Intermediate
Monotheism
Surah: Al-Jathiyah (23)
Have You Seen One Who Took Their Desire as Their God — Desire Is the Most Worshipped Idol of the Modern Age
ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ
— الجاثية الآية 23
Verse: "Have you seen one who took their desire as their god and Allah misled them in full knowledge?" (45:23) — "Their desire as their god" — desire became the true deity. When one prioritizes their opinion and lust over Allah's command, they have worshipped their desire not their Lord. "In full knowledge" — Allah misled them knowing them — as recompense for choosing this path despite clear proof. In the modern age: desire is the religion that prioritizes immediate pleasure over delayed righteousness. "Personal freedom" when it transgresses Allah's boundaries became desire with philosophical names. Lesson: wherever your life is run by "I want" rather than "Allah commanded" — you are prioritizing desire.
Source: Ibn Kathir (7/261); Al-Sadi
Test Yourself
What does "took their desire as their god" mean in the contemporary context?
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