The Criterion of
Upright Behaviour

To lend support to God’s religion one has to have an iron character, exemplified by dependability, trust, and not showing any weakness in the face of difficulties.

“We sent Our Messengers with evidence and, with them, We sent down the Book and the Scales of Justice, so that men might act in all fairness. We sent down iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for mankind, so that God might know who would stand up for God, though unseen, and His messengers. God is powerful, and almighty.” (57:25)

The present world has been created by God in such a way that material things have become symbols of human ethics. In the verse above two things have been mentioned in this connection: one the balance, or scale, and the other, iron.

What the balance (or the scales of justice) does is measure things. Just as a person measures excess or shortage by means of a balance, similarly, God’s book is also a balance which gauges truth. People should test their actions by the standard of God’s book and find out how far they are right and how far they are wrong. One who wants his behaviour to be upright in the present world, so that he may achieve success in the Hereafter, he must measure his words deeds by this divine scale. If he does not do so, he will become a failure in the next world.

The other symbol mentioned here is that of iron. What is the quality of iron? It is hard and one can depend upon its hardness. When any bridge or building is given the support of iron, the builder is fully confident that it will remain firmly standing and will withstand any storm. It is people of this kind who are required for the support of God’s religion. Only those can lend support to God’s religion who have this iron character and on whose words one can fully depend. They are such as one can fully trust, and do not show any weakness in the face of difficult circumstances. They prove to be as inflexible as steel when subjected to the pressure of the self and Satan.