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A
major goal of Islam is to provide mankind with a practical and realistic
system of life based on good by which he can conduct his life. It calls upon
mankind not only to practice virtue but to establish it and to eradicate all
that is harmful. It seeks the supremacy of one's conscience in all matters,
so that what is harmful cannot gain the upper hand in either an individual
or a society. Those who respond to this call are known as Muslims, which
literally means those who have submitted to God (Allah). The sole object of
the resulting community of Muslims (the ummah ) is the undertaking of an
organized effort to establish what is good and to fight and eradicate
what is evil and harmful.
Islam has laid down for humanity universal fundamental rights that are to be
observed and respected under all circumstances. So that these rights can be
realized in one's daily and social life, Islam provides both legal
safeguards and a very effective moral system. In brief, whatever improves
the well-being of an
individual or a society is morally good, and whatever harms this well-being
is morally bad.
Islam attaches so much importance to one's love of God (Allah) and love of
fellow human beings that it discourages excessive formalism.
We read in
the Qur'an :
It
is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West; but it
is righteousness to believe in God (Allah) and the Last Day, and the Angels,
and the Book, and the Messengers, to spend of your substance, out of love
for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for
those who ask, and for
the ransom of
slaves, to be steadfast in prayers, and practice regular charity; to fulfill
the contracts which you made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or
suffering) and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the
people of truth, the God (Allah)-fearing. (Qur'an 2 : 177)
We are given a beautiful
description of the
righteous and the religiously committed individuals in these verses. We
should obey salutary regulations but center our
focus on the love of God (Allah) and followed by the love of humanity. We
should show our faith in
deeds of charity
to other people and by living as good citizens and supporters of social
organizations within the boundaries of Islam.
Finally, our own individual faith must remain firm and unshaken in all
circumstances.
This
is the standard by which a particular mode of conduct can be classified as
either good or bad. It also provides the nucleus around which an individual
as well as a society's moral code should revolve. Before laying down any
moral injunctions, Islam seeks to implant firmly in man's
heart the conviction that his dealings
are with God (Allah),
who sees him at all times and in all places. While he may hide himself
from others or deceive them, he cannot do so with God (Allah).
Islam teaches that the objective of one's life is to live a life that is
pleasing to God (Allah). To make such a goal possible, Islam has provided
mankind with the highest possible standard of morality. This moral code,
which is both straightforward and practical, provides the individual with
innumerable ways to embark upon and then continue the path of moral
evolution. By making divine revelation the primary source of knowledge,
moral standards are made permanent and stable. This does not make them
inflexible, however,
for there is room for reasonable adjustment and adaptation when needed. The
danger of moral relativism,
now so widespread in many societies, is thereby
avoided. Another benefit is the gradual internalization of these moral
standards, for one seeks to follow them voluntarily to please God (Allah),
not because some government or people tell him to do so. An individual's
belief in God (Allah), when added to his belief in the Day of Judgment, is a
powerful motivating factor for one to live a highly moral life.
Islam does not provide any novel moral virtues, nor does it seek to minimize
the importance of traditional and commonly accepted moral norms or give
exaggerated importance to some and neglect others. The Islamic moral code
incorporates all of the commonly accepted moral virtues and then endows them
with a sense of balance and proportion by assigning each one a suitable
place and function in the total scheme of life. It widens the scope of man's
individual and collective life by dealing with his domestic associations,
his civic conduct, and his activities in the political, economic, legal,
educational, and
social realms. It covers his life from home to society, from dining table to
battlefield and peace conferences in short, from the cradle to the grave
for no sphere of life is exempt from the universal and comprehensive application
of the moral principles of Islam. It makes morality reign supreme and
ensures that the affairs of life are regulated by moral norms and not
dominated by selfish desires and petty interests.
Several of Islam's basic moral teachings are given below. They cover the
broad spectrum of a Muslim's personal moral conduct as well as his social
responsibilities.
GOD (ALLAH)-CONSCIOUSNESS
God (Allah)-consciousness is the highest quality of a Muslim. God
(Allah) says in the Qur'an :
... The most honorable among you in the sight of
God (Allah) is the
one who is most God (Allah)-conscious
...(Qur'an 49 : 13)
Humility, modesty, control of passions and desires, truthfulness,
integrity, patience, steadfastness, and fulfilling one's promises all of
these are moral values that are mentioned many times in the Qur'an :
... And God (Allah) loves those who are firm and steadfast (Qur'an 3
:146)
God (Allah) in the Qur'an also tells Muslims :
And vie with one
another to attain your Sustainer's forgiveness and a Paradise as vast as the
heavens and the earth, which
awaits the God (Allah)-conscious. Who spend for charity in time of plenty
and in time of hardship, and restrain their anger, and pardon their fellow men, for
God (Allah) loves those who do good. (Qur'an 3 : 133-134)
O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what
is wrong; and bear patiently whatever may befall you; for this is true
constancy. And do not swell your (cheek with pride) at men, nor walk in
insolence on the earth, for God does not love any man
proud and boastful. And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice;
for the harshest of sounds, indeed, is the braying of the ass.(Qur'an 31 :
17-19)
The moral behavior of a committed Muslim can be
summarized by the following statement of the
Prophet (pbuh) :
My Sustainer has given me nine commands : to remain conscious of God
(Allah) in private and in public; to speak justly whether angry or pleased;
to show moderation when poor or rich; to rekindle friendship with those who
have broken it off with me; to give to him who refuses me; that my silence
should be occupied with thought; that my looking should be an admonition;
and that I should command what is right.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The teachings of Islam concerning social responsibilities are based on
kindness and consideration for others. So that these broad injunctions will
not be ignored in specific situations, Islam stresses specific acts of
kindness and defines the responsibilities and rights that belong to various
relationships. Our first obligation is to our immediate family parents,
spouse, and children, then to other relatives, neighbors, friends and
acquaintances, orphans and widows, the needy of the community, our fellow
Muslims, our fellow human beings and animals.
Parents :
Respect and care for parents is a very important part of a Muslim's
statement of faith.
Your Sustainer has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you
be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your
life-time, do not say to them a word of contempt nor repel them, but address
them in terms of honor and, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of
humility and say: My Sustainer! Bestow on them Your mercy, even as they
cherished me in childhood. (Qur'an 17 : 23-24)
Other Relatives :
And render to the relatives their due rights, as (also) to those in
need, and to the traveller; and do not squander your wealth in the manner of
a spendthrift. (17:26).
Neighbors :
The Prophet (pbuh) said: "He is not a believer who eats his fill while
his neighbor beside him is hungry" and "He does not believe whose neighbors
are not safe from his injurious conduct."
Based on the teachings of God (Allah) in the Qur'an and the example of
the Prophet (pbuh), a Muslim has to discharge his moral responsibility not
only to his parents, relatives, and neighbors but to all mankind, animals,
and useful trees and plants. For example, the hunting of birds and animals
for sport is not permitted. Similarly, cutting trees and plants that yield
fruit is forbidden unless there is a very pressing need for one to do so.
Thus, on the basic moral plane, Islam provides mankind with a higher
system of morality that can be used by an individual to realize his greatest
potential. Islam purifies the soul of self-seeking egotism, tyranny,
wantonness, and lack of discipline. It produces God (Allah)-
fearing men who are devoted to their ideals, motivated by piety,
abstinence, and discipline, and unable to make any compromise with
falsehood. It induces feelings of moral responsibility and fosters the
capacity for self-control. Islam promotes kindness, generosity,
mercy, sympathy, peace, disinterested goodwill,
scrupulous fairness, and truthfulness towards all creation in all
situations. It nourishes noble qualities from which only good may be
expected.
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