One of the causes that hinders a disbeliever from complying with the good word, and following the path set out by the believers is his arrogance and pride. As Allah also informs us in the following verse, "And they repudiated them wrongly and haughtily, in spite of their own certainty about them…" (Surat an-Naml, 14), arrogance is one of the primary causes of unbelief. A surge of arrogance and pride must immediately put one on guard against Satan. In fact, it was for this very reason that Satan was expelled from Allah's sight. The Qur'an relates the incident as follows: We created you and then formed you and then We said to the angels, "Prostrate before Adam," and they prostrated–except for Iblis. He was not among those who prostrated.
He [Allah] said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you to?" He [Iblis] replied, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay."
He [Allah] said,
"Descend from Heaven. It is not for you to be arrogant in it. So get out! You are one of the abased."
As is described in these verses, for Satan, who claimed himself superior to the Prophet Adam, it was a matter of pride to not prostrate himself. It was for this reason that he was expelled from Allah's sight. Indeed, the state of those who follow in Satan's footsteps share much with him; they also do not follow the good word, because they are vulnerable to Satan's insinuations, and respond to reminders arrogantly. For instance, if such a person is warned against some mistaken way of thinking, and called to that outlined in the Qur'an, his pride would hinder him from obeying. Consequently, he would not heed the reminder, nor ever correct his mistake. In another verse, Allah relates how arrogance misleads a person into sin:
When he is told to have fear of Allah, he is seized by pride which drives him to wrongdoing. Hell will be enough for him! What an evil resting-place!
The Qur'an relates that another excuse put forward by the disbelievers for not following the right path they are summoned by those who enjoin them what is right and forbid what is wrong is their being merely human beings of flesh and bones like themselves. Disbelievers of all ages have put forward this excuse. Allah recounts the instances of this deviant ploy of disbelievers in several verses:
They said, "You are nothing but human beings like ourselves. The All-Merciful has not sent down anything. You are simply lying."
The ruling circle of those of his [Nuh's] people who were disbelievers said,
"We do not see you as anything but a human being like ourselves. We do not see anyone following you but the lowest of us, unthinkingly. We do not see you as superior to us. On the contrary, we consider you to be liars."
The ruling circle of those of his [Nuh's] people who were disbelievers said,
"This is nothing but a human being like yourselves who simply wants to gain ascendancy over you. If Allah had wanted He would have sent angels down. We never heard of anything like this among our ancestors, the earlier peoples."
According to this errant logic, as mentioned in these verses, for one to summon another to faith, he ought to be endowed with certain superior qualities, far beyond any human frailties or flaws. Messengers responded to these excuses offered by the disbelievers as follows:
Their Messengers said to them,
"We are nothing but human beings like yourselves. But Allah shows favor to any of His servants He wills. It is not for us to bring you an authority except by Allah's permission. So let the believers put their trust in Allah."
Another consequence of arrogance is failure to accept that the other may be more intelligent, and better able to make appropriate decisions. Still though, such people consider themselves more intelligent than all others. However, those who possess this evil trait, which we may define as,
"adoring their own minds," are obviously steeped in ingorance. They resist every opinion, even though they may be beneficial. They cannot even bear some minor criticism. Because they adore their own way of thinking, they remain deaf and blind to every reminder. However, as Allah says, "… We raise the rank of anyone We will. Over everyone with knowledge is one more knowing."
Considering that there are others who may be more intelligent than he, a person ought to remain open to other opinions. However, such criticisms and warnings must be in full agreement with the Qur'an. Because, comments offered by those who are ignorant of the religion will necessarily be in accordance with their errant criteria, and their baser morality, and thus, far from true guidance. However, the call of those who abide by the Qur'an, the sole criterion that can lead to righteousness, sent down by Allah to mankind, is of benefit to the people. The believers are people of discernment, who are best able to assess matters in the light of the Qur'an. The way they perceive things that take place, the analyses they make, are always apt, for they are all founded on the fundamentals of the Qur'an. This also holds true for solutions they provide to problems. This being the case, that which would be most rational would be to submit to the advice, warnings and admonitions given by the believers. However, those who are contented with their level of intelligence, and are pleased with their situation, feel no need to improve themselves. For this reason, they cannot find the truth and the good, and consent to live in their shallow lives, persisting in their many flaws and errors. They are those who are in great loss, as a result of their pride. Merely due to their arrogance, they deny that which will lead them to what is good and honorable, and what will help them attain happiness and peace of mind. Yet, once they will taste the punishment in Hell, their pride and arrogance will cease. Only then will they bow to Allah, and plead with Him, for all of eternity. Though, they will be addressed, "Taste that! You are the mighty one, the noble one!" (Surat ad-Dukhan, 49)
Disbelievers Respond to the Good Word With Evil
They said, "We see an evil omen in you. If you do not stop we will stone you and you will suffer a painful punishment at our hands." They said, "Your evil omen is in yourselves. Is it not just that you have been reminded? No, you are an unbridled people!"
The above verses tell of the reaction of the inhabitants of a city to which Allah sent messengers, with the mission of warning them against a painful punishment. As this example reveals, disbelievers openly threatened those believers who summoned them to the true religion through the good word. Ironically, the only reason behind their offering of this threat was the believers' invitation to Allah and His religion. Their call led them into great hatred and rage. Indeed, this rage and hatred become discernable in their eyes. In the Qur'an, Allah relates this fact as follows:
Those who disbelieve all but strike you down with their evil looks when they hear the Reminder and say, "He is quite mad." But it is nothing less than a Reminder to all the worlds.
As the above verses call our attention to, disbelievers feel such animosity towards Allah's messengers only because they call them to what is just, and remind them of the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter. However, theirs and similar reactions are signs of their desperation in the face of the religion of truth. Without any valid refutation against the true religion, they strive instead to silence the believers through these methods, and feign ignorance of the truth. However, the believers are not inhibited by such actions; they continue to communicate Allah's message with the same persistence. In the Qur'an, the call made by Prophet Ibrahim to his father, and his father's reaction to his message, reveals the opposition typical of these two camps:
Remember when he [Ibrahim] said to his father, "Father, why do you worship what can neither hear nor see and is not of any use to you at all?
Father, knowledge which never reached you has come to me, so follow me and I will guide you to the right path.
Father, do not worship Satan. Satan was disobedient to the All-Merciful.
Father, I am afraid that a punishment from the AllMerciful will afflict you, and turn you into a comrade of Satan."
He said, "Do you forsake my gods, Ibrahim? If you do not stop, I will stone you. Keep away from me for a good long time."
He said, "Peace be upon you. I will ask my Lord to forgive you. He has always honored me. I will separate myself from you and all you call upon besides Allah and I will call upon my Lord. It may well be that, in calling on my Lord, I will not be disappointed."
There is only one reason why his father became so antagonistic towards Ibrahim, otherwise a prophet of great moral excellence, mentioned in the Qur'an as tender-hearted and forbearing: Prophet Ibrahim's summoning him to become a servant of Allah, that is, his call through the good word... Prophet Ibrahim addressed his father respectfully and in a beautiful manner, but his father nevertheless reacted against him with furious anger. Despite this, the Prophet Ibrahim never altered his tone, and departed honorably from his father.
Those Who Feign Not to Hear the Good Word
Among the disbelievers, who reject compliance to the advice of the believers, there are those who will have various reactions, become aggressive, turn their faces, or those who have more severe responses like rage and hatred. Other than these rather extreme reactions, however, there are also those who will pretend not to hear such admonitions at all, and remain unresponsive. In the Qur'an, Allah introduces us to these people. In the words of one verse, they are described as " … those whose hearts are hard..." (Surat al-Hajj, 53) The sincere and well thought-out explanations offered by the believers do not produce any effect on such people. In the Qur'an, Allah explains the reason for this indifference, as follows:
... They have hearts they do not understand with. They have eyes they do not see with. They have ears they do not hear with. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even further astray! They are the unaware.
Among them there are some who listen to you. But can you make the deaf hear even though they cannot understand? Among them there are some who look at you. But can you guide the blind, even though they cannot see? Allah does not wrong people in any way; rather it is people who wrong themselves.
These whose eyes would otherwise seem to be able to see, and whose ears can hear, are, in actuality, blind and deaf, in the Qur'anic senses of the terms. Specifically, with the verse, "It is not their eyes which are blind but the hearts in their breasts which are blind." (Surat al-Hajj, 46), Allah declares the spiritual blindness of their hearts. This is, however, a grave incapacity brought about by Allah in those who deny His religion. In return for their arrogance and disbelief, Allah has disabled their intelligence and taken away their ability to comprehend. For this reason, they can never understand the message, despite being able to hear it. In another verse, Allah relates this condition of the disbelievers as follows:
Some of them listen to you but We have placed covers on their hearts, preventing them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. Though they see every Sign, they still have no faith…
For this reason, Allah has announced that calling such people to moral excellence is little different from calling one who is dead:
You will not make dead men hear and you will not make deaf men hear the call when they turn their backs in flight. You will not guide blind men out of their error. You will not make anyone hear except for those who believe in Our Signs and so are Muslims.
Being incapable of seeing what is in front of him, failing to hear and comprehend what he sees and listens to, in other words, being sealed of heart, is the ultimate recompense for disbelief. However, disbelievers persist in their aggressiveness, rebellion and insolence, without recognizing that such behavior will only be to their detriment. Their heedlessness is referred to in the Qur'an as follows:
They say, "Our hearts are covered up against what you call us to and there is a heaviness in our ears. There is a screen between us and you. So act—we are certainly acting."
As their words also reveal, disbelievers are blind and heedless in real sense. Surely, all ought to fear becoming as those described in these verses. For, the one who falls into such a condition is doomed to lead his life in confusion. For not listening to the verses of Allah, nor even heeding them, he will not live by the morality of the Qur'an, and fail to observe Allah's commands and prohibitions. One day, he will meet death, while in disbelief, for he has turned his face from Allah's commands and admonitions. The punishment the disbelievers are to face once they meet with death is described in the Qur'an as follows: If only you could see when the angels take back those who were disbelievers at their death, beating their faces and their backs:
"Taste the punishment of the Burning! That is for what you did. Allah does not wrong His servants."
Before that day, all must remember that those excuses put forward on the Day of Judgment will not be able to save them. Their insistence on remaining in denial, in following in the footsteps of Satan, and disobedience of the good word, are all but their personal prerogative. As the above verse also highlights, Allah does not wrong His servants. This fact is related in other verses as follows:
We have never destroyed a city without giving it prior warning as a reminder. We were never unjust.
