Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 20
follows that the true purpose of human life is the winning of God's love and nearness to Him. Islam teaches that perfect recognition of God is the root of fear, and love, and appreciation of Him. He who is bestowed perfect recognition, is also bestowed perfect fear and perfect love. . Man's true love of God attracts the love of God and the true lover of God, who is wholly devoted to God, in turn becomes the beloved of God. Such true and perfect love cannot subsist along with the wrath of God and the fire of hell. One of the signs of such perfect love is that such a lover deems the disobedience of his. Beloved, and His displeasure, a poison, and is all the time apprehensive lest, in consequence of any sin or disobedience on his part, his Beloved should cut asunder from him. . Thus he who is bestowed perfect fear and perfect love is safeguarded against all sin, inasmuch as sin proceeds from fearlessness or daring. This is true salvation, and for such salvation we do not stand in need of any blood or any crucifixion, nor do we need any atonement. All that we need is the sacrifice of the ego. This demands that the nurture and development of our natural faculties, should be carried out under the guidance of the One True God,. Who is also the Creator of our nature. . God is the source of all beauty and all light. His benevolence is so vast that His favours and bounties are without number. Such beauty and benevolence impress upon every heart the truth that all perfect delight is to be found in God, and that to be cast away from Him is ruinous hell. Thus it is an impossibility that true recognition and disobedience should find room in a human heart at the same time. . Salvation does not mean merely deliverance from punishment of sin. Salvation means the achievement of that eternal prosperity after which human nature thirsts, and which can be acquired only through true recognition of God, perfect fear and perfect love, and the establishment of a true and strong relationship with God. . Reflection upon the meaning of justice and mercy reveals that there is no conflict between them. Justice means that the rights of people should be safeguarded and that if one person trespasses against another, the one who is wronged should be restored his right specifically, and if that should not be possible, he should be justly compensated, and that the trespasser should be duly chastised so that order is maintained and wrong-doing is suppressed. . Justice comes into play as a result of reason and regulation. 22