Living The Quran
From Issue: 640 [Read full issue]
Rule for Salvation
Al Baqara (The Cow) - Chapter 2: Verse 112
"Indeed, whoever surrender themselves to God, while being sincere, shall have their reward with their Lord; they shall have nothing to fear nor shall they grieve."
Since the face of a person is the most expressive part of his body, it is used in classical Arabic to denote one's whole personality, or whole being. This expression (aslama), repeated in the Quran several times, provides a perfect definition of Islam, which - derived from the root-verb aslama, "he surrendered himself" - means "self-surrender to God": and it is in this sense that the terms Islam and Muslim are used throughout the Quran.
It is sincerity on which depends the weight and worth of an act. Allah will not accept anything that is not purely for Him. Pure sincerity need to be produced through the conviction of the heart and mind.
Thus the verse lays down a rule for salvation. It does not lie in being a Jew, a Christian, or a Muslim. It lies in total submission to Allah and in leading a righteous life in accordance with the dictates of the Revelation. Quite unmindful of this rule, the Jews, Christians and Muslims, all lead a life of sin with total disregard for the Hereafter, and yet fasten hope on their Lord that they will be ushered into Paradise simply because of the fact that they are Jews, Christians or Muslims.
Compiled From:
"Tafsir Ishraq Al-Ma'ani" - Syed Iqbal Zaheer, vol. 1, pp. 140, 141