The Message of the Quran

dilemma of clashing with the conventional set-up; the necessity to face up to reality as far as one’s fate in the next life is concerned, rather than on wishful thinking. Fear of these things sometimes makes one halt, and sometimes makes one move hesitantly on. But such caution cannot help one. Those who do not respond to God’s call openheartedly are simply inviting severer punishment from God. Mankind, serve your Lord, who has created you and those who have gone before you, so that you may guard yourselves against evil; who has made the earth a bed for you and the sky a dome, and has sent down water from the sky to bring forth fruits for your sustenance. And do not knowingly set up rivals to God. If you doubt what We have revealed to Our servant, produce one chapter comparable to this Book. Call upon your helpers besides God to assist you, if what you say is true. But if you fail (as you are sure to fail) then guard yourselves against the fire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the unbelievers. Proclaim good tidings to those who have faith and do good works. They shall dwell in gardens underneath which rivers flow: whenever they are given fruit to eat they will say: ‘This is what we were given before,’ for they shall be given the like. Therein they will have pure spouses, and shall abide there forever. (Quran, 2:21-25) God alone has created man and all that is in the heavens and on earth. He has invested the world with profound significance and is always watching over it. The proper course for man is to take God as his Creator, Master and Sustainer, and not attempt to set up with Him as a partner; that is, he should give himself up entirely to God. But since He is invisible, it often happens that man gives importance to some visible object and worships it instead of God. He equates creation with the Creator. Partially or totally, at times calling it by the name of God and at times not. Therein lies man’s basic error. The prophets taught man to glorify God alone, and forsake the other things that he had elevated to positions of glory. People whose hearts are attached to others besides God consider the call of true religion repugnant. They have become so attached to their false gods that they cannot believe that they are unreal. They cannot believe that the truth is what is being proclaimed by a mortal like themselves. God’s revealed word is indisputably marked with a divine radiance. Its style cannot be imitated; its reasoning cannot be refuted.