Page 21 - The Importance of Following the Good Word

steps, have called people through the good word, to warn
them of the Day of Judgment, to give the good news of the
sublime beauty of Paradise, to urge them to prepare them-
selves for the Hereafter, and to adopt the moral excellence
commanded by the religion. As in all things, they fully exer-
cised their conscience when calling people to Allah, regard-
less of the situation. Nothing would daunt them from
communicating Allah's message to those who were heedless,
far removed from the just religion, and headed on a path that
was leading to Hell. Despite the resistance and arrogance of
the people, they sought ways to lead them to the path of
righteousness, making a concerted effort to this end.
However, when fulfilling this command of Allah, believ-
ers expect no reward. While enjoining the good, and forbid-
ding the wrong, thus carrying out a command of Allah, they
aim only for Allah's good pleasure, definitely not the ap-
proval of people. For this reason, those who are conscien-
tious, who call to Allah's path, speaking the good word,
never expect a material benefit. Their purpose is to fulfill an
act of worship that is commanded by Allah, and be one of
His true servants. They act in the knowledge that, in the
words of our Prophet (saas), "a good word is a charity"
(Muslim and Bukhari). Allah refers to this sincere effort,
made by the believers, in calling others to the Qur'an and His
religion, as follows:
But most people, for all your eagerness, do not be-
lieve. You do not ask them for any wage for it. It is
only a reminder to all beings. (Surah Yusuf, 103-104)
Several times, Allah's messengers reminded their people
that they were not asking for a reward in return, but that

The Good Word is Calling to Allah 19