Deify not mere mortals, for it is liable to end in tears, nor set out seeking their approval. This is the lesson we learned when we admired the writer too much and praised them beyond their station, forgetting mashaAllah and subhanAllah, forgetting that everything is by the will of God. When we forgot our manners, we slaughtered our friend.
Is it not the case that when the Prophet — peace be upon him — heard a man praise another man with exaggeration, he said, ‘You have destroyed the man’s back’? And did he not tell his companions to throw dust into the faces of those who praised people in their presence?
It is the case, but we were oblivious, building the author up, not realising that we were cutting them down. Who knows if it was you or I that destroyed the writer, with our admiring glances and praising words? Who knows the harm we caused when we overstepped the line? Who knows, except Allah?
Deify not mere mortals, for only One deserves our praise. Seek not the approval of mere mortals, for it is by Allah alone that we are judged. Look within to purify your words and, from this day forth, seek only the favour of your Lord.
Last modified: 21 June 2009
MashaAllah… i was having similar, but not quite as coherent and well stated, about something as well. It is thru Allah that we are given the message we need at the time we need it. AlhamdulAllah when it comes thru a particular person, esp when it is a person we trust because as humans we are more likely to heed it, but we must understand it comes FROM Allah Alone. And we must realize that the person who by the will of Allah shares great things one moment, is, afterall, human, and full of their own weaknesses. There will be times when they say something that we must stop, pause, think before we follow. For none of us speaks for Allah.
I read this before but didn’t comment at that time. You said a thing right out of my heart. It’s like the leaves of a tree parting to show you that the way goes over the mountain, and you’re going to meet people and love people but they’ll always be mere mortals just like you. God is the Teacher. And everything good is from Almighty Allah.