Page 18 - The Courage of the Faithful

THE COURAGE OF THE FA I T H F U L

unable to withstand the criticism of those around him, and be in-
clined to his own selfish interest. But, if this person is a believer in
Allah, who follows the Qur'an, he never hesitates in implementing
the morality which Allah has commanded.
This person listens to his conscience and has the courage to
fight for justice, even under the most difficult circumstances. When
he encounters a wrong, he tries to counter it with virtue, as in-

s t ructed in the verse. For this reason, he may be accused of being
naïve, and be looked down on by those who do not follow the
morality of the Qur'an. Nevertheless, he persists in his superior
morality, even if those around him mock his behavior. A fine exam-
ple is given in the Qur'an of not fearing the condemnation of accus-
ers, but remaining brave and showing determination:
You who believe! If any of you renounce your religion,

Allah will bring forward a people whom He loves and who
love Him, humble to the believers, fierce to the disbeliev -
ers, who strive in the Way of Allah and do not fear the
blame of any censurer. That is the unbounded favor of
Allah which He gives to whoever He wills. Allah is
Boundless, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 54)
We can explain this matter further with examples from our own
lives. A person meets a poor man in the street who needs help. He
wants to help, but those around him try to dissuade him. "Leave

him be," they say, and, "Is it your job to help him?" mockingly to pre-
vent him from doing so. In such a situation, the person is faced with
a choice.
Some, fearing that their friends will look down on them, or that
they may lose them, reject the right moral way and leave the needy

16