Al-Risala (English), September 1984

seek to save themselves; they present no hindrance for those who have no thoughts of personal safety. So it is with any purpose in life. To succeed, one must do what Kailash Chand did with such success: one must lose oneself, for only then will one be able to find one’s true self. Self-fulfillment does not lie in making oneself secure in life, though that is where most people seek it; it lies in putting aside all thoughts of one’s own safety, and relentlessly pursuing one’s goal. We are in God’s Country An American lady went on a tour of Russia. There, she saw pictures of the Chairman of the Communist party hanging everywhere she went. She took offence of this, and gave vent to her feelings in the presence of some Russians. Her companion whispered in her ear: “Madam, you are in Russia now, not America.” One can live as one likes in one’s own country, but when one goes to a foreign country one has to abide by its laws. If one does not do so, then one will be considered an offender. The same is true, in a broader sense, of this world. Man has been born into a world which he himself did not create. The world in which man lives is entirely of God’s making. Man, then, is not in his own country: he is living in the country of God. This being the case, the only way that man can prosper is by understanding God’s scheme, and living in the world according to that scheme. If he contradicts the scheme of God then he will be considered as a rebel. He will be liable for punishment in the sight of God, and stands to be deprived for all time of the blessings of the Lord. The question is: how should man live in the world in order to conform with the will of God? It was to provide an answer to this question that God raised up His prophets. The prophets showed man, plainly and in terms that he could understand, exactly what the Lord requires of him; they defined the scheme of God with which man should comply. The Quran is an authentic collection of this prophetic guidance. Whoever wishes to be counted among God’s faithful servants, and granted a share in His eternal blessings, must read the Quran and be guided by it in his life. Whoever does not do this will meet a similar—though more severe fate—than that of Americophiles in Russia or Russophiles in America. Translated by Wali Mohd Ansari