Self-Sacrifice in the Qur'an's Moral Teachings: Other Excuses for Avoiding

Self-Sacrifice Some people know what living by the Qur'an's morality entails, and yet avoid self-sacrificial acts even though they know that their attitude is wrong. Due to their weak belief, they do not use their conscious will to change their behavior; rather, they place more importance on pleasing people than winning Allah's favor. They do not care that He sees the weakness of their hearts, belief, and conscience, for their goal is to convince others of their sincerity by justifying their behavior and appeasing their own conscience. They seek to give the impression that they sincerely want to be self-sacrificial and take on responsibilities, but that there are many reasons why they cannot do so. They know that their excuses are false and that they could find a way to sacrifice if they really wanted to. But they suppress their conscience to pursue their own interests, thinking that they will have a comfortable life if only they avoid assuming their responsibilities. But this is impossible.

Their conscience continually reminds them every time they do not please Allah and violate the Qur'an's moral teachings. They know exactly what they are doing and what Allah tells them to do in the Qur'an. Nevertheless, they ignore their responsibilities, and so will be burdened with a great responsibility in this world and the Hereafter. Such people go to great lengths to convince others that they really want to assume their proper responsibilities, but for some reason they cannot. Therefore, in those societies where the Qur'an's morality is not practiced, the best way to gain sympathy is generally thought to convince others that one's excuses are valid. Those who actually have such a misguided idea do not measure themselves according to the Qur'an's morality, and so resort to this technique to get what they want. But believers reject this approach, for they consider the Qur'an's moral teachings as their measure in all things. In the Qur'an Allah describes a sincere attitude as one that seeks first to win Allah's favor. For this reason, believers can recognize those who hide behind excuses to avoid acts of self-sacrifice, for their excuses reveal their insincerity and weak belief.

Instead of engaging in a contest of goodness, such people only superficially adopt the Qur'an's moral teachings because, as they often claim, they do not have the strength. They can use this excuse in every aspect of their daily lives, all the while claiming that they are sincere and that their hearts are pure. To convince others, they do not even hesitate to swear in Allah's name:

"They will swear by Allah:

In one verse, Allah refutes their claim:

The fact that they say the opposite reveals the sickness in their hearts and their intention to avoid responsibility.

This is exactly what happened with Talut (or Saul) and those who followed him when Allah sent him to the people as their ruler and promised to test them with a river. When Talut asked the people not to drink from the river, most of them could not see the purpose in this order, ignored it and fulfilled their desires. Later on, using the excuse mentioned above, they withdrew on the grounds that they did not have the strength to fight alongside Talut. But those who knew that Allah would cause them to prevail, even though they had very little strength, kept their promise and followed Talut:

When Talut marched out with the army, he said: "Allah will test you with a river. Anyone who drinks from it is not with me. But anyone who does not taste it is with me – except for him who merely scoops up a little in his hand." But they drank from it – except for a few of them. Then when he and those who believed had crossed it, they said: "We do not have the strength to face Goliath and his troops today." But those who were sure that they were going to meet Allah said:

Those who seek to avoid self-sacrifice sometimes maintain that circumstances forced them into a certain situation against their will. For example: Those who were left behind were glad to stay behind the messenger of Allah. They did not want to strive with their wealth and themselves in the way of Allah. They said: "Do not go out to fight in the heat." Say:

They wanted to hide their insincerity; however, their excuse, which they hoped would be accepted, only showed the degree of their self-deception. Allah says that He will burden an individual only with the amount of responsibility he or she can bear, and that along with the difficulty He will create the ability to endure it. Believers who know that Allah helps and supports His servants never believe that such an excuse is sincere. Just as He created the heat of the day, He also gave these people the opportunity to serve and sacrifice.

Allah can change the temperature or enable people to endure the heat. Those who hide behind insincere excuses know this. Moreover, the fact that other Muslims who face the same circumstances willingly assume their responsibility also shows the insincerity of these people. Just as they refused to enter the struggle, they encouraged others to follow their example because it was too hot to fight. Others, as the Allah says, referred to service and self-sacrifice as "fitnah." Allah reveals their insincerity: Among them are there some who say:

Another excuse used to convince those around them is that they are occupied with the affairs of this world. Again, some of the people whom our Prophet called to support the Muslims sought to avoid that responsibility: And a group of them said: "O people of Yathrib. Your position is untenable, so return." Some of them asked the Prophet to excuse them, saying:

These people thought that they would suffer hardship, danger, and difficulty if they did what the Prophet told, and so they tried to make excuses by saying that they were needed at home, where they had important responsibilities. Allah tells us that they were lying, for they were fully aware that He was pleased with the Prophet's call and supports the believers. Allah then says that their overall goal was to avoid responsibility and self-sacrifice.

They use these kinds of excuses for everything imaginable. Believers who know that people are suffering must do what they can to help, for this is part of the Qur'an's morality. But insincere people try to find a way to avoid this responsibility by claiming that they do not have the ability to help, it is the wrong time, another responsibility is more important, they are sick, or they are having financial problems. In fact, they cannot find a way to help because they have no desire to do so. This is the real purpose behind their excuses.

In the meantime, while they try to escape responsibility, the sufferers of oppression are still oppressed and continue to be crushed mercilessly under harsh conditions. But those individuals who do not heed their consciences cannot understand the severity of the situation. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, they regard it as more important to involve themselves with their own worldly concerns. They also deceive themselves into thinking that their view is that of the majority. But they must not forget that everyone will be held accountable in the Hereafter. Allah warns believers not to be influenced by such people:

Allah also reveals a very important truth:

He can remove every difficulty and hardship that may arise, and so all people who place their trust in Allah can overcome every difficulty with His help. But if they try to escape their responsibilities, they will experience pangs of suffering sent by Allah that only He can relieve. Given this fact, every person must consider these things carefully and then put sincerity and the desire to win His favor above everything else.

The Real Reasons for Avoiding

Self-Sacrifice As we saw earlier, those who think that being self-sacrificial is a loss come up with many excuses to exonerate themselves. They know that their excuses are completely insincere, and yet their overall goal is only to convince others and protect their reputation in other people's eyes. Moreover, the believers know this as well, because they use the Qur'an as their guide.

Unbelievers know that they would win Allah's favor by being responsible and self-sacrificial, but they choose to do otherwise because their hearts are filled with doubt and indecision:

Allah warns people against satan's wiles: "The truth is from your Lord, so on no account be among the doubters" (Surat al-Baqara: 147), and proclaims that those who are not overwhelmed by doubt but, regardless of the current hardship carry on with determination, find favor in His Sight:

These people doubt the existence of Allah, Judgment Day, and the Hereafter, and consider the worldly interests nearer and easier advantages. They forget that Allah's justice is infinite, that He created everything, and that He helps the believers. Overwhelmed by distrust and anxiety about the future, the unbelievers forget His promise:

"As for those who make Allah their friend, and His messenger and those who believe:

One of the main reasons why people try to evade their responsibility and avoid sacrificing their interests when necessary is because they live in error and their hearts are filled with doubt.

In addition, they choose this world's life over the Hereafter:

However, no matter how easy and attainable the world's benefits may seem, those who know the Qur'an also know that the only permanent and enduring life is the Hereafter. But those with weak belief lay more importance on this world, for they cannot overcome their passion for its baubles. They feel some closeness to religious morality and to believers, but consider this world, their relatives, work, business, possessions, and respect to be more important than attaining Allah's approval. They may not openly express this, but their way of life and obsession with this world show the truth: Say:

Those Arabs who remained behind will say to you: "Our wealth and families kept us occupied, so ask forgiveness for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say:

These individuals also put their own interests above winning Allah's favor, for the fundamental insincerity of their belief causes them to believe that pursuing their own worldly interests is the most important thing in life. When they have to deal with a situation, they politely feign interest and utter a few stock phrases. In reality, however, they intend to do nothing about it. Some people who lived in our Prophet's time had the same kind of moral understanding: When a sura is sent down saying: "Believe in Allah and strive together with His messenger," those among them with wealth will ask you to excuse them, saying:

This clearly shows that those people, who say that they live to win Allah's favor, are actually more interested in this life than in the Hereafter. Another reason why they avoid self-sacrifice is because they are coward. They forget that Allah is the Ruler of humanity and can create whatever and whenever He wills. Believing that people are independent of Allah and have autonomous power, they are very concerned with others' opinion of them, completely unaware that only Allah can prevent evil and bring them good. And so they try to please other people, thinking that they can either harm or benefit them in some way. But this is a great mistake, for this power belongs only to Allah, Who created every individual and determines their every action. As revealed in the Qur'an:

Their fear lets them sacrifice for and support believers only if their material needs are assured and if they are sure that no one will harm them. Allah reveals several truths to these people, as follows:

Say: "Flight will not benefit you if you try to run away from death or being killed. Then you will only enjoy a short respite." Say:

"Who is going to shield you from Allah if He desires evil for you or desires mercy for you?" They will find no one to protect or help them besides Allah. Allah knows the obstructers among you and those who say to their brothers, "Come to us," and who only come to fight a very little and are begrudging toward you. Then when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes rolling like people scared to death. But when fear departs, they flay you with sharp tongues, grasping for wealth. Such people have no belief, and Allah will make their actions come to nothing. That is easy for Allah. (Surat al-Ahzab: 16-19)

Allah says that these people are begrudging and selfish toward believers, that they will not put themselves out, and that when they are afraid they look as if they are scared to death. Furthermore, He says that they have no belief.

Unaware of Allah's infinite power, their fear causes them to deny their resources to solve other people's problems. While they might offer some support, they do not have the courage to sacrifice their interests. For example, the people of many countries could be brought up to work together and to sacrifice for each other in order to help solve problems. In the same way, people act unjustly, oppress others, and cause environments of confusion and terror because they have no fear or respect of Allah. If they were told about the proofs of His existence, the truths of belief, the existence of the Hereafter and the Day of Judgment, many would start following their conscience, a development that would ensure peace and contentment in society. Of course, radio, television, and the press play a major role in getting this message across to the masses.

Conscience demands that such people should not think only about their own advantage, but also of the needs of society. Where people's lives are hard, some people who could help and are aware of the problems refuse to help, for they place winning Allah's approval second and are afraid of being inconvenienced and suffering financial loss.

They withhold their resources because they do not want to be put in a difficult situation or face their disbelieving companions' criticism. Sometimes they do things that exalt His name, make others appreciate belief, and commend good morality, but only under pressure from their conscience and to a very limited degree so that people will not talk about them. In this way they try to placate their conscience while ignoring what will happen to them in the Hereafter. This divided attention, one part directed toward the world and the other toward the Hereafter, may not be enough to attain salvation in the Hereafter, for everyone will be held responsible as to whether or not they did all they could. Allah reveals that:

These people also avoid service, self-sacrifice, and responsibility because they live in anxiety about the possibility of becoming poor, losing possessions, spending money, and falling into desperate poverty:

For all of these reasons, they avoid any act of self-sacrifice.

Allah reminds us that they do not realize how great an advantage their acts of self-sacrifice would be for them in this world and the Hereafter:

Believing that they have acquired their possessions by their own efforts and that they can protect them and add to them on their own, they forget that Allah, the true Owner of whatever they possess, can give them and withdraw them as He wills.

As we have seen, people do not support believers and avoid their responsibility because of their insincere belief. The weakness of their belief causes them to avoid doing religious service, practicing the Qur'an's morality, and seeking Allah's approval. But according to the Qur'an, anyone who is reluctant to worship Him will suffer grievous pangs:

In such a situation, believers who know the Qur'an must have the intention to act according to their conscience and practice the Qur'an's moral teachings. If they do this, Allah will both help and support them and will give them the finest reward in both worlds.