Page 103 - Self-Sacrifice in the Qur'an's Moral Teachings
P. 103

Harun Yahya - Adnan Oktar


            morality, and so resort to this technique to get what they want. But be-
            lievers reject this approach, for they consider the Qur'an's moral teach-
            ings as their measure in all things. In the Qur'an Allah describes a
            sincere attitude as one that seeks first to win Allah's favor. For this rea-
            son, believers can recognize those who hide behind excuses to avoid
            acts of self-sacrifice, for their excuses reveal their insincerity and weak
            belief.
                 Instead of engaging in a contest of goodness, such people only su-
            perficially adopt the Qur'an's moral teachings because, as they often
            claim, they do not have the strength. They can use this excuse in every as-
            pect of their daily lives, all the while claiming that they are sincere and
            that their hearts are pure. To convince others, they do not even hesitate
            to swear in Allah's name: "They will swear by Allah: 'Had we been able
            to, we would have gone out with you.' They are destroying their own
            selves. Allah knows that they are lying" (Surat at-Tawba: 42).
                 In one verse, Allah refutes their claim: "Allah does not impose on
            any self any more than it can stand. For it is what it has earned;
            against it is what it has brought upon itself" (Surat al-Baqara: 286).
            The fact that they say the opposite reveals the sickness in their hearts
            and their intention to avoid responsibility.

                 This is exactly what happened with Talut (or Saul) and those who
            followed him when Allah sent him to the people as their ruler and
            promised to test them with a river. When Talut asked the people not to
            drink from the river, most of them could not see the purpose in this
            order, ignored it and fulfilled their desires. Later on, using the excuse
            mentioned above, they withdrew on the grounds that they did not
            have the strength to fight alongside Talut. But those who knew that
            Allah would cause them to prevail, even though they had very little
            strength, kept their promise and followed Talut:




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