The World Of Soul

Epilogue

Yes, people differ (in nationalities, languages, cultures, education, characters, physical and material means and opportunities), but these billions of God’s creatures have much in common.

 The understanding of what exactly unites us (figuratively speaking, we are pearls, threaded on the string of life) helps us to live in peace and harmony, and to overcome such destructive feelings and qualities as hostility, sense of inferiority imposed by the outer pressure or arrogance.

 One of the main factors that unites us is our conscious or subconscious faith in God. We may call Him by different names, but we will undoubtedly return to Him, the Lord of the Creation, He is Great and All-knowing.

Fragility and value of life

Those tragic events that took place in the world during 2004, especially in Russia, lie as a heavy burden of grief and sadness on our souls. The actions of those who have chosen lie, double standards, violence, vengeance and terror as means of the achievement of their goals, discredit whole countries, nations and contribute to the devaluation of the principles, that are sacred for all believers. Their actions also aggravate the international status of Muslims which is complex enough as it is. Islam stipulates the lawfulness both of the aims and the means of their achievement. Otherwise, even if a goal seems to be legitimate, those who have chosen unacceptable means in order to achieve it will be severely punished for their sins.

 The formation of man is similar to the sprouting of a seed, which is initially filled by the Lord with an enormous potential. Thus, for example, if the seed is affected by aggravating factors, it will rot. But if it is sown in a favourable ground, it may grow after some stages into a beautiful plant, and sometimes into a fruit-bearing tree. Thus, the Creator has bestowed on every man plenty of faculties and talents. And if the seeds of these faculties are planted in the soil of high morals and spiritual values and washed with faith, they will sprout into a beautiful tree, the branches of which will aspire to eternity. This tree will bring the fruit of righteousness and high morale in this world, and eternal happiness in the hereafter.

 The background plays a major role in the formation of the worldview of every man. It is not without purpose that one of the Hadith emphasizes the significance of the right choice of the circle of acquaintances. The Prophet (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him) said: "Every man follows the faith of his friend, so may every man be prudent about the choice of his friends!"[1] 

   Life. unfortunately, some people have no idea about the significance of the value of human life. The Holy Qur’an emphasizes this point greatly. Allah in His last Message compares the killing of one man to the murder of the whole mankind, and vice versa, the reanimation of one man to the revival[2] of the whole mankind.

 Nobody has the right to endanger the life of a man, especially if the latter sincerely and deeply believes in the Omniscient Creator. The law of the Lord reads: "No soul shall bear another’s man's burden".[3] Applying the laws of the Qur’an to the events of the past years, let us ask ourselves: why do some people place themselves higher than the Lord, violate His laws, establish and enact their own rules? On what principles do they rely when judging the innocent?

 One should always bear in mind, that every man is accountable for his sins. Evil breeds evil. Prophet Mohammed and his righteous life is an example to us all. We shall find nothing in his life that would justify the actions of those who inflict pain and grief on other people.

The world is tired of wars and conflicts. It has never needed peace and mercy more than it needs now. People have so much in common, why do we fail to achieve unity? But every man brings something good in the outer world. Why not trying to derive good from international communication?

 We face many obstacles and difficulties in our life. Unfortunately, they are often created by those who may pursue selfish ends or simply listen to the incitements of Satan. If we go on focusing our attention on this issue, we won’t go any farther. We will feel terrible depression and deep anxiety. We should set ourselves noble aims and struggle for them. At the same time we must always remember that our essential aim is to deserve the pleasure of the Creator. Man should ask himself: "Will my action cause the pleasure of the Lord or His anger?"

 It is reported that among the companions of Prophet Mohammed (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him) there were two companions, who never separated unless one of them had quoted the sura “al-Asr".[4] Let us follow their example and read this sura: "I swear by the declining day that perdition shall be the lot of man, except for those who have faith and do good works and exhort each other to justice and fortitude".

 Faith, good works, aspiration to set a good example to other people in justice and fortitude guarantee our happiness in this life and in the hereafter. Today we live in a difficult period. Let us try to cope with this complex situation and hope that it is a transitional period to prosperity and harmony for us and future generations.