Living with God

Islam requires a person to be God-oriented in both pre-death and post-death periods.
Someone has written that Islam is the most misunderstood religion. It is better to say that Islam is the most misrepresented religion. Those who are representing Islam had the responsibility to present it properly but they did not. Islam is the name of the art of life. Experience shows that no person has an allergy to God, but they do have an allergy to religion. This is because religious people have portrayed an incorrect picture of their religion. For example there is a verse in the Quran which says, ‘Kunu rabbaniyin’. This is generally translated as ‘Be worshippers of God’. People often think worship is performance of mere ritual, so they take religion also as ritual. But this translation of the verse is incorrect. The right translation would be: ‘Adopt a God-oriented life.’ Islam requires a person to be God-oriented in both pre-death and post-death periods. Paradise is defined in the Quran as the neighbourhood of God. In other words, it means living with God. In this world too, our conduct should be such as if we were living with God.