Page 18 - Loyalty Described in the Qur'an

LOYALTY DESCRIBED IN THE QUR'AN

same benefits without putting forth the effort. But, when Allah re-
vealed their real intentions, they feared they would be rejected, and
so swore false oaths that they might continue to be accepted by the
believers. Allah describes their insincerity in the Qur'an:
They will swear to you to make you pleased with them, but

even if you are pleased with them, Allah is certainly not
pleased with deviant people. (Surat at-Tawba, 96)
They swear by Allah that they are of your number, but they
are not of your number. Rather, they are people who are
scared. (Surat at-Tawba, 56)
The reason for their swearing of false oaths is not only to hide
their desire for personal gain; they also want to divert the believers

from following the way of Allah. Just as Satan swore an oath to
Prophet Adam (as) and his wife to deceive them and prevent them
from obeying the command of Allah, these people operate with the
same satanic deviousness. In order to mislead the believers from the
true way, or, at least, to cause them some harm, they swear oaths as
did Satan. In the Qur'an, Allah describes that these people use oaths
as a "shield":
They made their oaths into a cloak and barred the way of
Allah, so they will have a humiliating punishment. (Surat

al-Mujadala, 16)
But, as Allah announces in this verse, the evil designs of these
sick-hearted individuals against the believers always comes to
naught—by the will of Allah—resulting only in their own humili-
ation.
Their attempt to pit believers against one another, by breaking
their word, is a clear indication of their lack of faithfulness. Those so

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