1) Young Muslims - The Message

advantage, which they could have derived from their belief in theHereafter. As a result, their behavior becomes very much like thatof those who deny the Hereafter.Third, are those who believe in the Hereafter and do not deludethemselves that they have any special relationship with God or thatanyone can intercede on their behalf. They hold themselvesaccountable for their actions and their belief in the Hereafterbecomes a great moral force. As a result, they find a permanentguard, stationed within them, which cautions and admonishes themwhenever they deviate from the right path. There may be no courtto summon them, no policemen to apprehend them and no publicopinion to pressure them. Instead, the guard within them is everalert and ready to remind them when they transgress. Theconsciousness of this inner presence makes them fear doinganything that is prohibited. Should they succumb to temptation andviolate the law of God, they are ever ready to offer sincere regretsand to enter a firm contract with God not to repeat the samemistake in the future. (Ref: Sura Ale Imran, Ayah 135)A person who is focused on successes or failures in this world alonewill be concerned with the benefits and harms that come to him inthis life only. He may be reluctant to do good deeds that have noworldly benefit. Similarly, he may not be prepared to stop doing awrong act that will not harm him in this world.On the other hand, a person who believes in life after death wouldlook upon all worldly gains and losses as temporary and would notput at stake eternal bliss for a transitory gain. Belief in the nextworld instills in one the desire to do well and avoid the wrong,however costly it may be in terms of worldly sacrifices.What! Do those who seek after evil ways think that We shall holdthem equal with those who believe and do righteous deeds, - thatequal with their life and their death? Ill is the judgment that theymake. God created the heavens and the earth for just ends, and inYoung Muslims, What they should know about Islam Page - 52