Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | THE NATURE OF ISLAMIC SOCIETYfrom life than mere material or sensual enjoyment. A believer aims to establish God’sorder in society and lead his community towards a better and more fulfilled way oflife.Believers are altruistic in their approach to life; they have high hopes forhumanity, and they care for the progress and well-being of others. They look beyondtheir selfish egotistic needs and desires and make tremendous personal sacrifices forthe sake of their beliefs and ideals. From the point of view of a person who onlythinks of this life’s concerns and worldly affairs, that might seem strange or evenludicrous. Hence it may evoke scorn and derision from unbelievers.But what justification could there be for such a reaction? The unbelievers’ opinionis erroneous and utterly false. It is the view of unbelief and ignorance. The truemeasure is that of God who confirms that “those that fear God shall be above them inrank on the Day of Resurrection”. (Verse 212) Believers should uphold their faith anddisregard the mockery and scorn of the unbelievers. They have God’s word that theyshall occupy a higher position than those unbelievers on the Day of Resurrection,and that shall be the real test and the final judgement.What God has in store for believers is far better and far more favourable. Theyshall be rewarded in abundance, according to God’s wish and wisdom, either here inthis life or in the life to come, for “God grants sustenance to whom He wills beyond allreckoning.”God is the gracious giver who gives directly, generously and with no restriction.In His infinite wisdom, He may give to those who do not believe much of thecomforts and allurements of this world. What He grants them is not based on anymerit they may have. He also gives to the believers whatever He chooses to grantthem both in this life and in the life to come. He is the sole benefactor and His choiceis right, wise and most durable.The two types of human being — believers who take their guidance and advicefrom God, and others for whom this life is the be-all and end-all, can be found inevery age and every generation. The former rise above the trivialities of life to fulfiltheir humanity and become masters of their world and their destiny, while the lattershall ever be attached to, and enslaved by, the prurient and lewd aspects of life.Believers will always look from their elevated position on unbelievers, no matterhow affluent or influential these may be. Unbelievers, who think they are morefortunate and privileged, may well be contemptuous of the faithful, but it is theywho deserve pity and commiseration.A Single Community and Divergent Views263