ABOUT Self Purification

البـر حسـن الخـلق

Righteousness Stands For  Goodness Of Character      Muslim

MuhammadAli is about thirteen years of age.  His voice has become deeper, muscles bigger, and he is growing strong.  Watching TV, he suddenly asked, "Dad, I learned about Faith and Ibadat in Islam, is that all there is to Islam?"

      Taken by surprise, his father answered, "Of course not.  Islam is a way of life, and what you have learned is only part of it.  Islamic ethics and mannerism are vast subjects by themselves.  The instructions are contained, like a treasure, in the Holy Quran and books of Hadith."

      After a moment of silence his father continued, "Islam came to guide humanity, at all times, at all levels of civilization, educated or primitive, and for all people of all tongues.  Therefore, the instructions came to be very comprehensive and diversified.  While acts of worship are an essential element, Islam guides us to what is good in the sight of the Creator.  Ethics and manner of living are also delineated more or less precisely."

      "You mean Islam recommends us to do certain things," MuhammadAli asked excitedly.

      "Yes, exactly, Islam not only urges Muslims to hold to virtue, but also to avoid harmful things."  After a few seconds his father continued, "Muslims also vary in their application of the Islamic Directives.  Those who apply them well are the winners in the present life and the Hereafter.  Let me show you some graphs that I prepared for a lecture.  The first one (see below) shows how the source is Allah, the Glorious Creator.  By His love for humanity, He revealed the Quran to guide mankind to that which is good.  This helps not only in this world but certainly in the Hereafter.  The Quran contains the Shari'ah (The Islamic Directives), which has to be interpreted."  A moment later his father added, "Muhammad (pbuh) was the most unique person ever created on this earth.  He had the highest position of any human being in the sight of Allah.  The Prophet's Hadith explained the Quran in exquisite detail and to the point.  His authentic Hadith is binding on all of us.  A good deal of the ethics we are talking about came in the form of Hadith.  Hadith means the saying of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)."

      After a short pause, Abdul-Rahman, MuhammadAli's father, continued, "If you look at the other graph (see below), you will see grading of Muslims in their application of the Directives of Islam.  On top you see the Muttaqi, or the perfectionist believers.  They are the best, the truly successful Muslims.  Their number is not is small compared to the other groups.  Below it come the Good Muslims who apply Islam less than fully.  Their number is larger than the Muttaqi.  This category is followed by the Fair Muslims, who apply the Islamic Directives at a lower level than the Good Muslims, yet their number is bigger.  Then you will come to the majority of Muslims who are the Muslim Sentimentalists.  Though they are form the majority and are Muslims, their application of the Islamic Directives needs much to be desired; they pay lip service to Islam.

      Look also at those who will be graded as failures from the Islamic point of view.  By the way, this grading applies to all religions.

      Let us see now some of the points that Islam recommends.  It urges Muslims to hold to what is good or whatever leads to goodness, to our salvation.  It makes for responsible, sober people, who do good, individually as well as collectively."

      "Islam urges us," Abdul-Rahman continued, "to be virtuous and at the same time fight evil and help prevent it.  Islam wants us to build strong moral character, to be decent, helpful, and useful in society.  At the same time, Islam wants us to desist and fight evil in all its forms—evil can be our excessive desires or evil conditions in society.  Islam is a way of life, and if applied thoroughly it builds great moral character, and excellent conduct.  It will lead to a good and healthy society.  By applying Islam we earn the highest goal, and that is pleasing Allah the Almighty.  When we please Allah we will earn eternal life, the eternal bliss in Heaven.

      The Holy Quran (Surah  2:  Ayah  177) describes the righteous as follows:

لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَالْمَلآئِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُواْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاء والضَّرَّاء وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ أُولَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ

Righteousness Does Not Consist In Whether You Face Toward

The East Or The West. 

The Righteous Man Is The One Who Believes In Allah And The Last Day,

In The Angels, The Book, And The Prophets;

Who For The Love Of Allah Gives His Wealth To His Kinsfolk,

The Orphans, The Needy, The Wayfarers, The Beggars, And

The Redemption Of Captives;

Who Attends To His Prayers And Pays The Alms-Due;

Who Is True To His Promises And Steadfast In Trial And Adversity

And In Time Of War.  Such Are The True Believers; Such Are The God-Fearing.

 Allah also (Surah  6:  Ayah  125-127) says:

فَمَن يُرِدِ اللّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلاَمِ وَمَن يُرِدْ أَن يُضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاء كَذَلِكَ يَجْعَلُ اللّهُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

وَهَـذَا صِرَاطُ رَبِّكَ مُسْتَقِيمًا قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ

لَهُمْ دَارُ السَّلاَمِ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمْ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

If Allah Wills To Guide A Man, He Opens His Heart To Islam. 

But If He Pleases To Leave Him In Error, He Makes His Heart Constricted

As Though He Were Climbing To The Sky. 

Thus Allah Heaps The Penalty On The Disbelievers.

Such Is The Path To Your Lord, A Straight Path. 

We Have Made Plain Our Revelations For The People Who Take Heed. 

Theirs Is The Abode Of Peace With Their Lord. 

He Will Give Them His Protection In Reward For What They Do.

      When Allah (swt) refers to Himself as "WE" in the Holy Quran He is referring to Himself in terms of Reverence, and not as pleural.

      But as a start, we ought to have good intentions first and foremost.  Good intentions should be the basis leading us to acts of goodness.  That is why good intentions count very high in Islam."

  ABOUT Intentions  

     Good intentions lead to good deeds, and Allah Almighty knows what is in our hearts and He will reward us accordingly.  You see, your salvation is living Islamicly and doing good deeds in this world.  These good deeds come from good intentions.  Yet, good intentions ought to come from a pure, honest, and virtuous heart; in other words you must mean well.  For such an endeavor Allah will reward us for the acts of merits (Thawaab).

      Let us see what Allah Almighty has said in the Quran (Surah  87:  Ayah 14-15):

 قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّى     وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّى

Happy Shall Be The Man Who Purifies Himself,

Who Remembers The Name Of His Lord And Prays To Him.

      The Holy Quran is very clear.  In essence it tells us that to have good intentions, and to have good clean hearts is an essential prerequisite for the deeds of a good Muslim.

      Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh), has said:

إنما ألأعمـال بالنـيات   وإنـما لكل إمـرئٍ ما نـوى

Actions Are Judged By Motives, And A Man

Shall Have What He Intends... Bukhari

إن الله طيب   لايقبل إلا طيـبا

Allah Is Pure And Loves Purity And Goodness.

ليس الإيمان بالتمــني  ولكن ما وقر بالقلب وصدقه العمل

Faith Is Not A Matter Of Wishes Or Lip Service,

But What Dwells Deep In The Heart And Is Affirmed By Application.

      We are reminded of the importance of having purity of heart.  We must mean well.  We must be good and clean.  These qualities are so important that the Prophet (pbuh) said as recorded in (Imam Ja'far Al-Saadiq, book Al-Usool from Al-Kaafi, Vol. 2, Page 82.)

Lo, The Reward For The Intention Of A Believer Exceeds That For His Works, And That For A Disbeliever Is Worse Than His Works; And Each Is According To His Intention.

They Will Be In The Garden Of Bliss, They Who Have A True, Pure, And Merciful Heart.

      Absorbing all this information, MuhammadAli shot another question, "Is that all we need to be in Heaven?"

      With an understanding look, his father answered, "When you have a true, pure, and merciful heart, you have had an excellent beginning, a good base, so to speak.  By following the teachings of Islam, you will have attained a noble status, and you will have earned your reward in the sight of the Almighty.

      Having merely good intentions, yet neglecting the Islamic teachings and duties, will not get you far, however.  A good Muslim must try his best to be pure-hearted, to have honest intentions, to be righteous.

      Mental and spiritual cleanliness should be associated with bodily cleanliness as well.  For example, look at Wudu, and how it reminds us to keep our bodies physically clean.  Our clean bodies also remind us of a much higher spiritual cleanliness (Tahaarah), that of our souls and the purity of our hearts."

      "Therefore, does that mean that Islam recommends we do certain things and avoid others?"  MuhammadAli asked.

      His father answered briefly:

 ABOUT Truthfulness  

      MuhammadAli liked what his father told him about the importance of intentions, so he lost no time in asking his father, Abdul-Rahman, about Truthfulness.  "Dad," he said, "How important is Truthfulness and why?"

      Abdul-Rahman appreciated the curiosity MuhammadAli showed and he answered, "We as good Muslims are urged to speak the truth and be truthful.  We are to do this strictly and to do our very best in expressing ourselves in a truthful manner.  At times the truth can be painful and can even hurt the feelings of people.  Yet, it is still much better to speak the truth."

      After a short pause Abdul-Rahman added, "Lying can lead to more lying in an attempt to cover the first lie.  Lying can lead to much embarrassment.  Allah Almighty who always sees us, knows what is in our hearts.  Allah witnesses every move we make, and every decision we take.  Therefore, it is better to say things in a straightforward manner, as if we see the Almighty in front of us."

      Abdul-Rahman then added, "Allah Almighty said in the Quran (Surah 61:  Ayah  2-3):

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لا تَفْعَلُونَ

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لا تَفْعَلُونَ

          O You Who Believe! Why Do You Say What

          You Do Not Do?

          Grave It Is In The Sight Of God That You Say

          What You Do Not Do.

وَلاَ تَلْبِسُواْ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُواْ الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

...Do Not Mix Up Wrong With Right,

 Nor Conceal The Truth On Purpose. The Believers Will Win;

(Surah   2:  Ayah  42)

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ…..

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لأمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ

...Those Who Faithfully Observe Their Trusts  And Their Covenants.  

(Surah  23:  Ayah  1-8)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ وَكُونُواْ مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ

O Believers, Have Fear Of Allah And Stand

With The Truthful. 

(Surah   9:  Ayah  119)

      As you can see, we are ordered to be truthful, not to conceal nor hide the truth, even though we may suffer because of it.  Allah also requests us to fulfill our promises.  This will raise our value.  If we ignore our promises we will lower ourselves.  It is grave in the sight of God if we don't take our promises seriously and fulfill them conscientiously."

      "MuhammadAli," Abdul-Rahman said, "truth leads to virtue, and virtue leads to a very high position."  Then he added, "See what Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh), said:

إن الصدق يهدى إلى البر   وإن البر يهدى إلى الجنه

Verily, Verily The Truth Leads To Virtue,

And Virtue Leads To Heavens...Bukhari

آية المنافق ثلاث:    إذا حدث كذب   وإذا وعد أخلف   وإذا ائتمن خان

The Signs Of A Hypocrite Are Three:

When He Speaks, He Lies;

And When He Makes A Promise, He Breaks It;

And When He Is Charged With A Trust, He Deceives.   Bukhari

أربع إذا كن فيك فلا عليك ما فاتك من الدنيا:

حفظ الأمانه   وصدق حديث    وحسن خليقه    وعفة طعـمه

If You Have Four Qualities, You Should Not Worry About What You Missed In Life:

To Take Care Of The Trust,

To Speak The Truth,

To Have Good Manners, And

To Have Modest And Pure Food.

Muhammad (pbuh) also said:

► Say What Is True, Although It May Be Bitter And Displeasing To People. 

► Strive Always To Excel In Virtue And Truth. 

He Has Purified His Deeds, The Person Whose Tongue Says The Truth.  (Imam Ja'far Al-Saadiq, book Al-Usool from Al-Kaafi, Vol. 2, Page 104.) 

► No Man Is True In The Truest Sense Of The Word But The One Who Is True In Word, Deed, And Thought. 

► Call Mankind Toward Goodness Not Just By Words But By Your Deeds, Truthfulness, And Virtue.   (Imam Ja'far Al-Saadiq, book of Al-Usool from Al-Kaafi, Vol. 2, Page 105.)

► It Is Not Worthy Of A Speaker Of Truth To Curse People. 

► Lying Is The Basis For Demolition Of The Faith.  (Imam Ja'far Al-Saadiq, book of Al-Usool from Al-Kaafi, Vol. 2, Page 105.)

► Character At Its Best Is By Piety, Contentment, Patience, Gratitude To Allah, Forbearance, Self-Consciousness, Generosity, Courage, Goodwill, Honesty, Truthfulness, And Keeping The Trust.  (Imam Ja'far Al-Saadiq, book Al-Usool from Al-Kaafi, Vol. 2, Page 56.)

► The Servant Of Allah Will Not Enjoy Belief Until He Abandons Lying In His Serious Talks And In His Wit.  (Imam Ali, book of Al-Usool from Al-Kaafi, Vol. 2, Page 340.)

► The Liar Is The Least Manly Of Men.

      Without a doubt we are commanded to be truthful in what we say, and to avoid lying.  Sometimes saying the truth may hurt the feelings of a friend or the people around us.  Even in such a situation, it is better to be brave in telling the truth no matter what the consequences.  Telling the truth may even lead to punishment or to disgrace.  However, even in these situations it is still better to be truthful."

      "Therefore, Islam teaches us certain points about truthfulness," MuhammadAli said.

      His father answered briefly:

 ABOUT HONESTY 

       MuhammadAli had many things to think about:  his friends, what he says and what they say.  That night he had trouble sleeping.  The next day, he could hardly wait before he could talk to his father again.