THE BEGINNING AND THE END
There are 114 chapters in the Quran, some long and some short. The first verse of the first chapter reads:
All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Universe. (1:2)
The last chapter of the Quran is An-Nas (People). This chapter is said to be the chapter of tawuzz. Tawuzz means to seek refuge in the Lord. The verses of this chapter are as follows:
‘Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of people, the King of people, the God of people from the mischief of every sneaking whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of people, from jinn and men.’ (114:4-6)
The beginning and ending of the Quran are very meaningful. They offer the most important guidance to those who want to live safely on this planet. These verses give us the most vital message and also the most significant advice that may serve as a safeguard for us during our life’s activities.
Living in gratefulness to God is the cornerstone of divine religion. It is the most important facet of the religious spirit. It is the key factor in bringing about reform in the personality of every man and woman. Living in a state of ingratitude to God is like living the life of an animal. Without a sense of gratefulness, no person can lead his life on the divine pattern.
How to inculcate this spirit of gratefulness to God? It is clearly given in the above verse. That is, you have to discover the lordship of God, which includes, not only the Sovereign, but also the Sustainer, the Nourisher, the Regulator, and the Perfector. It is this ideological discovery that enables you to live with the elevated spirit of hamd, that is, praise and glory for God Almighty.
But it is not easy to achieve this high spirituality. The most important thing is that you should save yourself from the evil forces that are at all times actively trying to deceive you. These evil forces are of two kinds: one, visible, and the other, invisible. Visible deceivers are those who are evil people. They include both men and women. By their misleading advice, they try to cause one’s mind to deviate from the right path.
The greatest quest of both men and women is to discover their Creator, God Almighty. It is this discovery that makes one accept and acknowledge God as God Almighty, as one’s Lord.
The Jinn and Satan are invisible creatures. They have no power over people, but they can mislead them. The deceptive technique of the jinn is that he whispers into the hearts of people, causing them to stray from the right path. He beautifies evil doings and thus makes people see wrong in the form of right and right in the form of wrong.
The greatest quest of both men and women is to discover their Creator, God Almighty. It is this discovery that makes one accept and acknowledge God as God Almighty, as one’s Lord. One who discovers this supreme reality becomes a divine person, but this achievement is also fraught with the risk of becoming the victim of evil forces. So one has to be alert, and very cautious in the full sense of the word. Then one can successfully cultivate the virtue of gratefulness.
