Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

The Moral Code
Al-Nisa (Women) - Chapter 4: Verse 58

"God commands you to deliver whatever you have been entrusted with to their rightful owners, and whenever you judge between people, to judge with justice. Most excellent is what God exhorts you to do. God hears all and sees all."

These are the main obligations placed on the Muslim community and these sum up its moral code:

1. Fulfilment of trust

The basic and most important trust is that which God has implanted in human nature. This is the one which the heavens, the earth and the mountains refused to accept, but which man undertook. It is that of willingly and deliberately recognising Divine guidance and believing in God. Giving testimony in favour of Islam is an important way of delivering this trust.

Another trust which is implied in the above is that of dealing with people and delivering to them whatever they have entrusted to us. That includes honesty in daily transactions, giving honest counsel to rulers and ruled, taking good care of young children, protecting the interests of the community and defending it against hostile forces, entrusting positions of responsibility only to those who are capable of shouldering the burdens of such positions, and observing all duties and obligations outlined by the Divine code.

2. Maintaining justice

The order to maintain justice is stated in the most general terms so as to make it obligatory between all people. Justice is due to every individual human being. Hence, justice should be extended to all: believers and non-believers, friends and enemies, white and coloured, Arabs and non-Arabs, etc.

This verse makes it clear that both orders to be true to one's trust and to maintain justice between people are part of God's admonition. Good and greatly beneficial indeed is whatever God directs and admonishes us to do. Moreover, the order to do both comes from the One who hears and sees all things. God is certain to hear and see all matters related to the fulfilment of trust and maintaining justice.

Compiled From:
"In the Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, vol 3, pp. 193-195

From Issue: 631 [Read original issue]

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Carrying Children in Prayer

If a very small child walks or craws in front of a praying person, it is not a problem. The small child should not be pushed away or treated harshly.

It is established in the authentic Sunnah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to treat small children in a special manner even while he was praying.

Narrated by Abu Qatadah al-Ansari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray carrying his grand-daughter Umamah bint Abi al-As, who was the daughter of his daughter Zaynab, and used to carry her upon his neck. When he prostrated, he put her down. When he stood up, he lifted her up again. [Sahih al-Bukhari (494), Sahih Muslim (543)]

It is also related that while he was praying, when he went into prostration, his grandchildren al-Hasan and al-Husayn would jump onto his back. When the people tried to stop them, he signaled to them to leave the children alone. When he finished his prayer, he said: “Whoever loves me should love those two.” [Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah (887)]

Source:
“IslamToday.com” – Abd al-Wahhab al-Turayri

From Issue: 477 [Read original issue]

Cool Tips!

Finding Power

The abuse of power is costly in every imaginable way, from declining trust in the community to compromised performance at work to poor health. By contrast, when individuals use their power to advance the greater good, they and the people whom they empower will be happier, healthier, and more productive.

How can we stop ourselves from abusing power? The ethical principles that follow are one approach to enabling people to pursue this aspiration.

1. Be aware of your feelings of power

The feeling of power is like a vital force moving through your body, involving the acute sense of purpose that results when we stir others to effective action. This feeling will guide you to the thrill of making a difference in the world.

People who excel in their power—the physician who improves the health of dozens of people a day, the high school teacher who inches her students toward academic success, the writer whose piece of fiction stirs others’ imaginations—they all know this. They feel the rush of dopamine and vagus nerve activation in the purest moments of empowering others and lifting up the greater good.

If you remain aware of this feeling and its context, you will not be entrapped by myths that power is money, or fame, or social class, or a fancy title. Real power means enhancing the greater good, and your feelings of power will direct you to the exact way you are best equipped to do this.

2. Practice humility

Power is a gift—the chance to make a difference in the world. People who enact their power with humility enjoy more enduring power. Ironically, the more we approach our power, our capacity to influence others, with humility, the greater our power is. Don’t be impressed by your own work—stay critical of it. Accept and encourage the skepticism and the push-back of others who have enabled you to make a difference in the world. Remember that others have enabled you to make a difference in the world, and there is always more work to do.

3. Stay focused on others, and give

The most direct path to enduring power is through generosity. Give resources, money, time, respect, and power to others. In these acts of giving we empower others in our social networks, enhancing our own ability to make a difference in the world. Such acts of generosity are critical to strong societies, and empowered individuals are happier. The more we empower others, the greater good is increased.

4. Practice respect

By directing respect toward others, we dignify them. We elevate their standing. We empower them. That all members of a social collective deserve some basic form of dignity is an ancient basis of equality, and it is expressed in our day-to-day lives through respect. Practicing respect requires work. There is no reward people value more than being esteemed and respected. Ask questions. Listen with intent. Be curious about others. Acknowledge them. Compliment and praise with gusto. Express gratitude.

5. Change the psychological context of powerlessness

We can minimize the tendency of some people to feel below others, so toxic to health and well-being, by practicing the first four principles listed above.

We can do more, though. Pick one aspect of powerlessness in the world and change it for the better. The rise in inequality and the persistence of poverty give us many opportunities for such work. Attack the stigma that devalues women. Confront racism. Call into question elements of society—solitary confinement, underfunded schools, police brutality—that devalue people. Create opportunities within your community and workplace that empower those who have suffered disempowerment due to moral mistakes of the past.

Such steps may not feel like the game-changing social revolutions of earlier times, but they are quiet revolutions just the same. In every interaction, we have the opportunity to practice empathy, to give, to express gratitude, and to tell unifying stories. These practices make for social interactions among strangers, friends, work colleagues, families, and community members that are defined by commitment to the greater good, where the benefits people provide one another outweigh the harms they cause.

Compiled From:
"How to Find Your Power—and Avoid Abusing It" - Dacher Keltner

From Issue: 895 [Read original issue]