Page 34 - The Debased Culture of Superficiality

32 THE DEBASED CULTURE OF SUPERFICIALITY

thinks that human beings are absolute entities, and that their
reactions result from a chain of chance occurrences.
Therefore, he adjusts all his expressions, reactions, way of
life and future plans in favor of his relationships with others.
A person unaware of Allah’s existence and infinite
power, or who is aware but sees nothing wrong with the
false religion of superficiality, cannot truthfully say that he
fears Allah. So it seldom occurs to him that he should make
preparations for the next life. He does not hold the ideal of
developing his personality and raising his morality to a level
that will please Allah and be worthy of Paradise.

An Example from the Qur’an of a Person
with Superficial Ideals:
The Israelites who Followed Samaritan
Allah tells in the Qur’an about the general behavior of the
peoples addressed by the prophets with regard to the Divine
judgments. Many of their superior moral qualities are
underscored, such as their patience, determination in faith
and their trust and discernment in the face of the difficulties
brought against them while they were conveying the mes-
sage. In one story about the Prophet Musa (as) teaching the
Israelites about the religion of Allah, the Qur’an mentions a
person called Samaritan who, when Musa (as) was not
among the people, seized the opportunity to incite spiritual
corruption among them and urge them to worship idols. He
then tried to distance them from their faith.
We are told in the Qur’an that Musa (as) left his people and
went up to Mount Sinai to receive a revelation from Allah: