Life Supreme — Page 64
LIFE SUPREME "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. ' (F. D. Roosevelt) 67. Fear of punishment and fear of what others may think are also conditions of the mind which are liable to cause a believer to digress from the path of rectitude and truth. Protection from succumbing to fear and strength to meet successfully the storms and temptations of life should be our constant prayer. . LOVED ONES BEFORE GOD 'Say, if your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives and your kinsfolk, and the wealth you have acquired, and the trade whose dullness you fear, and the dwellings which you love are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah comes with His judgement; and Allah guides not the disobedient people. (9:24). A devoted relative, friend or even servant will risk his or her life for the sake of a loved one; so strong are the ties of some human relationships. Indeed, love is a virtue providing it is not merely an exhibition of instinct but harnessed and controlled in a good and proper manner. Love, service and loyalty to God should be one's first love; but its reality can only be proved through demonstration under severe test because actions do not always conform with the tongue. God says in the Holy Quran: 'Wealth and children are an ornament of the life of this world. But enduring good works are better in the sight of thy Lord in respect of immediate reward, and better in respect of future hope. ' (18:47). No doubt the ties of human life are usually very strong; but in the. Holy Quran a Muslim is warned that should the occasion arise then he must be prepared to sacrifice his family attachments for the sake of God. No doubt the demand is high but so are the ideals of God high; and in order to reach high, one must be prepared to climb high.