THE WORD OF GOD
From The Scriptures
The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between 610 and 632 CE. It is a book that brings glad tidings to mankind, along with divine admonition, and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level.
Translated from Arabic and commentary by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Believers, be strict in upholding justice and bear witness for the sake of God, even though it be against yourselves, your parents, or your kindred. Be they rich or poor, God knows better about them both. Do not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve from justice. If you conceal the truth or evade it, then remember that God is well aware of all that you do. (4: 135)
In life it often happens that man is confronted with a situation where, on the one hand, lies the path of desire and self-interest, and on the other hand, lies the path of justice. Now those who are unmindful of God, those who have no conviction that God is watching them on all such occasions follow the path of their desires. They consider it an achievement to ignore the call of truth and take to the path of self-interest and worldly considerations. But those who fear God, who regard God as their guardian, have their eyes always set on truth and justice and act according to their demands. They sincerely desire that they may leave this world having done no injustice to anyone, having fully adhered to the path of truth and justice.
This desire for truth and justice is so heightened in them that it becomes impossible for them to tolerate any behaviour which does not measure up to the standard of absolute justice. When confronted with wrongdoing, they dare to proclaim the demands of truth and justice, even if such a stand amounts to adversely affecting the interests of their family or goes against their own worldly considerations. They say only what justice would demand. It is also very wrong from the standpoint of justice to give influential persons their due while denying the rights of those who are weak and without influence. A true believer is one who deals justly with everyone, whether weak or powerful.
Believers, believe in God and His Messenger and in the Scripture He sent down to His Messenger, as well as what He sent down before. He who denies God, His angels, His Scriptures, His messengers and the Last Day has surely gone far astray. (4:136)
Believers, believe’ is like saying, ‘Muslims, become Muslims!’ Calling oneself a Muslim or regarding oneself as such does not suffice for one to be held a Muslim in the eyes of God. A true Muslim is only that person who has made God the centre of his life and the source of his trust and confidence. A Muslim is one who believes in the Prophet and his guidance to the exclusion of all else. A Muslim is one who adheres to the revealed Scripture in such a manner that his thinking and his feelings become totally subordinated to it. A Muslim is one to whom belief in the angels means that he is surrounded by God’s guardians who are constantly watching him. A Muslim is one whose belief in the Hereafter is so profound that he begins to examine all his words and deeds in the balance of the Hereafter. One who becomes a believer in this sense is, in the eyes of God, on the right path, on the straight path to success in the Hereafter. One who does not become a believer in this sense has gone astray, however much he may consider himself a Muslim, a believer.
As for those who come to believe, and then deny the truth, and again come to believe, and again deny the truth, and thereafter grow stubborn in their denial of the truth—God will never forgive them, nor will He guide them. Warn the hypocrites that for them there is a painful punishment. As for those who take the deniers of the truth for their allies rather than the believers—do they seek honour in their company? Surely all honour belongs to God. (4: 137-139)
This tussle between belief and unbelief continues through life. In dealing with any matter the human mind starts thinking along two lines: it tilts either to the demands of desires or of truth and justice. If on such occasions the thinking and feeling of a person take to the path of desires, this will amount to a denial of the faith he professes to believe in. On the other hand, if he makes his thinking and feelings subservient to the demands of truth and justice, this would amount to his becoming a true Muslim.
Whenever any matter of truth is brought before people, it is met with two kinds of responses: one from a person, who adopts the attitude of modesty and acknowledges the truth, and the other from a person who is so proud and haughty that he denies the truth. The first response stems from Iman and faith, while the other stems from faithlessness. One who is not a true believer loves worldly honour and prestige. He, therefore, feels attracted to like-minded people who—even if they be the deniers of the truth—will add to his honour and glory. One so enamoured of worldly affairs is not interested in those whose association does not add to his honour and prestige, even if they be true God-worshippers.
Failure in one field is no
reason to lose hope. There is
always another field awaiting
one, in which the flower of
one's destiny can thrive and
flourish.