The Gulf Crisis and New World Order — Page 122
Sewmth Friday Sem1on Nov 23, 1990 THE IMPORTANCE OF A BALANCED REACTION UNDER ALL SITUATIONS If you embrace Taqwa in a most befitting manner, then you will keep a watchful eye on your actions and it will help keep you in a state of being a Muslim (submission). Here, the word "Muslim" does not imply that you adopt Islam because the address is already directed to the believers. It is stated: "O ye who believe"! We command that you should die only in a stale of Islam (complete submission to the will of Allah) and you should not die in any other state. So, the word Islam, in this context, means being obedient to Allah, and alway s remaining in a state of total submission to Him. This is how Taqwa deserves to be embraced. Now, the believers have been asked to embrace Taqwa but a question might crop up in some minds: We do not know how to adopt Taqwa? This verse furnishes an appropriate answer to such a question. Taqwa entails constant vigilance; keeping such critical watch over one's actions that the possibility of any rebellious action is so completely ruled out that you are not likely to die in a state which contravenes the subject of this verse. To be critical of one's own actions is extremely difficult because many a time our reactions may be motivated by influences of our environment and such reactions may be far removed from the requirements of Taqwa and may not be called the actions of one who has surrendered himself to Allah. If you analym the factors which impinge on the human disposition, you will see that our reactions usually lack balance - and whenever human beings lose their sense of proportion, the path of Taqwa is lost and a condition of disobedience and transgression appears. So, if we explore this subject more deeply and minutely we discover that not only does it govern every moment of our lives but it also guides us as to how we can be watchful of every instant of our lives. For example, a man who is sitting peacefully, without any kind of agitation, is susceptible to various potential stimuli that may elicit an unusual response from him. Suppose a person comes to him and without any reason says something repulsive and annoying. Or, let us say, someone conveys a bad news to him or addresses him harshly, thus hurting his feelings. In such cases his reaction would be far more intense than his normal response. Most people are unable to keep their reactions within limits under such circumstances. If a person causes another person some pain and anger - for example by slapping him· 122