Approaching the West — Page 127
A pproaching the West—127 prophets, the messengers and the righteous persons—both male and female—have gone through all sorts of human sufferings. None of them ever lost their hope, their trust in God’s help. They endured all the pain, anguish and fear with utmost patience, sincerity and perseverance. At the end, they all were the winners. For example, Adam and Eve had to encounter the devil— the whispering tempter—that made them suffer to forget a clear commandment of God. As a consequence, they lost Paradise and entered into a life of labor and pain. But still they retained dominion over all other creatures on the earth and received forgiveness of God. Abraham was put to many terrible trials; the most difficult one was to offer his first- born child in sacrifice. He ended up being the father of nations—his progeny becoming countless like the stars in heavens. Job’s (Ayub’s) sufferings are proverbial, but he retained his confidence in Divine Goodness, and his suffering became a medium of refining his righteousness. Moses had to run for his life under the threats of Pharaoh and for 40 long years he suffered many pains and disappointments by the hands of his enemies and his own people, but he never lost his faith in the Almighty God. And we all know the story of Jesus and his mother Mary. Virgin Mary had to suffer the grievous insults from her people on becoming pregnant prior to getting married. Jesus the beloved of God suffered physical torture and was put on the cross with the intent to be killed on the wood—to die an accursed death! But God did not forsake him, and God did honor his mother. Now billions revere them both as innocent and sinless.