Article Surah 90 · Ayah 10
Untitled
The compulsory test
All praise is due to Allah, and prayers and peace of Allah be upon the Messenger
of Allah. Man passes through his lifetime by many tests, in which he has the
choice of taking these tests or not. However, there is another kind of test; it is the
compulsory test. Actually, none passes this test except who is prepared. However,
what is this test? Is it the test of the high school? Is it a test of licentiate or master
person; it is not for a specific age; it is for everybody from the age of puberty till
death; it is not held here in this world, rather it is in Hereafter. Allah Almighty
said:
{Then surely, We shall question those (people) to whom it (the Book) was sent and
verily, We shall question the Messengers} [Surat Al-
Transliteration: Falanasalanna allatheena orsila ilayhim walanasalanna
almursaleena
All nations will be asked about how they responded to their messengers, and the
messengers will also be asked about conveying the messages of their Lord and the
response of their nations. He Almighty said:
{So, by your Lord (O Muhammad SAW), We shall certainly call all of them to
account. For all that they used to do.} [Surat Al-Hijr 15:92-93]
-
Transliteration: Fawarabbika lanasalannahum ajmaAAeena (92) AAammakanoo
yaAAmaloona
Therefore, Allah (the Exalted the Glorious) will ask everyone declared war
against the religion neglecting its teachings and did not adhere to it; He will ask
him about what he did and will reckon him. Allah Almighty says:
{But you shall certainly be called to account for what you used to do} [Surat An-
Nahl 16:93] i.e. whether it is good or evil.
Transliteration: walatusalunna AAamma kuntum taAAmaloona
He Almighty said: {And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not,
etc.) that of which you have no knowledge (e.g. one's saying: "I have seen," while
in fact he has not seen, or "I have heard," while he has not heard). Verily! The
hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by
Allah).} [Surat Al-Isrâ` 17:36]
Transliteration: Wala taqfu ma laysa laka bihi AAilmun inna alssamAAa
waalbasara waalfuada kullu olaika kana AAanhu masoolan
And He Almighty said: {So hold you (O Muhammad, prayers and peace of Allah
be upon him) fast to that which is revealed to you. Verily you are on the Straight
Path. And ve
prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and your people (Quraish people, or your
followers), and you will be questioned (about it)} [Surat Az-Zukhruf 43:43-44]
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Transliteration: Faistamsik biallathee oohiya ilayka innaka AAala siratin
mustaqeemin (43) Wainnahu lathikrun laka waliqawmika wasawfa tusaloona As
for you, dear young Muslim brother, there is another issue. The Prophet (prayers
and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
what did he spend it? And his knowledge, what did he do by it? And his money,
from where did he gain it and in what did he spend it? And his body, in what did
[Reported by At-Tirmidhi and authenticated by Al-Albani]
O dear beloved brother, have you heard? You will be asked about your life and
youthfulness; so, you should answer. What would you say to your Lord (the
Exalted the Glorious) on the Day of Judgment in that terrible dreadful situation?
The Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
[Reported
by Al-Bukhari]
he (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
sink seventy cubits deep into the earth, and it will rise up till it reaches people's
[Reported by Al-Bukhari]
Glory to Allah! Really, it is a difficult test! Our sweat sinks to the ground! Seventy
cubits! Truly, it is a hard test. We ask Allah to mercy our weakness and support
our broken souls, when we come to Him (Glorified and Exalted). Dear young
brother, have you imagined yourself asked before Allah (the Exalted the
Glorious)?
None of you but Allah will talk to him without a translator in the middle, and
when he looks right, he will see nothing but his deeds, then when he looks left, he
will see nothing but his deeds, and then when he looks forward, he will see
Hellfire. So, he who could gain protection from Hellfire, he should do, even by
[Authenticated by Al-Albani]
prepare for that Great Day? Have you prepared prayer, worship and holding fast to
the order and religion of Allah (the Exalted the Glorious)? Have you prepared
yourself by fearing Allah (the Exalted the Glorious) and fearing His punishment
and wrath? Have you prepared straightness in the tongue, eyes and limbs? Have
you fixed your heart and dedicated it to Allah (the Exalted the Glorious) and
purified it? Have you promised your Lord not to disobey Him? Have you adhered
to the Sunnah of your Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and
considered him your model, teacher and guide? Have you obeyed your parents
and became responsive to their needs, especially when they are in their older
years? Have you kept observing your prayer, fasting, praying at night and reciting
the Holy Qur`an? Have you kept attending the lessons of Sharia knowledge, to be
taught and up brought on the orders of Allah and the orders of His Messenger
(prayers and peace of Allah be upon him)? Have you called people to Allah (the
Exalted the Glorious)? Do you care much for gaining the satisfaction of Allah
peace of Allah be upon him) said:
hrough night will
attain the rank, the merchandise of Allah is expensive, as his merchandise is
[Authenticated by Al-Albani]
Yes dear beloved brother, he who fears should hurry and do his best for obeying
Allah (the Exalted the Glorious) and having good deeds bring him close to Allah.
{That Day shall a man flee from his brother, And from his mother and his father,
And from his wife and his children} -36]
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Transliteration: Yawma yafirru almaro min akheehiWaommihi waabeehi
Wasahibatihi wabaneehi
Or have you blackened your record by the evil deeds?!
source:
https://en.islamway.net/article/13119/the-compulsory-test?__ref=search
Good and Evil in Islam
The relationship between good and evil has always intrigued people, and it is one
of the central principles upon which religious doctrine and belief systems are built.
Religion plays a central role in shedding light onto these abstract concepts, and
Islam is no exception. In fact, Islam offers a complete picture in explaining good
and evil. To understand the Islamic teachings on good and evil, however, one first
needs to understand that Islam views life as a test of deciding between good and
evil.
The Meaning of Life According to Islam
s most
exalted rank is knowledge of Him. The most radiant happiness and sweetest bounty
other words, we are created to believe in God. Once a person believes in God they
will try to get to know Him and acquire knowledge about Him. This knowledge of
God can only be built on a belief in God. This intimate knowledge of God must
surely lead to the love of God, which is described as the highest degree of
happiness a human being can achieve. A person with a heart that overflows with
the love of God will strive to keep his commandments and express this love
through worship.
Achieving closeness to God gives life its real meaning. The closest proximity to
God can be achieved only in Heaven. While God is closer to us than ourselves, we
may put barriers between our conscious and subconscious, and our heart and our
Lord. Islam teaches that, from our perspective, doing good and staying away from
evil is a means of getting closer to God. Islam teaches that humans are equal in all
respects (e.g. race, gender, status, occupation, appearance, etc) except for closeness
to God. Every good deed brings a person closer to God, and every evil act takes
them further away from God. We can understand this, as there are many ranks or
stations in closeness to God. Thus, the test of choosing between good and evil has
the purpose of giving people the opportunity to rise through these stations of
spirituality.
Islam teaches that angels have fixed stations. They cannot commit sins or descend
to lower stations, nor can they achieve a higher station through good deeds. Unlike
angels, however, humans can get closer to God and rise through these stations by
doing good deeds or descend and get further away from God by committing sins.
So, God gives human beings the opportunity to rise to a level beyond the angels or
go below the level of Satan; it is all our choice. Without the creation of Satan or
evil, there would not be any stations for humans to pass through to get closer to
God, and therefore, we would be like angels with fixed stations.
The Concepts of Good and Evil in Islam
As humans, our definitions of good and evil are based on our perceptions and
thinking. Human experience, however, is limited in many ways. Many things and
events which at first appear to be good may prove in the final outcome to be evil,
and vice versa. True knowledge, that is knowledge which is not subject to
authority in defining good and evil. Therefore our perceptions of good and evil
may be misleading:
. . . but it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you
love a thing which is bad for you. But God knows, and you know not. (Baqra
2:216)
The Islamic definitions of good and evil are based on the purposes of creation and
the meaning of human life. As mentioned above, the ultimate goal of human life is
to become perfected spiritually through belief in God (iman), the knowledge of
God (marifatullah), the love of God (muhabbatullah), and the worship of God
(ibada). Accordingly, whatever brings a person closer to God and will benefit him
in the Next World is good, and whatever takes a person away from God, and thus
incurs His anger is evil.
Extrapolating from these definitions, one can see that those things and events that
we perceive as evil may in reality be good, if they lead us closer to God. For
instance, a disease may be perceived as evil. But a person who goes through the
disease with patience grows spiritually and becomes closer to God.
No calamity strikes except by God’s permission. (Taghabun 64:11)
Wealth and health may be perceived as good. But if they lead a person to indulge
in worldly desires and forget God, then they become evil for that person.
Have you seen the one who takes his desires as his god? (Furqan 25:43)
The tricks of the devil may be perceived as evil. But they are evil only for those
who fall for those tricks and forget God:
Satan got the better of them and caused them to forget God. Those are the party of
Satan. Truly the party of Satan are the real losers. (Mujadila 58:19)
On the other hand, through resistance to the devil and through patience in
submission to God, one grows spiritually and becomes closer to God. So, for such
a person, the existence of the devil and his tricks is a means of spiritual ascension.
…And those who persevere in seeking the pleasure of their Lord, and keep up
prayer and spend (benevolently) out of what We have given them secretly and
openly and repel evil with good; as for those, they shall have the (happy) issue of
the abode. (Rad 13:22)
The following v
the conduct of our lives:
It is not righteousness that you turn your faces toward the East and the West, but
righteousness is this that one should believe in God and the last day and the angels
and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the
near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and
for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate;
and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in
distress and affliction and in time of conflicts-these are they who are true (to
themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil). (Baqara 2:177)
An inclination toward good and a dislike for evil is inherent in every human being.
Prophet Muhammad teaches that good is the beautiful personality and beautiful
and is that side of a person that they do not want anyone to know about. Islam
teaches that good deeds in this world are like seeds that will be harvested in the
Hereafter:
Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s-weight of good, see it! (Zilzal 99:7)
, even by giving half a date in
Just. Good will be rewarded sooner or later.
God is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubles it,
and gives from His own presence a great reward. (Nisa 4:40)
The Prophet explained these verses with the following words:
this life and He is Just. He
rewards people both here and in the Hereafter. For the unbelievers, on the other
hand, they receive all their rewards here in this life and for them nothing is left for
The Messenger of God states that all good deeds are important.
Doing good deeds results from an intention and motivation that causes the action,
and therein lies its value. A seemingly good action, if done for reasons other than
pleasing God, may not be valued by God as a good deed and may not contribute to
an
be said that belief in God should be strongly located in the heart of a person when
doing good deeds. Only a strong belief in God can guide people toward
committing good deeds.
Human beings are not free to choose in many things. We cannot choose to live
without eating, we cannot choose to live without drinking, and we cannot choose to
live without sleeping. However, we are completely free in one thing: we can
choose between good and evil. Life is about options, and decisions, and situations
to choose between; good and evil are in front of us as options. We make our
decisions, and God creates good and evil based on our decisions. It is inherent in
Islam to believe that both good and evil comes from God.
Wherever you are, death will find you out, even if you are in towers built up strong
come to these people that they fail to understand a singl
God creates both good and evil based on our choices. Once we have made a
choice, the action itself is independently created by God. For example, when a
person decides to lift his arm, God creates all the necessary action in the muscles
for that action to happen. The lifting of the arm might be to help somebody or to
harm somebody; that decision is made by the person, and God merely converts the
decision to action. We know, or are obliged to know, the consequences of our
actions. People know that if they steal and are caught, they go to jail. We cannot
blame the authorities for making that person suffer; it was their action that caused
them to end up in jail. The authorities merely implement the law which states: if
you steal, you go to j
given to you; if you choose good, it will be given instead.
People are influenced by a number of forces in making choices. People are
beautiful attributes, such as
mercy and love, guide people toward good. However, two enemies work
constantly against people to force them into evil. These enemies are Satan and
Islam teaches that Satan in himself has no power to create. There is no war
between Satan and God; this is a Hollywood fantasy. Satan was given a certain
amount of time by God after he rebelled, because it is possible for people to make
progress and attain higher spiritual stations through resisting his temptations.
them. He whispers to prevent people from doing good, or at least to delay it.
The Test in Islam
These are the reasons why this life is viewed as a test in Islam. The test is a
struggle of choosing good over Satan and the carnal self. It is not a test to reveal
anything to God; He already knows the past and the future. Rather, it is to reveal
the outcome to ourselves and to help us grow in the process. Although the details
may differ, the concept of the struggle is common in many religions. One
important point in this struggle is to stay constantly active in good pursuits. It is
easier for Satan and the carnal self to misguide people who are inactive and who
are looking for ways to kill time. A believer should not waste time with fruitless
actions; rather they should spend their time working for the afterlife and being
useful to their fellow human beings. Another means to stop Satan and to nullify the
carnal self is to surround oneself with people of belief and have strong relations
with a believing community. A lone person is more prone to attacks from Satan
and to follow the desires of their carnal self.
The main method in Islam for resisting Satan is prayer and refuge in God. Without
whispers. We need to maintain our motivation to get closer to God. We need to
remember God in every single part of our life, and we need to establish our
shows that he spent a considerable amount of his time in worship and prayer.
Published prophetic traditions include various prayers that are intended to guard us
against the tricks of the devil.
Conclusion
Good and evil are intricate concepts that are difficult to define without reference to
some sound sources. The revealed scriptures, messengers of God and the human
inner conscience provide us with the knowledge of good and evil, as well as giving
us information on how to attain good and prevent evil. In this article we have
indicated various aspects of good and evil as they are described in the main Islamic
understanding of good and evil, a conduct of life that is directed toward the
are the goals of a person of faith.
source:https://fountainmagazine.com/2005/issue-50-april-june-2005/Good-and-
Evil-in-Islam
