Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Discover God
“Recite to them the tale of the man to whom We gave Our signs, but who then cast them to one side and Satan overtook him. And he became one of those who went astray—if it had been Our will, We could have used these signs to exalt him, but instead he clung to the earth and followed his own desires—he was like a dog that pants whether you chase it away or leave it alone. Such are those who reject Our signs. Tell them this story so that they may reflect.” (The Quran, 7: 175-176).
This verse of the Quran shows what it is to follow guidance. It is to set oneself in search of a higher purpose. But rather than commit themselves to such a path, people tend to seek baser goals. For the sake of temporal profit, they incur eternal loss.
Through Prophet Mohammed, Almighty God was to open a new age. His mission was to end the age of polytheism and make monotheistic thought predominant for all time. Involvement in this divine scheme entailed a good deal of self-sacrifice, and many people were not ready to make this sacrifice. It presented an obstacle to them in following the Prophet. Others involved themselves in God’s scheme initially, but when the time came for them to sacrifice their own desires and suppress their egoistic urges, they were unable to do so. To save themselves, they abandoned the divine cause. This is what happened in the Prophet’s day, and the same thing happens in every day and age.
What a perverse creature man is. God brings clear signs before him, but he does not acknowledge them. God opens to him an avenue to high stations, but he is unable to travel beyond the restricted world of his own interests. God wishes him to serve a great cause, but all he does is serve his own paltry self.