Islam has established a number
of fundamental rights, valid for all humanity and must be observed and
respected under all circumstances. To this end, Islam provides not only legal
guarantees but also a very effective moral system. Thus in Islam anything that
leads to the well-being of the individual or society is morally good, and
everything that is injurious to him/it is morally bad. Islam attaches so much
importance to the love of God and love of man that it warns against too much
formalism. We read in the Holy Qur’an: “Virtue does not consist in
turning your faces towards the east or the west; virtuous are those who believe
in God and the Last Day, the angels and the Book and the prophets, who give for
the love of God help to their relatives and to orphans and the needy and
travellers, and those who ask, who free captives, who observe prayer, who
practice alms-giving, who fulfill the commitment they assume, who show patience
in adversity, in hard times and in times of violence. Those are just and fear
the Lord.” (2: 178)
We have here a beautiful
description of the righteous and God-fearing believer, who obeys to (and
implements) the salutary precepts, but without ceasing to gaze upon the love of
God and love of as fellow human beings. We have received four precepts:
a) Our faith should be true and sincere.
b) We must be prepared to show it by acts of charity towards our fellow
human beings.
c) We must be good citizens.
d) Our soul must be firm and steadfast in all circumstances.
This is the criterion upon
which all individual behaviour is judged as good or bad. This criterion is
somehow the nucleus around which revolve all the elements that constitute the
moral conduct of each person. Before establishing moral precepts, Islam seeks
to firmly implant in man’s heart the conviction that he is in constant contact
with God who sees him at all times and in all places, that he can hide from the
world, but not of Him; he can fool anyone, but not God, he can escape the
clutches of anyone except God.
Thus, doing what pleases God is
the first goal of human life. Islam has thus placed the highest possible
standard of morality, opening the moral evolution of humanity to unlimited
perspectives. Seeing in the divine revelation the first source of all
knowledge, Islam gives permanence and stability to moral principles, although
leaving a reasonable margin for adaptations and innovations, excluding
perversions, deviations, promiscuity, the atomistic relativism or loosening of
the moral life. It provides a sanction to morality in the love and fear of God
that would encourage man to obey the moral law even without any external
pressure. Through belief in God and the Day of Judgement, it provides a force
that allows everyone to adopt a moral and honest conduct, with all his heart
and soul.
It does not try to invent,
through some false originality or innovation new moral virtues or to downplay
the importance of well-known moral norms. It does not confer either an
exaggerated importance to certain standards, while neglecting some other without
reason. It includes all the commonly known moral virtues and with a remarkable
sense of balance and proportion, it assigns to each a place and a suitable
function in the overall scheme of life. It widens the horizon of human life,
both individual and collective – his domestic life, his civic conduct, and his
activities in the political, economic, legislative, educational and social
fields. It covers the whole of his existence, from his house/home to life in
society, from the table to the battlefield, from the cradle to the grave. In
short, no sphere of his life is exempt from the universal and infinitely wide
application of moral principles of Islam. Thus, thanks to this supremacy of
morality, all things in life, instead of being dominated by selfish and petty
desires, are governed by moral norms.
Islam erects a system based on
all that is good by rejecting all that is bad. It urges men not only to
practice virtue, but also to make it triumphant and eliminate vice, to strive
for good and prevent evil. It wants the supremacy of the verdict of
consciousness, which ordains that virtue be not subject to evil.
Let’s see some basic moral
teachings relating to different aspects of the life of a Muslim. They cover
both a wide range of the personal moral conduct of the Muslim as well as his
social responsibilities.
1. LOVING MEN FOR ALLAH
The Prophet (pbuh) reports
these words he attributes to Allah: “My love is promised to those who
love each other for My sake to those who advice each other for My sake, who go
out to visit each other for My sake, and who give each other for My sake.”
Loving for the sake of Allah is
sharing one’s property and time as proof of brotherhood; it is also visiting,
caring, helping and smiling. Simple daily acts of solidarity which Allah holds
in high importance.
In a living Muslim community,
the faithful must express/manifest love. “Of the two men,” said the
Prophet (pbuh) “who love each other for the sake of Allah, the most beloved of
Allah is the one who loves the other one more.”
2. CHOOSING ONE’S FRIENDS
Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Choose
your friends carefully,” “I liken,” he said, “the
good and the bad companion to the musk seller and the blacksmith. If you go
around with the first, he will eventually give you or sell you a part of his
goods, and somehow you will feel the fragrance. To go around with the second
equates you risking either burning your clothes or smelling the bad odours
coming from him.”
Therefore, it is recommended to
frequent the good people, to cultivate good relations with the morally best.
The youths must respect the elderly and all must respect the human species.
3. IMITATE THE PROPHET (PBUH)
Imitating the Prophet (pbuh)
regarding acts of worship is an obligation for every Muslim. Here it concerns
daily behaviour which reveals the nature of character and updating of morality.
Muhammad (pbuh) was goodness personified
and had respect for all; his respect for man was great. One day the funeral
procession of a Jew came to pass him, and he immediately stood up. His
companions questioned him on his gesture, to which he replied: “Is it
not also a human soul?”
Feeling like the prophet (pbuh)
and behaving like him is to let oneself imbibe love and radiate it. It is
getting rid of selfishness, as well as the acquisitive and sensualist instinct,
intolerance and angry attitudes. It is also to serve man.
4. IMITATE THE FAMILY-LIFE
BEHAVIOUR OF THE PROPHET (PBUH)
The Prophet (pbuh) in his
family was a good father and a good husband. He helped his wives, and shared
the innocent game of his family. With regard to children, he had a great
affection for them.
Aisha, the blessed wife of the
Prophet was asked about the conduct of the prophet at home. “He was,” she
said “at the service of his family at home.”
Umar ibn Al-Khattab (ra)
narrates that one day he saw the two grandsons of the Prophet (pbuh), Hassan
and Husayn, astride the back of the august Messenger of Allah. Umar said: “What
a good horse you have there!” “And what good riders they are!” the
Prophet (pbuh) added.
So this man who built an
unparalleled community, which was surrounded by the respect of rigorous and
austere men, was a man full of sweetness. Being Prophet and head of state, yet
he let himself be moved by a child’s whim and he also perfectly played the role
of the tender husband. We must therefore make the effort to imitate him.
5. HONOURING THE PARENTS
Duty to honour father and
mother comes immediately after the duty to worship Allah without associating
with Him false gods. The Quran places great emphasis on it; the Hadith too.
Especially the mother is assigned to our piety. This is because birth comes
naturally through the same channel as the birth of the body.
6. MARITAL LIFE
To marry in Islam has not only
the aim to lead an independent life in the privacy of the couple; it is mainly
a way to access a responsibility and respectability highlighted by a moral and
legal status that discourages celibacy. Islamic marriage makes of marital duty
a highly regarded act, but continence vis-à-vis other women (strangers) is to
be strictly maintained. Man (the believer) should lower his eyes, and should
avoid talking in private to a foreign woman. Family life in Islam is made of
genuine affection, is the basis of decency, responsibility, modesty and
chastity.
7. HONORING ONE’S NEIGHBOUR
Good neighbourliness and
respect for the privacy of the neighbour are strongly recommended. Our
neighbour like our parents is entitled to our care and special treatment.
Caring for him and cultivating his friendship is a duty. The Prophet (pbuh)
said: “The angel Gabriel came to recommend me good treatment to the
neighbour with such insistence that at one point I thought he would give him
right of inheritance.”
8. SEEKING LAWFUL GAIN
We are bound not only to work
for a living and to care for our family, but also and especially to acquire it
(our livelihood) by legal means. The worker must do his job with the utmost
scruple of honesty and truth. He is controlled not only by the discipline of
the employer, but also by domestic legal rule. Moral rectitude and
incorruptibility of consciousness are necessary conditions in the workplace. We
must make the effort to banish at all cost the spirit of gain and that also
with the least effort.
9. BE MODEST
Modesty is the central virtue
of faith in Islam. “To each religion its virtue,” said the
Prophet (pbuh) “and that of Islam is modesty.”
Modesty implies respect for
oneself and others. This intimate feeling of respect puts us in friendly communication
and fairness with ourselves and with others, and governs our relationship with
the Creator.
10. LEARN TO BE SILENT
To remain silent is an
essential virtue in terms of human relations. Animosities often originate from
a misplaced word, insults uttered, and aggressive verbal manifestation.
A whole ethics of speech has
been taught by the Prophet (pbuh); it is a very serious sin to report
unverified rumours/talks, foment discord, to speak ill of someone who is not
present, to insult one’s neighbour. He even ordered not to insult animals.
When you have nothing
constructive, good or seemly to say, it is better to remain silent.
So, every good Muslim,
especially we the Muslims in the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, we have the duty to
implement the moral codes of Islam such as taught by our Lord and our beloved
Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Insha-Allah. May God Almighty help
you all present to achieve in this effort. Ameen.
-Jalsa Salana Réunion, June 2014: Closing Speech by the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib(atba) of Mauritius.