Allah sent down the Qur'an as a guide to humanity and conveyed the simplest and the best way to lead one's life. The verses give us the good news that Islam is easy to practice:
"Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you"
The Qur'an is a clear admonition to people of all ages and cultures. However, some people refer to unreliable sources, rather than the Qur'an, that cause them to believe mistakenly that Islam is difficult. The basic reason behind this attitude is their incomplete knowledge of Islam.
In our own day, many people remain utterly unaware of the facts conveyed by the Qur'an, such as the existence of the Hereafter, eternal life in Hell, Paradise's matchless blessings, and our Lord's admonitions and warnings to humanity. However, the Qur'an was sent down so that people could read it and take admonition. The Qur'an reveals that Allah told the Prophet to say:
To read and comply with the Qur'an is one of a Muslim's most important responsibilities. Allah causes people to grasp the Qur'an, and only those who are guided by Him can understand the full meaning of its verses. He also promises guidance to the sincere servants who turn to Him.
Those who assert that the Qur'an is hard to understand seek to prevent people from reading it, turning to Allah, and living by its values. However, Allah states in many parts of the Qur'an that it is easy to understand:
We have sent down Clear Signs to you, and no one rejects them except the deviators.
The Qur'an's morality is the only way of life that befits human nature. Allah, the Creator of man from nothing, is the One Who best knows people's needs, the forms of worship they can perform, and the ways that lead to a tranquil and peaceful life. For this reason, Allah informs us that He does not impose upon people more than they can bear:
Allah does not impose on any self any more than it can stand. For it is what it has earned; against it, what it has merited. Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake! Our Lord, do not place upon us a load like the one You placed upon those before us! Our Lord, do not place upon us a load that we have not the strength to bear! And pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy upon us. You are our Master, so help us against the disbelieving people.
Out of His infinite Mercy and Compassion for His servants, Allah gives a detailed account of what type of life will give happiness, peace, and tranquility to people. For instance, people are innately fond of love, respect, mercy, and compassion, and expect such treatment from others. They avoid cruelty, evilness, and immorality, and innately fear to be exposed to them. Such feelings and expectations are the inspiration of Allah to a person's soul.
As this is how Allah created human nature, the type of life that complies with Islam's morality is the life that offers the utmost pleasure to humanity. Allah states this fact in Surat arRum, as follows:
So set your face firmly toward the Religion, as a pure natural believer, Allah's natural pattern on which He made humanity. There is no changing Allah's creation. That is the true Religion – but most people do not know it.
Each person comes into existence and grows into an adult by Allah's Will, and needs His protection in every phase of life. The sole protector, guide, and supporter of all people is Allah, the Living, Who is the Creator of everything. The following verse states this fact:
O mankind, you are the poor in need of Allah, whereas Allah is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy.
Allah, the Creator of the universe and all beings, whether living or non-living, sent down the Qur'an as a mercy to humanity. However, some people make up various excuses not to live by its values. One of these is the mistaken idea that Islam's morality somehow limits their chosen lifestyle. Yet this is a great delusion, for people who live in societies that do not follow the Qur'an's morality encounter great distress, difficulties, and limitations, whereas the Qur'an's morality presents a bliss
Complying With the Qur'an Removes Man's Burden
ful, peaceful, and secure life. The Qur'an is a mercy that relieves the pressure that people inflict upon each other, removes strict rules and all unnecessary and restricting principles, relieves people's trouble, and ensures a peaceful life. Indeed, Allah states that by communicating His message, the Messenger relieves people of their heavy loads and the chains around them. In addition, those who answer the Messenger's call and then support, help, and protect him and follow Allah's true path will attain salvation: peace, happiness, and blessings. As we read:
In societies where people do not abide by the Qur'an's principles, some needlessly strict rules make people's lives hard and cause many problems to remain unsolved. The principles and outlook harbored by people impose new rules and prohibitions and, through these limitations, subject people to needless pressure. Some lawful food, for instance, may be prohibited. Or, the people's behavior may be restricted because certain acts are declared unlawful. Every society has some rules and practices stemming from its own culture and interests. Although they are not expressed verbally, they are practiced and implemented, in general, by all members of the society. After all, people try to prove themselves to others and present themselves as having superior qualities. Consequently, under society's repressive rules and limitations, people cannot speak, laugh, or live as they desire, for they live under the constant social threat of humiliation, condemnation, or gossip. People who do not know Allah, place their trust in and submit to Him, and live by the Qur'an's principles harbor countless fears: fear for the future, of being left alone, growing old, having an accident, dying, seeing their children's health threatened, losing possessions, failing in business or marriage, being deprived of a good education, and so on.
All of these are a source of sheer unmitigated anxiety. No doubt, the Qur'an's morality enables people to avoid such fears, for people who are far from Islam's values are unaware that everything occurs by Allah's Will and that everything is predestined. They fail to think that the good and the bad events in life are tests, and that Allah provides and owns all blessings and beauties. For this reason, societies made up of such individuals are characterized by tension, chaos, unrest, distress, and insecurity.
A society composed of people who adhere to the Qur'an's morality is immune to such negativity, as can be seen by its members' moral excellence. Such people place their trust in Allah and persevere, and also show mercy, compassion, and love. Inherently humble and contented, they feel the peace and comfort of living according to the religion described by Allah. As the Qur'an commands, they fear no one but Him and pur
Complying With the Qur'an Removes Man's Burden
sue His good pleasure over and above everything else. They know that every blessing they enjoy is from Allah and that the loss of any thing or value is a test from Allah, and so retain their composure when they achieve success or face an unexpected event. Also, they do not react thoughtlessly when confronted with hardship or trouble.
The Qur'an clearly explains what is lawful and unlawful, and gives a detailed account of the morality that pleases Allah. For this reason, the only rules that govern the believers' life are those mentioned in the Qur'an, for it introduces judgments that befit human nature by ensuring an ease of conscience and bringing peace and security. Allah states that He intends to relieve people of their heavy burdens, as follows:
Allah desires to make things clear to you, guide you to the correct practices of those before you, and turn toward you. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Allah desires to turn toward you, but those who pursue their lower appetites desire to make you deviate completely. Allah desires to make things lighter for you. Man was created weak.
Said Nursi explains the spiritual paradise that will be enjoyed by those people, in this very life, who abide by the Qur'an and its commandments: The moment I saw this world in the midst of the darkness, my heart, spirit, and mind, and all my human faculties, indeed, all the particles of my being, were ready to weep and cry out in pain. But suddenly, Almighty Allah's Name of All-Just rose in the sign of All-Wise, and the Name of Most Merciful in the sign of Munificent, the Name of All-Compassionate in the sign of (that is, in the meaning of) All-Forgiving, the Name of Resurrector in the sign of Inheritor, the Name of Giver of Life in the sign of Bountiful, and the Name of Sustainer rose in the sign of Owner. They gilded and filled with light many worlds within the world of humanity. Opening up windows onto the luminous world of the hereafter, they scattered lights over the dark human world. (Nursi, "The Letters: The 29th Letter")
Allah endowed humanity with a nature that never finds peace and tranquility in a non-Islamic system. Underlying the difference between believers and unbelievers, this quality of the believers becomes more apparent in the Hereafter. People who do not comply with the Qur'an are depressed, while people of faith experience great joy:
When that Day (of Judgment) comes, no self will speak except by His permission. Some of them will be wretched and others glad.
