Words of Faith - 25/05/93
[Qur'an, from the chapter called Al-Hijr vv. 28-40]
And your Lord said to the angels, "See, I am creating a mortal of a clay of mud, moulded. When I have shaped him, and breathed My spirit in him, fall you down, bowing before him!" Then the angels bowed themselves all together, except Iblis; he refused to be among those bowing.
Said He, "O Iblis, what is the reason that you are not among those bowing?" He replied, "I would never bow myself before a mortal whom You have created of a clay of mud moulded."
Said He, "Then go out from here; you are accursed. And the curse shall be upon you until the Judgement Day." He replied, "My Lord, respite me till the day they are raised from the dead."
Said He, "Respite is granted you till the Day of the Time Appointed." He replied, "My Lord, because you have allowed me to fall into error, I shall deck all fair to them in the earth, and I shall beguile them into error all together, excepting those among Your servants that are devoted."
Not far from the shiny chrome and glass of the stores on Glasgow's Argyle Street begins the Barras, Glasgow's market, a different kind of shopping altogether. Buildings full of second hand furniture, stalls spread with the strange odds and ends for sale, people selling bedlinen and china, perhaps of dubious origin but at low low prices, and around the fringes of the stalls fast-moving men selling things you can be certain have no guarantee.
Such a market is not a place for the unwary, and the stories you are told by each successive salesman must be taken with a hefty pinch of salt. For a salesman is going to try to make you want to buy his goods by describing them in glowing terms and forgetting their failings. If you are considering buying, he will surely tell you what he thinks you want to hear. Not all salesmen need to tell lies to beguile a customer, though some tell lies so outrageous that their performance can draw a crowd, to listen to their exaggerations and laugh while spending their money.
Of course it's not just street traders that manipulate the truth. Millions of pounds are spent on advertising to persuade us that things are exactly what we want and desperately need. Politicians are not renowned for their honesty either, and many a voter has wondered what happened to promises that were made on the campaign trail. How easily fooled we humans are. And that is just by humans, not Iblis, the Great Satan himself, master of confusion and deceit.
Now there is a salesman with the knowledge, skill and power to persuade us to believe not just the exaggerated but the impossible. With the greatest of ease he can make what is bad for us seem wondrously attractive, and make what is good for us seem quite repellant. Why is it that when we think of what is good for us we imagine the bitter taste of a medicine rather than the fact that it makes us feel better.
I know that when I exercise I enjoy it. Swimming or bicycling is strenuous but fun, and keeps me healthy, looking good and feeling good about myself. Yet somehow there always seems to be a reason to do something else instead, and avoid the pain and effort involved in warming up my muscles enough to reach that point of feeling good. I really must start again tomorrow.
And vice is versa. "Here is a bottle" says the salesman, "Let me tell you what will happen if you drink it. You will lose your ability to speak and remember, vomit and lose control of your body. You will want to fight with your friends and loved ones, or weep uncontrollably for no reason. You will crash your car, pass out and wake up feeling violently ill, and if you drink the contents often enough it will poison your liver and you will die."
"Well, that sounds like just what I need" says the customer "It may be expensive but it'll be worth it". You must admit that really is a salesman to beware of. Qur'an says that Satan makes promises and creates false desires, but Satan's promises are nothing but deception.