Chapter 3: Benefits of the True Religion
The benefits of the true religion are numerous. The person who has no religion or has chosen a wrong religion is the biggest loser. Nothing can compensate this loss.
We find many disbelievers around us who have wealth, power, and property. Many people think that they are the most fortunate people in the world. But there were many people like them in the past who are now dead. Every person knows without any doubt that they have left all their wealth, power and honour which they were enjoying during their lifetime. So death is the end of every material and worldly thing.
The Holy Quran has revealed this truth in the following verses. "How many gardens, how many fountains they left behind them; and cornfields, and noble palaces, and good things in which they took delight. Thus (itwas )
, and we made other people inherit all that. Neither heaven nor earth shed tears for them, nor were they reprieved". (44:25-29)
"O believers: Shall I command you to a bargain that will save you from a miserableinfliction ?
Have faith in Allah and His apostle and that you strive to your utmost in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your persons, that will be the best for you, if you but knew it. He will forgive you your sins and admit you to gardens watered by running streams. He will lodge you in pleasant mansions in gardens of eternity; that is indeed the supreme achievement." (61:10-12)
The holy Quran has repeatedly warned us that every thing which we possess in this world will be left behind. The intelligent people are those who purchase the prosperity that can remain with them even after their death. A man of understanding, even if he is not Muslim, can perceive it.
Jean-jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), a great French philosopher and most impor tant writer of the Age of Reason, has given some words of wisdom, when he wrote to his son about the reality of this worldly life:
"I know that I am destined to die; then, should I create attachment for myself in thisworld ?
In a world where all things are changing and passing, I myself will soon become non- existent. Of what use to me are attachments?Emile, my son, if I lose you, what will be lef t for me?
I must nonetheless prepare myself for such an intolerable eventuality, because no one can assure me that I will die before you. So if you wish to live happily and rationally, attach your heart only to beauties that are imperishable; try to limit your desires and hold duty in higher esteem than all else. Seek only those things that do not violate the law of morality, and accustomyourself
to losing things without distress. Accept nothing, unless your conscience permits you. If you do all of this, you will surely be happy, and not become over attached to anything on earth
".
Rousseau was not a Muslim but was inspired by Islamic philosophy. A man of this thinking can command his people to bring revolution. Rousseau's philosophy motivated the people of his time that led to the French Revolution.
Now let us point out some of the discernible benefits of the true religion. Religion imparts a consciousness of the self-esteem. From Islamic point of view, all human beings are born asMuslims,
it is their parents who make them Hindus, Christians, Jews or pagans. There are more than 2 millions kinds of living creatures and out of them men are the most supreme beings.
The first and foremost duty of man is to know its rank and status in the world of creation. It isthen,
he can maintain his position and can go fur ther in his evolutionary growth and development. Quran and hadith are the only reliable source of knowing the origin of mankind. It is important to note that Quran has given a special emphasis to reveal the real position of man for his self-recognition.
Announcement of Divine Deputyship.
Allah Subhanu taala has appointed man as His vicegerent on the earth
.
Quran says:
"It is He who has appointed you vicegerent on the earth and exalted some of you in rank above others, so that He may test you by means of what he has given you." (6:165)The
coronation ceremony of man. Allah arranged a special coronation ceremony in which the entire existing creatures of that time were asked to attend it. Theparticipants
who were mostly the angels, were then ordered by Allah Subhanu taala, to bow down before Adam- the symbolic representative of mankind.
Quran says;
"Behold;your
Lord said to the angels: I am about to create Man, from sounding clay from mud molded in. When I fashion him and breathe into him of My spirit, kneel down and prostrate yourself before him; All the angels prostrated themselves, except Satan, who refused to be one of those who prostrated themselves" (15:28-29-34)
All the angels and the archangel respectfully followed the command of Allah Subhanu Taala and prostrated, except Satan( a
Jinn ), who was then disgracefully ousted from the paradise on his noncompliance of the Divine Command.
Quran further explains the status of man and the facilities and favors with which he has been bestowed by The Lord ofThe
Worlds "Indeed We have honored the children of Adam. We have put the land and the sea under their control, provided them good livelihood and have definitely given them superiority above many of our creatures." (17:70) "Have you not seen that Allah has put at your service whatever there is in the heavens and the earth." (31:20)
"It is He who has made the earth subservient to you.so
walk about in its regions and eat what Allah has produced." (67:15) Quran tells us that man has the highest rank among all the creatures of Allah.
Man has been given the power to rule the world. Everything in the universe is for him. What Quran had said 1400 years ago is proved now. We see that man is taking the maximum advantage of Allah's creations. He is ruling the world. Animals, plants, mountains, and even the moon and planets are under his full use. This is a great honor.
But the scientists of today classify man among the animals. Biologists say that human beings belong to the class of animals calledmammals which includes
dogs, cats, donkeys, monkeys and all other animals. Of course, when the man considers himself a descendant of monkey, then one should not be surprised if he behaves like the beasts.
This sense of inferiority complex has developed because they do not have a religion that can inspire them to know their real status. The consequences of under mining the status of man is that after rising to the height of moon, man is still low as he was in his primitive age. Thus, the first and foremost task for every human being is to know his status and position in the creation of Allah Subhanahu taala. After recognizing himself, he will be able to understand the purpose of his creation and the cause of his supremacy and great Divine favors. Without the recognition of man's reality and his real status, all human endeavors and efforts, be they scientific or spiritual, will be futile and bottomless.
The Holy Imam HazratAli(
as) has told this truth in many different ways. "Whoever recognizes himself has recognized his Lord." "I am surprised at one who seeks what he has lost while he has lost himself and does not search for it."
"The ultimate point of knowledge is for man to reach self-recognition." Thus, religion is the only reliable source of self awareness, which is prior to all other issues that concern man. Religion offers peace and tranquillity.
Many scientists do not believe in God and say that no one has created human beings or anything that we know in the universe. The net result of this misleading assumption would be that universe and everything in it is purposeless. In fact, this is what the modern scientists do believe and eventually tend to preach: No God, which precisely means - no religion - no purpose - no objective - no destination.
They deny everything all in all. A person who believes in true religion, which accurately tells about the life-after-death, will have a correct perception of his life. Eventually it would illuminate the mind to discover the real purpose of life. Thus, the inevitable outcome of this belief wouldbe ;
exhaust
all his energy for that preparation.
sacrifice
anything and everything on demand as he has knowledge of full reward.
never
make mistakes in identifying the real nature of things.
never
feel defeated if he loses any worldly thing.
Such a sensible person will live peacefully and will allow others to live with peace.
Today, the most technologically advanced world has everything but not peace. We all know very well that we can not enjoy anything if we don't have peace of mind.
Those who do not believe in life afterdeath,
are killing each other to get hold of everything.
This is happening in this world at all levels. Thus, the benefit of true religion is that it offers peace and tranquillity in this world as well as hereafter. Religion offers a sense of security.
Apparently it seems that the people in the West, who do not believe in religion, are the most satisfied people. But according to one repor t published in the Times International magazine, 28,000 people in the United States, 25,000 people in Switzerland and the same number of people in Japan commit suicide every year. The US suicide rate is increasing steadily since the late 1950's. The majority of the people who commit suicide are old people, young adults and teen-agers. 75% of them are males.
In 1980, the best selling book in Japan was "How to commit suicide". In this book, the author has designed different postures of committing suicide. The large sale of this book precisely shows that a large number of people in Japan are inclined to commit suicide. The possibilities are that they might commit suicide in future.
Why people commit suicide?
A question arises, why people living in well-off and rich countries are committing suicide? These countries have relatively less economical, social, and political problems comparing with Third World countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The report says that the most common cause of suicide is a sense of insecurity. But we know that in these developed countries, most of the people are well-to-do, and also the governments have a variety of security schemes and agencies to look after the general welfare of the people.
Then, why do these people develop feelings of insecurity that eventually lead them to commit suicide?
A Psychologist gave a beautiful explanation. He says that we all human beings are naturally accustomed of a special kind of security. Lack of faith in God and aimlessness of life trigger the sense of insecurity which generates depression and eventually leads to kill oneself to get rid of that unknown fear. This is the reason that thousands of people are committing suicides and murder due to their inner frustration and sense of insecurity.
Thus, a true religion is the only solution of depression and insecurity. Quran confirms that the real peace of mind can only be achieved by the intellectual remembrance of Allah.
Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt, in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find satisfaction. (13:28)A
child feels complete sense of security when he finds himself near to his mother. It is because of child's strong belief that his mother will save him from all disasters. The innocent child does not know this fact that his mother loves him but can not save him in all circumstances. It is only God Who loves us( as
He is the one who creates love for the child in the mother's heart), and also He is All-Mighty.
"And whenMy
servants ask you concerning me, then surely I am near; I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on Me." (2:186) gives a purpose in life.
Man-made things
Man makes everything with a purpose
Natural things
Man finds everything in nature with a purpose
Man & Universe
Can it be without anypurpose ?
IMPOSSIBLE
As we know that a large number of scientists do not believe in God and consider man an accidental product of nature. Eventually for them, man has no purpose in life except what he sets for himself. But their assumption goes totally against their own findings. Let us see how these so-called learned people contradict themselves.
The medical scientists have studied each and every part of the human body. They now know the whole organization of the body, from its smallest parts to the largest ones. On the basis of these studies they say that the human body is made up of trillions of cells. These cells are of many kinds such as blood cells, muscle cells, and nerve cells. Each kind of cell has special features and some par ticular job.
Then there are special highly sophisticated organs such as hear t, kidney, lungs, liver etc. All these organs have special functions and well defined purpose of their being. A question should be asked to these medical researchers who themselves have disclosed these facts. That if every cell and every organ in the human body has special work to do,then
what is the special work of the whole human body.
Is it wise to assume that, all cells of the body and the organs, have a purpose and a job, but the human beings who are made up of these cells and organs have no well defined purpose. Thus, a man of average intelligence will agree that when every organ of the body has been given a special assignment, then humans must also have a special purpose of life.
The Holy Quran educates us precisely the Divine purpose of creation and aims and objectives of every human being. Those who serve the purpose and do their duties are said to have a meaningful life.
I have only created Jinns and Men that they should worshipMe
. I demand no sustenance from them,nor I
ask that they should feed Me. (51:56)
Thus, Allah Subhanahu taala has given us a perfect body in which each and every cell and organ tirelessly serves us. In our body, millions of sophisticated machines are working for us to fulfill our demands and keep us active and alive. Millions of pages will be required to describe the functions and activities of these machines that serve us round the clock. A student of medicine spends five to seven years just to acquire knowledge of the functions of these organs. Briefly, we describe here the functions of just some of the vital organs.
Thelungs provides
the body with oxygen and simultaneously rids the body of carbon dioxide. The heart which is a powerful pump, beats 100,000 times each day as it pump 4.5 litres blood per minute throughout the body. The digestive system breaks down the food we eat into simple substances that the cells can use.
The urinary system removes unwanted things from the blood and flushes them from the body.
The nervous system regulates and coordinates the activities of all the system of the body and enables the body to adjust to changes that occur withinitself
and in sur roundings. The endocrine system controls body functions by producing hormones which work as chemical messengers.
The lymphatic system consists of a network of tubes carrying a clear, watery fluid called lymph. It baths and nourishes the cells of the body tissues. The immune system protects the body at all times from the disease- producing bacteria, viruses and other kinds of harmful substances. The specialized cells resist and destroy all kinds of invaders that can become a threat to our health.
Now a sensitive mind should think that how obediently an instrumental team of workers in our body is serving us all the time like obedient slaves. We should ask ourselves, are we not obliged to serve the Lord, Allah Subhanahu Taala, who has created them and made them our free servant.
The scientists, who have observed this remarkable organization in the body with their naked eyes and still deny the existence of God are fit for nothing but the hell-fire, where they should live for ever to see the result of their acute ignorance and indescribable ungratefulness. Those who do not believe in the Divine Creator will remain unfit to accomplish the purpose of their creation. This means that such people are totally valueless whether they are world's top scientists or presidents or richest men. Every thing they possess is worthless for them because they will lose it one day for ever.
The Holy Quran has described the wor thlessness of such works. "As for the unbelievers (non-Muslim or Muslim just by name), their works (all remarkable scientific achievements) are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty traveler thinks it water, but when he comes near he finds that it is nothing. He finds Allah there, who pays him back in full.swift
is Allah's reckoning." (24:39)
Thus all world's top scientists, Head of States, Prime Ministers, and wealthy people who seem to be very great and astounding personalities are like a mirage in a desert if they don't believe in God and His commandments.
The religion should not be just a trademark of a person. If a person follows a particular religion, he must see the benefits of that religion in his life. Today, scientists are studying each and every part of the human body just to know their purpose and specific function. They know that every organ has a special role to play in the body. Is it not the height of the craziness that the samescientists
who strongly believe that every organ in the body has a particular purpose, do not recognize any definite purpose of the whole human personality.
Thus, denying the existence of God means denying everything. Man has been created in the nature of sensing the existence of his Creator. This sensing is by itself a religion. Islam is a religion which interpreates this natural sensing in human language.
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Author: Sayyid Qasim Mujtaba Moosavi Kamoonpuri
