IGNORANCE IS YOUR WORST ENEMY; Kill It With Guidance!

 

Ignorance (Jahl/Jahalat)

Is Your Worst Enemy; 

Kill It With Guidance!

Guidance is the Light while

ignorance is the Darkness.

The Light comes from Allah;

the Darkness from the Devil.

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

“This is the Book; in it is guidance sure,

without doubt, to those who fear Allah.”

(al-Quran 2:2)

The Quran is the Book of Guidance. Knowledge (education) is guidance and guidance is the light that eliminates darkness and leads you to Paradise. On the other hand, ignorance is darkness and darkness leads to Hell. The Quran is the Word of God and it is the main source of all guidance. Allah says about the Quran:

“Here is a plain statement to men, a guidance

and instruction to those who fear Allah!”

(al-Quran 3:138)

Racism, discrimination, intolerance and hate spring from the base of ignorance (Jahl or Jahalat). It is sheer lack of education (or guidance) and faulty upbringing on the part of the parents, teachers or preachers that promotes ignorance and intolerance. All humanity came from Adam and Eve, therefore, we are all brethren. Discrimination or racism has no scientific, logical or reasonable ground to flourish.

The light of guidance comes from Allah whereas the darkness of ignorance comes from the Devil. Allah, our Creator, has declared that the Devil is our enemy, therefore, there should be no doubt about it in our minds that the enemy is pushing us towards Hellfire while Allah, with all His mercy and blessing, keeps reminding us of the path of guidance that can protect us from the Hellfire.

“Allah is the Protector of those who have faith.

From the depths of darkness He will lead them

forth into light. Of those who reject faith the

patrons are the evil ones. From light they will

lead them forth into the depths of darkness.

They will be companions of the fire,

to dwell therein (for ever).”

(al-Quran 2:257)

The Book of Guidance is full of wisdom, mercy, healing and knowledge – all that we need to live our transitional life on this planet. We need to reflect upon it, act upon it and live our lives as per the principles and rules prescribed for us by Allah, the Almighty, for our own success and salvation. Allah says:

“A Book which We have revealed unto you,

in order that you might lead mankind out of

the depths of darkness into light - by the leave

of their Lord - to the way of (Him) the Exalted

in power, worthy of all praise!”

(al-Quran 14:1)

“… And if, as is sure, there comes to you guidance

from Me, whosoever follows My guidance, on

them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

(al-Quran 2:38)

Allah’s guidance and mercy is available to those who seek it and strive for it. We have to take the first step and make an effort. On His part, the Merciful Allah will bless us with guidance. The only condition is that we should believe in His sovereignty and fear His wrath. We don’t need to follow any famous religion or religious people. Just be mindful of Allah and His commands, and follow the path of the righteousness! Remember that guidance is not for those who deny Allah; or those who refuse His sovereignty; or those who are unjust; or those who practice evil-doing. He says:

“… Nor does Allah give guidance to a people unjust.”

(al-Quran 2:258)

“And who is more astray than one who follows

his desire without guidance from Allah? Indeed,

Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”

(al-Quran 28:50)

Man has fabricated many fancy and modern religions but none of them is satisfying because they are all man-made. They bring happiness only to the promoters as they are getting rich with other people’s money. Religion is not about money or material things. The Bible says:

 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure

and faultless is this: To look after orphans and

widows in their distress and to keep oneself

from being polluted by the world.”

(James 1:27)

Real guidance comes from God. He guided all Prophets and Messengers with the Scriptures; and the same guidance was offered to their respective nations. Man can benefit from Divine Guidance if he remains obedient and faithful to his Creator. Allah tells us in the Quran:

“Say: Allah's guidance is the (only) guidance,

and we have been directed to submit ourselves

to the Lord of the worlds.”

(al-Quran 6:71)

“It was We who revealed the law (to Moses);

therein was guidance and light…”

(al-Quran 5:44)

“And We gave Moses the Book, in order

that they might receive guidance.”

(al-Quran 23:49)

The same thing goes for Prophet Jesus, the son of Mary. The Book may be called by a different name but the message was the same. Allah says:

“And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of

Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him.

We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and

light, and confirmation of the Law that had come

before him; a guidance and an admonition to

those who fear Allah.”

(al-Quran 5:46)

We humans should consider ourselves lucky that our Creator, the Almighty, cares about us and He sends directions or instructions for us so that we don’t go astray. If we hold on to that source of guidance, we will never suffer. Today, mankind has abandoned the Book of Guidance and people are blindly chasing their worldly desires – in other words, they are following the Devil. The plight of believers points to that direction. If we abandon God, He will, in return, abandon us too. He says:

“O mankind! There has come to you a direction

from your Lord and a healing for the (diseases)

in your hearts, and for those who believe,

a guidance and a Mercy.”

(al-Quran 10:57)

The Jewish and the Christian worlds are suffering the same fate as Muslims today. They have all ignored the Book of Guidance; they are far from the true religion (or the true guidance). The Bible says:

 “The world and its desires pass away, but

whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

(1-John 2:17)

 

When Allah commands us, He does not force us. He gives us the choice of action so that we submit to Him voluntarily, with our own free will. Those who deny or reject His guidance, they cannot be guided. In response, Allah rejects them. In the end they suffer a grievous chastisement.

“To such as Allah rejects from His guidance,

There can be no guide. He will leave them in

their trespasses, wandering in distraction.”

(al-Quran 7:186)

Those earlier nations were destroyed because they chose evil ways of life and disobeyed the Laws of the Book of Guidance. That’s the price of disobedience! And therein lies a lesson or a warning for us too.

“As to the Thamud, We gave them guidance, but

they preferred blindness (of heart) to guidance.

So the stunning punishment of humiliation seized

them, because of what they had earned.”

(al-Quran 41:17)

“… And We sent down upon the evil-doers

wrath from heaven for their evil-doing.”

(al-Quran 2:59)

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