God says:
Say: “Come, let me convey to you what God has really forbidden you: “Do not ascribe divinity, in any way, to aught beside Him; and [do not offend against, but, rather,] do good unto your parents; and do not kill your children for fear of poverty – for it is We who shall provide sustenance for you as well as for them;* and do not commit any shameful deeds, be they open or secret; and do not take any human being’s life – [the life] which God has declared to be sacred – otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice: this has He enjoined upon you so that you might use your reason; and do not touch the substance of an orphan – save to improve it – before he comes of age. And [in all your dealings] give full measure and weight with equity: [however,] We do not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear; and when you voice an opinion, be just, even though it be [against] one near of kin. And [always] observe your bond with God:** this He has enjoined upon you, so that you might keep it in mind. And [know] that this is the way leading straight unto Me: follow it, then, and follow not other ways, lest they cause you to deviate from His way.[All] this has He enjoined upon you, so that you might remain conscious of Him. - Q.6:151-53.
* This may possibly,(today,) refer to abortions dictated by economic considerations.
**The “bond with God” “ (conventionally translated as “God’s convenant”) apparantly refers here to man’s moral obligation to use his inborn gifts – intellectual as well as physical – in the way intended for them by God. The “establishment” of this bond arises from the faculty of reason which, if properly used, must lead man to a realization of his own weakness and dependence on a causative power and, thus, to a gradual cognition of God’s will with reference to his own behaviour. This interpretation of the “bond with God”seems to be indicated by the fact that there is no mention of any specific “convenant” in either the preceding or the subsequent verses of the passage under consideration. The delberate ommission of any reference in this connection suggests that the expression “bond with God” for something that is rooted in the human situation as such, and can, therefore, be perceived instinctively as well as through conscious experience: namely, that innate relationship with God which makes Him “closer to man than his neck-vein” (50 : 16).
Prophet said:
1. “There is no wisdom like effort, no piety like self denial, and no goodness like self conduct” – H: Baihaqi. N: Abu Zarr.
