Page 12 - The Debased Culture of Superficiality

10 THE DEBASED CULTURE OF SUPERFICIALITY

that superficiality—with its ways of speaking and thinking
and its particular codes of behavior—actually becomes a
sort of false religion.
However, superficiality is a major behavioral aberration
that prevents any individual from living a good moral life,
developing a quality personality and thinking admirable
thoughts. Anyone who adopts this false “Religion of
Superficiality” can never practice true religious morality,
even if he claims to be religious. He may claim that he is a
Muslim and believes in Allah, but so long as he is not saved
from this superficial sickness, he cannot practice the moral
teachings of the Qur’an in any valid sense. In this regard, the
Qur’an tells us about the shallow and superficial moral
understanding of a group of individuals: a group of
Bedouins who lived in the time of the Prophet Muhammad
(saas). The following chapters will examine the superficial
behavior and way of thinking of these Bedouins in the light
of the Qur’an. Allah reveals that they were different from
real Muslims and that faith had not really taken root in their
hearts:
The desert Arabs say, “We believe.” Say: “You do not
believe.” Say rather, "We have become Muslim," for
faith has not yet entered into your hearts. (Surat al-
Hujurat: 14)
True Muslims who fashion their behavior purely accord-
ing to the moral teachings of the Qur’an avoid shallow
behavior and superficial thinking because they lead a moral
life that Allah has chosen for them and that is most befitting
their nature. Everything they do, say and think reflects their