Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
GOD-ORIENTED LIFE
A believer keeps to the path of God. Living in higher realities, he settles life’s issues thinking not of temporary gains, but of accountability to God and the Hereafter.
The aim of Islam is to develop in individuals the ability to lead a life of God-worship in this world, and an abhorrence of the ungodly life. Life is ungodly when a person’s interests are focused on something other than God; all his attention is given to the creations of God and not to the Creator. The thinking, and the emotions of the true believer are centred wholly on the Being of the one God. When a person opts for a path to reach a certain destination, he has to keep to this path without turning right or left, because if he did so, he would never reach his destination. The same holds true for anyone who wants to find God.
In the present world, when a person wants to begin his life, he finds many paths to take. There is a single path which leads to God, while there are many other paths which divert him and lead him to another destination. The true seeker of God keeps sedulously to the path of God. He takes extra care not to turn to the right or left. If he keeps to the right path leading towards God, he will certainly reach God. On the contrary, one who turns to the right or left will lose his way, and will never be able to reach God.
Wavering from one path to another means that a person becomes subservient to his desires. He attaches importance to worldly interests. He becomes a prey to such feelings as anger, hatred, jealousy and egoism. He recklessly takes any path which he finds before him.
On the contrary, the path leading to God opens up only to one who thinks deeply on the higher realities; who prudently sets his course by serious decisions. He is one who settles the issues of his life on the basis of accountability in the Hereafter rather than on the basis of mere temporary gains or whimsical motivations.