The Qur’an For All Humanity
Trial
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behaviour? The reason was that the angels took
this matter as pertaining to God. On the contrary,
Satan took this matter as pertaining to man. When
an issue is treated as a matter of God’s will, there
is only one possible way for His creatures to
conduct themselves, and that is to obey God.
But when an issue has to be taken up between
man and man, the first reaction will be to gauge
whether the opposite party is the stronger or the
weaker. If the stronger, he will be given his due,
but if the weaker, all too often his wishes will be
ignored, even if there is every moral justification
for his plea being acceded to, or a pledge to him
fulfilled.
The story of Adam and Satan is repeatedly
enacted in daily living. Everyone confronts this
situation in his life’s dealings. When one comes
across a person to whom something is owed,
whether in the form of some material thing or of
an expression of some truth, one stands once
again on the same trial ground as prevailed in the
case of the first man. On such occasions, when a
man surrenders before the truth, it is as if he
