Overview
COVID-19 and global warming are two symptoms for the same illness of human civilization. This article discusses two opposite examples from history that reflect the root causes of similar symptoms in the old human civilizations. Evidences from Quran and Narrations are reviewed to prove the concept. A proposed model is presented with an analogy on the metrics of measuring the development and collapse of human civilizations.

Motivation
Humanity has been hit with the COVID-19 pandemic for more than 6 months with a large number of infections and deaths worldwide. It is a disastrous hit to worldwide industries, businesses, and operations in all fronts. Travel is banned between countries, social distance measures are enforced in all life activities, millions of businesses are stopped and/or ceased to exist, billions of people are left without income, widespread fall of the economy in many countries, and many other consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every individual suffers from this pandemic, i.e. no social activities with family and friends, no religious collective activities, no personal contacts with others, no vacation trips and visits to sceneries, no income, no work, no education and daycare, less amount of food available, increased shopping time and cost for basic staff, etc. All the above and many others are bounties from Allah (SWT) that are disturbed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We did not feel these bounties until we lost them. We do not know until when this dilemma will continue. I supplicate to Allah (SWT) to end it soon and keep us all safe and healthy.

Global warming is another dilemma that has arisen for the last two decades. It is a phenomena that has many consequences on our lives. It has a disastrous impact on the ecosystem and all living creatures on earth. In the years to come, many frequent and severe weather conditions will be noticed. Higher sea level reduce the piece of land we live on and more acidic oceans impact the marine life. Increased flooding and hurricanes worldwide are also anticipated. Many other consequences are listed in many scientific sources, which show the seriousness of global warming and its catastrophic impact. All these are caused due to manmade pollution through industrialization and the use of fossil fuels. Scientific reports also indicated that this phenomena, directly and indirectly, is a major contributor to the increased death rate, particularly in the categories of children, elder people, and minorities. The death rate might be higher than that of COVID-19 pandemic but it happens quietly with less emphasis from the media outlets.

COVID-19 pandemic, whether it is natural or manufactured, and global warming are events that Allah SWT destined to take place in our lifetimes such that we may study them and learn from the lessons they offer. A question might arise: is this pandemic the first of its kind in history? The answer is no. The world faced many other pandemics every now and then in the past. However, the impacts of COVID-19 and global warming are unique and require further examination. It is crucial to study similar historic worldwide problems and identify lessons learned in order to appropriately react to our existing problems. This will allow the next generations to lead better lives. In the upcoming sections, I will be exploring two unique examples that occurred thousands of years back in history and that are similar to our situation today.

Example 1: The Family of Prophet David and his Nation
Here is how the Quran is describing the story:
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا ۖ يَا جِبَالُ أَوِّبِي مَعَهُ وَالطَّيْرَ ۖ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ (10) أَنِ اعْمَلْ سَابِغَاتٍ وَقَدِّرْ فِي السَّرْدِ ۖ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا ۖ إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ (11) وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ ۖ وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ ۖ وَمِنَ الْجِنِّ مَن يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ ۖ وَمَن يَزِغْ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِنَا نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ (12) يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِن مَّحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَّاسِيَاتٍ ۚ اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرًا ۚ وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ (13)سورة سبأ
Chapter Saba’ (10) And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], "O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well]." And We made pliable for him iron, (11) [Commanding him], "Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing." (12) And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind - its morning [journey was that of] a month - and its afternoon [journey was that of] a month, and We made flow for him a spring of [liquid] copper. And among the jinn were those who worked for him by the permission of his Lord. And whoever deviated among them from Our command - We will make him taste of the punishment of the Blaze. (13) They made for him what he willed of elevated chambers, statues, bowls like reservoirs, and stationary kettles. [We said], "Work, O family of David, in gratitude." And few of My servants are grateful.
The above verses of chapter Saba’ described the great bounties that Allah (SWT) has given to Prophet David, his son Prophet Solomon, and his nation for only one reason that is listed at the end of the 13th verse, i.e. that they were grateful to Allah (SWT). In this verse, Allah (SWT) says “Work, O family of David, in gratitude” and did not say “Say, O family of David, thank you”. This gives us a deeper meaning of gratitude beyond just saying “Thank you Allah” with the tongue. It is to thank Allah (SWT) by both actions and tongue. I will deeply explore this concept later in this article.

Example 2: The Nation of Saba’The second example in the same chapter of the Quran is mentioning the story of the nation of Saba’ who had been given the utmost bounties from Allah (SWT) as described in the following verse:
                                                                                                                     لَقَدْ كَانَ لِسَبَإٍ فِي مَسْكَنِهِمْ آيَةٌ ۖ جَنَّتَانِ عَن يَمِينٍ وَشِمَالٍ ۖ كُلُوا مِن رِّزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ ۚ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٌ (15) سورة سبأ
Chapter Saba’ (15) There was for [the tribe of] Saba' in their dwelling place a sign: two [fields of] gardens on the right and on the left. [They were told], "Eat from the provisions of your Lord and be grateful to Him. A good land [have you], and a forgiving Lord."

The nation of Saba’ had been given two large gardens to the left and the right and had been asked to be grateful to Allah (SWT) for all His bounties on them. The secret of these great gardens lied in a dam of which extra water was stored behind. They used the stored water wisely to irrigate the gardens for many years. Allah (SWT) made these gardens to provide the nation of Saba’ with all kinds of good fruits, vegetables, etc. He (SWT) also sent to them the Prophets to guide them to thank Allah and worship Him but unfortunately, they did not obey the messengers as described in the following verses:
                                                        فَأَعْرَضُوا فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَاهُم بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَيْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَيْءٍ مِّن سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ (16) ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُم بِمَا كَفَرُوا ۖ وَهَلْ نُجَازِي إِلَّا الْكَفُورَ (17) سورة سبأ
Chapter Saba’ (16) But they turned away [refusing], so We sent upon them the flood of the dam, and We replaced their two [fields of] gardens with gardens of bitter fruit, tamarisks and something of sparse lote trees. (17) [By] that We repaid them because they disbelieved. And do We [thus] repay except the ungrateful?

When the people of Saba’ did not thank Allah (SWT) in their actions and did not follow the messengers sent to them, He (SWT) destroyed the dam and flooded the two great gardens. The bounties that had been given to them were destroyed for only one reason, they had been ungrateful to Allah (SWT) by disbelieving and turning away from His path. In a similar manner, Allah (SWT) has given another example of a city that was safe and secure with lots of bounties coming to the people of this city from everywhere. Once they became ungrateful and denied the bounties of Allah (SWT) by disbelieving, they have been punished by hunger and fear from being insecure / unsafe. The following verse describe such concept:
                                                                         وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ (112) سورة النحل
Chapter Al-Nahl (112) And Allah presents an example: a city which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allah. So Allah made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing.

Scholars said “this city referred to in this verse is Makkah before Islam.” They also said “The above applies to any other city that acts ungratefully towards the bounties of Allah (SWT)”. Being grateful to Allah (SWT) in actions is the top secret for a safe and secure life and vice versa. This concept was mentioned in several other locations in the Quran as shown in the following verse:
                                                                                                           وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ (96) سورة الأعراف
Chapter Al-Araf (96) And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning."

The bounties of Allah (SWT) will always be given to those who believed and thank Him in actions. Allah (SWT) will increase their blessings in this life and in the Hereafter. However, if they deny the bounties and disbelieve in Him (SWT), then, they will be punished by losing these blessings in both lives. This concept is described in the following verse:
                                                                                                                                                                          وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ (7) سورة ابراهيم
Chapter Ibrahim (7) And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' "

I will explain how to be grateful to Allah (SWT) in the following section.

How to Be Grateful to Allah (SWT)?
It was narrated that Prophet David, peace be upon him, asked Allah (SWT): How can I thank you where my gratitude is another blessing that You always give to me? Allah (SWT) said “O David, now you thanked me, i.e. admit the bounties to me and seek how to thank me in actions”. Therefore, thanking Allah (SWT) is to confirm the sources of bounties is Allah (SWT) and do not use such bounties in disobeying Him. Mohamed Ibn Kaab said “thanking Allah (SWT) means fear and obey Him.” Scholars said “thanking Allah (SWT) should be declared by tongue and confirmed by actions.” They also said “Performing prayer is part of being grateful, fasting is another part, and all good actions are considered part of your gratitude to Allah (SWT).” The bounties of Allah (SWT) on us are infinite and countless as shown in this verse:
                                                                                                                                                                                     وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (18) سورة النحل
Chapter Al-Nahl (18) And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Thanking Allah (SWT) for His bounties should be done through heart, tongue, and actions. The heart should really believe that the bounties given to the human being is only coming for Allah (SWT). To be grateful to Allah (SWT), your heart should intend all good actions towards all creations of Allah (SWT) including human beings, animals, plants, environment, earth, etc. The tongue should declare such gratitude by always thanking Allah (SWT) for His endless bounties on us. We should always get our tongues busy with saying “thank you Allah” as mentioned in the following narration:
                         وعن أبي مالك الأشعري رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏‏"‏الطهور شطر الإيمان، والحمد لله تملأ الميزان، وسبحان الله، والحمد لله تملآن -أو تملأ- ما بين السماوات والأرض‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Abu Malik Al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Purity is half of iman (faith). ‘Al-hamdu lillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fills the scales, and ‘subhan-Allah (how far is Allah from every imperfection) and ‘Al-hamdulillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fill that which is between heaven and earth." [Muslim].

The third category is to be grateful to Allah (SWT) in actions, which is the most significant one. We should thank Allah (SWT) by using His bounties to obey Him and saty far away from committing sins or shortcomings using these bounties. For example, vision is a bounty from Allah (SWT) to us through eyes. To be grateful for having eyes and being able to see is to use them to see all good things and lower our gaze from bad things. Similarly, the ears should also be used to hear good things and avoid bad ones. In summary, we should direct the compass of our actions to the path of Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (SAS) in order for us to thank Him for His bounties that are infinite and countless. This applies to the social levels: individuals, communities, countries, and the world.

Now, we understand that in order to succeed in both lives and protect our civilization from being destroyed, we should thank Allah (SWT) for his bounties by heart, by tongue and in actions (i.e. similar to the above example 1). Imam Al-Sha’rawi added two conditions to thank Allah for His bounties: (1) to acquire the bounties through permissible ways and (2) to utilize them in permissible ways. Details on how to achieve such a tough goal in all social levels are described in the following section.

A Preliminary Model for the Development and Collapse of Human Civilizations
According to the above analogy, being grateful to Allah (SWT) is the key reason for developing civilization and vice versa. Gratitude should be settled in the heart, declared by the tongue, and confirmed in the actions of individuals, communities, countries, and the entire world. To measure the degree of development and/or collapse of a civilization, there are metrics to constitute the basis of such measurement. Based on different literature and online sources, the development of civilizations relies on the following metrics: correct faith, knowledge, good actions, justice, ethics, comprehensiveness and mercy of the system, good human spirit, good economy, and safety/security. However, the reasons of civilization’s collapse include: disbelief in Allah (SWT), oppression, luxury life, sins and bad deeds, arrogance, ignorance, bad economy, and pure materialistic lifestyle without the implementation of the divine rules from Allah (SWT). In order for a civilization to continue, it needs good controlling measures, such as an effective accountability system for people and governments, an active system to call for good and forbid evil actions, and respect for the universal laws.

In future articles, I will introduce more discussion and evidences regarding the relationship between ingratitude towards Allah (SWT) and the destruction of civilizations. I will also discuss the above metrics and how they can be measured and implemented to design the Civilization Development Model (CDM). Finally, I will discuss how the CDM can be utilized to assess the existing human civilization. A comprehensive discussion regarding our civilization will be fairly performed.

Recommendation
At the individual level, here are two recommendations to always thank Allah (SWT):
1- Supplicate with the following after every prayer:
وعن معاذ رضي الله عنه، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، أخذ بيده وقال‏:‏ ‏ "‏يا معاذ، والله إني لأحبك، ثم أوصيك يا معاذ لا تدعن في دبر كل صلاة تقول‏:‏ اللهم أعني على ذكرك وشكرك، وحسن عبادتك‏"‏‏.‏ حديث صحيح، ‏(‏‏(‏رواه أبو داود والنسائي بإسناد صحيح‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Mu'adh (bin Jabal) (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) held my hand and said, "O Mu'adh, By Allah, I love you and advise you not to miss supplicating after every prayer saying: 'Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibadatika,' (O Allah, help me remember You, expressing gratitude to You and worship You in the best manner)".[Abu Dawud and An- Nasa'i].
2- Remember Allah (SWT) often will help you thank Him.
                                      وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ‏:‏‏ "‏لا تكثروا الكلام بغير ذكر الله، فإن كثرة الكلام بغير ذكر الله تعالى قسوة للقلب‏!‏ وإن أبعد الناس من الله القلب القاسي‏"‏‏.‏ رواه الترمذي‏.‏
Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do not indulge in excessive talk except when remembering Allah. Excessive talking without the Remembrance of Allah hardens the heart; and those who are the farthest from Allah are those whose hearts are hard." [At-Tirmidhi].

1a: COVID-19 & Global Warming: a Problem and a Solution

1b: The Power of Gratitude

1c: Metrics of Successful Human Civilization

The Metrics of Civilization Development Model (CDM)
I am suggesting to develop meters for the successful development of civilizations similar to world meters for COVID-19. The meters will have a 5-point measurement scale to quantitatively measure the success metrics of a civilization. Point 5 represents a well-developed civilization at one end and point 1 represents serious collapse symptoms at the other end. The other points include: point 2- near collapse; point 3- start of collapse; point 4- moderate-developed civilization. These meters, which are also similar to the global warming ones, will measure how close we are from the danger zone, i.e. serious collapse zone. Despite the fact that global warming is a symptom of the root cause (ingratitude to Allah (SWT)), everyone in the world is trying to measure and put emphasis on such symptoms. Many organizations worldwide are examining the global warming phenomena thinking that the percentage of CO2 and Ozone concentrations are the root causes of global warming. They neglect one of the most significant root causes, which is being ungrateful to Allah (SWT). I do not blame them in such thoughts because their ideology is totally developed on materialistic and secular concepts and theories. However, those who believe in Allah (SWT) and believe in the verses and narrations mentioned in my previous articles, should contemplate the above analogy. Some may argue that COVID-19 and global warming are not severe calamities from Allah (SWT) but diseases to test our patience and perseverance. I do not disagree with them because the cure of these symptoms as calamities or being tests is the same, i.e. being grateful to Allah (SWT). Our response to both symptoms is to be patient and thank Allah (SWT) for His sustenance. This concept is also clear in the following narrations on the individual level, which is valid for communities, countries, and the world:
                                                                               وعن أنس رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول‏:‏"‏إن لله عزوجل قال‏:‏ إذا ابتليت عبدي بحبيبتيه فصبر عوضته منهما الجنة‏"‏ ‏‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏.‏
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "Allah, the Glorious and Exalted said: 'When I afflict my slave in his two dear things (i.e., his eyes), and he endures patiently, I shall compensate him for them with Jannah." [Al-Bukhari].
وعن أبي يحيى صهيب بن سنان رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ "‏عجبا لأمر المؤمن إن أمره كله له خير، وليس ذلك لأحد إلا للمؤمن ‏:‏ إن أصابته سراء شكر فكان خيراً له، وإن أصابته ضراء صبر فكان خيراً له‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Abu Yahya Suhaib bin Sinan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him". [Muslim].
Therefore, Ibn Kajar said “thanking Allah (SWT) includes being patient when performing a good deed and when Shaytan is trying to convince you to commit a sin.” Patience and gratitude are two faces for one coin. They cannot be separated because you should be grateful to Allah (SWT) in order to be patient and vice versa.

According to the above analogy, diagnosing and curing the root causes of a calamity or a test, which occurs to human beings, is more important than trying to cure their symptoms. Conceptual meters are essential and should be designed to measure the metrics of developing a good civilization. I am therefore initiating the idea of civilization development model (CDM). The CDM comprises six meters for main metrics of (1) faith, (2) justice, (3) safety/security, (4) ethics, (5) mercy, and (6) economy. They should be measured at the levels of individuals, communities, countries, and the world similar to that of Table 1. They will show the degree of illness or health (i.e. failure or success) and the ways to improve each metric or meter of the CDM in all levels.

In future articles, I will put emphasis on the essence of each metric and meter of the CDM in different social levels, how to develop them, and how we can make their measurements representative, quantitative, and reasonable for continuous improvement. A hierarchy of metrics and their attributes will be developed for the CDM. With this article, I am calling for interested researchers and stakeholders to start considering the above meters and metrics in their studies with the intention of saving ourselves and the world from being punished by Allah (SWT). If any of the readers has a better idea to improve the presentation of the above meters and metrics, I am open for such discussion. Please, communicate with me via email (journeytoparadise2020@gmail.com). I will also be ready to collaborate with any interested partner to better develop the CDM.

Recommendation
At the individual level, here are two recommendations to always thank Allah (SWT):
1- Supplicate with the following in prayer:
عَنْ شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي صَلاَتِهِ ‏ "‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الثَّبَاتَ فِي الأَمْرِ وَالْعَزِيمَةِ عَلَى الرُّشْدِ وَأَسْأَلُكَ شُكْرَ نِعْمَتِكَ وَحُسْنَ عِبَادَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ قَلْبًا سَلِيمًا وَلِسَانًا صَادِقًا وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا تَعْلَمُ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا تَعْلَمُ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا تَعْلَمُ ‏"‏ حديث حسن، ‏(‏‏(‏رواه النسائي‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
It was narrated from Shadad bin Aws that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say in his prayer: "O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in all my affairs and determination in following the right path, I ask You to make me thankful for Your blessings and to make me worship You properly. I ask You for a sound heart and a truthful tongue. I ask You for the best of what You know and I seek refuge in You from the worst of what You know and I seek Your forgiveness for what You know.)" Sunan an-Nasa'i 1304: Hasan.

2- Supplicate to Allah (SWT) often with the following:
                                                                                      وعن علي رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال لي رسول الله ﷺ‏:‏ ‏"‏قل‏:‏ اللهم اهدني، وسددني‏"‏‏.‏ وفي رواية‏:‏ ‏"‏اللهم إني أسألك الهدى، والسداد‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "Recite: “O Allah! Direct me to the Right Path and make me adhere to the Straight Path.” Another narration is: “I beg You for guidance and uprightness.” [Muslim].

Overview:

In the previous articles, it becomes apparent that thanking Allah (SWT) for his bounties by heart, by tongue and in actions is paramount in order to succeed in both lives and protect our civilization from being destroyed. To thank Allah (SWT) for His bounties, we should (1) acquire the bounties through permissible methods and (2) utilize them in acceptable ways. A strong relationship has been concluded between gratitude and success in the lives of individuals, communities, and nations. In order to assess the success or failure of a civilization, I have proposed the Civilization Development Model (CDM), which comprises six meters for the main metrics of (1) faith, (2) justice, (3) safety/security, (4) ethics, (5) mercy, and (6) economy. For successful civilization, the metrics/meters should be measured at the above social levels to show their status and to investigate the different ways of improvement. In the present and the coming articles, I will put emphasis on the essence of “faith” metric / meter of the CDM in different social levels. A hierarchy of faith’s attributes and their assessment procedures will be developed.

Importance of Faith

Faith has a significant impact on the development of civilizations. It motivates the individuals, communities, and nations to strive for the best and continuously improve to position themselves in the highest level worldwide. Strong faith always nurtures perseverance for continuous advancement. If we like to build a strong and a clean society, which is just, ethical, peaceful, secure, crimeless, cooperative, etc, good faith should be the foundation. Good faith is not only essential to build a strong society, but it is the core for societal continuous success as well. Therefore, in order for the society to continue improving and developing, despite obstacles, it should acquire strong faith. The example of good faith to individuals, communities, and nations is like the example of heart to the human body. This has been described by the Prophet (SAS) in the following narration:

وَعَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ : . …… أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُله أَلا وَهِي الْقلب.  مُتَّفق عَلَيْهِ

An-Nu'man b. Bashir reported God's Messenger as saying, “……... In the body there is a piece of flesh, and the whole body is sound if it is sound, but the whole body is corrupt if it is corrupt. It is the heart.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2762

Unlike all other body parts, the heart has unique position where it positively influences the entire body. If this heart is sound and strong, then, the entire body is sound and vice versa. Similarly, if the individuals, communities, and nations have good faith, hence, they will be strong and vice versa. People who are trying to implement reforms to themselves, their communities, and their nations without a good and a strong faith, their success is almost impossible. Even if they achieve a temporary success, it might not stay for long. This is because faith is the motivator for zeal and perseverance within the society. Looking at the Islamic creed or faith, you find out it is the only original revelation with no human modifications. It is the faith that frees the human beings from worshiping other humans or creations, frees them from associating others with the only God (Allah (SWT)), and liberates them from following their desires. It also influences all aspects of life in which it encourages the human being to seek knowledge, acquire and attain power, be rich and help others, and advance in all aspects of life. It equalizes between rulers and ruled individuals, white and black, rich and poor, etc. It sets piety as the role of priority among people. It self-controls the ethics and actions of human beings, which are continuously monitored by Allah (SWT). Good servants cannot violate the set rules by Allah (SWT). This is very different from the man-made rules and laws, which always need someone to monitor their implementation. The comprehensive nature of Islamic faith is well represented in the following chapter of the Quran:

وَالْعَصْرِ (1) إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (2) إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (3)العصر

Chapter Al-Asr (1) By time, (2) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (3) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. https://quran.com/103

The above one line of three verses represent the complete system of life, i.e., faith, responsibility, and implementation rules. Imam Al-Shafie said, “If this is the only chapter revealed in the Quran, it is enough to build an entire system of life.” Another scholar said, “It represents faith, good actions, invite others to do good deeds, and be patient during implementation.” A question might arise: if this is the Islamic faith, why are not Muslims strong or advanced nowadays? The answer lies in “good faith”, which is still available in the hearts of Muslims. However, it is deactivated in their daily life activities and practices or its activation is not enough to push them hard to achieve better. Malik Ibn Nabi said, “The problem is not in teaching Muslims the good faith, which they have attained, but it is essential to activate this faith to positively affect their social life.”

Impact of Faith on the Life of Individuals

Strong and active faith has a substantial impact on the life of individuals, which is reflected in his/her ethics, behavior, and actions. Such impact includes peaceful heart, freedom and dignity, selflessness, generosity, altruism, justice in life style, and continuous self-watching of Allah (SWT). These are briefly described in the following sections:

i-     Peaceful Heart: Strong and active faith guarantees comfortable, calm, happy, and quiet life for the human being. Although the advancement in life nowadays is great and beneficial, it does not guarantee happiness and comfortableness to human beings. This has been clear in the quotes of Alexis Carrel who said, “It is faith, and not reason, which impels men to action. Intelligence is content to point out the road, but never drives us along it.” He also said, “Prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate. It supplies us with a flow of sustaining power in our daily lives.” “Religion brings to man an inner strength, spiritual light, and ineffable peace.” “Scientific civilization has destroyed the soul of the world.” A man, who is representing and has understood the current civilization from within, has written the above quotes against the materialistic nature of our existing civilization. As Muslims, we do not need the above quotes to recognize our loss nowadays because we have wealth of verses and narrations that depicts such concept as follows:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ (28)الرعد

Chapter Al-Ra’d (28) Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured." https://quran.com/13/28

ii-   Freedom and Dignity: Strong and active faith usually plants freedom and dignity in the hearts of believers. Since the sustenance and death of human beings are in the hands of Allah (SWT), the believer has nothing to worry about in this life. He/she also believes that only Allah (SWT) can harm or benefit any creation; therefore, no rationale to fear of anything, subscribe to anything, or be humiliated to anything except Allah (SWT) who has taught us this concept in the following verses:

……. وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَٰكِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (8)المنافقون

Chapter Al-Munafiqoon (8) …..And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know. https://quran.com/63/8

وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ (11) المنافقون

Chapter Al-Munafiqoon (11) But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do. https://quran.com/63/11

وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ (6)هود

Chapter Hud (6) And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register. https://quran.com/11/6

Therefore, a strong and active faith creates free people and nobilities souls with high level of dignity so that they do not submit to anything or anyone other than Allah (SWT). It is a great honor to follow such a faith, which frees us from being servants to any source of materialistic ideologies, concepts, or systems. It helps us accomplish our goals of existence as depicted by Allah (SWT).

iii-  Selflessness, generosity, and altruism: Strong and active faith teaches the believers to prefer the actions, leading to a great reward in the Hereafter, to all life matters. This makes the believer an ascetic in life matters, teaches him to like for his brother whatever he likes for himself, and raises him on the concept of selflessness as shown in the following verse and narration:

وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ ۚ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (9)الحشر

Chapter Al-Hashr (9) …. but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful. https://quran.com/59/9

وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- عَنْ اَلنَّبِيِّ ‏- ﷺ ‏-قَالَ: { وَاَلَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَا يُؤْمِنُ عَبْدٌ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لِجَارِهِ ‏- أَوْ لِأَخِيهِ‏- مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ  {مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ.‏

Anas (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, a slave of Allah does not truly believe till he wishes for his neighbor what he wishes for himself.” Agreed upon. https://sunnah.com/urn/2117670

iv- Justice in life style: Strong and active faith guarantees justice as the pillar of believer’s life style. People are equal in the Islamic faith in which no difference between black and white, slave and free man, poor and rich, etc, in front of Allah (SWT). Priority is given to those who attain piety in their hearts. Oppression is prohibited in Islam at all social levels as shown in the following narration:

وَعَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- عَنْ اَلنَّبِيِّ ‏- ﷺ ‏- فِيمَا يَرْوِي عَنْ رَبِّهِ‏- قَالَ: { يَا عِبَادِي! إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ اَلظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي, وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا, فَلَا تَظَّالَمُوا { أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ.

Abu Dharr (RAA) quoted the Prophet (ﷺ) saying among what he narrated from Allah, the Most High that He has said, “O My slaves, I have made oppression unlawful for myself and I have made it unlawful among you, so do not oppress one another.” Related by Muslim. https://sunnah.com/urn/2118040

Justice is the concrete interpretation of good faith in our daily practices without which there is no safety or security in the social fabric of a society or a nation. It is an essential core value of the developed civilizations at all social levels.

v-   Continuous self-watching: Strong and active faith pledges a continuous self-monitoring system for the believer who always watches Allah (SWT) in all actions. This self-surveillance sensor is permanently awake 24/7 where it sends alarm messages of any violation to the set law by Allah (SWT). The active self-watching system is supported by many verses and narrations as shown in the following sample:

وَمَا تَكُونُ فِي شَأْنٍ وَمَا تَتْلُو مِنْهُ مِن قُرْآنٍ وَلَا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ ۚ وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَن رَّبِّكَ مِن مِّثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلَا أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَا أَكْبَرَ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ (61)يونس

Chapter Yunus (61) And, [O Muhammad], you are not [engaged] in any matter or recite any of the Qur'an and you [people] do not do any deed except that We are witness over you when you are involved in it. And not absent from your Lord is any [part] of an atom's weight within the earth or within the heaven or [anything] smaller than that or greater but that it is in a clear register. https://quran.com/10/61

عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا قَالَ: " بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، إذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ، شَدِيدُ سَوَادِ الشَّعْرِ، لَا يُرَى عَلَيْهِ أَثَرُ السَّفَرِ، وَلَا يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَّا أَحَدٌ….. قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ الْإِحْسَانِ. قَالَ: أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّك تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاك..... قَالَ: فَإِنَّهُ جِبْرِيلُ أَتَاكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ ". رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ .

Also on the authority of `Umar (ra) who said: While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and none of us knew him. ….. Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Prophet) answered, "It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." …..." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion." [Muslim] https://sunnah.com/nawawi40:2

vi- Clear life goals and reference: Strong and active faith assists the individuals to have crystal-clear goals in life. The believer knows the purpose of his creation and that he is not created in vain as shown in the following verses:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (56)الذاريات

Chapter Al-Thariyat (56) And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. https://quran.com/51/56

أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ (115)المؤمنون

Chapter Al-Moumenoun (115) Then did you think that We created you uselessly and that to Us you would not be returned?" https://quran.com/23/115

In order for the individual to achieve the purpose of his creation and be successful in life and in the Hereafter, he should follow the set rules by Allah (SWT). These rules should be his only reference at any conflicts because Allah (SWT) knows His creation better than anyone else. He (SWT) knows what is harmful or beneficial to them. Therefore, the set rules by Allah (SWT) is the best terms of reference to all human beings. This is evident in many verses of the Quran, for example:

فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا (65)النساء

Chapter Al-Nisaa (65) But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission. https://quran.com/4/65

Impact of Faith on the Life of Communities and Nations

Similar to individuals, strong and active faith has a significant effect on the life of communities and nations, which is reflected in the ethics, behavior, and actions of the society. In fact, the soundness of a community, a society, or a nation relies mainly upon the goodness of individuals who are the keystones of such society. If the individuals attain correct faith, good character and ethics, as well as sound actions and behavior, then, this will be reflected in the faith, ethics and characters of the society at large. Therefore, the Islamic system put much emphasis on the individuals because they are the nucleus of the society and nation. Individuals are the pillars or backbones of any successful societal system without which a developed nation cannot exist. No doubt that correct faith and active/effective worship undertakings usually draw the present and the future of a nation. They lead to a safe, secure, united, just, positive and peaceful society or nation. This is apparent as shown in the following verses and narrations:

i-     Security:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ (82)الأنعام

Chapter Al-An’am (82) They who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice - those will have security, and they are [rightly] guided. https://quran.com/6/82

ii-   Unity:

وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَّا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ (63)الأنفال

Chapter Al-Anfal (63) And brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together; but Allah brought them together. Indeed, He is Exalted in Might and Wise. https://quran.com/8/63

وعن النعمان بن بشير رضي الله عنهما قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏"‏ مثل المؤمنين في توادهم وتراحمهم وتعاطفهم، مثل الجسد إذا اشتكى منه عضو تداعى له سائر الجسد بالسهر والحمى” ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.‏

Nu'man bin Bashir (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:224

iii-  Safety:

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏المسلم أخو المسلم، لا يظلمه، ولايسلمه، من كان في حاجة أخيه كان الله في حاجته، ومن فرج عن مسلم كربة فرج الله عنه بها كربة من كرب يوم القيامة، ومن ستر مسلمًا ستره الله يوم القيامة‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏‏ ‏.‏

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should not oppress him nor should he hand him over to (his Satan or to his self which is inclined to evil). Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever removes the troubles of his brother, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers up the fault of a Muslim, Allah will cover up his fault on the Day of Resurrection". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:233

وَعَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- ﷺ ‏-{ لَا تَحَاسَدُوا وَلَا تَنَاجَشُوا, وَلَا تَبَاغَضُوا, وَلَا تَدَابَرُوا, وَلَا يَبِعْ بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَيْعِ بَعْضٍ, وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اَللَّهِ إِخْوَانًا, اَلْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو اَلْمُسْلِمِ, لَا يَظْلِمُهُ, وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ, وَلَا يَحْقِرُهُ, اَلتَّقْوَى هَا هُنَا, وَيُشِيرُ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ ثَلَاثَ مِرَارٍ, بِحَسْبِ اِمْرِئٍ مِنْ اَلشَّرِّ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ اَلْمُسْلِمَ, كُلُّ اَلْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى اَلْمُسْلِمِ حَرَامٌ, دَمُهُ, وَمَالُهُ, وَعِرْضُهُ { أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ.‏ ‏ ‏

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Avoid jealousy between yourselves, do not outbid one another (with a view to raising the price), do not harbor hatred against one another, do not bear enmity against one another, one of you should not enter into a transaction when the other has already entered into it; and be fellow brothers and slaves of Allah. A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother. He does not wrong, desert or despise him. Piety is found here (pointing three times to his chest), despising his Muslim brother is enough evil for any man to do. Every Muslim’s blood, property and honor are unlawful to be violated by another Muslim.” Related by Muslim. https://sunnah.com/urn/2118100

لَّا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ (8) الممتحنه

Chapter Al-Momtahanah (8) Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. https://quran.com/60/8

iv-  Justice:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُم بِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا (58)النساء

Chapter Al-Nisaa (58) Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing. https://quran.com/4/58

v-   Positivity:

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ ۗ ........ (110)ال عمران

Chapter Al-Imran (110) You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. …. https://quran.com/3/110

vi- Peace:

يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ وَيُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ (16)المائدة

Chapter Al-Ma’idah (16) By which Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path. https://quran.com/5/16

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ (208)البقرة

Chapter Al-Baqarah (208) O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy. https://quran.com/2/208

In conclusion, Allah (SWT) has created humanity and revealed the best catalog to organize people’s living on earth. This revelation includes the best faith and rules to follow if you aim at successful life and great rewards in the Hereafter. The revealed faith has a great effect on the life of individuals, communities, and nations. If they follow the revealed faith, they will be the winners in life and in the Hereafter. It guarantees safety, security, unity, justice, freedom, dignity, and peace.

Recommendation

At the individual level, here are two recommendations for us to do:

1-  Supplicate with the following in supplications:

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنه الله عنهما قال‏:‏ كان من دعاء رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ ‏ "‏اللهم إني أعوذ بك من زوال نعمتك، وتحول عافيتك، وفجاءة نقمتك، وجميع سخطك‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to supplicate thus: "O Allah! I seek refuge in You against the declining of Your Favors, passing of safety, the suddenness of Your punishment and all that which displeases You)." [Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1478

اللّهُـمَّ رَحْمَتَـكَ أَرْجـو فَلا تَكِلـني إِلى نَفْـسي طَـرْفَةَ عَـيْن، وَأَصْلِـحْ لي شَأْنـي كُلَّـه لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أنْـت

O Allah, I hope for Your mercy. Do not leave me to myself even for the blinking of an eye (i.e. a moment). Correct all of my affairs for me. There is none worthy of worship but You. References: Abu Dawud 4/324, Ahmad 5/42. Al-Albani graded it as good in Sahih Abu Dawud 3/959. https://sunnah.com/hisn:123

سُبْـحانَكَ اللّهُـمَّ وَبِحَمْـدِكَ وَتَبارَكَ اسْمُـكَ وَتَعـالى جَـدُّكَ وَلا إِلهَ غَيْرُك

Glory is to You O Allah, and praise. Blessed is Your Name and Exalted is Your Majesty. There is none worthy of worship but You. Reference: Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, An-Nasa'i, At-Tirmidhi. See Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmidhi 1/77 and Sahih Ibn Majah 1/135. https://sunnah.com/hisn:28

2-   Always, ask Allah (SWT) for forgiveness:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: " إِنَّ عَبْدًا أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا فَقَالَ: رَبِّ أَذْنَبْتُ فَاغْفِرْهُ فَقَالَ رَبُّهُ أَعَلِمَ عَبْدِي أَنَّ لَهُ رَبًّا يَغْفِرُ الذَّنْبَ وَيَأْخُذُ بِهِ؟ غَفَرْتُ لِعَبْدِي ثُمَّ مَكَثَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا فَقَالَ: رَبِّ أَذْنَبْتُ ذَنْبًا فَاغْفِرْهُ فَقَالَ رَبُّهُ: أَعَلِمَ عَبْدِي أَنَّ لَهُ رَبًّا يَغْفِرُ الذَّنْبَ وَيَأْخُذُ بِهِ؟ غَفَرْتُ لِعَبْدِي ثُمَّ مَكَثَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ أَذْنَبَ ذَنبا قالَ: رب أذنبت ذَنبا آخر فَاغْفِر لِي فَقَالَ: أَعَلِمَ عَبْدِي أَنَّ لَهُ رَبًّا يَغْفِرُ الذَّنْبَ وَيَأْخُذُ بِهِ؟ غَفَرْتُ لِعَبْدِي فَلْيَفْعَلْ مَا شَاءَ " مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ.

Abu Huraira said that God’s messenger told of a man who committed a sin and said, "My Lord, I have sinned, so forgive me.” His Lord replied, “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who pardons sin and punishes for it? I have pardoned my servant." After remaining [obedient] such time as God willed he committed a sin and said, “My Lord, I have sinned, so forgive me.” His Lord replied, “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who pardons sin and punishes for it? I have pardoned my servant.” Then after remaining [obedient] such time as God willed he committed a sin and said, “My Lord, I have committed another sin, so forgive me.” He replied, “Does my servant know that he has a Lord who pardons sin and punishes for it? I have pardoned my servant, so let him do what he likes.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2333

………….. To Be Continued

1d: The Impact of Faith on Successful Human Civilizations

Overview:

Since the creation of humanity, Allah (SWT) has sent the messengers and prophets to guide human beings to the straight path and re-adjust their compass of belief towards Him (SWT). In most cases, many people have disbelieved the messengers / prophets and caused segregation in the society with their loud voices and power. If you look at the story of every messenger / prophet, you will discover high level of similarities apart from the end-result. Most stories start with people who disbelieve in Allah (SWT) and perform badly in all fronts (i.e., injustice, crimes, wars, etc), then, Allah (SWT) sends the messengers / prophets to guide them and to reform the situation. Few people believe in the message sent to the messengers / prophets and many others do not. A usual conflict starts between the two sides leading, in general, to torture and harm the believers as well as the messengers / prophets. This is because the power is, at this moment, in the hands of disbelievers. This conflict continues until they reach a stagnation stage in which the disbelievers do not want to change their position. At this moment, Allah (SWT) saves the believers with the messengers / prophets and sends His punishment to the disbelievers. This is the typical story of the messengers / prophets with their communities. Almost half of the Quran is full of these stories for us to learn lessons. For example, here is the summary of Aad and Thamud’s stories:

 فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا فَقُلْ أَنذَرْتُكُمْ صَاعِقَةً مِّثْلَ صَاعِقَةِ عَادٍ وَثَمُودَ (13) إِذْ جَاءَتْهُمُ الرُّسُلُ مِن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۖ قَالُوا لَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّنَا لَأَنزَلَ مَلَائِكَةً فَإِنَّا بِمَا أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِ كَافِرُونَ (14) فَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَقَالُوا مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً ۖ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُمْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً ۖ وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ (15) فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا صَرْصَرًا فِي أَيَّامٍ نَّحِسَاتٍ لِّنُذِيقَهُمْ عَذَابَ الْخِزْيِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَخْزَىٰ ۖ وَهُمْ لَا يُنصَرُونَ (16) وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّوا الْعَمَىٰ عَلَى الْهُدَىٰ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ صَاعِقَةُ الْعَذَابِ الْهُونِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ (17) وَنَجَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ (18) فصلت

Chapter Fusselat (13) But if they turn away, then say, "I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt [that struck] 'Aad and Thamud. (14) [That occurrgb(255, 0, 0)] when the messengers had come to them before them and after them, [saying], "Worship not except Allah." They said, "If our Lord had willed, He would have sent down the angels, so indeed we, in that with which you have been sent, are disbelievers." (15) As for 'Aad, they were arrogant upon the earth without right and said, "Who is greater than us in strength?" Did they not consider that Allah who created them was greater than them in strength? But they were rejecting Our signs. (16) So We sent upon them a screaming wind during days of misfortune to make them taste the punishment of disgrace in the worldly life; but the punishment of the Hereafter is more disgracing, and they will not be helped. (17) And as for Thamud, We guided them, but they preferrgb(255, 0, 0) blindness over guidance, so the thunderbolt of humiliating punishment seized them for what they used to earn. (18) And We saved those who believed and used to fear Allah. https://quran.com/41/13-18

Below is the summary of Madyan’s story:

وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَارْجُوا الْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ (36) فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ(37) العنكبوت

Chapter Al-Ankabout (36) And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb, and he said, "O my people, worship Allah and expect the Last Day and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption." (37) But they denied him, so the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone. https://quran.com/29/36-37

Here is a brief story of Prophet Noah:

قَالُوا يَا نُوحُ قَدْ جَادَلْتَنَا فَأَكْثَرْتَ جِدَالَنَا فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ (32) قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ اللَّهُ إِن شَاءَ وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ (33) وَلَا يَنفَعُكُمْ نُصْحِي إِنْ أَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَنصَحَ لَكُمْ إِن كَانَ اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يُغْوِيَكُمْ ۚ هُوَ رَبُّكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ (34) أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ ۖ قُلْ إِنِ افْتَرَيْتُهُ فَعَلَيَّ إِجْرَامِي وَأَنَا بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُجْرِمُونَ (35) وَأُوحِيَ إِلَىٰ نُوحٍ أَنَّهُ لَن يُؤْمِنَ مِن قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَن قَدْ آمَنَ فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ (36) وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا وَلَا تُخَاطِبْنِي فِي الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ۚ إِنَّهُم مُّغْرَقُونَ(37) هود

Chapter Hud (32) They said, "O Noah, you have disputed us and been frequent in dispute of us. So bring us what you threaten us, if you should be of the truthful." (33) He said, "Allah will only bring it to you if He wills, and you will not cause [Him] failure. (34) And my advice will not benefit you - although I wished to advise you - If Allah should intend to put you in error. He is your Lord, and to Him you will be returned." (35) Or do they say [about Prophet Muhammad], "He invented it"? Say, "If I have invented it, then upon me is [the consequence of] my crime; but I am innocent of what [crimes] you commit." (36) And it was revealed to Noah that, "No one will believe from your people except those who have already believed, so do not be distressed by what they have been doing. (37) And construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration and do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are [to be] drowned." https://quran.com/11/32-37

Here is a summary of the story of human beings, in general, with most revelations in the following verses:

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ (42) فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُم بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَٰكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (43) فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ (44)الأنعام

Chapter Al-An’am (42) And We have already sent [messengers] to nations before you, [O Muhammad]; then We seized them with poverty and hardship that perhaps they might humble themselves [to Us]. (43) Then why, when Our punishment came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they were doing. (44) So when they forgot that by which they had been reminded, We opened to them the doors of every [good] thing until, when they rejoiced in that which they were given, We seized them suddenly, and they were [then] in despair. https://quran.com/6/42-44

وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (182)الأعراف

Chapter Al-A’raaf (182) But those who deny Our signs - We will progressively lead them [to destruction] from where they do not know. https://quran.com/7/182

بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِمَا لَمْ يُحِيطُوا بِعِلْمِهِ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِهِمْ تَأْوِيلُهُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الظَّالِمِينَ (39)يونس

Chapter Yunus (39) Rather, they have denied that which they encompass not in knowledge and whose interpretation has not yet come to them. Thus did those before them deny. Then observe how was the end of the wrongdoers. https://quran.com/10/39

The story is almost identical for all messengers and prophets. Occasionally, Allah (SWT) provides much sustenance to people, who feel proud of themselves and get arrogant; consequently, He (SWT) sends His punishment to them and destroys their developed civilizations. It is clear that they do not deserve to be servants and creations of Allah (SWT). Therefore, in this article, I will highlight the effect of disbelief on human civilizations based on the lessons learned from the long human history.

Belief as the Main Factor Leading to Success and Development of Civilizations

Allah (SWT) sets many universal rules and puts in practice since the human’s first creation. One of these rules is “success in human civilization is directly related to belief in Allah (SWT) supported by good actions that reflect this belief.” This is evident in the following verse where Allah (SWT) promised who practiced Torah and Gospel with unlimited sustenance and successful civilization:  

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَكَفَّرْنَا عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَلَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ (65) وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ أَقَامُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِم مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ لَأَكَلُوا مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِم ۚ مِّنْهُمْ أُمَّةٌ مُّقْتَصِدَةٌ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ سَاءَ مَا يَعْمَلُونَ (66)المائدة

Chapter Al-Ma’dah (65) And if only the People of the Scripture had believed and feargb(255, 0, 0) Allah, We would have removed from them their misdeeds and admitted them to Gardens of Pleasure. (66) And if only they upheld [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to them from their Lord, they would have consumed [provision] from above them and from beneath their feet. Among them are a moderate community, but many of them - evil is that which they do. https://quran.com/5/65-66

In another verse, Allah (SWT) has promised the people who believe in Him and do good deeds with unlimited bounties from everywhere in the universe as shown below:

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ ….. (96) الأعراف

Chapter Al-A’raaf (96) And if only the people of the cities had believed and feargb(255, 0, 0) Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth….." https://quran.com/7/96  

The above evidences show the impact of belief on communities and nations while the coming ones show its impact on the individuals. The believer, who does good deeds, will be granted a good life and a great reward in the Hereafter as shown in the following verses:

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (97)النحل

Chapter Al-Nahl (97) Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do. https://quran.com/16/97

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ (62) الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ (63) لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَىٰ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ (64)يونس

Chapter Yunus (62) Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve (63) Those who believed and were fearing Allah (64) For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. That is what is the great attainment. https://quran.com/10/62-64

It is quite clear that strong belief in Allah (SWT) is positively affecting the development of human civilizations. Allah (SWT) has promised the believer(s) with unlimited sustenance, which supports the development of outstanding civilizations. This has been evident through the history of humanity as explained in the story of Prophet Moses, David, Suleiman, Jesus, Mohammad, etc. The reader is referrgb(255, 0, 0) to these stories to understand how human civilizations have been developed during the times of the above prophets and afterwards for their followers. The golden rule is “if the followers are practicing their faith and rules of Allah as they have been revealed to the prophets, their civilization will flourish and be strong in all aspects of life and vice versa.”

Disbelief as the Main Cause for Destruction of Civilizations

Looking deeply in the human history, we learn many lessons related to the causes of destruction for human civilizations. I will focus on disbelief and arrogance as the main causes of destruction and the evidences that support my analogy through several stories from the Quran in the following sections.

i- The Story of Pharos: 

This story is the most cited in many chapters and verses of the Quran. In the following sample of verses, Allah (SWT) is warning the disbelievers at the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAS) that their wealth and children will not protect them from Allah’s punishment if they disbelieve. Like Pharos and whoever disbelieve before them, Allah (SWT) has harshly penalized them in life and promised them with severe torture in the Hereafter. He (SWT) has also confirmed the loss of disbelievers in both lives as shown in the following verses:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ (10) كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ (11) قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَتُغْلَبُونَ وَتُحْشَرُونَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ ۚ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ (12)آل عمران

Chapter Al-Imran (10) Indeed, those who disbelieve - never will their wealth or their children avail them against Allah at all. And it is they who are fuel for the Fire. (11) [Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and those before them. They denied Our signs, so Allah seized them for their sins. And Allah is severe in penalty. (12) Say to those who disbelieve, "You will be overcome and gathergb(255, 0, 0) together to Hell, and wretched is the resting place." https://quran.com/3/10-12

Allah (SWT) has also described the punishment of Pharos and his soldiers, due to their disbelief, arrogance, and inattention, by drowning in the sea and by completely destructing their civilization as shown in the following verses:

فَانتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَكَانُوا عَنْهَا غَافِلِينَ (136) الأعراف

Chapter Al-A’raaf (136) So We took retribution from them, and We drowned them in the sea because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them. https://quran.com/7/136

كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ ۙ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ ۚ وَكُلٌّ كَانُوا ظَالِمِينَ (54) الأنفال

Chapter Al-Anfaal (54) [Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them. They denied the signs of their Lord, so We destroyed them for their sins, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh. And all [of them] were wrongdoers. https://quran.com/8/54

فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَكَانُوا مِنَ الْمُهْلَكِينَ (48)المؤمنون

Chapter Al-Mouminoun (48) So they denied them and were of those destroyed. https://quran.com/23/48

فَقُلْنَا اذْهَبَا إِلَى الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا فَدَمَّرْنَاهُمْ تَدْمِيرًا (36)الفرقان

Chapter Al-Furqan (36) And We said, "Go both of you to the people who have denied Our signs." Then We destroyed them with [complete] destruction. https://quran.com/25/36

كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا كُلِّهَا فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ أَخْذَ عَزِيزٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ (42)القمر

Chapter Al-Qamar (42) They denied Our signs, all of them, so We seized them with a seizure of one Exalted in Might and Perfect in Ability. https://quran.com/54/42

فَأَخَذْنَاهُ وَجُنُودَهُ فَنَبَذْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٌ (40)الذاريات

Chapter Al-Thariyat (40) So We took him and his soldiers and cast them into the sea, and he was blameworthy. https://quran.com/51/40

ii- The story of People of Noah:

When the people of Noah have disbelieved in Allah (SWT), they have been punished by drowning and the destruction of their civilization as well. The believers and Prophet Noah have been saved from the punishment as shown in the following verses:

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَنجَيْنَاهُ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ فِي الْفُلْكِ وَأَغْرَقْنَا الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا عَمِينَ(64) الأعراف

Chapter Al-A’raaf (64) But they denied him, so We saved him and those who were with him in the ship. And We drowned those who denied Our signs. Indeed, they were a blind people. https://quran.com/7/64

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ فِي الْفُلْكِ وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ خَلَائِفَ وَأَغْرَقْنَا الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۖ فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُنذَرِينَ (73) يونس

Chapter Yunus (73) And they denied him, so We saved him and those with him in the ship and made them successors, and We drowned those who denied Our signs. Then see how was the end of those who were warned. https://quran.com/10/73

وَنَصَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمَ سَوْءٍ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (77)الأنبياء

Chapter Al-Anbiyaa (77) And We saved him from the people who denied Our signs. Indeed, they were a people of evil, so We drowned them, all together. https://quran.com/21/77

وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ لَّمَّا كَذَّبُوا الرُّسُلَ أَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ آيَةً ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا (37)الفرقان

Chapter Al-Furqan (37) And the people of Noah - when they denied the messengers, We drowned them, and We made them for mankind a sign. And We have prepargb(255, 0, 0) for the wrongdoers a painful punishment. https://quran.com/25/37

iii- The Story of Aad:

Allah (SWT) has saved Prophet Hud and the believers, then, punished the disbelievers and destroyed their civilization as shown in the following verses: 

فَأَنجَيْنَاهُ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَقَطَعْنَا دَابِرَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۖ وَمَا كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ(72) الأعراف

Chapter Al-A’raaf (72) So We saved him and those with him by mercy from Us. And We eliminated those who denied Our signs, and they were not [at all] believers. https://quran.com/7/72

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ (139)الشعراء

Chapter Al-Shu’raa (139) And they denied him, so We destroyed them. Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers. https://quran.com/26/139

وَفِي عَادٍ إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّيحَ الْعَقِيمَ (41) مَا تَذَرُ مِن شَيْءٍ أَتَتْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا جَعَلَتْهُ كَالرَّمِيمِ (42)الذاريات

Chapter Al-Thariyat (41) And in 'Aad [was a sign], when We sent against them the barren wind. (42) It left nothing of what it came upon but that it made it like disintegrated ruins. https://quran.com/51/41-42

iv- The Story of Thamoud:

When Thamoud gets arrogant and disbelieves in Allah (SWT), they have been punished by the severe earthquake that destroyed their civilization as shown below:

فَعَقَرُوا النَّاقَةَ وَعَتَوْا عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَقَالُوا يَا صَالِحُ ائْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (77) فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ (78)الأنعام

Chapter Al-An’am (77) So they hamstrung the she-camel and were insolent toward the command of their Lord and said, "O Salih, bring us what you promise us, if you should be of the messengers." (78) So the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone. https://quran.com/7/77-78

فَعَتَوْا عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ (44)الذاريات

Chapter Al-Thariyat (44) But they were insolent toward the command of their Lord, so the thunderbolt seized them while they were looking on. https://quran.com/51/44

v- The Story of Lout:

In this story, when the people of Prophet Lout disbelieved in Allah (SWT), they have been punished by destroying them and their civilization. Similar punishment is also not far from any oppressors, at all times and locations on earth, as shown in the following verses:

فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَالِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ مَّنضُودٍ (82) مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ (83)هود

Chapter Hud (82) So when Our command came, We made the highest part [of the city] its lowest and rained upon them stones of layergb(255, 0, 0) hard clay, [which were] (83) Marked from your Lord. And Allah's punishment is not from the wrongdoers [very] far. https://quran.com/11/82-83

vi- The Story of Madiyan:

Allah (SWT) has saved Prophet Shuayb and the believers by His mercy. However, the disbelievers have been punished by severe shriek in which their civilization has been destroyed as shown below:

وَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ (94) كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا فِيهَا ۗ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِّمَدْيَنَ كَمَا بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ (95)هود

Chapter Hud (94) And when Our command came, We saved Shu'ayb and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us. And the shriek seized those who had wronged, and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen prone (95) As if they had never prospergb(255, 0, 0) therein. Then, away with Madyan as Thamud was taken away. https://quran.com/11/94-95

vii- The Story of People of Tubba’:

The people of Tubba’ have been very strong and powerful in their civilization. However, like everyone else, they have disbelieved in Allah (SWT) and have not followed the set rules by Him (SWT). Thus, Allah (SWT) has destroyed them and their civilization as shown below:

وَأَصْحَابُ الْأَيْكَةِ وَقَوْمُ تُبَّعٍ ۚ كُلٌّ كَذَّبَ الرُّسُلَ فَحَقَّ وَعِيدِ (14)ق

Chapter Qaaf (14) And the companions of the thicket and the people of Tubba'. All denied the messengers, so My threat was justly fulfilled. https://quran.com/50/14

أَهُمْ خَيْرٌ أَمْ قَوْمُ تُبَّعٍ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا مُجْرِمِينَ (37)الدخان

Chapter Al-Dukhan (37) Are they better or the people of Tubba' and those before them? We destroyed them, [for] indeed, they were criminals. https://quran.com/44/37

WARNING: Are We Safe and Secure?

Based upon the above discussion, analogy, and evidences, it is obvious that disbelief causes destruction for human civilizations as learned from many examples of the long history. Allah (SWT) has educated us with all these stories to learn from them in our actions in life. We behave nowadays with high level of inattention as if nothing is going on worldwide. It looks to me that, unfortunately, we do not learn the lessons from history. There are lots of disbelief in Allah (SWT) around us everywhere. Even for Christian and Muslim countries, religion is barely put in practice in different social levels, i.e., individuals, communities, and nations. In the individual level, the percent of religious people to non-religious is small and the percent of good practicing religious people is not high. These percentages are even lower for communities and almost cease to exist for nations. We have reached an unprecedented level of inattention in most societal levels. I supplicate to Allah (SWT) for the following verses to be inapplicable to us. Although He (SWT) has given us, i.e., human beings, everything, made all creations to serve us in this life, and asked us to believe and do good deeds, we, in return, have disbelieved with little thank to Him (SWT). We are almost fulfilling most of the conditions listed for punishment in the following verses:

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ (112) وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ (113)النحل

Chapter Al-Nahl (112) And Allah presents an example: a city which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allah. So Allah made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing. (113) And there had certainly come to them a Messenger from among themselves, but they denied him; so punishment overtook them while they were wrongdoers. https://quran.com/16/112-113

What are we expecting from Allah (SWT)? Do we deserve His sustenance and all whatever He has given to us? I am afraid of the consequences if we do not wakeup before it is too late. This is a call from my heart, hoping it touches yours, that we should start the reformation process and adjust our compass towards Him (SWT). We should quickly repent to Him (SWT) as individuals, communities and nations, then, improve our life practices to follow Allah’s rules and recommendations. If we continue in the status quo, the consequences might not be good as I see symptoms of Allah’s displeasure, i.e., global warming, COVID-19, new severe diseases, and many others.

The following verses represent a wakeup call to all disbelievers, non-practicing believers, as well as oppressors and their helpers not to feel safe and secure since Allah (SWT) has given you the opportunity to return to Him with a negative response from your side up-to-date. Look at the strong WARNING from Allah (SWT) in the following verses:

أَفَأَمِنَ الَّذِينَ مَكَرُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَخْسِفَ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الْأَرْضَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ (45) أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ فِي تَقَلُّبِهِمْ فَمَا هُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ (46) أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَىٰ تَخَوُّفٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ (47) النحل

Chapter Al-Nahl (45) Then, do those who have planned evil deeds feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them or that the punishment will not come upon them from where they do not perceive? (46) Or that He would not seize them during their [usual] activity, and they could not cause failure? (47) Or that He would not seize them gradually [in a state of dread]? But indeed, your Lord is Kind and Merciful. https://quran.com/16/45-47

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ (96) أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَىٰ أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا بَيَاتًا وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ (97) أَوَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَىٰ أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا ضُحًى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ (98) أَفَأَمِنُوا مَكْرَ اللَّهِ ۚ فَلَا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ (99) أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لِلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْأَرْضَ مِن بَعْدِ أَهْلِهَا أَن لَّوْ نَشَاءُ أَصَبْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۚ وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ (100) تِلْكَ الْقُرَىٰ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنبَائِهَا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا بِمَا كَذَّبُوا مِن قَبْلُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ الْكَافِرِينَ (101) الأعراف

Chapter Al-A’raaf (96) And if only the people of the cities had believed and feargb(255, 0, 0) Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning." (97) Then, did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them at night while they were asleep? (98) Or did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them in the morning while they were at play? (99) Then did they feel secure from the plan of Allah? But no one feels secure from the plan of Allah except the losing people. (100) Has it not become clear to those who inherited the earth after its [previous] people that if We willed, We could afflict them for their sins? But We seal over their hearts so they do not hear. (101) Those cities - We relate to you, [O Muhammad], some of their news. And certainly did their messengers come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe in that which they had denied before. Thus does Allah seal over the hearts of the disbelievers. https://quran.com/7/96-101

In summary of the above, Allah (SWT) has set rules to run the universe since the beginning of creation. These rules do not change with time. He (SWT) will give chances until people disobey, disbelieve, and feel arrogant of their power and authority; hence, they will be harshly punished as it was the case with all previous civilizations. Where are Thamoud and Aad? Where is the great Pharos? Where are the people who dig in the mountains and build great castles? All these civilizations are diminished due to disbelief and arrogance. Allah (SWT) has been very fair to them and has given them many opportunities to repent but in vain. Those, who have disbelieved and been arrogant, have been unfair to and oppressed themselves. Listen to what Allah (SWT) has done to them in the following verse:

فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنبِهِ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ (40)العنكبوت

Chapter Al-Ankabout (40) So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allah would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves. https://quran.com/29/40

There is however a strong direct relationship between disbelief/arrogance and the destruction of human civilizations. It is therefore very critical for us to think seriously about our future and the generations to come. If we are keen of our future and care of our children to live safe and secure, we should obey, believe in, and follow the universal rules set by Allah (SWT). This is the only direct way to success, happiness, security, safety, and peace without which future is, unfortunately, unclear and foggy.

Recommendation

As individuals, here are two recommendations to keep always in mind:

1-  We should contemplate as individuals to make sure that the following are not listed in our character. If yes, we should seek professional advice of how to get rid of them:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ “أجتنبوا السبع الموبقات” قالوا‏:‏ يا رسول الله وما هن‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏الشرك بالله، والسحر، وقتل النفس التى حرم الله إلا بالحق، وأكل الربا، وأكل مال اليتيم، والتولي يوم الزحف، وقذف المحصنات الغافلات” ‏(‏‏‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Avoid the seven destructive things." It was asked: (by those present): "What are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Associating anyone or anything with Allah in worship; practicing sorcery, killing of someone without a just cause whom Allah has forbidden, devouring the property of an orphan, eating of usury, fleeing from the battlefield and slandering chaste women who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1793

2-   Supplicate to Allah (SWT) often with the following:

اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّـي أسْـأَلُـكَ العَـفْوَ وَالعـافِـيةَ في الدُّنْـيا وَالآخِـرَة ، اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّـي أسْـأَلُـكَ العَـفْوَ وَالعـافِـيةَ في ديني وَدُنْـيايَ وَأهْـلي وَمالـي ، اللّهُـمَّ اسْتُـرْ عـوْراتي وَآمِـنْ رَوْعاتـي ، اللّهُـمَّ احْفَظْـني مِن بَـينِ يَدَيَّ وَمِن خَلْفـي وَعَن يَمـيني وَعَن شِمـالي ، وَمِن فَوْقـي ، وَأَعـوذُ بِعَظَمَـتِكَ أَن أُغْـتالَ مِن تَحْتـي‏‏.‏

O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness and Your protection in this world and the next. O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness and Your protection in my religion, in my worldly affairs, in my family and in my wealth. O Allah, conceal my secrets and preserve me from anguish. O Allah, guard me from what is in front of me and behind me, from my left, and from my right, and from above me. I seek refuge in Your Greatness from being struck down from beneath me..” [Sahih Ibn Majah 2/332 and Abu Dawud]. https://sunnah.com/hisn:84

1e: Disbelief as the Main Cause of Destruction for Human Civilizations

Overview:

In the previous articles, we understand the importance of faith and its benefits to the individuals, communities, and nations. We understand that Allah (SWT) has created humanity and revealed the best faith to organize people’s living on earth. If people follow the revealed faith, they will be the winners in both lives where it guarantees safety, security, unity, justice, freedom, dignity, and peace. We also understand that there is a strong relationship between disbelief/arrogance and the destruction of human civilizations. If we are keen of our future and care of our children to live safe and secure, we should obey, believe in, and follow the revealed faith by Allah (SWT). In this article, I will put emphasis on the hierarchy of faith’s attributes and how we measure them in a quantitative and reasonable way for continuous improvement in various societal levels.

 Attributes of Strong and Active Faith for Individuals

In order to measure our performance in faith, as individuals, we should explore the various attributes that represent and measure good and strong faith. In other words, when we like to check the faith of someone or he/she is trying to measure his/her strength in faith, several attributes will be utilized to accomplish such task. This has not been an easy and simple task. I have consulted many sources for many scholars to come up with a good list. Mashhour (1992) and Owlan (1998) have written the comprehensive list of good faith’s attributes for individuals as shown in Table 1, which includes: sound and sincere belief, correct worship, good character, strong body, competent in his/her profession, value time, clean and organized, cooperative and helpful, intellectual and knowledgeable, and strong in self-control. These attributes, which are well thought of, collectively characterize the faithful individuals who are intending to please Allah (SWT) and get the reward in both lives. In this article, I will walk through a brief description of each attribute and their importance to be detailed in later article(s).

The faith’s attributes can be categorized into three main clusters as shown in Table 1: Spiritual (sound and sincere belief, correct worship, and intellectual and knowledgeable), Moral (good character, strong body, value time, and strong self-control), and Behavioral (competent in his/her profession, clean and organized, and cooperative and helpful). Spiritual attributes are those related to heart beliefs and knowledge; however, moral attributes are those related to the values and characters of individuals. The behavioral attributes are dealing with the individual’s actions towards others. These are the core attributes that characterize strong and good faith for individuals. In the following sections, I will briefly explain each attribute and its necessity to represent and measure faith.

1f-i: Spiritual Attributes of Strong and Active Faith for Individuals

I.   Spiritual Attributes:

a.    Sound and Sincere Belief

To understand what is meant by belief/faith, the Prophet (SAS) has answered this question when he has been asked by Angel Jibreel as shown in the following narration:

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام قَالَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَا الْإِيمَانُ قَالَ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَبِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام صَدَقْتَ قَالَ فَتَعَجَّبْنَا مِنْهُ يَسْأَلُهُ وَيُصَدِّقُهُ قَالَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ذَاكَ جِبْرِيلُ أَتَاكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ مَعَالِمَ دِينِكُمْ‏.‏ مسند أحمد

It was narrated from ’Umar that Jibreel عليه السلام said to the Prophet ﷺ: What is faith (iyman)? He said: “To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and the divine decree, both good and bad,” Jibreel said to him: You have spoken the truth. He said: We were amazed that he asked him and then confirmed his answers as being correct. The Prophet ﷺ said: “That was Jībreel, who came to teach you your religion.` Musnad Ahmad 191, Sahih, https://sunnah.com/ahmad:191

Allah (SWT) has also informed us about the meaning of faith/belief in the following verse:

آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ (285)البقرة

Chapter Al-Baqarah (285) The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination." https://quran.com/2/285

The faithful person is always calm, happy, and positive because he/she understands the secret of true belief/faith, which is well presented in the following verse and narration:

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (26)آل عمران

Chapter Al-Imran (26) Say, "O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent. https://quran.com/3/26

عن ابن عباس، رضي الله عنهما، قال‏:‏ ‏"‏ كنت خلف النبي، ﷺ ، يوماً فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏ يا غلام إني أعلمك كلمات‏:‏ ‏"‏احفظ الله يحفظك، احفظ الله تجده تجاهك، إذا سألت فاسأل الله ، وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله، واعلم‏:‏ أن الأمة لو اجتمعت على أن ينفعوك بشيء، لم ينفعوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله لك، وإن اجتمعوا على أن يضروك بشيء، لم يضروك بشيء إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله عليك؛ رفعت الأقلام، وجفت الصحف‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن صحيح‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.‏

Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said: One day, I was riding behind the Prophet (ﷺ) when he said, "O boy! I will instruct you in some matters. Be watchful of Allah (Commandments of Allah), He will preserve you. Safeguard His Rights, He will be ever with you. If you beg, beg of Him Alone; and if you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help. And remember that if all the people gather to benefit you, they will not be able to benefit you except that which Allah had foreordained (for you); and if all of them gather to do harm to you, they will not be able to afflict you with anything other than that which Allah had pre-destined against you. The pens had been lifted and the ink had dried up". [At- Tirmidhi, who categorized it as Hadith Hasan Sahih]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:62

Strong and active faith is necessary for our lives because it usually leads to the true, sound, and sincere belief in Allah (SWT), the Angels, the divine Books, the Messengers, the day of Judgement, and the Destiny (good or bad). The sound and sincere belief is everything for the human being. It is the true life as described by Allah (SWT) in the following verses:

أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (122)الأنعام

Chapter Al-An’aam (122) And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom? Thus it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they were doing. https://quran.com/6/122

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ ۖ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ (24)الأنفال

Chapter Al-Anfal (24) O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. And know that Allah intervenes between a man and his heart and that to Him you will be gathered. https://quran.com/8/24

Imam Ibn Kathir said “This is the example of a believer who has been in the darkness of disbelief until Allah (SWT) has given him the true life and light of guidance and belief, which has lightened his/her way in this life.” The guidance and light are interpreted as Islam, Quran, faith, belief, truth, reformation, etc. Therefore, the person, who disbelieves in Allah (SWT), is always in the darkness. The position of disbelievers is similar to animals, even worse, because they possess defective hearts, eyes, and ears as depicted in the following verse:

وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ (179)الأعراف

Chapter Al-A’raaf (179) And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless. https://quran.com/7/179

Allah (SWT) has shown that the disbelievers possess hearts however they do not use them to appropriately understand the truth about Allah (SWT), life, and the Hereafter; eyes however they are not able to see the true guidance and facts around them; and ears however they are not able to use them to listen to the true guidance. In other words, they do not benefit from these organs that Allah (SWT) has given them to sense their right ways in life. However, they have opted not to properly utilize them in their right purposes. The same concept is also shown in the following verse:

وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِيمَا إِن مَّكَّنَّاكُمْ فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعًا وَأَبْصَارًا وَأَفْئِدَةً فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُهُمْ وَلَا أَفْئِدَتُهُم مِّن شَيْءٍ إِذْ كَانُوا يَجْحَدُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ (26)الأحقاف

Chapter Al-Ahqaf (26) And We had certainly established them in such as We have not established you, and We made for them hearing and vision and hearts. But their hearing and vision and hearts availed them not from anything [of the punishment] when they were [continually] rejecting the signs of Allah; and they were enveloped by what they used to ridicule. https://quran.com/46/26

Imam Al-Tabari said “Allah (SWT) has given people ears to listen to the truth about Him (SWT), eyes to see the signs of Allah’s existence, and hearts to feel and select the right and beneficial way in life. However, they did not use these organs in the right way. On the contrary, they have utilized them to displease Allah (SWT) and disbelieve in Him.”

Based upon the above, sound and sincere belief is a core attribute of strong and active faith. Both faith and belief lead to adjusting the compass of human beings in life. The faithful person always controls his/her actions and intentions to be sincere and be well-guided by divine revelation. The main goal is to utilize this life to plant good seeds and harvest great reward in the Hereafter. The faithful people know exactly what life is and its value so that they do not get busy with life activities, which are useless in the Hereafter. Great life principles and good deeds are usually centered around, generated and controlled by strong faith and sound belief. Hence, the faithful person is always very productive, cooperative, and helpful. The impact of faith and belief on the individuals is magical in terms of changing behavior, attitudes, directions, principles, and approaches in life to accomplish the best for themselves in addition to humanity.

b.    Correct Worship

Some people understand worship as only referring to the main pillars of Islam, i.e., prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage. This is a misunderstanding of the worship concept in Islam, which is well articulated in the following verses:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (56)الذاريات

Chapter Al-Thariyat (56) And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. https://quran.com/51/56

قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (162)الأنعام

Chapter Al-An’aam (162) Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. https://quran.com/6/162

It is understood from these verses that worship encompasses all actions and activities in life, which includes but not limited to specific type, i.e., main pillars. The comprehensive concept of worship articulates the aim of human creation by devoting all human’s actions to Allah (SWT) alone. This includes monitoring Allah (SWT) in all life matters and activities. The above comprehensive concept of worship has been the core value of all divine messages from Allah (SWT) to humans since the beginning of creation. Imam Al-Sadi said: “true worship of Allah (SWT) encompasses knowing, loving, returning to, and always approaching Him (SWT). He continued saying, worship cannot be considered complete without knowing Allah (SWT) very well. The more a servant increases his/her knowledge of Allah (SWT), the more complete his/her worship will be. Allah (SWT) does not create humans because He needs them. On the contrary, humans are in full need of Allah (SWT) in all aspects of life, i.e., prayers, charities, all life matters, in addition to death.”

Correct worship has two main conditions, as stated by all scholars, (1) sincerity (the action is only done for the sake of Allah (SWT)) and permitted (the action is following Allah’s commands, the Prophet’s tradition, and religious norms). Correct worship has a significant impact on the worshiper. Based upon the comprehensive concept of worship and the conditions of accepting such worship, all our actions and talks should therefore be within the boundaries set by Allah (SWT), His messengers, and divine books. For example, eating and drinking are considered worship if we eat and drink permissible food/drinks and intend to use them to support our bodies for better worship. Similarly, marriage and raising children are considered worship if we follow the Islamic traditions and intend to do them for the sake of Allah (SWT), then, all what we do will be considered worship. Studying, seeking knowledge, and getting an educational degree or professional training can also be considered worship if we ensure the accomplishment of the above conditions. Following the same manner for all our actions and talks in this life, they can be considered worship with great reward in the Hereafter if we achieve the above two conditions. Consequently, the entire life of a believer turns out to be a worship to Allah (SWT) and to achieve the purpose of our creation.

Correct worship ensures piety, which leads to happiness in both lives. For example, prayer forbids corruption and wrongdoing if it is correctly performed as shown in the following verse:

اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ ۖ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ (45)العنكبوت

Chapter Al-Ankaboot (45) Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do. https://quran.com/29/45

Similarly, fasting and pilgrimage lead to piety if they are spiritually performed as shown in the following verses:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (183)البقرة

Chapter Al-Baqarah (183) O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous - https://quran.com/2/183

الْحَجُّ أَشْهُرٌ مَّعْلُومَاتٌ ۚ فَمَن فَرَضَ فِيهِنَّ الْحَجَّ فَلَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِي الْحَجِّ ۗ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ ۗ وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَىٰ ۚ وَاتَّقُونِ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ (197) البقرة

Chapter Al-Baqarah (197) Hajj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Hajj. And whatever good you do - Allah knows it. And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O you of understanding.

Paying charity, whether it is volunteer or obligatory, purify humans and increase their wealth. Imam Al-Sadi said “charity purifies the believers from sins and bad characters. It also increases their good characters, deeds, and wealth.” Imam Al-Baghawi said “charity raises the status of believers from being hypocrites to being sincere.” This is evident in the following verse:

خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (103)التوبة

Chapter Al-Tawbah (103) Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. https://quran.com/9/103

It is quite clear that correct worship has a great impact on the strength of our faith. It is the true interpretation of good faith in the life of individuals. In other words, if a person has a strong and active faith, his/her worship should be correct, or should lead to correct worship. It is an essential attribute for a strong and active faith of an individual.

c.    Intellectual and Knowledgeable

One of the main attributes of strong and active faith of individuals is being knowledgeable and intellectual as well as correct understanding of faith. Islam as a religion encourages individuals and communities to gain knowledge and being intellectual. This knowledge does not only focus on religious matters, but all life matters as well. This is evident in the first revealed verse of the Quran:

اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ (1( خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ (2) اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ (3) الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ (4) عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ (5) القلم

Chapter Al-Alaq (1) Recite in the name of your Lord who created - (2) Created man from a clinging substance. (3) Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous - (4) Who taught by the pen - (5) Taught man that which he knew not. https://quran.com/96/1-5

In fact, Quran is full of verses focusing on all types of knowledge that benefit humanity. I will mention few of them to show how far we are from the teachings of Quran. For example, Allah (SWT) has asked humans to navigate through the earth to contemplate the beginning of creation and the resurrection after death as shown in the following verse:

قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ۚ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الْآخِرَةَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (20( العنكبوت

Chapter Al-Ankaboot (20) Say, [O Muhammad], "Travel through the land and observe how He began creation. Then Allah will produce the final creation. Indeed Allah, over all things, is competent." https://quran.com/29/20

He (SWT) has also asked people to look at the evidences of Allah’s mercy in giving life to plants, and other creations, after death as shown in the following verse:

فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ آثَارِ رَحْمَتِ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ يُحْيِي الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (50( الروم

Chapter Al-Room (50) So observe the effects of the mercy of Allah - how He gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed, that [same one] will give life to the dead, and He is over all things competent. https://quran.com/30/50/

Allah (SWT) is encouraging us to seek knowledge of His creation in terms of the heavens, earth, mountains, plants, rain, etc. We should study the universe in all matters and specialties. This is clear in the following verses:

أَفَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَاهَا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُوجٍ (6) وَالْأَرْضَ مَدَدْنَاهَا وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ بَهِيجٍ (7) تَبْصِرَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُّنِيبٍ (8) وَنَزَّلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً مُّبَارَكًا فَأَنبَتْنَا بِهِ جَنَّاتٍ وَحَبَّ الْحَصِيدِ (9) وَالنَّخْلَ بَاسِقَاتٍ لَّهَا طَلْعٌ نَّضِيدٌ (10) رِّزْقًا لِّلْعِبَادِ ۖ وَأَحْيَيْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ الْخُرُوجُ (11( ق

Chapter Qaaf (6) Have they not looked at the heaven above them - how We structured it and adorned it and [how] it has no rifts? (7) And the earth - We spread it out and cast therein firmly set mountains and made grow therein [something] of every beautiful kind, (8) Giving insight and a reminder for every servant who turns [to Allah]. (9) And We have sent down blessed rain from the sky and made grow thereby gardens and grain from the harvest (10) And lofty palm trees having fruit arranged in layers - (11) As provision for the servants, and We have given life thereby to a dead land. Thus is the resurrection. https://quran.com/50/6-11

فَلْيَنظُرِ الْإِنسَانُ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِهِ (24) أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا الْمَاءَ صَبًّا (25) ثُمَّ شَقَقْنَا الْأَرْضَ شَقًّا (26) فَأَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا حَبًّا (27) وَعِنَبًا وَقَضْبًا (28) وَزَيْتُونًا وَنَخْلًا (29) وَحَدَائِقَ غُلْبًا (30) وَفَاكِهَةً وَأَبًّا (31) مَّتَاعًا لَّكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ (32( عبس

Chapter Abas (24) Then let mankind look at his food - (25) How We poured down water in torrents, (26) Then We broke open the earth, splitting [it with sprouts], (27) And caused to grow within it grain (28) And grapes and herbage (29) And olive and palm trees (30) And gardens of dense shrubbery (31) And fruit and grass - (32) [As] enjoyment for you and your grazing livestock. https://quran.com/80/24-32

فَلْيَنظُرِ الْإِنسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ (5) خُلِقَ مِن مَّاءٍ دَافِقٍ (6) يَخْرُجُ مِن بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ (7( الطارق

Chapter Al-Tariq (5) So let man observe from what he was created. (6) He was created from a fluid, ejected, (7) Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs. https://quran.com/86/5-7

أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ (17) وَإِلَى السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ (18) وَإِلَى الْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ (19) وَإِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ (20) فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ (21) لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ (22( الغاشية

Chapter Al-Ghashiyah (17) Then do they not look at the camels - how they are created? (18) And at the sky - how it is raised? (19) And at the mountains - how they are erected? (20) And at the earth - how it is spread out? (21) So remind, [O Muhammad]; you are only a reminder. (22) You are not over them a controller. https://quran.com/88/17-22

It is obvious however that Allah (SWT) requires from us to study and advance all branches of knowledge whether they are related to life or to the Hereafter. If such knowledge is beneficial to mankind, then, it is good, preferable, and required. It is also sometimes mandatory for people who are specialized in such branches to advance and increase their knowledge in their domain of expertise. Gaining and breaching knowledge is also recommended by the Prophet (SAS) where he has showed the importance of learning and teaching Quranic sciences as follows:

عَنْ عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «خَيْرُكُمْ من تعلم الْقُرْآن وَعلمه» . رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ.  صَحِيح   الألباني

‘Uthmān reported God’s messenger as saying, “The best among you is he who learns and teaches the Qur’ān.” Bukhārī transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2109

He (SAS) has encouraged people to gain knowledge as follows:

وعن أنس رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ ‏"‏من خرج في طلب العلم، فهو في سبيل الله حتى يرجع‏"‏ رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن‏.‏

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who goes forth in search of knowledge is considered as struggling in the Cause of Allah until he returns." [At- Tirmidhi]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1385

The Prophet (SAS) has shown the importance of spreading knowledge and its impact on the individual during his life and after death in the following narration:

وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ “إذا مات الأنسان انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاث‏:‏ صدقة جارية، أو علم ينتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو له‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a man dies, his deeds come to an end, except for three: A continuous charity, knowledge by which people derive benefit, pious son who prays for him." [Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:949

It is essential to gain the basic knowledge, which is mandatory for the worship practices, necessary for life matters, and required for the benefits of all generations of mankind. We should advance in all branches of beneficial knowledge that cause harmony in human’s life, in the life of other creations, and in the universe. Such advances please Allah (SWT) since we are accomplishing the purpose of our existence. One of the essential branches of knowledge targets the status of other human beings who are living across the globe and how they suffer in their lives to find basic life needs, i.e., good food, clean water, and better education. It is necessary to have living hearts that sympathize with humans and all other creations. We should feel the suffer of others everywhere and sympathize with them. It is also required to know the various ideologies, which exist on earth, to be able to open the dialogue with them and avoid any negative impact. We should have expertise in the advanced and timely knowledge of life and religious matters. Therefore, gaining knowledge and being intellectual is a vital attribute for the individual who has an active and a strong faith.

………….. To Be Continued

1f-ii: Moral Attributes of Strong and Active Faith for Individuals

Overview:

In the previous article, I briefly walk through the spiritual attributes of strong and active faith for individuals, which includes sound and sincere belief, correct worship, and being intellectual and knowledgeable. In this article, I will put emphasis on the faith’s moral attributes and their importance. The moral attributes of strong and active faith for individuals include good character, strong body, value time, and strong self-control. In the following sections, I will briefly explain each attribute and its necessity to represent and measure faith.

II.    Moral Attributes:

a.    Strong Body

Needless to say that having a strong body is an essential feature for humans, which is known by nature since the beginning of creation. It is well-known that strong body is a needed character by humans to appropriately accomplish their mission on earth. You need the “strong body” to do work and earn sustenance; to constitute a family and raise kids; to defend your family, country, and community; to establish justice and defend the rights; to forbid evil and support good; and to be able to freely worship Allah (SWT). Therefore, Prophet Mohammad (SAS) has encouraged the believers to acquire strong bodies as shown in the following narration:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏‏ "‏ المؤمن القوي خير وأحب إلى الله من المؤمن الضعيف وفي كل خير‏.‏ احرص على ما ينفعك، واستعن بالله ولا تعجز‏.‏ وإن أصابك شيء فلا تقل‏:‏ لو أني فعلت كان كذا وكذا، ولكن قل‏:‏ قدر الله، وما شاء فعل؛ فإن لو تفتح عمل الشيطان‏"‏ ‏(‏ رواه مسلم‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: 'If I had taken this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such,' but say only: 'Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word 'if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts".
[Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:100

Consequently, the believer, who has a strong body or strong in his/her field of expertise, is better in all life matters and dearer to Allah (SWT). This does not mean the believer, who does not have a strong body, is not dear to Allah (SWT). On the contrary, he/she is dear to Allah (SWT); however, the stronger one is dearer because he/she will be able to better accomplish the above functions and to benefit others with his/her strength. Therefore, if a person has the character of believers, i.e., being honest and trustworthy, in addition to body strength, this characterizes the good achievers as explained in the following verse:

قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ ۖ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ (26( القصص

Chapter Al-Qasas (26) One of the women said, "O my father, hire him. Indeed, the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy." https://quran.com/28/26

Two essential attributes, i.e., honest/trustworthy and body strength, without which people can’t be good leaders or doers. Body strength does not only mean huge muscles, but it includes being healthy as well. Some scholars said it includes strength in all aspects of life, such as knowledge, intellect, advancement in all matters, etc. This is evident in the following order of Allah (SWT) to the believers:

وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَآخَرِينَ مِن دُونِهِمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِن شَيْءٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ (60( الأنفال

Chapter Al-Anfal (60) And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged. https://quran.com/8/60

In another verse, Allah (SWT) has described the two attributes of a good leader, which include being knowledgeable and have a strong body:

….. قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَاهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَزَادَهُ بَسْطَةً فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالْجِسْمِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يُؤْتِي مُلْكَهُ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ (247( البقرة

Chapter Al-Baqarah (247) …… He said, "Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing [in favor] and Knowing." https://quran.com/2/247

Scholars said “Allah (SWT) is requesting from us to acquire all types of power, i.e., physical and mental, in all aspects of life.” The word “power” is not defined to express any types of power that can be used in all aspects of life across generations and locations. It is an order of Allah (SWT) that has also been explained by the Prophet (SAS) in the following narration:

ثُمَامَةَ بْنِ شُفَىٍّ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُقْبَةَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ أَلاَ إِنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الرَّمْىُ أَلاَ إِنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الرَّمْىُ أَلاَ إِنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الرَّمْىُ ‏"‏ مسلم

It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Amir who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say-and he was delivering a sermon from the pulpit: Prepare to meet them with as much strength as you can afford. Beware, strength consists in archery. Beware, strength consists in archery. Beware, strength consists in archery. Sahih Muslim 1917. https://sunnah.com/muslim:1917

The practices of the Prophet (SAS) has been an evident of this necessity in which he (SAS) has a strong body and fitness as shown in the description of his companions as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ‏:‏ وَلا رَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا أَحْسَنَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَأَنَّ الشَّمْسَ تَجْرِي فِي وَجْهِهِ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا أَسْرَعَ فِي مِشْيَتِهِ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَأَنَّمَا الأَرْضُ تُطْوَى لَهُ إِنَّا لَنُجْهِدُ أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنَّهُ لَغَيْرُ مُكْتَرِثٍ‏.‏ الشمائل المحمدية

Abu Huraira said: "I have not seen anything more beautiful than Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). The sun seemed to shine in his face. Nor have I seen anyone more rapid in his gait than Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). The earth seemed to be folded up for him. We must strenuously exert ourselves, while he is not subject to any stress." Sahih (Zubair `Aliza'i), Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah 122, https://sunnah.com/shamail:122

He (SAS) has also encouraged his companions to strengthen their bodies through fitness competitions and races, which have prepared them well to achieve the order of Allah (SWT) in the above verse. This is evident in the following narration:

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ أَجْرَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَا ضُمِّرَ مِنَ الْخَيْلِ مِنَ الْحَفْيَاءِ إِلَى ثَنِيَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ، وَأَجْرَى مَا لَمْ يُضَمَّرْ مِنَ الثَّنِيَّةِ إِلَى مَسْجِدِ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ وَكُنْتُ فِيمَنْ أَجْرَى‏.‏ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ‏.‏ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ بَيْنَ الْحَفْيَاءِ إِلَى ثَنِيَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ خَمْسَةُ أَمْيَالٍ أَوْ سِتَّةٌ، وَبَيْنَ ثَنِيَّةِ إِلَى مَسْجِدِ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ مِيلٌ‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated (`Abdullah) bin `Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) arranged for a horse race amongst the horses that had been made lean to take place between Al-Hafya'' and Thaniyat Al-Wada` (i.e. names of two places) and the horses which had not been mad.? lean from Ath-Thaniyat to the mosque of Bani Zuraiq. I was also amongst those who took part in that horse race. Sufyan, a sub-narrator, said, "The distance between Al-Hafya and Thaniya Al- Wada` is five or six miles; and between Thaniya and the mosque of Bani Zuraiq is one mile." Sahih al-Bukhari 2868. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2868

He (SAS) was also keen about his companion’s health and bodies. He has recommended them to be moderate when eating and drinking and be healthy with strong bodies as shown in the following narration:

وعن أبي كريمة المقدام بن معديكرب رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول “ما ملأ آدمي وعاء شراً من بطن، بحسب ابن آدم أكلات يقمن صلبه، فإن كان لا محالة؛ فتلث لطعامه وثلث لشرابه، وثلث لنفسه‏"‏‏.‏ ‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن‏)‏‏‏.‏ ‏"‏أكلات‏"‏ أي‏:‏ لقم‏.‏ الترمذى

Miqdam bin Ma'dikarib (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "No man fills a container worse than his stomach. A few morsels that keep his back upright are sufficient for him. If he has to, then he should keep one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for his breathing." [At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan].

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:515

While he (SAS) has been encouraging his companions to be strong, he has also recommended them to be moderate and balanced in all aspects of life. He (SAS) has taught his companions the balanced and healthy life as shown in the following narration: 

وعن أبي جحيفة وهب بن عبد الله رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ آخى النبي ﷺ بين سلمان وأبى الدرداء ، فزار سلمان أبا الدرداء، فرأى أم الدرداء متبذلة فقال‏:‏ ما شأنك قالت‏:‏ أخوك أبو الدرداء ليس له حاجة في الدنيا، فجاء أبو الدراداء فصنع له طعاماً، فقال له‏:‏ كل فإنى صائم، قال‏:‏ ما أنا بآكل حتى تأكل، فأكل، فلما كان الليل ذهب أبو الدرداء يقوم فقال له‏:‏ نم، فنام، ثم ذهب يقوم فقال له ‏:‏ نم، فلما كان من آخر الليل قال سلمان‏:‏ قم الآن‏:‏ فصليا جميعاً، فقال له سلمان‏:‏ إن لربك عليك حقاً، وإن لنفسك عليك حقاً، ولأهلك عليك حقاً، فأعط كل ذى حق حقه، فأتى النبي ﷺ فذكر ذلك له، فقال النبي ﷺ ‏ "‏صدق سلمان‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

Abu Juhaifah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) made a bond of brotherhood between Salman and Abud-Darda'. Salman paid a visit to Abud-Darda' and found Umm Darda' (his wife) dressed in shabby clothes and asked her why she was in that state. She replied: "Your brother Abud-Darda' is not interested in (the luxuries of) this world. In the meantime Abud-Darda' came in and prepared a meal for Salman. Salman requested Abud-Darda' to eat (with him) but Abud-Darda' said: "I am fasting." Salman said: "I am not going to eat unless you eat." So, Abud-Darda' ate (with Salman). When it was night and (a part of the night passed), Abud-Darda' got up (to offer the night prayer) but Salman asked him to sleep and Abud-Darda' slept. After some time Abud-Darda' again got up but Salman asked him to sleep. When it was the last hours of the night, Salman asked him to get up and both of them offered (Tahajjud) prayer. Then Salman told Abud-Darda': "You owe a duty to your Rubb, you owe a duty to your body; you owe a duty to your family; so, you should give to everyone his due. Abud-Darda' came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and reported the whole story. Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Salman is right". [Al- Bukhari]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:149

Based upon the above discussion and evidences, it is quite clear that strong and healthy body is essential for humans to accomplish their goals in life, particularly, the believers. It is a required attribute for a strong and active faith.

b.    Value Time

Time, for the believer, is the most important, irreplaceable, and precious element in life as a human. Life is nothing but time elapsed in several activities. If the time in these activities is spent for a good cause, the human being will benefit in the Hereafter and vice versa. Life is also too short compared to the Hereafter. Therefore, time is rather limited in our short life span. If you waste time in useless activities, you can’t regain this time back. We should spend our time in valuable activities prioritized based upon their benefits to the human being in the Hereafter. Activities with less or no value in the Hereafter should be prioritized last and vice versa. Allah (SWT) put emphases on the value of time in all the revealed messages to mankind since the beginning of creation. In particular, Quran has many verses that value time, such as the following verses:

وَالْعَصْرِ (1) إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (2) إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (3(العصر

Chapter Al-Asr (1) By time, (2) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (3) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. https://quran.com/103

Imam Al-Shafie said about the above verses that Allah (SWT) is swearing with the “Time” where human beings are doing their good and/or evil activities. He said these few verses are enough for the human being to use as the constitution for all life matters. The Prophet (SAS) has also valued time in many narrations as follows:

وعن أبي برزة -براء ثم زاى- نضلة بن عبيد الأسلمى، رضي الله عنه، قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ ‏ "‏لا تزول قدما عبد يوم القيامة حتى يسأل عن عمره فيما أفناه ، وعن علمه فيما فعل فيه، وعن ماله من أين اكتسبه، وفيما أنفقه، وعن جسمه فيم أبلاه‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن صحيح(

Abu Barzah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Man's feet will not move on the Day of Resurrection before he is asked about his life, how did he consume it, his knowledge, what did he do with it, his wealth, how did he earn it and how did he dispose of it, and about his body, how did he wear it out." [At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:407

In this narration, the Prophet (SAS) is assuring that human beings will be asked in the Day of Judgment: where did they spent their precious lifetime? This is a guaranteed question that needs a comprehensive and evidenced answer. Are we prepared to answer such vital question? I think we should take life more serious than what we are doing nowadays. We sometimes devalue lifetime and waste it in some useless activities that have no value in the Hereafter. This is dangerous to our destined life after death. Lifetime is a blessing from Allah (SWT) that is invaluable as described in the following narration:

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ ‏ "‏ نعمتان مغبون فيهما كثير من الناس‏:‏ الصحة، والفراغ‏"‏ ‏‏‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏.‏

Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are two blessings in which many people incur loss. (They are) health and free time (for doing good)". [Al-Bukhari]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:97

The Prophet (SAS) highly values time in which he has asked the believers to plant the seeds or trees even if they have seen the signs of the Day of Judgement. No one may benefit from such plants/seeds; however, it is the concept of doing good to others even at the critical times. It is also the concept of spending your last life minutes in something good no matter whether others will benefit from or not. This is clear in the following narration:

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ‏:‏ إِنْ قَامَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَفِي يَدِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَسِيلَةٌ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ لاَ تَقُومَ حَتَّى يَغْرِسَهَا فَلْيَغْرِسْهَا‏.‏ صـحـيـح   (الألباني(

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If the Final Hour comes while you have a shoot of a plant in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it." Sahih (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/adab/27/4

The following narration shows the priceless value of time in this life and how short it is. It is therefore essential to be careful and more organized when spending time in life activities:

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِمِنْكَبِي فَقَالَ ‏"‏ كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ وَعُدَّ نَفْسَكَ فِي أَهْلِ الْقُبُورِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لِي ابْنُ عُمَرَ إِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَكَ بِالْمَسَاءِ وَإِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَكَ بِالصَّبَاحِ وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ قَبْلَ سَقَمِكَ وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِكَ فَإِنَّكَ لاَ تَدْرِي يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ مَا اسْمُكَ غَدًا ‏"‏ الترمذى

Mujahid narrated that Ibn 'Umar said: "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) grabbed me on part of my body and said: 'Be in the world like a stranger or a passerby, and count yourself among the inhabitants of the grave.'" Ibn 'Umar said to me: "When you wake up in the morning, then do not concern yourself with the evening. And when you reach the evening, then do not concern yourself with the morning. Take from your health before your illness, and from your life before your death, for indeed O slave of Allah! You do not know what your description shall be tomorrow." (sahih). Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2333. https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:2333

Many scholars have written quotes about the value of time. For example, Imam Hasan Al-Basri said: “O’ Son of Adam, you are but days. If one day has passed, some parts of you have already lost.” He also said “O’ Son of Adam, your day is your guest. Try to be good to your guest in order to speak highly about you. Otherwise, it will speak badly about you. Your night is also similar.” He added: “Life is one of three days: yesterday is already gone with its good and bad; you may not be alive tomorrow; and try to get the best out of today.” Ibn Masoud said: “I did not regret anything except for a passed day that decreases my life without increasing my good deeds.” Ibn Al-Qaiym said: “Wasting your time is more dangerous than death because wasting time keeps you away from Allah (SWT) and the Hereafter. However, death keeps you away from life and family.” Being close to Allah (SWT) with great reward in the Hereafter is, off course, more valuable than being close to life and family. Shiekh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi said: “If you kill your time, it means you are killing yourself. It is a gradual and slow suicide that is committed in front of everybody without, unfortunately, any penalties or punishment.” A wise man said: “If you do not spend your day in doing essential matters, performing obligations, building dignity and honor, thanking Allah (SWT), establishing good things, or acquiring good knowledge, then, you are ungrateful to your day and oppressing yourself.” Therefore, we have to be balanced and spend our time in beneficial activities as shown in the following narration:

قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ أَلَمْ أُخْبَرْ أَنَّكَ تَصُومُ النَّهَارَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَلاَ تَفْعَلْ، صُمْ وَأَفْطِرْ، وَقُمْ وَنَمْ، فَإِنَّ لِجَسَدِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَإِنَّ لِعَيْنِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَإِنَّ لِزَوْجِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O `Abdullah! Have I not been formed that you fast all the day and stand in prayer all night?" I said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" He said, "Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave them (the fast) at other times; stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you." Sahih al-Bukhari 5199. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5199

Allah (SWT) will count on us the weight of atoms of deeds, whether they are good or bad. Therefore, we should be very cautious in all our life actions and do not waste time in useless matters:

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ (7) وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ (8( الزلزلة

Chapter Al-Zalzalah (7) So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, (8) And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it. https://quran.com/99/7-8

In summary, lifetime is invaluable to us. We should wisely spend our time by prioritizing our activities based upon their impact on our scale of deeds in the Hereafter. Otherwise, we will be the losers then. Valuing time is one of the essential attributes of a strong and active faithful person.

c.    Good Character

Good characters and morals are the core of all divine books and messages revealed by Allah (SWT). Most of these books and messages are but a set of characters, i.e., dos and don’ts. These characters are governing the relationships among people who are living in the same place or under the same ruler. Good characters are vital for any revelation to improve the relationship of people with Allah (SWT) and among themselves. Without this set of good characters, the society will not be safe, secure, happy, united, etc. Therefore, Prophet Mohammad (SAS) has put much efforts to set up the basic good characters in the minds and hearts of his companions supported by his (SAS) practices. He (SAS) has been the role model in implementing and practicing the good character in all fronts. This is evident in the description of Allah (SWT) to the character of the Prophet (SAS) in the following verse:

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ (4( القلم

Chapter Al-Qalam (4) And indeed, you are of a great moral character. https://quran.com/68/4

Similarly, the Prophet (SAS) has explained the rationale of his message, which is to complete or perfect the good characters as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ‏:‏ إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ لِأُتَمِّمَ صَالِحَ الأَخْلاقِ‏.‏  صـحـيـح   (الألباني(

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I was sent to perfect good character." Sahih (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/urn/2302710

It is well known that great civilizations can’t be achieved without good characters. Therefore, a poet said that civilization has always risen if their people have been ethical and vice versa. If people are not ethical, they can’t establish great civilizations. Good characters represent one of the essential pillars in building a great civilization. Therefore, the Prophet (SAS) puts much emphases on characters in many occasions. For example, He (SAS) has informed the believers that they will be close to him (SAS) in the Day of Judgment based on their level of ethics. If they have good characters, they will be close to him (SAS) and vice versa, as shown in the following narration:

وعن جابر رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ “إن من أحبكم إلي، وأقربكم منى مجلساً يوم القيامة أحاسنكم أخلاقاً، وإن أبغضكم إلي وأبعدكم مني يوم القيامة، الثرثارون والمتشدقون والمتفيهقون” قالوا‏:‏ يا رسول الله قد علمنا “الثرثارون والمتشدقون” فما المتفيهقون‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ “المتكبرون” ‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن‏)‏‏‏.‏ ‏"‏الثرثار‏"‏‏:‏ هو كثير الكلام تكلفاً‏.‏ ‏"‏والمتشدق‏"‏‏:‏ المتطاول على الناس بكلامه، ويتكلم بملء فيه تصافحاً وتعظيماً لكلامه؛ “والمتفيهق” ‏:‏أصله من الفهق، وهو الامتلاء، وهو الذى يملأ فمه بالكلام، ويتوسع فيه ويغرب به تكبراً وارتفاعاً، وإظهاراً للفضيلة على غيره‏.‏ وروى الترمذي عن عبد الله بن المبارك رحمه الله في تفسير حسن الخلق قال‏:‏ هو طلاقة الوجه، وبذل المعروف، وكف الأذى‏.‏

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The dearest and nearest among you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be one who is the best of you in manners; and the most abhorrent among you to me and the farthest of you from me will be the pompous, the garrulous, and Al-Mutafaihiqun." The Companions asked him: "O Messenger of Allah! We know about the pompous and the garrulous, but we do not know who Al-Mutafaihiqun are." He replied: "The arrogant people." [At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:630 https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1738

The above represents the level of importance of good characters in the mind and heart of the Prophet (SAS). Good characters have been strongly recommended by the Prophet (SAS) in many narrations as follows:

عن أبي ذر جندب بن جنادة، وأبي عبد الرحمن معاذ بن جبل، رضي الله عنهما، عن رسول الله ﷺ ، قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ اتق الله حيثما كنت واتبع السيئة الحسنة تمحها، وخالق الناس بخلق حسن‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن ‏)‏‏.

Abu Dharr and Mu'adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with them) reported that: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Fear Allah wherever you are, do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter, and behave decently towards people". [At- Tirmidhi, who categorized it as Hadith Hasan]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:61

وعن أبى الدرداء رضي الله عنه‏:‏ أن النبى ﷺ قال‏:‏ “ما من شئ أثقل في ميزان المؤمن يوم القيامة من حسن الخلق، وإن الله يبغض الفاحش البذي” ‏‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن صحيح‏.‏

Abud-Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection in the Scale of the believer than good manners. Allah hates one who utters foul or coarse language." [At- Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:625

He (SAS) has practiced good characters with all people whether they are believers and followers or not. Look at the description of the Prophet’s (SAS) companions to his characters in the following narrations:

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ لَمَّا بَلَغَ أَبَا ذَرٍّ مَبْعَثُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ لأَخِيهِ ارْكَبْ إِلَى هَذَا الْوَادِي، فَاعْلَمْ لِي عِلْمَ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ، يَأْتِيهِ الْخَبَرُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ، وَاسْمَعْ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ، ثُمَّ ائْتِنِي‏.‏ فَانْطَلَقَ الأَخُ حَتَّى قَدِمَهُ وَسَمِعَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ، ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى أَبِي ذَرٍّ، فَقَالَ لَهُ رَأَيْتُهُ يَأْمُرُ بِمَكَارِمِ الأَخْلاَقِ، وَكَلاَمًا مَا هُوَ بِالشِّعْرِ‏.‏ …..‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: When Abu Dhar received the news of the Advent of the Prophet (ﷺ) he said to his brother, "Ride to this valley (of Mecca) and try to find out the truth of the person who claims to be a prophet who is informed of the news of Heaven. Listen to what he says and come back to me." So his brother set out and came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and listened to some of his talks, and returned to Abu Dhar and said to him. "I have seen him enjoining virtuous behavior and saying something that is not poetry." …... Sahih al-Bukhari 3861. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3861

عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا مَعَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو يُحَدِّثُنَا إِذْ قَالَ لَمْ يَكُنْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَاحِشًا وَلاَ مُتَفَحِّشًا، وَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ خِيَارَكُمْ أَحَاسِنُكُمْ أَخْلاَقًا ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated Masruq: We were sitting with `Abdullah bin `Amr who was narrating to us (Hadith): He said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was neither a Fahish nor a Mutafahhish, and he used to say, 'The best among you are the best in character (having good manners)."' Sahih al-Bukhari 6035. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6035

The love of the Prophet (SAS) is also connected to the person’s characters. If the person has good characters, he/she will be close to the Prophet’s heart as indicated in the following narration:

قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَكُنْ فَاحِشًا وَلاَ مُتَفَحِّشًا وَقَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ مِنْ أَحَبِّكُمْ إِلَىَّ أَحْسَنَكُمْ أَخْلاَقًا ‏"‏‏.‏ وَقَالَ ‏"‏ اسْتَقْرِئُوا الْقُرْآنَ مِنْ أَرْبَعَةٍ مِنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، وَسَالِمٍ مَوْلَى أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ، وَأُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ، وَمُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) neither talked in an insulting manner nor did he ever speak evil intentionally. He used to say, "The most beloved to me amongst you is the one who has the best character and manners." He added, " Learn the Qur'an from (any of these) four persons. `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifa, Ubai bin Ka`b, and Mu`adh bin Jabal." Sahih al-Bukhari 3759, 3760. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3759

He (SAS) has also mentioned, in many occasions, the various good characters that a person should acquire to be a believer as shown in the following narrations:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ضَيْفَهُ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلَا يُؤْذِ جَارَهُ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ» . وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: بَدَلَ «الْجَارِ» وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَصِلْ رحِمَه "  مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ   (الألباني(

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "He who believes in God and the last day should honour his guest; he who believes in God and the last day should not annoy his neighbour ; and he who believes in God and the last day should say what is good, or keep silent." In a version instead of speaking of the neighbour he said, "He who believes in God and the last day should join ties of relationship." (Bukhari and Muslim.). https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4243

عَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: رَحِمَ اللَّهُ رَجُلًا سَمْحًا إِذَا بَاعَ وَإِذَا اشْتَرَى وَإِذَا اقْتَضَى رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ  صَحِيح   (الألباني(

Jabir reported God's Messenger as saying, “God show mercy to a man who is kindly when he sells, when he buys, and when he makes a claim!” Bukhari transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2790

It is also mentioned that good characters make you reach a high level in the eyes of Allah (SWT) similar to those who are continuously praying night prayers and fasting in long summer days. This is evident in the following narration:

عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ الْمَرْءَ، لَيُدْرِكُ بِحُسْنِ خُلُقِهِ دَرَجَةَ الْقَائِمِ بِاللَّيْلِ الظَّامِي بِالْهَوَاجِرِ ‏.‏ الموطأ

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, "I have heard that by his good character a man can reach the degree of the one who stands in prayer at night and the one who is thirsty from fasting in the heat of the day." Muwattaa Malik. https://sunnah.com/urn/516200

In conclusion, it is quite clear that good characters should be the foundation of individual’s personality. They are central to the person’s behavior and attitude. Good characters should not change with time or location unless they are improved to the betterment of the person and/or surroundings. A believer is practicing good characters as an act of worship to Allah (SWT) hoping for good reward in the Hereafter. Allah (SWT) is always watching the individual in all times and locations. This continuous monitoring activates the self-monitoring system within the human being to behave with good characters to everybody no matter how good/bad they react to him/her. An individual can’t attain good characters by just reading or listening to their importance. However, they must be practiced in all occasions, i.e., fortunate and unfortunate ones. This practice needs lots of patience and continuous struggle, particularly in unfortunate occasions. If we are lacking behind in one or several characters, we should work hard to acquire them, get used to them, and make them as habits. This needs lots of continuous patience and perseverance, which is a must, in my opinion. Good characters are necessary for a strong and active faith, which is one of its most important attributes and pillars.

d.    Strong in Self-Control

Struggling to self-control our souls is a difficult process that should pass three main steps of learning (https://lsme.ac.uk/blog/the-three-3-domains-of-learning), i.e., cognitive (thinking), affective (emotions or feeling) and Psychomotor (Physical or kinesthetic). Perfecting these steps is essential for the application process of self-control to our souls with successful outcomes. Otherwise, the process will be incomplete and the intended outcomes will not be achieved. In order to self-control our souls, we need to know what we need and how we can do it (knowledge); we need to adjust our emotions and attitude to value the above knowledge with conclusive rationale (convincing); and we need to continuously practice the convincing knowledge in order to become a habit and behavior (becomes a character). Therefore, knowledge is not enough to raise ourselves on how to self-control our souls. This is evident in the following verse where Allah (SWT) has described how people, who struggle for guidance, are actually guided:

وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (69) العنكبوت

Chapter Al-Ankaboot (69) And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good. https://quran.com/29/69

The above verse can be regarded as a complete constitution in life. Imam Ibn Kathir said about this verse: “It is for people who are struggling to apply what they have learned. Allah (SWT) will guide them beyond their knowledge to know and apply what they do not know about.” Imam Al-Sadi said: “Those, who struggle for the sake of Allah, in all fronts, to please Him (SWT), will be guided to discover the ways to Him (SWT).” Imam Al-Baghawi said: “Struggle means to be patient on worshiping Allah (SWT). The best struggle is to disobey your desires of harmful or less essential matters. For example, whoever struggles to gain knowledge, Allah (SWT) will guide him/her to the ways of implementing such knowledge.” Ibn Abbas said (whoever struggles to obey Allah (SWT) will always be guided to the ways to get the best of His rewards).”

Consequently, people should continuously work hard and train themselves to attain good characters and get rid of bad ones. This is clearly stated by Allah (SWT) in the following verse where we are responsible for purifying our souls:

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا (7) فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا (8) قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا (9) وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا (10) الشمس

Chapter Al-Shams (7) And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it (8) And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness, (9) He has succeeded who purifies it, (10) And he has failed who instills it [with corruption]. https://quran.com/91/7-10

Struggling to self-control our souls is mandatory for our benefits in both lives, i.e., life and the Hereafter. In other words, if you struggle against your enemies, such as soul, Satan, etc, it will pay back great rewards and sustenance to you. Allah (SWT) will not benefit from such actions. It is only you who will gain as shown in the following verse:

وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ (6) العنكبوت

Chapter Al-Ankaboot (6) And whoever strives only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds. https://quran.com/29/6

The Prophet (SAS) has also taught his companions how to strive against our own souls and be patient in worshiping Allah (SWT) as shown in the following narrations:

سَمِعَ فَضَالَةَ بْنَ عُبَيْدٍ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏"‏ ….. ‏.‏ وَسَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ الْمُجَاهِدُ مَنْ جَاهَدَ نَفْسَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ وَجَابِرٍ ‏.‏ وَحَدِيثُ فَضَالَةَ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ الترمذى

Narrated Fadalah bin 'Ubaid: …… I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "The Mujahid is one who strives against his own soul." [Abu 'Eisa said:] There are narrations on this topic from 'Uqbah bin 'Amir and Jabir. The Hadith is Fadalah is a Hasan Sahih Hadith. Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1621. https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:1621

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «…. . بِرِوَايَةِ فَضَالَةَ: «وَالْمُجَاهِدُ مَنْ جَاهَدَ نَفْسَهُ فِي طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُهَاجِر من هجر الْخَطَايَا والذنُوب»              صحیح, إسنادہ حسن   (زبیر علی زئی)

Abu Huraira reported that God’s messenger said, …… and Baihaqi added in Shu'ab al-iman by the transmission of Fadala, “And the mujahid is he who strives with himself regarding obedience to God, and the muhajir is he who abandons transgressions and sins. Sahīh, Isnād Hasan (Zubair `Aliza'i). https://sunnah.com/mishkat:33

One of the important fields of struggle is to strive against our desires. Following your desires usually leads you to the wrong direction and gets you astray as shown in the following verses:

يَا دَاوُودُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَىٰ فَيُضِلَّكَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا نَسُوا يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ (26) ص

Chapter Saad (26) [We said], "O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the way of Allah." Indeed, those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Account. https://quran.com/38/26

أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ اللَّهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (23) الجاثية

Chapter Al-Jathiyah (23) Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded? https://quran.com/45/23

فَلَا يَصُدَّنَّكَ عَنْهَا مَن لَّا يُؤْمِنُ بِهَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ فَتَرْدَىٰ (16) طه

Chapter Taha (16) So do not let one avert you from it who does not believe in it and follows his desire, for you [then] would perish. https://quran.com/20/16

فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكَ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ۚ وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ اتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ (50) القصص

Chapter Al-Qasas (50) But if they do not respond to you - then know that they only follow their [own] desires. And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah? Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. https://quran.com/28/50

……وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا (28) الكهف

Chapter Al-Kahf (28) ….. and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect. https://quran.com/18/28

The only way to get rid of such problems and negative outcomes is to work hard in learning and implementing how to self-control your soul and desires. This requires the implementation of the above three steps: knowledge, rationale, and continuous practices. Such process is lengthy and painful. It requires much struggle, lots of effort, and many tireless trials. The reward at the end is “Paradise” as promised by Allah (SWT) in the following verses:

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ (40) فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (41) النازعات

Chapter Al-Naziaat (40) But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination, (41) Then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge. https://quran.com/79/40-41

The Prophet (SAS) has taught us how to achieve high level in Paradise and to self-control our own souls by knowing and practicing continuous tireless acts of worship for Allah’s sake as shown in the following narration:

وَعَن ربيعَة بن كَعْب قَالَ: كُنْتُ أَبِيتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَتَيْتُهُ بِوَضُوئِهِ وَحَاجَتِهِ فَقَالَ لِي: «سَلْ» فَقُلْتُ: أَسْأَلُكَ مُرَافَقَتَكَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ. قَالَ: «أَو غير ذَلِكَ؟» . قُلْتُ هُوَ ذَاكَ. قَالَ: «فَأَعِنِّي عَلَى نَفسك بِكَثْرَة السُّجُود» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم  صَحِيح   (الألباني)

Rabi'a b. Ka‘b said: I was with God’s Messenger at night, and when I brought him his water for ablution and what he required, he told me to make a request. I said, “I ask to accompany you in paradise.” He asked if I had any other request to make, and when I replied that that was all, he said, “Then help me to accomplish this for you by devoting yourself often to prostration.” Muslim transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:896

In order to simulate the amount of struggle, the following narration explains the dilemma, which we pass through, and how hard and painful the process to accomplish the pleasure of Allah (SWT). It also shows how easy and simple to displease Allah (SWT):

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ لِجِبْرِيلَ ‏:‏ اذْهَبْ فَانْظُرْ إِلَيْهَا ‏.‏ فَذَهَبَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَقَالَ ‏:‏ أَىْ رَبِّ وَعِزَّتِكَ لاَ يَسْمَعُ بِهَا أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ دَخَلَهَا ثُمَّ حَفَّهَا بِالْمَكَارِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏:‏ يَا جِبْرِيلُ اذْهَبْ فَانْظُرْ إِلَيْهَا فَذَهَبَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَقَالَ ‏:‏ أَىْ رَبِّ وَعِزَّتِكَ لَقَدْ خَشِيتُ أَنْ لاَ يَدْخُلَهَا أَحَدٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ فَلَمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ النَّارَ قَالَ ‏:‏ يَا جِبْرِيلُ اذْهَبْ فَانْظُرْ إِلَيْهَا ‏.‏ فَذَهَبَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَقَالَ ‏:‏ أَىْ رَبِّ وَعِزَّتِكَ لاَ يَسْمَعُ بِهَا أَحَدٌ فَيَدْخُلُهَا فَحَفَّهَا بِالشَّهَوَاتِ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏:‏ يَا جِبْرِيلُ اذْهَبْ فَانْظُرْ إِلَيْهَا ‏.‏ فَذَهَبَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَقَالَ ‏:‏ أَىْ رَبِّ وَعِزَّتِكَ لَقَدْ خَشِيتُ أَنْ لاَ يَبْقَى أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ دَخَلَهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ حسن صحيح   (الألباني)          

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When Allah created Paradise, He said to Gabriel: Go and look at it. He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might, no one who hears of it will fail to enter it. He then surrounded it with disagreeable things, and said: Go and look at it, Gabriel. He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might, I am afraid that no one will enter it.

When Allah created Hell, He said: Go and look at it, Gabriel. He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might, no one who hears of it will enter it. He then surrounded it with desirable things and said: Go and look at it, Gabriel. He went, looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might and power, I am afraid that no one will remain who does not enter it. Sunan Abi Dawud 4744. Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4744

It has been well known, since the beginning of creation, that enemies of human beings do not only include soul and desires but Satan as well. The Prophet (SAS) has explained to us how Satan is working tirelessly to misguide humans away from the path of Allah (SWT). This is another level of difficulty that adds to the struggle we are facing to please Him (SWT). It is not an easy and simple path to be close to Allah (SWT). It is a path that is full of obstacles and attractions to mislead and get us busy with minor staff that are useless in the Hereafter. This has been reported to us, long time ago, in the following narration:

عَنْ سَبْرَةَ بْنِ أَبِي فَاكِهٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَعَدَ لاِبْنِ آدَمَ بِأَطْرُقِهِ فَقَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الإِسْلاَمِ فَقَالَ تُسْلِمُ وَتَذَرُ دِينَكَ وَدِينَ آبَائِكَ وَآبَاءِ أَبِيكَ فَعَصَاهُ فَأَسْلَمَ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الْهِجْرَةِ فَقَالَ تُهَاجِرُ وَتَدَعُ أَرْضَكَ وَسَمَاءَكَ وَإِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْمُهَاجِرِ كَمَثَلِ الْفَرَسِ فِي الطِّوَلِ فَعَصَاهُ فَهَاجَرَ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ لَهُ بِطَرِيقِ الْجِهَادِ فَقَالَ تُجَاهِدُ فَهُوَ جَهْدُ النَّفْسِ وَالْمَالِ فَتُقَاتِلُ فَتُقْتَلُ فَتُنْكَحُ الْمَرْأَةُ وَيُقْسَمُ الْمَالُ فَعَصَاهُ فَجَاهَدَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ فَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَنْ قُتِلَ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَإِنْ غَرِقَ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ أَوْ وَقَصَتْهُ دَابَّتُهُ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ سنن النسائى

It was narrated that Sabrah bin Abi Fakih said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'the Shaitan sits in the paths of the son of Adam. He sits waiting for him, in the path to Islam, and he says: Will you accept Islam, and leave your religion, and the religion of your forefathers? But he disobeys him and accepts Islam. Then he sits waiting for him, on the path to emigration, and he says: Will you emigrate and leave behind your land and sky? The one who emigrates is like a horse tethered to a peg. But he disobeys him and emigrates. Then he sits, waiting for him, on the path to Jihad, and he says: Will you fight in Jihad when it will cost you your life and your wealth? You will fight and be killed, and your wife will remarry, and your wealth will be divided. But he disobeys him and fights in Jihad.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever does that, then he had a right from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, that He will admit him to paradise. Whoever is killed, he has a right from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, that He will admit him to Paradise. If he is drowned, he has a right from Allah that He will admit him to paradise, or whoever is thrown by his mount and his neck is broken, he had a right from Allah that he will admit him to Paradise.'" Sunan an-Nasa'i 3134. https://sunnah.com/nasai:3134

Let me walk through few quotes from our scholars across times and generations for the last fourteen centuries. These quotes represent the individual experiences of these scholars in self-controlling the souls. They are helpful to us in our journey to paradise.

One day, Omar Ibn Abd-El-Aziz was asked about struggle, he replied “Firs, struggle to self-control your soul as it constitutes the basis of success in other types of struggles.” Sofian Al-Thawri said: “I was not able cure any disease stronger in its impact on my actions than my soul. One day I was able to self-control my soul and in the other day, it succeeded in impacting my actions and getting me away from the right path.” Yahiya Al-Razi said: “The enemies of human being are three; life attractions, Satan, and his/her soul.” He continued advising us that “Be watchful with life attractions by being ascetic; be cautious of Satan plays by disobeying him; and be aware of soul misleading by avoiding lusts.” Ibn Al-Mubarak said: “Patience always leads to victory. We should be patient when struggling with external and internal enemies. If you are impatient during your struggle, you will be a captive to your enemies and might be killed by such enemy.” AbuBakr Al-Siddiq said to Omar Ibn Al-Khattab at the time of his recommendation to be a caliphate: “I warn you of your soul because it might mislead you.”

Based upon the above, it is quite clear that no gain without pain and vice versa. We can’t achieve much against our enemies without struggle and continuous trials to achieve the good actions by disobeying our souls and Satan. Self-control of our souls is a vital skill, which we should acquire, if we would like to be saved in the Day of Judgement. It is an essential attribute of strong and active faith for individuals without which a human being can’t accomplish much in his/her life and the Hereafter.

In conclusion, there are several essential moral attributes for a strong and active faith of individuals. They include good character, strong body, value time, and strong self-control. In this article, I have briefly explained each attribute and its necessity in representing and measuring faith. It is concluded that strong and healthy body is essential for the believers to accomplish their goals in life. We should wisely spend our time by prioritizing our activities based upon their impact on our benefits in the Hereafter, otherwise, we will be the losers then. Good characters should be the basis of individual’s behavior. They are vital to the person’s actions and attitude where they should not change with time or location unless they are improved to the advantage of the person and/or surroundings. In order to have victory against our enemies, i.e., Satan and soul, we should struggle and make continuous trials to achieve the good actions without listening to them. Self-control of our souls is one of the most vital skills needed for us to be saved in the Day of Judgement. All the above need continuous patience and perseverance, which is a must, for a strong and active faith of an individual.

Recommendations:

It is recommended to repeat the following supplication as mentioned in the following narrations:

1-    Three times in the morning and night supplications:

حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ لأَبِيهِ‏:‏ يَا أَبَتِ، إِنِّي أَسْمَعُكَ تَدْعُو كُلَّ غَدَاةٍ‏:‏ اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَدَنِي، اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي سَمْعِي، اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَصَرِي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، تُعِيدُهَا ثَلاَثًا حِينَ تُمْسِي، وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُ ثَلاَثًا، وَتَقُولُ‏:‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَالْفَقْرِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، تُعِيدُهَا ثَلاَثًا حِينَ تُمْسِي، وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُ ثَلاَثًا، فَقَالَ‏:‏ نَعَمْ، يَا بُنَيَّ، سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ بِهِنَّ، وَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَسْتَنَّ بِسُنَّتِهِ‏.‏   حـسـن   (الألباني)

'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Abi Bakra reported that he said to his father, "I heard you making this supplication every morning: 'O Allah, make me healthy in my body. O Allah, make me healthy in my hearing. O Allah, make me healthy in my sight. There is no god but You.' You repeat it three times in the evening and three times in the morning. And you say, 'O Allah, I seek refuge with You from disbelief and poverty. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave. There is no god but You,' and you repeat it three times in the evening and three times in the morning." He replied, :Yes, my son. I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say them and I like to follow his sunnah." Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 701, Hasan (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/adab:701

2-    Supplicate with the following at the beginning of prayer:

عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا اسْتَفْتَحَ الصَّلَاةَ كَبَّرَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: «إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أَمَرْتُ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسلمين اللَّهُمَّ اهدني لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِي لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَقِنِي سَيِّئَ الْأَعْمَالِ وَسَيِّئَ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَقِي سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ» . رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ  صَحِيحٌ   (الألباني)

Jabir said that when the Prophet began prayer he said the takbir, then said, “My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to God, the Lord of the universe, who has no partner. I have been so commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. O God, guide me to the best deeds and the best qualities, Thou who alone canst guide to the best of them; and guard me from evil deeds and evil qualities, Thou who alone canst guard from their evil ones.” Nasa’i transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:820

1f-iii: Behavioral Attributes of Strong and Active Faith for Individuals

 Overview:

In the previous articles, I briefly walk through the spiritual and moral attributes of strong and active faith for individuals, which includes sound and sincere belief, correct worship, being intellectual and knowledgeable, good character, strong body, value time, and strong self-control. In this article, I will briefly describe the behavioral attributes of strong and active faith, which include competent in his/her profession; clean and organized; as well as cooperative and helpful.

III.      Behavioral Attributes:

a.    Competent in his/her Profession

The believer is considergb(255, 0, 0) competent in his/her profession when he/she can find a good profession and excel in the domain of expertise. This is central to complete the belief of a human being. The Prophet (SAS) has been recommending and encouraging all his companions to select a good profession and try their best to achieve perfection in their jobs. This has been evidenced by many narrations and his practices (SAS). He has described to the companions that working and perfecting your job with good intention, i.e., to help your families, is an act of worship to Allah (SWT) as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ كَعْبِ بْنِ عُجْرَةَ قَالَ : مَرَّ عَلَى النبيِّ ﷺ رجلٌ فرأى أصحابُ النبيِّ ﷺ من جلَدِه ونشاطِه فقالوا: يا رسولَ اللهِ لو كان هذا في سبيلِ اللهِ؟! فقال رسولُ اللهِ ﷺ: إنْ كان خرج يسعى على ولدِه صغارًا فهو في سبيلِ اللهِ وإن كان خرج يسعى على أبوين شيخين كبيرين فهو في سبيلِ اللهِ وإنْ كان خرج يسعى على نفسِه يعفُّها فهو في سبيلِ اللهِ وإنْ كان خرج يسعى رياءً ومفاخرةً فهو في سبيلِ الشيطانِ .رواه الطبراني وصححه الألباني.

Ka’b Ibn Ograh reported that One day a man passed by the Prophet (SAS) while he was sitting with his companions. He was very actively working with lots of patience and perseverance. The companions said to the Prophet (SAS): we wish that all his hard work for the sake of Allah (SWT). The Prophet (SAS) responded: If he went outside working to take care of his young children, it would be for the sake of Allah (SWT). If he went outside working to take care of his old parents, it would be for the sake of Allah (SWT). If he went outside working to find enough money to marry, it would be for the sake of Allah (SWT). If he went outside working to show off and be proud of himself (i.e., being arrogant), it would be for the sake of Satan. Narrated by Al-Tabarani, Sahih Al-Albani.

https://dorar.net/h/98a17b0bcdf79330c1c9c01b97f52c41

The Prophet (SAS) has mentioned that most messengers of Allah have guarded sheep including himself (SAS) to achieve several goals, e.g., work to sustain themselves, learn how to lead communities as they lead sheep, etc. This is essential to be role models for their companions. The following narration shows that most messengers have guarded sheep:

وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏ما بعث الله نبياً إلا رعى الغنم” فقال أصحابه‏:‏ أنت‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ كنت أرعاها على قراريط لأهل مكة”‏.‏ ‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Every Prophet has tended sheep". He was asked: "And did you?" He replied, "Yes, I tended them for a few carats for the Makkans." [Al-Bukhari]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:599

Allah (SWT) has recommended, in many verses of the Quran, people to find a decent job and excel in their work. A sample of these verses are shown as follows:

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ ذَلُولًا فَامْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا مِن رِّزْقِهِ ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ (15)

Chapter Al-Mulk (15) It is He who made the earth tame for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection. https://quran.com/67/15

وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّاكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَايِشَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ (10)

Chapter Al-A’raaf (10) And We have certainly established you upon the earth and made for you therein ways of livelihood. Little are you grateful. https://quran.com/7/10

فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَانتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (10)

Chapter Al-Jumah (10) And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah often that you may succeed. https://quran.com/62/10

The above verses show how to be creative, look around for the appropriate job to sustain ourselves and families, and enjoy the great and multi-sustenance that Allah (SWT) has created for us. It is essential to remember and thank Allah (SWT) much because He is the one who has sustained us with all His bounties. Securing a job is mandatory to help in advancing the society and sustain your dependents. The Prophet (SAS) has encouraged his companions to acquire decent jobs and be independent. This is evident in the following narration:

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ـ ﷺـ يَسْأَلُهُ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ لَكَ فِي بَيْتِكَ شَىْءٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ بَلَى حِلْسٌ نَلْبَسُ بَعْضَهُ وَنَبْسُطُ بَعْضَهُ وَقَدَحٌ نَشْرَبُ فِيهِ الْمَاءَ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ ائْتِنِي بِهِمَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَأَتَاهُ بِهِمَا فَأَخَذَهُمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺـ بِيَدِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي هَذَيْنِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ أَنَا آخُذُهُمَا بِدِرْهَمٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَنْ يَزِيدُ عَلَى دِرْهَمٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا قَالَ رَجُلٌ أَنَا آخُذُهُمَا بِدِرْهَمَيْنِ ‏.‏ فَأَعْطَاهُمَا إِيَّاهُ وَأَخَذَ الدِّرْهَمَيْنِ فَأَعْطَاهُمَا الأَنْصَارِيَّ وَقَالَ ‏"‏ اشْتَرِ بِأَحَدِهِمَا طَعَامًا فَانْبِذْهُ إِلَى أَهْلِكَ وَاشْتَرِ بِالآخَرِ قَدُومًا فَأْتِنِي بِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَفَعَلَ فَأَخَذَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺـ فَشَدَّ فِيهِ عُودًا بِيَدِهِ وَقَالَ ‏"‏ اذْهَبْ فَاحْتَطِبْ وَلاَ أَرَاكَ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَجَعَلَ يَحْتَطِبُ وَيَبِيعُ فَجَاءَ وَقَدْ أَصَابَ عَشْرَةَ دَرَاهِمَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ اشْتَرِ بِبَعْضِهَا طَعَامًا وَبِبَعْضِهَا ثَوْبًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ هَذَا خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَجِيءَ وَالْمَسْأَلَةُ نُكْتَةٌ فِي وَجْهِكَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ الْمَسْأَلَةَ لاَ تَصْلُحُ إِلاَّ لِذِي فَقْرٍ مُدْقِعٍ أَوْ لِذِي غُرْمٍ مُفْظِعٍ أَوْ دَمٍ مُوجِعٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that: a man from among the Ansar came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and begged from him. He said, "Do you have anything in your house?" He said: "Yes, a blanket, part of which we cover ourselves with and part we spread beneath us, and a bowl from which we drink water." He said: "Give them to me." So, he brought them to him, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took them in his hand and said, "Who will by these two things?" A man said: "I will by them for one Dirham." He said: "Who will offer more than a Dirham?" two or three times. A man said: "I will buy them for two Dirham." So he gave them to him and took the two Dirham, which he gave to the Ansari and said: "Buy food with one of them and give it to your family, and buy an axe with the other and bring it to me." So, he did that, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took it and fixed a handle to it, and said: "Go and gather firewood, and I do not want to see you for fifteen days." So, he went and gathergb(255, 0, 0) firewood and sold it, then he came back, and he had earned ten Dirham. (The Prophet (ﷺ)) said: "Buy food with some of it and clothes with some." Then he said: "This is better for you than coming with begging (appearing) as a spot on your face on the Day of Resurrection. Begging is only appropriate for one who is extremely poor or who is in severe debt, or one who must pay painful blood money.” Sunan Ibn Majah 2198. https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:2198

This has been the common practices of the Prophet (SAS) and his companions. He (SAS) has strongly recommended his companions to find decent jobs because it is better than being jobless, asking others for help, as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ "‏ لأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ، ثُمَّ يَغْدُوَ ـ أَحْسِبُهُ قَالَ ـ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَيَحْتَطِبَ، فَيَبِيعَ فَيَأْكُلَ وَيَتَصَدَّقَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ صَالِحُ بْنُ كَيْسَانَ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الزُّهْرِيِّ، وَهُوَ قَدْ أَدْرَكَ ابْنَ عُمَرَ‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No doubt, it is better for a person to take a rope and proceed in the morning to the mountains and cut the wood and then sell it, and eat from this income and give alms from it than to ask others for something." Sahih al-Bukhari 1480. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1480

Being independent and productive have been the practices of the Prophet’s companions. The story of Abdlerahman Ibn ‘Auf is a popular one in this regard, where he has been given the option to share the wealth of another companion but he opted not to do that and asked for the market location to start his own business. He has been successful and gotten reasonable income in a short period of time. His story is described in the following narration:

قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قَدِمَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ فَآخَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ سَعْدِ بْنِ الرَّبِيعِ الأَنْصَارِيِّ وَعِنْدَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ امْرَأَتَانِ، فَعَرَضَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُنَاصِفَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمَالَهُ فَقَالَ بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكَ فِي أَهْلِكَ وَمَالِكَ دُلُّونِي عَلَى السُّوقِ، فَأَتَى السُّوقَ فَرَبِحَ شَيْئًا مِنْ أَقِطٍ وَشَيْئًا مِنْ سَمْنٍ فَرَآهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ وَعَلَيْهِ وَضَرٌ مِنْ صُفْرَةٍ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ مَهْيَمْ يَا عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ تَزَوَّجْتُ أَنْصَارِيَّةً‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَمَا سُقْتَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ وَزْنَ نَوَاةٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَوْلِمْ وَلَوْ بِشَاةٍ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Anas bin Malik: `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf came (from Mecca to Medina) and the Prophet (ﷺ) made a bond of brotherhood between him and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi` Al-Ansari. Al-Ansari had two wives, so he suggested that `Abdur- Rahman take half, his wives and property. `Abdur-Rahman replied, "May Allah bless you with your wives and property. Kindly show me the market." So `Abdur-Rahman went to the market and gained (in bargains) some dried yoghurt and some butter. After a few days the Prophet (ﷺ) saw `Abdur-Rahman with some yellow stains on his clothes and asked him, "What is that, O `Abdur-Rahman?" He replied, "I had married an Ansari woman." The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "How much Mahr did you give her?" He replied, "The weight of one (date) stone of gold." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Offer a banquet, even with one sheep." Sahih al-Bukhari 5072. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5072

He (SAS) has also indicated to his companions that the best sustenance is the one gained from their hard work. He also has shown that all messengers were working hard to feed themselves, e.g., Prophet David, peace be upon him, as shown in the following narration:

عَن الْمِقْدَاد بْنِ مَعْدِي كَرِبَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَا أَكَلَ أَحَدٌ طَعَامًا قَطُّ خَيْرًا مِنْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدَيْهِ وَإِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ عمل يَدَيْهِ» . رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ  صَحِيح   (الألباني)

Al-Miqdam b. Ma'dikarib reported God's Messenger as saying, “No one has ever eaten better food than what he eats as a result of the labour of his hands. God’s prophet David used to eat from what he had worked for with his hands.” Bukhari transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2759

The following narration is comprehensive in the meaning and recommendations. The prophet (SAS) has recommended his companions and everyone else, until the Day of Judgement, to be the giver who is always better than the taker. He has also recommended us to give, as much as possible, in terms of money, time, effort, help, etc. You should give priority to your dependent, then, others. He has recommended us to be self-sufficient in order to benefit ourselves, the surrounding community, and humanity. There are many other meanings and recommendations in the following narration:

وعنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ اليد العليا خير من اليد السفلى وابدأ بمن تعول، وخير الصدقة ما كان عن ظهر غنًى، ومن يستعفف، يعفه الله، ومن يستغن، يغنه الله‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The upper hand is better than the lower one (i.e., the spending hand is better than the receiving hand); and begin (charity) with those who are under your care; and the best charity is that which given out of surplus; and he who asks (Allah) to help him abstain from the unlawful and the forbidden, Allah will fulfill his wish; and he who seeks self-sufficiency will be made self-sufficient by Allah". [Al-Bukhari]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:296

The above explains the importance of having a decent job where you monitor Allah (SWT) to be as perfect as possible. On the other hand, we should pay attention to our employee and give them their rights as stipulated in the agreed upon contract, whether it is verbal or written. The Prophet (SAS) has recommended us to give our employees their salaries or stipends right after they completed their jobs as shown below:

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «أعْطوا الْأَجِيرَ أَجْرَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَجِفَّ عَرَقُهُ» . رَوَاهُ ابْن مَاجَه   صَحِيح   (الألباني)

‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Give the hireling his wages before his sweat dries." Ibn Majah transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2987

As it is always the case, the Prophet (SAS) has recommended all his followers to respect privacy and honesty in work ethics. He (SAS) is sending a strong warning, for those who are not being honest and fair in their work, to be harshly punished in the Day of Judgement with Hellfire as shown in the following narration:

وَعَنْ خَوْلَةَ اَلْأَنْصَارِيَّةَ ‏-رَضِيَ اَللَّهُ عَنْهَا‏- قَالَتْ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- ﷺ‏-{ إِنَّ رِجَالاً يتخوَّضون فِي مَالِ اَللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ, فَلَهُمْ اَلنَّارُ يَوْمَ اَلْقِيَامَةِ } أَخْرَجَهُ اَلْبُخَارِيُّ.‏ ‏- صحيح.‏ رواه البخاري (3118)‏ , ويتخوضون في مال الله بغير حق.‏ أي: يتصرفون في مال المسلمين بالباطل، وفي الحديث ردع الولاة أن يأخذوا من المال شيئا بغير حقه، أو يمنعوه من أهله.‏ انظر" الفتح".‏

Khawlah al-Ansariyah (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:“Some men acquire Allah’s Property (such as the funds of the Muslim state treasury, Zakah etc.) and they will go to Hell on the Day of Resurrection.” Related Al-Bukhari. https://sunnah.com/urn/2118030

Fairness is the key concept of all divine messages from Allah (SWT) to all messengers since the beginning of the universe. The Prophet (SAS) has been a good example who has communicated fairness message in all his teachings and practices. The companions and followers have been implementing such concept for the last fourteen centuries. He (SAS) has taught his companions that Allah is good and accepts all good matters that are beneficial to His creation, i.e., humans, animals, plants, etc. He (SWT) also asked all the believers to be fair and good to others. In addition, they have been asked to acquire their sustenance from good / allowable sources. If you do so, Allah (SWT) will be fair to you, accept your deeds, and positively respond to your supplication. Otherwise, do not expect from Allah (SWT) to accept your supplication while your sustenance is attained from unallowable sources as shown in the following narration:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: " إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَ المؤْمنينَ بِمَا أمرَ بِهِ المرسَلينَ فَقَالَ: (يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ واعْمَلوا صَالحا) وَقَالَ: (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ) ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ: يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ وَغُذِّيَ بِالْحَرَامِ فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذَلِكَ؟ ". رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ  صَحِيحٌ   (الألباني)

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying that: God is good and accepts only what is good, and He has given the same command to the believers as He has given to the Messengers, saying, “O’ Messengers, eat of what is good and act righteously” (Al-Qur’an 23:51) and also, “You who believe, eat of the good things which We have provided for you” (Al-Qur’an 2:172). Then he mentioned a man who makes a long journey in a disheveled and dusty state, who stretches out his hands to heaven saying, “My Lord, my Lord,” when his food, drink and clothing are of an unlawful nature, and he is nourished by what is unlawful, and asked how such a one could be given an answer. Muslim transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2760

Although we should be fair to ourselves, others, and the society by acquiring our sustenance from good and allowable sources, we should also spend our sustenance in good and allowable venues. Any bad or non-allowable venues of disbursing our sustenance will negatively impact us, others, and the society at large. Consequently, Allah (SWT) disallow such behavior in all divine messages because it is harmful to humans and other creations. For example, one of the bad or non-allowable venues of spending or gaining our sustenance is “Riba رِبًا” or “Usury”, i.e., fixed rate interest. It is illegal in most religions including Islam because it negatively impacts the economy of any country or society, as shown in the following narration and (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usury):

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حَنْظَلَةَ غَسِيلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «دِرْهَمُ رِبًا يَأْكُلُهُ الرَّجُلُ وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ أَشَدُّ مِنْ سِتَّةٍ وَثَلَاثِينَ زِنْيَةً» . رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ والدراقطني وَرَوَى الْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي شُعَبِ الْإِيمَانِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَزَادَ: وَقَالَ: «مَنْ نَبَتَ لَحْمُهُ مِنَ السُّحت فَالنَّار أولى بِهِ» صَحِيح   (الألباني)

‘Abdallah, son of Hanzala who was washed by the angels*, reported God's Messenger as saying, "A dirham which a man knowingly receives in usury is more serious than thirty-six acts of fornication”. Ahmad and Daraqutni transmitted it.

* Hanzala was killed at the battle of Uhud. The dead were buried without being washed, and as Hanzala is reputed to have been in a state of ceremonial impurity at the time, his family were anxious; so the Prophet told them he had been washed by the angels. He is commonly called al-ghasil. In the text above the phrase used is ghasil al-mala’ika. Baihaqi transmitted in Shu'ab al-iman on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas with the addition that he said, "Hell is more fitting for him whose flesh is nourished by what is unlawful.” Sahih (Al-Albani) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2825

The above discussion explains the importance of acquiring a good job that leads to good and allowable sustenance. One attribute of gaining your sustenance from allowable sources is to be competent in your job or field. In the following paragraphs, I will emphasize the importance of being competent in your job through evidential verses and narrations. Allah (SWT) has commanded the believers to give charity for the sake of Him and be perfect in your work as He (SWT) likes perfection. Competency is an attribute of perfection as shown in the following verse:

وَأَنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تُلْقُوا بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ ۛ وَأَحْسِنُوا ۛ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (195)

Chapter Al-Baqarah (195) And spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good. https://quran.com/2/195

Allah (SWT), in the following verse, shows to us the necessity of being competent and perfect in our work because everybody will see our actions in life and He (SWT) will also count on us these actions in the Hereafter. So, if we do good deeds with sincerity, it will show good in the Hereafter and vice versa. This is an alarming verse to hypocrites and wrong doers as follows:

وَقُلِ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۖ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (105)

Chapter Al-Tawbah (105) And say, "Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so, will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do." https://quran.com/9/105

The Prophet (SAS) has also recommended us to be competent and perfect in our work no matter what it is. We should be merciful to humans and other creations as well. This is evident in the following narration:

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ الْحَذَّاءُ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلاَبَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الأَشْعَثِ، عَنْ شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺـ قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كَتَبَ الإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذَّبْحَ وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It was narrated from Shaddad bin Aws that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Allah has prescribed Al-Ihsan (proficiency) in all things. So, if you kill, then kill well, and if you slaughter, then slaughter well. Let one of you sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.” Sunan Ibn Majah 3170. https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:3170

Competency is requirgb(255, 0, 0) for all of us in all life matters. For example, we should be competent as fathers, husbands, leaders, wives, servants, employees, etc., as shown in the following narration:

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «أَلا كلُّكُمْ راعٍ وكلُّكُمْ مسؤولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ فَالْإِمَامُ الَّذِي عَلَى النَّاسِ رَاعٍ وَهُوَ مسؤولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ وَالرَّجُلُ رَاعٍ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَهُوَ مسؤولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ وَالْمَرْأَةُ رَاعِيَةٌ عَلَى بَيْتِ زَوْجِهَا وولدِهِ وَهِي مسؤولةٌ عَنْهُمْ وَعَبْدُ الرَّجُلِ رَاعٍ عَلَى مَالِ سَيِّدِهِ وَهُوَ مسؤولٌ عَنهُ أَلا فكلُّكُمْ راعٍ وكلكُمْ مسؤولٌ عَن رعيتِه»  مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ   (الألباني)

‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The imam who is over the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock; a man is a shepherd in charge of the inhabitants of his household and he is responsible for his flock; a woman is a shepherdess in charge of her husband’s house and children and she is responsible for them; and a man’s slave is a shepherd in charge of his master’s property and he is responsible for it. So, each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3685

Imam Al-Sadi said, when interpreting the word “settled you on earth” in the following verse, that Allah (SWT) created you and settled you on earth to do good with high level of perfection and competency in buildings, agriculture, manufacture, etc. So, it is necessary to be competent in order to be able to settle on earth and generate a good civilization as follows:

وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا ۚ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٌ مُّجِيبٌ (61)

Chapter Hud (61) And to Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it, so ask forgiveness of Him and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive." https://quran.com/11/61

The Prophet (SAS) has indicated the importance of being competent in your work supplemented with sincerity in order to get double reward from Allah (SWT) as follows:

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: «إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا نَصَحَ لِسَيِّدِهِ وَأَحْسَنَ عِبَادَةَ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ مرَّتَيْنِ»              مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ   (الألباني)

‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When a slave acts sincerely towards his master and worships God well, he has a double reward.” (Bukhari and Muslim.). https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3348

Finally, the Prophet (SAS) has asked us to be competent and generous. We should do our job and benefit others using allowable means. It does not matter how others will utilize our developments or knowledge. The most important issue, which concerns us, is to do the good and beneficial things, supplemented by sincerity, without looking at how others receive or utilize them. This is clear in the following narration:

وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَغْرِسُ غَرْسًا أَوْ يَزْرَعُ زَرْعًا فَيَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ إِنْسَانٌ أَوْ طَيْرٌ أَوْ بَهِيمَةٌ إِلَّا كَانَت لَهُ صَدَقَة»وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ: «وَمَا سُرِقَ مِنْهُ لَهُ صَدَقَة» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ, صَحِيح   (الألباني)

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “If any Muslim plants something or sows seed from which man, bird, or beast eats, it counts as sadaqa for him.” (Bukhari and Muslim.). In a version by Muslim from Jabir it says that what is stolen from it counts as charity (Sadaqa) for him. (Agreed Upon). Sahaih Al-Albani. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:1900

A story: A carpenter was getting old and would like to retire. He asked his boss to let him retire and spend his remaining life with his family. His boss rejected and tried to attract him by increasing his salary because he was a competent and skillful carpenter who was always perfecting his jobs. The carpenter rejected the offer. The boss then asked him to build the last house and get retirgb(255, 0, 0) afterwards. The carpenter did not perfect this last house, utilized low quality material, low quality construction tools and process, etc. He did so because it was the last house to do and he was not motivated to excel in its building. Once completed, the carpenter went to his boss and gave him the house’s key. Hence, he greeted his boss to leave and started his retire life. The boss stopped him and said, please, take the keys because this last house is my gift to you for your hard work in serving my company. The carpenter was very astonished and disappointed because if he would have known this in advance, he would have done better in this house with high quality work and materials. So, his incompetent actions impacted him more than everybody else. This is how incompetency and imperfection would impact the entire society and cause damage to the moral of people.

In summary, the believers should look for decent jobs that fulfill their skills and should perfect their work in such jobs. Being competent is an attribute of perfection that is mandatory for positively impacting the surrounding society.

b.    Clean and Organized

The believer is always clean and organized in his/her matters. There are many verses and narrations that recommend the believers to be clean. For example, Allah (SWT) has ordergb(255, 0, 0) the believers to clean themselves before going to prayer as shown in the following verse:

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ (31)

Chapter Al-A’raaf (31) O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess. https://quran.com/7/31

He (SWT) has also ordergb(255, 0, 0) them to clean all their exposed body parts before prayer wherever they are. They also should clean themselves very well after relieving themselves and any kind of sexual relationships. These specific orders of purification are clear in the following verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (6)

Chapter Al-Ma’dah (6) O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful. https://quran.com/5/6

On the other hand, let us walk through few narrations that recommend the believers to purify themselves. For example, the Prophet (SAS) has indicated that purification and cleanness is 50% of the belief as shown in the following narration:

وعن أبي مالك الأشعري رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ:‏ ‏ "‏الطهور شطر الإيمان، والحمد لله تملأ الميزان، وسبحان الله، والحمد لله تملآن -أو تملأ- ما بين السماوات والأرض‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Malik Al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Purity is half of iman (faith). ‘Al-hamdu lillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fills the scales, and ‘subhan-Allah (how far is Allah from every imperfection) and ‘Al-hamdulillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fill that which is between heaven and earth." [Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1413

He (SAS) has also mentioned that Allah (SWT) is clean and loves cleanliness. He has also asked people to clean their houses as shown in the following narration:

وَعَن ابنِ الْمسيب سُمِعَ يَقُولُ: " إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ يُحِبُّ الطِّيبَ نَظِيفٌ يُحِبُّ النَّظَافَةَ كَرِيمٌ يُحِبُّ الْكَرَمَ جَوَادٌ يُحِبُّ الْجُودَ فَنَظِّفُوا أُرَاهُ قَالَ: أَفْنِيَتَكُمْ وَلَا تشبَّهوا باليهود " قَالَ: فذكرتُ ذَلِك لمهاجرين مِسْمَارٍ فَقَالَ: حَدَّثَنِيهِ عَامِرُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِثْلَهُ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «نَظِّفُوا أَفْنِيتَكُمْ» . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيّ.   حسن   (الألباني)

Ibn al-Musayyib was heard saying: “God is good and likes what is fragrant (Tayyib is ‘good’ and tib is ‘perfume’, or ‘fragrance.’); clean and likes cleanliness; generous and likes generosity; munificent and likes munificence; so cleanse (I think he said, your courtyards), and do not imitate the Jews.” I mentioned that to Muhajir b. Mismar and he said he had been told by ‘Amir b. Sa‘d, on his father’s authority, that the Prophet had said something similar, but he said, “Cleanse your courtyards.” Tirmidhi transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4487

On the personal level, the Prophet (SAS) has asked the believers to clean themselves in 10 main things, which are all related to personal cleanliness as shown below:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ "‏ عَشَرَةٌ مِنَ الْفِطْرَةِ قَصُّ الشَّارِبِ وَقَصُّ الأَظْفَارِ وَغَسْلُ الْبَرَاجِمِ وَإِعْفَاءُ اللِّحْيَةِ وَالسِّوَاكُ وَالاِسْتِنْشَاقُ وَنَتْفُ الإِبْطِ وَحَلْقُ الْعَانَةِ وَانْتِقَاصُ الْمَاءِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُصْعَبٌ وَنَسِيتُ الْعَاشِرَةَ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَكُونَ الْمَضْمَضَةَ.‏

It was narrated from 'Aishah that: The Messenger of Allah [SAS] said: "Ten things are part of the Fitrah: Trimming the mustache, trimming the nails, washing the joints, letting the beard grow, using the Siwak, rinsing the nose, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving the pubes, and washing with water (after relieving oneself)." Mus'ab bin Shaibah said: "I have forgotten the tenth, unless it was rinsing the mouth." Sunan an-Nasa'i 5040. https://sunnah.com/nasai:5040

He (SAS) has asked the believers to clean themselves at least before Friday prayer as shown below:

وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «غُسْلُ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُحْتَلِمٍ»  مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ   (الألباني)

Abu Sa'id reported God’s messenger as saying, “Bathing on Friday is obligatory on everyone who has reached puberty.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:538

To be acceptable within the community and show personal etiquette, the Prophet (SAS) has asked the believers to always purify their mouths and teeth whenever is needed as shown below:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «السِّوَاكُ مَطْهَرَةٌ لِلْفَمِ مَرْضَاةٌ لِلرَّبِّ» . رَوَاهُ الشَّافِعِيُّ وَأَحْمَدُ وَالدَّارِمِيُّ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ وَرَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ فِي صَحِيحه بِلَا إِسْنَاد.           صَحِيح   (الألباني)

‘A'isha reported God’s messenger as saying, “The tooth-stick is a means of purifying the mouth, and is pleasing to the Lord.” Shafi‘i, Ahmad, Darimi and Nasa’i transmitted it, and Bukhari transmitted it in his Sahih without an isnad. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:381

In addition, he (SAS) has asked the believers to clean their houses and mosques as shown below:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ أَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِبِنَاءِ الْمَسَاجِدِ فِي الدُّورِ وَأَنْ تُنَظَّفَ وَتُطَيَّبَ ‏.‏     صحيح   (الألباني)           

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to build mosques in different localities (i.e. in the locality of each tribe separately) and that they should be kept clean and be perfumed. Sunan Abi Dawud 455, Sahih (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/abudawud:455

He (SAS) has always encouraged people to clean themselves and their dresses as shown below:

عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ أَتَانَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَرَأَى رَجُلاً شَعِثًا قَدْ تَفَرَّقَ شَعْرُهُ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَمَا كَانَ يَجِدُ هَذَا مَا يُسَكِّنُ بِهِ شَعْرَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَرَأَى رَجُلاً آخَرَ وَعَلَيْهِ ثِيَابٌ وَسِخَةٌ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَمَا كَانَ هَذَا يَجِدُ مَاءً يَغْسِلُ بِهِ ثَوْبَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏  صحيح   (الألباني)            

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) paid visit to us, and saw a disheveled man whose hair was disordergb(255, 0, 0). He said: Could this man not find something to make his hair lie down? He saw another man wearing dirty clothes and said: Could this man not find something to wash his garments with. Sunan Abi Dawud 4062, Sahih (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4062

In the following narrations, the Prophet (SAS) has shown the importance of being positive in the community, clean the streets from any harmful matters, and be environmentally friendly as shown in the following narrations:

عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ الإيمان بضع وسبعون، أو بضع وستون شعبة‏:‏ فأفضلها قول لا إله إلا الله، وأدناها إماطة الأذى عن الطريق، والحياء شعبة من الإيمان‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Iman has over seventy branches - or over sixty branches - the uppermost of which is the declaration: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah'; and the least of which is the removal of harmful object from the road, and modesty is a branch of Iman." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:125

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا يَتَقَلَّبُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ فِي شَجَرَةٍ قَطَعَهَا مِنْ ظَهْرِ الطَّرِيقِ كَانَتْ تُؤْذِي النَّاس» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم.    صَحِيحٌ   (الألباني)

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “I have seen a man going about in paradise as a reward for cutting down a tree which was overhanging a road and annoying people." Muslim transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:1905

The above evidences are samples that show the necessity of being clean in the personal, community, and environmental levels.

In terms of being organized, the believers are asked to value time as discussed earlier in the previous article. If time is valued as requirgb(255, 0, 0), then, the human being will be very organized in his/her matters, plan him/herself very well, and achieve life activities based on their priority and importance. We should wisely spend our time by prioritizing our activities based upon their impact on our scale of deeds in the Hereafter. Otherwise, we will be the losers then. There is no need to repeat the evidences from Quran and narrations about the value of time. The reader is referrgb(255, 0, 0) to the previous article to review these evidences. If you look at most matters related to religious practices, you will find them organized and invite people to be organized. Therefore, organization is a basic feature in all religious practices and life activities of believers. There are many evidences about this matter in the Prophet’s and his companions’ practices. For example, you will find planning and organization in the following aspects related to the practices of the Prophet (SAS):

§  Inviting individuals to Islam has not been haphazard. It has been well planned and well thought of in terms of personal qualities and impact on others.

§  Planning the first and second pledge for the people coming from the Madinah.

§  Planning in the emigration from Makkah to Madinah.

§  Planning and organizing the society in Madinah in addition to the different treaties with social bodies in Madinah.

§  Planning and organization of the new Muslim society in Madinah and treaties with outside tribes.

§  Planning and organization in dealing with the great empires around the new state in the Arab peninsula.

§  Etc.

According to the above discussion, it is very clear that the believer should be clean and organized, which are essential attributes of a strong and active faithful person.

c.    Cooperative and Helpful

The believer is cooperative and helpful to others by default. He/she has been created with this built-in character in his/her attitude and behavior. This is the normal human nature unless it is spoiled with bad practices and environment. Most divine messages have tried to clean and purify such character in the believers. For example, Allah (SWT) has ordergb(255, 0, 0) the believers to always do good if they would like to succeed in the Hereafter as shown in the following verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ۩ (77)

Chapter Al-Hajj (77) O you who have believed, bow and prostrate and worship your Lord and do good - that you may succeed. https://quran.com/22/77

He (SWT) has also ordergb(255, 0, 0) the believers in another verse to call others to the good and right matters and forbid wrong ones because this leads to success in the Hereafter as shown below:

وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (104)

Chapter Al-Imran (104) And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful. https://quran.com/3/104

Allah (SWT) has explained in the following verse that great reward will be given to those who do good things, such as giving charity, calling for the right matters, conciliating among people, etc:

لَّا خَيْرَ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِّن نَّجْوَاهُمْ إِلَّا مَنْ أَمَرَ بِصَدَقَةٍ أَوْ مَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ إِصْلَاحٍ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ فَسَوْفَ نُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا (114)

Chapter Al-Nisaa (114) No good is there in much of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is right or conciliation between people. And whoever does that seeking means to the approval of Allah - then We are going to give him a great reward. https://quran.com/4/114

There are many other verses that depict such concept and the importance of being cooperative and helpful to others. In addition, the Prophet (SAS) left for us a treasure of narrations that urge us to be helpful to and cooperative with others. He (SAS) has heavily practiced being helpful and cooperative to others before ordering his companions and the believers to do so. Let us look at the description of Khadijah, the mother of believers and wife of the Prophet, to his characters even before he has been selected for the message by Allah (SWT). She described him with all cooperation and help characters as shown below:

أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَتْ …...‏ قَالَتْ خَدِيجَةُ كَلاَّ أَبْشِرْ، فَوَاللَّهِ لاَ يُخْزِيكَ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا، فَوَاللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَتَصْدُقُ الْحَدِيثَ، وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ، وَتَكْسِبُ الْمَعْدُومَ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ‏.‏ ….‏.‏

Narrated Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) ….. Khadija said, "Nay! But receive the good tidings! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you, for by Allah, you keep good relations with your Kith and kin, speak the truth, help the poor and the destitute, entertain your guests generously and assist those who are stricken with calamities." …... Sahih al-Bukhari 4953. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4953

He (SAS) has shown the description of a true believer, who should be just, helpful, cooperative, etc, as depicted below:

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏المسلم أخو المسلم، لا يظلمه، ولايسلمه، من كان في حاجة أخيه كان الله في حاجته، ومن فرج عن مسلم كربة فرج الله عنه بها كربة من كرب يوم القيامة، ومن ستر مسلمًا ستره الله يوم القيامة‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.‏

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So, he should not oppress him nor should he hand him over to (his Satan or to his self which is inclined to evil). Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever removes the troubles of his brother, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers up the fault of a Muslim, Allah will cover up his fault on the Day of Resurrection". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

He (SAS) has always encourage people to help each other as shown below:

عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ كَانَ لِي خَالٌ يَرْقِي مِنَ الْعَقْرَبِ فَنَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنِ الرُّقَى - قَالَ - فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّكَ نَهَيْتَ عَنِ الرُّقَى وَأَنَا أَرْقِي مِنَ الْعَقْرَبِ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَنْفَعَ أَخَاهُ فَلْيَفْعَلْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported I had a maternal uncle who treated the sting of the scorpion with the help of incantation. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade incantation. He came to him and said: Allah's Messenger, you forbade to practise incantation, whereas I employ it for curing the sting of the scorpion, whereupon he said: He who amongst you is capable of employing it as a means to do good should do that. Sahih Muslim 2199c. https://sunnah.com/muslim:2199c

He (SAS) has shown that conciliation among people is one of the best activities a human being can do in life as described below:

عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِأَفْضَلَ مِنْ دَرَجَةِ الصِّيَامِ وَالصَّلاَةِ وَالصَّدَقَةِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا بَلَى ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِصْلاَحُ ذَاتِ الْبَيْنِ وَفَسَادُ ذَاتِ الْبَيْنِ الْحَالِقَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏         صحيح   (الألباني)         

Narrated AbudDarda': The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Shall I not inform you of something more excellent in degree than fasting, prayer and almsgiving (sadaqah)? The people replied: Yes, Prophet of Allah! He said: It is putting things right between people, spoiling them is the shaver (destructive). Sunan Abi Dawud 4919. Sahih (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4919

Helping each other is essential for a better society and community as shown below:

وعن أبي سعيد الخدري، رضي الله عنه، قال‏:‏ بينما نحن في سفر إذ جاء رجل علي راحلة له، فجعل يصرف بصره يميناً وشمالاً، فقال رسول الله ﷺ ‏:‏ ‏"‏من كان معه فضل ظهر؛ فليعد به علي من لا ظهر له، ومن كان له فضل زاد فليعد به علي من لا زاد له‏"‏ فذكر من أصناف المال ما ذكره، حتي رأينا‏:‏ أنه لا حق لأحد منا في فضل‏"‏ ‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: While we were traveling with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a rider came and began to stare on the right and on the left. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who has an extra mount should hand it over to one who has none, and he who possesses surplus provision, should give it to him who is without provision." He named various kinds of possessions until we began to think (realize) that none of us had any right to anything surplus. [Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:969

Being part of the solution to human’s problems is more essential than all other matters in life as shown in the following narrations:

وَعَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يُنْجِيَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلْيُنَفِّسْ عَنْ مُعْسِرٍ أَوْ يَضَعْ عَنْهُ» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ .  صَحِيح   (الألباني)

Abu Qatada reported God's Messenger as saying, “If anyone would like God to save him from the anxieties of the day of resurrection, he should grant a respite to one who is in straitened circumstances, or remit his debt.”  Muslim transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2902

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- ﷺ ‏-{ مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ مُؤْمِنٍ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ اَلدُّنْيَا, نَفَّسَ اَللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ اَلْقِيَامَةِ , وَمَنْ يَسَّرَ عَلَى مُعْسِرٍ, يَسَّرَ اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي اَلدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ, وَمَنْ سَتَرَ مُسْلِمًا, سَتَرَهُ اَللَّهُ فِي اَلدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ, وَاَللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ اَلْعَبْدِ مَا كَانَ اَلْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ } أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ.‏ صحيح.‏ رواه مسلم (2699)‏، وتمامه:" ومن سلك طريقا يلتمس فيه علما، سهل الله به طريقا إلى الجنة، وما اجتمع قوم في بيت من بيوت الله، يتلون كتاب الله، ويتدارسونه بينهم، إلا نزلت عليهم السكينة، وغشيتهم الرحمة، وحفتهم الملائكة، وذكرهم الله فيمن عنده.‏.‏.‏ ومن بطأ به عمله، لم يسرع به نسبه".‏

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “If anyone relieves a Muslim believer from one of the hardships of this worldly life, Allah will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. If anyone makes it easy for the one who is indebted to him (while finding it difficult to repay), Allah will make it easy for him in this worldly life and in the Hereafter, and if anyone conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah helps His slave as long as he helps his brother.” Related by Muslim. https://sunnah.com/urn/2117740

One aspect of help and cooperation is knowledge transfer. The believers are recommended to transfer their good knowledge to others. If they have done so, they will be getting their reward, even after death, until the Day of Judgement. This is evident in the following narration:

عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ مُعَاذِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ ﷺ ـ قَالَ ‏ "‏ مَنْ عَلَّمَ عِلْمًا فَلَهُ أَجْرُ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهِ لاَ يَنْقُصُ مِنْ أَجْرِ الْعَامِلِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Sahl bin Mu'adh bin Anas narrated from his father that: The Prophet said: "Whoever teaches some knowledge will have the reward of the one who acts upon it, without that detracting from his reward in the slightest." Sunan Ibn Majah 240. https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:240

In the following narration, the Prophet (SAS) has shown the high position of scholars in all types of knowledge. He has also mentioned that Allah (SWT), Angles, Humans, and Animals supplicate for those who transfer their knowledge to others because this action will benefit humanity to advance and do better.

وعن أبي أمامة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏فضل العالم على العابد كفضلي على أدناكم‏"‏ ثم قال رسول الله ﷺ‏:‏ ‏"‏إن الله وملائكته وأهل السماوات والأرض حتى النملة في جحرها وحتى الحوت ليصلون على معلمي الناس الخير‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن‏.‏ ‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The superiority of the learned over the devout worshiper is like my superiority over the most inferior amongst you (in good deeds)." He went on to say, "Allah, His angels, the dwellers of the heaven and the earth, and even the ant in its hole and the fish (in water) supplicate in favor of those who teach people knowledge." [At-Tirmidhi]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1387

In summary, it is obvious that being cooperative and helpful to others is an essential character of the believer. No society can advance without such great character. Being greedy is always destructive to communities and nations. Therefore, being cooperative and helpful is an indispensable attribute of a strong and active faithful person.

Recommendations:

It is recommended to repeat the following supplication as mentioned in the following narrations:

وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَقُولُ: «اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحُزْنِ وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ»  مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ   (الألباني)

1-    Three times in the morning and night supplications: Anas said that the Prophet used to say, “O God, I seek refuge in Thee from care, grief, incapacity, slackness, cowardliness, niggardliness, the burden of debt, and being overpowergb(255, 0, 0) by men.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2458

2-    Supplicate with the following at the beginning of prayer:

وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَقُولُ: «اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكَسَلِ وَالْهَرَمِ وَالْمَغْرَمِ وَالْمَأْثَمِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ النَّارِ وَفِتْنَةِ النَّارِ وَفِتْنَةِ الْقَبْرِ وَعَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ الْغِنَى وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ الْفَقْرِ وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَايَ بِمَاءِ الثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ وَنَقِّ قَلْبِي كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ وَبَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمغْرب»     مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ   (الألباني)

‘A’isha said that the Prophet used to say, “O God, I seek refuge in Thee from slackness, decrepitude, debt and sin. O God, I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment in hell, the trial [which leads to] hell, the trial in the grave, (2) the punishment in the grave, the evil of the trial of riches, the evil of the trial of poverty, (3) the evil of the testing of the antichrist (al-Masih ad-dajjal, the false Christ), and (4) O God, wash away my sins with snow and hail water, purify my heart as a white garment is purified from filth, and put my sins as far away from me as Thou hast put the East from the West.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2459

1g-i: A Practical Program for Spiritual Attributes of Individual’s Faith

 Overview:

In the previous articles, I briefly walk through the spiritual, moral, and behavioral attributes of strong and active faith for individuals, which includes sound and sincere belief, correct worship, being intellectual and knowledgeable, good character, strong body, value time, strong self-control, competent in his/her profession; clean and organized; as well as cooperative and helpful. These attributes continue to be theoretical or conceptual until they are implemented in the daily life of individuals. Therefore, in the coming two articles, I will try to spotlight few practical applications of these attributes and how to make them real in our life. Allah (SWT), in the following verse, shows to us the necessity of practicing our knowledge and transfer them into actions in life. He (SWT) will see our actions and whether they are matching our level of knowledge.

وَقُلِ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۖ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (105) التوبة

Chapter Al-Tawbah (105) And say, "Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so, will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do." https://quran.com/9/105

Therefore, it is mandatory to interpret knowledge into actions. It is not only enough to know that cheating is prohibited, but you shouldn’t do it as well. Our actions should coincide with knowledge otherwise, such knowledge will testify against us in front of Allah (SWT) in the Day of Judgement. The following sections and articles represent a humble effort to help you interpret knowledge, which is discussed in the previous articles, into good and permitted actions. These will help us construct a well-rounded system of personal development for individuals. Based on thorough consultation of literature and the opinion of several active scholars, as shown in previous articles and the references, I will present several recommendations that assist us achieve the various attributes of strong and active faith. In this article, I will cover the practical program and recommendation for spiritual attributes of individual’s faith as follows (Al-Tahan, 2002; Al-Khateeb and Hamed, 1997):

 I.    Spiritual Attributes:

a.    Sound and Sincere Belief

Here are few principals that summarize the sound and sincere belief in Allah, based upon the principals of understanding written by Sh. Al-Banna through several references including Al-Tahan (2002) and Al-Khateeb and Hamed (1997). If we understand the Islamic belief based on the following summarized principals, we should be able to accomplish sound and sincere belief:

1-    Islam is a comprehensive system that covers all aspects of life, i.e., social, political, economy, governmental, religious, defense, spiritual, cultural, materialistic, law, etc.

2-    The Quran and the tradition (Sunnah) of the Prophet (SAS) are the reference sources for a Muslim. The Quran can be understood by applying the rules of the Arabic language and the Sunnah are referenced to authentic sources.

3-    Only Allah (SWT) has the knowledge of unseen.

4-    Allah (SWT) have usually casted light and warmth in the hearts of his servants who have true belief, perform correct worship, and struggle for His sake. Personal opinions should not be given any consideration unless they do not conflict with the authentic references and established principles of Islam.

5-    The opinion of an agreed upon elected/selected leader or his deputy is acceptable in beneficial matters to the public, provided that such opinion does not conflict with any established principle of Islam. It may change in light of circumstances, customs, and habits. Rationale and reasoning are always needed for life matters; however, it is different in the case of recommended worships by Allah (SWT) as they are purely devotional.

6-    Everyone’s opinion, except that of the Prophet (SAS), is changeable and/or modifiable. We accept the opinions of the Prophet’s companions and their followers as long as it is in agreement with the Quran and the Sunnah.

7-    Differences on the branch matters of Islamic Jurisprudence should not cause division, contention, or hatred among Muslims. In cases of disagreement, however, there is no harm to scientifically use objective investigation in an atmosphere of love (for the sake of Allah) and cooperation with the aim of realizing the truth.

8-    Wasting time and effort in investigating trivial matters, which will not lead to a beneficial action, is prohibited in Islam. This category includes (1) debating issues that have never occurred; (2) investigating the meaning of Quranic verses that are still beyond the scope of human knowledge; and (3) differentiating between the Prophet’s companions (Sahabah) or investigating the instances of their disagreement. Every one of them has the honor and distinction of being a companion of the Prophet (SAS), and to each is the reward of his/her motives.

9-    Recognizing the existence of Allah (SWT), believing in His oneness, and glorifying Him are the most essential beliefs in Islam. We believe in the Quranic verses and authentic tradition of the Prophet (SAS), which describe the exalted attributes of Allah (SWT) and glorify His names. We also believe in the allegorical (mutashabihat) Quranic verses, which serve the same purpose, without rejecting any part of or self-attempting to interpret them. We stand away from the disagreement among the scholars concerning these verses. It is sufficient to adopt the approach of the Prophet (SAS) and his companions, which is believing in these verses as Allah (SWT) has mentioned them, and implement the recommendation in the following verse:

….. وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ (7)

Chapter Al-Imran (7) ….. But those who are well established (firm) in knowledge say, "We believe in the Book. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding. https://quran.com/3/7

10- Every innovation introduced by people into the Religion of Allah on the grounds of their desires / feelings and without authentic foundation, whether by adding to the principles of Islam or taking away from them, is a serious deviation, which should be prohibited and abolished.

11- Visiting graveyards is an authentic Sunnah if it is appropriately done as prescribed by the Prophet (SAS). But seeking the help of the dead, no matter whom they are, appealing to them, asking them to fulfil certain requests, vowing to them, and swearing with their names instead of the names of Allah, and building high tombs for them, are evil innovations that are equally prohibited. We need not to interpret such actions by giving excuses because they are harmful to the sound belief.

12- Belief is the basis of actions where sincere intentions are more important than apparent actions. However, Muslims are requested to attain improvement in both aspects: purification of the heart and performance of righteous deeds.

13- Islam liberates the mind, urges contemplating the universe, honors science and scientists, and welcomes all that is good and beneficial to mankind. This follows the popular quote: ‘Wisdom is whatever the believer is always looking for. Whenever it is found, he/she is the one who should follow such wisdom.’

14- Islamic principles may be evident or uncertain, as are pure scientific principles. The evident Islamic and scientific principles do not conflict as it is impossible for an established scientific fact to contradict with an authentic Islamic principle. However, this may happen if one or both are uncertain. If one is uncertain, then, it should be reinterpreted so as to remove the contradiction. If both are uncertain, then, the uncertain Islamic principle should be given precedence over the uncertain scientific notion until the latter is proven.

15- Never label any Muslim, who has confessed the two declarations (Shahadah) of faith, acts accordingly and performs the obligatory duties of Islam, as a disbeliever (kafir) unless he clearly professes the word of disbelief, refuses to acknowledge a fundamental principle of Islam, denies the purity of the Quran, or commits an evident act of disbelief.

The above principals should be understood, absorbed, and reflected upon in our actions and beliefs in life. They are comprehensive enough to cover most aspects of sound and sincere Islamic belief. In order to make such principals realistic and to improve our sound belief, the following practical program and recommendations are suggested:

1-    Study Islamic creed/faith from authentic sources. There are many books available in the domain, i.e., General Introduction to Islam by Sh. Ali Al-Tantawi.

2-    Always question yourself:

a.    Do I like Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (SAS) more than anything else? Answer is Yes.

b.    Do I fear anyone else besides Allah (SWT)? Answer is No.

c.     Do I hope anything from anyone else except Allah (SWT)? Answer is No.

d.    Do I really believe that sustenance and time of death are only in the hands of Allah (SWT)? Answer is Yes.

e.    Do I swear with or vow to someone else except Allah (SWT)? Answer is No.

If your answer is different from the above, then, you should work hard to understand where the problem is and find a solution. These answers are between you and Allah (SWT) where you cannot defraud Him (SWT). So, please, take them serious and honestly answer what you actually feel. Then, act to improve if you have any deviation because these are critical to your faith and belief in Allah (SWT).

3-    Try to renew your intention before starting any activity and make your action sincerely for the sake of Allah (SWT).

4-    Remember Allah (SWT) much by increasing the daily supplication and remembrance, particularly, morning and night supplications. Select the times of accepting supplication as mentioned by the Prophet (SAS) in many narrations, i.e., during prostration in prayers, after Asr on Fridays, before Fajr prayer, etc. There is a book entitled: The Art of Remembrance and Supplication of the Last Prophet, written by Sh. Mohamed Al-Ghazaly (فن الذكر والدعاء عند خاتم الانبياء للشيخ محمد الغزالى). It is a good read in this area to implement the discussed topics and talk about them with others.

5-    Ask Allah (SWT) to help you become sincere in all your actions.

6-    Watch videos or listen to lectures/seminars about miracles of the Quran, including scientific, language, literacy, geographical, creation of humans, plants, and animals, etc.

7-    Study and test your belief in the six pillars of faith, including belief in Allah (SWT), Angels, Books, Messengers, Day of Judgement, and Destiny.

8-    Contemplate the creation of Allah (SWT), i.e., mountains, rivers, sky, etc, through site visits, if applicable. This becomes more effective at dawn and/or dusk individually or in group of friends. Such effectiveness becomes guaranteed by reciting the appropriate verses of the Quran with in-depth interpretation / explanation.

9-    Read a book on death, life in the grave, or Day of Judgement.

10- Visit the graveyard and contemplate our existence and destiny.

11- Assign five minutes per day to question your actions during the day and accordingly improve future activities. It is preferable if you follow with a prayer of at least two prostrations repenting to and asking Allah (SWT) for forgiveness.

12- Get used to worship Allah (SWT) by praying two prostrations for “Hajah: any need or necessity” and also “Istikharah: ask Allah (SWT) for His guidance in any matter”. This includes all life matters whether they are urgent, necessary, or normal.

13- Study the meaning of the Names of Allah (SWT), read the corresponding verses and narrations that talk about them, absorb and deeply understand the significance of each, then, select one of them every other day or week to contemplate, remember and supplicate to Allah (SWT) with such name(s).

14- Study the features of Paradise and Hellfire based on Quran and Narrations, recite the verses with in-depth contemplation, pray volunteer prayer(s) with these verses, and try to drop tears with devotion and humbleness to Allah (SWT). This is urgent to achieve the sound belief and self-control of soul when you push yourself to drop tears for fear and love of Allah (SWT), implementing the following verses:

وَبِالْحَقِّ أَنزَلْنَاهُ وَبِالْحَقِّ نَزَلَ ۗ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا (105) وَقُرْآنًا فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَىٰ مُكْثٍ وَنَزَّلْنَاهُ تَنزِيلًا (106) قُلْ آمِنُوا بِهِ أَوْ لَا تُؤْمِنُوا ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ إِذَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا (107) وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولًا (108) وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ خُشُوعًا ۩ (109) https://quran.com/17/105-109

Chapter Al-Israa (105) And with the truth We have sent the Qur'an down, and with the truth it has descended. And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. (106) And [it is] a Qur'an which We have separated [by intervals] that you might recite it to the people over a prolonged period. And We have sent it down progressively. (107) Say, "Believe in it or do not believe. Indeed, those who were given knowledge before it - when it is recited to them, they fall upon their faces in prostration, (108) And they say, "Exalted is our Lord! Indeed, the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled." (109) And they fall upon their faces weeping, and the Qur'an increases them in humble submission.

We can read the interpretation of the above verses from Ibn Kathir or any authentic book and contemplate their implementation.

15- Study the characters of believers in the Quran and narrations, list them all, and try to contemplate their implementation in your life. Select a character every week to implement and invite others to apply. Examples, chapter Almouminoon, verses 1-11 (https://quran.com/23/1-11); chapter Al-Ma’arij verses 22-35 (https://quran.com/70/22-35).

16- Study what Allah (SWT) likes and dislikes, from humans, as listed in the Quran: Examples of likes: Chapters Al-Baqarah (195, 222); Al-Imran (31, 76,159); Al-Ma’dah (13, 42); Al-Tawbah (4, 7, 108); Al-Hujurat (9); Al-Mumtahanah (8); and Al-Saf (4). Examples of dislikes: Chapters Al-Baqarah (190); Al-Imran (32, 140); Al-Nisaa (36, 107); Al-Ma’dah (87); Al-Anfal (58); Al-Nahl (23); Al-Hajj (38); Al-Qasas (76, 77); and Lukman (18).

17- Write down your Islamic Will and keep it in a safe place. Revise it from time to time based on changes in your status.

18- Look for a confined place in your apartment or house. This may be under a table, a desk, or a bed. Sit or sleep in this place with limited lighting to simulate the grave environment. Contemplate the similar situation when you pass away. Think about your response to the Angels’ questions and whether your deeds will be supportive or not. This activity will soften your heart to do better in future actions and to be ready for this moment. Note: this activity is not for kids or teenagers. It is only for adults who can appropriately make and benefit from it.

b.  Correct Worship

Here are a practical program and recommendations to make your worship correct following the tradition of the Prophet (SAS):

1-    Plan your time to complete reading the Quran at least once a month, i.e., one chapter per day. Try your best not to do it in more than a month or less than three days.

2-    Plan to learn how to fluently read Quran, listen to good recitation(s) and reciter(s), and contemplate the meaning of what you have read.

3-    Plan to study the biography of the Prophet (SAS) from an authentic source and the biography of his companions and their followers if your time permits. This will help you understand how they worshiped Allah (SWT) and their understanding of correct worship.

4-    Plan to memorize 40 hadith, i.e., forty Nawawi hadith, and study their meaning.

5-    Monitor Allah (SWT) in all your actions with continuous remembrance of the Hereafter.

6-    Prepare for the Hereafter by performing many volunteer worships, i.e., prayers (night and Dhuha prayers); fasting (Mondays, Thursdays, 13th, 14th & 15th days of the Hijri month, day of Arafah, the 10th of Muharram, etc.); charity (~5% of your income); supplications in different times of the day and night; etc.

7-    Always perform purification and continue in such state as much as you can.

8-    Perform prayers on time, in congregation, and in the mosque, as applicable.

9-    Remember always that struggle for the sake of Allah (SWT) is essential in all matters. Renew your intention whenever you pass through hard times and consider it sincerely for Allah’s sake. Teach yourself how to be patient during these times with high level of self-control.

10- Always renew your intention in all actions, as applicable.

11- Ask Allah (SWT) always to grant you repentance before death, martyr at death, and Paradise after death. To deserve such high status in the Hereafter, you should work hard to prepare yourself with various kinds of worships, self-control, struggle, and all actions that make you close to Allah (SWT).

12- Always perform the traditional volunteer prayers before and after obligatory ones. They are 12 prostrations as follows: 2 before Fajr, 4 before and 2 after Zuhr, 2 after Maghrib, and 2 after Isha. Qiyam and Dhuha prayers at least 2 prostrations each. Try to have pious and piety when performing the prayers. This needs continuous struggle and tireless trials.

13- Study worship roles from an authentic book.

14- You should earn your income from permitted sources, avoid impermissible ones, and spend your money in acceptable causes.

15- Try to participate in the community mosque’s activities and running affairs.

c.    Intellectual and Knowledgeable

Here are a practical program and recommendations to improve your knowledge and intellect as follows:

1-    As a believer with strong and active faith, you should have good knowledge of your religion, at least the obligatory religious matters. You should learn/acquire this knowledge from authentic sources, i.e., scholars, books, websites, lectures/seminars, etc. Islamic basic/core knowledge includes:

a.    Quran recitation with basic roles. Memorizing several chapters from Quran is essential. You can make it one verse per day. Interpretation and explanation of the Quran is mandatory, particularly, the last 28th, 29th, and 30th parts (Juz’).

b.    Jurisprudence (Fiqh): reading/studying the parts of Islamic Jurisprudence, which cover worship and dealing with others, is essential for good Islamic practices based on sound knowledge and background.

c.     Read/Study the Prophet’s biography with lessons learned is essential.

d.    Study and memorize narrations of the Prophet (SAS): the forty Nawawi Hadith is a good read.

e.    Study the biography of few Prophet’s companions, particularly, the four guided Caliphates.

f.      Study Islamic faith or creed from an authentic source.

g.    Read/Study a book on Islamic history because it helps us understand our present based on the experience of people in the past.

h.    If you are living in a small Muslim community, you can also read the “Jurisprudence of Minorities” written by Sh. Al-Qaradawi.

2-    It is recommended that you have an Islamic library of books and other materials that can be consulted when needed. Everyone right now can access YouTube videos, websites, and pdf files for books and articles. It is wise to save such knowledge on your computer/smart phone in a clean and tidy database with a hierarchy of folders to facilitate retrieving such knowledge when needed. Try to organize such library of files, videos, books, etc, to be easy to navigate through and find the correct information upon request.

3-    In your domain of expertise, it is also recommended that you build a scientific library of materials, i.e., books, articles, websites, codes, etc., which are beneficial to advance your knowledge and be competent in your work.

4-    The believer should acquire knowledge about the news and issues related to the surrounding community and nations. This type of knowledge is essential to be active in the community and positively participate in advancing your nation. The knowledge of how other nations advance is also vital to learn the experience of others. Therefore, try to select an authentic and trustworthy source of knowledge and news that honestly discuss the challenges of your nation and other countries worldwide. Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and other sources of social media are not good or insufficient sources of news and knowledge. One cannot depend only on them for his/her sources of information.

1g-ii: A Practical Program for Moral and Behavioral Attributes of Individual’s Faith

II.    Moral Attributes:

a.    Strong Body

A suggested program and several recommendations, to attain a strong body and accomplish the purpose of our creation, are proposed as follows:

1-    It is recommended to have an annual health checkup. You should follow up on any health matter(s) with high level of care. You should live a healthy life based on your health status, i.e., eating healthy food, follow doctor’s instructions, get immunized, protect yourself from serious diseases, etc.

2-    Do not smoke and if you do, try to quit smoking at the earliest time using the most appropriate means.

3-    Try to drink caffeine and sugar free drinks and avoid any type of drinks, which lead you to be addicted to them. This increases your ability to self-control your desires.

4-    Reduce the amount of soft and cold drinks, particularly, fridge-maintained cold water. Always drink tap temperature or warm water. Drink a good amount of water, i.e., at least one liter, in the morning right after waking up and before breakfast by at least 30 minutes.

5-    It is better to be always purified and make ablution whenever you can. Keep your ablution active all times, as possible.

6-    Familiarize yourself and your dependents with the First Aid Equipment and Kit in case you need them at any time. Also, you should take First Aid training, if possible. Here are few online links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErxKDbH-iiI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFvL7wTFzl0&list=PLvd0isBh6beQJ1YrlssqzKoXY_aw-qvoW

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=first+aid+training

7-    Try to sleep and wake up early. Also, try not to sleep more than 8 hours.

8-    Eat whenever you need in an organized system of life. Try to eat reasonable amounts of food otherwise it will impact all your daily activities and health.

9-    Eat dinner early, i.e., at least 3-4 hours before sleeping.

10- Perform volunteer fasting as instructed by the Prophet (SAS), Mondays & Thursdays, 13th, 14th, and 15th of the Hijri months, etc.

11- Exercise daily at least 30 minutes by doing home exercises, running, or even walking. This will improve your fitness.

12- Try to have a healthy sitting while studying, eating, or working with your back up right. Similarly, while standing or walking, you should have your back up right. Usually, we do not pay much attention to our body position in the above situations, which might severely impact us at older ages.

13- You should identify a preferred type of sport to practice weekly, if applicable.

14- It is recommended to have a GYM membership where you frequently exercise if other exercise means are not available at home or other places.

15- During work or any other activities, which you do while sitting, particularly in front of the computer, try to cut such sitting every hour and walk around for couple of minutes.

b.    Value Time

Time, for the believer, is the most important, irreplaceable, and precious element in life as a human. We should deal with time in such a sense otherwise we will lose the right direction. Here are few recommendations and a practical program to help you optimally organize your time as follows:

1-    Do not kill time as time is yourself. Benefit from every minute of your life in good matters. Do not let a minute go without increasing something to you, i.e., either supplication, remembrance, work to benefit others, watch beneficial stuff, etc.

2-    Think of your activities beforehand and select the most productive and shortest duration approach to accomplish such activities. Planning activities ahead of time is mandatory to save your valuable asset, i.e., time. Also, help others to benefit from their spare time in valuable and organized activities.

3-    Avoid the cancer of our era, i.e., being late to meetings. This is urgent and vital because it impacts the time of other people as if you are cutting pieces of their life. Attend your meetings on time no matter what this meeting is and with whom it is supposed to be. Being careless about the time of others, whether they are old or young, is a sin in front of Allah (SWT) because he ordered us to respect our promises.

4-    If you are a busy person who has too many activities and meetings at work and outside, it is recommended to make a good daily, weekly, and monthly plans recorded in your digital calendar. In these plans, prioritize your activities based on their importance. Try to delegate non-important activities to other people around you if they are involved, responsible, and willing to cooperate.

5-    There are times where it is allowable and acceptable to use the multi-intention approach in activities to gain more rewards. For example, you eat to strengthen your body, to be able to appropriately worship Allah (SWT), to be able to sustain yourself and family in a good job, etc. You study to please Allah (SWT), to get good grades, to show good Muslims, to please your parents or friends, etc. All these will increase your reward for multiple intentions. On such occasions, the multi-function approach is better to maximize your benefits of time.  

6-    Do multi-task at the same time, if applicable. For example, you can eat while watching the news and surfing the internet; you can exercise while listening to a lecture or a seminar; you can read or memorize Quran while traveling, etc.

7-    Assign five minutes before sleeping to check your daily actions and what went wrong. Renew your intention and plan for future reforms.

8-    It is better to organize your activities around prayers. This will help you accomplish two main goals: (1) pray on time without delaying the prayer to the last minute and (2) well organize your activities.

9-    Always make supplication to have good utilization of your time.

10- In life, taking care of family is essential. So, try to assign good time for your family and dependents within your busy schedule.

c.     Good Character

Good characters and morals are essential to plant in yourself and your dependents. The following recommendations and program will help you acquire such attribute. Attaining good character is easy to say but hard to do. It needs a lot of effort from you to accomplish such a vital objective. Let us walk through few tactics and recommendations for acquiring good character:

1-    Do not lie and always be honest.

2-    Always fulfill your promise and be at your words no matter what happen.

3-    You should be brave and patient. The best type of courage is to speak loudly with the truth, to be trustworthy and conceal the confidential matters, to confess any mistakes, to be honest even against yourself, and to self-control your anger.

4-    You should be serious in all matters with the ability to keep a minimum level of sense of humor.

5-    Be modest with reasonable level of sensitivity towards the actions of others.

6-    Be fair in all matters whether they are related to you, your family, relatives, friends, or enemies.

7-    Be merciful, generous, forgiving, easy going, lenient, and respectful. Try to practice all positive and good characters.

8-    Do your work as perfect as possible with high level of competency.

9-    Be responsible by giving others their rights and do not undermine yours.

10- Be strong in self-controlling your soul and desires.

11- Always avoid prohibited matters and practice all permitted ones.

12- Be away from bad friendships and places / activities that encourage you to err.

Practical program:

1-    Study a good character every month and try to implement in your daily life activities until it becomes a habit. This needs a lot of details as follows:

Example (1): If you would like to train yourself on the character of being honest. This needs from you to do the following:

-       Do not lie in any action and stop yourself when you try to tell a lie.

-       Do not use jokes that rely on lies.

-       Be straight forward in all matters.

-       Be honest with kids in all matters as they record all your actions and reflect upon them when they are in similar situations.

-       Be competent in your work as this is part of being honest.

-       Be honest in your relationship with Allah (SWT) and people.

-       Follow the code of ethics and conduct at your work and the community you live in.

-       Do not be hypocrite with people, i.e., speak out feelings/beliefs in contradiction of what you actually have.

Example (2): It is related to the character of being patient. All life matters need patience. It is a core character without which you are not able to achieve or advance in this life. For example, to perform prayer and continue doing it on time with high level of punctuality, you should acquire too much patience. The case is exactly similar in all worship activities and matters. If you like to be away from sins and shortcomings, this needs a lot of patience because sins are easy with much support from your soul, Satan, your desires, etc. When you pass through a tragedy or a problem, you need to practice lots of patience otherwise, you will err or commit lots of mistakes. If you would like to succeed in your work, you should tirelessly work hard. This requires lots of patience and struggle. Sometimes you succeed to be patient with some failures until it becomes a habit that is planted in yourself.

2-    In order to acquire a character, try to apply the following recommendations:

                          i.      Study the character and its benefits to you and others.

                        ii.      Study the practical means to achieve such character based on literature and your own practices / abilities.

                       iii.      Make this character within your focus for a period of time, i.e., a month or so.

                       iv.      Practice few activities that show the character or measure its implementation quality.

d.    Strong in Self-Control

Struggling to self-control our souls is a tough process that passes through four steps: plan, monitor, compare, and reward/penalize. So, you plan various activities at the beginning of the day, then, monitor the implementation of such activities. You compare between what you intended to do and what you have already done to see the difference. If there is no difference or you achieved more than what you planed, then, thanks Allah (SWT) and reward yourself with any type of reward that is effective and good for you. If not, then, penalize yourself with something impactful to help your soul understand the difference and forbid yourself from doing similar actions again. Here are few recommendations to help in this regard:

1-    You should renew your intention in all actions and struggle to make it good, away from any sins or mistakes, as possible.

2-    Try to improve the level of perfection in your activities with continuous struggle to do so.

3-    Self-control your soul in accomplishing all acts of worship as required.

4-    Continuously perform volunteer worships, i.e., prayer, fasting, charity, as discussed in the previous article. This needs much struggle.

5-    Be keen to arrive at the mosque early before any prayer and renew the intention to spend this time for the sake of Allah (SWT).

III.       Behavioral Attributes:

a.    Competent in his/her Profession

The more we continue to think of new attributes, the less practical ideas we have as we exhausted most of them in the previous attributes. Most recommendations related to work competency are discussed in several points in the previous articles. I will highlight some non-repeated ones as follows:

1-    We should encourage self-employment and private projects no matters how large or small they are. This will serve many purposes; 1) gives you a source of income, 2) helps others to find extra work opportunities, 3) reduces number of jobless people, and 4) improves the economy of the community and its standard of living.

2-    Be keen of doing your job perfectly with high level of punctuality.

3-    Be highly competent in your profession with high level of knowledge in your domain of expertise.

4-    Encourage the local or national goods and products.

5-    Pay charity to help the needy in the community or elsewhere.

6-    Do not use Usury (interest) in your personal transactions and work, as possible.

7-    Make sure that your income comes from permitted sources and is consumed in allowable venues.

8-    You should have a job no matter how small or profitable it is.

b.    Clean and Organized

This attribute is also discussed in different recommendations within the previous attributes. Here, I will highlight few other recommendations as follows:

1-    Be clean and organized in all your matters and activities.

2-    Clean and organize your bed after sleeping. Your room should be organized and cleaned as well. In other words, clean all your living, working, and dining areas. You should also pay much attention to cleaning your clothes and food.

3-    Floss and brush your teeth at least twice a day, i.e., before sleeping and after waking up. You can also use the Siwak (Arabic word for a tree part that is used to clean our teeth). It is similar in usage to the toothbrush.

4-    You should organize your time to allow time for work, family, social activities, etc. Give priorities and start implementing the activities with the highest priority, then, the less, and so on.

5-    Assess your work daily, weekly, and monthly, then, take corrective actions for optimized use of your time.

6-    Try to balance allocating your time to various activities. If an activity takes more than required, you should find a solution in order not to impact other activities and priorities.

7-    Prepare well before your meetings. This skill reduces a lot of time and effort during the meetings.

8-    Do not postpone activities of today to a later time unless it is a must.

c.     Cooperative and Helpful

The believer should be cooperative and helpful to others by default. Here are few recommendations to help in building this attribute in ourselves:

1-    You should be active in the surrounding community, in public services, and in helping others. This covers the community at large, with different races, religions, and ideologies according to the situation and the activities that you like to be involved in.

2-    You can also participate in different types of community projects whether they are social, religious, or governmental, as your time permits.

3-    You can also be active in other social activities, which are essential, such as helping the needy in the surrounding community whether the need is financial, social, psychological support, giving a hand, etc.

4-    You can plan a weekly time slot to do a service to the community at any of the above fronts/venues.

5-    Community services are also available at senior homes, municipalities, community centers, etc.

1h: Is Justice Necessary for our Success in Life?

Overview

In the previous articles, we understand that thanking Allah (SWT) for His bounties, by heart, by tongue and in actions, is necessary to succeed in both lives and protect our civilization from destruction. Two means to thank Allah (SWT) for His bounties, as said by Imam Al-Sha’rawi: to acquire the bounties through and to utilize them in permissible ways. It is apparent that gratitude includes the entire faith, which means the complete submission to Allah (SWT) in all daily actions and always being helpful to others. A strong relationship is concluded between gratitude and success in all lives of individuals, of communities / civilizations, and vice versa. This is confirmed by Quran, narrations, and psychosomatic studies on individuals. It is also concluded that if we practice gratitude, it will be an effective cure for many of our psychological problems.

I also initiated the discussion regarding the metrics of successful civilization as an introduction to design the Civilization Development Model (CDM). These metrics, which are collected from different literature and online sources, include: correct faith, knowledge, good actions, justice, ethics, comprehensiveness and mercy of the system, good human spirit, good economy, and safety/security. On the other hand, the reasons of civilization’s collapse include: disbelief in Allah (SWT), oppression (injustice), luxury life, sins and bad deeds, arrogance, ignorance, bad economy, and pure materialistic lifestyle without the implementation of the divine rules set by Allah (SWT). For a civilization to continue, it needs good controlling measures, such as an effective accountability system for people and governments, an active system to call for good and forbid evil actions, and respect for the universal laws. Conceptual meters are essential and should be designed to measure the metrics of developing a good civilization. I have therefore initiated the idea of the CDM, which comprises six meters for the main metrics of (1) faith, (2) justice, (3) safety/security, (4) ethics, (5) mercy, and (6) economy. They will show the degree of illness or health (i.e. failure or success) and the ways to improve each metric or meter of the CDM in all levels, i.e., individuals, communities, countries, and the world. In the previous articles, I covered the first metric and meter, which is faith. In this article, I will cover the second metric, i.e., justice, with its attributes that support successful life on earth.

Definition of Justice

Justice is the comprehensive system of fairness in all life aspects with all beings. It indicates fairness to humans, animals, plants, and other creatures in the universe. For human beings, as individuals, communities, and countries, equality and fairness in rights should be practiced without discrimination based on race, gender, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or wealth (https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/justice.htm). It is also a virtue attributed to human character by giving others equal treatment and what they deserve in which opportunities for opponents and supporters are alike.

Importance of Justice

The essence of justice to human being life is demonstrated by Allah (SWT) in attributing Himself as “The Just”. Justice is one of the main pillars of a developed society or civilization. One will feel comfortable, happy and productive when living and working in a

Just society where he/she can practice full rights, feel inclusion and belonging, and carry out responsibilities and obligations. Justice assists in generating positive attitudes and motives within the members of the society for better life and social system. Justice is beloved to normal human nature. It is the major principle of divine messages since the beginning of creation as indicated in the following verse:

لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَنزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ النَّاسُ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ..... (25)الحديد

Chapter Al-Hadeed (25) We have already sent Our messengers with clear evidences and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance that the people may maintain [their affairs] in justice. …….

In the above verse, Allah (SWT) indicates the main principle of all revelations, which is centered around accomplishing, practicing, and maintaining justice among people. Therefore, whenever you find justice, it is part of what Allah (SWT) wants people to practice in all revelations. Imam Ibn Al-Qayim said: Allah (SWT) has sent all revelations to urge people to practice and maintain justice in all life matters. So, it is always part of the religion to maintain justice wherever you go or act.

Allah (SWT) has ordered people to maintain and practice justice in many verses of the Quran. For example, in chapter Al-Nahl, He (SWT) said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ .......... (90)النحل

Chapter Al-Nahl (90) Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct ……..

To understand this verse, Imam Al-Saadi said: The “Justice”, which is mentioned in the above verse, includes all matters related to Allah (SWT) and people. Every human being has rights and responsibilities towards Allah (SWT) and people who are living with him/her in the society. He/she should work hard to get his/her rights and carry out the responsibilities without any shortcomings. Once achieved, we will be happy in this life and in the Hereafter since we have accomplished the aim of our creation and have followed Allah’s commands by spreading justice in all life matters. In the following verse, Imam Ibn Kathir said: Allah (SWT) has ordered all believers to spread justice everywhere and in all matters. He (SWT) has commanded them to steadfast in justice even if it results in harm to themselves or close people.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ ۚ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا ۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا ۚ وَإِن تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا (135)النساء

Chapter Al-Nisaa (135) O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.

The Prophet (SAS) has also practiced justice and commanded the believers, in many narrations, to maintain justice. For example, in the following narration, he (SAS) has recommended the believers to be firm in justice wherever they are:

عَنْ جَدِّهِ، عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ قَالَ بَايَعْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى السَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ فِي عُسْرِنَا وَيُسْرِنَا وَمَنْشَطِنَا وَمَكَارِهِنَا وَعَلَى أَنْ لاَ نُنَازِعَ الأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ وَعَلَى أَنْ نَقُولَ بِالْعَدْلِ أَيْنَ كُنَّا لاَ نَخَافُ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةَ لاَئِمٍ ‏.‏ النسائي

It was narrated that 'Ubadah bin As-Samit said: "We pledged to the Messenger of Allah to hear and obey during our hardship and our ease, when we felt energetic and when we felt tired, that we would not contend with the orders of whomever was entrusted with it, that we would stand for justice wherever we may be, and that we would not fear the blame of any blamer for the sake of Allah. Sunan an-Nasa'i 4153. https://sunnah.com/nasai:4153

He (SAS) has also indicated the high and great position, in the Day of Judgement, for people who practice justice in their lives. They will stand high on pillars of light, in the Day of Judgement, due to their invaluable actions of justice during their lives as follows:

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «إِنَّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَلَى مَنَابِرَ مِنْ نُورٍ عَنْ يَمِينِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَكِلْتَا يَدَيْهِ يمينٌ الذينَ يعدِلُونَ فِي حُكمِهم وأهليهم وَمَا ولُوا» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم . صَحِيحٌ  الألباني

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Those who act justly will be with God on pulpits of light* at the right hand of the Compassionate One, and both His hands are right. They are those who are just in their jurisdiction, towards their people and what is under their charge.” Muslim transmitted it. *This phrase is explained either in a literal sense, or as indicating their high station. Al-Albani. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3690

Types of Justice to Human Beings

i-    Political Justice

This type of justice is the most popular one where it is directly related to people and the most impactful one in the lives of others. All human beings are equal in front of the governor with no discrimination based on race, gender, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or wealth. Equality is also a principle in the law and practices of countries or communities. Therefore, equality and fairness should be guaranteed in political and civil rights by the governors and in legal rights by the justice system. I will highlight the importance of these two types of rights in the following paragraphs. Islam has wealth of verses from the Quran and narrations of the Prophet (SAS) that show the necessity of fairness and justice in political, civil, and legal rights of people in the society as follows:

﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَنْ تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُمْ بِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا ﴾ ]النساء: 58[

Chapter Al-Nisaa [58] Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing. https://quran.com/4/58

Imam Al-Saadi, in explaining the above verse, said that justice should include fairness among people in everything whether it is big or small, they are believers or disbelievers, or they are enemies or friends. It is the perfect and complete fairness that does not discriminate based on race, status, religion, color, ethnicity, gender, etc. It is even more clear in the following verse when Allah (SWT) has ordered Prophet David to act upon his responsibility of being a successor of Allah (SWT) on earth. Such succession plan should include and primarily depend on “Justice” without which he will get astray.

♦ ﴿ يَا دَاوُودُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَى فَيُضِلَّكَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا نَسُوا يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ ﴾ ]ص: 26[

Chapter Sad [26] [We said], "O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the way of Allah." Indeed, those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Account. https://quran.com/38/26

In the following verses, Allah (SWT) has ordered the Prophet (SAS) and the believers to practice justice with people, particularly those who have the previous books, like Jews and Christians. No matter what the differences and issues between the Prophet and all his opponents are, he should be just with all in a fair environment. This includes all matters and situations without any discrimination.

﴿ فَلِذَلِكَ فَادْعُ وَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَقُلْ آمَنْتُ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَعْدِلَ بَيْنَكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ لَا حُجَّةَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ اللَّهُ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ ﴾ ]الشورى: 15[

Chapter Al-Shura [15] So to that [religion of Allah] invite, [O Muḥammad], and remain on a right course as you are commanded and do not follow their inclinations but say, "I have believed in what Allah has revealed of scripture [i.e., the Qur’ān], and I have been commanded to do justice among you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us are our deeds, and for you your deeds.2 There is no [need for] argument between us and you.3 Allah will bring us together, and to Him is the [final] destination." https://quran.com/42/15

﴿ وَالسَّمَاءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا فِي الْمِيزَانِ وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا الْمِيزَانَ ﴾ ]الرحمن: 7 – 9[

Chapter Al-Rahman [7] And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance. [8] That you not transgress within the balance. [9] And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance. https://quran.com/55/7-9

Similar role applies to Muslims when they are in difference. The only solution is to respect the fair and just roles to solve any problems among them as shown in the following verse:

﴿ وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِنْ بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَى فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّى تَفِيءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ ﴾ ]الحجرات: 9[

Chapter Al-Hujurat [9] And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. https://quran.com/49/9

The Prophet (SAS) has also shown the necessity of being just in many narrations. He (SAS) has mentioned the types of people who will be shaded by the shade of Allah (SWT) in the Day of Judgement, which will protect them from the severe stress of sun heat. The first type of such shaded people is the just leader or governor. This is a great position in which many people will wish to attain as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لاَ ظِلَّ إِلاَّ ظِلُّهُ إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ …….

Abu Hurayra said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘There are seven whom Allah will shade in His shade on the day on which there is no shade except His shade: a just imam,..” https://sunnah.com/urn/517260

He (SAS) has also mentioned that Allah (SWT) will accept the supplication of three types of people including the just leader or governor as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ "‏ ثَلاَثَةٌ لاَ تُرَدُّ دَعْوَتُهُمُ الصَّائِمُ حَتَّى يُفْطِرَ وَالإِمَامُ الْعَادِلُ وَدَعْوَةُ الْمَظْلُومِ يَرْفَعُهَا اللَّهُ فَوْقَ الْغَمَامِ وَيَفْتَحُ لَهَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ وَيَقُولُ الرَّبُّ وَعِزَّتِي لأَنْصُرَنَّكَ وَلَوْ بَعْدَ حِينٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ .. ‏.‏ الترمذي

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “There are three whose supplication is not rejected: The fasting person when he breaks his fast, the just leader, and the supplication of the oppressed person; Allah raises it up above the clouds and opens the gates of heaven to it. And the Lord says: ‘By My might, I shall surely aid you, even if it should be after a while.’” Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3598, https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3598

The just leaders, ruler, or governors will be in positions close to that of the Prophet (SAS) in the Day of Judgement. This shows how important their role is in the society and among people as follows:

وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «إِنَّ أَحَبَّ النَّاسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَأَقْرَبَهُمْ مِنْهُ مَجْلِسًا إِمَامٌ عَادِلٌ وَإِنَّ أَبْغَضَ النَّاسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَأَشَدَّهُمْ عَذَابًا» وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: «وَأَبْعَدَهُمْ مِنْهُ مَجْلِسًا إِمَامٌ جَائِرٌ» . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَقَالَ: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ

Abu Sa'id reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The one who will be dearest to God and nearest to Him in station of the day of resurrection will be a just imam, and the one who will be most hateful to God on the day of resurrection and will receive the severest punishment (or as a version has, will be farthest from Him in station) will be a tyrannical imam.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan gharib tradition. Mishkat al-Masabih 3704, https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3704

To say the truth and practice justice in front of an oppressor is one of the best actions that are valued by Allah (SWT) and his messenger (SAS). This encourages the believers to say the truth no matter what it is and where it might be. Such value has a great impact on the society to purify itself as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"أَفْضَلُ الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةُ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ‏"‏‏.‏ أَوْ‏"‏أَمِيرٍ جَائِرٍ‏"‏‏.‏ صحيح   الألباني

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The best fighting (jihad) in the path of Allah is (to speak) a word of justice to an oppressive ruler. Sunan Abi Dawud 4344, Sahih (Al-Albani) https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4344

The following narration sets the role for leaders to be just, otherwise, they will be held accountable for their actions in front of Allah (SWT).

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ "‏إِنَّمَا الإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ فَإِنْ أَمَرَ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ وَعَدَلَ فَإِنَّ لَهُ بِذَلِكَ أَجْرًا وَإِنْ أَمَرَ بِغَيْرِهِ فَإِنَّ عَلَيْهِ وِزْرًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ النسائي

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: "The Imam is like a shield whose orders should be obeyed when they (the Muslims) fight, and where they should seek protection. If he enjoins fear of Allah and behaves justly, then he will be rewarded, but if he enjoins otherwise, then it will be a burden (of sin) on him." Sunan an-Nasa'i 4196, https://sunnah.com/nasai:4196

It is also mandatory for the Muslim judge to be just, otherwise, he/she will lose the help and guidance of Allah (SWT) in his/her work. Therefore, it is very harmful and severe if you are unjust to yourself, your family, or others as shown below:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْقَاضِي مَا لَمْ يَجُرْ فَإِذَا جَارَ وَكَلَهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ابن ماجه

It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin Abu Awfa that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:Allah is with the judge so long as he is not unjust, but if he rules unjustly, He entrusts him to himself.” Sunan Ibn Majah 2312, https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:2312

Based upon the above verses and narrations, it is necessary to be just as a ruler, leader, or governor. This accomplishes several benefits including: (1) be a good representative to Allah (SWT) on earth; (2) maintain strong social fabric; (3) guarantee the help and guidance of Allah (SWT) in your practice; (4) ensure a great position close to the Prophet (SAS) in the Day of Judgement; (5) deserve the shade of Allah (SWT) at the time of hardship in the Day of Judgement; and (6) entertain the acceptance of your supplication by Allah (SWT).

ii-  Social Justice

Social justice is referred to the concept of equal rights, opportunities and treatments for different sectors of the society. It promotes equal opportunities in education, wealth, healthcare, and work within the society in a safe and secure environment for individuals and communities (https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/). It is worthy to mention that the lack of social justice leads to social oppression in the form of “ageism, racism, classism, and sexism.” Social justice concept can be enriched by focusing on diversity and inclusiveness. It is also achievable by restricting and prohibiting all acts of social oppression. Allah (SWT) and His Prophet (SAS) have necessitated justice as a virtue and major principle in social life as shown in the following verses and narrations:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ (90)النحل

Chapter Al-Nahl (90) Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded. https://quran.com/16/90

The above verse can stand alone as a complete civil constitution that organize the relationship among human beings. Imam Al-Saadi reported that: Justice in this verse refers to performing all your financial and physical duties towards Allah (SWT) and people. We should deal with ourselves, families, relatives, friends, communities, countries, and others with complete justice without any abuse of other’s rights. We should give others their rights as we like to fulfill ours. Justice is obligatory in Islam where we should not deceive nor oppress others. In the above verse, Allah (SWT) has ordered the believers to practice all good matters with complete honesty and justice and to forbid all evil actions that harm people in their lives, wealth, and families. This complete civil justice system is also depicted in the following verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا ۚ اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ (8)المائده

Chapter Al-Ma’dah (8) O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. https://quran.com/5/8

Imam Al-Baghawi and Al-Saadi reported that the above is a comprehensive verse that ordered us to practice justice in all matters with all people no matter what religion, race, gender, status, enmity, etc, they have. Justice or fairness is a symptom of piety, which is a reason or an aim of our creation. We should not be affected by others or their relationship to us when performing acts of justice in any matter, particularly social life. This concept is also supported by the following verse:

قُلْ أَمَرَ رَبِّي بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَأَقِيمُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ ۚ كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ (29)الاعراف

Chapter Al-Araaf (29) Say, [O Muhammad], "My Lord has ordered justice and that you maintain yourselves [in worship of Him] at every place [or time] of prostration, and invoke Him, sincere to Him in religion." Just as He originated you, you will return [to life] – https://quran.com/7/29

Imam Al-Saadi said: Allah (SWT) has ordered the Prophet (SAS) and us to practice justice in worship and in all dealings with people. These dealings include trading, business, social matters, etc. There are several verses that necessitate justice in trading and business as the following example:

وَيَا قَوْمِ أَوْفُوا الْمِكْيَالَ وَالْمِيزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ (85)هود

Chapter Hud (85) And O my people, give full measure and weight in justice and do not deprive the people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption. https://quran.com/11/85

Imam Al-Saadi said: you should practice justice to people, when trading or doing business, by giving them their full rights. You should like for people what you like for yourself. Hence, based upon the above verse and others, he also stressed on the fact that continuing doing the sins by impairing others usually indulge religions, creed, life, Hereafter, and destroy any civilization. There are many verses in the Quran that carry the same meaning and concept as follows:

وَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ إِذَا كِلْتُمْ وَزِنُوا بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا (35)الاسراء

Chapter Al-Israa (35) And give full measure when you measure, and weigh with an even balance. That is the best [way] and best in result. https://quran.com/17/35

أَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُخْسِرِينَ (181) وَزِنُوا بِالْقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ (182) وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ (183)الشعراء

Chapter Al-Shu’raa (181) Give full measure and do not be of those who cause loss.

(182) And weigh with an even balance. (183) And do not deprive people of their due and do not commit abuse on earth, spreading corruption. https://quran.com/26/181-183

Imam Al-Saadi said: Allah (SWT) has ordered us to practice justice in all business matters with complete honesty and loyalty. This includes our dealings with orphans at the times when they do not have others to take care of them. If we decided to carry out such responsibility, then, we have to practice justice towards their wealth and life matters. Although no one beside Allah (SWT) might however witness our actions towards orphans, we should be psychologically and economically supportive to them. Their situation is denoted in many verses of the Quran as the following example:

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا مَالَ الْيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ ۖ وَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ وَالْمِيزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ ...... (152)الانعام

Chapter Al-Anaam (152) And do not approach the orphan's property except in a way that is best until he reaches maturity. And give full measure and weight in justice. ….. https://quran.com/6/152

The tradition of the Prophet (SAS) is also full of narrations that urge the believers to practice justice in all social matters. For example, Ubadah Ibn Al-Samit reported that the Prophet (SAS) has taken a plea from his companions to say the truth and be just wherever you are and at all situations as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ جَدِّهِ، عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ قَالَ بَايَعْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى السَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ فِي عُسْرِنَا وَيُسْرِنَا وَمَنْشَطِنَا وَمَكَارِهِنَا وَعَلَى أَنْ لاَ نُنَازِعَ الأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ وَعَلَى أَنْ نَقُولَ بِالْعَدْلِ أَيْنَ كُنَّا لاَ نَخَافُ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةَ لاَئِمٍ ‏.‏ النسائي

It was narrated that 'Ubadah bin As-Samit said: "We pledged to the Messenger of Allah to hear and obey during our hardship and our ease, when we felt energetic and when we felt tired, that we would not contend with the orders of whomever was entrusted with it, that we would stand for justice wherever we may be, and that we would not fear the blame of any blamer for the sake of Allah. Sunan an-Nasa'i 4153, https://sunnah.com/nasai:4153

The above narration shows the seriousness of the matter of justice and how large it is in the life of all believers. It is a main pillar of sound social life for any civilization without which no advancement is guaranteed. Losing justice is most likely equal to losing dignity and honor. Therefore, the Prophet (SAS) has been very concerned when he saw Usamah Ibn Zaid intervening for a woman who had a status in her tribe in order not to punish her for a big mistake. The Prophet has been angry because of the injustice requested by Usamah, which is unethical and might cause social unrest. It has been described as a social killing or destruction character as follows:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ امْرَأَةً، سَرَقَتْ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي غَزْوَةِ الْفَتْحِ فَأُتِيَ بِهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَكَلَّمَهُ فِيهَا أُسَامَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ فَلَمَّا كَلَّمَهُ تَلَوَّنَ وَجْهُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏"‏ أَتَشْفَعُ فِي حَدٍّ مِنْ حُدُودِ اللَّهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ أُسَامَةُ اسْتَغْفِرْ لِي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْعَشِيُّ قَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَثْنَى عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِمَا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَمَّا بَعْدُ إِنَّمَا هَلَكَ النَّاسُ قَبْلَكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ وَإِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الضَّعِيفُ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ قَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ النسائي

It was narrated from 'Aishah that: a woman stole at the time of the Messenger of Allah, during the Conquest, and she was brought to the Messenger of Allah. Usamah bin Zaid spoke to him concerning her. But when he spoke to him, the face of the Messenger of Allah changed color, and the Messenger of Allah said: "Are you interceding concerning one of the Hadd punishment decreed by Allah?" Usamah said to him: "O Messenger of Allah ask Allah to forgive me!" When evening came, the Messenger of Allah stood up and praised and glorified Allah, the mighty and sublime, as He deserves, then he said: "The people who came before you were destroyed because whenever a noble person among them stole, they would let him go. But if one who was weak stole, they would carry out the Hadd punishment on him." Then he said: "By the One in whose hand is my soul, if Fatimah bint Muhammad were to steal, I would cut off her hand." Sunan an-Nasa'i 4902, https://sunnah.com/nasai:4902

In the following narration, the Prophet (SAS) has strongly recommended to practice justice, particularly with people of other religions and with whom we sign treaties. Such injustice action deserves the enmity of the Prophet in the Day of Judgement as follows:

أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ عِدَّةٍ، مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ آبَائِهِمْ دِنْيَةً عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ "‏ أَلاَ مَنْ ظَلَمَ مُعَاهِدًا أَوِ انْتَقَصَهُ أَوْ كَلَّفَهُ فَوْقَ طَاقَتِهِ أَوْ أَخَذَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا بِغَيْرِ طِيبِ نَفْسٍ فَأَنَا حَجِيجُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ صحيح الألباني

Narrated A number of Companions of the Prophet: Safwan reported from a number of Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the authority of their fathers who were relatives of each other. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Beware, if anyone wrongs a contracting man, or diminishes his right, or forces him to work beyond his capacity, or takes from him anything without his consent, I shall plead for him on the Day of Judgment. Sunan Abi Dawud 3052, Sahih (Al-Albani), https://sunnah.com/abudawud:3052

Justice should be extended to self, family members and close relatives. We should give all of them their rights and expect from them to fulfill their responsibilities. We also should remind ourselves and each other to give everyone his/her due right as shown in the following self-explained narration:

زار سلمان أبا الدرداء، فرأى أم الدرداء متبذلة فقال‏:‏ ما شأنك قالت‏:‏ أخوك أبو الدرداء ليس له حاجة في الدنيا، فجاء أبو الدراداء فصنع له طعاماً، فقال له‏:‏ كل فإنى صائم، قال‏:‏ ما أنا بآكل حتى تأكل، فأكل، فلما كان الليل ذهب أبو الدرداء يقوم فقال له‏:‏ نم، فنام، ثم ذهب يقوم فقال له ‏:‏ نم، فلما كان من آخر الليل قال سلمان‏:‏ قم الآن‏:‏ فصليا جميعاً، فقال له سلمان‏:‏ إن لربك عليك حقاً، وإن لنفسك عليك حقاً، ولأهلك عليك حقاً، فأعط كل ذى حق حقه، فأتى النبي ﷺ فذكر ذلك له، فقال النبي ﷺ "‏صدق سلمان‏"‏ ‏(‏‏‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

Abu Juhaifah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) made a bond of brotherhood between Salman and Abud-Darda'. Salman paid a visit to Abud-Darda' and found Umm Darda' (his wife) dressed in shabby clothes and asked her why she was in that state. She replied: "Your brother Abud-Darda' is not interested in (the luxuries of) this world. In the meantime Abud-Darda' came in and prepared a meal for Salman. Salman requested Abud-Darda' to eat (with him) but Abud-Darda' said: "I am fasting." Salman said: "I am not going to eat unless you eat." So, Abud-Darda' ate (with Salman). When it was night and (a part of the night passed), Abud-Darda' got up (to offer the night prayer) but Salman asked him to sleep and Abud-Darda' slept. After some time Abud-Darda' again got up but Salman asked him to sleep. When it was the last hours of the night, Salman asked him to get up and both of them offered (Tahajjud) prayer. Then Salman told Abud-Darda': "You owe a duty to your Rubb, you owe a duty to your body; you owe a duty to your family; so you should give to every one his due. Abud-Darda' came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and reported the whole story. Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Salman is right". [Al- Bukhari]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:149

Conclusion

Looking at the aforementioned verses and narrations, we conclude how essential is justice as a virtue and a value in the life of human beings. It is a unique and great concept in which Islam is based upon. It nurtures the notion of equality among people in their rights and distinguishes them in their responsibilities. Justice is the guard for people’s life, wealth, creed, and security. It is the protection for weak and poor people from the impairment of others. It is the adhesive that builds the strong relationships among people and between rulers/leaders and people, which guarantees safety and welfare. Justice is a source of great sustenance, dignity and honor, social awakening, and immunization against oppressors and devil. It is a must for any development for a human civilization without which it is impossible to achieve such a goal.

Recommendation

It is recommended to practice justice with your children as requested by the Prophet (SAS) in the following narration:

قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ بَشِيرٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَقُولُ أَعْطَانِي أَبِي عَطِيَّةً، فَقَالَتْ عَمْرَةُ بِنْتُ رَوَاحَةَ لاَ أَرْضَى حَتَّى تُشْهِدَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏.‏ فَأَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَعْطَيْتُ ابْنِي مِنْ عَمْرَةَ بِنْتِ رَوَاحَةَ عَطِيَّةً، فَأَمَرَتْنِي أَنْ أُشْهِدَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَعْطَيْتَ سَائِرَ وَلَدِكَ مِثْلَ هَذَا ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ لاَ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ، وَاعْدِلُوا بَيْنَ أَوْلاَدِكُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ فَرَجَعَ فَرَدَّ عَطِيَّتَهُ‏.‏ البخاري

I heard An-Nu`man bin Bashir on the pulpit saying, "My father gave me a gift but `Amra bint Rawaha (my mother) said that she would not agree to it unless he made Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as a witness to it. So, my father went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, 'I have given a gift to my son from `Amra bint Rawaha, but she ordered me to make you as a witness to it, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked, 'Have you given (the like of it) to everyone of your sons?' He replied in the negative. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'Be afraid of Allah, and be just to your children.' My father then returned and took back his gift." Sahih al-Bukhari 2587, https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2587

1i: Justice to Animals

Overview

For human beings, as individuals, communities, and countries, equality and fairness in rights should be practiced without discrimination based on race, gender, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or wealth (https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/justice.htm). Justice is the character of giving others, including opponents and supporters, equal treatment and what they deserve. It is the comprehensive system of fairness in all aspects of life with all beings. It indicates fairness to humans, animals, plants, and other creatures in the universe. In the previous article, I have explored the characteristics of justice towards human beings in several life aspects. In the present article, I will explore the different aspects of justice to animals as coexist beings on earth. Relying on the divine guidance of Allah (SWT) and the Prophet (SAS), I will explain the relationship between humans and animals. The article will also discuss the coexistence rights of animals on human being and how humans should be merciful, fair, and kind to animals. These characters are supported by the divine evidence discussed in the following sections.

Relationship between Humans and Animals

Animals are created to coexist with and benefit human beings on earth. They have been created to serve humans in several ways as listed in the following verse:

وَالْأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا ۗ لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ (5) وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا جَمَالٌ حِينَ تُرِيحُونَ وَحِينَ تَسْرَحُونَ (6) وَتَحْمِلُ أَثْقَالَكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ لَّمْ تَكُونُوا بَالِغِيهِ إِلَّا بِشِقِّ الْأَنفُسِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ (7) وَالْخَيْلَ وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً ۚ وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (8) النحل

Chapter Al-Nahl (5) And the grazing livestock He has created for you; in them is warmth and [numerous] benefits, and from them you eat. (6) And for you in them is [the enjoyment of] beauty when you bring them in [for the evening] and when you send them out [to pasture]. (7) And they carry your loads to a land you could not have reached except with difficulty to yourselves. Indeed, your Lord is Kind and Merciful. (8) And [He created] the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and [as] adornment. And He creates that which you do not know. https://quran.com/16/5-8

Human beings benefit from animals while they are alive or dead. For example, animals provide food (i.e., milk), warmth, good looking (i.e., beauty), decoration, and carry out our heavy staff. They tirelessly help human beings in all aspects of life. After their death, they provide us with meat, hairs, bones, and leather, which are used in many of our daily needs and activities, i.e., food, clothes, and furniture. Therefore, human beings should kindly deal with animals as recommended by the Prophet (SAS) in the following narration:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، يَبْلُغُ بِهِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ ‏ "‏ الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ ارْحَمُوا أَهْلَ الأَرْضِ يَرْحَمْكُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ لَمْ يَقُلْ مُسَدَّدٌ مَوْلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو وَقَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ‏.‏ صحيح (الألباني)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The Compassionate One has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you. Musaddad did not say: The client of 'Adb Allah b. 'Amr. He said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said. Sahih (Al-Albani). Sunan Abi Dawud 4941 https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4941

Kind actions towards animals are very much appreciated by Allah (SWT) as explained by the Prophet (SAS) in the following narration:

وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَغْرِسُ غَرْسًا أَوْ يَزْرَعُ زَرْعًا فَيَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ إِنْسَانٌ أَوْ طَيْرٌ أَوْ بَهِيمَةٌ إِلَّا كَانَت لَهُ صَدَقَة»وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ: «وَمَا سُرِقَ مِنْهُ لَهُ صَدَقَة» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ, صَحِيح (الألباني)

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “If any Muslim plants something or sows seed from which man, bird, or beast eats, it counts as sadaqa (charity) for him.” (Bukhari and Muslim.). In a version by Muslim from Jabir it says that what is stolen from it counts as sadaqa (charity) for him. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:1900

The above narration encourages human beings to be very helpful to other coexisting creations on earth. It is considered a charity if you plant something that benefit all creations including human beings, birds, and animals. We should be good givers not only takers. We should take care of animals if we like to benefit from them. Therefore, the relationship between animals and human beings are based on mutual benefits. This relationship should be respected by humans and be just with animals.

Mercy to Animals

Mercy is a great character that is necessary towards all other creations including animals. The system of Allah (SWT) on earth is designed based on this central character. Human beings should maintain such character in their dealings as depicted in many narrations. For example, Allah (SWT) will be merciful with those who are merciful to animals as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ قَالَ‏:‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ‏:‏ مَنْ رَحِمَ وَلَوْ ذَبِيحَةً، رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ‏.‏ حـسـن (الألباني)

Abu Umama that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who shows mercy, even to an animal meant for slaughtering, will be shown mercy by Allah on the Day of Rising." Hasan (Al-Albani) https://sunnah.com/adab:381

عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ قُرَّةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ‏:‏ قَالَ رَجُلٌ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنِّي لَأَذْبَحُ الشَّاةَ فَأَرْحَمُهَا، أَوْ قَالَ‏:‏ إِنِّي لَأَرْحَمُ الشَّاةَ أَنْ أَذْبَحَهَا، قَالَ‏:‏ وَالشَّاةُ إِنْ رَحِمْتَهَا، رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ‏.‏ صـحـيـح (الألباني)

Mu'awiya ibn Qurra reported that his father said, "A man said, 'Messenger of Allah, I was going to slaughter a sheep and then I felt sorry for it (or 'sorry for the sheep I was going to slaughter').' He said twice, 'Since you showed mercy to the sheep, Allah will show mercy to you.'" Sahih (Al-Albani) https://sunnah.com/adab:373

Look at the utmost mercy of Allah (SWT) towards a sinful woman who was merciful to a dog, which was almost dying from thirsty as follows:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «غُفِرَ لِامْرَأَةٍ مُومِسَةٍ مَرَّتْ بِكَلْبٍ عَلَى رَأْسِ رَكِيٍّ يَلْهَثُ كَادَ يَقْتُلُهُ الْعَطَشُ فَنَزَعَتْ خُفَّهَا فَأَوْثَقَتْهُ بِخِمَارِهَا فَنَزَعَتْ لَهُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ فَغُفِرَ لَهَا بِذَلِكَ» . قِيلَ: إِنَّ لَنَا فِي الْبَهَائِمِ أَجْرًا؟ قَالَ: «فِي كُلِّ ذَاتِ كبد رطبَة أجر» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “Forgiveness was granted to an unchaste woman who coming upon a dog panting and almost dead with thirst at the mouth of a well, took off her shoe, tied it with her head-covering, and drew some water for it. On that account she was forgiven.” He was asked whether people received a reward for what they did to animals, and replied, “A reward is given in connection with every living creature.” (Bukhari and Muslim.). * Literally, everything possessed of a moist liver. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:1902

This woman was supposed to be punished by Allah (SWT) due to her bad actions in life. However, only one action saved her from hellfire, i.e., being merciful to such a dog. This minor action, which is nothing compared to her sins towards Allah (SWT), was the source of granting her Allah’s forgiveness. Similar action was also reported in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ "‏ بَيْنَمَا كَلْبٌ يُطِيفُ بِرَكِيَّةٍ كَادَ يَقْتُلُهُ الْعَطَشُ، إِذْ رَأَتْهُ بَغِيٌّ مِنْ بَغَايَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَنَزَعَتْ مُوقَهَا فَسَقَتْهُ، فَغُفِرَ لَهَا بِهِ ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "While a dog was going round a well and was about to die of thirst, an Israeli prostitute saw it and took off her shoe and watered it. So Allah forgave her because of that good deed." Sahih al-Bukhari 3467. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3467

Similarly, a man has also been forgiven by Allah (SWT) due to his attitude towards a dying dog from thirsty. The appreciation from Allah (SWT) was extremely great to the extent He (SWT) has forgiven the man’s sins in life for only one action towards such a dog. Is not this amazing to be merciful to animals and getting your sins forgiven? The companions have continued asking the Prophet (SAS): Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals?" He (ﷺ) said, "A reward is given in connection with being merciful to every living creature, as shown below:

العاشر‏:‏ عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏"‏ بينما رجل يمشى بطريق اشتد عليه العطش، فوجد بئراً فنزل فيها فشرب، ثم خرج فإذا كلب يلهث يأكل الثرى من العطش، فقال الرجل‏:‏ لقد بلغ هذا الكلب من العطش مثل الذي كان قد بلغ منى، فنزل البئر فملأ خفه ماء ثم أمسكه بفيه، حتى رقي فسقى الكلب، فشكر الله له فغفر له‏"‏ قالوا ‏:‏ يارسول الله إن لنا في البهائم أجراً‏؟‏ فقال‏:‏ في كل كبدٍ رطبة أجر‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "While a man was walking on his way he became extremely thirsty. He found a well, he went down into it to drink water. Upon leaving it, he saw a dog which was panting out of thirst. His tongue was lolling out and he was eating moist earth from extreme thirst. The man thought to himself: 'This dog is extremely thirsty as I was.' So he descended into the well, filled up his leather sock with water, and holding it in his teeth, climbed up and quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah appreciated his action and forgave his sins". The Companions asked: "Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals also?" He (ﷺ) said, "A reward is given in connection with every living creature". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:126 . In the narration of Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have said: "Allah forgave him in appreciation of this act and admitted him to Jannah".

On the contrary, a woman will be punished by Hellfire due to her action against a cat when she has prisoned the cat until it has died due to shortage of food and water as follows:

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏عذبت امرأة في هِرة حبستها حتى ماتت، فدخلت فيها النار، لا هي أطعمتها وسقتها، إذ هي حبستها، ولا هي تركتها تأكل من خشاش الأرض‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ ((خشاش الأرض)) يفتح الخاء المعجمة وبالشين المعجمة المكررة، وهي: هوامها وحشراتها.

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A woman was punished in Hell because of a cat which she had confined until it died. She did not give it to eat or to drink when it was confined, nor did she free it so that it might eat the vermin of the earth." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1600

This minor action against one cat might not be taken seriously from human beings; however, it is big in the sight of Allah (SWT). Due to this action, the woman will be granted Hellfire in the day of judgement. Animals have rights on human beings that should be respected. The woman put the cat in a cage, then, she should have brought food and water otherwise, let the cat go outside to look for food and water. This is the minimum care towards animals that help us in our daily life activities. We should not be harsh to them at all. We should respect their coexistence with us on earth. Look at the following utmost mercy in the heart of a Muslim who should respect other creations of Allah (SWT):

وعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ كنا مع رسول الله ﷺ في سفر، فانطلق لحاجته، فرأينا حمرة معها فرخان، فأخذنا فرخيها، فجاءت الحمرة فجعلت تعرش فجاء النبي ﷺ فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏من فجع هذه بولدها‏؟‏ ردوا ولدها إليها‏"‏ ورأى قرية نمل قد حرقناها، فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏من حرق هذه‏؟‏‏"‏ قلنا‏:‏ نحن‏.‏ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏إنه لا ينبغي أن يعذِّب بالنار إلا رب النار‏"‏‏.‏ قوله‏:‏ ‏ ‏قرية نمل‏ ‏ معناه‏:‏ موضع النمل مع النمل.‏

Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in a journey when he drew apart (to relieve nature). In his absence, we saw a red bird which had two young ones with it. We caught them and the red mother bird came, beating the earth with its wings. In the meantime the Prophet (ﷺ) returned and said, "Who has put this bird to distress on account of its young? Return them to her." He (ﷺ) also noticed a mound of ants which we had burnt up. He asked, "Who has set fire to this?" We replied: "We have done so." He (ﷺ) said, "None can chastise with fire except the Rubb of the fire." [Abu Dawud]. Riyad as-Salihin 1610. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1610

It is astonishing to find an ecosystem that respects coexistence with other creations and makes it a great lifestyle. Imagine that all of us react with mercy towards animals as shown above, do you think that we will have issues with the surrounding environment? Let us dream that human beings are dealing with other humans in the way described above, do you think we will have wars and complete destruction to countries and belongings as we have seen nowadays? The world is rapidly moving towards injustice. It is unfortunate to behave contrary to Allah’s goals of our creation. If we only implement the character of mercy towards humans, animals, and others, we would have been living a better life than ours right now.

Rights of Animals

Animals, as coexisting creation to humans, have rights and responsibilities in this life. Their responsibilities are always fulfilled as they tirelessly benefit humans in all aspects of life. However, their rights are usually disrespected by humans. Few of these rights are described as follows:

1-    Animals should not be used as a target when humans are trained on shooting:

وَعَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَعَنَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ شَيْئًا فِيهِ الرُّوحُ غَرَضًا. مُتَّفق عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

He told that the Prophet cursed those who used a living creature as a target. (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4075

عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، قَالَ دَخَلْتُ مَعَ أَنَسٍ عَلَى الْحَكَمِ بْنِ أَيُّوبَ فَرَأَى فِتْيَانًا أَوْ غِلْمَانًا قَدْ نَصَبُوا دَجَاجَةً يَرْمُونَهَا فَقَالَ أَنَسٌ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ تُصْبَرَ الْبَهَائِمُ ‏.‏ صحيح (الألباني)

Narrated Hisham b. Zaid: I entered upon al-Hakam b. Ayyub along with Anas. He saw some youths or boys who had set up a hen and shooting at it. Anas said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade to kill an animal in confinement. Sahih (Al-Albani). Sunan Abi Dawud 2816. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2816

عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ ابْنِ عُمَرَ فَمَرُّوا بِفِتْيَةٍ أَوْ بِنَفَرٍ نَصَبُوا دَجَاجَةً يَرْمُونَهَا، فَلَمَّا رَأَوُا ابْنَ عُمَرَ تَفَرَّقُوا عَنْهَا، وَقَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ مَنْ فَعَلَ هَذَا إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَعَنَ مَنْ فَعَلَ هَذَا‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمِنْهَالُ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، لَعَنَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَنْ مَثَّلَ بِالْحَيَوَانِ‏.‏ وَقَالَ عَدِيٌّ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ ‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated Sa`id bin Jubair: While I was with Ibn `Umar, we passed by a group of young men who had tied a hen and started shooting at it. When they saw Ibn `Umar, they dispersed, leaving it. On that Ibn `Umar said, "Who has done this? The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed the one who did so." Narrated Ibn `Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed the one who did Muthla to an animal (i e., cut its limbs or some other part of its body while it is still alive). Sahih al-Bukhari 5515 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5515

2-    We should not kill birds or animals for no just reason, such as eating, etc:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَا مِنْ إِنْسَانٍ قَتَلَ عُصْفُورًا فَمَا فَوْقَهَا بِغَيْرِ حَقِّهَا إِلاَّ سَأَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا حَقُّهَا قَالَ ‏"‏ يَذْبَحُهَا فَيَأْكُلُهَا وَلاَ يَقْطَعُ رَأْسَهَا يَرْمِي بِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ النسائى

It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin 'Amr that the Messenger of Allah said: "There is no person who kills a small bird or anything larger for no just reason, but Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, will ask him about it." It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, what does just reason;' mean?" Her said: "That you slaughter it and eat it, and do not cut off its head and throw it aside." Sunan an-Nasa'i 4349 https://sunnah.com/nasai:4349

3-    Animals are creations with spirit that have desires and feelings. We should respect their desires to eat, feelings to get rest, etc:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ "‏ إِذَا سَافَرْتُمْ فِي الْخِصْبِ فَأَعْطُوا الإِبِلَ حَظَّهَا مِنَ الأَرْضِ وَإِذَا سَافَرْتُمْ فِي السَّنَةِ فَأَسْرِعُوا عَلَيْهَا السَّيْرَ وَإِذَا عَرَّسْتُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ فَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّرِيقَ فَإِنَّهَا مَأْوَى الْهَوَامِّ بِاللَّيْلِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ مسلم

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When you journey through a fertile land, you should (go slow and) give the camels a chance to graze in the land. When you travel In an arid (land) where there is scarcity of vegetation, you should quicken their pace (lest your camels grow feeble and emaciated for lack of fodder). When you halt for the night, avoid (pitching your tent on) the road, for it is the abode of noxious little animals at night. Sahih Muslim 1926a https://sunnah.com/muslim:1926a

4-    We do not insult animals as follows:

وَعَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «لَا تَسُبُّوا الدِّيكَ فَإِنَّهُ يُوقِظُ للصلاةِ» . رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد صَحِيحٌ (الألباني)

He reported God’s messenger as saying, "Do not revile a cock, for it wakens people for prayer." Abu Dawud transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4136

5-    We should provide food and water to animals. For example, Ade Ibn Hatem was breaking bread for ants to eat. He was always saying, ants are our neighbors with all neighbor rights.

6-    Imam Abu Ishaq Sherazi was walking one day, then, a dog intersected his way. His companions have tried to push the dog away, but Abu Ishaq refused and said: the road is shared between us and these animals.

Fairness to Animals

Fairness to animals is another great character that humans should practice. Animals have limited ability and get tired from overloads. They are not stones, which can carry unlimited loads without failure. They are living creature with emotions, capabilities, and desires. There are large number of narrations that urge us to be fair to animals and show how animals express their emotions as follows:

وعن أبي جعفر عبد الله بن جعفر، رضي الله عنهما، قال‏:‏ أردفني رسول الله ﷺ ، ذات يوم خلفه، وأسر إلي حديثاً لا أحدث به أحداً من الناس وكان أحب ما أستتر به رسول الله ﷺ لحاجته هدف أو حائش نخل‏.‏ يعنى‏:‏ حائط نخل‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه هكذا مختصراً‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ وزاد فيه البرقاني بإسناد مسلم بعد قوله‏:‏ حائش نخل‏:‏ فدخل حائطاً لرجل من الأنصار، فإذا فيه جمل، فلما رأي رسول الله ﷺ جرجر وذرفت عيناه، فأتاه النبي ﷺ ، فمسح سراته -أى‏:‏ سنامه- وذفراه فسكن؛ فقال‏:‏ ‏ ‏من رب هذا الجمل، لمن هذا الجمل‏؟‏‏ ‏ فجاء فتى من الأنصار، فقال‏:‏ هذا لي يا رسول الله، فقال‏:‏ ‏ ‏أفلا تتقي الله في هذه البهيمة التي ملكك الله إياها‏؟‏ فإنه يشكو إلي أنك تجيعه وتدئبه‏ ‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه أبو داود كرواية البرقاني‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ قوله‏:‏ ‏ ‏ذفراه‏ ‏ وهو بكسر الذال المعجمة وإسكان الفاء، وهو لفظ مفرد مؤنث‏.‏ قال أهل اللغة‏:‏ الذفري‏:‏ الموضع الذي يعرق من البعير خلف الأذن، وقوله‏:‏ ‏ ‏تذئبه‏ ‏ أي‏:‏ تتعبه‏.‏

Abu Ja'far 'Abdullah bin Ja'far (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made me ride behind him one day and confided something to me which I shall never disclose to anyone. ('Abdullah added:) He ((ﷺ) preferred to screen himself from others when responding to the call of nature, either behind a wall or the trunk of a date-palm. [Muslim].

Al-Barqani added: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered an orchid belonging to an Ansari and saw there a camel. When it saw him, it began to groan and its eyes shed tears. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) approached it and patted it on the hump and the base of its head until it quieted down. Then he (ﷺ) asked, "Who is the owner of this camel? To whom does it belong?" An Ansari youth stepped forward and said: "It is mine O Messenger of Allah!" He said, "Do you not fear Allah in respect of this beast which Allah has placed in your possession? This camel is complaining to me that you starve it and put it to toil." [Abu Dawud]. Riyad as-Salihin 967 https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:967 and Sunan Abi Dawud 2549. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2549.

In the above narration, animals have emotions to express and maximum ability to carry staff. We should not neglect their feelings as it will fire back on us in both lives (i.e., life and the Hereafter) and vice versa. We should be fair to animals, particularly, when they do not harm human beings. We should feed them well and carry reasonable loads on them. Also, we should not brand them on their faces as shown in the following narration:

وَعَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ حِمَارٌ وَقَدْ وُسِمَ فِي وَجْهِهِ قَالَ: «لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي وَسَمَهُ» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ صَحِيح (الألباني)

He reported the Prophet as saying when an ass which had been branded on its face passed him, “God curse the one who branded it!” Muslim transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4078

We should also not use the animals as pulpits since they have not been created for this purpose as shown below:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِيَّاكُمْ أَنْ تَتَّخِذُوا ظُهُورَ دَوَابِّكُمْ مَنَابِرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ إِنَّمَا سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُبَلِّغَكُمْ إِلَى بَلَدٍ لَمْ تَكُونُوا بَالِغِيهِ إِلاَّ بِشِقِّ الأَنْفُسِ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ فَعَلَيْهَا فَاقْضُوا حَاجَتَكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ صحيح (الألباني)

Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet(ﷺ) as saying “Do not treat the backs of your beasts as pulpits, for Allaah has made them subject to you only to convey you to a town which you cannot reach without difficulty and He has appointed the earth (a floor to work) for you, so conduct your business on it. Sahih (Al-Albani), Sunan Abi Dawud 2567. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2567

Scholars always recommend fairness to animals by respecting their purpose of life and capabilities. For example, cows are created to give milk and help in other aspects not to carry heavy loads. Therefore, we should not ride or carry heavy loads on cows. On the contrary, horses and donkeys are created to carry loads and travel long distances. Consequently, the system of Allah (SWT) has prohibited carrying heavy loads on animals that cannot carry. The Prophet’s companions have realized the consequences of such actions (i.e., carrying overload or hurting the animal’s feelings) in the Day of Judgement. Abu Aldardaa, upon his camel’s death, said to the camel: “O’ animal, do not stand against me before Allah (SWT) in the Day of Judgement as I never overloaded you.” Hence, fairness to animals is a good character that greatly benefit us in the Day of Judgement.

Kindness or Compassion to Animals

The character of being kind and compassion to animals is ordered and recommended by Allah (SWT) and His messenger (SAS). This is clear in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ، مَوْلَى سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَعْدَانَ، يَرْفَعُهُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ وَيَرْضَى بِهِ وَيُعِينُ عَلَيْهِ مَا لاَ يُعِينُ عَلَى الْعُنْفِ فَإِذَا رَكِبْتُمْ هَذِهِ الدَّوَابَّ الْعُجْمَ فَأَنْزِلُوهَا مَنَازِلَهَا فَإِنْ كَانَتِ الأَرْضُ جَدْبَةً فَانْجُوا عَلَيْهَا بِنِقْيِهَا وَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسَيْرِ اللَّيْلِ فَإِنَّ الأَرْضَ تُطْوَى بِاللَّيْلِ مَا لاَ تُطْوَى بِالنَّهَارِ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالتَّعْرِيسَ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ فَإِنَّهَا طُرُقُ الدَّوَابِّ وَمَأْوَى الْحَيَّاتِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ موطئ مالك

Malik related to me from Abu Ubayd, the mawla of Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik from Khalid ibn Madan who attributed it to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Allah, the Blessed and Exalted is kind and loves kindness. He is pleased with it and helps you with it as long as it is not misplaced. When you ride dumb beasts, stop them in their stopping places, and quicken their pace when the land is barren. Travel by night, because the land is travelled faster at night than it is during the day. Beware of pitching tents on the road, for it is the path of animals and the abode of snakes." https://sunnah.com/malik/54/39

Allah (SWT) is kind and likes kindness of human beings to others including animals. Kindness is always a great action that is well received by others as shown in the following narration:

سَمِعْتُ عَائِشَةَ تَقُولُ‏:‏ كُنْتُ عَلَى بَعِيرٍ فِيهِ صُعُوبَةٌ، فَجَعَلْتُ أَضْرِبُهُ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ‏:‏ عَلَيْكِ بِالرِّفْقِ، فَإِنَّ الرِّفْقَ لاَ يَكُونُ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ زَانَهُ، وَلاَ يُنْزَعُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلا شَانَهُ‏.‏ صـحـيـح (الألباني)

'A'isha said, "I was on a camel that was somewhat intractable and I began to beat it. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'You must be compassionate. Whenever there is compassion in something, it adorns it, and whenever it is removed from something it disgraces it." Sahih (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/adab/27/14

We can see how kindness has been practiced by the Prophet (SAS) with animals and his argument against unjust human actions as shown in the following narration:

وَعَن سهلِ بنِ الحَنظلِيَّةِ قَالَ: مَرَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِبَعِيرٍ قَدْ لَحِقَ ظَهْرُهُ بِبَطْنِهِ فَقَالَ: «اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِي هَذِهِ الْبَهَائِمِ الْمُعْجَمَةِ فَارْكَبُوهَا صَالِحَة واترُكوها صَالِحَة» . رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد صَحِيح (الألباني)

Sahl b. al-Hanzaliya told of God’s Messenger coming upon an emaciated camel and saying, “Fear God regarding these dumb animals. Ride them when they are in good condition and let them free when they are in good condition.” Abu Dawud transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3370

Perfection is what Allah (SWT) requires from us in all matters even in slaughtering animals. As a condition of perfection, it is recommended to sharpen your blade away from and comfortably or quietly deal with the animal you slaughter. How great the system is when it takes care of all minor details to ensure kindness to others, including animals, as shown below:

عَنْ أَبِي يَعْلَى شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: "إنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ، وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذِّبْحَةَ، وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ، وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ". [رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ].

On the authority of Abu Ya’la Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Verily Allah has prescribed ihsan (proficiency, perfection) in all things. So if you kill then kill well; and if you slaughter, then slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.” [Muslim] https://sunnah.com/nawawi40:17

Conclusion

If you carefully look at the system of Allah (SWT), represented by Islamic characters, you will discover a comprehensive system that is unlike any existing human made systems on earth. Such a system draws the relationship between humans and their creator as well as other creatures, i.e., animals. In this article, we explored how humans should be merciful, fair, and kind to animals. We also discussed the coexistence rights of animals on human beings. Animals should co-survive with humans on earth based on mutual benefits and respect. Human beings should be just to animals so that they please Allah (SWT) and achieve the purpose of their creation. It becomes paramount for a successful civilization to center around justice towards all beings including humans and animals.

Recommendation

It is recommended to be just, fair, kind, and merciful to animals. However, not all animals deserve such kindness. The following ones are not welcomed by humans:

1-    Harmful animals to human beings are not welcomed:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ "‏ خَمْسُ فَوَاسِقَ يُقْتَلْنَ فِي الْحِلِّ وَالْحَرَمِ الْغُرَابُ وَالْحِدَأَةُ وَالْكَلْبُ الْعَقُورُ وَالْعَقْرَبُ وَالْفَأْرَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ سنن النسا ئى

It was narrated from Aishah that the Messenger of Allah said: "There are five kinds of vermin which may be killed out and inside the Haram: Crows, kites, vicious dogs, scorpions and mice." Sahih, Sunan an-Nasa'i 2881, https://sunnah.com/nasai:2881

2-    Dogs can benefit human beings in different ways. Those, which are used to hunt and guard farms or sheep, are permitted for humans to keep outside their houses. Others are not permitted as follows:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «من اتَّخَذَ كَلْبًا إِلَّا كَلْبَ مَاشِيَةٍ أَوْ صَيْدٍ أَو زرعٍ انتقَصَ منْ أجرِه كلَّ يومٍ قِيرَاط» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "If anyone gets a dog, except a sheepdog or a hunting dog or a farm dog, a qirat of his reward will be deducted daily." (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4099

1i: Justice to Animals

Overview

For human beings, as individuals, communities, and countries, equality and fairness in rights should be practiced without discrimination based on race, gender, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or wealth (https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/justice.htm). Justice is the character of giving others, including opponents and supporters, equal treatment and what they deserve. It is the comprehensive system of fairness in all aspects of life with all beings. It indicates fairness to humans, animals, plants, and other creatures in the universe. In the previous article, I have explored the characteristics of justice towards human beings in several life aspects. In the present article, I will explore the different aspects of justice to animals as coexist beings on earth. Relying on the divine guidance of Allah (SWT) and the Prophet (SAS), I will explain the relationship between humans and animals. The article will also discuss the coexistence rights of animals on human being and how humans should be merciful, fair, and kind to animals. These characters are supported by the divine evidence discussed in the following sections.

Relationship between Humans and Animals

Animals are created to coexist with and benefit human beings on earth. They have been created to serve humans in several ways as listed in the following verse:

وَالْأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا ۗ لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ (5) وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا جَمَالٌ حِينَ تُرِيحُونَ وَحِينَ تَسْرَحُونَ (6) وَتَحْمِلُ أَثْقَالَكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ لَّمْ تَكُونُوا بَالِغِيهِ إِلَّا بِشِقِّ الْأَنفُسِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ (7) وَالْخَيْلَ وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً ۚ وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (8) النحل

Chapter Al-Nahl (5) And the grazing livestock He has created for you; in them is warmth and [numerous] benefits, and from them you eat. (6) And for you in them is [the enjoyment of] beauty when you bring them in [for the evening] and when you send them out [to pasture]. (7) And they carry your loads to a land you could not have reached except with difficulty to yourselves. Indeed, your Lord is Kind and Merciful. (8) And [He created] the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and [as] adornment. And He creates that which you do not know. https://quran.com/16/5-8

Human beings benefit from animals while they are alive or dead. For example, animals provide food (i.e., milk), warmth, good looking (i.e., beauty), decoration, and carry out our heavy staff. They tirelessly help human beings in all aspects of life. After their death, they provide us with meat, hairs, bones, and leather, which are used in many of our daily needs and activities, i.e., food, clothes, and furniture. Therefore, human beings should kindly deal with animals as recommended by the Prophet (SAS) in the following narration:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، يَبْلُغُ بِهِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ ‏ "‏ الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ ارْحَمُوا أَهْلَ الأَرْضِ يَرْحَمْكُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ لَمْ يَقُلْ مُسَدَّدٌ مَوْلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو وَقَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ‏.‏ صحيح (الألباني)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The Compassionate One has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you. Musaddad did not say: The client of 'Adb Allah b. 'Amr. He said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said. Sahih (Al-Albani). Sunan Abi Dawud 4941 https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4941

Kind actions towards animals are very much appreciated by Allah (SWT) as explained by the Prophet (SAS) in the following narration:

وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَغْرِسُ غَرْسًا أَوْ يَزْرَعُ زَرْعًا فَيَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ إِنْسَانٌ أَوْ طَيْرٌ أَوْ بَهِيمَةٌ إِلَّا كَانَت لَهُ صَدَقَة»وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ: «وَمَا سُرِقَ مِنْهُ لَهُ صَدَقَة» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ, صَحِيح (الألباني)

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “If any Muslim plants something or sows seed from which man, bird, or beast eats, it counts as sadaqa (charity) for him.” (Bukhari and Muslim.). In a version by Muslim from Jabir it says that what is stolen from it counts as sadaqa (charity) for him. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:1900

The above narration encourages human beings to be very helpful to other coexisting creations on earth. It is considered a charity if you plant something that benefit all creations including human beings, birds, and animals. We should be good givers not only takers. We should take care of animals if we like to benefit from them. Therefore, the relationship between animals and human beings are based on mutual benefits. This relationship should be respected by humans and be just with animals.

Mercy to Animals

Mercy is a great character that is necessary towards all other creations including animals. The system of Allah (SWT) on earth is designed based on this central character. Human beings should maintain such character in their dealings as depicted in many narrations. For example, Allah (SWT) will be merciful with those who are merciful to animals as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ قَالَ‏:‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ‏:‏ مَنْ رَحِمَ وَلَوْ ذَبِيحَةً، رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ‏.‏ حـسـن (الألباني)

Abu Umama that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who shows mercy, even to an animal meant for slaughtering, will be shown mercy by Allah on the Day of Rising." Hasan (Al-Albani) https://sunnah.com/adab:381

عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ قُرَّةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ‏:‏ قَالَ رَجُلٌ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنِّي لَأَذْبَحُ الشَّاةَ فَأَرْحَمُهَا، أَوْ قَالَ‏:‏ إِنِّي لَأَرْحَمُ الشَّاةَ أَنْ أَذْبَحَهَا، قَالَ‏:‏ وَالشَّاةُ إِنْ رَحِمْتَهَا، رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ‏.‏ صـحـيـح (الألباني)

Mu'awiya ibn Qurra reported that his father said, "A man said, 'Messenger of Allah, I was going to slaughter a sheep and then I felt sorry for it (or 'sorry for the sheep I was going to slaughter').' He said twice, 'Since you showed mercy to the sheep, Allah will show mercy to you.'" Sahih (Al-Albani) https://sunnah.com/adab:373

Look at the utmost mercy of Allah (SWT) towards a sinful woman who was merciful to a dog, which was almost dying from thirsty as follows:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «غُفِرَ لِامْرَأَةٍ مُومِسَةٍ مَرَّتْ بِكَلْبٍ عَلَى رَأْسِ رَكِيٍّ يَلْهَثُ كَادَ يَقْتُلُهُ الْعَطَشُ فَنَزَعَتْ خُفَّهَا فَأَوْثَقَتْهُ بِخِمَارِهَا فَنَزَعَتْ لَهُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ فَغُفِرَ لَهَا بِذَلِكَ» . قِيلَ: إِنَّ لَنَا فِي الْبَهَائِمِ أَجْرًا؟ قَالَ: «فِي كُلِّ ذَاتِ كبد رطبَة أجر» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “Forgiveness was granted to an unchaste woman who coming upon a dog panting and almost dead with thirst at the mouth of a well, took off her shoe, tied it with her head-covering, and drew some water for it. On that account she was forgiven.” He was asked whether people received a reward for what they did to animals, and replied, “A reward is given in connection with every living creature.” (Bukhari and Muslim.). * Literally, everything possessed of a moist liver. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:1902

This woman was supposed to be punished by Allah (SWT) due to her bad actions in life. However, only one action saved her from hellfire, i.e., being merciful to such a dog. This minor action, which is nothing compared to her sins towards Allah (SWT), was the source of granting her Allah’s forgiveness. Similar action was also reported in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ "‏ بَيْنَمَا كَلْبٌ يُطِيفُ بِرَكِيَّةٍ كَادَ يَقْتُلُهُ الْعَطَشُ، إِذْ رَأَتْهُ بَغِيٌّ مِنْ بَغَايَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَنَزَعَتْ مُوقَهَا فَسَقَتْهُ، فَغُفِرَ لَهَا بِهِ ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "While a dog was going round a well and was about to die of thirst, an Israeli prostitute saw it and took off her shoe and watered it. So Allah forgave her because of that good deed." Sahih al-Bukhari 3467. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3467

Similarly, a man has also been forgiven by Allah (SWT) due to his attitude towards a dying dog from thirsty. The appreciation from Allah (SWT) was extremely great to the extent He (SWT) has forgiven the man’s sins in life for only one action towards such a dog. Is not this amazing to be merciful to animals and getting your sins forgiven? The companions have continued asking the Prophet (SAS): Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals?" He (ﷺ) said, "A reward is given in connection with being merciful to every living creature, as shown below:

العاشر‏:‏ عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏"‏ بينما رجل يمشى بطريق اشتد عليه العطش، فوجد بئراً فنزل فيها فشرب، ثم خرج فإذا كلب يلهث يأكل الثرى من العطش، فقال الرجل‏:‏ لقد بلغ هذا الكلب من العطش مثل الذي كان قد بلغ منى، فنزل البئر فملأ خفه ماء ثم أمسكه بفيه، حتى رقي فسقى الكلب، فشكر الله له فغفر له‏"‏ قالوا ‏:‏ يارسول الله إن لنا في البهائم أجراً‏؟‏ فقال‏:‏ في كل كبدٍ رطبة أجر‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "While a man was walking on his way he became extremely thirsty. He found a well, he went down into it to drink water. Upon leaving it, he saw a dog which was panting out of thirst. His tongue was lolling out and he was eating moist earth from extreme thirst. The man thought to himself: 'This dog is extremely thirsty as I was.' So he descended into the well, filled up his leather sock with water, and holding it in his teeth, climbed up and quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah appreciated his action and forgave his sins". The Companions asked: "Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals also?" He (ﷺ) said, "A reward is given in connection with every living creature". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:126 . In the narration of Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have said: "Allah forgave him in appreciation of this act and admitted him to Jannah".

On the contrary, a woman will be punished by Hellfire due to her action against a cat when she has prisoned the cat until it has died due to shortage of food and water as follows:

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏عذبت امرأة في هِرة حبستها حتى ماتت، فدخلت فيها النار، لا هي أطعمتها وسقتها، إذ هي حبستها، ولا هي تركتها تأكل من خشاش الأرض‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ ((خشاش الأرض)) يفتح الخاء المعجمة وبالشين المعجمة المكررة، وهي: هوامها وحشراتها.

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A woman was punished in Hell because of a cat which she had confined until it died. She did not give it to eat or to drink when it was confined, nor did she free it so that it might eat the vermin of the earth." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1600

This minor action against one cat might not be taken seriously from human beings; however, it is big in the sight of Allah (SWT). Due to this action, the woman will be granted Hellfire in the day of judgement. Animals have rights on human beings that should be respected. The woman put the cat in a cage, then, she should have brought food and water otherwise, let the cat go outside to look for food and water. This is the minimum care towards animals that help us in our daily life activities. We should not be harsh to them at all. We should respect their coexistence with us on earth. Look at the following utmost mercy in the heart of a Muslim who should respect other creations of Allah (SWT):

وعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ كنا مع رسول الله ﷺ في سفر، فانطلق لحاجته، فرأينا حمرة معها فرخان، فأخذنا فرخيها، فجاءت الحمرة فجعلت تعرش فجاء النبي ﷺ فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏من فجع هذه بولدها‏؟‏ ردوا ولدها إليها‏"‏ ورأى قرية نمل قد حرقناها، فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏من حرق هذه‏؟‏‏"‏ قلنا‏:‏ نحن‏.‏ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏إنه لا ينبغي أن يعذِّب بالنار إلا رب النار‏"‏‏.‏ قوله‏:‏ ‏ ‏قرية نمل‏ ‏ معناه‏:‏ موضع النمل مع النمل.‏

Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in a journey when he drew apart (to relieve nature). In his absence, we saw a red bird which had two young ones with it. We caught them and the red mother bird came, beating the earth with its wings. In the meantime the Prophet (ﷺ) returned and said, "Who has put this bird to distress on account of its young? Return them to her." He (ﷺ) also noticed a mound of ants which we had burnt up. He asked, "Who has set fire to this?" We replied: "We have done so." He (ﷺ) said, "None can chastise with fire except the Rubb of the fire." [Abu Dawud]. Riyad as-Salihin 1610. https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1610

It is astonishing to find an ecosystem that respects coexistence with other creations and makes it a great lifestyle. Imagine that all of us react with mercy towards animals as shown above, do you think that we will have issues with the surrounding environment? Let us dream that human beings are dealing with other humans in the way described above, do you think we will have wars and complete destruction to countries and belongings as we have seen nowadays? The world is rapidly moving towards injustice. It is unfortunate to behave contrary to Allah’s goals of our creation. If we only implement the character of mercy towards humans, animals, and others, we would have been living a better life than ours right now.

Rights of Animals

Animals, as coexisting creation to humans, have rights and responsibilities in this life. Their responsibilities are always fulfilled as they tirelessly benefit humans in all aspects of life. However, their rights are usually disrespected by humans. Few of these rights are described as follows:

1-    Animals should not be used as a target when humans are trained on shooting:

وَعَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَعَنَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ شَيْئًا فِيهِ الرُّوحُ غَرَضًا. مُتَّفق عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

He told that the Prophet cursed those who used a living creature as a target. (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4075

عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، قَالَ دَخَلْتُ مَعَ أَنَسٍ عَلَى الْحَكَمِ بْنِ أَيُّوبَ فَرَأَى فِتْيَانًا أَوْ غِلْمَانًا قَدْ نَصَبُوا دَجَاجَةً يَرْمُونَهَا فَقَالَ أَنَسٌ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ تُصْبَرَ الْبَهَائِمُ ‏.‏ صحيح (الألباني)

Narrated Hisham b. Zaid: I entered upon al-Hakam b. Ayyub along with Anas. He saw some youths or boys who had set up a hen and shooting at it. Anas said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade to kill an animal in confinement. Sahih (Al-Albani). Sunan Abi Dawud 2816. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2816

عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ ابْنِ عُمَرَ فَمَرُّوا بِفِتْيَةٍ أَوْ بِنَفَرٍ نَصَبُوا دَجَاجَةً يَرْمُونَهَا، فَلَمَّا رَأَوُا ابْنَ عُمَرَ تَفَرَّقُوا عَنْهَا، وَقَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ مَنْ فَعَلَ هَذَا إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَعَنَ مَنْ فَعَلَ هَذَا‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمِنْهَالُ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، لَعَنَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَنْ مَثَّلَ بِالْحَيَوَانِ‏.‏ وَقَالَ عَدِيٌّ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ ‏.‏ البخارى

Narrated Sa`id bin Jubair: While I was with Ibn `Umar, we passed by a group of young men who had tied a hen and started shooting at it. When they saw Ibn `Umar, they dispersed, leaving it. On that Ibn `Umar said, "Who has done this? The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed the one who did so." Narrated Ibn `Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed the one who did Muthla to an animal (i e., cut its limbs or some other part of its body while it is still alive). Sahih al-Bukhari 5515 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5515

2-    We should not kill birds or animals for no just reason, such as eating, etc:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَا مِنْ إِنْسَانٍ قَتَلَ عُصْفُورًا فَمَا فَوْقَهَا بِغَيْرِ حَقِّهَا إِلاَّ سَأَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا حَقُّهَا قَالَ ‏"‏ يَذْبَحُهَا فَيَأْكُلُهَا وَلاَ يَقْطَعُ رَأْسَهَا يَرْمِي بِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ النسائى

It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin 'Amr that the Messenger of Allah said: "There is no person who kills a small bird or anything larger for no just reason, but Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, will ask him about it." It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, what does just reason;' mean?" Her said: "That you slaughter it and eat it, and do not cut off its head and throw it aside." Sunan an-Nasa'i 4349 https://sunnah.com/nasai:4349

3-    Animals are creations with spirit that have desires and feelings. We should respect their desires to eat, feelings to get rest, etc:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ "‏ إِذَا سَافَرْتُمْ فِي الْخِصْبِ فَأَعْطُوا الإِبِلَ حَظَّهَا مِنَ الأَرْضِ وَإِذَا سَافَرْتُمْ فِي السَّنَةِ فَأَسْرِعُوا عَلَيْهَا السَّيْرَ وَإِذَا عَرَّسْتُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ فَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّرِيقَ فَإِنَّهَا مَأْوَى الْهَوَامِّ بِاللَّيْلِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ مسلم

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When you journey through a fertile land, you should (go slow and) give the camels a chance to graze in the land. When you travel In an arid (land) where there is scarcity of vegetation, you should quicken their pace (lest your camels grow feeble and emaciated for lack of fodder). When you halt for the night, avoid (pitching your tent on) the road, for it is the abode of noxious little animals at night. Sahih Muslim 1926a https://sunnah.com/muslim:1926a

4-    We do not insult animals as follows:

وَعَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «لَا تَسُبُّوا الدِّيكَ فَإِنَّهُ يُوقِظُ للصلاةِ» . رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد صَحِيحٌ (الألباني)

He reported God’s messenger as saying, "Do not revile a cock, for it wakens people for prayer." Abu Dawud transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4136

5-    We should provide food and water to animals. For example, Ade Ibn Hatem was breaking bread for ants to eat. He was always saying, ants are our neighbors with all neighbor rights.

6-    Imam Abu Ishaq Sherazi was walking one day, then, a dog intersected his way. His companions have tried to push the dog away, but Abu Ishaq refused and said: the road is shared between us and these animals.

Fairness to Animals

Fairness to animals is another great character that humans should practice. Animals have limited ability and get tired from overloads. They are not stones, which can carry unlimited loads without failure. They are living creature with emotions, capabilities, and desires. There are large number of narrations that urge us to be fair to animals and show how animals express their emotions as follows:

وعن أبي جعفر عبد الله بن جعفر، رضي الله عنهما، قال‏:‏ أردفني رسول الله ﷺ ، ذات يوم خلفه، وأسر إلي حديثاً لا أحدث به أحداً من الناس وكان أحب ما أستتر به رسول الله ﷺ لحاجته هدف أو حائش نخل‏.‏ يعنى‏:‏ حائط نخل‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه هكذا مختصراً‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ وزاد فيه البرقاني بإسناد مسلم بعد قوله‏:‏ حائش نخل‏:‏ فدخل حائطاً لرجل من الأنصار، فإذا فيه جمل، فلما رأي رسول الله ﷺ جرجر وذرفت عيناه، فأتاه النبي ﷺ ، فمسح سراته -أى‏:‏ سنامه- وذفراه فسكن؛ فقال‏:‏ ‏ ‏من رب هذا الجمل، لمن هذا الجمل‏؟‏‏ ‏ فجاء فتى من الأنصار، فقال‏:‏ هذا لي يا رسول الله، فقال‏:‏ ‏ ‏أفلا تتقي الله في هذه البهيمة التي ملكك الله إياها‏؟‏ فإنه يشكو إلي أنك تجيعه وتدئبه‏ ‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه أبو داود كرواية البرقاني‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ قوله‏:‏ ‏ ‏ذفراه‏ ‏ وهو بكسر الذال المعجمة وإسكان الفاء، وهو لفظ مفرد مؤنث‏.‏ قال أهل اللغة‏:‏ الذفري‏:‏ الموضع الذي يعرق من البعير خلف الأذن، وقوله‏:‏ ‏ ‏تذئبه‏ ‏ أي‏:‏ تتعبه‏.‏

Abu Ja'far 'Abdullah bin Ja'far (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made me ride behind him one day and confided something to me which I shall never disclose to anyone. ('Abdullah added:) He ((ﷺ) preferred to screen himself from others when responding to the call of nature, either behind a wall or the trunk of a date-palm. [Muslim].

Al-Barqani added: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered an orchid belonging to an Ansari and saw there a camel. When it saw him, it began to groan and its eyes shed tears. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) approached it and patted it on the hump and the base of its head until it quieted down. Then he (ﷺ) asked, "Who is the owner of this camel? To whom does it belong?" An Ansari youth stepped forward and said: "It is mine O Messenger of Allah!" He said, "Do you not fear Allah in respect of this beast which Allah has placed in your possession? This camel is complaining to me that you starve it and put it to toil." [Abu Dawud]. Riyad as-Salihin 967 https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:967 and Sunan Abi Dawud 2549. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2549.

In the above narration, animals have emotions to express and maximum ability to carry staff. We should not neglect their feelings as it will fire back on us in both lives (i.e., life and the Hereafter) and vice versa. We should be fair to animals, particularly, when they do not harm human beings. We should feed them well and carry reasonable loads on them. Also, we should not brand them on their faces as shown in the following narration:

وَعَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ حِمَارٌ وَقَدْ وُسِمَ فِي وَجْهِهِ قَالَ: «لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي وَسَمَهُ» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ صَحِيح (الألباني)

He reported the Prophet as saying when an ass which had been branded on its face passed him, “God curse the one who branded it!” Muslim transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4078

We should also not use the animals as pulpits since they have not been created for this purpose as shown below:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِيَّاكُمْ أَنْ تَتَّخِذُوا ظُهُورَ دَوَابِّكُمْ مَنَابِرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ إِنَّمَا سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُبَلِّغَكُمْ إِلَى بَلَدٍ لَمْ تَكُونُوا بَالِغِيهِ إِلاَّ بِشِقِّ الأَنْفُسِ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ فَعَلَيْهَا فَاقْضُوا حَاجَتَكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ صحيح (الألباني)

Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet(ﷺ) as saying “Do not treat the backs of your beasts as pulpits, for Allaah has made them subject to you only to convey you to a town which you cannot reach without difficulty and He has appointed the earth (a floor to work) for you, so conduct your business on it. Sahih (Al-Albani), Sunan Abi Dawud 2567. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2567

Scholars always recommend fairness to animals by respecting their purpose of life and capabilities. For example, cows are created to give milk and help in other aspects not to carry heavy loads. Therefore, we should not ride or carry heavy loads on cows. On the contrary, horses and donkeys are created to carry loads and travel long distances. Consequently, the system of Allah (SWT) has prohibited carrying heavy loads on animals that cannot carry. The Prophet’s companions have realized the consequences of such actions (i.e., carrying overload or hurting the animal’s feelings) in the Day of Judgement. Abu Aldardaa, upon his camel’s death, said to the camel: “O’ animal, do not stand against me before Allah (SWT) in the Day of Judgement as I never overloaded you.” Hence, fairness to animals is a good character that greatly benefit us in the Day of Judgement.

Kindness or Compassion to Animals

The character of being kind and compassion to animals is ordered and recommended by Allah (SWT) and His messenger (SAS). This is clear in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ، مَوْلَى سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَعْدَانَ، يَرْفَعُهُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ وَيَرْضَى بِهِ وَيُعِينُ عَلَيْهِ مَا لاَ يُعِينُ عَلَى الْعُنْفِ فَإِذَا رَكِبْتُمْ هَذِهِ الدَّوَابَّ الْعُجْمَ فَأَنْزِلُوهَا مَنَازِلَهَا فَإِنْ كَانَتِ الأَرْضُ جَدْبَةً فَانْجُوا عَلَيْهَا بِنِقْيِهَا وَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسَيْرِ اللَّيْلِ فَإِنَّ الأَرْضَ تُطْوَى بِاللَّيْلِ مَا لاَ تُطْوَى بِالنَّهَارِ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالتَّعْرِيسَ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ فَإِنَّهَا طُرُقُ الدَّوَابِّ وَمَأْوَى الْحَيَّاتِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ موطئ مالك

Malik related to me from Abu Ubayd, the mawla of Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik from Khalid ibn Madan who attributed it to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Allah, the Blessed and Exalted is kind and loves kindness. He is pleased with it and helps you with it as long as it is not misplaced. When you ride dumb beasts, stop them in their stopping places, and quicken their pace when the land is barren. Travel by night, because the land is travelled faster at night than it is during the day. Beware of pitching tents on the road, for it is the path of animals and the abode of snakes." https://sunnah.com/malik/54/39

Allah (SWT) is kind and likes kindness of human beings to others including animals. Kindness is always a great action that is well received by others as shown in the following narration:

سَمِعْتُ عَائِشَةَ تَقُولُ‏:‏ كُنْتُ عَلَى بَعِيرٍ فِيهِ صُعُوبَةٌ، فَجَعَلْتُ أَضْرِبُهُ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ‏:‏ عَلَيْكِ بِالرِّفْقِ، فَإِنَّ الرِّفْقَ لاَ يَكُونُ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ زَانَهُ، وَلاَ يُنْزَعُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلا شَانَهُ‏.‏ صـحـيـح (الألباني)

'A'isha said, "I was on a camel that was somewhat intractable and I began to beat it. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'You must be compassionate. Whenever there is compassion in something, it adorns it, and whenever it is removed from something it disgraces it." Sahih (Al-Albani). https://sunnah.com/adab/27/14

We can see how kindness has been practiced by the Prophet (SAS) with animals and his argument against unjust human actions as shown in the following narration:

وَعَن سهلِ بنِ الحَنظلِيَّةِ قَالَ: مَرَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِبَعِيرٍ قَدْ لَحِقَ ظَهْرُهُ بِبَطْنِهِ فَقَالَ: «اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِي هَذِهِ الْبَهَائِمِ الْمُعْجَمَةِ فَارْكَبُوهَا صَالِحَة واترُكوها صَالِحَة» . رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد صَحِيح (الألباني)

Sahl b. al-Hanzaliya told of God’s Messenger coming upon an emaciated camel and saying, “Fear God regarding these dumb animals. Ride them when they are in good condition and let them free when they are in good condition.” Abu Dawud transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3370

Perfection is what Allah (SWT) requires from us in all matters even in slaughtering animals. As a condition of perfection, it is recommended to sharpen your blade away from and comfortably or quietly deal with the animal you slaughter. How great the system is when it takes care of all minor details to ensure kindness to others, including animals, as shown below:

عَنْ أَبِي يَعْلَى شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: "إنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ، وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذِّبْحَةَ، وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ، وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ". [رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ].

On the authority of Abu Ya’la Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Verily Allah has prescribed ihsan (proficiency, perfection) in all things. So if you kill then kill well; and if you slaughter, then slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.” [Muslim] https://sunnah.com/nawawi40:17

Conclusion

If you carefully look at the system of Allah (SWT), represented by Islamic characters, you will discover a comprehensive system that is unlike any existing human made systems on earth. Such a system draws the relationship between humans and their creator as well as other creatures, i.e., animals. In this article, we explored how humans should be merciful, fair, and kind to animals. We also discussed the coexistence rights of animals on human beings. Animals should co-survive with humans on earth based on mutual benefits and respect. Human beings should be just to animals so that they please Allah (SWT) and achieve the purpose of their creation. It becomes paramount for a successful civilization to center around justice towards all beings including humans and animals.

Recommendation

It is recommended to be just, fair, kind, and merciful to animals. However, not all animals deserve such kindness. The following ones are not welcomed by humans:

1-    Harmful animals to human beings are not welcomed:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ "‏ خَمْسُ فَوَاسِقَ يُقْتَلْنَ فِي الْحِلِّ وَالْحَرَمِ الْغُرَابُ وَالْحِدَأَةُ وَالْكَلْبُ الْعَقُورُ وَالْعَقْرَبُ وَالْفَأْرَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ سنن النسا ئى

It was narrated from Aishah that the Messenger of Allah said: "There are five kinds of vermin which may be killed out and inside the Haram: Crows, kites, vicious dogs, scorpions and mice." Sahih, Sunan an-Nasa'i 2881, https://sunnah.com/nasai:2881

2-    Dogs can benefit human beings in different ways. Those, which are used to hunt and guard farms or sheep, are permitted for humans to keep outside their houses. Others are not permitted as follows:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «من اتَّخَذَ كَلْبًا إِلَّا كَلْبَ مَاشِيَةٍ أَوْ صَيْدٍ أَو زرعٍ انتقَصَ منْ أجرِه كلَّ يومٍ قِيرَاط» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "If anyone gets a dog, except a sheepdog or a hunting dog or a farm dog, a qirat of his reward will be deducted daily." (Bukhari and Muslim.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4099

1L: Ethics and Values of Human Civilization

Overview

In the previous article, we concluded that safety and security are essential for any civilization to stay in power and sustain its existence. Security is concerned with protecting against external and internal threats; however, safety is the inherent feeling of security within society. Safety and security are guaranteed by Allah (ﷻ) for the believers in this life and the Hereafter. Vulnerability and insecurity in both lives are promised by Allah (ﷻ) to disbelievers. Disbelief is the main source of destruction for human civilizations, particularly from safety and security perspectives.

This article will introduce a new attribute of human civilization, which is based on ethics, moral values, and behavioral characteristics. No civilization can stay in power and sustain its existence without ethics and good values. This article will define ethics and values, their necessity, their benefits, and the impact of immorality and corruption on the fall and destruction of civilizations.

Definitions

Ethics represent the system of right or correct behavior. They include ethical principles, rules, or codes of conduct that govern acceptable/unacceptable, right/wrong, just/unjust, or good/bad behavior (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ethics). They are vital in guiding people to fulfill their obligations towards each other, society, and the environment. Ethics are central to all professions, communities, societies, and all aspects of life.

Values are the principles, qualities, or beliefs that motivate and govern people’s actions. They serve as a guide for human behavior. Core values represent the fundamental beliefs of an individual or an organization, which help them to safely pass through challenges in life. An organization's core values strengthen its members’ understanding of its specific roles and culture and help them succeed.

Necessity of Ethics and Values

If we carefully look at the rise and fall of human civilizations, we surprisingly discover that ethics and values are central to the success and destruction of these civilizations. Good ethics and values result in the growth and success of human civilization and vice versa. Long-lasting civilizations rely primarily on sound ethics, character, and values. Conversely, the deterioration of ethics, character, and values significantly contributes to the fall of any civilization. Ethics, character, and values should be manifested at all societal levels, i.e., individuals, families, communities, and society at large because they govern human behavior and organize relationships among people to spread love, kindness, cohesion, and loyalty among them. They weave a positive social fabric in society, including individuals, families, communities, and leadership. They are also vital for safe and constructive relations between countries. Therefore, Allah (ﷻ) sent all messengers to demonstrate the essence of good ethics, character, and values for humanity through their actions and speech. There are many verses in the Quran and narrations of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) that exemplify good character. For example, Allah (ﷻ) described the Prophet (ﷺ) as having a great moral character, as follows:

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ (4)القلم

Chapter Al-Qalam (4) And indeed, you are of a great moral character. https://quran.com/68?startingVerse=4

The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned that he was sent to humanity to complete the system of correct behavior, i.e., acquire sound ethics, spread good characters, and establish the great core values for any society, as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ‏:‏ إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ لِأُتَمِّمَ صَالِحَ الأَخْلاقِ‏.‏ صـحـيـح  الألباني

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I was sent to perfect good character.”  (Sahih (Al-Albani))

https://sunnah.com/urn/2302710

He (ﷺ) urged his companions to practice the highest standards of manners for them to be considered the perfect believers of Allah (ﷻ), as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏ "‏ أَكْمَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ حسن صحيح الألباني

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘The most perfect believer in respect of faith is he who is best of them in manners.’” (Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani))

https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4682

He (ﷺ) spoke highly about good characters/manners and motivated all Muslims to behave accordingly with all creations on earth, i.e., humans, animals, plants, and other things. He explained that nothing is heavier on our scale of good deeds on the Day of Judgement than being ethical and having excellent manners in all aspects of our lives. Kindness, love, loyalty, and all other good characteristics are the green light to Paradise and vice versa, as shown in the following narration:

وعن أبى الدرداء رضي الله عنه‏:‏ أن النبى ﷺ قال‏:‏ “ما من شئ أثقل في ميزان المؤمن يوم القيامة من حسن الخلق، وإن الله يبغض الفاحش البذي” ‏‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن صحيح‏.‏

Abud-Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection on the Scale of the believer than good manners. Allah hates one who utters foul or coarse language.’” (At- Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:625

Based upon the above verse and narrations, the primary goal of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) message to humanity is to establish good character and set up a comprehensive system of correct behavior among people. He (ﷺ) summarized his message as the message of good manners, which is the central concept impacting all human actions and practices, not least of which is the impact of ethics on the rule of law and governance in society. Good ethics and values are considered the foundation for economic growth and stability in any civilization's social and political life.

Benefits of Ethical Morals and Good Values to Civilizations

Morality is considered a vital component of a civilized society because it provides a framework for individuals to understand and respect the rights and well-being of others. It helps to establish norms and standards of behavior that contribute to social cohesion, cooperation, and the functioning of institutions. Morality can also guide individuals in making decisions, prioritizing the common good over personal gain, leading to a more just and equitable society. Additionally, a shared moral code can foster trust and empathy among members of a community, which are essential for maintaining peaceful and harmonious relationships.

Moral values are the principles that guide us throughout our lives. From childhood to adulthood, we are continuously improving ourselves by learning and practicing these principles. Moral values are important in life because a person can discern good or evil only if he/she learns about and practices moral values. This is clearly stated and explained in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ جَاءَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ يَتَقَاضَاهُ دَيْنًا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ فَاشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى قَالَ لَهُ أُحَرِّجُ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ قَضَيْتَنِي ‏.‏ فَانْتَهَرَهُ أَصْحَابُهُ وَقَالُوا وَيْحَكَ تَدْرِي مَنْ تُكَلِّمُ قَالَ إِنِّي أَطْلُبُ حَقِّي ‏.‏ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ‏"‏ هَلاَّ مَعَ صَاحِبِ الْحَقِّ كُنْتُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَ إِلَى خَوْلَةَ بِنْتِ قَيْسٍ فَقَالَ لَهَا ‏"‏ إِنْ كَانَ عِنْدَكِ تَمْرٌ فَأَقْرِضِينَا حَتَّى يَأْتِيَنَا تَمْرٌ فَنَقْضِيَكِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ نَعَمْ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَأَقْرَضَتْهُ فَقَضَى الأَعْرَابِيَّ وَأَطْعَمَهُ فَقَالَ أَوْفَيْتَ أَوْفَى اللَّهُ لَكَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أُولَئِكَ خِيَارُ النَّاسِ إِنَّهُ لاَ قُدِّسَتْ أُمَّةٌ لاَ يَأْخُذُ الضَّعِيفُ فِيهَا حَقَّهُ غَيْرَ مُتَعْتَعٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ رواه ابن ماجه

It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri said: “A Bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) to ask him to pay back a debt that he owed him, and he spoke harshly, saying: ‘I will make things difficult for you unless you repay me.’ His Companions rebuked him and said: ‘Woe to you, do you know who you are speaking to?’ He said: ‘I am only asking for my rights.’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Why do you not support the one who has a right?’ Then he sent word to Khawlah bint Qais, saying to her: ‘If you have dates, lend them to us until our dates come, then we will pay you back.’ She said: ‘Yes, may my father be ransomed for you, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).’ So, she gave him a loan, and he paid back the Bedouin and fed him. He (the Bedouin) said: ‘You have paid me in full, may Allah (ﷻ) pay you in full.’ He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said: ‘Those are the best of people. May that nation not be cleansed (of sin) among whom the weak cannot get their rights without trouble.’” (Ibn Majah, Hasan) https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:2426

In the above narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) established a golden moral rule of supporting a person’s right no matter who the opponent is. Even if the opponent is the Prophet himself (ﷺ), people should stand behind and support a person’s right. This is a great moral rule that has an immense impact on individuals, society, and countries. At the end of the Prophet’s narration, it is clearly mentioned that a civilization cannot be prosperous until a weak person’s rights are honored with ease. Every citizen of a society would feel comfortable and develop trust in such a system of governance. No one would lose his/her rights, and there would be no racism or discrimination for any reason. This golden moral rule assists in building a healthy society with a minimum number of disputes and conflicts. What a golden, crucial, and simple moral value this is. How impactful is such a value on a culture and people’s lives? It is astonishing to see a simple rule with such an incredible impact that touches all beings and surroundings. How peaceful and secure would people feel in a society that embodies such a rule? People would always be assured that no one would overlook their rights. However, should that happen, there would be a trustworthy governance system that would easily remedy that situation.

We have also learned another moral value from the above narration, which is asking for your rights without regard to the status of the person who transgresses you or surpasses his/her limits. This moral value should be gently and politely practiced using the most appropriate ways in order not to lose your rights to the offenders. This should be practiced without compromise so society can achieve peace and justice. “Religion is nothing but good moral values and characters. Whoever is better in ethics is better in religion, and vice versa,” said Ibn Alqaim. Glad tidings have been granted to ethical people and Hellfire for unethical ones, as clearly stated in the following narration:

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ‏:‏ قِيلَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، إِنَّ فُلاَنَةً تَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَتَصُومُ النَّهَارَ، وَتَفْعَلُ، وَتَصَّدَّقُ، وَتُؤْذِي جِيرَانَهَا بِلِسَانِهَا‏؟‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ‏:‏ لاَ خَيْرَ فِيهَا، هِيَ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، قَالُوا‏:‏ وَفُلاَنَةٌ تُصَلِّي الْمَكْتُوبَةَ، وَتَصَّدَّقُ بِأَثْوَارٍ، وَلاَ تُؤْذِي أَحَدًا‏؟‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ‏:‏ هِيَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ‏.‏ صـحـيـح)   الألباني(

Abu Hurayra said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked, ‘Messenger of Allah! A certain woman prays in the night, fasts in the day, acts and gives sadaqa, but injures her neighbors with her tongue.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘There is no good in her. She is one of the people of the Fire.’ They said, ‘Another woman prays the prescribed prayers and gives bits of curd as sadaqa and does not injure anyone.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘She is one of the people of the Garden.’” (Sahih (Al-Albani)) https://sunnah.com/adab:119

The above narration is a revolution in the world of ethics because it is supported by religious commands. It connects our destination in the Hereafter with our ethical behavior in this life. This connection controls people’s tendency to selfishness and individualism. It obliges people to behave well in their dealings with each other. It sets up the value that ethics is a complementary part of people’s acts of worship, without which none of them can stand alone to protect us from Hellfire on the Day of Judgement. Ethics and acts of worship are like two wings without which a bird cannot fly. You can practice all acts of worship to Allah (ﷻ), but you cannot be saved on the Day of Judgement without good ethics. Similarly, you can be the best ethical person on earth; however, such ethics will not stand in front of Allah (ﷻ) without the support of your acts of worship. The necessity and benefits of ethics in life have been greatly valued by the Prophet (ﷺ) to the extent that he made a supplication, as narrated below:

عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا اسْتَفْتَحَ الصَّلَاةَ كَبَّرَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: «إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أَمَرْتُ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسلمين اللَّهُمَّ اهدني لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِي لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَقِنِي سَيِّئَ الْأَعْمَالِ وَسَيِّئَ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَقِي سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ» . رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ - صَحِيحٌ الألباني

Jabir said that when the Prophet began prayer he said the takbir, then said, “My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to God, the Lord of the universe, who has no partner. I have been so commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. O God, guide me to the best deeds and the best qualities, Thou who alone canst guide to the best of them; and guard me from evil deeds and evil qualities. Thou who alone canst guard from their evil ones.” (Nasa’i transmitted it) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:820

Moral values and ethical behavior will grant people the rank of those who fast all day and worship Allah (ﷻ) all night. These benefits are clearly stated in the following narrations:

وعند الطبراني من حديث أبى أمامة أن النبي - ﷺ - قال: إن الرجل ليدرك بحسن خلقه درجة القائم بالليل الظامئ بالهواجر. ‏(‏رواه أبو داود‏)

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: ‘A believer will attain by his good behavior the rank of one who prays during the night and observes fasting during the day.’” (Abu Dawud)

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:628

وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها، قالت‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول‏:‏ “ إن المؤمن ليدرك بحسن خلقه درجة الصائم القائم” ‏(‏رواه أبو داود‏)‏‏.‏

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: “I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: ‘A believer will attain by his good behaviour the rank of one who prays during the night and observes fasting during the day.’” (Abu Dawud)

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:628

Great rewards are waiting for those who practice moral values and ethical behavior.

بل إن النبي - ﷺ - ليخبر أن صاحب الخلق الحسن في أعلى الدرجات يوم القيامة فيقول - ﷺ -: أنا زعيم ببيت في ربض الجنة لمن ترك المراء وإن كان محقا، وببيت في وسط الجنة لمن ترك الكذب وإن كان مازحا، وببيت في أعلى الجنة لمن حسن خلقه (رواه أبوداود ).

Abu Umamah Al-Bahili (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.’” (Abu Dawud) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:629

We have learned from the above that good character and moral values have a great impact on us. Imam Ibn Alqayim said, “Good character and moral values lead to great reward in this life and in the Hereafter.” They are the seeds for good actions/practices, the keys to Allah’s (ﷻ) acceptance, and the ways to be close to the Prophet (ﷺ) on the Day of Judgement. This was mentioned explicitly in the following narration:

وعن جابر رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ “إن من أحبكم إلي، وأقربكم منى مجلساً يوم القيامة أحاسنكم أخلاقاً، وإن أبغضكم إلي وأبعدكم مني يوم القيامة، الثرثارون والمتشدقون والمتفيهقون” قالوا‏:‏ يا رسول الله قد علمنا “الثرثارون والمتشدون” فما المتفيهقون‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ “المتكبرون” ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ "‏الثرثار‏"‏‏:‏ هو كثير الكلام تكلفاً‏.‏ ‏"‏والمتشدق‏"‏‏:‏ المتطاول على الناس بكلامه، ويتكلم بملء فيه تصافحاً وتعظيماً لكلامه؛ “والمتفيهق” ‏:‏أصله من الفهق، وهو الامتلاء، وهو الذى يملأ فمه بالكلام، ويتوسع فيه ويغرب به تكبراً واتفاعاً، وإظهاراً للفضيلة على غيره‏.‏ وروى الترمذي عن عبد الله بن المبارك رحمه الله في تفسير حسن الخلق قال‏:‏ هو طلاقة الوجه، وبذل المعروف، وكف الأذى‏.‏

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘The dearest and nearest among you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be one who is the best of you in manners; and the most abhorrent among you to me and the farthest of you from me will be the pompous, the garrulous, and Al-Mutafaihiqun.’ The Companions asked him: ‘O Messenger of Allah! We know about the pompous and the garrulous, but we do not know who Al-Mutafaihiqun are.’ He replied: ‘The arrogant people.’” (At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:630

When you look deeply at all acts of worship in Islam, i.e., prayer, fasting, charity, etc., you will find that all of them are connected to ethics. Allah (ﷻ) has ordered us to perform these acts of worship not only just to worship him but to reflect on our ethics and behavior in our dealings in life as well. This is clearly stated in the following verses and narrations:

اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ ۖ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ (45)العنكبوت

Chapter Al-Ankabut (45) Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do. https://quran.com/29?startingVerse=45

Allah (ﷻ) has clearly stated that prayer should forbid a person from committing immoral acts. Therefore, prayer as an act of worship has a function in the life of people, which is to behave ethically and to be good citizens. When you are close to Allah (ﷻ) with your acts of worship, you are supposed to remember Allah (ﷻ) always and abide by His orders/rules. He (ﷻ) created us to spread good on Earth, and ethics is the way to achieve such an aim. Similarly, fasting should prohibit people from falsehood; otherwise, there is no need to fast, as shown in the following narration.

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةٌ فِي أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابه» . رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ -صَحِيحٌ الألباني

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “If one does not abandon falsehood and action in accordance with it, God had no need that he should abandon his food and his drink.” (Bukhari transmitted it) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:1999

Charity, as an act of worship, contributes to the ethical system devised by Allah (ﷻ). It is used to purify society from selfish and greedy actions. It is well connected to ethics, as revealed in the following verse:

خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ بِهَا.....(103) التوبة

Chapter Al-Tawbah (103) Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah 's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. https://quran.com/9/103

Pilgrimage is another act of worship that trains Muslims to control their human desires and bad behavior. Living the days of Hajj (i.e., pilgrimage) in peace with a high level of ethical and moral standards toward all creatures of Allah, including humans, animals, birds, etc., is a duty of every Muslim. There are several verses that indicate such orders from Allah (ﷻ), as follows:

الْحَجُّ أَشْهُرٌ مَّعْلُومَاتٌ ۚ فَمَن فَرَضَ فِيهِنَّ الْحَجَّ فَلَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِي الْحَجِّ ۗ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ ۗ وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَىٰ ۚ وَاتَّقُونِ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ (197) البقرة

Chapter Al-Baqarah (197) Hajj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Hajj. And whatever good you do - Allah knows it. And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O you of understanding. https://quran.com/2/197

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْتُلُوا الصَّيْدَ وَأَنتُمْ حُرُمٌ ۚ وَمَن قَتَلَهُ مِنكُم مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاءٌ مِّثْلُ مَا قَتَلَ مِنَ النَّعَمِ يَحْكُمُ بِهِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِّنكُمْ هَدْيًا بَالِغَ الْكَعْبَةِ أَوْ كَفَّارَةٌ طَعَامُ مَسَاكِينَ أَوْ عَدْلُ ذَٰلِكَ صِيَامًا لِّيَذُوقَ وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِ ۗ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَمَّا سَلَفَ ۚ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَيَنتَقِمُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انتِقَامٍ (95)المائده

Chapter Al-Maidah (95) O you who have believed, do not kill game while you are in the state of ihram. And whoever of you kills it intentionally - the penalty is an equivalent from sacrificial animals to what he killed, as judged by two just men among you as an offering [to Allah] delivered to the Ka'bah, or an expiation: the feeding of needy people or the equivalent of that in fasting, that he may taste the consequence of his deed. Allah has pardoned what is past; but whoever returns [to violation], then Allah will take retribution from him. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Owner of Retribution. https://quran.com/5?startingVerse=95

In Islam, ethics and moral values are related to faith and to a good ending in the Hereafter. The person who has faith and behaves ethically with high moral standards will be rewarded with Paradise on the Day of Judgement. On the contrary, unethical people will be rewarded by Hellfire, as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ‏:‏ سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ‏:‏ مَا أَكْثَرُ مَا يُدْخِلُ الْجَنَّةَ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ تَقْوَى اللهِ، وَحُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ، قَالَ‏:‏ وَمَا أَكْثَرُ مَا يُدْخِلُ النَّارَ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ الأَجْوَفَانِ‏:‏ الْفَمُ وَالْفَرْجُ‏. حـسـن الألباني ‏

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “What is the most frequent reason for someone entering Paradise?” He said, “Taqwa and good character.” He was asked, “What is the most frequent reason for people entering the Hellfire?” He replied, “The two empty ones: the mouth and the genitals.” (Hasan (Al-Albani) https://sunnah.com/urn/2302920

The above discussion shows the necessity of ethics and moral values in human life and civilization without which our lives would be miserable and full of risks. It is essential to look carefully at the above facts and act accordingly for a prosperous life and Hereafter.

Harmful Impact of Immorality and Corruption on Civilizations

Based on the above, it is evident that ethics and moral values are the core Islamic message to humanity and the foundation for any civilization to maintain long-term sustainable growth. It is implicit that immorality and corruption are the root causes of destruction of a human civilization. They are the termite that damages the core structure of a civilization, leading to an eventual fall. When we carefully study history, we conclude that the fall of civilizations usually occurs due to immorality and corruption. Some people think that the rule of law can individually establish safety and security in the absence of ethics and morals. History does not support such a concept. For example, if a police officer who is implementing the law is corrupt, he/she will be unfair to all citizens and the entire system. He/she will abuse the system and oppress citizens behind closed doors. A strong rule of law cannot stop him/her unless he/she has an inner motivation to stop evil or unethical actions. If a teacher is corrupt, no one and no law can stop him/her from harming students’ moral values due to his/her evil actions and practices. Reformation of character should come from within to change his/her behavior. The compass of his/her ethical and moral system should be adjusted to be a good citizen and member of society.

This notion can apply to all other professions and sectors of society. Using force to apply the law without a robust system of ethics and moral values within society does not lead to any advances. On the contrary, belief and ethics are the cornerstone of implementing any rule of law. For example, if you are working for a company that has core values, a mission, a vision, and a governance system, the employees should believe in these values and implement them by heart. If the employee does not believe in these values, he/she will not be able to implement them as required. An employee's ethics and moral system will protect him/her from abusing the company’s system. Without such a robust employee inner moral system, the company cannot make any advancement or stay in business for a long time. It is, however, crucial for employees to believe in the company’s core values, mission, vision, and governance system, as well as to have a solid ethical system so that the company can succeed and stay in business for an extended period. The above analogy applies to individuals, institutions, communities, societies, and countries. Ethics and moral values are essential for these levels to succeed and for civilizations to advance and vice versa.

The above discussion is supported by many verses and narrations as follows:

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرى آمَنُوا وَآتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنا عَلَيْهِمْ بَرَكات مِنَ السَّماءِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلكِنْ كَذَّبُوا فَاَخَذْناهُمْ بِما كانُوا يَكْسِبُون. (96) الأعراف

Chapter Al-Araf (96) And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning." https://quran.com/7/96

This verse draws a direct relationship of piety, faith, and ethics with the provenance of sustenance and blessings of Allah (ﷻ). The more piety, faith, and ethics, the more sustenance of Allah (ﷻ) will be provided from agriculture or heaven and vice versa. On the other hand, there is a direct relationship between withholding or reducing Allah’s (ﷻ) sustenance/blessings and disbelief, immorality, and impiety. This is evident in the following verse where Allah (ﷻ) blocks or reduces the amount of rain, increases drought and diseases, and spoils the sustenance from the sea due to corruption, immoral, and evil actions:

ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ (41)الروم

Chapter Al-Room (41) Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness]. https://quran.com/30?startingVerse=41

This verse sets up the fact that all bounties of Allah (ﷻ) that are buried under the ground, hidden in the sea, or scattered in heaven are given to people based on their actions and ethical behavior. Bad and evil actions, which lead to immoral behavior, deserve the denial or reduction of Allah’s (ﷻ) sustenance and vice versa. There is another concept that cannot be visualized or materialized, which is the concept of barakah, i.e., the Divine power of blessings or sustenance. It is the hidden increase in sustenance/blessings in terms of quantity and quality. The barakah in your income can take several shapes, such as providing more sustenance or forbidding bad/evil events from diminishing what you already have. In other words, if your income is $x/month, barakah occurs to you in several ways: (1) you get more sustenance from unexpected sources, (2) Allah (ﷻ) might guide you to reduce your expenses where your income can cover your living for an extended period of time, (3) Allah (ﷻ) might protect you and/or your family from sickness, risk, or harmful diseases/issues, and (4) Allah (ﷻ) might keep the reward for barakah until the Day of Judgement. Barakah in time is about being productive and achieving more work in less time. Barakah in your body strength is the continuation of enjoying good health with fewer problems so that you perform activities beyond your age. Barakah in actions and knowledge is their extended impact on more individuals, communities, and societies. It is a gift from Allah (ﷻ) that is unseen, unknown, immeasurable, and unexpected. This is gifted to a specific type of people who are righteous, ethical, and principled, and vice versa. This concept is clearly explained in the above verses.

Barakah is, therefore, directly related to ethics. It increases when the level of ethics increases and vice versa. Therefore, no matter how much sustenance you have, if you are not ethical, barakah might not exist in such sustenance. This leads to the distribution of sustenance in the wrong venues with much loss and less impact. However, the existence of barakah doubles the impact multiple times in terms of income, productivity, time, and strength, and makes it widespread among different people. On the other hand, the absence of barakah leads to the unfair distribution of sustenance, dissatisfaction, and poverty. The following verse also supports the above analogy:

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ أَقَامُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِم مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ لَأَكَلُوا مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِم ۚ مِّنْهُمْ أُمَّةٌ مُّقْتَصِدَةٌ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ سَاءَ مَا يَعْمَلُونَ (66) المائدة

Chapter Al-Ma’dah (66) And if only they upheld [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to them from their Lord, they would have consumed [provision] from above them and from beneath their feet. Among them are a moderate community, but many of them - evil is what they do. https://quran.com/5/66

The above verse shows the direct relationship between the increase in barakah in sustenance and following the revelation of Allah (ﷻ), i.e., being ethical and implementing all religious rules. In fact, all religions of Allah (ﷻ) usually set up ethical and moral values that should be fulfilled for the best of humanity. Hence, if we follow these teachings, we fulfill what Allah (ﷻ) requires from us, and barakah will be spread in our sustenance and vice versa. The same concept is repeated in several verses of the Quran as follows:

وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْري فَاِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكاً وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيامَةِ أَعْمى (124) .طه

Chapter Taha (124) And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind." https://quran.com/20/124

مَنْ عَمِلَ صالِحاً مِنْ ذَكَر أَوْ اُنْثى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَياةً طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ ما كانُوا يَعْمَلُون (97). النحل

Chapter Al-Nahl (97) Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do. https://quran.com/16/97

Double standards or scales is another immoral practice that destroys civilizations. It causes mistrust in the system and divides society into different sectors with unfair practices against a few of them. This unfairness causes divisions that destroy the unity and cohesion in society. Every sector will fight to gain status/advantage within society. This also destroys the social peace and increases enmity/hostility. The Prophet (ﷺ) warned us about this hazardous immoral practice, as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ أُسَامَةَ، كَلَّمَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فِي امْرَأَةٍ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّمَا هَلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُقِيمُونَ الْحَدَّ عَلَى الْوَضِيعِ، وَيَتْرُكُونَ الشَّرِيفَ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ فَاطِمَةُ فَعَلَتْ ذَلِكَ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا ‏"‏‏.‏ رواه البخارى

Narrated `Aisha: Usama approached the Prophet (ﷺ) on behalf of a woman (who had committed theft). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The people before you were destroyed because they used to inflict the legal punishments on the poor and forgive the rich. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! If Fatima (the daughter of the Prophet (ﷺ)) did that (i.e., stole), I would cut off her hand.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6787) https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6787

Nowadays, we can see double-standard practices worldwide between countries and within the same country or society, even in the most advanced and developed countries. Discrimination due to race or religion is the norm in many places, sometimes behind closed doors, although everyone is raising the flag of equity, freedom, diversity, etc. For example, the war in Ukraine is considered illegal by the West, and we should help the country to resist and be steadfast against the invaders. On the other hand, the war in Gaza is considered legal by the West, and we should help the invaders break the resistance because they are terrorists when they defend their land. Isn’t this a case of double-standard behavior and unfairness? Drawings that insult the Prophet (ﷺ) are considered freedom of expression; however, wearing the Muslim veil is illegal under certain circumstances in some countries because it has been outlawed. Any woman is free to wear what she sees fit, but not so for the Muslim woman. Isn’t this a double-standard and unfairness on a societal level? Many examples exist in many places worldwide, which show how unfair the current civilization is. This is a wake-up call to all of us that such practices will negatively impact our civilization, destroy world peace, and increase wars.

We understand from the above verses and narrations that the impact of immorality and corruption is catastrophic to people on the individual, community, and societal levels. It is also confirmed that immorality and corruption lead to depression and psychological issues within society. Although society might have all the means for achieving a righteous life, many people are still only very focused on worldly matters, and are greedy, unstable, and continuously fearing a shortage of sustenance. They only believe in this life and disbelieve in the afterlife. They want to gain as much as they can in this life because they do not expect an afterlife. So, if they face any difficulty in life, they get very depressed as life is seemingly ending for them.

I was very astonished when I googled the percentages of suicide in the USA and worldwide to find that globally, we have one suicide per 40 seconds based on 2021 statistics (https://save.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/). In our advanced world today, suicide for the aged 15-24 is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Adults aged 25-44 represent 34.7% of suicides. The rate of suicide is increasing by 3.4% every year. Depression was the recorded reason for suicide, as reported on the above website. These numbers are very alarming in support of the above analogy, as cited by Allah (ﷻ) in the Quran. It is strongly believed that people have depression due to disbelief, fear of poverty, an unfair social life, and the increase of immorality and corruption. Of course, the absence of barakah in all types of sustenance may also contribute to such a problem.

The above discussion and narratives show the impact of immorality and corruption on human life and civilization which make our lives miserable and full of risks. It is essential to look carefully at the above facts and act accordingly for success in this life and in the Hereafter.

Conclusion

Ethics and moral values are essential for any civilization to remain in power and sustain its existence. We have learned from the above discussion and analogy that ethics and moral values do not only impact the spiritual behavior of people and their status on the Day of Judgement, but also directly affect their daily life activities and barakah in their sustenance. Ethics is directly related and highly impactful to the social life of individuals, communities, and countries. The rise of ethical behavior leads to the rise of social values and the establishment of good civilizations, and vice versa. People who would like to live in peace in a highly positive society should attain a high level of ethics and moral values without neglecting the individual differences among themselves. The ability to accommodate differences and blend people together under a main system of ethics and moral values is essential for a society to reach the required development and advancement in this life and the Hereafter.

The best example of ethical and moral systems is the one established by Muslims across history. The religion of Islam has a system of ethics that is unique in its principles and implementations as well. There were thousands of historical stories that depicted the implementation process of the Islamic system of ethics and showed how all religions and races can live side by side without acrimony. This ethical system has guaranteed freedom to all societal sectors within a country or state. These were amazing practices worldwide, from east to west, across different people and cultures. Many stories were written about people who were enemies of Islam, but who then converted to Islam when they saw its effective system of guiding people’s lives in the best way. In addition, many people embraced Islam due to the great ethics of Muslims and their openness to live with others. Therefore, it becomes crucial to show the Islamic ethical system exhibited in the practices of Muslims nowadays so that others can see the blessings of Allah to humanity wrought by the religion of Islam.

Recommendation

1-  It is recommended to supplicate the following as requested by the Prophet (ﷺ):

عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا اسْتَفْتَحَ الصَّلَاةَ كَبَّرَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: «إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أَمَرْتُ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسلمين اللَّهُمَّ اهدني لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِي لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَقِنِي سَيِّئَ الْأَعْمَالِ وَسَيِّئَ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَقِي سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ» . رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ - صَحِيحٌ الألباني

Jabir said that when the Prophet began prayer he said the takbir, then said, “My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to God, the Lord of the universe, who has no partner. I have been so commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. O God, guide me to the best deeds and the best qualities, Thou who alone canst guide to the best of them; and guard me from evil deeds and evil qualities, Thou who alone canst guard from their evil ones.” (Nasa’i transmitted it) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:820

2-  Seek refuge in Allah (ﷻ) from evil manners, deeds, and desires:

وعن زياد بن علاقة عن عمه، وهو قطبة بن مالك، رضي الله عنه، قال‏:‏ كان النبي ﷺ يقول‏:‏ ‏ "‏اللهم إني أعوذ بك من منكرات الأخلاق، والأعمال، والأهواء‏"‏‏.‏ رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن‏.‏

Ziyad bin 'Ilaqah reported: “My uncle Qutbah bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate: “O Allah! I seek refuge in You from undesirable manners, deeds, and aspirations.” (At-Tirmidhi)

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1482

3-  Enjoining good and forbidding evil is a moral practice that saves individuals, communities, and countries from being lost and maintains them on the straight path. Let us agree to practice such a great virtue with zeal and perseverance. We should also be mindful of its responsibilities and consequences.

عن حذيفة رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏ والذي نفسي بيده لتأمرن بالمعروف، ولتنهون عن المنكر، أو ليوشكن الله أن يبعث عليكم عقابًا منه، ثم تدعونه فلا يستجاب لكم‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن صحيح‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Hudhaifah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you either enjoin good and forbid evil, or Allah will certainly soon send His punishment to you. Then you will make supplication and it will not be accepted.’” (At-Tirmidhi, who categorized it as Hadith Hasan)

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:193

1m: Types of Corruption and Immorality

Overview

The previous article concluded that ethics and moral values are essential for any civilization to remain in power and sustain its existence. They not only impact people's spiritual behavior and status on the Day of Judgement but also directly affect their daily life activities and the blessings in their sustenance. Ethics is directly related and highly impactful to the social life of individuals, communities, and countries. The rise of ethical behavior leads to the rise of social values and the establishment of virtuous civilizations, and vice versa. People who want to live in peace in a highly just society should attain a high level of ethics and moral values without neglecting their individual differences. The ability to accommodate differences and blend people together under an overarching system of ethics and moral values is essential for a society to reach the required development and advancement in this life and the Hereafter.

No civilization can remain in power and sustain its existence on a foundation of corruption and immorality. Therefore, this article will define corruption and immorality and also introduce their different types. Several types of corruption and immorality are practiced and observed worldwide: political, administrative, money, moral, social, environmental, judicial, and commercial. In the following sections, I will walk you through the definition of corruption, immorality, and their types.

Corruption and Immorality

Corruption is the abuse of trusted power by officials or leaders for private gains. This applies to all responsible persons who abuse the entrusted responsibilities given to them by their families, friends, employers, citizens, communities, or countries. Corruption is also defined as the dishonest use of power or unethical acts that are undertaken by a person, a group, an organization, or a country to benefit personal or third-party interests (https://www. transparency.org/en/). Immorality is wrong or evil behavior that violates the system of right or correct behavior and social standards. It is defined as doing actions that are believed to be wrong and contradict social norms and values (https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/immorality). Immoral people are dishonest in their obligations towards each other, society, and the environment. Immorality is a core characteristic that destroys all professions, communities, societies, and all aspects of life.

Corruption and immorality erode trust given to carry out responsibilities, diminish the social system and democracy, retard any type of development, impair justice, spread poverty and greediness, guarantee social division, and cause environmental crises. If we carefully look at the fall of human civilizations, we surprisingly discover that corruption and immorality are central to the destruction of these civilizations. Short-lasting civilizations rely primarily on corruption and immorality because the deterioration of ethics, characters, and values significantly contributes to the fall of any civilization. They destroy relationships at all societal levels, i.e., individuals, families, communities, and society at large, by spreading hate, aggressiveness, division, racism, injustice, infidelity, and fraud among them. They create a negative social environment of individualism, selfishness, and greediness at different societal levels, including individuals, families, communities, organizations, and leadership. They are also vital for unsafe and uncooperative relations between countries. Therefore, Allah (ﷻ) sent all of His messengers to demonstrate the negative impact of corruption and immorality on humanity. There are many verses in the Quran and narrations of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) that exemplify such an impact. For example, Allah (ﷻ) described to the Prophet (ﷺ) the example of a corrupt person, as follows:

وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ ٱلْحَرْثَ وَٱلنَّسْلَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْفَسَادَ (205)

Chapter Al-Baqarah (205) And when he goes away, he strives throughout the land to cause corruption therein and destroy crops and animals. And Allāh does not like corruption. https://quran.com/2/205

The corrupt is a person, an organization, a community, or a country that takes immoral actions and, once in authority, causes corruption in all or part of life’s aspects. It is clearly stated in the above verse that Allah (ﷻ) dislikes corruption and also the corrupt, as revealed in the following verse:

…. وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَسَادًۭا ۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ (64)

Chapter Al-Maidah (64) …And they strive throughout the land [causing] corruption and Allāh does not like corrupters. https://quran.com/5/64

Anyone who is doing an evil or unlawful act is corrupt, and Allah (ﷻ) dislikes corrupters because they harm themselves, their families, and their communities. Therefore, Allah (ﷻ) ordered us not to cause corruption, as revealed in the following verse:

وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـٰحِهَا (56) ……

Chapter Al-Araf (56) And cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation… https://quran.com/7/56

The Prophet (ﷺ) also warned us of corruption and immorality in the following narration:

وَعَنْ مُعَاذٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ )ﷺ(: «الْغَزْوُ غَزْوَانِ فَأَمَّا مَنِ ابْتَغَى وَجْهَ اللَّهِ وَأَطَاعَ الْإِمَامَ وَأَنْفَقَ الْكَرِيمَةَ وَيَاسَرَ الشَّرِيكَ واجتنبَ الْفساد فَإِن نَومه ونهبه أَجْرٌ كُلُّهُ. وَأَمَّا مَنْ غَزَا فَخْرًا وَرِيَاءً وَسُمْعَةً وَعَصَى الْإِمَامَ وَأَفْسَدَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَرْجِعْ بِالْكَفَافِ» . رَوَاهُ مَالِكٌ وَأَبُو دَاوُدَ وَالنَّسَائِيّ . حسن (الألباني)

Mu'adh reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Fighting is of two kinds. The one who seeks God’s favour, obeys the leader, gives property he values, helps his associate, and avoids doing corruption will have a reward for all the time he is asleep and awake, but the one who fights in a boasting spirit, for the sake of display and to gain a reputation, who disobeys the leader and does corruption in the Earth will not return without credit or blame.’’ Note: the wrong he has done exceeds the good. Malik, Abu Dawud, and Nasa’i transmitted it. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3846

Based upon the above verses and narration, the primary goal of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) message to humanity is to avoid corruption and immorality, which are considered the foundation for an economic crash and for instability in any civilization's social and political life. They are also the source of sins and evil in society, and they guarantee bankruptcy and punishment on the Day of Judgement.

Types of Corruption and Immorality

Several types of corruption and immorality are practiced and observed worldwide. These include political, administrative, money, moral, social, environmental, judicial, and business corruption. In the following sections, I will walk you through the definition and description of each type.

Political Corruption

Political corruption is using power by political representatives, their families, and/or their networks for dishonest individual/group gains. It also includes the misuse of government power to control political opponents. This can be accomplished through vote buying, bribery, drug trafficking, lobbying, money laundering, blackmail, discrimination, etc. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption). This type of corruption is described in the narration of the Prophet (ﷺ) as follows:

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول‏:‏ كلكم راعٍ، وكلكم مسئول عن رعيته، والمرأة راعية في بيت زوجها ومسئولة عن رعيتها، والخادم راعٍ في مال سيده ومسئول عن رعيته، فكلكم راعٍ ومسئول عن رعيته‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects. The ruler is a guardian and responsible for his subjects; the man is a guardian of his family; the woman is a guardian in her husband's house and responsible for her wards; a servant is the guardian of his master's property and responsible for his ward. So, all of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects.’” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:300

This narration manages the relationship between every government official, elected or selected, and the public. Every official is responsible in front of Allah (ﷻ) for his/her performance in what the public elects him/her for. This accountability that comes from religious roots and background is very effective in regulating the morals of government officials. It is the inner motives that control the corrupt desires within human beings. Such accountability is the internal firewall against all corrupt activities; no other approach is as effective. The narration also manages the relationship of all people with those for whom they are responsible. For example, the father is responsible for his family, i.e., his wife and children. The mother is responsible for her husband and children. The servant is responsible for his work with the master. Similarly, the teacher is responsible for his/her students, the medical doctor is responsible for his/her patients, the engineer is responsible for his/her work with the community, the lawyer is responsible for his/her cases and clients, etc.

If the above people do not fulfill their responsibilities as required, corruption becomes the norm, and most daily activities will be ruined by unethical actions. The above narration is a good illustration of political honesty and fairness, which diminishes corruption.

Administrative Corruption

It is the private benefit of government (public) officials resulting from the power of their public position. Public officials might intentionally alter the application of laws, rules, and regulations to suit their individual or group gains, including families, relatives, and friends (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346937653_Administrative_corruption). It also includes the neglect and tardiness of services delivered to the public by government officials who are responsible for them.

The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned both political and administrative corruptions in a narration, as follows:

وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول في بيتى هذا‏:‏ “اللهم من ولى من أمر أمتى شيئاً فشق عليهم، فاشقق عليه ومن ولى من أمر أمتى شيئاً، فرفق بهم، فارفق به” ‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏‏‏.‏

'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicating in my house: ‘O Allah! Treat harshly those who rule over my ummah with harshness and treat gently those who rule over my ummah with gentleness.’” (Muslim) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:654.

This narration shows how Islam has set up rules for all types of corruption, including political and administrative ones, in order for human beings to fulfill their purpose of existence on Earth.

Money Corruption

It is the misuse of public funds for private gains, including oneself, family, relatives, and friends. However, money laundering is the investment of dirty money, i.e., money earned from corruption in real estate or any legitimate investments, in order to recycle and clean such type of money using apparent legal sources. Money corruption also includes the misuse, neglect, and misallocation of public funds into useless projects that have little impact on public life. The Prophet (ﷺ) indicated the essence of being honest without fraud, as follows:

وَعَنْ مَعْقِلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يقولُ: «مَا مِنْ والٍ يلي رَعِيَّةً مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَيَمُوتُ وَهُوَ غَاشٌّ لَهُمْ إِلَّا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

Ma'qil b. Yasar told that he heard God’s Messenger say, “Any governor in charge of Muslim subjects who dies while acting dishonestly towards them will be excluded by God from Paradise.” (Bukhari and Muslim) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3686

In another narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) complimented people who were responsible for investing public funds in the correct activities without misuse or misallocation, as follows:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: «مَنْ أَخَذَ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ يُرِيدُ أَدَاءَهَا أَدَّى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَمَنْ أَخَذَ يُرِيدُ إِتْلَافَهَا أَتْلَفَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ» . رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ. صَحِيح (الألباني)

Abu Huraira reported the Prophet as saying, “If anyone accepts other people’s belongings meaning to pay back, God will pay back for him; but if anyone accepts them meaning to squander them, God will on that account destroy his property.” (Bukhari transmitted it.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2910

In the following narration, it is also shown that honest and responsible persons are the ones complimented by the Prophet (ﷺ):

وعن أبي موسى الأشعري رضي الله عنه ، عن النبي ﷺ أنه قال‏:‏ "‏الخازن المسلم الأمين الذي ينفذ ما أمر به، فيعطيه كاملاً موفراً، طيبة به نفسه فيدفعه إلى الذي أمر له به أحد المتصدقين‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.

Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘The honest Muslim trustee who carries out duties assigned to him (in another narration he said, ‘Who gives’), and he gives that in full, with his heart overflowing with cheerfulness, to whom he is ordered, he is one of the two givers of charity.’” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:180

The above evidence shows that money corruption is a practice prohibited in Islam and by the norms of the surrounding community. It also prohibits money laundering because it comes from activities that are contrary to the above narrations, many other Islamic rules, and the spirit of Islam.

Moral and Social Corruption

The corrupt usually commit dishonest or illegal acts in return for benefits, such as power or money. He/she usually justifies evil actions and considers them fair and reasonable, which are selfish and fraudulent and violate standard ethical principles. Therefore, Allah (ﷻ) and his messenger Mohammad (ﷺ) have emphasized the importance of good morals and criminalized the bad ones. This is clear in many narrations of the Prophet (ﷺ), as indicated in the previous article. I will list a few of them in this section as follows:

- Coarse language is part of moral and social corruption:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ قَالَ‏:‏ أَلأَمُ أَخْلاَقِ الْمُؤْمِنِ الْفُحْشُ‏.‏ صـحـيـح (الألباني)

'Abdullah said, “The most blameworthy thing in a believer's character is coarseness.” (Sahih (Al-Albani)) https://sunnah.com/adab:314

- The Prophet (ﷺ) was always supplicating to seek refuge from Allah (ﷻ) from corrupted morals:

وعن زياد بن علاقة عن عمه، وهو قطبة بن مالك، رضي الله عنه، قال‏:‏ كان النبي ﷺ ، يقول‏:‏ "‏اللهم إني أعوذ بك من منكرات الأخلاق، والأعمال، والأهواء‏"‏‏.‏ رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن‏.‏

Ziyad bin 'Ilaqah reported: “My uncle Qutbah bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate: ‘O Allah! I seek refuge in You from undesirable manners, deeds, and aspirations.’” (At-Tirmidhi)

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:1482

- High status of good morals:

عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ ‏"‏مَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ يُوضَعُ فِي الْمِيزَانِ أَثْقَلُ مِنْ حُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ وَإِنَّ صَاحِبَ حُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ لَيَبْلُغُ بِهِ دَرَجَةَ صَاحِبِ الصَّوْمِ وَالصَّلاَةِ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ رواه الترمذي

Abu Ad-Dardh narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Nothing is placed on the Scale that is heavier than good character. Indeed, the person with good character will have attained the rank of the person of fasting and prayer.” (At-Tirmidhi)

https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:2003

- Allah (ﷻ) hates corrupt morals:

وعن أبى الدرداء رضي الله عنه‏:‏ أن النبى ﷺ قال‏:‏ “ما من شئ أثقل في ميزان المؤمن يوم القيامة من حسن الخلق، وإن الله يبغض الفاحش البذي” ‏(‏‏(‏رواه الترمذي وقال‏:‏ حديث حسن صحيح‏.‏

Abud-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection in the Scale of the believer than good manners. Allah hates one who utters foul or coarse language.’” (At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih.) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:625

- Good morals guarantee Paradise on the Day of Judgement and vice versa:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- ﷺ ‏-{أَكْثَرُ مَا يُدْخِلُ اَلْجَنَّةَ تَقْوى اَللَّهِ وَحُسْنُ اَلْخُلُقِ} أَخْرَجَهُ اَلتِّرْمِذِيُّ, وَصَحَّحَهُ اَلْحَاكِمُ .‏ ‏

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The fear of Allah and good morals (akhlaq) are the two major characteristics which lead to Paradise.” (Related by At-Tirmidhi and Al-Hakim graded it as Sahih.) https://sunnah.com/bulugh/16/97

- Good morals lead to high levels in Paradise:

وعن أبى أمامه الباهلى رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله ﷺ‏:‏ “أنا زعيم ببيت في ربض الجنة لمن ترك المراء، وإن كان محقاً، وببيت في وسط الجنة لمن ترك الكذب، وإن كان مازحاً، وببيت في أعلى الجنة لمن حسن خلقه” ‏(‏‏(‏حديث صحيح رواه أبو داود بإسناد صحيح‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Umamah Al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.’” (Abu Dawud) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:629

Islam is a set of good characters and morals clearly stated and discussed in the Quran and narrations. They were also practiced by the Prophet (ﷺ), his companions, and their followers until today. This reflects the true message of Islam to humanity, which is against moral corruption or any kind of corruption because it is simply in contradiction to human nature. It negatively affects and damages human life on Earth.

Environmental Corruption

Environmental corruption is defined as people's actions to harm the environment for personal benefit. These actions include environmental pollution of air, water, and soil, spoiled agriculture, vegetation, animals, and green areas like forests, illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances, and dumping and transporting hazardous wastes, which pose significant environmental risks. Therefore, any illegal activities that harm the environment, including the use of non-sustainable products and substances, should be dealt with wisely without compromising the environment. In fact, the Quran and the Prophet’s (ﷺ) narrations urge believers to respect the environment without compromise. A sample of these teachings is listed in this section as follows:

In general, the Quran orders believers not to cause any corruption on Earth, i.e., all types of corruption, including environmental corruption. The Quran forbids any type of corruption, as explained in Chapter Al-Araf (56) earlier in this article. In Chapter Al-Baqarah (205), listed earlier in this article, the Quran also reveals that Allah (ﷻ) dislikes corruption, particularly the destruction of crops and animals. The Prophet (ﷺ) also urges believers not to cause harm to themselves or others, as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ يَحْيَى الْمَازِنِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏لاَ ضَرَرَ وَلاَ ضِرَارَ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Yahya related to me from Malik from Amr ibn Yahya al-Mazini from his father that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do not harm others nor yourself.” https://sunnah.com/urn/514340

The message from the above narration is generic to any harm caused by humans to all surroundings, including nature, environment, animals, plants, air, water, soil, etc. This universal and comprehensive rule can be applied to all aspects of life. It is also a great rule for environmental conservation, set up more than fourteen hundred years ago. In another narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) encourages believers to remove all harmful objects from the way of people. This can also be applied to all obstacles that people face in life. The Prophet (ﷺ) considers this action as part of faith as follows:

التاسع‏:‏ عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ "‏الإيمان بضع وسبعون، أو بضع وستون شعبة‏:‏ فأفضلها قول لا إله إلا الله، وأدناها إماطة الأذى عن الطريق، والحياء شعبة من الإيمان‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Iman has over seventy branches—or over sixty branches—the uppermost of which is the declaration: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah; and the least of which is the removal of a harmful object from the road, and modesty is a branch of Iman.’” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:125

He (ﷺ) also shows that removing harmful objects from the way of people deserves appreciation from Allah (ﷻ) and His forgiveness in the following narration. Similarly, conserving the environment, in terms of nature, air, water, soil, animals, plants, etc., is mandatory for believers to succeed in implementing Allah’s (ﷻ) rules in life.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ يَمْشِي بِطَرِيقٍ وَجَدَ غُصْنَ شَوْكٍ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ فَأَخَّرَهُ فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ فَغَفَرَ لَهُ‏"‏.‏

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: “While a person was going along the path he found a thorny branch upon it. He pushed it aside and Allah approved (this action) of his and (as a mark of appreciation) granted him pardon.” (Sahih Muslim 1914b) https://sunnah.com/muslim:1914b.

Water conservation and sustainability were the concerns of the Prophet (ﷺ) as well. Water is the most precious resource that exists on Earth. He (ﷺ) recommended the believers to wisely consume water even if they are using water of a flowing river, as shown in the following narration:

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ: مَرَّ بِسَعْدٍ وَهُوَ يَتَوَضَّأُ فَقَالَ: «مَا هَذَا السَّرَفُ يَا سَعْدُ» . قَالَ: أَفِي الْوُضُوءِ سَرَفٌ؟ قَالَ: «نَعَمْ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ عَلَى نَهْرٍ جَارٍ» . رَوَاهُ أَحْمد وَابْن مَاجَه

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As said: “The Prophet came upon Sa'd when he was performing ablution and asked, ‘What is the meaning of this extravagance, Sa'd?’ He replied, ‘Is there extravagance in ablution?’ He said, ‘Yes, even if you are beside a flowing river.’” (Ahmad and Ibn Majah transmitted it.) https://dorar.net/h/t8LnSGuw

Allah (ﷻ) has created many resources on Earth to be consumed by human beings and other creations, i.e., air, water, pure soil, minerals, etc. These resources are very valuable and precious for living on Earth. Therefore, the Prophet (ﷺ) recommended that believers act in a sustainable way and wisely utilize all resources existing on Earth, as shown below:

وَعَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَتَصَدَّقُوا وَالْبَسُوا مَا لم يُخالطْ إِسْرَافٌ وَلَا مَخِيلَةٌ» . رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ وَابْنُ مَاجَه. حسن (الألباني)

‘Amr b. Shu'ayb, on his father’s authority, told that his grandfather reported God’s messenger as saying, “Eat, drink, give sadaqa and wear clothes so long as neither prodigality nor pride is mixed up with it.” (Ahmad, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:4381

In the following authentic narration, Abu Bakr Al-Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) devised a golden rule that has been implemented for the last fourteen centuries to achieve the Islamic goals on Earth, conserve human life, and the environment. He recommended his representatives not to kill women, children, and the aged, not to cut down fruit-bearing trees, destroy an inhabited place, or slaughter sheep or camels except for food, not to burn bees, etc. You can simply say, be sustainable and environmentally friendly in all your activities. He recommended the believers to conserve the resources that Allah (ﷻ) provided them with due to their precious nature. This is clearly stated in the following narration:

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقَ، بَعَثَ جُيُوشًا إِلَى الشَّامِ فَخَرَجَ يَمْشِي مَعَ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ - وَكَانَ أَمِيرَ رُبْعٍ مِنْ تِلْكَ الأَرْبَاعِ - فَزَعَمُوا أَنَّ يَزِيدَ قَالَ لأَبِي بَكْرٍ إِمَّا أَنْ تَرْكَبَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ أَنْزِلَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ مَا أَنْتَ بِنَازِلٍ وَمَا أَنَا بِرَاكِبٍ إِنِّي أَحْتَسِبُ خُطَاىَ هَذِهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ إِنَّكَ سَتَجِدُ قَوْمًا زَعَمُوا أَنَّهُمْ حَبَّسُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا زَعَمُوا أَنَّهُمْ حَبَّسُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَهُ وَسَتَجِدُ قَوْمًا فَحَصُوا عَنْ أَوْسَاطِ رُءُوسِهِمْ مِنَ الشَّعَرِ فَاضْرِبْ مَا فَحَصُوا عَنْهُ بِالسَّيْفِ وَإِنِّي مُوصِيكَ بِعَشْرٍ لاَ تَقْتُلَنَّ امْرَأَةً وَلاَ صَبِيًّا وَلاَ كَبِيرًا هَرِمًا وَلاَ تَقْطَعَنَّ شَجَرًا مُثْمِرًا وَلاَ تُخَرِّبَنَّ عَامِرًا وَلاَ تَعْقِرَنَّ شَاةً وَلاَ بَعِيرًا إِلاَّ لِمَأْكُلَةٍ وَلاَ تَحْرِقَنَّ نَحْلاً وَلاَ تُفَرِّقَنَّهُ وَلاَ تَغْلُلْ وَلاَ تَجْبُنْ ‏.‏

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq was sending armies to ash-Sham. He went for a walk with Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, who was the commander of one of the battalions. It is claimed that Yazid said to Abu Bakr, “Will you ride, or shall I get down?” Abu Bakr said, “I will not ride, and you will not get down. I intend these steps of mine to be in the way of Allah.”

Then Abu Bakr advised Yazid, “You will find a people who claim to have totally given themselves to Allah. Leave them to what they claim to have given themselves. You will find people who have shaved the middle of their heads and strike what they have shaved with the sword.”

”I advise you ten things: Do not kill women or children or an aged, infirm person. Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees. Do not destroy an inhabited place. Do not slaughter sheep or camels except for food. Do not burn bees, and do not scatter them. Do not steal from the booty, and do not be cowardly.” https://sunnah.com/urn/509710

Despite living in a time of ignorance worldwide, the Prophet (ﷺ) created an environmental conservation policy by not polluting waters in lakes and canals/rivers with urine. The main reason for this policy is to conserve natural resources, i.e., water, which is used for drinking and cleaning, as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «لَا يَبُولَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي الْمَاءِ الدَّائِمِ الَّذِي لَا يجْرِي ثمَّ يغْتَسل فِيهِ» وَفِى رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ قَالَ: «لَا يَغْتَسِلُ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي الْمَاءِ الدَّائِمِ وَهُوَ جُنُبٌ» . قَالُوا: كَيْفَ يَفْعَلُ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ؟ قَالَ: يَتَنَاوَلُهُ تَنَاوُلًا مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “None of you must pass water into standing water that is not flowing, then wash in it.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by Muslim, he said, “None of you must wash in standing water when he is sexually defiled.” Abu Huraira was asked how it would be done and said it would be taken out in handfuls. https://sunnah.com/mishkat:474

Cutting trees without legitimate reasons, particularly those used as rest areas for travelers and shelter for animals, is illegal and prohibited in Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) recommended this policy in the following narration:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حُبْشِيٍّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ "مَنْ قَطَعَ سِدْرَةً صَوَّبَ اللَّهُ رَأْسَهُ فِي النَّارِ‏"‏‏.‏ سُئِلَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ عَنْ مَعْنَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَقَالَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مُخْتَصَرٌ يَعْنِي مَنْ قَطَعَ سِدْرَةً فِي فَلاَةٍ يَسْتَظِلُّ بِهَا ابْنُ السَّبِيلِ وَالْبَهَائِمُ عَبَثًا وَظُلْمًا بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ يَكُونُ لَهُ فِيهَا صَوَّبَ اللَّهُ رَأْسَهُ فِي النَّارِ ‏.‏ صحيح (الألباني)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Habashi: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone cuts the Lote tree, Allah brings him headlong into Hell.’”

Abu Dawud was asked about the meaning of this tradition. He said: “This is a brief tradition. It means that if anyone cuts uselessly, unjustly, and without any right a Lote tree under the shade of which travelers and beasts take shelter, Allah will bring him into Hell headlong.” (Sahih (Al-Albani)) https://sunnah.com/abudawud:5239

In addition to the above, the Prophet (ﷺ) was very keen on the health of people in order also to save the environment. If the person is unhealthy, the environment in terms of air and water will also be at risk. This was clear in the following narration:

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «إِذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنْ نَوْمِهِ فَلَا يَغْمِسْ يَدَهُ فِي الْإِنَاءِ حَتَّى يَغْسِلَهَا فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَدْرِي أَيْنَ بَاتَتْ يَدُهُ» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, “When one of you awakes from sleep, he must not dip his hand in the vessel till he has washed it three times, for he does not know where his hand was during the night.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

https://sunnah.com/bulugh:38

As per the above discussion, it is obvious that Islamic rules are anti-environmental corruption. Many verses and narrations support environmental conservation in terms of water, air, soil, nature, animals, plants, etc. Any violation of the environmental policies set by the Prophet (ﷺ) guarantees Hellfire for those who commit such violation and vice versa.

Judicial Corruption

Corruption in the justice system is defined as using the power of judicial position for private gains, which results in an illicit delivery of judicial services and the legal rights of others. Judicial misconduct occurs when a judge's performance is considered unethical or violates his/her independence. This misconduct includes offering special treatment for friends or family members, accepting gifts or personal support for matters related to his/her office, treating parties differently, taking one side of a case, etc. Consequently, the Prophet (ﷺ) identified three types of judges: one is good, and two are flawed, as follows:

عَنِ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏الْقُضَاةُ ثَلاَثَةٌ وَاحِدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَاثْنَانِ فِي النَّارِ فَأَمَّا الَّذِي فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ فَقَضَى بِهِ وَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ فَجَارَ فِي الْحُكْمِ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ وَرَجُلٌ قَضَى لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى جَهْلٍ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ شَىْءٍ فِيهِ يَعْنِي حَدِيثَ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ ‏"‏ الْقُضَاةُ ثَلاَثَةٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Judges are of three types, one of whom will go to Paradise and two to Hell. The one who will go to Paradise is a man who knows what is right and gives judgment accordingly, but a man who knows what is right and acts tyrannically in his judgment will go to Hell, and a man who gives judgment for people when he is ignorant will go to Hell.’”

Abu Dawud said: “On this subject, this is the soundest tradition, that is, the tradition of Ibn Buraidah.” (Sahih (Al-Albani)) https://sunnah.com/abudawud:3573

Judges should be just and knowledgeable; otherwise, they will not be able to succeed in delivering proper juridical services. In addition, the Prophet (ﷺ) indicated the difficulty of juridical services as if the judge is slaughtered without a knife, as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ‏"‏مَنْ وَلِيَ الْقَضَاءَ فَقَدْ ذُبِحَ بِغَيْرِ سِكِّينٍ‏"‏ ‏.‏صحيح (الألباني)

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘He who has been appointed a judge has been killed without a knife.’” (Sahih (Al-Albani)) https://sunnah.com/abudawud:3571

He (ﷺ) recommended the judge to be in a state of tranquility when dispensing his juridical services as shown in the following narration:

وَعَنْ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ ‏- ﷺ ‏-يَقُولُ: {"لَا يَحْكُمُ أَحَدٌ بَيْنَ اِثْنَيْنِ, وَهُوَ غَضْبَانُ"} مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

Narrated Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) say, ‘No judge should give judgement between two people while he is angry.’” (Agreed upon), https://sunnah.com/bulugh:1401

Here is another narration from Omar Ibn Al-Khatab (may Allah be pleased with him): When he accepted the fact that a judge who judges correctly will have an angel on his right side and an angel on his left side who guides and gives him success in finding the truth as long as he is sincerely looking for the truth. When he becomes unfair or has ulterior motives, the angels will rise and leave him, as follows:

عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، اخْتَصَمَ إِلَيْهِ مُسْلِمٌ وَيَهُودِيٌّ فَرَأَى عُمَرُ أَنَّ الْحَقَّ لِلْيَهُودِيِّ فَقَضَى لَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْيَهُودِيُّ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ قَضَيْتَ بِالْحَقِّ ‏.‏ فَضَرَبَهُ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِالدِّرَّةِ ثُمَّ قَالَ وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْيَهُودِيُّ إِنَّا نَجِدُ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ قَاضٍ يَقْضِي بِالْحَقِّ إِلاَّ كَانَ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ مَلَكٌ وَعَنْ شِمَالِهِ مَلَكٌ يُسَدِّدَانِهِ وَيُوَفِّقَانِهِ لِلْحَقِّ مَادَامَ مَعَ الْحَقِّ فَإِذَا تَرَكَ الْحَقَّ عَرَجَا وَتَرَكَاهُ ‏.‏

Malik related to me from Yahya ibn Said from Said ibn al-Musayyab that Umar ibn al-Khattab had a dispute brought to him between a Muslim and a Jew. Umar saw that the right belonged to the Jew and decided in his favor. The Jew said to him, “By Allah! You have judged correctly.” So, Umar ibn al-Khattab struck him with a whip and said, “How can you be sure.” The Jew said to him, “We find that there is no judge who judges correctly but that there is an angel on his right side and an angel on his left side who guides him and gives him success in the truth as long as he is with the truth. When he leaves the truth, they rise and leave him.” https://sunnah.com/urn/514020

In the following narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) negatively commented on the behavior of the people who try to defraud the judicial system, as follows:

وعن أم سلمة رضي الله عنها، أن رسول الله ﷺ قال‏:‏ "إنما أنا بشر، وإنكم تختصمون إلي، ولعل بعضكم أن يكون ألحن بحجته من بعض، فأقضي له بنحو ما أسمع ، فمن قضيت له بحق أخيه فإنما أقطع له قطعة من النار" ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)

Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘Verily, I am only a human, and the claimants bring to me (their disputes); perhaps some of them are more eloquent than others. I judge according to what I hear from them. So, he whom I, by my judgment, (give the undue share) out of the right of a Muslim, I, in fact, give him a portion of (Hell) Fire.’” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:219

He (ﷺ) also managed the juridical process to be fair and unbiased, as follows:

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اَللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا; أَنَّ اَلنَّبِيَّ ‏- ﷺ ‏-قَالَ: {"لَوْ يُعْطَى اَلنَّاسُ بِدَعْوَاهُمْ, لَادَّعَى نَاسٌ دِمَاءَ رِجَالٍ, وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ, وَلَكِنِ اَلْيَمِينُ عَلَى اَلْمُدَّعَى عَلَيْهِ"} مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْه ِ 1‏ وَلِلْبَيْهَقِيِّ بِإِسْنَادٍ صَحِيحٍ: {"اَلْبَيِّنَةُ عَلَى اَلْمُدَّعِي, وَالْيَمِينُ عَلَى مَنْ أَنْكَرَ}.‏

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘If people were given whatever they claimed (in disputes), some people would claim the lives and wealth of others; but the oath (of denial) must be taken by the defendant.’” [Agreed upon] Al-Baihaqi has reported with a Sahih (authentic) chain of narrators: “But the proof (bayyinah) lies on the one who is making the claim, and the other (yamin) must be taken by the one who rejects the claim.” https://sunnah.com/bulugh:1423

He (ﷺ) created a sound judicial system and juridical services to ensure the right of a weak person(s) over the strong one(s), as follows:

وَعَنْ جَابِرٍ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- [قَالَ]: سَمِعْتُ اَلنَّبِيَّ ‏- ﷺ ‏- يَقُولُ: {"كَيْفَ تُقَدَّسُ أُمَّةٌ, لَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْ شَدِيدِهِمْ لِضَعِيفِهِمْ ؟"} رَوَاهُ اِبْنُ حِبَّانَ

Narrated Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): “I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, ‘How could an ummah (people) be purified (of its sins) where the right of its weak is not taken from its strong.’” (Reported by Ibn Hibban.) https://sunnah.com/bulugh:1405

In an earlier article, I discussed the impact of injustice on human civilization and how dangerous and harmful injustice is in the lives of human beings. It is a unique concept upon which Islam prohibits practicing against any being. Injustice only nurtures evil actions, which is considered as the thief of people’s lives, wealth, creed, and security. It destroys the relationships among different individuals and sectors of society. It also negates safety, security, and welfare. Injustice is a source of poverty, starvation, humiliation, dishonor, and exposure to vulnerability to oppressors and the devil. It is the main reason for destroying human civilization. Allah (ﷻ) has guaranteed severe consequences of injustice towards other beings. He (ﷻ) has also set up the following universal laws: injustice equals (1) complete destruction to those who are unjust and (2) severe punishment in both lives (i.e., this life and the Hereafter). Therefore, if the judicial system or juridical services lead to injustice or accommodate corrupted activities, it is very harmful to all beings and the lives of others.

Commercial Corruption

Commercial corruption is defined as the immoral or illegal business practices used to gain a competitive advantage or maximize a company's profits (monopoly) over its competitors. These practices involve fraud to clients/consumers and employees, money laundering, bribery, low-quality products, etc. Business or corporate corruption is prohibited by many verses of the Quran and the Prophet’s (ﷺ) narrations, as indicated below. For example, Allah (ﷻ) considers fraud in business as a corruption, as follows:

وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًۭا ۗ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَأَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْكَيْلَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا۟ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشْيَآءَهُمْ وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـٰحِهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ.

Chapter Al-Araf (85) And to [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. So fulfill the measure and weight and do not deprive people of their due and cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. That is better for you, if you should be believers. https://quran.com/7/85

Therefore, fulfilling the measure and weight when you buy/sell from/to people is a good action and practice; otherwise, you will defraud clients or consumers, which is illegal and prohibited by all religions and laws. This can be applied to all fraudulent actions against buyers by sellers. For example, a teacher, when he/she does not teach the course well, he/she defrauds the students and parents. He/she does not fulfill the rights of students to obtain a good education, which harms students, parents, the community, and the country. An engineer who defrauds clients by poor design, low-quality construction, and poor maintenance during the operation phase of any project is corrupt. This practice is harmful to clients, communities, and countries. Similarly, fraud in any business transaction is harmful to all societal levels. This concept is supported by the Prophet’s (ﷺ) narrations related to business or corporation corruption, as follows:

وَعَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَرَّ عَلَى صُبْرَةِ طَعَامٍ فَأَدْخَلَ يَدَهُ فِيهَا فَنَالَتْ أَصَابِعُهُ بَلَلًا فَقَالَ: «مَا هَذَا يَا صَاحِبَ الطَّعَامِ؟» قَالَ: أَصَابَتْهُ السَّمَاءُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ: «أَفَلَا جَعَلْتَهُ فَوْقَ الطَّعَامِ حَتَّى يَرَاهُ النَّاسُ؟ مَنْ غَشَّ فَلَيْسَ مني» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم. صَحِيحٌ (الألباني)

He (ﷺ) said that God's Messenger once came upon a heap of grain, and when he put his hand into it his fingers felt some dampness, so he asked the owner of the grain how that came about. On being told that rain had fallen on it he said, “Why did you not put the damp part on the top of the grain so that people might see it? He who deceives has nothing to do with me.” (Muslim transmitted it.) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2860

Honesty is the principal characteristic of businesses and corporations that helps them stay in business and gain the highest level of reward on the Day of Judgement. In addition to honesty, truthfulness is the core business value that guarantees the highest level of Paradise in the Hereafter, as shown in the following narration:

عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، أَنَّهُ خَرَجَ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلَى الْمُصَلَّى فَرَأَى النَّاسَ يَتَبَايَعُونَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏يَا مَعْشَرَ التُّجَّارِ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَاسْتَجَابُوا لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَرَفَعُوا أَعْنَاقَهُمْ وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ ‏"إِنَّ التُّجَّارَ يُبْعَثُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فُجَّارًا إِلاَّ مَنِ اتَّقَى اللَّهَ وَبَرَّ وَصَدَقَ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ وَيُقَالُ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ أَيْضًا ‏.‏

Narrated Isma'il bin 'Ubaid bin Rifa'ah: From his father, from his grandfather, that he went with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to the musalla, and he saw the people doing business so he said: “O people of trade!” and they replied to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turning their necks and their gazes towards him, and he said: “Indeed the merchants will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement with the wicked, except the one who has Taqwa of Allah, who behaves charitably and is truthful.” (Abu 'Eisa said: This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. And they also say Isma'il bin 'Ubaidullah bin Rifa'ah. Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1210) https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:1210

The Prophet (ﷺ) recommended that sellers of any product show the truthful properties of such product to the buyers. Any other practices are not allowed in businesses and corporations as shown below:

عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ ﷺ ـ يَقُولُ ‏"‏الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ وَلاَ يَحِلُّ لِمُسْلِمٍ بَاعَ مِنْ أَخِيهِ بَيْعًا فِيهِ عَيْبٌ إِلاَّ بَيَّنَهُ لَهُ‏"‏ ‏.‏

It was narrated that 'Uqbah bin 'Amir said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘The Muslim is the brother of another Muslim, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to sell his brother goods in which there is a defect, without pointing that out to him.’” (Sunan Ibn Majah 2246) https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:2246

He (ﷺ) showed the impact of fraud on the business of two people, companies, and partners. The blessings of Allah (ﷻ) are always connected with good business practices and vice versa, as follows:

وَعَن حَكِيم بن حزَام قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «الْبَيِّعَانِ بِالْخِيَارِ مَا لَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا فَإِنْ صَدَقَا وَبَيَّنَا بُوِرَكَ لَهُمَا فِي بَيْعِهِمَا وَإِنْ كَتَمَا وَكَذَبَا مُحِقَتْ بَرَكَةُ بَيْعِهِمَا» مُتَّفق عَلَيْهِ (الألباني)

Hakim b. Hizam reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Both parties in a business transaction have a right to annul it so long as they have not separated; and if they tell the truth and make everything clear they will be blessed in their transaction, but if they conceal anything and lie the blessing on their transaction will be blotted out.” (Bukhari and Muslim) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2802

Falsifying any sales is prohibited in Islam as shown in the following narration:

وعن أبى ذر رضى الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏ثلاثة لا يكلمهم الله يوم القيامة، ولا ينظر إليهم ، ولا يزكيهم، ولهم عذاب أليم‏"‏ قال‏:‏ فقرأها رسول الله ﷺ ثلاث مرار‏.‏ قال أبو ذر ‏:‏ خابوا وخسروا ‍ من هم يا رسول الله ‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ ‏"‏المسبل، والمنان، والمنفق سلعته بالحلف الكاذب‏"‏‏‏‏.‏ وفى رواية له‏:‏ ‏"‏المسبل إزاره‏"‏‏‏.((رواه مسلم))‏

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, ‘There are three to whom Allah will neither speak on the Day of Resurrection nor will look at them nor purify them (i.e., of their sins), and they will be severely tormented.’ When he repeated this (statement) thrice, Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “They are doomed and destroyed! (But) who are they, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?” He said, “One whose lower garment trails, one who boasts of kindness shown to another; and one who promotes sale of his business by taking false oaths.” (Muslim)

https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:793

As shown in the following narration, all sustenance resulting from false transactions or businesses harms human beings on the Day of Judgement. In this life, it will also reduce the blessings of Allah (ﷻ) in such sustenance, which leads to the decline of its purchasing power.

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حَنْظَلَةَ غَسِيلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «دِرْهَمُ رِبًا يَأْكُلُهُ الرَّجُلُ وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ أَشَدُّ مِنْ سِتَّةٍ وَثَلَاثِينَ زِنْيَةً» . رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ والدراقطني وَرَوَى الْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي شُعَبِ الْإِيمَانِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَزَادَ: وَقَالَ: «مَنْ نَبَتَ لَحْمُهُ مِنَ السُّحت فَالنَّار أولى بِهِ» صَحِيح (الألباني)

‘Abdallah, son of Hanzala who was washed by the angels*, reported God's Messenger as saying, “A dirham which a man knowingly receives in usury is more serious than thirty-six acts of fornication.” (Ahmad and Daraqutni transmitted it.)

* Hanzala was killed at the battle of Uhud. The dead were buried without being washed, and as Hanzala is reputed to have been in a state of ceremonial impurity at the time, his family were anxious; so the Prophet told them he had been washed by the angels. He is commonly called al-ghasil. In the text above the phrase used is ghasil al-mala’ika. Baihaqi transmitted in Shu'ab al-iman on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas with the addition that he said, “Hell is more fitting for him whose flesh is nourished by what is unlawful.” (Sahih (Al-Albani)) https://sunnah.com/mishkat:2825

In Islam, the Quran and the Prophet’s (ﷺ) narrations prohibit commercial corruption in order to maintain a healthy society and country. We should support businesses and corporations that produce products with honesty, truthfulness, trustfulness, etc.

Conclusion

Corruption and immorality are necessary for any civilization to fall and lose power. From the above discussion and analogy, we have learned that corruption and immorality are prohibited by Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), which directly affect our status on the Day of Judgement, daily life activities, and blessings in our sustenance. Corruption and immorality are directly related to and negatively impact the social life of individuals, communities, and countries. The rise of corruption and immorality leads to the fall of social values and the destruction of civilizations. People who would like to live in peace in a highly just society should forbid corruption and fight immoral actions.

The best example of a protection system against corruption and immorality is the one established by Muslims across history. The religion of Islam has a system of immunization against corruption and immorality that is unique in its principles and implementations. Thousands of historical stories illustrated the implementation process of the Islamic protection system against corruption and immorality. These were amazing practices worldwide, from east to west, across different people and cultures. Many stories were written about people who embraced Islam when they saw its effective protection and justice systems. Therefore, it becomes crucial to show the Islamic protection system against corruption and immorality exhibited in the practices of Muslims nowadays so that others can see the blessings of Allah (ﷻ) to humanity wrought by the religion of Islam.

Recommendation

1- It is recommended to repent to Allah (ﷻ) from all evil deeds, particularly the ones related to corruption and immorality:

وعن أبي ذر، رضي الله عنه ، قال‏:‏ قال النبي ﷺ ‏:‏ "‏يقول الله عز وجل‏:‏ من جاء بالحسنة، فله عشر أمثالها أو أزيد، ومن جاء بالسيئة، فجزاء سيئة سيئة مثلها أوغفر‏.‏ ومن تقرب مني شبراً ، تقربت منها ذراعا، ومن تقرب منى ذراعاً ، تقربت منه باعاً، ومن أتاني يمشي ، أتيته هرولة، ومن لقينى بقراب الأرض خطيئة لايشرك به شيئاً ، لقيته بمثلها مغفرة‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Allah, the Almighty, says: ‘Whosoever does a good deed, will have (reward) ten times like it and I add more; and whosoever does an evil, will have the punishment like it or I will forgive (him); and whosoever approaches Me by one span, I will approach him by one cubit; and whosoever approaches Me by one cubit, I approach him by one fathom, and whosoever comes to Me walking, I go to him running; and whosoever meets Me with an Earth-load of sins without associating anything with Me, I meet him with forgiveness like that.’” (Muslim) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:413

2- Select a type of worship that you like the most and try to make it very frequent so that Allah (ﷻ) will like it from you:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ سُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏"‏أَدْوَمُهَا وَإِنْ قَلَّ‏"‏‏.‏ وَقَالَ ‏"اكْلَفُوا مِنَ الأَعْمَالِ مَا تُطِيقُونَ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated `Aisha: “The Prophet (ﷺ) was asked, ‘What deeds are loved most by Allah?’ He said, ‘The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few.’ He added, ‘Don't take upon yourselves, except the deeds which are within your ability.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6465) https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6465

3- Ask for forgiveness from whom you impact by your actions because it will be too hard on the Day of Judgement:

وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏من كانت عنده مظلمة لأخيه، من عرضه أو من شيء، فليتحلله منه اليوم قبل أن لا يكون دينار ولا درهم ، إن كان له عمل صالح أخذ منه بقدر مظلمته، وإن لم يكن له حسنات أخذ من سيئات صاحبه فحمل عليه‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘He who has done a wrong affecting his brother's honor or anything else, let him ask his forgiveness today before the time (i.e., the Day of Resurrection) when he will have neither a dinar nor a dirham. If he has done some good deeds, a portion equal to his wrongdoings will be subtracted from them; but if he has no good deeds, he will be burdened with the evil deeds of the one he had wronged in the same proportion.’” (Al-Bukhari) https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:210

…............To Be Continued

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https://islamonline.net/archive/%D9%85%D9%86%D9%87%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A2%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A/

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https://rwi.lu.se/corruption-comes-in-many-forms/

https://easysociology.com/sociology-of-crime-deviance/types-of-corruption-an-outline-and-explanation-in-sociology/

https://www.alukah.net/culture/0/36923/%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AB-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A9/

Notes: SWT = glorified and exalted be He (سبحانه وتعالى SWT)                              SAS = prayers and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَمَّ SAS)

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