Islam requires of us to believe in God and His Apostle and to observe Namaz, Roza, Zakat and Hajj, and to lead a life of piety and honest and goodness and gentility and moral and social rectitude and self-discipline. In the same way, it is also one of its fundamental teachings that we should hold God, the Prophet and the holy Faith dearer to our hearts than everything else, may it be our parents, children, life, honour, or property. In plain words what it means is that should a time come when it may involve the risk of life, honour or property or of any other worldly thing or interest to abide by the faith of Islam and to remain loyal to the injunctions of God and the Prophet then we must not break away from God and the Prophet and the holy Faith irrespective of what the consequences may be.

It has been stressed repeatedly in the Quran and the Tradition that those who may claim to be Muslims but do not possess as strong a devotion for God, the Prophet and the Faith as these are, in fact, not true Muslims. What is more, they are deserving of Divine chastisement.

Reads Sura-i-Tauba:
Say: “If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred: the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline; or the dwellings in which ye delight are dearer to you than God, and His Apostle, or the striving in His cause; then wait until God brings about His decision; and God guides not the rebellious.” (IX: 24)

Those who love their parents or children or life or honour or property more than they love God and care more for their protection or well-being than for His pleasure and the defence and progress of His faith are unquestionably disloyal to God and worthy of His punishment.

A Tradition says:
“He alone will taste the sweetness of the faith who possesses these three qualities: the love of God and the Prophet comes to him before everything else; he loves whom he loves solely for the sake of God; the idea of going back to apostasy after he has embraced Islam is as repugnant to him as being thrown into the fire.”

In the sight of God and the Prophet a true and genuine Muslim is a person whose devotion to God and His Apostle and the Faith is stronger than to any other person or thing in the world so much so that when he loves another human being he loves him for the sake of God, and who is so sincerely and powerfully attached to the Islamic faith that the very thought of leaving it and reverting back to apostasy may be as painful to him as being cast into fire.

Says the Prophet: “None of you can be an honest Muslim and a true believer unless his love for me exceeds the love he has for his parents, children or any other human being in the world.”

Brothers, Islam, really is nothing besides surrender and submission to God and the Prophet with all one's heart and soul and the readiness to sacrifice every attachment, longing or interest for the sake of the Faith as the holy Companions had done and as the state is of the true and devoted servants of God even today, however small may their number be. May we also be one of them!