The Characteristics of the True Believer – 6

                      Al-'Allaamah 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir As-Sa'dee
                              From the book: Essential Q&As about Eemaan (p.58-63)

The disbeliever knows nothing of tawakkul, nor does he look to other than his own weak, humiliated self. Allaah has given him abilities that he uses only to benefit his self, and thus caused them to become useless. If he attains some things that he loves, then he is only being led into a gradual punishment. 

The believer meets all blessings that come his way with thankfulness, and he uses them to benefit himself in a way that will cause more good to come.

The disbeliever meets blessings with exuberance and pride, busying himself with the blessing rather than the One who gave it to him, and thus does not offer any thanks. He uses the blessings for his lowly goals. With all his exuberance, his blessings are quick to part from him. 

The believer meets calamities with patience and counts on Allaah's Reward, hoping for Allaah to remove the difficulty. The goodness and the reward that Allaah gives him in place of his loss is greater than the beloved thing he lost or the hardship he endured. 

The disbeliever meets calamities with dismay and worry, and thus his calamity increases and he is hurt both outwardly and within his heart. He has no patience or hope for any reward. How severe is his loss and how great is his sadness!

The believer worships Allaah by having faith in all of the Messengers. He honors them and loves them more than he loves the rest of the entire Creation. He acknowledges that all goodness that reaches the Creation until the Day of Standing is only the result of their work and by their guidance. He knows that any evil that reaches them is a result of their opposition to the Messengers. He further knows that they are the greatest of all the Creation, in terms of the goodness they spread, especially their imaam and final seal, Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), the one that Allaah made as a mercy to all the Creation and sent him with every kind of righteousness, to correct and guide the people. 

The criminal disbelievers are upon the opposite of that. They sanctify the enemies of the Messengers and honor their statements. They mock what the Messengers came with, just as their predecessors did. This is the biggest evidence of the absurdity of their intellects and the extreme lowliness of their manners.

The believer worships Allaah by loving the Companions and the imaams of the Muslims, the imaams of guidance.

The disbeliever is upon the opposite of that.

The believer performs deeds for the sake of Allaah and behaves well with the servants of Allaah, due to his complete sincerity to Allaah.

The disbeliever only works to achieve his own lowly goals.

The believer's chest is expanded, full of beneficial knowledge, sound Eemaan, turning to Allaah, remembering Him, and kindness to others. His chest is free of lowly characteristics.

The heedless disbeliever is upon the opposite of that, since he has not taken any measures to expand his chest in such a way.