Page 114 - The Arrogance of Satan

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THE ARROGANCE OF SATAN

what you decide and submit themselves completely.
(Surat an-Nisa' : 65)

As said earlier, an important sign of the arrogant is their
rejection of Allah' s messengers. They struggled against these
messengers, since the thought of obeying a person who is
virtuous only by his moral excellence, wisdom and faith, and
who was sent as a leader to every member of that society, hurt
their pride. However, disobedience of the messengers is
disobedience of Allah. And, disobedience of Allah, ultimately,
brings about a lapse in the practise of religion in a society. It has
been revealed in many verses that obedience of the messenger
is, in fact, obedience of Allah. A verse reads as follows:
Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah. If
anyone turns away, we did not send you to them as their
keeper. (Surat an-Nisa' : 80)

As made explicit in this and similar verses, obedience is
analogous to a fortress that shuts out the arrogant from the
realm of religion. Only modesty, submission and humility
can open the gates of this castle.
In addition, arrogance is a disease that dulls all moral
qualities and hardens one' s heart. That is, apart from being a
distasteful quality, the other character traits caused by
arrogance wholly contradict the moral excellence
commanded by the Qur' an. A believer is generous, self-
sacrificing, patient, compassionate, committed, loyal and
tolerant. An arrogant person, however, can never master
these superior moral qualities in their true sense. He is stingy,
selfish, impatient, inconsiderate and unjust. Surely, his
character prevents him from properly fulfilling the
commands of religion. Indeed, the primary purpose of the