planning will result in total failure. This is a reality expressed thus by the Prophet of Islam: ‘God grants to peace what He does not grant to violence.’1 This prophetic tradition is a statement of a

slogan may express exactly how present-day Muslims feel, but it goes against the creation plan of God. The right slogan should be: ‘Life is a divine gift. It should be utilized for a creative purpose.’

path. A businessman makes preparations to the utmost extent to get a worldly bargain. The bargain of God—which is Paradise, is the most precious of all bargains. That is why man should plan with the greatest

Maker. For them, the experience of Paradise will be a high-level experience of the realization of God. A young man acquired a luxury car of the latest fashion and technology. He was very happy to see

opportunity to perform good deeds and develop a paradisiacal personality. In the Paradise of the Hereafter, God will only settle those people who He finds deserving, by virtue of their good deeds in this world.

two banks which can never come together. This parallels the lives of human beings in the sense that God on the one hand, created man with unlimited desires, and on the other hand, gave him all the objects

attainment of tazkiyah, but the importance of the guide is practical rather than a matter of creed. God grants special help to those who have to perform this role. In principle, the path to tazkiyah for

cannot live without them. Such habits have progressively caused great deprivation to a person. God has granted an individual a mind to think of important things, discover and understand important realities

and the unwise man is one who follows his desires and pins all his hopes on God.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2459)THE GREATEST UNAWARENESSDeath without doubt is running towards everyone. For one who

martyr, and it is only a fortunate minority who attain the heights of martyrdom. But those who fear God will look at the matter soberly.