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186chapter fourbecause of this belief and Abraham’s insistence on the unity of Allah’ssovereignty ( al-rubåbiyya) that the Book told us to see him as a rolemodel to follow:Abraham was truly an example: devoutly obedient to God and true infaith… ( Al-NaÈl 16:120; AH)In line with this perception of nature, the following examples showthat curvature between the limits of straightness is also realised withinthe realm of human behaviour and social, that is, legally regulated,interaction:1. The clearest sign of the existence of limits within a society are theactual borders of a country. These borders define the extent towhich national laws apply and within which social, cultural, andeconomic relations are regulated. Between these borders a multitudeof possible variations are permissible; in terms of how andwhere people settle down, the regional areas they live in, go towork, change their place of residence, spend their spare time, educatetheir children, and such. If someone wants to escape thesesocietal patterns of life and work, in order to avoid breaking thelaw, he or she will have to cross the border and live under a differentjurisdiction, by other norms, and within new borders.2. The lawgiver in a society stipulates the maximum number of hoursa human being is required to work without being able to claimovertime payment from his or her employer. Similarly, in everyworkplace there exists a notion of the minimum number of hoursthat an employee must work before the manager steps in and issuesan official warning or even initiates a cut in wages because of negligenceor absenteeism.3. We are faced with hundreds of traffic signs on the roads that prescribethe maximum or minimum speed limit allowed or requestedin order to secure a smooth flow of traffic. If someone exceeds themaximum speed limit or ignores the minimum speed limit, thetraffic police will act and, together with city officials, prosecute theperson for having broken the law.4. If a toddler burns his fingers on a hot stove he has, despite the factthat he was told by his parents not to go near the stove, crossed alimit and is punished for it (burnt fingers). He has also had a moving,new experience (pain). This is because of our innate curiosity