The winners

Who are the winners (righteous)? Who really are the believers, submitters, righteous and virtuous people what traits make them so special that God promised them happiness in this life and the greatest triumph in the hereafter?

Who are the righteous (blueprint of righteousness)?

Who are the winners? Who are the believers, submitters, righteous and virtuous people what traits make them so special that God promised them happiness in this life and the greatest triumph in the hereafter?

“Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who believe in GOD, the Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets; and they give the money, cheerfully, to the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the traveling alien, the beggars, and to free the slaves; and they observe Salat and give Zakat; and they keep their word whenever they make a promise; and they steadfastly persevere in the face of persecution, hardship, and war. These are the truthful; these are the righteous” (Quran: 2:177)

Some of the traits of righteous have been presented in the table above. God sites grades and additional traits of such righteous men and righteous women in the Quran as below:
The submitting men, the submitting women, the believing men, the believing women, the obedient men, the obedient women, the truthful men, the truthful women, the steadfast men, the steadfast women, the reverent men, the reverent women, the charitable men, the charitable women, the fasting men, the fasting women, the chaste men, the chaste women, and the men who commemorate GOD frequently, and the commemorating women; GOD has prepared for them forgiveness and a great recompense. (Quran 33:35)

Some additional traits for the righteous are also mentioned in the Quran:
The worshipers of the Most Gracious are those who tread the earth gently, and when the ignorant speak to them, they only utter peace. In the privacy of the night, they meditate on their Lord, and fall prostrate. And they say, "Our Lord, spare us the agony of Hell; its retribution is horrendous. "It is the worst abode; the worst destiny." When they give, they are neither extravagant, nor stingy; they give in moderation. They never implore beside GOD any other God, nor do they kill any soul—for GOD has made life sacred—except in the course of justice. Nor do they commit adultery. Those who commit these offenses will have to pay. Retribution is doubled for them on the Day of Resurrection, and they abide therein humiliated.
Exempted are those who repent, believe, and lead a righteous life. GOD transforms their sins into credits. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful. Those who repent and lead a righteous life, GOD redeems them; a complete redemption.

They do not bear false witness. When they encounter vain talk, they ignore it. When reminded of their Lord's revelations, they never react to them as if they were deaf and blind. And they say, "Our Lord, let our spouses and children be a source of joy for us, and keep us in the forefront of the righteous”. These are the ones who attain Paradise in return for their steadfastness; they are received therein with joyous greetings and peace. Eternally they abide therein; what a beautiful destiny; what a beautiful abode. Say, "You attain value at my Lord only through your worship. But if you disbelieve, you incur the inevitable consequences."
(Quran 25:63 through 25:77)

Indeed, the human being is anxious. If touched by adversity, despondent. If blessed by wealth, stingy. Except for the worshipers (believers). Who always observe their contact prayers (Salat). Part of their money is set aside. For the poor and the needy. They believe in the Day of Judgment. They reverence their Lord's requital. Their Lord's requital is not taken for granted. They keep their chastity.

(They have relations) only with their spouses, or what is legally theirs—anyone who transgresses these limits is a sinner—And the believers keep their word; they are trustworthy. Their testimony is truthful. They consistently observe their contact prayers (Salat), on time. They have deserved a position of honor, in Paradise. (Quran 70:19 through 70:35)

"(the righteous pray to God) And decree for us righteousness in this world, and in the Hereafter. We have repented to You." He (God) said, "My retribution befalls whomever I will. But My mercy encompasses all things. However, I will specify it for those who (1) lead a righteous life, (2) give the obligatory charity (Zakat), (3) believe in our revelations, and (4) follow the messenger, the gentile prophet (Muhammad), whom they find written in their Torah and Gospel. He exhorts them to be righteous, enjoins them from evil, allows for them all good food, and prohibits that which is bad, and unloads the burdens and the shackles imposed upon them. Those who believe in him, respect him, support him, and follow the light that came with him are the successful ones." (Quran 7:156-157)

As for the righteous, when they are asked, "What do you think of these revelations from your Lord," they say, "Good." For those who lead a righteous life, happiness, and the abode of the Hereafter is even better. What a blissful abode for the righteous. (Quran 16:30)

God’s Sifting Process

As mentioned earlier, the life of this world is designed to be a test so God will distinguish the bad from the good. God puts us through a sifting process, and the sieves are designed to catch the drop outs. In this metaphor, what passes through the sieve will be saved. As inferred from various verses of Quran, only well nourished, developed, purified, and refined souls will be redeemed by God.

Do you expect to enter Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were tested with hardship and adversity, and were shaken up, until the messenger and those who believed with him said, "Where is GOD's victory?" GOD's victory is near. (Quran 2:214)

You will certainly be tested, through your money and your lives, and you will hear from those who received the scripture, and from the idol worshipers, a lot of insult. If you steadfastly persevere and lead a righteous life, this will prove the strength of your faith. (Quran 3:186)

They thought that they would not be tested, so they turned blind and deaf, then GOD redeemed them, but then many of them turned blind and deaf again. GOD is Seer of everything they do. (Quran 5:71)

We scattered them among many communities throughout the land. Some of them were righteous, and some were less than righteous. We tested them with prosperity and hardship, that they may return. (Quran 7:168)

We have tested those before them, for GOD must distinguish those who are truthful, and He must expose the liars. (Quran 29:3)

The type and number of tests and stages in the sifting process are dictated by God and only He controls the individual’s outcome. As you can see only a minority of minority is going to deserve redemption. The tests are designed to bring out true convictions but it does not mean they are impossible tests. The fact is that God makes it easier once someone steadfastly perseveres after establishing belief, nourishes and develops his/her soul by establishing regular contact prayers and by observing obligatory charity.

God wants us to get out of our autopilot mode where we are controlled and managed by our surroundings and not by our own intellect. Numerous verses in Quran direct us to ponder, take heed, see, hear and explore. Quran encourages learning by exploration and deeper understanding and not blindly following what we see parents, relatives or society doing! Life chance given to us to redeem ourselves is a precious opportunity and is a very serious matter.

Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds. (Quran 74:38)

God warned us numerous times in Quran to choose the path wisely. See the verses (5:119; 9:72; 9:100; 9:111; 10:64; 48:5) where God pointed out that the greatest triumph in the hereafter would be if one would even barely make it to Heaven by escaping the Hell.

Every person tastes death, then you receive your recompense on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever misses Hell, barely, and makes it to Paradise, has attained a great triumph. The life of this world is no more than an illusion. (Quran 3:185)

Don’t pay attention nor listen to the falsified information through media or anyone else, verify it for yourself through the Quran (Final Testament of God) as it is the only Criterion (Furqan in Arabic). We should gauge information we receive and if something does not sound right and does not go along with the spirit of Quran, we should not accept it, and if already part of our upbringing, we need to correct or abandon it. When we hear something or others bring up a subject or an issue, we should ask the question, is it pertinent to our salvation or not? If not, we should not waste our time and energy on such issue. We need to purify our belief and actions, so they are absolutely dedicated to God alone and remove or discard any parts that are for reverencing human servants of God.

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