Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Attachment to Morality
Al-Shams (The Sun) - Chapter 91: Verses 7-10

"By the soul, and That which shaped it and inspired it to lewdness and godfearing! Prosperous is he who purifies it, and failed has he who seduces it."

Morality, reference to good and evil, is a central domain of Islamic teaching. Admittedly, permission comes first, but there are things that one does not do and does not allow to be done: social, political and economic liberties must be exercised in accordance with respect for certain rules. To say that there is morality and rules is tantamount to attesting to the freedom of each person.

Moral tension partakes of human nature. Peace of the heart or its agitation testify to the ways taken, but the choice always remains within the hands of human beings. From freedom arises responsibility: one must give account of our attachment to morality. This is for ourselves, in our hearts, in the silence and solitude of our intimacy, as in our relations with our parents, brothers, friends, enemies, the stranger, the colleague, the employee, the old, the handicapped, the poor or the exiled; as also with nature, trees, forests, the air, sea and all the elements; as also, lastly, with the totality of the animal world.

Compiled From:
"Islam, the West and the Challenges of Modernity" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 236, 237

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Presence of Allah

We should feel the presence of Allah in any action so that such action may take its share of perfection. This is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, when Jibrail asked him about the meaning of ihsan said: "Ihsan (perfection) is to worship Allah as if you were seeing Him, for although you see Him not, He does see you."

Perfection is a prerequisite in any action, be it worldly actions or actions of a religious nature as seeking perfection in work is a faridah (obligation) on every Muslim. Allah has prescribed perfection in everything, and nothing should make a man seek perfection more than his feeling that Allah sees and hears him and knows all that he does.

Compiled From:
"Priorities of The Islamic Movement in The Coming Phase" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, pp. 103-104

Blindspot!

The Individual

Our contemporary environment is complex, confusing and frustrating. The individual remains, however, the most significant entity of the universe and to ourselves as individuals, we must turn our utmost attention. The image and role which we seek to play will determine whether or not we will deserve the fulfillment of God's promise.

Therefore, we must demand, from ourselves first of all, an uncompromising awareness of ourselves, our being and our message. Thereafter we must work together, with others who share our faith and our destiny, to establish the Islamic way of life. There is a two-way relationship between the Islamic personality and the Islamic society. One cannot be truly fulfilled without the other.

Nations are not the product of irreversible destiny but they are the moulded product of people, usually of a few persons who have vision and courage. Every person, with no exception, can share that vision and help shape its outcome. No one is too small or too weak, too big or too strong, to become part of that process. The definition of our individual role cannot be imposed on us from outside; it has to develop from within and, no matter how others see us, our achievements will depend basically on our will and our actions.

Compiled From:
Islam: The Way of Revival,"The Islamic Personality" - Mahmud Rashdan, p. 233