Page 117 - The Arrogance of Satan
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Would An Arrogant Person Still Be Able To Live By The Values Of Religion?
This trait clearly manifests itself in their failure to measure
Allah with due measure. Allah relates this in a verse as
follows:
Each time a sura is sent down, they look at one another,
implying, "Can anyone see you?" Then they turn away.
Allah has turned their hearts away because they are
people who do not understand. (Surat at-Tawba: 127)
As the verse also makes clear, hypocrites, who are known
for their arrogance, fail to understand that Allah sees, hears
and witnesses everything. Indeed, that they can even think
they can deceive Allah (Surely Allah is beyond that) reveals
the extent of their ineptitude. The following verse stresses
this point:
Among the people there are some who say, "We believe
in Allah and the Last Day," when they are not believers.
They think they deceive Allah and those who believe.
They deceive no one but themselves but they are not
aware of it. (Surat al-Baqara, 8-9)
Hypocrites Cannot Be Obedient or Respectful
Modesty entails respect, while arrogance entails derision.
The arrogant are incapable of showing respect to others. This
becomes even more difficult for them in the case of obedience
to a messenger. They take pleasure only in derision,
impudence and arrogance. Since arrogant people deem their
opinions superior to others, they do not recognise the good in
the teachings of the messengers or willingly submit to them.
However, Allah refers to wholehearted obedience as one of
the most necessary conditions for Islam, and in His book
revealed this apparent lack of obedience of the hypocrites: