140
Steadfastness
In almost every society there are people,
who are not believers but who live more or
less according to the values that Allah has de-
scribed in the Qur'an. When it is necessary, these
people can behave helpfully, gently and with self-sacrifice, mercy and
justice. But no matter how much these people claim to have good
moral qualities, they will certainly have their moments when they will
not steadfastly maintain this behaviour. For example, someone who
has to take an important examination may oversleep in the morning
because his watch is broken. When he wakes up he hurries to
school and gets caught in dense traffic. He wants to telephone
the school to let them know he will be late but all the lines are
busy. If a friend sitting beside him asks him a question at
this point, he may answer with a peevish tone
of voice, or just look at him crossly without giv-
ing an answer. This person thinks himself a
helpful and understanding person, but in a sit-
uation like this we might say his patience has
run out and he behaves in an unhelpful way.
In every situation and in all circumstances,
a believer is determined to act by the values of
the Qur'an in the way he lives. He is patient
with others who say and do things that are
wrong or unpleasant. (For a detailed discus-
sion see Harun Yahya's
The Importance of
Patience in the
Qur'an
)
24 Hours in the Life of a Muslim
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