Page 78 - Zeal and Enthusiasm in the Qur'an

Zeal and Enthusiasm Described in the Qur’an

ers is their sincere devotion to Allah, while these people lack
strong faith in their hearts. Although they express belief, they are
not believers in the true sense. Of this Allah says the following:
"And of the people are some who say, ‘We believe in Allah
and the Last Day,’ but they are not believers. They [think to]
deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive not
except themselves and perceive it not." 112

What they state is vastly different from what they conceal
within themselves, mainly due to "sickness" in their hearts. This
fact is also stated in the Qur’an:
"In their hearts is disease, so Allah has increased their dis-
ease; and for them is a painful punishment because they
[habitually] used to lie." 113
It is not a disease in the physical sense but is of a spiritual na-

ture. One in whose heart is such an illness fails to comprehend
faith properly or live by it. Although he sees obvious signs of
Allah’s existence, he cannot submit his heart to Him and fails to
meticulously observe His limits. He is unable to live by Allah’s reli-
gion completely because although his conscience guides him to
the right, he is too weak to practice what his tongue confirms.
Compared to the blessings of paradise, he considers worldly ben-
efits much more easily attainable. Hence, he becomes deeply at-
tached to this world and does not adequately value the hereafter.

Their presence among believers

It is surely interesting to note that those in whose hearts is dis-
ease prefer to live with believers although they do not share the
same ideals. One reason for this preference is that such people
desire to benefit from the advantages of religious morality and the

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