may be in the direction of greater integration or of disruption. They
may or may not be conducive to "spiritual" health. The
requirements of "spiritual" health are different from those of
physical health. Suppose a man somehow finds himself in
possession of a sum of money and spends it to buy butter and eggs.
His health will improve on this nourishing diet. Whether he had
honestly earned the money or had stolen it, makes no difference to
the effect on his health. But his "spiritual" health is a different
matter. It will suffer if the money had been stolen, even if he has put
it to a good use. We have, therefore, to distinguish between the
physical effects of our actions and their moral effects. The Law of
Requital, in the moral sphere, refers exclusively to the moral effects,
to the enhancement or deterioration of the human personality.
The above discussion leads to the following conclusions:
(a) Man's voluntary actions directly influence his personality.
(b) Dedication to a noble end results in the development of
personality.
(c) Indifference to, or denial of, absolute values leads to the
disintegration of the self.
(d) Man is responsible for his actions and must accept their
consequences.
(e) Man cannot shift the responsibility to anyone else.
The Qur'an lays stress on this last point:
Whosoever commits a wrong, commits it only against himself (4:111).
Again:
Whosoever goeth right, it is only for (the good of) his own self that he
goeth right, and whosoever erreth, erreth only to its hurt. No laden
self can bear another's load (17:15).
Man's responsibility for his actions is again stressed in the
following verse;
Each soul earns only on its own account, nor does any one bearing a
load shall bear another’s load (6:165).
The following verse leaves no doubt on the point that man can
attain his goal solely by his own efforts. No external help will avail
him at all:
No self will in aught avail another, nor will intercession be accepted
from it, nor will atonement be received from it, nor will they be helped
(2:48).
It is not only individuals who are subject to the Law of Requital:
nations too have to suffer if they fall into wrong courses. However,
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 154