and where thieves break through and steal." "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break through or steal." "And judge not, lest you be judged likewise." "For with the judgement you give, so will you be judged, and with the measure you give, so will you receive." "Do not see the failing in your brother, but forget to see the failing in yourself." "Do not say unto others that they have sinned or have fault, until you have first seen and corrected your own." "Whosoever shall do the will of god in heaven is my brother, and sister and mother." Jesus spoke to his disciples this parable: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered up every kind of thing. When the net was full, and drawn to shore, the good was put away into vessels to keep it safe, but the bad was cast away and lost. So shall it be at the end of the world; the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just. And they shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Jesus said unto them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said unto him, "Yes, Lord, we have understood." Scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus, and questioned him why he and his disciples transgressed the traditions of their elders, for they did not wash their hands before they ate. Jesus spoke to them and said: "Hear and understand." "That which goes into a man’s mouth does not defile him, it is that which comes out of a man’s mouth that defiles him." He spoke again to his disciples who were concerned that his answer had upset the questioners, and said further: "Are you also still without understanding?" "Do you not yet understand that what enters your mouth goes into the belly and is cast out of the body?" "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man." "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." Jesus spoke to his disciples further when he prepared them for his own death with these words: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." "For whoever will save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." "For what shall it profit a man or woman if they shall gain the whole world, and lose their own soul? What shall they give in exchange for their souls?" "For the son of man shall come in the glory of God, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man and women according to their works." The disciples asked Jesus, who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? Jesus called a little child to him, and set him in the midst of them. "Verily I say unto you, except you become as little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven." "Whosoever therefore will humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven." "And whosoever will receive one such little child in my name receives me." "But whoever will offend one of these little ones that believes in me, it were better that for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea." "Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must be that offences come, but woe to that man by whom the offence comes." Jesus traveled with his disciples out of Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan. Many followed him, and he spoke to them when they asked him questions. One said, "Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Jesus said: "Why do you call me good? There is none good but God in heaven, but if you will live as God wishes, keep the commandments." "You will do no murder, and you will commit no adultery. You will not steal, and you will bear no false witness. " "Honor your father and mother who gave you life, and you must love your neighbor as yourself". The young man said to Jesus, "I have done all these things from my youth, what do I still lack?" Jesus said: "If you will be perfect, go and sell what you have, and give it to the poor. So will you have treasure in heaven, then come and follow me." When the young man heard those words, he went away sorrowful, for he had many great possessions. Then said Jesus to his disciples: "Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter the kingdom of heaven. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." The Pharisees questioned Jesus further, and asked him if it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said: "Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites? Show me the tribute money." They brought him a penny to see. He looked at it and said to them: "Whose image and inscription is this?" They replied that it was Caesar’s. Jesus then said to them: "Render therefore to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." Another questioned him, asking: "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus replied to him: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." "This is the first and greatest commandment." "And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself." "On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets." After Jesus was crucified, and died, and then rose from the dead to show men that death is not the end of life, he spoke these last word to his disciples: "Go and teach all the nations, baptizing them in the name of God through my words. Teach them to observe all the commandments I have taught you. And know that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
The words of Shakyamuni Buddha are recorded in the Dhammapada and related to us in this way: Hatreds never cease by hatreds in this world. By love alone they cease. This is an ancient law. Not to do any evil, To cultivate good, To purify one’s mind, This is the advice of the Buddhas. Awareness: The path to the deathless is awareness; Unawareness, the path of death. They who are aware do not die; They who are unaware are as dead. Wrong: Be quick in goodness; From wrong hold back your thoughts. Indeed, of one performing the good too slowly, The mind delights in wrong. Should a person do wrong, Let him not do it again and again. Let him not form a desire for it, Suffering is the accumulation of wrong. Should a person do good, Let him do it again and again. Let him form a desire for it. Happiness is the accumulation of good. Stains: Life is easily lived By a shameless one, A disparager, crafty as a crow, Obtrusive, impudent and corrupt. But life is lived with hardship By one sensitive to shame, ever seeking purity, Free from clinging, and not impudent, Discerning, pure in the mode of life. Whoever in this world destroys life, And speaks falsely, Taking whet is not given, And goes to another’s wife, And the man who engages in The drinking of intoxicants, Right here in this world He digs up his own root. Flowers: Let one regard Neither the discrepancies of others, Nor what is left undone by others, But only the things one has done oneself or left undone. Just as a brilliant flower, Full of color but scentless, So is a well-spoken word fruitless For one who does not do it. Just as a brilliant flower, Full of color and fragrance, So is a well-spoken word fruitful For one who does it. Just as many garland strands One could make from a mass of flowers, So, much that is wholesome ought to be done By a mortal born into this world.
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