Islamic Civilization - Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi

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      [al-Baqarah 2: 281]

       The Day is approaching when every soul shall find itself confronted with whatever good it has done and whatever evil it has wrought.

      [Āl ʿImrān 3: 30]

       The weighing on that Day will be the true weighing: O those whose scales are heavy will prosper, and those whose scales are light will be the losers, for they are the ones who have been iniquitous to Our signs.

      [al-Aʿrāf 7: 8-9]

       So, whoever does an atom’s weight of good shall see it; and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil shall see it.

      [al-Zilzāl 99: 7-8]

       Their Lord answered the prayer thus: ‘I will not suffer the work of any of you, whether male or female, to go to waste’

      [Āl ʿImrān 3: 195]

       And spend of what Allah has granted you by way of sustenance before death should come to any of you and he should say: ‘Lord, why did You not defer my return for a while so that I might give alms and be among the righteous?’ But when a person’s term comes to an end, Allah never grants any respite.

      [al-Munāfiqūn 63: 10-11]

       Would that you could see the guilty standing before their Lord with their heads downcast, (saying to Him): ‘Our Lord, we have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world) that we might act righteously. For now we have come to have firm faith.’ ‘… So taste the chastisement on account of your forgetting the encounter of this Day. We, too, have forgotten you. Taste the eternal chastisement as a requital for your misdeeds.’

      [al-Sajdah 32: 12 and 14]

      Here, through all these verses of the Qur’ān, we are informed that the world is an ‘Abode of Action’. It is a place for making effort and striving. The Ākhirah (literally, ‘Final End’ – metaphorically, the Life to Come) is the Place of Reward and Retribution. It is a house where the fruits of good and evil shall be received. Human beings are free to act in the world until the very last minute of every individual’s passing away. After that time, no one shall ever have the chance of any action. Accordingly, in this period of life, human beings must act after fully realizing that every action of theirs, even the slightest movement, every good deed and every evil act shall have its consequence. People have to be fully convinced that only by virtue of the weight and consequence of their actions shall individuals be rewarded or punished in the life to come; that is, whatsoever any one receives shall be in return for his efforts and actions here. Neither will any good action be lost, nor any punishment be withheld for evil actions.

      In order to give further weight to the generic sense of responsibility, it has been underscored that every person is responsible for his own actions. No one shares the responsibility of another person. Nor is any one able to save another from the consequences of his actions.

       Believers, take heed as regards your own selves. If you are rightly-guided, the error of he who strays will not harm you.

      [al-Mā’idah 5: 105]

       Everyone will bear the consequence of what he does, and no one shall bear the burden of another.

      [al-Anʿām 6: 164]

       On the Day of Resurrection neither your blood-kindred nor your own offspring will avail you. (On that Day) He will separate you. Allah sees all that you do.

      [al-Mumtaḥinah 60: 3]

       Whenever you did good, it was to your own advantage; and whenever you committed evil, it was to your own disadvantage.

      [Banī Isrā’īl 17: 7]

       No one can bear another’s burden. If a heavily laden one should call another to carry his load, none of it shall be carried by the other, even though he be a near of kin.

      [Fāṭir 35: 18]

       O people, fear (the wrath) of your Lord, and dread the Day when no father will stand for his child, nor any child stand for his father.

      [Luqmān 31: 33]

       He who disbelieves will suffer the consequence of it and he who acts righteously, they will pave the way for their own good.

      [al-Rūm 30: 44]

      All these verses place the burden of all good and bad actions fully upon each individual human being – acting in his own personal capacity. No hope is held out to the effect that one person will be able to pay any recompense or compensation for another’s shortcomings and mistakes. No quarter is left for any expectation that someone will be able to save himself or herself from the justice due against his crimes by way of any connection with another person. No room is left for any apprehension that someone else’s crimes may have an effect on a person’s good character or that the will of anyone else, other than God, shall have any influence on the acceptability or rejection of our actions.

      Just as no one can save the person who places his hand in a fire from being burned, or prevent a person who partakes of honey from tasting its sweetness, no one else can truly share in the pain of the person who has been burnt or really appreciates the taste of honey. Similarly, every individual has a distinct position in terms of the unpleasant consequences of evil actions and the good results of pious acts. Accordingly, in order to properly interact with the world, everyone must be aware of his own individual responsibility. he should live out life in a way that he considers himself or herself to be responsible for his own actions, notwithstanding any and all external influences. He has to consider that the burden of evil actions has to be bone individually, just as the rewards of good actions are also to be enjoyed personally.

      From our elucidation of the Islamic view of temporal life that has been presented in the foregoing, all the constituent elements of this picture should now be clear. This is a composite concept. Now, momentarily leaving aside this analytical process, let us see how far the complete picture emerging from the various constituent concepts conforms to our innate nature. Moreover, we also need to see what the status of this worldview is when compared and contrasted with the views of other civilizations and intellectual traditions vis-à-vis temporal life. We will also see how the foundational worldview upon which any civilization is based moulds human thought and action.

      Now, for a brief time, please empty your mind of all the various concepts that have been presented by different religions regarding the world and temporal life and take a look at the world around you with the eyes of a neutral observer. Contemplate on what your position in this whole setting is, for only then will you be able to see certain things clearly.

      You should be able to appreciate that whatever powers you enjoy are all limited. All the senses, upon which all your knowledge is based, do not extend much further than your immediate environment. Your physical body upon which your actions are based has power over very few things in nature. All around you there are numerous things that are larger than your bodies and powers. Compared to these things, your existence appears very flimsy and inconsequential. Few, if any of the immense forces that are in play in this great factory are in your control. You find yourself helpless before these forces. In terms of physical dimensions, man is no more than any other average entity that is dominant over things smaller than itself and overawed by things greater than itself.

      Yet, there is one force inside yourselves that elevates you above all these things. It is by virtue of this power that you are able to control all other animals and subdue their physical powers that exceed your own. It is because of this power that you are able to harness numerous resources in your environment and derive appropriate benefit from them. Utilizing this power you are able to discover ever-new treasures and then avail

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