Page 16 - Loyalty Described in the Qur'an

LOYALTY DESCRIBED IN THE QUR'AN
word without the intention of keeping it. The oath pronounced by
Satan to Prophet Adam (as) was an important example presented in
the Qur'an, to show how those who are ill-intentioned will do the
same to deceive others by first winning their trust. Allah tells re-

vealed this incident in the Qur'an:
Then Satan whispered to them, disclosing to them their
private parts that had been concealed from them. He said,
"Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree lest you be-
come angels or among those who live for ever." He (Satan)
swore to them, "I am one of those who give you good ad-

vice." (Surat al-A‘raf, 20-21)
In order to convince Prophet Adam (as) that what he said was
true, and thereby, to win his trust, Satan followed his speech with an
oath. In many verses of the Qur'an, Allah informs us that people also
do the same to achieve some personal benefit.
In the Qur'an, Allah also informs us that the hypocrites with
sickness in their hearts offer oaths in this same way to hide their lack
of faith, and to make the believers believe they are sincere. Only
through strong faith in Allah and loyalty to Him is it possible to re-
main upright in the way of Allah, conform to the moral teachings of

the Qur'an, and to be patient through the difficulties involved in
inviting others to accept true religion. For this reason, it is not possi-
ble for those who exhibit the attributes of hypocrites, who are not
sincere in faith, to expend veritable effort, and to follow the way of
the prophets in the pursuit of Allah's good pleasure. The insincere,
though, being aware of this fact, will swear an oath in the name of
Allah to attempt to mislead the prophets and devout believers. But,

when they experience the least adversity, they do not hesitate to

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