Page 131 - The Debased Culture of Superficiality

Harun Yahya - Adnan Oktar 129

lowing his lower self and, as Allah points out in the Qur’an,
he will try to cleanse his self from wickedness:
He who purifies it has succeeded, he who covers it up has
failed. (Surat ash-Shams: 9-10)
Not following the superficiality of the lower self is an
important matter for a person who wants to escape from this
kind of character. It is possible only by practicing the pre-
cepts of the Qur’an. The lower self is the source of deceit and
wickedness and leads people to pursue empty and harmful
things; in short, it is the source of much falsehood and super-
ficiality. From it spring selfishness, pride, ambition, greed,
anger and all kinds of wickedness in thought and deed. In
order not to fall into superficiality and suffer harm in this
world and the next, one must not follow one’s lower self. In
the Qur’an, Allah tells us about some advice that the Prophet
Musa (as) gave to his people:

“. . . You wronged yourselves by adopting the calf so turn
towards your Maker and kill your own selves. That is the
best thing for you in your Maker’s sight . . .” (Surat al-
Baqara: 54)
Those who purify their selves gain understanding and
maturity and distance themselves from everything superfi-
cial. Allah tells us that human beings can gain honor only by
obeying the Qur’an:
. . . We have given them their dhikr [that by which one is
remembered, i.e., with praise], but they have turned
away from it. (Surat al- Muminun: 71)
For this reason, Muslims who fully apply the verses of the