The Peaceful Life of the True Believer
The Peaceful Life of the True Believer
It is revealed in the Qur'an that whoever believes in Allah and does good work, whether male or female, Allah will make them live a good life in this world. He will further reward them in the Hereafter with for what they did. This is a promise of Allah in Surah An-Nahl, Verse 97, from the creator of human beings. We will briefly look at how the true believer is saved from the woes of everyday life of the mass, and earns the good life in this world, promised by Allah.
A believer is the one who has absolute faith in the existence of Allah and the Day of Judgment. In every moment of his life, his unique goal is to earn Allah's pleasure. He knows he will have to give an account of every single moment of his life. Unlike the rest, he is aware that his purpose in creation is to worship Allah by always seeking to do what is right and avoiding what is evil, and by fulfilling the commandments of the Qur'an. The believer is therefore never worried about what other people are thinking of him, since his goal is never to please people, but Allah. He always seeks to do what is right regardless of the people around him, because of fear and love of Allah, and awareness of the Hereafter. He is not unduly moved by other people's perception of him because what truly matters is Allah's approval. Most ignorant people worry about what others will think of them, but the believer has no such worries and his deeds are always sincere.
Another way the believer attains peace even during apparently troublesome times is as follows. The believer knows that everything befalls him according to Allah's destiny and to test him. When he encounters trouble big or small, he accepts that it is the destiny created by Allah and so remains calm and collected. Therefore, he retains his mental resources in a crisis or a difficult situation and comes up with sound solutions to the problem.
The believer has no attachment to this world. His emotional detachment from the world is manifested in the fact that if necessary, he will give up his life in Allah's way. Since he is prepared to give up his life for Allah, material wealth or other blessings removed from him do not make him lose his balance in life. A disbeliever for example, may suffer from depression or even commit suicide after a loss of wealth or a close person, the believer has no need for anything in this world. It is Allah who gives provision and it is Allah who takes them when He wills.
“There is no creature on earth which is not dependant on Allah for its provision. He knows where it lives and where it dies. It is all in a Clear Book” (Qur’an 11:6)
The fundamental reason why the irreligious person leads a restless life compared to the true believer is that all their actions and thoughts in life do not carry the right motivations and intentions. Allah created people so that they may worship Him. This worship is defined in the Qur'an as encompassing every single moment of the one's life. This means that the believer should always aim to worship Allah at all times by doing all actions purely for Allah's pleasure. The irreligious person who does not live according to Allah's purpose in creation only prepares distress for himself in this world and agonizing punishment in the Hereafter.
“Such is the punishment (in this world), but the punishment of the Hereafter is even greater, if only they knew.” (Qur’an 68:33)
Death is the moment when one begins their life in the Hereafter. For disbelievers, death is the end of a life where they desperately tried to find eternal happiness. Just the thought of death fills them with fear, hopelessness and sorrow because for them death brings an absolute end to everything. The believer on the other hand, has lived all his life earning the approval of Allah and looking forward to Paradise. He always sought Allah's forgiveness and mercy. Death is a moment he actually looks forward to, whether it is sooner or later.
As the believer overcomes the greatest source of fear and anxiety, death, all other stress and anxiety become trivial. Each every single moment can only be a way to conform even more to the moral values of the Qur'an and draw nearer to Allah. The believer enjoys a sense of confidence and finds joys in the good things Allah provides for him. Having absolute trust in Allah, the believer is a very confident person, yet humble. This confidence is carried forward in his strong sense of what is right and wrong, his desire to do good, and in inviting others to follow this sublime path made clear by the Creator of man in the Qur'an.
"But when the righteous are asked, 'What has your Lord sent down?' They say, 'all that is good'. There is good in the world for those who do good, and the abode of the Hereafter is even better. How excellent is the home of the righteous!" (Qur'an 16:30)
Last edited by AceOfHearts : 05-03-2008 at 07:49 PM.
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