Page 69 - Passivity in Religion

The Characteristics of the Passive

For devout Muslims, whose understanding of true morality is
based on the Qur'an, love, sincerity and friendship, with a view to
the afterlife, are all extremely important, and they are able to read
fondness and love in the face of a sincere individual. However,
they rightly look with suspicion on those who are cold, distant,
and from whom they cannot sense love. They suspect that, behind
this aloofness, lies a malevolence and antagonism against
Muslims. Allah commands Muslims not to trust these people, or
take them into their confidence, explaining that the treachery they
hide in their breast is even greater than it appears to be on the sur-
face:
You who believe! Do not take any outside yourselves as in-
timates. They will do anything to harm you. They love
what causes you distress. Hatred has appeared out of their
mouths, but what their breasts hide is far worse. We have
made the signs clear to you if you use your intellect. (Surah
Al ‘Imran, 118)

They Do Not Remember Allah
One of the most telling characteristics of Muslims is that they
always remember Allah. In their discussions, they continually
praise and exalt Him with heartfelt respect. But, those who want
to propagate passivity among the Muslims, speak as little as they
can of Allah. Even, they will try to avoid as much as possible those
places where Allah is remembered. In one verse, it is said:
We have placed covers on their hearts, preventing them
from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. When
you mention your Lord alone in the Qur'an, they turn their
backs and run away. (Surat al-Isra', 46)
As Allah says in this verse, Satan has ensnared these individu-
als and made them forget the remembrance of Him (Surat al-

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