IONA identifies itself with the slogan “Repentance, Revitalization of Faith, Renewal of Covenant.” A slogan is a catchphrase that puts in a nutshell what the organization is all about and what it stands for.
This is not to equate the slogan with the higher calling of a mission, Iqamat Uddin.
Repentance: This suggests that the members of IONA have given up the major sins and are extremely cautious about minor ones.
Through the internal struggle, they have transformed themselves into pious, righteous, God-fearing individuals who are constantly conscious of their Creator.
They are the ones who have turned towards their Lord and never look back.
Their attitudes are those of a true believer and they strive to reach the highest standard of moral conduct.
They constantly seek forgiveness of their Lord and struggle to earn His good pleasure.
Revitalization of Faith: It is through this internal struggle and the transformation of attitude that good behavior becomes manifest and noticeable.
IONA members become, according to the Qur’anic term, Ibadur-Rahman, servants of the Most-Merciful.
They draw themselves nearer and closer to their Lord through their faithful obedience to His commands.
The basic modes of worship become for them the spiritual exercise that rejuvenate their soul and intensify their love for their Creator.
The spiritual pleasure they receive in performing Tahajjud, nafl fasting, Infaq, and other acts of sincere devotion help them move towards a higher level of worship, the level of Ihsan.
Renewal of Covenant: These pious and virtuous acts of the believers will result in a collective effort for the eradication of evil in the society they live in.
Their deep rooted faith in their Lord gives them the much needed strength and courage to ordain what is good and wholesome and forbid evil, with the aim and objective of establishing a system based on justice and fair play so that the Lord, the Master of the universe, becomes truly supreme.
It is only through this collective effort of struggling to re-establish the limits and boundaries of Allah (SWT) that one may say that one had tried his/her utmost best to fulfill the covenant of Alast, the primordial covenant that Allah (SWT) took from all the human beings (5:127).
According to surah al-Tawbah (9:111), Allah (SWT) has indeed purchased everything from the believers in exchange for the priceless Paradise.
The very next ayah outlines the actual contract between the believer and Allah (SWT), which has been summarized in our slogan – Repentance; Revitalization of Faith; Renewal of Covenant.
May we live up to that bargain, Ameen.
