Page 85 - Passivity in Religion

The Characteristics of the Passive

Those Arabs who remained behind will say to you, "Our
wealth and families kept us occupied, so ask forgiveness
for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their
hearts... (Surat al-Fath, 11)
... Some of them asked the Prophet to excuse them, saying,
"Our houses are exposed," when they were not exposed; it was
merely that they wanted to run away. (Surat al-Ahzab, 13)

They Are Jealous and Arrogant
Allah grants everyone certain qualities and abilities they are
born with. Like everything else, these qualities are created ac-
cording to a pre-determined fate. Everyone possesses beauty, in-
telligence, talents and other qualities to the extent that Allah
wills. Despite this evident fact, some want to claim their abilities
as of their own making. As the verse "They have become arro-
gant about themselves." (Surat al-Furqan, 21) says, they are igno-
rant to the point of becoming proud and arrogant of the qualities
they possess.
Forgetting that they are so helpless as to even be unable to fin-
ish a sentence because of losing their train of thought, and, that
they could never recall what they had intended to say without the
will of Allah, these people believe that the knowledge they have
accumulated over the years is an achievement of their own doing.
Or, they may become obsessed over aspects of their character
which appear to them deficient in comparison to others. So, they
forget that Allah is the Creator and Ruler of all things, and think of
themselves as independent creatures (Surely Allah is beyond what
they claim). At the heart of this warped thinking is their pride.
However, like all creatures, Allah created them too from nothing
and, like all creatures, they are weak and helpless. And, their Lord

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