TRANSLATION
Believers who are passive—except those who are disabled—cannot be equal to those who actively strive for faith and justice in God’s way with their possessions and their own lives. God excels those who strive for faith and justice in God’s way, with their possessions and their lives, to a degree much higher than those who are passive. To each, God has promised goodness and reward, but those who actively strive for goodness and faith will have a grand reward above those who are passive—a reward of higher order, forgiveness, and mercy. God is Ever Forgiving and Merciful!266
Visualize when angels of death will come to those who were unjust to themselves [not aligning with their innate human nature] and ask, “What is the matter with you?” They will answer, “We were too weak on Earth.” The angels will reply, “Was not God’s Earth expansive enough for you to move away from the domain of evil?” These people will find Hell as their destination, and it is an evil resort. But those who were truly helpless, be they men, women, or children—who did not have the means or strength or could not find a way out or did not know the true guidance—perhaps God will forgive them. God is much Forgiving and a Dispenser of Grace! Whoever removes himself from the domain of evil and moves toward God will find on Earth many ways and means of support. And whoever flees from his home and from evils toward God and His Messenger and succumbs to death in such pursuit, his reward is with God. God is Ever Forgiving, Merciful!267
INTERPRETATION
266. A true distinction is made between those who actively pursue faith and goodness and forsake evil in a visible way and those who are bystanders and passively observe the world, even though they might profess faith in God. Active pursuit means that one uses one’s resources and means as well as personal energy, time, and intellect to repel evil and establish goodness. Such people have a higher degree of closeness to God and deserve greater recognition and reward from God. This is in direct contrast to what is being taught by imams and so-called sheikhs whose prescription to Paradise is rituals, donations to mosque projects, and unquestioned loyalty to their narrow teachings and their authoritarianism. This is also in sharp contrast to those leaders who buy loyalty by exploiting national wealth to give handouts to citizens and collaborate with imams, sheikhs, and wealthy donors (under the pretense of democracy) to perpetuate their hegemony over people rather than advancing the cause of truth and justice.
267. The questions asked by the angels of death are questions that arise in our own minds as we go through life on various occasions when our understanding of faith is challenged, when we face a dilemma on how to recognize good versus evil, when we are tempted to be passive in the face of injustice, when we face obstacles in an attempt to avoid or remove evils in our society, and so on. Such internal dialogues are no different than what the angels of death will ask but with one distinction—when the angel of death will ask, we will have no more time to correct ourselves; whereas, during our lifetimes, God provides ample opportunities and necessary resources to strive for faith and justice and promises reward in this life and in the hereafter.
REFLECTION
The comparison of the faithful who are active in pursuit of faith and justice with those who are passive, without adequate excuses, such as disability or lack of means or understanding, is something that we all need to reflect on and give due attention. Professing faith and desiring justice without visible effort may not be enough to earn God’s grace or to establish a just and peaceful society on this earth before we can expect a place in Paradise.
ACTION
The notion of migration from evil to good, from disbelief to faith, and from evil to God is ever present in the teaching of the Qur’an and other books of revelations and the Prophets of all time. This needs to be an active pursuit rather than a concept or a meek desire.
Key Arabic Term
90. Hajara: Migration, from Mecca to Medina or from evil to goodness