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MORAL SYSTEM OF ISLAM
Islam has laid down universal
fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to
be observed and respected under all circumstances. To
achieve these rights Islam provides not only legal
safeguards but also a very effective moral system. Thus
whatever leads to the welfare of the individual or the
society is morally good in Islam and whatever is injurious
is morally had. Islam attaches so much importance to the
love of God and love of man that it warns against too much
of formalism. We read in the Quran;
" It is not
righteousness that ye turn your faces towards East or
West; but it is righteousness- to believe in '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 prayer, and give Zakat, to fulfil the
contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient,
in pain (suffering) and adversity, and throughout all
periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the
God-feaing. "(2:177)
We are given a beautiful description of the
righteous -and God-fearing man in these verses. He should
obey salutary regulations, but he should fix his gaze on
the love of God and the love of his fellow-men.
We are given
four heads:
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Our faith should be true and
sincere;
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We must be prepared to show it in
deeds of charity to our fellowmen.
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We must be good citizens, supporting
social organizations.
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Our own individual soul must be firm
and unshakable in all circumstances.
This is the standard by which a particular mode of
conduct is judged and classified as good or bad. This
standard of judgement provides the nucleus around which
the whole moral conduct should revolve. Before laying down
any moral injunctions Islam, seeks to firmly implant in
man's heart the conviction that his dealings are with God
who sees him at all times and in all places; that he may
hide himself from the whole world but not from Him; that
he may deceive everyone but cannot deceive God; that he
can flee from the clutches of anyone else but not from
God's.
Thus, by setting God's pleasure as the objective of
man's life, Islam has furnished the highest possible
standard of morality. This is bound to provide limitless
avenues for the moral evolution of humanity. By making
Divine revelations as the primary source of knowledge, it
give permanence and stability to the moral standards which
afford reasonable scope for genuine adjustments;
adaptations and innovations though not for perversions,
wild variation, atomistic relativism or moral fluidity. It
provides a sanction to morality in the love and fear of
God which will impel man to obey the moral law even
without any external pressure. Through belief in God and
the Day of Judgement it furnishes a force which enables a
person to adopt the moral conduct with earnestness and
sincerity, with all the devotion of heart and soul.
It does not, through a false sense of originality
and innovation, provide any novel moral virtues nor does
it seek to minimize the importance of the well known moral
norms, nor does it give exaggerated importance to some and
neglect others without cause. It takes up all the commonly
known moral virtues and with a sense of balance and
proportion it assigns a suitable place and function to
each one of them in the total scheme of life. It widens
the scope of man's individual and collective life - his
domestic associations, his civic conduct and his
activities in the political, economic, legal, educational
and social relations. It covers his life from home to
society, from the dining-table to the battle-field and
peace conferences, literally from the cradle to the grave.
In short; 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, instead of dominated by selfish
desires and petty interests, should be regulated by norms
of morality
It stipulates for man a system of life which is
based on Thai good and is free from all evil. It invokes
the people, not only to practice virtue, but also to
establish virtue and eradicate vice, to bid good and to
forbid wrong. It wants that the verdict of conscience
should prevail and virtue must not be subdued to play
second fiddle to evil. Those who respond to this call are
gathered together into a community and given the name Muslim.And
the singular object underlying the formation of this
community (Ummah) is that it should make an organized
effort to establish and enforce goodness and suppress and
eradicate evil.
Here we furnish some basic moral teachings of Islam for
various aspects of a Muslim's life. The cover the broad
spectrum of personal moral conduct of a Muslim as well as
his social responsibilities.
God-Consciousness
The Quran mentions it as the highest quality of a
Muslim:
"The most honored of you in
the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteousness
of you" (49:13)
Humility,
modesty, control of passion and desires, truthfulness,
integrity, patience, steadfastness, and fulfilling one's
promises are moral values which are emphasized again in
the Quran. We read in the Quran:
"And God loves those who are
firm and steadfast" (3:146)
"Be quick in the race for
forgiveness from your lord and for a Garden whose width is
that (of the whole) of heavens and the earth, prepared for
the righteous,- Those who spend (freely), whether in
prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and
par-don (all) men;- For Allah lover those who do good:"-(3:133-134)
"0 my son! establish regular
prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong: and
bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this
is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct) of
affairs."
"And swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men. Nor walk
in insolence through the earth, Allah like not each
arrogant boaster."
"And be moderate in the pace, and lower thy voice;
for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of
the ass." (31:17-19)
In a way which summarizes the moral behavior of a
-Muslim, the prophet (pbuh) Said: "My
Sustainer has given me nine commands: to remain conscious
of God, weather in private or in public; to speak justly,
whether angry or pleased; to show moderation both when
poor and when rich; to reunite 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 l should command
what is right."
Social Responsibilities
The teaching of Islam concerning social
responsibilities are based on kindness and consideration
of others. Since a broad injunction to be kind is likely
to be ignored in specific situations; Islam lays emphasis
on specific acts of kindness and defines the
responsibilities and rights of various relationships. In a
widening circle of relationship, then, our first
obligation is to our immediate family- parents; husband or
wife and children, then to other relatives; neighbors,
friends and acquaintances, orphans and widows, the needy
of the community, our fellow Muslims,: all our fellow
human beings and animals.
Parents
Respect and care for parents is very much stressed
in the Islamic teaching and is a very important part of a
Muslim's expression of faith.
"Thy Lord
hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be
kind to parents, Whether one or both of them attain old
age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor
repel them but address then, in terms of honor. And out of
kindness, lower to them the wing of humility and say: My
Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy, even as they cherished me
in childhood "(17:23-24)
Other Relatives
"And render
to the kindred their due rights, as (also) to those in
want, and to the wayfarer: but squander not (your wealth)
in the manner of a spendthrift." (17:26)
Neighbors
The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) has Said:
"He is not a believer who eats
his fill when his neighbor beside him is hungry; and: He
does not believe whose neighbors are not safe from his
injurious conduct
Actually, according to the Quran and Sunnah a Muslim
has to discharge his moral responsibility not only to his
parents, relatives and neighbors but to the entire mankind
animals and useful trees and plants.
For example, hunting of birds and animals for the sake of
game is not permitted. Similarly, cutting trees and plants
which yield fruit is forbidden .unless there is a very
pressing need for it.
Thus, on the basic moral characteristics, Islam builds a
higher system of morality by virtue of which mankind can
realize its greatest potential. Islam purifies the soul
from self-seeking egotism, tyranny, wanton-ness and
indiscipline. It creates God-fearing men, devoted to their
ideals possessed of piety, abstinence:
and discipline and uncompromising with falsehood. It
induces feelings of moral responsibility and fosters-the
capacity for self-control. Islam generates kindness,
generosity, mercy, sympathy, peace, disinterested
goodwill, scrupulous fairness and truthfulness towards all
creation in all situations. Ii nourishes noble qualities
from which only good may be expected.
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