Page 27 - The Courage of the Faithful

The Difference Between Courage According to the Qur'an and Courage
According to Society
the limits otherwise set by society.
In a society whose culture does not hold the Qur'an supre m e ,
this deviated notion knows no limits. A thief may regard himself as
courageous, and claim that his business is one which requires a great
deal of audacity. Each evaluates situations diff e re n t l y. Because
everybody is sure that his opinion is correct, conflicts inevitably

arise between those who admire their own opinions and their own
value judgments.
On the other hand, when people act according to the Qur'an,
they are adhering to the noblest and most correct model of morality.
True courage, according to the Qur'an, bears no relationship whatso-
ever to the notions listed above. According to the Qur'an, courage is
a soundness of character, which springs from trusting in and relying

on Allah, and devoting one's life to Him at all times. As we will ex-
plain in later chapters, the best examples of this soundness of char-
acter can be seen in the lives of the prophets sent by Allah.
What we learn from their examples mentioned in the Qur'an is
that courage must be rational. Allah calls on us to use our intelli-
gence, and in a verse refers to those who do not as such:
No self can believe except with Allah's permission. He
places a blight on those who do not use their intellect.
(Surah Yunus, 100)

Rational courage will be successful. According to what society
recognizes, courage is a "blind spirit of adventure". Those motivated
by such spirit of adventure, and who are reckless, are greatly ad-
mired by the rest of society. For example, one who goes into a burn-
ing home and tries to remove his valuables may be regarded as very
brave. However, this person is doing something extremely danger-

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