things that he hopes Allah will most approve of. In
the Qur'an, Allah tells believers to exert their efforts
in this direction:
So when you have finished, work on. (Surat al-
Inshirah: 7)
The believer's actions to win Allah's favour are
uninterrupted from one day to another. This is indi-
cated in verse 76 of Surah Maryam:
"In your Lord's
sight, right actions which are lasting are better both
in reward and end result."
And in another verse, our Lord reveals that He
wants people to persevere in their worship:
He is Lord of the heavens and the earth and every-
thing in between them, so worship Him and perse-
vere in His worship. Do you know of any other with His
Name? (Surah Maryam: 65)
The perverse logic of some ignorant people in this regard
leads them to doubt the existence of the afterlife and to just per-
form some acts of worship from time to time.
Some people make the great mistake of trying to get the bless-
ings of this world, which they have set as a goal; they do anything
to become rich, gain status and get other things they want. Within
a very short time they become engaged in a huge contest for the
sake of a
"paltry price"
(Surat at-Tawba: 9) that they will soon lose.
But a believer who pursues Allah's favour and the way to the Gar-
den strives only for Allah. The Qur'an describes this quality of a be-
liever:
But as for anyone who desires the Hereafter, and strives for it
with the striving it deserves, being a believer, the striving of
such people will be gratefully acknowledged. (Surat al-Isra': 19)
A believer who spends his whole day seeking Allah's favour
Harun Yahya
89
