Page 38 - The Importance of Following the Good Word

them…" (Surat an-Naml, 14), arrogance is one of the primary
causes of unbelief. A surge of arrogance and pride must im-
mediately put one on guard against Satan. In fact, it was for
this very reason that Satan was expelled from Allah's sight.
The Qur'an relates the incident as follows:
We created you and then formed you and then We said
to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam," and they pros-
trated–except for Iblis. He was not among those who
prostrated.
He [Allah] said, "What prevented you from prostrat-
ing when I commanded you to?" He [Iblis] replied, "I
am better than him. You created me from fire and You
created him from clay."
He [Allah] said, "Descend from Heaven. It is not for
you to be arrogant in it. So get out! You are one of the
abased." (Surat al-A`raf, 11-13)
As is described in these verses, for Satan, who claimed
himself superior to the Prophet Adam (as), it was a matter of
pride to not prostrate himself. It was for this reason that he
was expelled from Allah's sight. Indeed, the state of those
who follow in Satan's footsteps share much with him; they
also do not follow the good word, because they are vulnera-
ble to Satan's insinuations, and respond to reminders arro-
gantly. For instance, if such a person is warned against some
mistaken way of thinking, and called to that outlined in the
Qur'an, his pride would hinder him from obeying.
Consequently, he would not heed the reminder, nor ever cor-
rect his mistake. In another verse, Allah relates how arro-
gance misleads a person into sin:
When he is told to have fear of Allah, he is seized by

36 THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOWING THE GOOD WORD