Page 42 - The Courage of the Faithful
P. 42

THE COURAGE OF THE FA I T H F U L

           c rease still further when he is confronted with a problem, or when he is
           the brunt of accusations from others, because he knows it to be a test
           f rom Allah. As pointed out earlier, Allah has promised that diff i c u l t i e s
           similar to the ones which afflicted those who lived in the past will be
           visited on the sincere faithful, and that in this way He will test them.
           Also, a fact that should not be forgotten is that those of base morality

           never condemn those they re g a rd as their own, because such people
           know that they are their needed allies in their deviance. They try to in-
           timidate those who invite them to follow the path of Allah.
                Most hold back from pointing out what is wrong. They cannot
           find the courage to fight for what they know to be right. Those who
           behave conscientiously, however, are the faithful who fear A l l a h .
           And,  because  of  this,  they  never  run  from  any  re s p o n s i b i l i t y.

           Although they know that they will suffer slanders from the unbeliev-
           ers who oppose them, and be subjected to persecution, they continue
           to inform others of Allah's existence, His unity and the morality
           which He has commanded, and persist in their struggle with enthusi-
           asm and determination.
                T h roughout history, one of the most salient characteristics of the
           faithful who opposed unbelievers was their acceptance of the great re-
           sponsibility of propagating religious morality, a task which they ful-
           filled courageously. That the faithful persist in conveying good morals,

           even when threatened, astonishes the unbelievers. What encouraged
           both the prophets and those who followed them to remain steadfast
           and be courageous was their faith in Allah. They were certain of the fact
           that Allah was watching over them, of the truth of the Here a f t e r, and
           that they would be called to account for their actions in this world.
                To fully appreciate the courage of the faithful, it is first necessary


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