GUIDANCE FOR LIFE IN ISLAM

The Goal of Islam The goal of Islam is not to establish by authoritative power a sociopolitical system in which people are forced into adopting the divine religion in their lives and from which they are allowed no deviation. On the contrary, the aim of Islam is to inculcate the love of God in every individual and make him a God-fearing person. This spirit is called al-rabbaniyah in the Quran and is described thus in one of its verses: Kunu rabbaniyin, which means: “Be devoted servants of God.” (3: 79). Islam desires to instill this spirit of the love of God and the fear of God in every human being so that he can lead his life in its guidance in whichever situation he may be or wherever he may be. According to Islamic teaching, the present world is a testing ground for individuals, it is not a place of enforcement of commands. In the present world, people are being put to the test to see whether they use their freedom to follow the straight path as determined by God or they deviate from it. Due to this reason, every human being has been granted complete freedom so that he may have the choice to either accept the divine religion or reject it. This reality about our present life has been stated in the Quran in these words: “Say, this is the truth from your Lord. Let him who will, believe in it, and him who will, deny it.” (18: 29). Another verse instructs the Prophet with respect to his contemporaries who were in denial of his prophethood: “You are not a keeper over them.” (88: 22). The Prophet is here counselled not to compel people to believe in the message he was conveying to them. For this reason, a principle has been mentioned in the Quran in clear terms: “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) Divine Scheme of Things A verse in the Quran sheds light on God’s scheme of things for human beings. It speaks about the creation of the soul and says that God “then inspired it to understand what was right and wrong for it. He who purifies it will indeed be successful, and he who corrupts it is sure Islam is a complete code of life, in the sense of an individual following the religion in his life by his own choice. To take Islam to be a complete socio-political system that must be established by the force of political power—is a wrong idea.