The beginning and the end | The Sunday Guardian | 24th June 2012 | Page 12
The first verse of the first chapter of the Quran reads: "All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Universe" (1:1).
The last chapter of the Quran is An-Nas (The 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 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 one 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 glorifying of God Almighty.
But it is not easy to achieve this high spirituality. The most important thing is that you should save yourself from distractions.