By: Ashraf Amin & Asifa Gul
The Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said that the believer is the one whose words are confirmed by his deeds. The laws of Allah are such that one who works sincerely and in a right direction triumphs. Salvation, the final success transcending worldly life is the result of righteous deeds. All rightly guided religions endorse the importance and vitality of virtuous deeds after faith (Iman) in Allah, His Messengers and the Judgment Day as the key to Salvation.
Islam in its final approved version of Allah’s Din makes it crystal clear that only those are rest assured of salvation, who possess faith by conviction, perform righteous deeds, stick to truth and display patience and forbearance in the earthly affairs (Al-Quran, 103:1-3). In Islam thus forgiveness of sins is man-centred in that it is dependent upon man’s sincerity and man’s works in combination with Allah’s forgiveness. In Islam, faith in God is not enough; the Muslim’s works will be weighed on the Day of Judgment, and it will then be decided who is saved and who is not–based upon whether the person was a Muslim, whether or not they were sincere in repentance, and whether or not they performed enough good works to outweigh the bad ones.
Mehmet Akif (d.1936), a famous Turkish poet aptly puts it, “The Quran was not sent down in order to be read after those who die or in order to tell fortune. It was sent down in order to advise the living people, to remind heedless people of the truth and to warn them against the disasters in the world and in the hereafter that can hit them.” No excuse is left for those who do not heed these warnings and advice (Quran, 36: 5-6, 69-70; 06: 155-157). Salvation is earned not granted through privilege. The Prophets and their sincere companions have toiled hard to up held the pleasure of Allah and the welfare of His creation.
Let us not behave idle and monopolized. Let us actualize our salvation through noble actions and strong faith. Being a Muslim today or any day seems to be exceedingly hard, for to be a Muslim one has constantly to face the challenge: first of knowing what Allah wills or desires not only for humanity in general but also for oneself in particular, and then of doing what one believes to be Allah’s will and pleasure each moment of one’s life. Let Allah ease our path to salvation and eternal success. Ameen!
Mail: ashrafamin121@gmail.com & asifagull44@gmail.com
