Page 74 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd

Mission and Profession

from it. You have involved yourself with the divine book for the
sake of God and not for the sake of anything else. This kind of
involvement with the Book of God is a mission. It will bring you
great reward from God Almighty.
But if your main concern is your own agenda, you have not
studied the book sincerely to find out what the Quran really
requires, and are simply following what is in your mind and
doing so in the name of the Book of God, then it is a profession.
It is like commercializing the Book of God. It is like making the
divine book a trading commodity rather than taking it as a source
of true guidance.

The Book of God is a book of guidance. It gives
people the kind of guidelines that make them able to
receive the blessings of God when they follow them in
letter and spirit.

It is this latter use of the Book of God that is mentioned in
the chapter Al-‘Imran (The Family of Imran) with reference to the
children of Israel. It is also applicable to the Muslim community.
The translation of these verses is as follows:

God made a covenant with those who were given the
Book to make it known to people and not conceal it.
But they cast it behind their backs and bartered it for
a paltry price: what an evil bargain they made! Those
who exult in their misdeeds and love to be praised
for what they have not done should not suppose that
they are secure from punishment; they shall suffer a
grievous punishment. (3:187-188)

This Quranic verse mentions that kind of practice when a
community takes the Quran as its profession rather than as its
mission, when it tries to secure material benefits from the Book

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