my faith
...
ISLAM
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the original. A word like ‘
rabb’
might be translated as
Lord for example when it means also Owner, Sustainer,
and Cherisher. As you read and understand what you
read, you need to respond emotionally and in practice
to the words of the
Qur’an
:
- When you hear Allah’s name and His attributes, your
heart should be filled with awe, gratitude, love and
other appropriate feelings.
- When you read of Allah’s messengers, your heart
should have an urge to follow them, and an aversion for
those who opposed them.
- When you read of the Day of Judgement, your heart
should long for Paradise, and tremble at the very
thought of Hell-fire.
- When you read of disobedient persons and nations
who went astray and earned Allah’s punishment, you
should intensely dislike being as they were.
- When you read of the righteous whom Allah loves and
rewards, you should be eager to be like them.
- When you read of the promises of good and honour in
this world, of for giveness and mercy, of His pleasure in
the Hereafter, let your heart be filled with a desire to
work for them and deserve them.
- When you read of those who are indifferent to the
Qur’an
, who turn away from it, who do not accept it,
who do not live by it - you must fear lest you be one of
them, and resolve not to be.
- And when you hear the summons to obey Allah and
strive in His way, you should be determined to respond
and achieve the peace and happiness that come from
responding.
The
Qur’an
is above all a guide to those who are pre-
pared to keep their naturally pure state intact, who are
vigilant and act to save themselves from the harm that
comes from living against Allah’s will. Such people are
called in Arabic the
muttaqin
- those who have taqwa or
deep consciousness and awareness of Allah.
Taqwa
has been described as the single most important qual-
ity of a person mentioned in the
Qur’an
. Those who
possess it live the natural way, the
Qur’an
ic way.
