The racism and nationalism of Judaism makes a mockery of its ethical teachings while Christianity’s propagation of the doctrine of the Trinity and the vicarious atonement of mankind’s sins by Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) nullifies all its moral values. In Islam there are no such loopholes.
The correct course of life for man is to live in complete obedience to God. It is not for man to determine his mode of worship and obedience; it is for God to decide this. God, being his master, has raised from time to time prophets for the guidance of humanity and has revealed His books through them. It is the duty of man to take the code of his life from these sources of divine guidance.
Man is answerable to God for all his actions in life. The time for rendering an account will be in the life-hereafter and not in this world. The short span of worldly life is really an opportunity to prepare for that great test. In this life, all efforts of man should be centered on the object of soliciting the blessings of God in the Hereafter. He, with all his faculties and potentialities, is on trial. There will be an impartial assessment of his conduct in life by a Being Who keeps a complete and correct record, not merely of his movements and actions and their influence on all that is in the world, but also a full record of his innermost ideas, feelings and intentions.
According to Islam, God has appointed the human soul as His vicegerent in the universe
…The body has been created, with the sole object that the soul should make use of it in the exercise of its authority and the fulfillment of its duties and responsibilities. Hence the body is not a prison house for the Soul but its workshop or factory and if there is any possibility for the growth and development of the soul, it is only through the use of the powers, machines and instruments provided by this work shop. Consequently, this world is a field in which God has sent us to work and do our duty towards Him…The spiritual development which is possible in this world should not take the form of man turning his face away from this workshop and retreating to some uninhabited corner.
Rather, the only form it should take is that man should live and work in it and give the best account of himself. It is in the nature of an examination center for him. Every aspect and sphere of life, is as it were, like a question paper in this test; the home, the family, the neighborhood, the society, the market place, the office, the factory, the school, the law courts, the police station, the parliament, the peace conference and the battlefield, all represent `question papers’ on different subjects which man has been called upon to answer. If he does not take any question paper or leaves most of the answers blank, he is bound to fail in the examination. The only possibility of success would be in a man’s spending his whole time and giving his whole attention to this examination and to attempt as far as possible to answer all the question papers handed over to him.
Islam is the only religion which preaches a pure and unadulterated monotheism that tolerates no compromises with nationalism, racism, trinitarianism, saint-worship, veneration of images or priesthood. Wholehearted acceptance of the doctrine of Tauhid or the Unity of God makes the believer broadminded and sympathetic to all his fellow beings made by the same Creator, produces an unsurpassed dignity and self respect, makes him indifferent to and independent and fearless of all powers other than those of God, at the same time generating in him humility and modesty The believer in Tauhid is a righteous man because he is convinced that unless he acts justly, he cannot succeed.
The believer does not despair and lose hope regardless of adversity. His faith that God is the Master of all the universe, whose powers and mercy are infinite, gives him immense consolation in trouble so that he never yields to pessimism and despondency. Suicide is unthinkable. The true believer will persevere in his work with patience and implicit trust in God to the end. Faith in Islam fills the believer with unrivalled courage. Since he is convinced that his life and property belong exclusively to God, he is ready to sacrifice them at any moment for His pleasure Since God alone can bestow life or death, no weapon, no man or animal has the power to inflict any harm upon him unless it be God’s will.
The true believer believes that God has set his span of life in advance so that all the forces of the world combined are powerless to take away his life a moment before the appointed decree. Belief in Islam blesses the faithful with complete serenity and contentment. The believer knows that wealth belongs to God and He gives to whom He pleases. Power, honour, reputation and authority are all bestowed according to His will and it is man’s duty only to strive according to His law. Success or failure depend entirely upon the will of God; if He wills to succeed, no power in the world can prevent Him from doing so and if He does not will it, no power can force Him while atheists and polytheists think that success and failure depend upon their own unaided efforts or the help or opposition of worldly forces. Consequently, they become enslaved to jealousy and frequently resort to sordid practices to try to gain what they want. Thus it can be seen that Islam is not only the sole effective prescription for righteousness but the most potent medicine for mental health as well.
Alone among the religions of the world, Islam made a practical reality of international brotherhood based upon a commonly shared outlook on life, common practices and ideals of conduct. Islam views life as an organic whole not to be shattered into fragments. Islam follows the Muslim in every act of his life-social, political and economic. A Muslim cannot be a Muslim in the mosque and a nationalist or Socialist in politics. He is a Muslim everywhere. Islam is no mere accessory to life but life itself!
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