Page 66 - The Debased Culture of Superficiality

64 THE DEBASED CULTURE OF SUPERFICIALITY

That night they came back to their father in tears, say-
ing, “Father, we went out to run a race and left Yusuf
together with our things and then a wolf appeared and
ate him up but you are never going to believe us now,
not even though we really tell the truth.” (Surah Yusuf:
16-17)
And despite the fact that they openly lied, as if they
would be blamed unjustly, they tried to present themselves
as wronged. Yusuf (as) had a good moral character from
childhood; he was a blessed individual praised by Allah. But
his brothers undertook to murder him even though he was
their brother. To put it plainly, they were treacherous. But,
with his insight, Ya‘qub (as) immediately understood the
deceitfulness of his sons and told them that what they had
done came from their lower selves:
. . . “It is merely that your lower selves have suggested
something to you which you did . . . ” (Surah Yusuf: 18)
Whether they are right or wrong, those who live in the
debased culture of superficiality, want to make people pity
them. They constantly talk about their anxieties, pain and
difficulties. Feeling sorry for themselves, they explain how
they came into such straits. They exemplify a person who
has not committed himself to Allah. From the tearful help-
lessness with which they speak, it can be easily seen that
they do not practice the moral teachings of the Qur’an.
However, a person who knows that everything is under
Allah’s control would never let himself speak in this shallow
way, but would firmly demonstrate in his words that Allah
is always with him. With the strength Allah gives him, he