Al-Risala (English), March-April 2001

truth sent to him by God through His messengers, and then lead his life accordingly. Those who do so will be entitled to an eternal place of honour and prestige. On the contrary, those who do not conform to the will of God will be bereft of the blessings of this world too, while so far as the next world is concerned, they will suffer nothing short of total deprivation. The advent of the prophets and the consequences which became manifest as a result of refusal or acceptance of their guidance prove the veracity of this statement. In human life, only the loftiest of goals should be aimed at. That is, man, to make proper use of his God-given faculties, should aim at the realisation of God and lead a life approved of by God. People who conduct themselves in this way deserve a great reward in the Hereafter. Those who do not come up to this standard will be nothing short of total failures in the life beyond the grave. □ O Man! When the sky is rent asunder, obeying its Lord in true submission; when the earth is expanded and casts out all that is within it and becomes empty, obeying its Lord in true submission; then, O man, strive hard towards your Lord until you meet Him. He that is given his book in his right hand shall have a lenient reckoning and go back rejoicing to his people. But he that is given his book from behind his back shall call down destruction on himself and burn in the fire of Hell; for he lived without a care among his people and thought he would never return to Allah. Yes; but his Lord was ever watching over him.