Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 471
! ! 471 directs him to continue living. Indeed, it is for this reason that suicide is forbidden in Islam. If man was created only for the purpose that man may eat and drink, then why is he punished if he commit s suicide? I t should have been the case that each individual should have decided themselves if he wishes to continue their life [if all this was just for the sake] of food and drink. W hat possible reason could there be to punish him for leaving this world [if this was only for eating and drinking] ? However, God Almighty created man for one and only one purpose , which is to prepare himself in this world for the next life. I f he is lazy or neglectful in preparing fo r the next world and waste s this time , he is guilty because t he time in this world is akin to the period when a student spends his time in school. A student who does not attend class is punished , because he wasted his time of learning and refused to acquire knowledge. Similarly, if someone does not prepare for the next life in t his worldly life , he deserves to be punished for he wasted his time. Thus, God Almighty has drawn our attention within the word, ‘ insaan’ to the reasoning behind this name , which is to generate two loves and two relationships. First, to love God and develop a relationship with Him and second, to develo p a love for and a relationship with mankind. All elements of worship are encompassed with in the first point. T hat is, they all connect back to a love for God Alm ighty. All other commandments, such as refraining from lying, stealing, indulging in bribery, fraud, and deception, backbiting, engaging in slander, and showing an ill temper, as well as [those to act upon such as] being cheerful, treating others well , respecting elders, taking care of the needy and the poor, being sympathetic towards others, showing justice and equity in all matters, and behaving well towards one’s relatives are all components of the relationships between fellow human beings. Thus , the word insaan is the name of that being who possesses two loves and two relationships. One of which is with God and the other with mankind. If these two characteristics are found present in a being , then he is an insaan. If these two qualities are not