THE WORD OF GOD

and their upholding does not weary Him. He is the Sublime, the Almighty One! 2: 255 There shall be no compulsion in religion: true guidance has become distinct from error. But whoever refuses to be led by Satan and believes in God has grasped the strong handhold that will never break. God is all hearing and all knowing. 2: 256 God is the patron of the faithful. He leads them from darkness to the light. As for those who deny the truth, their supporter is Satan, who brings them out of light into darkness. They are the heirs of the Fire, and there they will remain forever. 2: 257 Unlike sincere devotees, there are some who never accept religion at the cost of the surrender of their being. They are never serious in matters of religion, and as a result believe that intercession by certain religious seers or the performance of certain rituals or the observance of certain forms is enough to earn salvation in the Hereafter. Due to their insincerity about the Hereafter, they fail to understand that Doomsday is the Day of the manifestation of God’s power and majesty. Hoping that the performance of certain superficial rituals might earn them God Almighty’s pleasure is indeed an underestimation of God’s divinity. This only increases their sinfulness in the eyes of God. The truth comes to one in the form of arguments, and one who is not sincere summarily rejects them. This is one of Satan’s temptations. Guidance comes only to those who scrupulously resist Satan’s temptations and, recognizing the divine arguments, wholeheartedly concur in them. o Failure, a greater stimulus than Success Failure is actually a blessing. It makes you more sincere. It is an experience which increases your maturity. Indeed, failure makes you a stronger person. In terms of intellectual achievement, failure can be a greater stimulus than success. It is the gateway to super success.