Page 19 - Self-Sacrifice in the Qur'an's Moral Teachings

nly Allah knows the depth of a
person's belief, love, and attach-
ment to Him: "He knows what
they keep secret and what they
make public. He knows what their hearts con-
tain" (Surah Hud: 5). However, each one of us can
form an opinion about another person's belief, fear,
and respect for Allah by observing external signs.
Allah states some important indications of a per-
son's sincerity: observing the prescribed prayers,
avoiding forbidden behavior, and doing one's best
to live the kind of life of which He approves.
Allah tells us about those people who only
pretend to believe. For example, they may act like
believers, perform certain acts of worship, abstain
from certain things that Allah has forbidden, and
live as a believer lives. In addition, certain charac-
teristics can reveal whether or not they are sincere,
for some characteristics that are common among
believers cannot be imitated. One of these is an un-
conditional determination to be self-sacrificial.
This characteristic cannot be imitated by unbeliev-