An Example of Human Character

to exalt him, but instead he clung to the earth and followed his own desires.” This verse describes the condition of a person to whom God provides favourable circumstances to live a life of faith and righteousness and attain reward in the Hereafter. But rather than being content with such a life, he chooses to abandon it in pursuit of material pleasures—a life that may offer worldly shine but results in spiritual and eternal loss. About such people, the Quran says: “They are the ones who are truly lost.”(7:178) If God grants a person the opportunity to live a life with faith in God, content with having only what is necessary for sustenance, but the person chooses instead to abandon this and pursue worldly pleasures for luxury, then this behaviour exemplifies the Quranic verse mentioned above. Similarly, if someone is given the chance to serve God’s cause in a humble role but instead pursues leadership and fame, or if someone has the ability to promote divine teachings through writing or speech but abandons it in hope of gaining political power—or if someone has opportunities to contribute anonymously to His cause but forsakes them for recognition and public acclaim—such people are like the man described in the verse: God offered them elevation, but they chose to fall. Only by abandoning greed for worldly things can a person truly gain the opportunity to serve God’s cause.