Page 53 - Passivity in Religion

The Characteristics of the Passive

No one with good consciousness would want to wear such an ex-
pression, but these people are often found with this deadened look
because their minds are inactive.
The unclear consciousness of the passive, who live among
Muslims, can be noticed by those they speak with. For example,
their responses to questions are often ambiguous; their comments
seem either irrelevant or even incomprehensible. Moreover, it be-
comes immediately apparent that they cannot concentrate on the
question in hand. In the Qur'an, Allah refers to this state of undis-
cerning individuals:
Do you suppose that most of them hear or understand?
They are just like cattle. Indeed they are even more astray!
(Surat al-Furqan, 44)
Because these people are deprived of the ability to grasp the
real meaning of events, they look constantly surprised or alarmed.
If you ask them to complete a very simple task, they feel panic,
which ultimately prevents them from accomplishing it. Because
they cannot concentrate properly on even an ordinary task, they
are easily prone to harm themselves, as well as other people and
objects around them. In the Qur'an, Allah speaks of the confusion
of those who are insolent:
... We will abandon them to wander blindly in their exces-
sive insolence. (Surat al-An‘am, 110)
Those who do not pray to Allah, and have no desire to be sin-
cere Muslims, cannot engage in meaningful conversations at
length with believers. They have a very limited attention span,
and soon begin to feel unease and discomfort. Allah describes the
state of mind of those who do not truly believe:
When Allah desires to guide someone, He expands his
breast to Islam. When He desires to misguide someone, He
makes his breast narrow and constricted as if he were
climbing up into the sky. That is how Allah defiles those

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