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Why Should I
What is the matter with the world today? Why all the
chaos? Why all the evil? Some people say there is no God;
others say God created man then left him alone to do as he
pleases; yet others say that they just do not know. What is
?the reality

The Islamic view of human nature is that, left to its own

devices, humankind has an instinct of what is right and
wrong. This comes from an inner consciousness, a part of us
right down deep inside that senses truth from falsehood and
morality from immorality—even if we do not necessarily act
according to that innate knowledge. It is this consciousness
that separates man from the animals—the sense of
responsibility of what is right and true, and what is not.
However, it does not stop there—not only does man have the
.sense of what is right, he also has the means to do it

Why should man do what is right? Has man received some

kind of responsibility on his shoulders? In Islam, the answer
”.is simply “yes

:Allah tells Muslims in the Qur’an what means

Lo! We offered the trust unto the heavens and the earth}
and the hills, but they shrank from bearing it and were
afraid of it. And man assumed it. Lo! he hath proved a
(tyrant and a fool.} (Al-Ahzab 33:72

Why did the heavens and earth refuse to take on this huge
responsibility? The answer is that they just could not
imagine having the choice to disobey the Creator and
Cherisher of all the worlds, the Owner of the Day of
Judgment. That they could put themselves in the position of
possibly entering Hellfire and denied the mercy of Allah was
 simply unthinkable. However, before we were born, all of
humankind was made witness to the reality of the Creator
and mankind’s role on earth, and we accepted the
responsibility of free will and thus, it is now a part of our
.souls—our consciousness. We cannot escape it

Therefore, man has the responsibility to facilitate order in

this world, and his own soul bears witness to it, as do all the
elements of nature surrounding him. Humans feel calm and
at peace besides elements of nature like rivers, waterfalls,
mountains, and the sea, because nature submits to its Lord
and achieves a state of islam (submission and peace), and we
.feel that peace

Why does man then ignore this responsibility despite all the
obvious proofs of its existence and his ability to fulfill it? The
answer is simple—he is living under an illusion: the illusion
that he is free in the sense that he will not be held
accountable for his deeds and days on earth. The truth is
that man has misunderstood his mission in life and forgotten
that there are always consequences to every word and
action. How can man be completely free when there are
?always consequences to what we say and do

There are two kinds of people in the world: If there is an oil

spill and a vast amount of nature is spoiled, one kind of
person shrugs his shoulders and says, “So what! It doesn’t
bother me.” Such a person shows his ignorance and will live
with the consequences of his apathy as the world’s resources
become less and less. However, another kind of person
begins clean-up campaigns, joins environmental
organizations, or at least talks about that crime against
nature. These people are universally respected. Therefore,
human responsibility does exist, but some people just choose
.to ignore it

Allah gave man eyes, ears, and all his faculties—everything

he needs to be well equipped to fulfill his responsibilities in
life. Because He is Just, Allah also gave man instructions
(through the prophets and divine books) of what he should
do with all these wonderful faculties. Our eyes enable us to
see the beauty that surrounds us and to see when danger is
approaching, but if we look directly at the sun we will be
blinded. Are we free? Is there a right way and a wrong way
?to use our eyes? Our ears? Ours limbs? Our minds

We tell our children many things because of our love for

them and our desire to protect them from harm. We want
them to fulfill their potential. When we are present at home,
they are much more likely to obey us. But what about when
we are not home? They can choose to obey or to disobey—
that is the extent of their freedom. If they choose to obey us,
even though we are not present, this is a sure sign that the
message we gave them has entered their hearts and that
their obedience is not due to fear. Such obedience means
that they understand the meaning of the message and they
recognize that it is for their own benefit. Do we acknowledge
the benefit in Allah’s instructions to us? How far has the
?divine message penetrated our hearts

This is like the message Allah gave to Adam (peace be upon

him). Allah told Adam and Hawwa’ (Eve) to enjoy
everything in the garden, but He the Most Merciful warned
them not to go near a certain tree or there would be
consequences. This is where the role of Satan comes in.
Satan uses man’s dislike for restrictions to enter his heart
and confuse him. He works on man’s human desire to be
free and he feeds it. It is an inherent part of man’s nature to
resist restrictions, but just because it is a part of his nature,
it does not mean he can leave it to fester within him. We
could also say that anger is a part of man’s nature, but we
are all aware of the negative consequences of anger—
likewise, man must struggle against his resistance to
commands and orders. Adam and Hawwa’ (peace be upon
 them) chose to disobey. They were free to choose and there
.were consequences

Man’s lack of conscience spreads chaos throughout the

universe because of the illusion that he is free and will have
no consequences for his words and actions. How true is this
idea? It is widely acknowledged that all citizens have the
responsibility to contribute to the growth and development
of their country. What about our responsibility to ourselves,
our responsibility to our family, our responsibility to the
earth, and our responsibility to our Creator? How can we
?say we are free? How can we say we have no responsibility

The concept of the Day of Judgment, a day on which

everyone will be given what he or she deserves is described
:in the Qur’an

And in like manner We disclosed them (to the people of the}

city) that they might know that the promise of Allah is true,
and that, as for the Hour, there is no doubt concerning it. }
((Al-Kahf 18:21

We want to enter that final examination (Day of Judgment)

as believers. What is the state of the believer? The believer is
the person who obeys Allah even if he does not necessarily
understand or perceive. For example, the believer believes in
the existence of the angels even though he cannot see them.
Why? Because he has respect for the Lawgiver. The source
of this respect is deep within his own soul if he only cares to
see it. Nevertheless, he has the choice to take up this
responsibility or to leave it. He can either submit with a
knowing, gentle heart that sees the marvels of creation, the
worth of his own self, the majesty of the Creator, and bow
his head in gratitude and obedience. The other option is that
he can twist his head in haughty pride, clinging to his
illusion of being free, although recognizing the truth of
”?matters and the need for reform, and say “why should I