THE HOME ENVIRONMENT
Genuinely religious people maintain a constant awareness of God’s authority. They live with a mindset of accountability, always mindful of their actions.
In today’s world, the distinction between secular and religious individuals appears visible in their outward lives but not within their homes. Outwardly, they may wear different attire. While a secular person might say, “Good morning,” a religious person might say, “As Salaam u Alaikum”. A secular person may go to a club, whereas a religious person may go to a mosque, and so on. However, these differences are limited to their external lives. If we observe the environment inside their homes, we will not find any noticeable differences between the houses of secular and religious individuals. And if any differences exist, they are merely superficial, relating to customs rather than actual reality.
The Quran provides descriptions of both types of homes. To understand the characteristics of a non-religious person’s home, we can refer to this verse: “He used to be happy with his people” (Quran 84:13). This implies that a non-religious person leads a family-oriented life and finds happiness among their family members. Such people invest their time and resources in their family, confident they have utilized them wisely. Seeing their family brings them joy, and their interests and activities revolve around their loved ones. However, those who live solely in this manner can never become faithful servants of God or partake in His eternal blessings.
On the other hand, the identification of a religious person’s home is revealed in another verse: ‘Before this, when we were among our families, we were full of fear of God’s displeasure’ (Quran 52:26). This indicates that the dwellers of Paradise will attest to having feared displeasing God even in the presence of their family members. It is evident from this verse that a genuinely religious person is always aware of being accountable to God, and is always mindful of his actions whether inside or outside of his home.
