THE ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFE
Worshipping God and Doing Good to Man
THE Islamic way of life is, to put it briefly, a God-oriented life. The greatest concern of a Muslim is God Almighty. The focus of his whole life is Akhirah (the Hereafter), which is the ideal world of God. He obeys divine injunctions in every aspect of his life. His life becomes a practical expression of this Quranic verse:
We take on God’s own dye. Who has a better dye than God’s?
We worship Him alone.
THE QURAN 2: 138
Taking on ‘God's dye’ means being of a 'godly character' in all aspects of one’s life, personal as well as social, exemplified in one’s thoughts, words and deeds. This 'godly' character is personified in a Muslim individual whose words and deeds in family matters, or dealings with other members of society or with regard to earning a livelihood, always seem to be distinguishably 'dyed' in the divine hue.
A believer sees all of humanity as his family and the entire universe as his abode.
IMAN (Faith)
By accepting iman, one enters the fold of Islam. But iman is not simply
the verbal recitation of the Kalima, the creed of Islam. According to the
Quran, it is ma‘arifah (THE QURAN 5: 83), that is realization. Realization
of truth is the door to Islam. When one discovers that Islam is truly
God's religion and that it is the same truth that one has been seeking
all along, one undergoes a unique experience of realization which is
known in Islamic terminology as ma‘arifah.
Making any kind of discovery revolutionizes a person's life, but when this discovery is of the realities of our existence leading to an intellectual transformation, it becomes synonymous with the emergence of a new life for the individual.
This kind of intellectual revolution is no simple event. It turns a man into a superman, and gives him the greatest mission of his life. It regulates his life in such a way that no part of it remains unaffected. He begins to see all of humanity as his family and the entire universe as his abode. Such a discoverer becomes a maker of history, rather than a product of it.
This is the stuff of iman. And it was this iman which enabled the Prophet and his companions to produce, as one historian remarked on the expansion of Islam, "the most miraculous of all miracles”.
IBADAH (Worship)
Ibadah, or worship, is not simply the observation of a set of rituals.
It is a profound kind of religious experience. In fact, it is the physical
and spiritual expression of the human personality on a higher plane of
consciousness.
Islamic morality is based on the formula of unilateral and unconditional positive conduct: 'Do good to others, even if they are not doing good to you.’
Addressing man, the Quran says, "Prostrate yourself in adoration and bring yourself closer (to God)" (THE QURAN 96: 19). The Prophet Muhammad was once asked ‘What is the essence of ibadah?’ He replied: ‘The worship of God as though you are seeing Him. Or if you are not seeing Him, He is seeing you.’
There are two kinds of worship in Islam. The first kind of worship has been prescribed at specified times — these include the five daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan and pilgrimage or Haj. These forms of devotion are among what are called the ‘pillars of Islam’. Then there are other forms of worship, consisting of dhikr and fikr (THE QURAN 3: 191), which means to remember God with feelings of fear and love.
This second form of worship aims at mental activation of the human soul so that one may be enabled to see God's signs in everything one comes across in one’s daily life. This is the worship which is obligatory for every Muslim at all times.
MORALITY
What is morality? It is to live among one's fellow men according to the
moral teachings of Islam. The essence of Islamic morality is set forth in
a Hadith report as follows: "Behave with others as you would like them
to behave towards you" (Al-Bukhari). By nature, everyone knows of what sort of conduct he approves and of what sort he disapproves. So, to
follow this generally accepted moral criterion in relation to others is
essentially Islamic morality.
Islam differentiates between social manners, on the one hand, and social character, on the other. Social manners are based on the principle 'Do as they do'. But Islamic morality is based on the formula of unilateral and unconditional positive conduct: 'Do good to others, even if they are not doing good to you.’
If one is good in relation to other human beings, it will serve as evidence that one also is good in relation to God.
The Quran portrays Muslims as individuals who 'repel evil with good'
(THE QURAN 28: 54).
Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad advised a Muslim to 'do good to those who harm you’ (at-Tirmidhi). The Prophet Muhammad was the true embodiment of the finest moral character. Addressing the Prophet, the Quran declares: ‘Surely you have a sublime character’ (THE QURAN 68: 4).
Such great importance has been given in Islam to moral character that it has been set up as a criterion by which to judge all other Islamic virtues. If one is good in relation to other human beings, it will serve as evidence that one is also good in relation to God. The Prophet Muhammad puts it thus:
One who is not grateful to man cannot
be grateful to God either (Al-Bayhaqi).
SOCIAL RELATIONS
Individual Responsibility
To preserve society from instability and to keep it in a perpetually reformed state, Islam has given a basic commandment, which has been mentioned at many places in the Quran. One such Quranic verse reads: "(Believers are those)... who enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil" (9: 112). The same point has also been repeatedly made in a number of traditions of the Prophet, such as the following: "A believer ought to open the gate of good and close the door of evil" (Musnad Ahmad).
This commandment has been misrepresented by certain self-styled advocates of Islamic revolution as being political in nature. But this is not so. It is entirely non-political. It only indicates that every member of society should have a strong sense of responsibility towards society. No one should remain indifferent on seeing the perpetration of evil or injustice. He should feel the pain of others in his own heart. When one sees someone engaged in calumny and slander of others, he should attempt to stop him from doing so.
Every member of society should consider the upholding of virtue to be an essential duty. The greatest concern of every individual should be to see that goodness flourishes in society and that evils are uprooted from it. This task of enjoining good and forbidding evil has to be performed with utmost gentleness and well-wishing, not with harshness and violence. That is why this social responsibility has been linked with acts of worship in Islam.
Family Life
A sane society, from the Islamic point of view, is but an extension of
a sane family. Human society at large is nothing other than a single
family gradually extended throughout history. That is why Islam has
greatly emphasized the significance of family life being disciplined and
well-organized so that it may play its part in maintaining social stability.
The task of enjoining good and forbidding evil has to be performed with utmost gentleness and well-wishing, not with harshness and violence.
A family begins when a male and a female decide as members of society to live together under one roof. However, Islam does not allow such a relationship between a man and a woman, unless it is based on a legitimate marital contract, which is basically meant to be a guarantee of a lifelong partnership of rights and duties, and not merely a temporary entertainment. Hence, there is no room in Islam for what is known as pre-marital or extra-marital affairs between the two sexes.
Through the institution of marriage Islam aims at building a society free from anarchy, instability, indecency, violence and crime. Marriage, when conducted and maintained on the lines laid down in the Quran and the Sunnah, provides an organised unit in the form of a home. In this way, successive generations are brought up and nurtured physically, morally and mentally in a healthy atmosphere and under the supervision of loving and concerned parents. This training at home helps children enter society equipped with a deep sense of responsibility, respect for human values and other qualities, such as sincerity, which are essential for the better construction and development of any social system.
A society composed of such homes or training units where these values are embodied will never suffer from the chaos and destructive instabilities from which modern societies are suffering nowadays.
To attain inner peace and real happiness, one has to remain content with what one has been able to earn independently and lawfully.
Guidelines for a healthy, happy and meaningful marital life, along with the rights and duties of parents and other members of the family, occupy considerable space in both the Quran and Hadith. A few references in this regard are given below:
1. And your Lord has commanded that you should worship none but Him, and show goodness to your parents. If either or both of them attain old age with you, show them no sign of impatience and do not rebuke them, but always speak gently to them and treat them with humility and tenderness and say: 'O my Lord! have mercy on them as they raised me up when I was little' (THE QURAN 17: 23-24).
2. No parents have ever given to their children any gift better than a good moral education (Al-Adab al-Mufrad).
3. Live with them (spouses) in accordance with what is fair and kind; if you dislike them, it may be that you dislike something which God might make a source of abundant good for you (THE QURAN 4: 19). Legitimate Livelihood
Many social evils can be directly attributed to some members of society having an insufficient means of livelihood or others having an excess of wealth. Islam urges that one should earn one's livelihood by all possible but lawful means, so that one's essential needs are properly met and one does not remain dependent on others. According to the Quran and Hadith, traits like greed and the desire for more, niggardliness, holding money back to centralize it in one or a few hands, are the main roots of criminal and destructive tendencies in human society. That is why virtues such as contentment, moderation, simplicity, altruism, charity and sharing one's happiness with others are highly recommended in Islam. Conversely, vices like extravagance, selfishness, monopolistic practices, exploitation, usury and all unfair means of money-making are strongly condemned and prohibited.
How is one to earn a livelihood in accordance with the Islamic way of life? The answer to this question may be summed up in the following points:
Avoidance of transgression: God Almighty has declared in the Quran:
Eat of the good things we have given for your sustenance, and
do not transgress with respect to them.
THE QURAN 20: 81
Self-reliance: One should try one's utmost to earn one's daily bread by one's own efforts, without being dependent on anybody else. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said repeatedly: "The best food one has ever had is that which one has earned with one's own hands" (Abu Dawud).
Charity, and avoidance of niggardliness: When one is fortunate enough to earn more than it takes to meet one's own needs, one should not be parsimonious with one's earnings. Instead, one should extend a supporting hand to less fortunate or destitute members of society. Otherwise, one's wealth will become a curse for oneself rather than a blessing.
Contentment: To attain inner peace and real happiness, one has to remain content with what one has been able to earn independently and lawfully. The Prophet says in this respect: "Indeed he has attained eternal success and prosperity who accepted Islam, and God has filled his heart with contentment towards whatever he was given". He also said: "A little that suffices is much better than a surfeit that causes disturbance" (Al-Bayhaqi).
Simplicity: Last, but not least, an important Islamic principle concerning one's livelihood is simplicity. The Prophet's own life style was a unique example of simplicity. In one of his sayings he has even considered it one of the signs of true faith (Ibn Majah). In another Hadith, he warns his companions: "Stay away from the luxurious life. For the servants of God do not indulge in luxury" (Musnad Ahmad).