The Quran is a complete and fully-detailed road map to guide us to the path of God. God is so Merciful that He has guaranteed that upholding His laws in the Quran will get us into His kingdom. The believers strive to obey God's commandments and lead a righteous life. While pursuing that, they soon realize that the fulfillment of God's commandments also help them to lead a well-balanced life. Everything that God has encouraged and forbidden us to do is actually for our well being and integrity, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

All of God's commandments should be followed simply because He told us to. Believers simply hear and obey (2:285, 24:51). We might fail sometimes to recognize the divine wisdom behind some of God's commandments, but when we follow these commandments, we start to realize and appreciate their benefits, aside from growing our souls and attaining salvation.

- For example, 5:91 states in general the disastrous consequences of following Satan's recommendations in the verse before that, 5:90, which are animosity and straying from the straight path of God through the negligence of our religious duties:

However, those who have gone through these Satanic recommendations or watched others suffering from them can truly comprehend the wisdom in 5:91 and see the whole picture of such abominations. Intoxicants such as drugs and alcohol alter chemicals in our brains and cause irrational behavior, changes in our moods, and affect the ability to make correct decisions and judgment. They also negatively affect our health in many ways, ultimately causing self-destruction. Of course, we also cannot forget the thousands of traffic fatalities caused by driving under the influence each year. Gambling and games of chance can lead to an addiction that distracts us from leading a normal life and doing our jobs with reasonable capacity and performance. They also lead to wasting our resources, which in return will affect our family structure. So, in addition to keeping us on the righteous, straight path, following the commands in 5:90 keeps us more mentally and behaviorally stable, healthy, and happy individuals, families, and societies.

- Maintaining our chastity before marriage, avoiding adultery, and keeping up with our dress code are again some divine commands that we simply must abide by if we claim we are believers. It is clearly stated in the following verses how obeying these commands will enhance morality and help with our safety:

Based on the unfortunate reality around us, we learn that having intimate relationships with the opposite sex before marriage can lead to unwanted pregnancies, sexually-transmitted diseases, and emotional attachments/breakdowns. These can lead to additional stress, and in the worst cases, depression. Simply maintaining friendships, with no physical contact, will help to avoid these situations and make our lives much easier. Adultery has been one of the most destructive behaviors to the sacred family values instituted by God. Breaking up marriages with all the pain of the divorce process is another expected harm.

Along the same lines, we, women and men, are commanded to subdue our eyes. This helps us both to control certain urges and prevent us from being distracted by our desires, hence becoming more balanced, healthy, and productive. Women should follow a certain dress code. They should cover the necessary parts of their bodies, cover their chests, and lengthen their garments. They are also prohibited from walking and shaking their bodies in a certain way. Obeying these laws helps women gain respect and protects them from bad situations, such as rape.

- Also, there are four kinds of food that God prohibits us from eating in the Quran:

In addition to the soul benefits of these prohibitions, there are also health benefits. Blood can obviously carry all kinds of viruses and diseases. Animals that die of themselves might carry specific harmful germs. It is a health hazard not to know the actual causes of their death. Also, a parasite called Trichinella Spiralis and the tapeworm Taenia Solium are known to survive in the meat of pigs. Thus, we avoid these health risks when we avoid these foods. Eating from what is not dedicated to God alone sets a very bad example by compromising our monotheistic beliefs.

- Charity is another command that has its hidden values besides, of course, being one of the major obligatory rites. Helping the parents, relatives, the poor, and the needy makes us more aware and considerate of people's needs. Without even realizing it, we become less selfish and less stingy the more we practice this rite. Most believers also get a sense of satisfaction and self-fulfillment when they help others. So when we give to charity, we not only please God and hopefully the recipients, but we also please ourselves.

- In addition to keeping us guided, and benefiting from its dynamic values, reciting Quran contributes to improved mental health and more positive attitudes. Reading the Quran and being reminded of why we are here, that God is in full control, and everything happens according to the will of God, help us to stay positive and to stress less. Imploration and meditation also help us to maintain a state of peace and clarity. When we remember God, we remember the purpose of our lives and all of His blessings. We remember that only God forgives us and only God can provide for us. And of course, the more we remember God, the more He remembers us.

- Observing the daily contact prayers is also a religious duty we are required to do to be redeemed. In addition to that, praying five times a day at certain time-intervals, as well as the ablution before each prayer, teach us to have a lot of discipline. From praying we also learn to have focus and concentration, which can be very hard to master. Besides being a feast for the soul, fasting during Ramadan also teaches us a sense of focus, control, and discipline. Fasting also helps us to learn that we can do anything we put our minds to, or change any routine we are used to with God's help.

- Another commandment from God is to treat the believers with kindness (48:29, 17:53). God tells us how to do this through other commandments, such as respecting and honoring our parents (17:23-24). Saying "Peace" when we greet others (6:54, 4:86), and making room when being asked to move are ways of being courteous towards others (58:11). We are told to walk the earth gently and be humble (17:47), and we are also prohibited from mocking people (49:11). All of these commandments help us to be kind, considerate, and compassionate. We earn credit by obeying God almighty and being kind to one another. With the same token of kindness, we become better individuals overall and we manage to improve our relationships with others, family-wise and community-wise.

- Finally, God commands us to be patient in the Quran. Being patient can relieve a lot of worry and stress in almost all situations. Patience also enhances and sometimes saves relations and makes us avoid a lot of unnecessary problems and disputes. Resorting to patience reflects our inner strength (42:43), but at the same time, gives us a golden opportunity to reflect deep inside us, develop rational methodologies, and make better decisions. Patience certainly assists in making us go through almost any struggle.

Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.