Page 60 - Self-Sacrifice in the Qur'an's Moral Teachings

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

Many a prophet has been fought when there were many thou-
sands with him. They did not give up in the face of what as-
sailed them in the way of Allah, nor did they weaken or yield.
Allah loves the steadfast. All they said was: "Our Lord, forgive
our wrong actions and any excesses that we went to in what we
did. Make our feet firm and help us against these unbelieving
people." So, Allah gave them the reward of this world and the
best reward of the Hereafter. Allah loves good-doers. (Surah
Al 'Imran: 146-148)

Not All Acts Might Have the Same Value
in the Sight of Allah

Earlier in this book, we referred to the fact that experiencing hard-
ship and difficulties is an important test for distinguishing sincere be-
lievers from hypocrites. Allah reveals in many verses that even those
who live among believers and display a similar moral character may
act quite differently when confronted with hardship. Many people can
put up with some hardship in an otherwise comfortable environment,
but they may not show this moral quality when hardship occurs. In
any case, only those people who have strong belief can really trust in
Allah, remain committed to Him, and struggle to overcome their diffi-
culties.
Some individuals ignore this fact, feeling that it is enough to do a
few good deeds in the midst of their prosperity. However, in times of
hardship, they avoid such self-sacrifice on the pretext of having done
some good deeds already. They present these deeds as proof that they
have the spirit of self-sacrifice described in the Qur'an. Such people
also claim that they are not responsible for dealing with other people's

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