The deeds define a Self – this message has a connotation that a wrong deed degrades it. Life urges the Self to act in line with what it chooses to pursue, and its deeds are dynamically issued from a generally constant attitude toward that reality. On the path of life, it may pick up concepts, ideas, likings, and hatred towards certain phenomena, but deep down, something remains ignored. A hidden grudge or a sinful desire can get momentum in the mind, but the question that remains to be asked is whether that ignored part of the Self is comfortable with its action or not.

The Self faces the dilemma that shows it can follow its desire without hesitation – so it takes the freedom of choice and dumps the courage to look elsewhere to see any signs around that could have woken up its ignored part, which could sense right and wrong. The dilemma may also pose a challenge to the Self, and lets it mistakenly treat the inconvenience as oppression because hiding the ignored part of it seems easier to manage. The general disliking or aversion in mind continually affects the intention of the Self before any action – right or wrong. But is there anything the Self can do to evolve in a way that can prove it is far more worthy to its destiny in the end than that hatred, which is about to define its identity through its action?

Faithful Perspective

Qur’an (11: 25-30) suggests that Noah (A:) mentioned, while the message from God was not taken seriously by his people, they cannot be compelled to accept a clear proof when they are averse to it. On another note, Qur’an (7: 85-89) portrays Shuaib (A:) being threatened by his people of getting thrown out of the city unless he and his fellows return to their religion. He asked that “even if we are the ones who hate it?” These two instances appear to make up both sides of the same coin. One side is on a receiving end to bring people on God’s path, is relying on God to warn against the disgust the opposition had towards the unseen certainty. The other on a giving end is treating God as high as the Best Judge to patiently rely on Him and guard the disgust against the way from which God had already saved them. Both instances highlighted the reliance on God assisting the Self in making a choice respecting others’ hatred and nurturing own disliking inherent within the inner core.

Half Faith/ Faithless Perspective

Lowering God to Level of Creation: An idolater would be unsure of God’s invincible omnipotence and thus would look to cover the feeling of ‘insufficient with God’ through other phenomena. Qur’an suggested on various instances that the God-believing Self out of envy on – why someone else (several prophets from the past) had received revelation from God – started disregarding what God Himself Had sent. God sent the Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to show it is above all religions, even though the idolaters dislike it (Qur’an 9:33, 61:9). It is shown again (23: 68-70) that ancestors of some had known about the revelation on the coming of God’s Messenger (SAW), but most of them despised that when it came true. So they claimed the Prophet (SAW) had acted like a possessed person! As a result of fostering a bit of faith for God and bit of it for envy – a creation of God, the unsure Self would give way to unwanted hatred towards its steps on God’s path. As a result, spending with detest would prevent that spending from being accepted by God as it is indicated they would be engaged in prayers lazily and would not have full commitment to believe in God and His Messenger (SAW) (9:54).

Raising Creation over God: A disbelieving Self is portrayed in the Qur’an (8: 5-8), showing that the ones who pursue their greed would have hatred in their hearts when God justifies the truth. In the Battle of Badr, the objective was to dismantle the army, but the team’s disbelievers were interested in the spoils of war from the caravan. This indicates an unwanted hatred gets momentum in the heart when greed, a creation of God to test the Self, is raised higher than God to pursue in life. Moreover, the disobedient ones, led by their hatred, tried to prevent others from joining the battle saying (9:81) that it would be too hot out there – showing their disgust in striving on God’s way with their wealth and human resources. However, they were reminded the heat in the hellfire would be much more intense. To portray the fate of the disbelievers, Qur’an (43: 77-78) suggests that they would be asking inside the hellfire for death, but they would be replied: “No! You are here to stay.” The reason being – when the truth came to them, they were opposed to it. This aversion grew when the Self made its passion for worldly life its God.

Suggested Solution

Qur’an (40: 12-14) depicts people had rejected when God alone was invoked, but they believed when others were associated with God. Lack of reliance on God makes the polytheists seeking shelter from other entities that are not God. But they do believe in God, but not God alone as the protector. Underestimating God’s Highness and Greatness makes them oblivious of the Last Day when He will prove He is The One – The Irresistible. The verse also hints at the ones who chose not to pay heed to the message being disbelievers in God, failing to think deeply on His signs around – overlooking the provision to sustain the creation by God. In the end, it hints that the message will be taken to heed by those only – who turn to Him. It is about calling God sincerely dedicating the religion to Him only, however hateful this may be to the disbelievers.

Nevertheless, sincere devotion in calling upon God entails a wish that materializes after God approves whatever the Self deserves. Whether that wish, when fulfilled, is rewarding or harmful would be God’s call. Thus, the credit that goes to the Self is embedded in the level of devotion it holds to take care of two phenomena in the core – what it feels comfortable with and senses embarrassment against. Digging deeper in the Qur’an to search for what dedication is meant to be loyal to the way of life (the religion), the following emerged as a finding:

Qur’an (7:29) suggests sincerely calling on God is a necessity because God originated the Self, and it has to return to Him only. This return, when left ignored, causes the Self to find itself rebelling against itself as everything will get openly informed in the end. Also, the Qur’an (10: 22-23) explains that the self starts behaving outrageously against its promise to stay thankful once help is given after beseeching God with sincere devotion. It is explicitly described (29: 65-66) that the Self had ascribed imaginary powers to share to God’s divinity to deny God and enjoy what God had given them. This treacherous and thankless attitude is portrayed yet again (31: 32), and this time, it mentions some, who are moderate among those, would not deny God’s signs around. Being moderate calls for attention here because this means not rushing into sinful or hostile or unlawful actions insolently but valuing the embarrassment involved in everything that is not righteous.

Effects of Moderate Attitude

Earnings in Hastening to good deeds: Qur’an (3:114) states it as one of the characteristics of the righteous, who believe in God and the Last Day and command the good and forbid the evil. The examples of Yahya (A:) and his parents were cited (21:90) as they used to be keen to do good deeds. They were described as calling on God with a yearning desire and awe and being humbly submissive to God. Moreover, (23: 53-61) stresses that those who race to goodness are the ones who stand in awe for God, believe in His messages, and do not ascribe partners to God, gives with hearts that tremble at the thought that they must return to Him. On the contrary, God does not race to provide all the good, although, who split their community into sects each rejoicing in their own, would think otherwise. Interestingly, awareness of good and evil is ingrained in human nature, so is the freedom of choice. Therefore, knowing it is free to choose ‘evil’ when the Self still chooses the ‘good,’ it follows the inherent nature – its religion – the treasure that was blown into itself since day one. The moderate attitude of the Self, who already chose not to do evil, nurtures aversion from doing less of what is good.

Loss in Hastening into Evil Deeds: Hiding the disliking in the heart is identified (5: 61-66) to cause the Self to commit evil deeds with fearless excitement. Saying they believe but then come and leave disbelieving results in God casting their heart with enmity and hatred. But whenever they kindle the fire of war, God will put it out. Only believing and being God-conscious would have opened the door of God’s mercy for the people of the Book, as stated in the verse. However, (5:41) One who says about believing but does not possess conviction in heart would race with others in distorting the message of God and conditionally accept only if it satisfies the hidden agenda in mind. It is mentioned here that God does not intend to cleanse their hearts, and He has fixed disgrace in the world and heavy punishment in the Hereafter. It appears that a moderate Self would shift the focus from its hatred to what God has already given it and gratefully ask itself, for example, why it is intensely joining a gossip to hurl anger or why it is highlighting faults of others to provoke unrest. When the fear of losing God’s consent is missing, the Self is expected to get fearlessly ferocious with all its contempt developed in the heart.

Stamp of Approval

The Self cannot do unless it becomes eligible in God’s wisdom to do it. The proof of the Lord felt in the heart of the Self is reflected in its sincere loyalty, and that dedication earns God’s approval to let the Self do whatever it intends to do. In the process, God averts the Self from evil and immorality (12:24) even if it unknowingly attempts to do it. On the other hand, He lets the disbelieving Self go astray and causes its chest to feel tight and constricted as though it were climbing a path into the sky (6:125). In a nutshell, what the Self intends to do based on its liking or hatred in the heart towards something, requires permission from God to act on it. That acceptance from God will depend on His wisdom. It is indicated in the Qur’an that in the deep core finding the nature of the Self and following that as the religion (30:30) to connect with God would be all the Self would need to do.

The essence of the moderate attitude is in its definition, not in the fact that it is difficult. Going on one side or the other is easy; striving to stay in between is certainly not. When the Self figures out confidence in its perception that God is the Judge, it can calm down knowing that it is only a master of its choice, but it is not in charge of the outcome. As a result, it can stop judging others, shift its focus from what it wants to what it already has, and generate gratefulness to The Creator. That gratefulness lets the Self create a willingness to give back something good to the world and shapes up a disliking to anything that the core of the Self does not approve of. To let that happen, the Self needs to turn to God with sincerity, which balances what it says and what it does. That balance, interestingly, makes up the moderate attitude in the Self. All the hope and fear reside in that attitude within the Self, and even if it yearns for something harmful, that gets averted from it – just because it relied on God’s judgment. So it seems the grudge, the hatred, the pre-conceived ideas about others in the heart can develop, but the dedication to righteousness is enough for the Self to let its action be as best as its reliance on the Supreme Being.