Page 104 - Character Types of the Unbelievers

CHARACTER-TYPES OF THE UNBELIEVERS
reason being, that they do not live for Allah, but for other human
beings. If a person decides what is right and wrong, on the basis of
what other people will say; if he is saddened by what makes other

people sad, and pleased by what makes them pleased; if he tries to
be appreciated by others and adjusts his behavior so as not to be
embarrassed, then this person is living for others.
He then finds life difficult because everyone’s expectations are
different. If we were to imagine one subjected to the whims of hun-
dreds of other people, then clearly he would have to work hard to
please each one of them. He would want to be animated in the

presence of one, grave and sober in the presence of another.
Behavior that pleases one person would not suit another. These
differences would reach into the thousands. Under such circum-
stances, one individual who lives for others would have to meet
thousands of different types of demands at the same time. Only in
this way could he satisfy everyone and make them appreciate him.
Allah offers an example of their anxiety in the Qur’an:
Allah has made a metaphor for them of a man owned by
several partners in dispute with one another and another

man wholly owned by a single man. Are they the same?
Praise be to Allah! The fact is that most of them do not
know. (Surat az-Zumar, 29)
Essentially, there is only one way out—to submit to Allah’s
eternal knowledge and intelligence. Allah is the Creator of human
beings and all other things. And it is only Allah Who knows what
is best for human beings and what they must do to be happy. He

has revealed to them in the Qur’an the way to salvation: Fear Allah
alone and seek His pleasure.

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