Wednesday, December 11, 2019

What It Means - Day 268

"And whosoever desires the Hereafter, and endeavors for it earnestly, and is a believer, it is they whose efforts shall be appreciated."
Quran 17:18

This brief passage is drawn from the seventeenth surah, al-Isra, here rendered as "The Night Journey."

Nasr tells us, "This verse is an important basis for the Islamic doctrine that deeds are judged according to their intentions, since here one is rewarded for desiring and earnestly endeavoring for the good, as a believer, without mention of the success or completion of all of one's endeavors." (p. 700)

I was talking to my Jordanian friend Mahmoud one time about the hajj and he told me that he had never had the time nor opportunity nor resources to go, but felt that he had successfully gone because he sincerely wanted to go. I'm not exactly certain this is what the Quran has in mind here, but it is another example from the Quran wherein we are reminded to lead an active and intentional life, focused on doing what is the right thing to do.


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