 Many people who do not believe in the hereafter seek power, strength and superiority in the world, assuming that their life is the one of this world alone. All through their lives, they strive greedily for this end. They have their own values and criteria of being powerful, strong and honourable. According to their criteria, one needs to be rich, have a leading role in society and fame. Should they lose any of these, they think their entire esteem, honour and prestige are finished. They are, however, mistaken. This mistake is explained in the Qur'an as follows:
They have taken other deities besides God to be a source of power and strength for them! No indeed! They will reject their worship and will be opposed to them. (Surah Maryam: 81-82)
The only possessor of power and might is God and He gives power and might to whomever He wills. Therefore, those who resort to other means to attain power and superiority other than praying to God are in fact associating partners with Him. This is because neither wealth, nor prestige, nor status has any individual will to provide a person with power. Besides, it is a matter of a single moment for God to take back this power from a person. For example, a top-executive may lose all his wealth, prestige and status in a moment, because the only and real possessor of everything is God.
God bestows power and honour on His servants who are friends to Him, who are wholeheartedly devoted to Him and who follow the Qur'an. A person who lives by the Qur'an never does anything likely to bring disgrace, feel regret or shame in the presence of the Lord. The true believers fear no one and no power, and never curry favour with anyone. They only want to attain the pleasure of God and fear only God. That is why they have no weakness or any sense of inadequacy. Although they do now own any possessions, wealth, rank or prestige, God grants power and honour to them. Such a person, meanwhile, holds the superiority and honour of being faithful and living by the morals of the Qur'an. Of this God states the following:
... But all might belongs to God and to His Messenger and the believers... (Surat al-Munafiqun: 8)
May 15, 2009
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