Some Glimpses From The Last Guidance

The addressees of the Last Guidance, the Qur'an, are individuals and the entire mankind. At the time when human society appears to have lost all the previous guidance and adopted an attitude of neglect towards the only Guidance now available to mankind, it is desirable to produce some of its glimpses for readers to have an idea of what the Qur'an presents to human beings and what the Creator demands from His best creation, man. Some of the glimpses from the Qur'an and its teachings are summarized below.

1. The Qur'an invites the people to the fold of their Creator and Sustainer and forcefully advocates the concept of Oneness of God. God accepts no partners either to His person or to His attributes at all. This was the teaching of all the prophets of God for all times.

2. The Qur'an categorically declares that this world will come to an end one day. When? God alone knows that. On that day all human beings, from Adam to the last man on earth, will be resurrected and gathered together for questioning about their actions and deeds. Those who followed the Guidance will be rewarded with eternal happiness and those who rejected it and ran after their urges will be punished with eternal sorrow and pains, feeling, therefore, always accountable to Him for all his/her actions and deeds on earth.

3. Whatever man possesses - his talents, his energies, his physical strength, his time, his wealth, and all other resources do not belong to him. They are a trust in his or her hands. Man is a trustee not master. He or she has to use them the way God ordains. If he or she uses them the way he or she likes, he or she will misuse them and, therefore, be ready to bear the consequences in this world and in the Hereafter.

4. The Qur'an exhorts people to follow the life of the last Messenger as a guide in every walk of life. He is now the most perfect model to mankind till the Day of Resurrection.

5. Through these beliefs and convictions, the Qur'an prepares a dependable and trustworthy character in each individual who enters into the fold of God and declares that he or she will follow the Guidance contained therein.

These fundamental concepts can be put in a capsule as under:

• The Concept of God, oneness of God – Monotheism.

• The concept of accountability on the Day of Judgment.

• The concept of Trust [The concept of Accountability, in fact, stems out of the concept of Trust - Amanah].

• Believing in Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as the last Prophet and a human being.

The conviction of these beliefs turns every believer into a responsible human being. The structure of the entire society, when it is built on the edifice of such individuals who are ever-conscious of their Creator, feel accountable to Him for their actions and deeds, treat everything they possess as a trust from God and use it only as ordained by Him, changes into a benevolent and the just society - the Kingdom of God. This attitude of life keeps the people (the believers) upright - a basic ingredient without which human society cannot be modeled on the principle of justice, peace, equality and fair play.

6. After creating a dependable character in a believer, the Qur'an defines the status of parents next to God, then sanctity to human life and property. This protects the family from all kinds of encroachments. The code of conduct, which includes the Qur'an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), defines the status of women, their rights and obligations. The rights and responsibilities of husbands are equally prescribed in order to keep the married/family life in balance and harmony with no overlapping on the part of either sex. This further creates an ideal environment for children to grow with love, care and affection from the father and the mother.

7. The Qur'an tells how to earn your livelihood by making genuine and rightful efforts, without resolving to any wrongful means or resorting to fraud, greed, exploitation, deceit or usurping other's rights. There is no limit to one's rightful earnings. Through lawful and honest means, one can be a multibillionaire so far as he is fearful of God and fulfills his obligations as His servant to the people and seeks only His pleasure.

8. Out of his earnings, man is free to meet the just and legitimate expenses of himself and his family. He has to avoid extravagance and should not lead a chauvinistic life, the source of many evils prevailing in our society. In this domain, the Qur'an prohibits only a few things: intoxication in any form; fornication or adultery and all that leads to it; gambling in every form and shape; interest in all its forms; and a few items of food like pork, the dead, blood and meat of an animal which is not slaughtered in the name of God. The rest of the things that are clean and good (not otherwise prohibited) are free for man to eat and enjoy.

9. A believer is always conscious of the fact that in his worldly gains, there is a share for the “have-nots,” the poor, the needy, the underfed, the destitute and those who are in distress. After meeting the legitimate needs of self and family, a believer is always ready to spend his wealth for the categories of people listed above. It is compulsory for him to pay two and half percent Zakah (a levy) on his accumulated assets/savings each year as an obligation from his Creator.

This maintains a positive flow of wealth from high up to lower down or from 'haves' to 'have-nots.' The Qur'anic Law of Inheritance also helps in keeping that flow in the same direction.

It avoids the concentration of wealth in a few hands. This increases the purchasing power of 'have-nots', which in turn keeps the demand of goods and services constant at an accelerated pace. It brings the society soon to the stage of optimum employment with little fear of inflation or recession, the golden dream of all the economists of the world. Human society can achieve this goal only by following the Qur'an, the last Guidance from the Creator.

This method of transferring funds from 'haves' to 'have-nots' also provides the best Social Security System, with no burden on the national budget, which has brought to the verge of ruination many welfare states of the West.

10. Sovereignty belongs to God, not to the people or any congress and senate. The Guidance is the code of conduct to be implemented by the legislative and executive branches of government. The judiciary is totally free in protecting the rights of individuals as prescribed in the Qur'an and guaranteed by the traditions of the Prophet. The obligation of each organ of the state is well defined and spelled out in Shariah. The judiciary is strictly independent. Nobody, including the head of state, is above law. Human rights, especially of ethnic and religious minorities are protected and guaranteed as a sacred trust from God. The principle of consultation (consensus) is the barometer of all the political activities. Piety is the criterion of excellence, not nationality, color, race, language or position. The government is the servant of the people and its broad functions include:

a. Calling the people to the fold of the Creator and Sustainer;

b. Eradicating evils [the Munkar] from the society and

c. Establishing the good [Ma’roof] in its place.

11. The Qur'an deprecates transgression, disorder and bloodshed. It stands for justice and equality at home and abroad.

It upholds the cause of the oppressed and the have-nots advocates the truth and champions human rights. These are the basic ingredients of the foreign policy of the State, which is based on the Qur'an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad [Peace be upon him].

This is just a glimpse of the Guidance and what is contained in the Qur'an. It just gives an idea what human society would be if it follows the last Guidance for mankind in its totality.