Page 22 - Loyalty Described in the Qur'an

LOYALTY DESCRIBED IN THE QUR'AN

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T They Are Faithful to the Religion of Their Ancestors
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A human being's personality is formed by what one learns
from those around him, and from the customs, practiced in the so-
ciety he lives in. Some choose to conform their beliefs and actions to
these norms, even after their invalidity has been made known to
them and though they had been shown the right way. This errant
decision closes their minds to reform, and causes them to resist
change. They realize that their traditional practices are groundless,
but defend them nevertheless, being obstinate in their devotion to
them. They convince themselves that the customs of their ancestors
are still valid, or even more to be trusted. They regard any ques-
tioning of their belief system as an evil. For this reason, they are op-
posed to all such change, even if it is positive. Habitually, they are
sentimental about the example of their ancestors, and determine
their actions according to the past practices of their forebears. For
this reason, they regard any idea contrary to their inherited tradi-
tions as a threat. Even if they were taught something that was more
correct than what they believe, they would refuse to try to under-
stand it, or even rejecting it outright without even giving it a
chance. Their receiving every suggestion aggressively, and their
adamant refusal to even consider them, shows how blindly at-
tached they are to their traditional superstitions. The response of-
fered by the leaders of the people to Prophet Ibrahim (as), when he
called them to believe in Allah, is an example of their blind adher-
ence to the cult of their ancestors. Allah tells us of this instance in
the Qur'an as follows:
Recite to them the story of Ibrahim when he said to his fa-
ther and his people, "What do you worship?" They said,
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