A handsome and smart young man, with a transparent badge, bearing his name and position in the organization he works, stuck to his necktie, is dealing with customers with his smiling face. A graceful lady, with a charming lineament, having ‘bindi’ between her eyebrow and a red sprinkle of vermillion in the line of her hair parting them in two equal parts, is absorbed in her teaching job without any discrimination of caste, colour, religion or social and financial status of her students. A gentleman, of about 40, roams door to door and shop to shop for promoting the new product of the company he works for, with full zeal and sense of loyalty. A shining brass crucifix with gold chain is hanging around his neck. An intelligent and self-centered student, totally ignorant of his religious faith and out of touch with the question of accountability in the Hereafter, is leaning over his book, the right finger on the temple of his head as a sign of being lost in his lesson. The student is in no way harmful to others. All his concentration aims at nothing but his brilliant career for a life up to his full satisfaction and standards. He wants to achieve his goal with his hard work and not at the cost of the interests of others. A young nurse is seen on her duty feeling the pulse, reading the temperature, checking the blood pressure and testing the level of diabetes of the patients in a hospital ward with full dedication and sympathy.
Are they all for Hell or Paradise?
This very grave question arises in minds that are all the above mentioned categories of the people destined to be pushed into Hellfire? Do they all deserve torment in the Hereafter? Actually, we have no right to give a verdict against them. The same is otherwise. We do not have any authority to issue a judicial opinion that the people of that class will not meet the worst results of being burnt in Hellfire.
Then what is the Correct Answer?
Our answers may be different. So it seems necessary to turn to Islam to find an apt answer for the two opposite situations about the end of the people mentioned above. Let us ponder over the light of the Quran and the teachings of the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him.
Why Man Was Created?
According to a generally observed law of nature, an object, not used for the purpose it is produced, is either loses its potential and utility or gets destroyed by wrong use. This rule of nature is applied on not only lifeless objects, on animals and human beings as well. Vanity of an aimless life or a life contradicting the aim of its creation is itself a witness that it is worse than the articles thrown in dustbin after use.
Man got existence with a tremendous objective of worshiping none but alone Allah, the All-Mighty. He has to spend every moment of his life in his obedience. Since creation of Adam, AS, to the rise of Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, almost 124 thousands prophets were sent just to remind man the same purpose of his life and warning him not to follow the teachings and commandments contrasting to the Divine Guidance revealed to such a great number of the Prophets to show him right path leading to the Will of Allah, the Creator of the universe.
As all the manufacturers do not leave the purpose and methods of the use of their products set by someone else, the Creator of man Himself has decided what is this creation for? We find the answer of the very basic question about the purpose of man’s creation in the Holy Quran: “And I created not the jinn and mankind except, they should worship Me.” (Adh-Dhariyat: 56) It is eternally decided that no other ‘Being’ except Allah, the Exalted, has the right to be worshiped and there is no room for any compromise on this issue. “And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him…” (Al-Isra: 23)
The term ‘worship’ in English does not elucidate the perfect sense of the Arabic term ‘Ibadah’ which covers the meanings of adoration, full submission and unconditional surrender to Allah, the Exalted. Performance of some particular customary rituals and physical movements is extremely limited concept of ‘ibadah’. Complete submission to Allah, the Exalted and surrender to His Will is the core of ‘Ibadah’. No prophet, no angel, no jinn, no priest and saint, no element of nature and no despotic ruler have the right to claim their share in the acts of ‘Ibadah’ that is the right of only Allah, the All-Mighty.
“…The command (or judgment) is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him; that is (true) straight religion, but most men know not.” (Yusuf: 40)
Man’s will, desires and activities are necessary to be subservient to please Allah, the Creator and not anyone else.
Demand of Man’s Nature
The subservience to Allah alone is in fact the demand of ‘Fitrah’ (Nature). The Quran says: “So set your face towards the religion (of pure Islamic Monotheism) inclining to truth. (Adhere to) the Fitrah of Allah upon which He has created mankind. No change should there be in creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.” (Ar-Rum: 30)
Most of the famous commentators of the Quran believe that the term ‘Fitrah’ here means Islam. Every child takes birth with an inner call of his pure nature to correspond to the demands of Islam. If he is left free from external pressures and negative outer influences, he may surely be at the beck and call of his Lord and follow Islamic Monotheism. But his heart and mind gets polluted with misguided beliefs, crooked creeds and deceptive ideologies and so-called principles and philosophies.
Our Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, is reported to have said: “Every child is born with pure ‘Fitrah’ (Nature), it is the parents who Judaize him or Christianize him or cause him to convert to Majusiah. Its example is like an animal which gives birth to a complete animal child. Do you find any trim and cut of their ears when they are born?” (Bukhari)
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, a famous English translator and commentator of the Quran, while commenting on the verse mentioned above, explains the term ‘Fitrah’ and how does it get corrupted. “As turned out from the creative hand of Allah, man is innocent, pure, true, free, inclined to right and virtue, and endued with true understanding about his own position in the universe and about Allah’s goodness, wisdom and power. This is true nature of a lamb to be gentle and a horse to be swift. But man is caught in the meshes of customs, superstitions, selfish desires and false teaching. This may make him pugnacious, unclean, false, slavish, hankering after what is wrong or forbidden, and deflected from love of his fellow men and pure worship of his the One True God. The problem before the spiritual teachers (Prophets) is to cure this crookedness and to restore human nature to what it should be under the Will of Allah.”
The animal child, when born, has no fault in its parts of body. But due to some wrong conceptions, state of ignorance, some pagan customs the owners cut the ears of the animal child and disfigure it. In the same way the parents, religious leaders, so-called spiritual and social guides, having false beliefs and untrue religious traits, cause the child a change of mind and diversion in thinking. Thus a child brought up in this environment is lead to astray and ruin of his pure nature.
Men of Understanding
The factors causing a great pollution and marring the pure human nature, no doubt have their indelible impression and are responsible for the ravage of the spiritual life and Hereafter of those whom they lead to falseness but still dutiful workers, loyal and honest servants and compassionate and pitiful men and women who are unfortunately away from the right path and true belief of Monotheism are held responsible for their erroneous thoughts and faith if they fail to use their unadulterated wisdom. Wisdom is their last remedial and preventive measure for their hearts and souls.
A Blog by Muneer Ahmed Khalili....
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