Page 86 - Perfected Faith

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PERFECTED FAITH

of perfected faith does not stipulate conditions for being a servant to
Allah. The sort of faith which is unbounded by any conditions is the
true faith. In this sense, the faith of the magicians was a sincere, per-
fected faith, in that it was unconditional.

The Owner of Gardens
Allah revealed the story of two men to the Prophet Muhammad
(saas). Thus all those who live until the Day of Judgment will learn
about the story of these people who lived centuries ago:
Give them the example of two men, to one of whom We gave
two gardens of grape-vines and surrounded them with date-
palms, putting between them some cultivated land. Both gar-
dens yielded their crops and did not suffer any loss, and We
made a river flow right through the middle of them. He was a
man of wealth and property … (Surat al-Kahf, 32-34).
The conduct of the rich man is mentioned in the Qur'an as belong-
ing to type of a character from which we need to learn a lesson. The
moderate attitude of the second man, on the other hand, is typical of
a person of perfected faith.
The wealthy man was extremely spoilt and self-assured because of
the wealth he possessed. His fruitful gardens and the beauty of their
appearance were the main source of his self-confidence. Just because
he was richer and more powerful than the other man, he dared to act
haughtily and arrogantly:
… and he said to his companion, debating with him, "I have
more wealth than you and more people under me." (Surat al-
Kahf, 34)
Seeing the beauty and fruitfulness of his gardens, this man thought
he was not in need of Allah or His religion to be strong, and thus as-
sumed a self-sufficient and unwise attitude:
He entered his garden and wronged himself by saying, "I do not