Page 70 - The Secret Behind Our Trials

THE SECRET BEHIND OUR TRIALS
Prophet (saas) engaged in a very tough struggle against his unbe-
lieving society. Every struggle undertaken at the command of Allah
and the Prophet (saas) is a religious responsibility. The Qur'an says
that those who try to escape this responsibility will have their hearts
sealed, for this desire to escape shows that they have completely de-
parted from belief.
Today, the Muslims' struggle against unbelievers is carried on
in the realm of ideas. This struggle seeks to refute all of the argu-
ments of those who use science to deny Allah's existence. Each
Muslim has a great responsibility, and none of them can remain in
the background or uninvolved. In the Qur'an, Allah says that those
who choose to do so have had their hearts hardened:
When a surah is sent down saying: "Believe in Allah and
strive together with His Messenger," those among them with
wealth will ask you to excuse them, saying: "Let us remain
with those who stay behind." They are pleased to be with
those who stay behind. Their hearts have been stamped, so
they do not understand. (Surat at-Tawba, 86-87)
Another example is those who make excuses when confronted
with difficulty and kill their own spirit in trying to escape their re-
sponsibility, as follows:
If it had been a case of easy gains and a short journey, they
would have followed you. But the distance was too great for
them. 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)
These examples from the time of our Prophet (saas) and from
earlier Prophets show a very important reality: Allah tests people
continually and has created separate realms for those who tell the

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