The Mix of Disbelieving People
A secret revealed in the Qur'an is the various categories and divisions of people - ranging from complete true believers, to staunch deniers of Allah with many different sorts and flavours in-between. We will look at the mix of disbelieving groups briefly in this article.
It has been revealed in the Qur'an that there are some people who will not grasp the existence of Allah or their purpose in life. The purpose of man's existence is to worship Allah and to be thankful for His blessings. The disbelievers identified in the Qur’an are those who do not live according to their purpose of life ordained by their Creator.
The disbelieving group consists of a number of essential types. We will look at a few here. All types of people on earth have been identified in the Qur’an in detail. The first type is people among disbelievers who totally reject their creator, even vocally oppose His existence, and will not acknowledge Allah under any circumstance - they are self-proclaimed atheists. They will attempt to refute all signs they see and hear, and will not comprehend them.
Another type of disbelieving people are those who are irreligious, but say they believe in Allah. For example, they may say, "there is a god out there" and can even seem very sincere in their claim. However, these people fail to question further into what this “god” wants from them in life and so fail to grasp the purpose of their existence. In truth however, this type of people too do not have faith in the existence Allah, just as the first type. If they really had faith, they would have searched for the truth and discovered their purpose in life, instead of remaining heedless all their lives. They live enjoying the life of this world, through wealth, children, friendships and other enjoyments. Despite their claim of an existence of 'a god', they possess no true faith in their hearts, intentionally staying away from Allah's path.
Among 'Muslims' lay those who label themselves 'non-practising'. They think they are Muslim simply by having an Arabic name. They know that they are not fulfilling their religious duties stated in the Qur’an and feel guilty, but satisfy their consciences by looking at the majority of the irreligious people around them. They think they are modern people. On Fridays, they may attend the prayers and feel satisfied they have done sufficient in fulfilling Allah's commands. They do not pray during any other times, nor remember Allah as He should be remembered. When such a person encounters a believer, this person may use Arabic words such as "inshaAllah / God-wiling", "Alhamdulullah / Praise be to God" to gain the approval of the believer. They feel they are doing a huge favour to Allah by not drinking or gambling. However such people's insincerity in religion is manifested in their words, deeds and actions which do not conform to the believer model in the Qur'an. This is why they can be easily identified by the true believer adhering to the Quranic guidance.
"You will know (the disbelievers) by the tone of their speech. Allah knows everything you (people) do." (Qur'an 47:29-30)
The more difficult to identify are those among the "practising Muslims". These are those who feel very religious as they carry out their rituals and dress in a certain way. However, from a Quranic point, it can be seen that they are not truly devoted to Allah, rather to a religion that is there to simply fulfil a nostalgia of the past. This dogmatic religion is not based on devotion to Allah and shows Islam as a collection of do's and donts. Such people do not take Allah as their guide as they do not study the Qur'an, but study only man-made books. They are under the spell that their study and practices of those books amount to following the Qur'an. When a believer speaks to them about the marvellous favours of Allah or the greatness of Allah, their response to such thoughts about Allah reveals what is in their hearts.
We have seen four types who in their hearts do not grasp Allah truly:
1) Self proclaimed disbelievers or atheists
2) Those who lack any religion and say they believe in 'a god'
3) Those assuming a "non-practising" position in Islam
4) Those who think they are "practising" Islam but possess no real faith in Allah
There are many more which the believer will encounter. For example, idol-worshippers of various sorts, People of the Book etc.
The purpose of the existence human beings is to earn the good pleasure of Allah only. It is to enter the eternal paradise promised by Allah to the believers, and to save one's self from the Fire of Hell prepared for those who pay no heed to Allah or His religion. This involves being vigilant of every move one makes in life, as well as observing all the commandments in the Qur’an including the obligatory rituals like prayer and fasting. However, one must know the Qur'an directly to be guided to the true path.
The true believer is on an exalted path and can identify the sorts of people we have discussed above as well as all other types through his or her wisdom and Quranic knowledge. All the types of people on earth a believer can encounter have been detailed in the Qur'an in various ways. The believer can diagnose each and every individual he or she encounters by the guidance of the Qur'an. He constantly looks for ways to explain to such people the existence of Allah and Allah's infinite mercy and power over everyone and the Book sent down by Allah. For each type of person he will have a different method and appropriate things to say, in an attempt to show the path of Allah he has been enlightened with.
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See also:
| The Plight of the Hypocrites | |
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Understanding the Arabic Language does not Mean One Understands the Qur'an |
Are "Those with Knowledge" referring to Clergy / "Ulama"? |
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