Page 108 - The Arrogance of Satan

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THE ARROGANCE OF SATAN

The servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk on
the earth in humility, and when the ignorant speak to
them, say, "Peace." (Surat al-Furqan: 63)

The next verse explains the reason of this modesty:
Those who pass the night prostrating and standing
before their Lord; (Surat al-Furqan: 64)
In other words, the modesty of believers is an outcome of
their submissiveness to Allah. The fact that they have
grasped the secret of this world, that is, understood the
existence and might of Allah, accounts for their modesty.
As a result, the true modesty we are discussing in this

book can only be attained through faith.
It is impossible to attain true modesty through another
means than faith. Because, in a society composed of
disbelievers, those who are seen as "modest" are, usually,
those perceived as lacking "confidence." Because most attach
too much importance to worldly things, those who are
successful in attaining them become boastful, while those
who cannot are deemed to be weak and insecure. Therefore,
the wealthy tend to be arrogant, whereas the poor are
considered insecure. However, we need to underline that this
lack of "self-confidence" is a disposition nothing near what is
true modesty, a form of behaviour which is noble and
dignified.
The story of Qarun, as narrated in the Qur' an, sets a good
example of what we discussed above. In addition to Qarun,
who was excessively proud about his wealth and possessions,
the Qur' an also informs us about those who longed for that
which he possessed. In addition to these, another group were
the true believers who grasped the secret of faith: