Article appeared Friday, November 29th, 2013 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The evelation !30"#

yo$s$% mahb$b$l &slam, 'h(

(o believers have any rights) Be%ore this *$estion is answered, we need to loo+ at the inner *$alities o% a believer, A believer is one who is pleased with the intelligent e-istence that the .reator has created %or him/her, ac+nowledges the role o% the .reator and wishes to please the .reator in ret$rn, 0ssentially, a believer loo+s %or ways to please the .reator, The most recent evelation, the 1$r2an describes the sit$ation when a believer dies, i.e. when a believing so$l ret$rns to its .reator, .ome bac+ to yo$r 3ord well pleased !yo$rsel%# and well4pleasing to 5im6 789,289 :o a believer is grate%$l %or each moment o% his/her e-istence and loo+s to the .reator on how to please 5im, &n contrast, who is a disbeliever) As to those who believe not in the 5erea%ter, ;e have made their deeds pleasing in their eyes; and so they wander abo$t in distraction, 72<,"9 ;hat type o% deeds) The deeds o% a disbeliever are geared towards pleasing himsel%/hersel%, The .reator compares the aim or ob=ective o% believers with that o% the disbelievers and as+s> &s then one who is on a clear !'ath# to his/her 3ord no better than one to whom the evil of his conduct seems pleasing and s$ch as %ollow their own l$sts) 7"<,1"9 .an we wor+ o$t what is evil cond$ct) The .reator has given so m$ch %or h$man beings to $se and en=oy, For e-ample, 5e has given each a $ni*$e personality, abilities, reso$rces, an environment, challenges, pleas$re and satis%action, 5aving derived pleas$re and satis%action %rom the things that the .reator has given, it is disbelie% and evil not to ac+nowledge the .reator and show gratit$de in ret$rn, There%ore, the .reator says, And on the (ay that the ?nbelievers will be placed be%ore the Fire !it will be said to them#> @Ao$ received yo$r good things in the li%e o% the world and yo$ too+ yo$r pleas$re o$t o% them> b$t today shall yo$ be recompensed with a 'enalty o% h$miliation> %or that yo$ were arrogant on earth witho$t =$st ca$se and that yo$ !repeatedly# transgressed,@ 7"B,209 5$man intelligence has been created to enable h$man beings to independently %ind, recogniCe and ac+nowledge the tr$th o% the .reator, Those $nable to recogniCe the .reator remain in dar+ness, .an he who was dead to whom ;e gave li%e and a 3ight whereby he can wal+ amongst men be li+e him who is in the depths o% dar+ness %rom which he can never come o$t) Th$s to those without %aith their own deeds seem pleasing, 7B,1229 The person who has %elt, understood and ac+nowledged the tr$th o% the .reator has the right to wal+ among men as a righteo$s person, i,e, one who has %$l%illed the primary p$rpose o% his/her creation, :$ch a person has received and accepted the D3ightE or +nowledge sent down by the .reator, &% s$ch a person wishes to do things to please the .reator, sho$ld he/she be allowed to do so) &n other words, does a believer have the right to practice his/her belie%) At the same time, assessing the sit$ation %rom the .reator2s point4o%4view, how sho$ld the .reator loo+ $pon those who ridic$le a believer, try to misg$ide him/her and/or prevent him/her %rom practicing rites and rit$als) Allah there%ore as+s,

8.34 But why should Allah not punish them when they obstruct (people) from (attending the rites and rituals at) the oly !a"aba (al#$as%id al# aram) and they

are not fit to be its guardians& 'o men can be its guardians e(cept the righteous) but most of them do not understand.
As an e-ample, i% those who are $nrighteo$s %alsely ass$me g$ardianship o% the 5oly Fa2aba :hari% and prevent people %rom attending the vario$s rites o% pilgrimage, how sho$ld the .reator view s$ch an act) An $ngrate%$l person is $nrighteo$s, i.e. a disbeliever, as he/she only li+es to please his/her own4sel%, &% s$ch a person ass$mes g$ardianship just as a stat$s symbol or show o% power among men, sho$ld this be accepted by the .reator) &% s$ch a person per%orms the physical rit$als witho$t piety at the al-Masjid al-Haram, how sho$ld the .reator react)

8.3* +heir prayer at the oly !a"aba is nothing but whistling and clapping of hands, (its only answer can be) "taste the Creators penalty because you blasphemed."
Ass$ming power over the 5oly Fa2aba !this applies e*$ally to any mas=id in the world# wo$ld obvio$sly entail spending a great amo$nt o% wealth simply as a show o% power and stat$s among men, The p$rpose o% the 5oly Fa2aba !or any mas=id# is not that it sho$ld be $sed a show o% power or wealth G it is a place %or the grate%$l to collectively demonstrate gratit$de to their .reator thro$gh moral disc$ssion and worship,

8.3- +he unbelie.ers spend their wealth to obstruct (men) from the path of Allah and so will they continue to spend) but in the end they will ha.e (only) regrets and sighs) at length they will be o.ercome, and the unbelie.ers will be gathered together to ell.
A show o% power, wealth or stat$s is an act o% pleasing onesel%, i,e, to establish onesel% over others to satis%y one2s ego, The .reator has provided the opport$nity o% gaining power, wealth and stat$s only as a test %or those who wish to please themselves and satis%y their ego G their only approach to the .reator is that they as+ %or more and more, They as+ %or more wealth, greater power and higher stat$s only to prove their s$periority among men, Their apparent DworshipE o% the .reator is aimed towards pleasing themselves and not pleasing the .reator, The .reator has provided all these opport$nities,

8.3/ 0n order that Allah may separate the impure from the pure put the impure one on another heap them together and cast them into hell. +hey will be the ones to ha.e lost.
Hiven that the .reator is Iost Ierci%$l and Forgiving, 5e iss$es the %ollowing invitation>

8.38 1ay to the unbelie.ers if (now) they desist (from unbelief) their past would be forgi.en them) but if they persist the punishment of those (with similar attitude in times) before them is already (decided).
:o to establish their rights, the believers are as+ed not to %ear the $nbelievers and carry on their str$ggles to please the .reator, 0verything in the heavens and the earth belong to the .reator and 5e is the H$ardian over all, There%ore,

8.32 And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression and there pre.ail %ustice and faith in Allah altogether and e.erywhere) but if they cease .erily Allah does witness all that they do. 8.43 0f they refuse4 be sure that Allah is your 5rotector4 the best to protect and the best to help.