The Teachings of
the Quran
The Characteristics of a Believer
Faith is the discovery of the greatest reality. When this reality enters into any one’s heart, it shakes one’s whole personality. The state of one so affected is that when he is reminded of a truth, he immediately accepts it. Discovering God as Omnipotent naturally engenders within him the quality of trust.
Higher qualities of every kind naturally come into existence in such a person. He becomes, on the one hand, a true devotee of God and, on the other hand a true friend and well-wisher of other human beings.
Dawah Work
The Prophet’s mission is also the mission of the followers of Islam. While treading this path, one has to face trouble from the people in getting support; while some give timely support, they later desert, uttering falsehoods. Under these circumstances, it was Trust in God alone which kept the Prophet (or his follower-missionaries) firmly on the true path of their missionary work. To be tolerant of whatever is negative in the people, to ignore it and under all circumstances to keep one’s eyes fixed on God: these are the real assets of one who performs work.
Comfort for the Heart
What is comfort of the heart? It is the solace a man feels when he achieves what he wanted to achieve. On the contrary, discomfort of the heart is felt when a man is deprived of whatever he had a desire in his heart to achieve.
When a man remembers God and his relations with Him are established on a spiritual level, this amounts to complete fulfillment for his entire personality. When he ponders over the signs of the universe, he finds a response to his intellectual needs. This is that supreme experience, which is expressed in this verse as ‘comfort of the heart.’
Usefulness
“He sends down water from the sky that fills riverbeds to overflowing, each according to its measure. The torrent carries along swelling form, akin to what rises from smelted ore from which man makes ornaments and tools. God thus depicts truth and falsehood. The scum is cast away, but whatever is of use to man remains behind. God thus speaks in parable.” (Al-Ra‘d 13:17)
An individual has to be useful to his family. Similarly, he has to be useful to his society. Without benefiting others, he will find a place of respect neither in the family nor in society. This is also true of national and international life. Here too, only those will be accorded respect who can prove their utility.
There are two types of usefulness– one in the material sense and the other in the moral sense. But the greatest benefit that a group or an individual can offer others is to present them with the gift of truth.
The World is not the Real Aim
One can live his life in two ways: one of them is achieving the world by worldly means, and the other is achieving the Hereafter while in this world. Both these opportunities are equally open to all people. It is man’s duty to make a choice. Man has been endowed with excellent physical and intellectual capabilities. Moreover, in the outer world, all types of resources are available in abundance. One who makes either of the above two objectives his target, is instantly supported by all kinds of resources.
Patience and Trust
“We shall lodge forever those who believe and do good works in the mansions of Paradise beside which rivers flow. How excellent is the reward of those who labour, and who are steadfast and put their trust in their Lord.” (Al-‘Ankabut 29:58-59)
Faith is the discovery of the greatest reality. When
this reality enters into any one’s heart, it shakes
one’s whole personality.
According to these verses, Paradise is for those individuals who have two types of moral qualities – patience and trust: these two qualities are the price of Paradise. Without these two qualities no one will be allowed to enter Paradise. The fact is that Paradise has always been for that sublime person who can provide proof in this world that he is possessed of a positive, divine personality.
The quality of trust protects a man from being shaken. It gives him a confident, trustful life.
The Basis of Truth
“And still those who are unjust follow their own desires without having any knowledge. Then who can guide those whom God has let go astray? There shall be none to help them.” (Al-Rum 30:29)
This verse tells us that the basis of truth is knowledge and the basis of falsehood is desire. In the present world the sources of guidance are so many that a man who is sincere and a true seeker of truth cannot fail to discover the truth. His own nature, his God-given reason, the signs spread all over the universe and God’s Book are sufficient for the right guidance of a man.
The Religion of Nature
God’s religion is innate in man’s nature. And the nature of man is synonymous with God’s religion. Hence, neither is the recognition of God’s religion difficult for man nor is his living his life according to it. Despite all this, a man may stray, but then he himself is responsible for it.
The fact is that the true religion is one. And it was sent to each prophet in its complete form. That is: turning to one God, fear of one God, worship of one God and being devoted to one God. This is the religion of nature. This religion is eternally embedded in human psychology. All the prophets have taught this religion. But the later generations of their followers divided this religion into many religions.
The God-oriented Life
Every man has a direction to which he always remains attentive with his entire intellectual and material existence. The believer is the one whose direction has turned totally towards God. The life of faith is the God-oriented life and the life without faith is the non-God-oriented life.
The Lesson of the Universe
After deep reflection on the mechanism of the world, we come to know that its whole system stands on very wise bases, although it was also possible that it was a random system in which nothing had any certainty. The existence of the more fitting of the two possibilities indicates that its Creator erected this world a result of purposeful planning. And how can that world be purposeless in its final stage which is so purposeful in its initial stage?
Every man in this world is free and independent. Observation shows that there are always some of the people who acknowledge the truth of their own free will and make themselves subservient to that truth. On the other hand, there are some who do not acknowledge the truth. They say whatever they want and act however they like without any restriction. Human reason does not accept that both types of people will meet the same end.
Worship of God
The existence of the universe is in itself evidence of the existence of its Creator. Similarly, its functioning in a very meaningful and systematic way is evidence of the fact that a Watcher is constantly watching it. If a man gives this deep thought, he will find the Creator’s design immanent in this universe.
In this situation, those who worship other gods other than the one God are doing something which has no value in this present universe. Since the Creator and Nourisher is one, worshipping Him alone can benefit a man. Worshipping someone or something else is like calling upon a deity who has no existence at all.
The World and the Hereafter
The life of this world is a test. Here, everyone is provided with the resources necessary for the test. Now, one who is Hereafter-loving will use the resources of this world in building the Hereafter. As a result, he will get his reward in the Hereafter.
On the contrary, one who is world-loving will act to derive advantage from the present world. Such a man can receive the fruits of his labour in the present world but, in the life of the hereafter, he will be a totally deprived person.
A Meaningful End
One who thinks that doing good and bad is equal, just as one day is like another and that both the one who does good as well as the one who does evil will have to die and be obliterated is senseless in his thinking. Such thinking is against that just consciousness which existed in human nature since birth. Such thinking, moreover, denies that meaningfulness of the universe which exists in its system in perfect form. The fact is that the inner nature of man and the vast eternal universe both prove it to be totally wrong that life could have been conceived as a purposeless thing with no meaningful end.
Comfort and Discomfort
In this world, man is faced with two types of situations – losing and gaining. Both these situations are meant as tests. They are meant to test how a man reacts in a particular situation. The man who, when blessed with something, becomes arrogant and, when deprived of some favour, falls a prey to negative feelings, has failed in the test.
Another type of man is the one who, when he has received a favour from God, thanks Him and when deprived of something, bows down to Him, accepting his powerlessness. It is the latter type of man who is called here mutma’innah, or soul at peace. The status of nafs mutma’innah is accorded to those who ponder over the signs of God in the universe; who can take lessons from the events of history; who provide proof of the fact that, when there is a clash between truth and his own self, he will ignore his own self and accept the truth; who once having accepted the truth, will never forsake it, even if as a result his life becomes desolate.
The Success of Humanity
God’s religion has always been the same. The religion God revealed in the Quran is also the religion of the earlier prophets. The true religion of God was revealed to all the prophets. This being so, human success depends on the fact that a man, by purifying himself, makes himself God’s desired servant. This is a task of self-building, and only those can be successful in this world who, avoiding the transitory interests of the present world, make the next world the objects of their preference.
The Future of Man
Human life has been divided into ‘today’ and ‘tomorrow’. The present world is man’s today while the next world is man’s tomorrow. What a man does in this present world will yield its result in the hereafter.
In the hereafter a differentiation will be made between successful and unsuccessful people. The former group will enter paradise while the latter group will be thrown into the fire of Hell. This will not be done on a social or group basis. It will be done on the basis of fact. Everyone’s future will be decided on his own merit rather than on the basis of any hypothesis.
God’s religion has always been the same. The
religion God revealed in the Quran is also the
religion of the earlier prophets.
The World of Paradise
The atmosphere of Paradise will be free of all kinds of absurdity and falsity, so only those will be chosen to dwell in the exquisite world of Paradise who gave proof of the fact in this world that they showed fervour in leading their lives far from things which were absurd and false.
No one will be admitted into Paradise on the basis of recommendation or on the basis of any kind of wishful thinking. Paradise is an exquisite haven. Entry to that world is predestined only for those who will reach there with exquisite souls. The present world is designed to select such an elite group. Only those who prove themselves to be eligible in this present world of trial will be entitled to enter Paradise.
How the Devil Misleads Us
We should always be most cautious, remain fully alert and endeavour to protect ourselves from Satan, otherwise we may easily be deceived by him.
The Quran says that Satan misleads man through tazin or beautification. He beautifies evil and bad deeds and shows them as good and useful things. He presents evil in a beautiful manner and misleads him. This is the greatest weapon Satan has against man. The only way to save oneself from deception of Satan is constantly praying to God. The Quran mentions several prayers for this purpose. One of such prayers is as follows:
Allahuma inni awuzubika min hamazatish shayateen. Wa awuzubik rabbi an yahdarun.
“My Lord, I seek refuge with You from the prompting of devils. I seek refuge with You, Lord, lest they should come near me.” (Al-Mu’minun 23:97-98)
The Reality of Sacrifice
The system of animal sacrifice has not been prescribed because God needs meat and blood. Sacrifice in actuality is a symbolic action. The sacrifice of an animal is an external picture of that man who has sacrificed himself to God. It is in fact one’s own sacrifice which is in the form of the sacrifice of an animal. Fortunate are those for whom the sacrifice of animal culminates in self-sacrifice.
The act of sacrifice reminds believers of the readiness of the Prophet Ibrahim to give up his most beloved son. By sacrificing an animal, believers reaffirm their belief in Allah and pledge themselves to parting with their precious belongings, if there is a need for it. The Quran describes these sentiments in the following verse: “Truly, my prayers, my sacrifice, my life and my death all belong to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (Al-An‘am 6:162)
