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Clarifying the Word ‘Stubbornness’

Question

I was told that Allah does not like stubborn people and He finished a king who was very stubborn in his behavior in the past. There are some people who have special needs with behavioral issues and may have a trait of stubbornnes or others. They are not at fault if they have the trait of stubbornnes or other traits that Allah does not like?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The stubbornness that is mentioned by the scholars in describing those nations that were destroyed because of it is intended to mean that they rejected what the Messengers came up with in their Messages and refrained from responding to them by accepting the faith and obeying them.

Allah Says (what means): {And those cities - We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made for their destruction an appointed time.} [Quran 18:59]

Ash-Shanqeeti said in his Tafseer Athwaa’ Al-Bayaan:

Allah clarified in this verse that the past cities when they transgressed by denying the Messengers, being stubborn, and indulging in disbelief and disobedience, Allah destroyed them due to their sins.

As regards the stubbornness that you mentioned in the question, by which some people with special needs may be characterized with, and also by some children, and which may be frequent in adolescents, then it may be a normal behavior and acceptable sometimes. The child may try to prove his own self (ego) and his personality, and this aspect should be strengthened in him.

But there should be some care, guidance and precaution so that this attitude does not develop in a way that it can lead to unpleasant consequences.

In any case, it is different from the stubbornness that is mentioned in the question, which was the reason for which Allah destroyed those who were characterized by it.

Allah knows best.

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