The Teachings of Islam

Then there are those who believe in God and do good. They may sometimes err, but they never persist in their misconduct. They acknowledge their faults and constantly seek God’s forgiveness. They repent and incessantly attempt to make amends to their Lord. Hopefully, God will be merciful to them. When they turn towards God, God also relents towards them, for He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful (9:102). There are yet others who have taken to self-worship, materialism and arrogance. They never, for God’s sake, constrain themselves in thought, word or deed. They live for themselves rather than for God, and think of the world rather than the after-life. How, then, can they hope to find a place of honour in the everlasting world of God? Nothing but hell-fire awaits such people in eternity. (11:15-16). The Reward of God Closeness to God should mean that He is ever in one’s thoughts. Awareness of God’s greatness should reduce one’s own being to insignificance. Heaven and hell should be so much a part of faith, that one should be more concerned with well-being (or affliction) in the after-life than one’s condition in the present world. On so high a spiritual plain should one be that one’s faults should begin to appear in the same light as an enemy’s. Personal prejudice should play no part in decision-making and even those with whom one disagrees, or against whom one bears some grudge, should be prayed for from the heart. Denial of truth should be seen as selfdestruction and destroying another’s home should be regarded as tantamount to setting one’s own home ablaze. Such is the God-fearing life and only those who lead it will be given a place in God’s paradise. To His true servants in this world, God has promised supremacy. But this is not the real reward for their piety; it is merely a forerunner of the true recompense which will await them in eternity. It is then that they will be honoured with everlasting supremacy. God will rid them of their fear and grief, and accord to them His everlasting beneficence. The Islamic Life