Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother,

Assalaamu Alaikum. It was wonderful to read your answers/responses against various questions about Islam put forward by Muslims. ALLAH will no doubt, reward you for this noble deeds. Brother, I have this question. A colleague of mine who is a Muslim says He believes in the existence of ALLAH. But he is not convinced as to why we follow/worship ALLAH or why to live in accordance with HIS command and why to fear ALLAH. As I am unable to convince this half-hearted/strange educated person, I need a convincing answer from you in order to try to change his mind completely towards ALLAH. As he is a kind of person who doesn`t like to see scholars/learned persons to clear his doubts, I would appreciate an answer from you. May be with your answer, he might realise the truth. My brother, please help me to help him.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Why fear and worship allah?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: It was wonderful to read your answers/responses against various questions about Islam put forward by Muslims. ALLAH will no doubt, reward you for this noble deeds.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. We humbly hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgive us our shortcomings, and save you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Your Statement: As he is a kind of person who doesn`t like to see scholars/learned persons to clear his doubts, I would appreciate an answer from you.

My beloved brother in Islam, I would just like to make a comment on this tendency of your friend, that he does not like to see scholars or learned person to clear his doubts! Its like saying a person has a disease, but does not like to see a doctor who can help him diagnose and treat his disease! Or its like a student who refuses to listen to a teacher or person who is obviously better educated in that particular subject! That would not be considered intelligence or wisdom!

Yes, its possible and understandable that a sick person says that he does not want to be treated by doctor so and so, or a student may say he does not want to learn from a particular teacher or professor; but to say that the sick wants to see no doctor at all, or for the student to say he does not like to learn from teachers en-masse; that would definitely not be considered intelligent or wise on the part of the one who sincerely seeks knowledge.

One can only imagine the confusion that may arise if a sick person who needs a doctor seeks advise from an astronomer; or a student who has a doubt in chemistry seeks advise from a teacher of history!

Your Question: But he is not convinced as to why we follow/worship ALLAH or why to live in accordance with HIS command and why to fear ALLAH.

Beloved brother in Islam, the question asked is so broad and vast, that there is no answer that would do real justice to this question! Even if one were to write volumes and volumes of books; one would never be able to count, list, and number the reasons of why Allah Subhanah Alone deserves our worship, our obedience, our awe, and our submission.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 31 Surah Luqman verses 26-27: To Allah belong all things in heaven and earth: verily Allah is He (that is) free of all wants Worthy of all praise.

And if all the trees on earth were pens, and the Ocean (were ink); with seven Oceans behind it to add to its (supply), yet would not the Words of Allah be exhausted (in the writing): for Allah is Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 14 Surah Ibrahim verse 34: And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the favors of Allah never will ye be able to number them: verily man is given up to injustice and ingratitude.

To find out why one needs to follow, and worship, and fear, and submit to Allah Subhanah, one needs to make the effort to find out the answers of some very very basic questions of life; and the closer one gets to the understanding of these answers, the more convinced he will be regarding his real role in this world.

And some of these basic questions are:

Who is Allah Subhanah?

What is our relationship with Allah?

Who created everything in existence?

Why did the Creator create everything?

Why am I created in this world?

Who is the One Who created us, gave us life, and gives us everything that we require, and Who will give us death? And what is my role or duty unto Him?

Is this life the only life; or is there a life after this worldly life?

One may choose to live his life at the shallow end of intelligence and just refuse to answer these questions himself, or seek help and guidance from someone who can help him answer these extremely basic and fundamental questions of life! One may choose to live and behave as if these questions never exist, or the answers to these extremely basic and fundamental issues of life have no value or weight! One may choose to live one’s life like an animal lives his: he eats, and drinks, and multiplies, and dies!

Or he may choose to use the faculty of intelligence and the power of reasoning the Creator has given only to man, and try to determine what are the answers to these absolutely basic and fundamental questions of life! And once a person leaves this state of ignorance, and strives to sincerely find out the answers to these fundamental questions; it will invariably lead him to the path that will lead him to knowledge and salvation.

To make it simple for the people who sincerely strive and want to answer these questions; the Creator Himself, as a Mercy and Grace unto mankind, revealed all these answers and more in His Very Own Words, and named His Book of Revelations, The Glorious Quran!

Thus, if you feel that your friend is not apt to seek advice and answers for his doubts from some scholar or teacher; give him a translation of this Divine Message of Guidance. If he sincerely is seeking to clear his doubts, if he is sincere in his search for the Truth, he will find all the answers to all his questions in this one Supreme Source of Guidance, Insha Allah.

Allah says in Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah aayat 185:"Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a Perfect Guidance for mankind and consists of CLEAR teachings which show the Right Way and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan