Height of Test
Holy Qur'an 80/24 to 32
 
Dear audience, may the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe shower HIS bounties on all HIS creatures on this earth! We pray to Lord to shower HIS mercy, peace and prosperity for all the human beings and convey it into Arabic. Assalamo-alaikum wa-rahmatullahi wa-Barakatohu.
 
ALLAH alone is worthy of all praises, for HE is the lone Master of the entire Universe, HE is the only Creator, HE is the sole Sustainer, HE is the Originator. It is HE Who has designed the smallest particle found in the Universe; it is HE Who has created the Biggest matter found anywhere in the Space. With HIS command begins every natural process and every natural cycle. The Universe moves as HE wills. HE alone deserves all our admiration and adoration. HE is the Alfa; HE is the Omega. HE is the beginning; HE is the end. HE is the Apparent; HE is the Inherent. HE is the Most Compassionate God Almighty, Who revealed the Holy Qur’an on HIS last Prophet, Mohammed (s.a.w.s) that continues to radiate guidance for the mankind till the Doomsday. The Holy Qur’an is the Mother of all books, complete in itself, in all respects. It is the fountainhead of all virtues, the beacon of righteousness, the guiding light for the entire humanity, and the last of ALMIGHTY God’s scriptures. It contains no confusion, nor any contradiction. No doubt, no puzzle, but as clear as crystal. It is self-explanatory with highest standard of clarity and eloquence.
 
We need to have a day-to-day contact and a direct approach to this book, a live connection. Let us be receptive to its signals and allow our brain a neutral and unbiased reflection over the points it raises for every thinking mind. The divine light will enlighten our heart and soul; it will change the course of our life, our day and night, our private and social life. It will shape our Present and lead to a bright Future. It guarantees success for all those who believe and remain steadfast, not by oral announcement but by noble deeds as commanded by the One and Only God.
 
Let us start this process with the recitation of verses 80/24 to 32 of the Holy Qur’an.
 
 
 
We admit that it is humanly impossible to translate the Heavenly Diction of the Qur’an in any language of the world, as a human expression can never be a match for Divine Diction. We can and will make attempt to be close to the gist of the matter and we seek the help of our RABB in our efforts.
 
“Man should consider (the sources of) his food! WE sent down from rain clouds water appropriately. WE cleave the earth in particular fashion. And thereupon WE cause grain to grow out of it, and vines and edible plants, and olive trees and date-palms, and gardens dense with foliage, and fruits and herbage, provision for you and for your animals!”
 
The Creator and Master of the this Universe wants to make the humanity, peoples of all nations and all ages, conscious of their obligations, not by putting across intellectual riddles, but by illustrations as clear as day light, but in respect of meaning as deep as any ocean. The message is universal, not just for priestly classes; but for every man and woman on this earth. Hence it consists of such examples as experienced by any layman in his day-to-day life. It appeals to human intellect and invites all mankind, whatever be their religion or caste, to apply his or her common sense in order to recognize his Creator. Every man in his life span, however big or small observes the cycles of nature, the rain falling from the above; the regeneration of the Earth after it is desiccated by the blazing sun, the germination of plants, the growth of trees and grass which lead to the recurrences of provisions for the survival of human life. Thus He provides food to not only human being but also to the livestock that provide him milk, meat, leather and many other useful items.
 
Is there any defect in this system designed and made to function by the Mighty Creator? Is this cycle of nature not sufficient evidence that it is fully controlled by its Creator and the Master? If any of the vital links in this scheme of the Superb Planner goes missing, could all the scientists of the world joined together reproduce it? No! & Never! Then don’t we realize how helpless we are! Could we create any of the provisions if God ALMIGHTY stops supplying it?
 
It is indeed deplorable that man willfully forgets all these favor of God. He even regards it a natural phenomenon occurring on its own, without any purpose, and without any intervention from a Divine Power. But does our intelligence, even our common sense, accept that it is all happening without any raison d'être and that we will not be accounted for all these favors? Was our coming to life on this earth a mere accident? Is our existence in the scheme of creation, a purposeless unit? And after all, why are we here? Who has brought us to life? What contribution did we make to come into being? These are the questions that often crop up in our minds. We need to delve deep into our sub-conscience and go through the Book of the Creator to seek reasonable answers. In verse 51/56 Almighty God says:
 
 
ALMIGHTY God says:
“I have created Men and invisible beings to accept my slavery and obey me with free will.”
 
Every sane person who admits the fact that it is His Rabb, Who created him out of nothing, Who has made all his provisions available on this earth even before he was born, Who has made other creatures subservient to him, Who sends water from the above for him and who causes the growth of all provisions for him, should he be so ungrateful to such a Benevolent Master? Should he make the nonentities, the false and fictitious gods and goddesses, as partners in His Divinity? Do they have any share or power in the scheme of his creation? Certainly not! Our Lord declares in His Book in verse 35/3.
 
 
“O mankind! Recollect the blessings of ALLAH which HE has bestowed upon you! Is there any creator, other than ALLAH, that could provide for you sustenance out of heaven and earth? There is no deity except HIM: and yet, how perverted are your minds!”
 
If we just try to count and ponder over the unlimited and uninterrupted blessings of our Lord, we are enjoying round the clock, it would definitely make us realize our humbleness before our
 
Lord. And so with a deep sense of gratitude, we need to surrender ourselves to the will of our LORD, and lead a chaste and pious life as HE has ordained. HE declares in HIS Book in verse 14/7.
 
 
“And your LORD made known to mankind: 'If you response gratefully, I shall most certainly give you more and more; but if you are ungrateful, verily, MY chastisement will be severe indeed!'”
 
What kind of gratitude is expected from the faithful souls? What should be the level of gratefulness to our Sustainer? Should this thankfulness be merely an oral utterance, or should it manifest itself in his charitable deeds? Let us again refer to the Book of Almighty God to seek the answer? HE says in verses 76/7 to 10.
 
 
“(The truly virtuous and grateful are those who) always keep their words, fulfill their vows, and stand in awe of a Day, the woe of which is bound to spread far and wide! And to seek the pleasure of their LORD, they feed the needy, the poor, the orphan, and the trapped one.”
 
Their endeavor remains, "We feed you for the sake of ALLAH Alone: we desire no recompense from you, nor any thanks. We stand in awe of our SUSTAINER; we have to face HIM for trial on a fateful Day!”
 
In fact, the people who are true believers do not live a self-centered life. Whatever resources they have, they utilize in the way of their LORD. They know who can be the people to be looked after, and taken care of! They make sincere efforts to reach out to the people in need, provide succor to the suffering. The plight of humanity stirs their heart. They are ever willing to extending any possible help to the orphan and the destitute. They patronize charitable activities; help victims of oppression, the victims of natural or man made disasters. They generously and wholeheartedly contribute to the noble causes. And while carrying out for all their philanthropic activities, they nourish no desire to receive any reward, or any honor from the human society. In all their kind gestures, they are guided by their innermost desire to please their Lord. They regard this charity as one of the obligatory duties enjoined upon them by their Lord, as one of the way to express their gratefulness to their Master. They do not expect any return, any reciprocation, and any appreciation from the beneficiaries, not even a simple thanks.
 
They are only occupied with the fear of Accountability. They know that they will have to face their Lord on the Day of Judgment. And that it will not be a simple calculation, taken on the surface value. They will be accounted for every act, however minute, every deed, however great. There no chartered accountant will be of any help to manipulate their accounts, to suppress their acts of omissions and commissions. There will be no route to escape, no chance to amend or rectify the misdoings. The deeds performed with good intention will be rewarded, the pretensions, rejected. It is the Day for payment, punishment to the wrongdoers, and reward for the noble souls. Those who failed in the test of this life will be punished. And those who passed this life with piety and with GOD consciousness, will be rewarded by the gardens of Paradise with everlasting pleasures.
 
It will be a tough time for those who will be accounted for. On the Day,
 
 
“All secret files, all hidden crimes, all clandestine affairs, all underhand dealings will be exposed. There will be no protector, no power to save him.” (verses 86/9 & 10)
 
We pray to the Almighty God, the Master of the Day of Judgment, to forgive us and all our viewers, to spare us from the hardship of the Day, We seek HIS help and guidance to make us responsive to the poor and the suffering, to enable us to pay all our dues we owe to fellow human beings, here in this world itself. Pardon us for our errors and lapses and grant us a place in the gardens of Paradise. Amen!