الدِّينُ عملٌ باطنٌ وظاهرٌ، والمحبةُ والإرادةُ أساسُ جميعِ هذه الأعمال. ويُعرَّفُ الدِّينُ بأنه طاعةُ اللهِ، وعبادةُ اللهِ، وحُسنُ الخُلُقِ المحبوبُ عندَ اللهِ ~. وهو الطاعةُ الواجبةُ المستمرةُ التي صارت خُلُقَ الإسلامِ. ولهذا فُسِّرَ حُسنُ الخُلُقِ بأنه الطريقُ الحقيقيُّ للدِّينِ، في قولِه تعالى: {وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ}. وقد قالَ ابنُ عباسٍ ~: سألتُ عائشةَ $ عن خُلُقِ النبيِّ ﷺ، فقالت: «كانَ خُلُقُهُ القرآنَ». والاعتقادُ الباطنُ يستلزمُ المحبةَ الصادقةَ والخضوعَ في عبادةِ اللهِ ~، بينما الاعتقادُ الظاهرُ لا يستلزمُ بالضرورةِ هذه المحبةَ، وإن كانت في جميعِ أفعالِ العبادةِ الظاهرةِ علاماتُ الطاعةِ والذلِّ. وقد سمّى اللهُ ~ يومَ القيامةِ يومَ الدِّينِ، وهو اليومُ الذي يُحاسَبُ فيه الناسُ على أعمالِهم، فينالُ الأخيارُ جزاءَ أعمالِهم الحسنةِ، ويُعاقَبُ الأشرارُ على أعمالِهم السيئةِ. ويُسمّى أيضًا يومَ الجزاءِ أو يومَ الحسابِ. قالَ اللهُ ~: {فَلَوْلَا إِن كُنتُمْ غَيْرَ مَدِينِينَ * تَرْجِعُونَهَا إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ}. نزلتْ هذه الآيةُ في كلِّ من ينكرُ البعثَ والحسابَ، وهم كفارٌ لأنهم ينكرون قدرةَ اللهِ وألوهيتَه وحكمتَه. وقد تحدّاهم اللهُ ~ أن يمنعوا ملكَ الموتِ من قبضِ أرواحِهم عند احتضارِهم، أو أن يُعيدوها إلى أجسادِهم بعد أن تُقبَض. والإسلامُ دينٌ تشريعيٌّ آمرٌ، وهو دينُ الحسابِ والجزاءِ في يومِ القيامةِ. واللهُ ~ لا يأمرُ إلا بما يحبُّه ويرضاه، وما يكرهُه ويبغضُه ينهى عنه. ولذلك فالإسلامُ، دينُ اللهِ، قائمٌ كلُّه على محبةِ اللهِ ورضاه. قال النبي ﷺ: «يجد طعم الإيمان من رضي بالله رباً، وبالإسلام ديناً، وبمحمد ﷺ رسولاً». يقوم الإسلام على المحبة، ولذلك شُرع وسُنّ، وعليها يقوم. وجانب الجزاء فيه يتمثل في مكافأة المحسن على إحسانه، ومعاقبة المسيء على إساءته، وكلاهما محبوب عند الله ﷻ، لأنهما صادران عن عدله وفضله، وهما من صفات كماله. والإسلام دين الله، وهو الصراط المستقيم، والله ﷻ على صراط مستقيم في أوامره ونواهيه، وثوابه وعقابه. وقد أخبرنا الله ﷻ عن نبيه هود ﷺ حين قال لقومه: ﴿إِنِّي أُشْهِدُ اللَّهَ وَاشْهَدُوا أَنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ، مِن دُونِهِ ۖ فَكِيدُونِي جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ لَا تُنظِرُونِ، إِنِّي تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّي وَرَبِّكُم ۚ مَّا مِن دَابَّةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَا ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾. فأعلن هود ﷺ إيمانه بقدرة الله ﷻ المطلقة، وأنه لا يخاف من قومه الكافرين، لأن أمورهم بيد الله ﷻ. وكلما آمن المسلم بأن الله ﷻ على صراط مستقيم في جميع أقداره، لم يعد يخشى أن يُظلم. وقال النبي ﷺ: «ما أصاب أحداً قطّ همٌّ ولا حزنٌ، فقال: اللهم إني عبدك، وابن عبدك، وابن أمتك، ناصيتي بيدك، ماضٍ فيّ حكمك، عدلٌ فيّ قضاؤك»… أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ، سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ، أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِي كِتَابِكَ، أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، أَوِ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِي عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ، أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيعَ قَلْبِي، وَنُورَ صَدْرِي، وَجَلَاءَ حُزْنِي، وَذَهَابَ هَمِّي. فَإِنَّ اللهَ يُذْهِبُ هَمَّهُ وَحُزْنَهُ، وَيُبَدِّلُهُ مَكَانَهُ فَرَجًا وَسُرُورًا. قَالَ الصَّحَابَةُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ، أَفَلَا نَتَعَلَّمُهَا؟ فَقَالَ ﷺ: «بَلَى، يَنْبَغِي لِكُلِّ مَنْ سَمِعَهَا أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَهَا». [1]

Religion is both an inner and manifest deed; and love and will form the basis of all those deeds. Religion is defined as obedience to Allah, worship of Allah, and good character beloved to Allah ~ - It is the necessary and continuous obedience (to Allah), which has become the character of Islam. It is for this reason that having good character has been interpreted as the true way of religion, in the Verse: (Verily, you (0 Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character.)2 lbn 'Abbas ~ said that he had asked 'Aishah $ about the character of the Prophet ~' to which she replied: "His character was the Qur'an." One's inner belief necessitates true love and submission, in worshipping Allah ~. whereas one's manifest belief does not necessarily require this love, despite the fact that there are signs of obedience and humiliation in all the visible actions of worship. Allah ~ called the Day of Resurrection, the Day of the Religion (Yawm-ud-Deen); it is the Day on which people are judged for their deeds, and receive good rewards for their good deeds, and punishment for their bad deeds. It is also called the Day of Requital or the Day of Reckoning. Allah ~ said: (Then why do you not, if you are exempt from this reckoning and recompense, bring back the soul to its body if you are truthful?) 1 This Verse was revealed to all those who deny the resurrection and reckoning; they are disbelievers because they deny God His Omnipotence, Godliness and Wisdom. Allah ~ challenges them to stop the Angel of Death from taking away their soul in their dying moments, or to bring it back again once it is taken away. Islam is a legislative and commanding religion, and the Religion of the Reckoning and Recompense of the Day of Resurrection. Allah ~ only commands what He loves and is pleased with, so whatever He ~ hates and dislikes He prohibits. Therefore, Islam, the Religion of Allah, is all based upon Allah ' s Love and Pleasure. The Prophet ~ said: "He would relish the flavour of faith (Iman) , whoever became pleased with Allah as Lord, with al- Islam as the code of life, and with Muhammad as the Messenger of Allah."2 Islam stands firmly with love, for which reason it has been prescribed and legislated, and upon which it is based. Its reckoning aspect consists of recompensing a good-doer for his/her beneficence, and an evil-doer for his/her misdeeds, as both matters are loved by Allah ~' for they are derived from His Justice and Graciousness, which are Attributes of His Perfection. Islam, the Religion of Allah is the Right Path, and Allah ~ is on the Right Path; in His Commands, Prohibitions, Rewards and Punishments. Allah ~ has, informed us about His Prophet Hud ~ ,, who said to his people: ("I call Allah to witness and bear witness upon you that I am free from that which you ascribe, as partners in worship with Him. So plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving living creature but He has the grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the Straight Path.")1 Hud ~I declared his belief in the Omnipotence of Allah ~. and that he did not fear his disbelieving people, whose affairs were under the Grasp of Allah~- Whenever a Muslim believes that Allah ~ is on the Straight Path, in all His Divine Decrees, he is no longer scared that he might be unjustly treated. The Prophet ~ said: "When a Muslim is afflicted with grief and distress, and says: 'O Allah, I am Your Servant, son of Your Servant, son of Your Maidservant, my forelock is in Your Hand, Your Command over me is forever executed, Your Decree over me is just. I ask You; by every Name belonging to You, which You named Yourself, or revealed in Your Book, or that You taught any of Your creation, or that You have preserved in the Knowledge of the unseen that is with You; that You make the Qur' an the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and the departure for my sorrow, and a release for my anxiety' , Allah ~ removes his worry and grief from him, and changes them to relief and pleasure." The Companions said: "Should we learn them?" He ~ replied: " Yes, every Muslim who has heard them should learn them." 1