Message #23 February, 2001
Guiding
Principles of Life
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) says in Surah Al-An’am
(6:152), “Say: Come! I will recite
what your Lord has forbidden to you: Associate naught with Him, and do good to
parents, and slay not your children for fear of poverty – We provide for you
and for them – and draw not nigh to indecencies, open or secret, and kill not
the soul which Allah has made sacred except in the course of justice. This He
enjoins upon you that you may understand.” Here Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala)
lays down some fundamental precepts of religion: Worship only Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Ta'Ala). Perform your duties toward your parents. Stay away not only from
infanticide (which the Arabs used to practice in the days of Jahaliya
(ignorance)), but also from abortion which people wrongly commit fearing
poverty with respect to either financial means or with respect to time and
ability to raise a child, or worse still, to preserve their comfortable
life-styles (an exception, or course, is under life-threatening reasons).
Likewise, do not commit euthanasia (so-called ‘mercy killing’), and do not
kill another human being except in a just cause. The Surah continues by warning
against violating the rights of the helpless orphan, and enjoining the giving of
full measure and weight in all dealings of business and walks of life. Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Ta'Ala) then says (6:154), “And
know that this is My path, the right one, so follow it, and follow not other
ways, for they will lead you away from His way. This He enjoins on you that you
may keep your duty”.
The Glorious Qur'an provides the basic guiding
principles of life that constitute the religion of Islam, from spiritual and
religious commands, to civic laws and fundamental rules of human morality. It
offers a comprehensive operating manual for a human being, and defines the
religion of Islam as a complete way of life, and the only path that is
acceptable to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala). Its beauty arises naturally because
it is in complete accord with the very nature of man, and exists in harmony with
all acceptable truisms and philosophies of life. A sample of the wisdom of Islam
is evident in the following ideals.
If someone does good to you, never forget it; if you
do good to someone, never remember it.
First and foremost, we owe immeasurable gratitude to
our Creator and Benefactor Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala). His favors extend from
the minutest of things that we take for granted such as the blinking of our
eyes, to His manifest favors in regard to our spiritual, physical, emotional,
and social sustenance. As Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) says in Surah Ibrahim (14:34),
“And He gives you of all that you ask of Him. And if you count the favors of
Allah, you will not be able to number them. Surely man is very unjust, very
ungrateful”. Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) repeats in Surah Al-Nahl (16:18),
“And if you would count Allah’s favors, you would not be able to number
them”, but this time He says, “Surely, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful”, two
attributes that are among His greatest favors upon us. When Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) was on his deathbed and despite his strong fever, he
prayed for a good duration of the night, he was asked why he did so when all his
past and even future sins had been forgiven. His reply was simply, “Should I
not be grateful to my Rabb (Lord)?”
There is a story related of Nabiy Ibrahim (Alayhi
AlSalam) who had a habit of going into the street and inviting strangers home
with him to share his meal. On one occasion, he brought home with him a hungry
indigent person, and when he put the food on the table, the hungry man began
devouring the meal without waiting for his host to join him. Nabiy Ibrahim (Alayhi
AlSalam) chided him for this, and immediately, Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala)
revealed a Wahiy to him saying (in
meaning), “For all these years, I have provided sustenance to this man and he
has not once thanked Me for it, while you feed him one meal and harshly demand
thanks from him?” This concept is best exemplified in Surat-Al-Insan (76:
8-9) where Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) says, “And they give food, out of love
for Him, to the poor and the orphan and the captive. We feed you for Allah’s
pleasure only – we desire from you neither
reward nor thanks.” Yet, while Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) is the ultimate
Giver and Doer, and while a person who does an act of goodness towards another
should expect neither reward nor thanks, yet it is incumbent on the receiver of
goodness to show gratitude. Rasool Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam)
said that a person couldn’t be grateful to Allah if he is not grateful to man.
Even the doer of a good act should be grateful toward the receiver of the favor,
because were it not for that person, he or she would not have had the
opportunity to do good and to please Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala).
If you don’t get what you like, then learn to like
what you get.
Part of submitting to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) is
to acknowledge Him as the Grand Master who is the ultimate Doer and Who controls
all. In fact, belief in fate and destiny is one of the six essential articles of
faith in Islam. As Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) says in Surah Al-Ra’d (13:8),
“everything with him has a measure”. He gives whatsoever He wills to
whomsoever He wills, and whenever He wills. No one can hasten to themselves what
He has postponed, nor put off what He has decreed to occur. If it is not in your
destiny to receive something, it will pass you by no matter how much you try or
yearn for it, and if you are to receive something, it will come your way even
while you are mysteriously led to work for it and directed toward it, willingly
or unwillingly. Do not be consumed by and pursue greedily what He has ordained
for you, and do not yearn and hanker for that which He has placed beyond your
reach. As Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) advises in Surah Ta Ha (20:131),
“And strain not thine eyes toward that which We have provided different
classes of them of the splendor of this world’s life, that We may thereby try
them. And the provision of thy Lord is better and more abiding”. Know also
that everyone has difficulties and trials. Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) says in
Surah Al-Ankabut (29:2), “Do men
think that they will be left alone on saying, ‘We believe’, and will not be
tried?” Once Rasool Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) stood on a
rooftop in Madinah overlooking the city in the quiet of the night and remarked
to his companion, “I see angels descending into the homes bringing their
occupants trials and tribulations”. No one really knows the secrets of the
heart and what afflictions and difficulties another human being is struggling to
bear in life. All we can do is to have compassion and help when we can, and gain
from misfortunes by using it to foster love and understanding among ourselves,
and to learn from our own trials and become the better for it.
Learn from your mistakes.
As part of the trials of life, we humans often err
and incur losses as a result of our mistakes. The unwise person grieves
excessively for it, complains without patience and forbearance, and worse still,
when possible, tries to make up for the loss by any illegal means. A genuine
believer, on the other hand, learns from a mistake and responds to the
accompanying loss by turning it into a gain. As Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) says
in Surah AlBakarah (2:156), those who
bear their losses patiently saying, “Surely we are Allah’s, and to Him we
shall return”, the blessings and mercy of Allah descends on them (2:157),
and their sins are wiped away. This happens, as Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) said, even as the leaves fall off a tree in autumn. If
you absorb a loss and yet give fair measure for it, Allah as well as people will
appreciate you more for it, and your recompense in both the life of this world
and in the hereafter will in the long run far outweigh the loss. However, it
should also be said that it is equally important to learn from a mistake by
taking precautions not to repeat it again, if Allah wills. Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) used to say, “A Muslim puts his hand in a hole where a
scorpion has bitten him only once!”
Accept criticism as a means of self-improvement.
Part of the learning process in the wake of a mistake
or error is to accept criticism constructively. A true Muslim is always
self-respecting. Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) used to
advise Muslims not to self-deprecate and speak lowly of themselves. However,
this self-respect should not be a cause to deflect criticism defensively, but to
absorb it without grief and use it positively as a means for self-improvement.
Likewise, the ones who proffer criticism should be wary of hurting the feelings
of a fellow Muslim, and should use this as a tool to assist and educate, rather
than chide and deride. Remember that wounding the heart of a Muslim is a grave
sin, and it is worse than inflicting a physical wound. The latter might heal in
a short time, but the former might turn out to be more enduring.
Do not be consumed by hate.
In times when their enemies are buffeting Muslims on
all sides, it is easy to fall prey to festering and venting feelings of hate and
rancor. Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam), like many other
Anbiya before him, returned love for hate, and thereby created the opportunity
to repair relationships. The Quraish were an avowed enemy who had inflicted
extreme wrongdoings on the Muslims. Yet, when Rasool Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi
Waalihi Wasalam) was finally victorious over them and conquered Mecca (Makkah),
he forgave them rather than inflicting revenge on them. It is related that on
that day, Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) held the two sides
of the gate of the Ka’bah and asked the Quraish, “How do you think I should
treat you?” They replied, “We hope for good, from a noble brother and the
son of a noble brother.” Rasool Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) then
said, quoting Surah Yusuf (12:92),
“I say as my brother Yusuf said: No reproof be against you this day.” This
noble act induced masses of people who used to be bitter enemies to unite under
the banner of Islam.
The Glorious Qur’an also warns against retaliating
in excess against a wrong that one has endured, and says in Surah Al-Shura (42:40),
“And the recompense of evil is punishment like it; but whoever forgives and
amends, his reward is with Allah.” And in Surah Al-Qasas (28:54),
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) says, “These will be granted their reward twice,
because they are steadfast, and they repel evil with good, and spend out of what
We have given them.” A Muslim should recognize that enmity should arise only
against those who are enemies of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala), and not for
reasons of self-hatred. Once Ali Bin Abi Talib, Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam)'s cousin and the husband of his daughter Fatimah was
fighting in a battle and was about to slay a disbeliever, when the infidel spat
on him. Ali held his sword back. The shocked man who was facing sure death asked
him why he had arrested his sword in midair, and Ali replied, “I was about to
kill you for the sake of Allah, until you spat on me. Then I was not sure if I
was now going to kill you for the sake of Ali.” Imagine this level of
perfection in belief and purpose, even in the heat of a chaotic battle!
In conclusion, listen to the wise words from the lips
of Ali, “Silence is the best reply to a fool. Humility the outcome of
knowledge. To assist the wrong is to oppress the right. Friendship is impossible
with a liar. Enmity is the occupation of fools. Pride impedes progress and mars
greatness. Boasting issues from small minds. None is more respected than a pious
man. Your tongue will speak out what it is accustomed to. One’s behavior is
the index to one’s mind.”
May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) guide us by His
principles of life that He has enjoined upon us, and grant us the wisdom to
recognize, learn, and imbibe these principles in our lives, Ameen.
Wa Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh
AL-KUFA
Publications
Kufa Center of
Islamic Knowledge (KCIK)
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563-8471
E-mail al_kufa@hotmail.com
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Wa Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh