The Contribution of Islam to the Solution of World Problems — Page 45
45 Say, ‘O my servants who have committed excesses against their own souls! despair not of the mercy of Allah, surely Allah forgives all sins. Verily He is Most Forgiving, Merciful. And turn ye to your Lord and submit yourselves to Him, before there comes unto you the punishment; for then you shall not be helped. And follow the best teaching that has been revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you unawares; while you perceive it not; Lest a soul should say, ‘O my grief for my remissness in my duty in respect of Allah! and surely I was among those who scoffed. Or lest it should say. ‘If Allah had guided me I should certainly have been among the righteous’, or lest it should say, when it sees the punishment, ‘Would that there were for me a return to the world, I would then be among those who do good. ’ (Ch. 39: Vs. 54-59) Turn to God The true remedy, therefore, for the ills that afflict us today and that threaten to overwhelm us tomorrow, is for us to turn to God with the single minded purpose of making our peace with Him, having sincerely determined that in all matters whatever our guiding rule shall be, ‘Thy will, and not mine. ’ Truly we stand again at the brink of a pit of fire. God’s grace and mercy alone can save us. To win His grace and mercy we must turn to Him alone the One God, ever Gracious, most Merciful, discarding all that may ever have been associated with Him and from whom mankind may at any time, have brought protection, beside Him.