Page 92 - Answers from the Qur'an

ANSWERS FROM THE QUR'AN
Thus, believers practice their professions or go to school only
to earn Allah's good pleasure; they spend what they earn in
Allah's way and place their knowledge at the service of His reli-
gion. Since observing one of His commands does not hinder one
from observing another command, the excuse of "not finding
time to practice one's religion," and others like it, are completely
unacceptable.
Otherwise, this would mean that such people fear what
might happen in the future and thus are concerned about some
mundane issues. The Qur'an calls this "preferring the life of this
world to Allah's good pleasure and the Hereafter." But next to
the Hereafter, the life of this world is extremely worthless, as the
Qur'an tells us:
The life of the world is nothing but a game and a diver-
sion. The Hereafter is better for those who do their duty.
So will you not use your intellect? (Surat al-An'am, 32)
The end of those who are enslaved to the lower self will be as
follows:
As for those who desire the life of the world and its fin-
ery, We will give them full payment in it for their actions.
They will not be deprived here of their due. But such peo-
ple will have nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire. What
they achieved here will come to nothing. What they did
will prove to be null and void. (Surah Hud, 15-16)
Another excuse is the "reactions of other people." Some peo-
ple worry that their commitment to the Qur'an's morality will
cause other people to treat them in a negative manner.
We need to make it clear that people who are committed to
following Allah's religion and rejecting any other guidance have
to face up some tests which look like difficulties in the begin-
ning. Those who claim to have faith should not be surprised to

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