Page 79 - Loyalty Described in the Qur'an
P. 79

Conclusion
         and His messenger" are the qualities that separate believers from oth-
         ers; they demonstrate their sincerity, and are the essential characteris-
         tics of a believer, and grant him strength in every stage of his life. In the
         Qur'an, Allah speaks of this strong bond that believers feel:

             [People of intelligence are] those who fulfill Allah's contract
             and do not break their agreement. (Surat ar-Ra‘d, 20)
             One of the clearest indications of the faithfulness and devotion be-
         lievers feel towards Allah is their concern to comply with the moral
         precepts of the Qur'an, and to tell others of them; and, in doing this,
         they are not deterred in any way by the obstacles they may encounter
         on the way of Allah. In return for their sincere submission and unwa-

         vering dedication to Him, Allah makes them this promise:
             As for those who make Allah their friend, and His Messenger
             and those who believe: it is the party of Allah who are victo-
             rious! (Surat al-Ma'ida, 56)
             In order to test them, Allah may impose on them difficulties in the
         course of their lives, but they never forget Allah's ultimate promise,
         being, "it is the party of Allah who are victorious." The reason why be-
         lievers are able to attain such courage, patience, determination, the
         willingness to perform self-sacrifices, and never compromise their

         high moral character, is because they firmly embrace the teachings of
         the Qur'an, feeling also a strong sense of obedience and loyalty to-
         wards Allah. In the Qur'an, Allah refers to Prophet Nuh (as) as an ex-
         ample of faithfulness, and praises him for his determination in calling
         others to this superior morality:
             He said, "My Lord, I have called my people night and day but

             my calling has only made them more evasive. Indeed, every
             time I called them to Your forgiveness, they put their fingers

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