Islam The Voice of Human Nature
1. THE TRIAL OF MAN
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Suppose a dispute has arisen between two people.
The one who is clearly in the right must obviously
assume the role of Adam in the eyes of the one who
is in the wrong. The very fact that such situations
can and do arise is a clear indication that it is God’s
will that there should be some who should yield to
others. It is in the nature of a divine commandment,
and compliance with it is for the sake of God and no
one else. One who grants that another is in the right,
no matter how irksomely pressing his claims may
be, is following in the Angels’ footsteps, for, when
commanded by God, they did not hesitate to bow
before Adam. In sharp contrast is the individual
who is so full of his own importance that he
challenges the rights of others and refuses to give
them their due, particularly when the objects of his
ill-will are in no position to retaliate. Such a man
follows in the footsteps of Satan who, when
commanded by the Lord, refused to bow before
Adam. There is no point in such a person
prostrating himself before God in the hopes of
salvation, for God will only look with favour upon
his obeisance, if he is equally earnest in bowing
before His creation – Adam.
