Page 94 - The Importance of Patience in the Qur’an

92 THE IMPORTANCE OF PATIENCE IN THE QUR'AN

believe. Allah has sealed up their hearts and hearing and over
their eyes is a blindfold. They will have a terrible punishment.
(Surat al-Baqara: 6-7)
… They have hearts with which they do not understand. They
have eyes with which they do not see. They have ears with which
they do not hear. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even
further astray! They are the unaware. (Surat al-A'raf: 179)
Even if We opened up to them a door into heaven, and they spent
the day ascending through it, they would only say: "Our eyesight
is befuddled! Or rather we have been put under a spell!" (Surat
al-Hijr: 14-15)

Words cannot express just how astonishing it is that this spell
should hold such a wide community in thrall, keep people from the
truth, and not be broken for 150 years. It is understandable that one or
a few people might believe in impossible scenarios and claims full of
stupidity and illogicality. However, "magic" is the only possible
explanation for people from all over the world believing that
unconscious and lifeless atoms suddenly decided to come together
and form a universe that functions with a flawless system of
organization, discipline, reason, and consciousness; a planet named
Earth with all of its features so perfectly suited to life; and living things
full of countless complex systems.
In fact, the Qur'an relates the incident of Prophet Musa and
Pharaoh to show that some people who support atheistic philosophies
actually influence others by magic. When Pharaoh was told about the
true religion, he told Prophet Musa to meet with his own magicians.
When Musa did so, he told them to demonstrate their abilities first.
The verses continue:
He said: "You throw." And when they threw, they cast a spell on
the people's eyes and caused them to feel great fear of them. They