Page 60 - Passivity in Religion

PASSIVITY IN RELIGION

Those who believe and do right actions will have a wage
which never fails. (Surah Fussilat, 8)
As for those who believed and did right actions, their Lord
will admit them into His mercy. That is the clear victory.
(Surat al-Jathiyya, 30)
But those who believe and do right actions—they are the
best of creatures. (Surat al-Bayyina, 7)
One of the most noticeable traits of those who do not practice
religious morality to the full, is their reluctance to do good. In
verse, "Among you there are people who lag behind" (Surat an-
Nisa', 72), Allah calls our attention to this kind of person among
the Muslims. These individuals are strongly averse to doing good
works. Because it is not to their own advantage, they do not un-
dertake something that will be for the good of Muslims. In the
Qur'an, Allah tells us the difference between those who do good
and those who avoid doing it:
As for those who believe and do right actions, He will pay
them their wages in full and will give them increase from
His favor. As for those who show disdain and grow arro-
gant, He will punish them with a painful punishment.
They will not find any protector or helper for themselves
besides Allah. (Surat an-Nisa', 173)
These people regard doing good deeds as a waste of time, for
at any time, they may abandon the believers and return to the life
of ignorance. They become very lax and unwilling to perform acts
of service, with the false idea in mind that they would only later
regret having in that way expended so much time and effort.
But, one who truly believes in Allah will want to do everything
he can, and more, to gain His pleasure and mercy, and to attain
Paradise. He goes from one good deed to the next, without hesita-
tion, does so completely and as best as he can. He does his very best
to show his loyalty to Allah in performance of his service of good

58