Page 67 - Self-Sacrifice in the Qur'an's Moral Teachings

rom the beginning of this
book, we have stressed the
importance of self-sacrifice as
a defining feature of the be-
lievers' sincerity as well as the many opportuni-
ties that arise to practice it. Therefore, when such
opportunities arise they should use them to draw
closer to Allah and help them win His approval.
When we look at the world today, especially the
Muslim world, we can clearly see the importance
of practicing the Qur'an's morality.
We see almost every day on television and in
the newspapers all of the sufferings, oppression,
tyranny, and injustice that results from rejecting
this morality.
War and internal strife continue to plague
people all over the world. In Palestine, Chechnya,
and East Turkestan, people struggle just to sur-
vive. Just in the twentieth century, we have seen
hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians
killed, women raped, people tortured or maimed,
loved ones killed or disappeared, and many mil-
lions more driven out of their homes and exiled