Page 51 - Passivity in Religion

How Do They Aim to Demoralize Muslims?

Allah tells us in the Qur'an how wrong their assessment is:
... How many a small force has triumphed over a much greater
one by Allah's permission! Allah is with the steadfast. (Surat
al-Baqara, 249)
Such people try to make the believers lose their hope, deterring
them from every act of service, by making it seem too burdensome.
For example, before carrying out a task for the purpose of disseminat-
ing Islamic morality, they insist that no one will appreciate it, therefore
claiming there is no need to engage in such an effort. By this, their aim
is, first of all, to dampen the zeal of the believers. Or, to impede their
efforts in disseminating the moral teachings of the Qur'an, they pro-
pose that, instead of reaching as many people as possible, it is enough
for believers to advance slowly, and to reach only those in their inner-
circle. Their hope is to weigh them down and prevent them from gain-
ing further strength. They put forward these proposals to feign as if
they intend only to help the believers or to give them advice. Their real
intention, however, is to nip the believers' every action in the bud,
hoping to lead them into despair and weaken their determination.
But believers cannot be caused to despair by such deceptive
means; on the contrary, they are instead emboldened by them; they
realize that it is Allah Who creates everything even though it may ap-
pear to be an obstacle. And, for a devout believer, there is no difficulty
that cannot be surmounted with the help of Allah, Who it is Who can
also bring about that which is good. It is this knowledge that inspires
a believer with his unwavering hope, whatever the circumstances.
Therefore, he will never be negative in his outlook, and believes that
the service he performs will always turn out for the best. Sincere be-
lievers, and those who walk in the way of the prophets, are aware that
the Lord has promised them assistance towards victory. The Lord has
made this promise to those who believe:
Our Word was given before to Our servants, the messengers,
that they would certainly be helped. (Surat as-Saffat, 171-172)

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