Page 105 - Self-Sacrifice in the Qur'an's Moral Teachings
P. 105
Harun Yahya - Adnan Oktar
When Talut marched out with the army, he said: "Allah will
test you with a river. Anyone who drinks from it is not with
me. But anyone who does not taste it is with me – except for
him who merely scoops up a little in his hand." But they drank
from it – except for a few of them. Then when he and those
who believed had crossed it, they said: "We do not have the
strength to face Goliath and his troops today." But those who
were sure that they were going to meet Allah said: "How many
a small force has triumphed over a much greater one by Allah's
permission. Allah is with the steadfast." (Surat al-Baqara: 249)
Those who seek to avoid self-sacrifice sometimes maintain that
circumstances forced them into a certain situation against their will. For ex-
ample:
Those who were left behind were glad to stay behind the mes-
senger of Allah. They did not want to strive with their wealth
and themselves in the way of Allah. They said: "Do not go out
to fight in the heat." Say: "The Fire of Hell is much hotter, if
they only understood." (Surat at-Tawba: 81)
They wanted to hide their insincerity; however, their excuse,
which they hoped would be accepted, only showed the degree of their
self-deception. Allah says that He will burden an individual only with
the amount of responsibility he or she can bear, and that along with the
difficulty He will create the ability to endure it. Believers who know
that Allah helps and supports His servants never believe that such an
excuse is sincere. Just as He created the heat of the day, He also gave
these people the opportunity to serve and sacrifice.
Allah can change the temperature or enable people to endure the
heat. Those who hide behind insincere excuses know this. Moreover,
103