MARCH 8 Seeking the Pleasure of GodAccording to the Quran and the Hadith, a good deed is one, which is essentially intended to seek the pleasure of God (57:27). Devoid of this spirit, any deed will be

be as good as worthless when the final reckoning comes. God does not go by appearances. He sees the inner motive called ‘intent’ in the Shariah. Looked at from this angle, deeds could be of two kinds, those

that are committed to seek the pleasure of God, and those aimed at pleasing human beings. The focal point of the man whose aim is to seek the pleasure of God will be his Creator. He seeks to find out whether

This was God’s first favour to Moses. Later when Moses was granted prophethood, and he asked God to give him Aaron as his helper, God answered his prayer as an exceptional gift for Moses. This meant that

that, at his request, God had assigned another Prophet to help him. These favours are recorded in the Quran. The first was that of God saving Moses from being killed in childhood. And the second favour

harmed by the special succour of God. A person has to discover this first favour of God to him, so that with that reference he may request for a second favour from God. “We showed Our favour to you before

Warning People of the Hereafter Muslims have a responsibility to God: to tell all nations of the world that the day shall come when God will judge them, meting out reward and punishment according to the

They are of no value in the sight of God if they do not rise to this task. If Muslims neglect this responsibility, nothing that they do will be acceptable to God; even their apparently religious work

work will count for nothing. When they neglect this responsibility, God will leave them to their enemies; He will set other nations over them. Even the movements, which they call Islamic, but which are not

Thanking God for all His blessings is no simple matter, for in this love of God is automatically included. Awareness of God’s blessings produces love in the believers. Then, man spontaneously gives voice

voice to such words as are an acknowledgement of the divine blessings. This is praise (Shukr) to God. The bestowal of blessings produces emotions or feelings of love for the Benefactor, and this love is

meant by gratitude. This reality has been expressed in a tradition of the Prophet: “That is, love God for all His blessings that He has given you.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3789) In the original

God and Man There was a dispute about a property between Mr. A and Mr. B. Mr. A said that a certain property belonged to him but that Mr. B had taken possession of it illegally. There were lengthy verbal

B that if he held God’s book in his hand and said that this property was his, he would accept his claim and he could keep the property in his possession. Mr. B replied: “How does God come into the picture

the case with almost everyone. Everyone does as he pleases, and when he is told to fear God, he asks, “How does God come into the picture?” This is sometimes said in words, and sometimes implied by people’s

action is the key to Paradise. Human actions are meant only to attract the mercy of God. One who realizes God will find that God will turn to him and, by His special grace, He will decide about his entry into

Paradise. However much one may be virtuous or God fearing, one’s personal deeds cannot lead one to Paradise. An individual can reach Paradise only when God in all His mercy leads him to enter Paradise.

heaven. A companion once asked the Prophet, ‘O Prophet of God, will this be true of you also?’ The Prophet replied, ‘Yes, it will only be if God envelops me in His forgiveness and in His mercy.’” (Sahih

action is the key to Paradise. Human actions are meant only to attract the mercy of God. One who realizes God will find that God will turn to him and, by His special grace, He will decide about his entry into

Paradise. However much one may be virtuous or God fearing, one’s personal deeds cannot lead one to Paradise. An individual can reach Paradise only when God in all His mercy leads him to enter Paradise.This

heaven. A companion once asked the Prophet, ‘O Prophet of God, will this be true of you also?’ The Prophet replied, ‘Yes, it will only be if God envelops me in His forgiveness and in His mercy.’” (Sahih

the source of God-realization and without silence, the process of contemplation is not at all possible. Silence brings a person close to God. It provides the opportunity for him to achieve God-realization

God-realization from the entire universe and this journey continues non-stop.Discovery of God’s MajestyMuslim ibn Bashair says that Abu Hurayra wept during his illness. When asked as to what was making him weep he replied:

level of realization of God. When man’s realization intensifies, his state becomes like that of the above-mentioned Companion of the Prophet. What is meant by a high realization of God? It is that state in

philosophy. In philosophy God is conceived of as a Being without attributes. It is under the influence of this philosophical concept, that some have developed the concept of a formless God. The famous German

has expressed this as ‘world spirit’. Another philosopher has called God an ‘abstract idea’. According to this philosophic concept, God has no permanent and separate personality and it is without attributes

or ‘cosmic rays’. The Quran has mentioned God’s names to refute this philosophic deviation, rather than purely to specify the divine names. In philosophy, God has not been conceived of as a Creator, but

these contradictions.The Philosophical Concept of GodAccording to the concept of monism found in Aryan religions, God has no form. He is a formless God. That is, He has no independent being or existence

of this God who has no being or no existence. This is indeed the philosophical concept of God. Philosophers generally conceptualize God in this sense. They use the word spirit, or idea, for God. This philosophical

philosophical concept has become a part of the belief of the Aryan religions. This concept of a non-existent God is entirely based on unjustifiable speculation. In the real sense, there is no basis to any argument