SPIRIT OF ISLAM MARCH 2O18

16 Spirit of Islam Issue 63 March 2018 We shall certainly test you with fear and hunger, and loss of property, lives, and crops. Give good news to those who endure with fortitude. (2: 155) We are born into this world. We spend our short lives here. The journey of our life in this world passes through different and varied experiences. Because of these experiences, consciously or otherwise people begin to think that this present world is for us the real world. Any loss or failure or problems in this world to such a person will appear as final and fatal. Islam preaches that this world is an examination ground where we are being tested for our eligibility for God’s perfect world of Paradise, where there is no failure, loss, sorrow or evil; in fact it is a perfect and eternal world which we all long for. God commands us to face the challenges of this world with courage and patience. The role of patience in the examination of life is that it keeps us steadfast under any and every circumstance. It prevents us from deviating from the right path and going astray. We will find creative solutions to the problems and not hide from them. We will not opt for either negativity or extreme steps of ending our precious life. Discovery of God and conviction that He is the All-powerful and that He has a plan for us will remove all kinds of hopelessness from us. In this vast universe, it is God who is man’s support. It is He alone who can help us cross this river of life and lead us to the shore. Each one of us repeatedly goes through experiences that lead us to realize our severe limitations. Very often, we do not get what we want. Every now and then, situations arise in our lives that compel us to feel completely helpless. In addition to this fear of loss, sickness, accident, old age and death tell us that we are utterly dependent on a force that is infinitely greater than us, and that without the help of this infinitely superior power, we simply cannot face the challenges of life successfully and will easily fall into despair and hopelessness. Apart from the promise of the perfect world of Paradise, to those who endure with fortitude the difficulties of the life in this world, the Kind The role of patience in the examination of life, is that it keeps us steadfast under any and every circumstance. It prevents us from deviating from the right path and going astray. We will find creative solutions to the problems and not hide from them.