4. An-Nisaa

Man’s real challenge in this world is from Satan. Though Satan has no real power, he can lure human beings with fanciful promises to fulfil wishful, imaginary desires and thus manage to make them deviate from the straight path of truth. Satan’s way of misguiding is of two main types: one is superstition and the other is interference in God’s creation. Faith in superstition means expectation of such results from something as have no relation with that thing.

Another way of Satan’s misleading man is by interfering in the divine scheme of things. God has created man with the innate desire to direct all his attention to God. Interfering with this involves diverting man’s attention towards things other than God or else encouraging him to acquire things by other self-devised ways and not through the natural course set by God (for instance, homosexuality). In this manner Satan interferes with man’s observance of God’s divine plan for the entire universe.

When the People of the Book, that is, believers in God and the Hereafter, become engrossed in the world, they do not do so by refusing to believe in God and the existence of the Hereafter. What they do is believe in these realities in the formal sense while, in practice, devoting all their efforts to worldly acquisition. They are very serious about the attainment of worldly honour and glory. They know that to achieve success in this world one must struggle. But for the attainment of Paradise, wishful thinking alone is believed to suffice. For instance, through the blessing of some saint, association with a certain group, recitation of some words and phrases, in short, by such cheap formulae or superficial actions, it is hoped that they will be saved from the raging fire of Hell and be ushered into Heaven. Such wishful thinking, in whatever beautiful words it may have been couched, is not going to come to their rescue. God’s system is established on such firm grounds that all divine verdicts are based on realities and not on wishful thinking. In God’s court everyone will be judged exactly in accordance with his actions. There will be nothing other than the law of justice promulgated by God Himself to influence His decisions.

Who is that servant of God upon whom God will shower His blessings? One historical example is that of Abraham. It is believers like Abraham who submit themselves fully to their Lord; who reserve their loyalties exclusively for God; who carry out their affairs in the world with justice and modesty, scrupulously avoiding injustice and arrogance. Man’s face represents his whole personality. Turning one’s face towards God means turning towards Him with one’s whole existence. God is the Lord of the universe. He is the possessor of all kinds of powers. However, He has chosen to remain invisible in this world. Man commits all kinds of evil deeds, because he does not see God. He assumes that he is free to do as he pleases. If one were to realize that human beings are utterly powerless, one would experience the same state of utter helplessness as one will undergo on the Day of Judgement, when all the realities are laid bare before one.

Who is that servant of God upon whom God will shower His blessings? One historical example is that of Abraham. It is believers like Abraham who submit themselves fully to their Lord; who reserve their loyalties exclusively for God; who carry out their affairs in the world with justice and modesty, scrupulously avoiding injustice and arrogance. Man’s face represents his whole personality. Turning one’s face towards God means turning towards Him with one’s whole existence. God is the Lord of the universe. He is the possessor of all kinds of powers. However, He has chosen to remain invisible in this world. Man commits all kinds of evil deeds, because he does not see God. He assumes that he is free to do as he pleases. If one were to realize that human beings are utterly powerless, one would experience the same state of utter helplessness as one will undergo on the Day of Judgement, when all the realities are laid bare before one.

When people asked the Prophet about the injunctions of the shariah on various social matters, he was instructed by God that great emphasis must be laid on goodness, justice, fraternity and piety. This is because any law serves its purpose only when the person who has to enforce it is God-fearing and truly desirous of justice. In the absence of such an attitude, despite the actual enforcement of law, no real reform can be brought about. Moreover, social reform can take place only when the evil-doer realizes that he is ultimately accountable to God and that, even if he manages to fool the people and save himself from the consequences of his crime in this world, he cannot escape from God’s grip. As for the doer of good works, he should carry on his efforts irrespective of whether or not he is appreciated by the people, in the belief that God is certainly watching him and will definitely reward him for his endeavours. The dread of Hell will deter him from injustice and the hope of Paradise will give him the courage to endure the loss which is invariably faced in the process of living a truthful life.

When people asked the Prophet about the injunctions of the shariah on various social matters, he was instructed by God that great emphasis must be laid on goodness, justice, fraternity and piety. This is because any law serves its purpose only when the person who has to enforce it is God-fearing and truly desirous of justice. In the absence of such an attitude, despite the actual enforcement of law, no real reform can be brought about. Moreover, social reform can take place only when the evil-doer realizes that he is ultimately accountable to God and that, even if he manages to fool the people and save himself from the consequences of his crime in this world, he cannot escape from God’s grip. As for the doer of good works, he should carry on his efforts irrespective of whether or not he is appreciated by the people, in the belief that God is certainly watching him and will definitely reward him for his endeavours. The dread of Hell will deter him from injustice and the hope of Paradise will give him the courage to endure the loss which is invariably faced in the process of living a truthful life.

The differences emerging between husband and wife or between any other two persons largely result from greed. One party, without any consideration for the other, wants his demands to be fulfilled. This mentality leads to distrust between the two. The proper course is for each party to give thought to the other’s problems and making due allowances, try to reach some consensus. Just as God desires people to be considerate to one another, similarly He shows the maximum consideration to His servants. God does not seize man for his natural weaknesses but rather takes man to task for his deliberate excesses and acts of injustice out of haughtiness and insolence. If man fears God and has the urge of reform in his heart, all his acts done with the right intentions would be considered pardonable in the Hereafter. Besides, one should never nurture such thoughts in his mind that it is he who is behind the success of such and such a person and that if he had not helped that person, success could never have been achieved. One must remember the fact that God alone is the provider. He alone is behind every success and achievement, and His help may come under diverse sets of circumstances.

The differences emerging between husband and wife or between any other two persons largely result from greed. One party, without any consideration for the other, wants his demands to be fulfilled. This mentality leads to distrust between the two. The proper course is for each party to give thought to the other’s problems and making due allowances, try to reach some consensus. Just as God desires people to be considerate to one another, similarly He shows the maximum consideration to His servants. God does not seize man for his natural weaknesses but rather takes man to task for his deliberate excesses and acts of injustice out of haughtiness and insolence. If man fears God and has the urge of reform in his heart, all his acts done with the right intentions would be considered pardonable in the Hereafter. Besides, one should never nurture such thoughts in his mind that it is he who is behind the success of such and such a person and that if he had not helped that person, success could never have been achieved. One must remember the fact that God alone is the provider. He alone is behind every success and achievement, and His help may come under diverse sets of circumstances.