The Light English edition October 2017

October 2017 The
Light 3
promise than Allah? Rejoice therefore in your
bargain which you have made. And that is the
mighty achievement.” (9:111)
The Contract between Allah and the
Believers
This promise is like a contract for buying
and selling property and therefore binding
upon Allah the Most Exalted. It is recognized by
the Torah, the Gospel and the Holy Quran. Who
is more truthful than Allah the Most Exalted in
keeping His promise? Those who make this
promise with Allah should rejoice, for this deal
means a great success for them. One wonders
how many Muslims sacrifice their property and
person and achieve this great success! How
many truly understand and believe in it? Selling
something means you no longer have any control
over it and someone else is the owner. Allah
the Most Exalted calls giving up ownership of
one’s life and property a mighty achievement.
People think that saving and not giving means
success but the universal message of Islam does
not measure success by our possessions. Nor
does it say that reciting the prayer, fasting during
the month of Ramadhan, performing the Pilgrimage
or paying the poor rate is the most excellent
accomplishment. Islam demands much
more from Muslims. Selling or sacrifice of one’s
property and life seems to be a very lofty goal.
When we sell something and somebody else
buys it, we no longer have any entitlement to it.
How many of us meet this standard of belief
that all we have belongs to Allah? Selling one’s
life means, using our time, faculties and
strength to measure up to this standard. People
the universal message of Islam does
not measure success by our possessions.
generally understand the meaning of spending
of one’s wealth in Allah’s way. Islam by asking
the believers to sacrifice both their person and
property has gone a step further and set up a
very excellent goal for Muslims. A nation cannot
make progress unless it has a great purpose in
front of it.
Higher Goal
The nations who set small goals cannot
I Shall Love All Mankind.
reach the highest level of progress. Only those
nations who have a higher goal in front of them
rise above the rest. If there is a mountain in
front of a man and he is determined to scale it
at his disposal, he will certainly be able to accomplish
this to some degree. An individual
who is looking for the easy way out does not attempt
to climb the mountain. To sell ones’ property
and person in God’s way is truly an excellent
goal that Islam has put before Muslims. In
fact, if we reflect we realise that our life and
property do not belong to us.
God is the real owner so we are not doing
Him a favour by returning it to Him for Allah the
Most Exalted states: “Surely Allah has bought
from the believers their persons and their property”.
(9:111)
The meaning of this statement is the believer
no longer has authority over them. He no
longer has the right to command his faculties to
do this or not to do that. He must accept Allah’s
authority over all and to use them in accordance
with His will and commandment. This is the
greater goal Islam places before Muslims. If a
goal is lofty but cannot be put into practice it
cannot be of benefit to man. There are many excellent
teachings that are not practical and only
appear to be attractive. Their objective despite
being great is impracticable. The companions of
the Holy Prophet by sacrificing their lives and
properties in Allah’s way have demonstrated
that the teachings of Islam and their objective
are within the limits of practicability. They
showed us how one can sell his person and
property.
Loftier the Goal, Greater the Purpose
I want to illustrate the importance of a goal
or purpose with another example. The Christian
doctrine tells us that God cannot be merciful
without being just or the justice of God demands
punishment unless one believes in the
atonement of Jesus Christ. If God cannot be merciful
without requiring something in exchange,
how can unconditional feelings of mercy become
a part of human character? The objective
of the believer in this doctrine is therefore
greatly diminished. On the other hand, the very
first sentence of the Holy Quran is: “In the name