Page 30 - Loyalty Described in the Qur'an
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LOYALTY DESCRIBED IN THE QUR'AN
They do not believe in the prophets, or accept their way, but
accuse them of pursuing some personal gain. According to their
way of thinking, one who otherwise does not possess any traits of
superiority, would seek only to gain a following. For this reason,
the leaders of the disbelieving societies, who were wealthy and
prestigious, tried to accuse the prophets of ulterior motives, and
sought every opportunity to discredit them. Pharaoh's reaction to
Prophet Musa (as), and his brother Harun (as), after he had called
him to the service of Allah, is an example that demonstrates the be-
havior of those with this distorted opinion of Allah's messengers.
The Qur'an recounts the conversation that took place between
Pharaoh and Musa (as):
When the truth came to them from Us, they said, "This is
downright magic!" Musa said, "Do you say to the truth
when it comes to you, 'This is magic?' Magicians are not
successful." They said, "Have you come to us to turn us
from what we found our fathers doing, and to gain great-
ness in the land? We do not believe you." (Surah Yunus, 76-
78)
In general, the way the disbelievers reacted to the prophets
who invited them to accept what is good and true is no different
from that of Pharaoh. The fact that they look for some false trait of
superiority in someone before they grant him their loyalty clouds
their intelligence, and prevents them from understanding the signif-
icance of the invitation to follow the right way that would lead them
to salvation in this world and the next.
However, true superiority belongs only to Allah. He is the
true possessor of all things. Ultimately, it is only to Allah that we
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