Chapter 2: Surat Al-Baqarah (The Cow), verses 213-214
Translation:
“Mankind were once one community. Then God sent forth prophets to give them good news and to warn them; and with these He sent down the Book with the truth, that it might judge the disputes of men. Only those disputed it after clear proofs had been given to them, who were acting out of envy of others. So God guided by His will those who believed in the truth which had been disputed. God guides whom He will to the right path. Did you suppose that you would go to Paradise untouched by the suffering which was endured by those before you? Affliction and adversity befell them; and so battered were they that each apostle, and those who shared his faith, cried out: ‘When will the help of God come?’ His help is ever near.” (2:213-214)
Commentrary:
Religion,
as revealed by God, is one religion. Yet men differ on this point, putting a
varity of interpretations upon divine religion, so that it may fit in with the
way they themselves see it. In this way different sects, all claiming allegiance
to one divine scripture, come into existence. When this happens, God chooses one
of His servants to proclaim the truth on earth. He talks in human language, and
appears no different from everyone else, but those who are dedicated in their
search for truth appreciate the divine quality in his words. Forgetting their
differences, they flock to his standard. Others, however, remain stubborn in
their attachment to self-contrived interpretations of religion. Why should we
accept what is taught to us by another, they contend, when we have a perfectly
good religion of our own? Their claim to have a monopoly over truth makes them
proud and prejudiced. It causes them to deny truth itself the very thing that
they in their complacency claimed to monopolize.
Truth,
supported by clear proofs, is revealed to men, yet still they refuse to accept
it. Why is this? It is because they see truth as destructive to the dream world
they have constructed; they view it as detrimental to their own interests and
honour, as threatening to the comfortable, secure lives to which they have
become accustomed. But in order to be faithful to God, we are required to make
sacrifices of this nature. It is the road that men are reluctant to tread,
because of the dangers and difficulties that lie thereon. But that is the only
road which leads to Paradise. The price of Paradise is one’s own self. There
is only one way to earn Paradise, and that is by total self-abnegation. This
involves changing the very foundation of one’s life, thinking and acting in
accordance with the pattern God has laid down, and forsaking former patterns.
This in itself is a shattering transformation, one that affects every single
object of the human personality; but it gains greatly in intensity when one
rises to proclaim the truth among mankind. One cannot do so without exhorting
others to good deeds, and criticising their misdeeds. People in every age have
been especially averse to criticism and admonition of this nature. Teachers of
truth, then, have to be prepared for reactions from their congregations which
are earth-shaking in their extremity.