ABSTRACT
Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. Several reasons can be cited for this phenomenal growth. First, Islam is a simple yet coherent monotheistic faith professing that it is the destiny of humankind to follow one universal God, Allah, who personifies justice, law and universal compassion for humankind, especially the downtrodden. Allah, the faith professes further, is not only passionately concerned with our faith but is also watchful over human affairs. This is because it is Allah who has created the temporal world with “Its” very invisible hands. It is noteworthy that in the Qur’an Allah is depicted as one who is neither begotten nor begets, though in some verses the masculine epithet is used for Allah. The purpose of human creation is cited as one in which the Almighty wants to test human resolve against temptations caused by a wide range of individualistic as well as social, economic, political and communal factors. Crime, violence, injustice, aggression, greed and corruption are among temptations that the faith warns believers against criminogenic impacts. Allah with all Its majestic and unlimited might is on the side of the righteous, declares the Qur’an, in various verses as, for example, in cxiv, 1 through 6, whereby believers are told to seek refuge in the embrace of Allah from the temptations of evil forces which “whisper” in our hearts to us to entice us to commit evil deeds. It is the “duty” of men and women of faith to resist temptations. The faithful, instead of choosing the route of crime and evil deeds, should choose the righteous path that the Almighty has instituted.
