Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | THE NATURE OF ISLAMIC SOCIETYGod’s vicegerent on earth become means of worship of, and devotion to, God andthe establishment of His order. Man will thus shun treachery, deceit, law breaking,arrogance, oppression, and all such foul and vile behaviour. He will avoid haste andrecklessness, shortcuts and aimless wandering; the sincerity of his intentions and hisdiligence are the best guarantee of success. Man will be free of fear and anxietythroughout his life, because he is aware that at every step he is asserting his own roleand serving God Almighty. Every action he takes will bring him closer to God.A believer’s feeling that he is moving according to God’s order, in obedience to,and in fulfilment of, His will, and the security, peace and tranquillity such a feelinggenerates, fill his heart and soul with inner peace. Even during armed combat againsthis and God’s enemies, he continues to feel and enjoy such peace because he isconscious that he is fighting in the cause of God and to establish His order, not forworldly or personal gain, privilege or ambition.The believer’s feeling that he is living in harmony with God’s order and the lawsof nature, and acting in unison with all other creatures and forces around him, bringsa state of peace and tranquillity. His existence is reinforced by the world around him,and together they move in harmony and union, without conflict or contradiction,guided by God’s light and devoted to Him.The obligations prescribed by Islam are in full harmony with human nature andaim to keep that nature on the right path. They are well within man’s capabilities andtake full account of his aptitudes and disposition. They leave no human talent orability untapped, enhancing and promoting them, and fulfilling man’s physical andspiritual needs. In discharging these obligations, man faces no hardship or distress,but seeks God’s pleasure with confidence and peace of mind.The society which Islam creates existed once in its purest and best form. Islamthen continued to give different examples of it in varying degrees of purity, invarious parts of the world. It is a society established on the principles of love,compassion, unity, solidarity and care. Whatever its degree of purity, it remains thebest and most shining social experiment the world has known.It is a society brought together by the single bond of religious faith, which isgreater than any bond of race, origin, colour or language. Muslims are described inthe Qur’ān as the community of ‘brothers,’ (49: 10) and by the Prophet Muĥammadas ‘one body; if any part suffers any pain all other parts share in its complaint, feelingsleepless and feverish.’ [Related by Aĥmad and Muslim]It is a society with a strong code of social morality based on Qur’ānic teachingsand exhortations, some of which are outlined in the statements:When a greeting is offered you, answer it with an even better greeting, or [at least]257