The huge difference between the believer and the disbeliever
Dear brothers, someone may ask himself the following question: How big is the difference between faith and disbelief, between righteousness and deviation, between obedience and disobedience, and between turning to Allah the Almighty and turning away from Him? The answer is: It is a very huge difference.
Let me give you an example to show you how big is such a difference. Consider the difference between the hand-made carpets, which are the most luxurious and the most expensive ones in the world, and the machine-made carpets, which are made of wool, and they are nice and useful (they serve their purpose). The only difference between these two types of carpets is that the machine-made carpets are less elegant than the hand-made ones. Unlike this small difference, consider the difference between a carpet and a bomb! Of course, it is a very big difference, because if one sits on a carpet, he may get some rest, but if he sits on a bomb, it will explode and he will definitely die! Likewise, the difference between the believer and the disbeliever is very big.
Consider the simile in the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ The likeness of the two parties is as the blind and the deaf and the seer and the hearer. Are they equal when compared? Will you not then take heed? ﴿
Once you realize that the difference between the believer and the disbeliever is unimaginably and unthinkably huge, you have known the truth. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ He said: "O my people! Tell me, if I have a clear proof from my Lord, and a Mercy (Prophethood, etc.) has come to me from Him, but that (Mercy) has been obscured from your sight. Shall we compel you to accept it (Islamic Monotheism) when you have a strong hatred for it? ﴿
As I have just mentioned, the difference between the believer and the disbeliever is very big; it could be likened to the difference between the sighted and the blind, the hearing and the deaf, the one who receives the Mercy of Allah and the one who draws on himself His Wrath, and the one whom Allah facilitates all his matters and the one who finds many obstacles in his way. The proof is the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ By the night as it envelops;* And by the day as it appears in brightness; * And by Him Who created male and female; * Certainly, your efforts and deeds are diverse (different in aims and purposes); * As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him, * And believes in Al-Husna. * We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness). * But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient. * And gives the lie to Al-Husna * We will make smooth for him the path for evil; ﴿
People are classified into two types in the Sight of Allah
Dear noble brothers, I think that human beings are divided on countless basis (i.e. their race, color, etc.), such as the Aryan race, the Anglo-Saxon, the Semitic race, the white people, the people of color, the citizens of northern countries, the citizens of southern countries, the western world, the developed countries, the developing countries, the rich, the poor, the powerful and the weak, etc.
The criteria for division between human beings are innumerable, and the society which is full of diversity is sometimes called "a mosaic society". However, the reality is that no matter how different people's religious beliefs, sects, affiliations, races, lineages, religious cults, trends, tendencies, and inclinations are, they belong to two groups of binary oppositions according to Allah the Almighty; the blind and the sighted, the deaf and the hearing, the believer and the disbeliever, the one who turns to Allah the Almighty and the one who turns away from Him, and the one who does righteous deeds and the evildoer, etc.
Actually, throughout the history of mankind, right was symbolized by the bright white color, and falsehood was symbolized by the dark black color, and between them there is a very large area of gray color which symbolizes the in-between. In my own opinion, the gray area is fading away over time; nowadays there is truth or falsehood, a believer or a disbeliever, a religiously committed or a deviated, a good-doer or an evil-doer, a sighted or a blind, and a hearing or a deaf, etc. Thus, there is a sharp disparity between these two cases. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they. ﴿
The difference between the believer and the disbeliever could be likened to the difference between the fabulously rich peoples and the heavily indebted ones; it is a very huge difference. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they. ﴿
﴾ Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, in their present life and after their death? Worst is the judgment that they make. ﴿
Allah does not burden a person beyond his capacity
Actually, the true believer knows Allah the Almighty, knows the secret and the purpose of his existence, and he knows the reality of this worldly life. He knows that the worldly life as the Noble Prophet described it in the Hadith "is a place of crookedness and is not a place of straightforwardness. It is a place of grief and is not a place of joy. Whoever recognizes this will not feel joy at [the achievement of] some hope [because, he knows it is temporary] or feel grief at wretchedness. Allah has meant for the worldly life to be a place of trial, and has meant for the Hereafter to be a place of ramification. Hence, He has made the adversity of the worldly life a reason for the reward in the Hereafter, and He has made the reward of the Hereafter a compensation for the adversity of the worldly life. He takes to give and afflicts to reward."
Dear noble brothers, it is neither difficult nor impossible to be with the guided party; with the true believers, because Allah the Almighty never burdens a person beyond his capacity. What Allah imposes upon us is definitely within our scope and capacity. In other words, Allah the Almighty has placed desires inside man, but man is permitted to fulfill his desires only in lawful ways. For example, the sexual desire should be fulfilled only through marriage. Thus, every lust Allah the Almighty has put inside man can be fulfilled blamelessly through a lawful way.
I am not exaggerating when I say that when a young man lives a righteous life, remains steadfast, lowers his gaze from looking at forbidden things, controls his tongue (i.e. avoids backbiting, gossip, lying, etc.), refrains from sins, worships Allah the Almighty and controls his desires, then he marries a righteous young woman, this wife will be one of the greatest blessings Allah has ever bestowed upon him. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! ﴿
Some scholars of Tafseer (Interpretation of the Noble Qur'an) said: The righteous good wife is one of the good things of this worldly life; she pleases her husband when he looks at her, guards his interests and her chastity in his absence, and obeys him when he asks her to do something.
Truth does not fear investigation because it is crystal-clear
You should strongly believe that there is no suppression of desires in Islam, but rather we should control our desires. Thus, Islam is pure and clear, and there is nothing to be ashamed of with regards to the Islamic principles and values, because no one feels embarrassed or ashamed about doing a right thing. For example, drivers tend to honk at wedding cars as an act of celebrating a marriage without feeling embarrassed, because there is nothing to be ashamed of, i.e. getting married and building a Muslim family is highly recommended in Islam. So, the bride and the groom do not feel ashamed that they are going to enjoy marital intimacy, because marriage is a lawful relationship.
No one feels embarrassed or ashamed about doing a right thing, and truth does not fear investigation, because it is obvious and as clear as daylight. It was narrated that the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, said:
(( I am leaving you upon a (path of) brightness whose night is like its day. No one will deviate from it after I am gone but one who is doomed ))
[ Al-Dhahabi, on the authority of Al-Irbad Ibn Sariyah ]
This path is pure and clear; all things are clear, the goal is obvious, all means are apparent, and the Noble Quran is available all over the world. Thus, you should surely believe that no one feels ashamed of the truth, that the truth does not fear investigation, that you do not have to lie in order to defend it or to weaken its opponents, that you can speak about it without exaggeration or minimization, and that you never feel ashamed of it. Verily, Allah is Al-Haqq (The Absolute Truth). Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they. ﴿
Once, a person wanted to embarrass me with this question: "How do you say that the believer finds true happiness? That is not true! He suffers like other people and experiences the same bad situations, such as the severe heat wave, the raising inflation, etc." I answered him saying, "Well, consider the example of a poor person who has 8 children, who lives in tough economic times, who lives on low income, who lives on rent, and who has received an eviction suit and is obliged to leave his house, but he is the only heir of a very rich uncle who he has no children and who died in an accident. So the poor man will inherit 500 million Liras, but it takes a year to receive this large inheritance due to financial procedures, such as clearance certificates and other financial transactions which take a long time. Let me ask you this question: Why does he feel that he is the happiest person in the world although he will not receive this inheritance except after a year? He has not earned a single penny yet, he has not bought anything such as extra food or a coat yet, nevertheless, he is extremely pleased with this promised inheritance, i.e. as if he has owned this large inheritance; this 500 million pounds, right now. Likewise, the true believer is quite pleased with Allah's Promises." Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Is he whom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise), which he will find true, like him whom We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) world, then on the Day of Resurrection, he will be among those brought up (to be punished in the Hell-fire)? ﴿
Reliance on Allah Alone fills the believer's heart with peace and calmness
Dear noble brothers, you should firmly believe that the difference between a believer and a disbeliever is unimaginably huge. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they. ﴿
﴾ Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers, etc.)? * What is the matter with you? How judge you? ﴿
The believer finds inner peace in his life, because he entrusts all his affairs to Allah the Almighty, the Rich (the Free of all wants and needs), the All-Strong, the Well-Acquainted with all things, the All-Knower, the All-Wise, and the One Who loves him. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ A people whom He will love and they will love Him; ﴿
The believer entrusts all his affairs to Allah the Almighty and seeks His Pleasure Alone; he relays on Allah the Almighty, the Most Great, Who protects him from all his enemies. Therefore, he lives in peace because his social situation is stable and well-balanced, he has strong personality, he has chosen a good wife who never cheats on him, and who takes care of his children, pleases him when he looks at her, guards his interests and guards her chastity and honor in his absence, and obeys him when he asks her to do something. Also, he has chosen a respectable career.
Actually, there are many great professions which are based on the concept of giving, such as teaching (teachers devote themselves to education), on knowledge transfer, and on righteous deeds. Thus, the true believer's job is respectable, his wife is pious, and his children are dutiful, i.e. his situation in general is perfect, because he entrusts all his affairs to Allah the Almighty and seeks His Pleasure Alone.
The happiest person is he who feels that Allah is always with him
Dear noble brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ The likeness of the two parties is as the blind and the deaf and the seer and the hearer. Are they equal when compared? Will you not then take heed? ﴿
By Allah; the only One worthy of worship, if the believer feels that Allah loves him, and if he hopes that Allah will grant him success in future and will make him among those who are successful in the Hereafter as well, he will feel like the happiest person in the world, even if he eats the cheapest food and lives in the smallest house. That is why Ibrahim Ibn Adham [an Islamic scholar who was a king, but then he abandoned the throne to become a zahid (an ascetic)] said: "If the kings knew the spiritual pleasure and happiness we experience, they would fight us for it with their swords."
