Promoting virtues the Islamic way Friday, 31 December 2010 04:00

eported by Qabeesah, “I was present with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when I heard him saying:

With regard to their effect on the quality of human life, all Islamic teachings meet at one point, namely, the promotion of goodness. Everything that people appreciate by their sound nature as good and right is encouraged by Islam. This statement is not as general as it sounds. There are basic values which all people, regardless of their creed, social environment or stage of civilization accept. Sincerity, telling the truth, faithfulness, helping the poor and the weak are only a few examples of these values. Islam emphasises the need for every Muslim to observe all these values everyday of his life.

It may be suggested that this is not unique to Islam. All religious creeds and all societies subscribe to these values. Hence, some people may suggest, they should not be shown as the monopoly of Islam. The answer to this argument is based on two points. First, Islam recognises that non-Muslim individuals may have many virtues and moral values. They may have many virtues and many may be of the highest caliber among human beings. When the Prophet (PBUH) was asked once about the best type of people, he answered:

I will say briefly here that it is a recognition of the qualities of good people among non-Muslims. Secondly, it is true that all creeds and philosophies applaud these values, but the best faith is the one which taps these qualities most fully so that they become essential characteristics of its society. In this respect, Islam is without peers.

The basic element in the Islamic method of tapping these qualities and resources is the belief in the Day of Judgment and the other life which is characterised by either absolute happiness or total misery. This belief is central to Islamic faith. No one is a believer in Islam unless he declares his total acceptance of six major beliefs: The Oneness of Allah as the only God of the universe, His angels, His books or messages, His messengers, the Day of Judgment and predestination. Since every Muslim believes that he or she will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment when his deeds in this life will be reckoned and his fate is decided, then every Muslim must be prepared for that reckoning.

Every single deed, no matter how small, and every word, however trifling, are taken into account. One’s good deeds are weighed against his bad ones, the result determines his destiny. The seriousness of the whole affair cannot be overemphasized. It is only natural that our recognition of that seriousness is commensurate with our strength of faith. A good Muslim visualises the Day of Judgment and the reckoning that takes place in it as a complete reality. It is there, it is near, it could come in a second. Once death comes, it is all over, because nothing more can be done to influence the result of the reckoning. Hence, preparation for that eventuality must start now and must continue in every moment of one’s life. That preparation takes a simple form: To do everything good that one can do and to avoid all evil.

It is the combination of one’s need to prepare for the hereafter, to make sure that one’s good deeds are weighty, and the natural human tendency to do what is good and to excel what Islam strengthens within every Muslim. Islam thus imparts its own colour to its followers, making of them men and women who are always prepared to do what is good and to sacrifice for it their time, wealth, and comfort. Islam achieves all that very easily through a method which makes Muslims aware that when they do good they get the benefit of their deeds in their lives and they are rewarded for them in the hereafter. Thus they combine immediate worldly benefits with future divine reward.

Every human being has a natural tendency to be good. Everyone loves honesty, loyalty, truthfulness, and all related virtues. When you add to this love the sense that by telling the truth you are not only doing your duty and observing moral values, but you are also earning rewards in the hereafter, then the motivation to always tell the truth and to always refrain from telling lies is far stronger. The Prophet (PBUH) has emphasised this combination on every occasion. He has always tried to instill in his followers this double motivation to observe Islamic values which are indeed the highest of moral values. Take for example this hadith which is reported by Qabeesah, a Companion of the Prophet, who tells us: “I was present with the Prophet when I heard him saying:

The Prophet always tried to cultivate the sense of doing good in his followers so that they prepare themselves for the reckoning on the Day of Judgment.

This statement by the Prophet has more or less become a proverb in the Arabic language. Its message is very clear. The person who is accustomed to do good to other people in this life will be given a much better reward by Allah in the hereafter. This is a simple fact which is taken for granted by all believers. The Prophet’s statement, however, is explained by his cousin, Ibn Abbas, in the following terms:

“When those who have always done good in this life are resurrected on the Day of Judgment, they are forgiven their sins by virtue of what they had done in this life. Their own good deeds which they have done for themselves remain intact. They are allowed to pass them on to others whose bad deeds are found to be in excess of their good ones. Thus the sins of the those people are forgiven and they enter paradise. Thus, the good doers are made charitable in this life and in the hereafter.”

It is needless to say that the people of evil are those who do all things that Allah has forbidden. These will find their bad deeds too much of a burden in the hereafter. Their destiny is the torment of hell. Consider also the following hadith reported by Harmalah Ibn Abdullah, a Companion of the Prophet, who says: “I stayed with the Prophet one day until he recognised me. When he decided to go, I thought I had better go to him to learn more about Islam. I caught up with him and was close to him. I asked, “What do you advise me to do?” He said: “Harmalah, do what is good and avoid evil. Consider what you would like people to say about you when you leave them and do it. Identify what you dislike people to say about you when you leave them and avoid it.” When I went back home, I thought about his words and found that they have included every good thing.” (a weak hadith related by Bukhari in Al Adab Al Mufrad.)

The Prophet’s statements in these two hadiths do not require any explanation or comment. Suffice it today that they are examples of how the Prophet always tries to cultivate the sense of doing good in his followers so that they prepare themselves for the reckoning on the Day of Judgment. His method of cultivation is definitely strengthened by this combination of immediate benefit in this world, with reward in the hereafter. This is a consistent Islamic method which tries to relate this life to the future one so that it all becomes a continuous process. Therefore, everything we do counts on the Day of Judgment.

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