Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Chapter 18: Real Fast

“O ye who believe” Fasting is prescribed to you...that ye may (learn) self-restraint...” (Qur’an; chapter-2:verse 183)

The command for fasting in Ramadhan came in the first year of the Hijra. The Holy Prophet delivered a lecture on the last Friday of the pre-ceding month, Sha’ban, in which he said:-

“O people! You are now under the shadow of the month which has a night (Night of Qadr) which is better than thousand months. It is the month of Ramadhan in which fasting has been made compulsory by God. It is the month of patience; and the reward of patience is paradise. It is the month of mutual sympathy.

“Whoever feeds a fasting brother at the time of breaking the fast God will be as much pleased with him as though he would have emancipated a slave, and it means that his sins of past would be forgiven”.

Somebody pleaded that not everybody was affluent enough to feed others. The Holy Prophet said: “Allah is generous enough to be pleased with you even if you break the fast of Muslim brother with a morsel of date or a cup of water if it is the only thing which you can offer”. God does not see the wealth offered but it is the feeling of the heart only which counts. Then the Holy Prophet proceeded to say: “Anybody who makes the burden of his servants lighter in this month Allah will make his sins lighter for him on the Day of Judgment”.

The word ‘Ramadhan’ is derived from the root ‘R-M-Dh’, which indic-ate ‘Heat’ and ‘Restlessness’. It is said that the name of the month indicates the hardships which accompany a fast like thirst and a compar-ative restlessness.

But the best explanation was given by the Holy Prophet himself, who was the final authority on every thing. He said: “Ramadhan burns the sins and faults as fire burns the wood”.

Imam Muhammad al-Baquir told one of his companions: “O Jabir! Whoever, during Ramadhan, fasts in days, stands for prayers in parts of nights, controls his sexual desires and emotions, puts rein on his tongue, keeps his eyes down, and does not injure the feelings of others, will be-come as free from sin as he was the day he was born”. Jabir said: “How tough are these conditions!”

Have you courage enough to try to fulfill these ‘tough’ conditions in this Ramadhan and be freed from the chain of past sins?

Chapter 19: Fruit of Fasting

The month of Ramadhan is the month of God, (bringing) His blessing, mercy and forgiveness”. (Holy Prophet).

The month of Ramadhan gives us a chance to start life afresh. Muslims should make resolutions during this month, to act upon during the year. This is the month when emotions remain under the control of reason. Thoughts, in this month are not wild, feelings not hard. Forgiveness, generosity and love of God through the love of His creatures are infused in our soul. Naturally, it is the best time to decide how are we going to live in the coming year. We should know what do we want to achieve and how.

Why not start making your program just now? And when you have completed the list of your ambitions, here is a simple test to see how much have you benefited from fasts of Ramadhan.

Do your resolutions include such items as helping the needy (not by just handing out a few shillings, but by helping him to stand on his own Legs)? Have you thought of showing more respect to the elders, loving more tenderly those who are younger? Is there anything concerning your neighbors and friends? Have you any inclination to forgive your en-emies? Have you resolved to live more honestly and more sincerely? And above all, is there any room for God and His Prophet in your thoughts and programs?

If the answer is ‘Yes’, accept my congratulations; you are a real Muslim; you know the meaning of the fast of Ramadhan.

If on the other hand, the answer is in negative, there is some need of improvement in your faith. And if you really want your faith to be more perfect time is never lost. Though the month of Ramadhan is coming to its end very soon, you may still take its advantage. There is no need to feel sorry for yourself. If you really want the love of God it is yours for asking. It is the easiest goal to reach and the most difficult. It all depends, not so much on the path, as on the traveler. If your heart is pure, it is the easiest thing in the world, if you want to put the love of God in a corrup-ted heart, it is just impossible.

As is clear from the tradition of the Holy Prophet quoted above, this month is the month of blessing, month of mercy and month of forgive-ness. If anybody wants these benefits, he should strive for it, with more zeal and more sincerity in the remaining few days of this holy month. If we spend our time in remembering God, praying for His love, repenting for our sins, we can be sure that God will bless us with His love and His mercy.

Chapter 20: Spirit of Fast

“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you.. That ye may (learn) self-restraint ....(Qur’an, 2:183).

Fast like living things, has a body and a soul. The required abstinence from food, water, sexual relations etc. Is the body of the fast: “piety” is its soul. If we are not striving to refine our character by fast, our will be a body without soul. Fast cleans our body from impurities. Likewise, it must purify our hearts and minds from all impure thoughts improper desires and undisciplined sensations.

The Holy Prophet saw a woman, who was fasting on that day (not in Ramadhan), abusing her girl-servant. The Prophet admonished her and told her to break her fast. The woman protested: “But I am fasting today”. The Holy Prophet said: “But was not your fast broken by the ab-uses you were hurling upon that poor girl?”

Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq has said: “Your fast day should not be like other ordinary days. When you fast, all your sense - eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet - must fast with you.” How?

Eyes: Keep your eyes off unlawful things and objects; spend this most precious gift of God in good cause and pious acts and read Qur’an and Do’as.

Ears: Abstain from hearing unlawful gossip, lies, false statements, mu-sic and obscene topics. Pay your attention towards sermons and topics of learning etc.

Tongue: Do not tell lies or useless tales; do not spread rumors or, dam-aging gossips about other persons; keep aloof from falsity. Use the power of speech in spreading the word of God; in creating goodwill in the society.

Hand: Do not inflict injury upon others by your actions; instead strive to help them as far as you can.

Feet: Do not go towards forbidden places, like bars and cinemas. Do not run between people creating a strife. Go towards those places, where God is remembered; and your movements should be to bring people together.

And above all, your heart and mind must be with you in fasting. Be-cause fast in its real sense, will not be complete unless your thoughts, your emotions, your actions - in short, all aspects of our life - become pure, clean and free from blemish.

Chapter 21: Purpose of Fasting

“(The month of Ramadhan) is the month of repentance, month of for-giveness, month of reward”. (Holy Prophet)

The month of Ramadhan is called the “month of God” It strengthens the relation between a man and his Creator. Think of a person abstaining from necessities of life, like food and water (to say nothing of other pleasures) 16 hours a day, for one month at a stretch; think again that he does so not because of any external pressure, but by his own free will; and remember that he expects no worldly reward and that his only wish in fasting is to be nearer to Allah - and then you may appreciate how strong is the relation between a Muslim and his Lord.

By fasting, a Muslim subjugates his worldly desires and strengthens his spiritual powers. He learns a lesson most relevant to his spiritual well-being; he comes to realize that nothing (not even his body and soul) is his own. After this realization, he can appreciate the freedom given to him by God in almost all walks of life during the past eleven months.

He will know that he can never claim of that freedom of action as a matter of right. It is just a grace of God for which he should ever remain thankful to Him.

That appreciation will lead to gratitude, and that gratitude will show itself in his behavior and deeds all his life, making him a trustworthy friend and a lovable companion.

As the month of Ramadhan prepares a Muslim to become a perfect man, it is called “the shield against the Hell”. Also, the Holy Prophet said: “God says that fast is for me only and I Myself will give its reward”.

Chapter 22: Sincere Repentance

”O ye who believe, turn to Allah with sincere repentance, in the hope that your Lord will remove from you your sins and admit you to the Heavens ....” (Qur’an, 66 : 8)

This Holy month of Ramadhan is generally referred to as the month of Tauba’ (repentance). Repentance is the best way to the Grace of Allah for a person who has sinned. Allah is His infinite grace, forgives sins if the sinner repents sincerely. The operative word is ‘sincerely’.

To describe ‘sincere repentance’. Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (A.S.) said: “Repenting and never committing that sin again”.

According to the ‘Islamic belief, repentance uttered by tongue, without a change of heart, is no repentance at all Repentance must produce change in habit, honesty in dealings, fear and Love of Allah in prayers, improvement in character, generosity in behavior and humility in nature.

Amir-ul-Mumeneen Ali (A.S.) described the characteristics of repent-ance in the following word: “Repentance has six elements: A repentant must be really sorry for what he had done: he must have firm determina-tion not to do it again; he must make amends for whatever wrongs he did to others; he must fulfill all the obligations of religion which he had neglected previously; he should fast long enough to melt away the flesh grown from unclean and unlawful food; and he should feel the taste of obedience to God, as he was previously enjoying the taste of sin”.

When a man repents sincerely Allah makes him as clean as he was on the day he was born. The Holy Prophet (S.A.) has said: “One who re-pents from sin is like the one who never committed any sin”.

Chapter 23: On Pilgrimage

“And for God, the pilgrimage of the house (of Allah) is obligatory upon the people who have strength to go their”. (Qur’an 3:97).

Pilgrimage to the house of Allah, in Mecca, is one of the pillars of Islam. Every Muslim fulfilling certain conditions; is obliged to go for Ha-jj, at least once in life. What are the lessons of Hajj?

The first thing to attract the eyes is the simple uniformity of tens of thousands of people, wearing white unstitched cotton robes. Their pur-pose is one and their appearance is one. Here you will find the unity and brotherhood of Islam demonstrated in its brightest color - angelic white.

Then, pondering upon this point, you will realize that to acquire this uniformity, every person had to discard every mark of distinction, every sign of his worldly position - political, social, financial or otherwise. May be a man whom you are talking with, is the president of a country; and, on the other hand, he may be an obscure laborer in a lonely place. There is nothing to distinguish between them in this house of God. The tem-poral distinctions have no value in the eyes of God. Here all human-be-ings have one - only one - rank.

Here they are the believed servants of Allah, coming to offer their sin-cere prayers in His house. We are His servants; He is our Master. It is the only relationship which counts here. All other distinctions and ranks are artificial.

Mecca has no tourists’ attraction. There are no beautiful sceneries. A place surrounded by barren rocks and hills! According to Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, it would have been as easy for Allah to select a beautiful place for His house. But he selected the barren rocks and stone walls, so that people should come here without any worldly motive. They cannot be attracted by pleasures because there is none; they cannot think about business, because Mecca has nothing to produce. Therefore, anybody coming to Mecca, must come, by virtue of necessity, with pure intention and untinted purpose. He must come for pilgrimage - and pilgrimage only.

How can a poor man be arrogant? Wealthy people are the ones who suffer most from this spiritual disease. It is, perhaps, for this reason that Hajj is obligatory for those only who are rich enough to afford the jour-ney to Mecca. They are more exposed to the killing germs of “pride” and “ego”; they have been asked to go to pilgrimage, so that they may be cured of these maladies.

Chapter 24: Philosophy of Pilgrimage

“Hajj is (in) the months well-known; if anyone undertakes to perform that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj; and whatever good you do, God knows it”. (Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 197).

This is the week of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. About 1,500,000 Muslims will spend the week in Arafat, Musdalifa, Mina and Mecca under the most strict discipline of Hajj.

But self-restraint and discipline is not the only benefit of this pilgrim-age. (And it can also be achieved by fast of Ramadhan). The most en-dearing feature of Hajj is that it serves to crush the pride and destroy the egoistic tendencies of the individual. It creates humility and humbleness.

It is just impossible to show your individuality and identity in Hajj. Are you a scholar? Or an illiterate? Are you a king? Or an ordinary man? A military strong man? A revered man of religious world? It does not matter what was your rank or designation in your own world; this is the domain of religion and God, and here you are simply one more servant of Allah - nothing more, nothing else.

You have to wear simple cotton dress - unstitched sheets wrapped around the body. You cannot distinguish yourself even by inventing your own style of wearing. You have to wear it in the same way as the other 1,500,000 pilgrims are doing. Do you want to wear some medals or other distinguishing decorations? No chance, it is not allowed. Or at least some enchanting hairstyle? But heads are shaved, and you are to do accordingly.

Could you imagine a hard-headed executive of a firm, or an arrogant dictator of a country, wearing two white sheets, trotting between two hills seven times, forgetting all his pomp and show? Could you image an usually reserved aristocrat hitting a pillar with stones day after day obli-vious of the fact that 3,000,000 eyes are upon him? Could you think of a millionaire living in hardship just like less-fortunate human-beings, but without any complaint or murmuring? Here is your chance to see these imponderables turn into accomplished facts. Arrogance, pride, high - headedness wealth, honor, academic qualifications, political achieve-ments, military victories - everything is worthless here. Nothing can be admired here. The only thing which has any value ‘you’, as a servant of God.

Chapter 25: Eternal Life

“And do not think those who are martyred, in the path of Allah are dead. Nay! They are alive, in the presence of God”... (Qur’an, 2:154).

Value of a sacrifice depends upon the purpose for which that sacrifice has been offered. If the purpose of the sacrifice is, for instance, wealth or political power, it is just a waste of life and nothing more. How can a life be immortal if it is worthless enough to be bartered for some precious stones or glittering minerals. Gold and Silver are not immortal; they can-not make a life immortal.

A life spent in their pursuit cannot be eternal; it is just one more tragic death.

But if the purpose of the sacrifice is to please God; the man becomes immortal. When a person is martyred, witnessing the Glory of God, His Mercy, His Power and His Unity; when he accepts death to spread the name of God, then the sacrifice is worthy of its name. It is not death; death cannot conquer such soul. Here the flame of life cannot be extinguished.

Why is it so? Because, in this case, the ultimate aim of sacrificing the life was God, God Himself is immortal and Eternal. Thus a life which is spent in His wav, acquires immortality from Him and the martyr be-comes immortal.

A great majority of Muslims, all over the Islamic world have just been busy commemorating the tragedy of Karbala, in which Imam Husain, (A.S.) grandson of the Prophet, was martyred 1325 years ago to save Islam from the disastrous clutch of Yazid. He did know very well that he would have to suffer a good deal as a result of his rejecting Yazid. But he was not after worldly power or material gain which could be abandoned in the face of danger. He was following the policy laid down by Islam in the way of Allah. He and his children were denied water for three days: his companions and relatives were killed; his six month old child was put to death. At last his own head was severed and put on a spear; his women-folk were imprisoned and all kinds of tyrannies were aimed against them. But their determination, like that of Imam Husain (A.S.) was never weakened.

Some people think that the life, mentioned in this verse of Qur’an, means that the martyrs will be remembered for ever. If it is so, then it is very appropriate to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husain (A.S.) and his companions. Their memory has been, and will be, kept alive by the grace of Allah, in whose name they sacrificed their lives.

Chapter 26: Miracle of Qur’an

“Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Qur’an, or are their hearts locked up by them?” (Qur’an, Chapter-47; verse 24).

The Qur’an is a miracle given by God to the Holy Prophet of Islam. It is miracle, both of the style and of the deep knowledge and pure truth which is being unfolded every day.

The difference between all other miracles and the Qur’an is that the former were only for those who witnessed them. For us, they are news which may be believed or suspected according to the trend of mind. But the Qur’an is in our hands, a book complete in itself; it claims that it is re-vealed, and brings the proof within itself.

Arabs in the time of the Prophet were proud of their language. The Qur’an silenced them with its sublime literature, challenging them to bring ‘like’ of even one ‘Sura’ (chapter). The Arabs, who called other na-tions ‘Alam’ (dumb), became dumb themselves when the Qur’an put its challenge before them. They resorted to sword; they waged war after war; they inflicted sufferings and suffered themselves. Had it been with-in their power to bring a chapter like the Qur’an, all this trouble would have been unnecessary. No sane man will choose a difficult way in pref-erence to the easier one. It was the highest quality of the Qur’anic lan-guage which baffled them and is still baffling its antagonists. History re-cords that many people tried to meet the challenge of the Qur’an but had to admit that it is right when it says that nobody can bring its ‘like’. Also, on the side of knowledge and truth, its miracles are not exhausted yet. There are many examples that a verse remained a puzzle for the com-mentators until the advert of scientific discoveries which made its mean-ing clear.

To give a tangible example: In the sura ‘Al-Mumin’, it says:

“And Pharaoh said, ‘O Haman! Build for me a tower that I may reach the avenues, the avenues of the heavens, and may mount to God Moses ...” (Qur’an, 40:36).

As it is, there was no mention of Haman in the previous books. People used to wonder who was that Haman! They may be forgiven, because nobody knew before recent discoveries that ‘Amon’ was the name of the great Egyptian deity, the ‘King of gods’, patron of the most powerful Pharaohs, and pre-eminently the national god. Its high-priest also was called ‘Amon’ and was responsible for all the religious buildings and temples. What could have been more natural for Pharaoh, when intend-ing to build a tower to see God of Moses, than to ask the Amon’s priest, himself known as ‘Amon’, to arrange it?

These scientific miracles of today are sufficient to make a man believe that this book is a book of God, containing the eternal truth.

Chapter 27: Achievements of Islam

Note:- This article was published in Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1387 A.H.

“It is he who has sent among the unlettered an Apostle from among themselves, to recite to them His signs and verses, to purify them,

Qur’an: and to instruct them in the scripture and wisdom” (Chapter 62;

Verse 2).

This week Muslims all over the world, are celebrating the birthday of the Holy Prophet. This year has a special significance; it is the 1400th year of the declaration of the prophethood and the revelation of the Holy Book, i.e. the Qur’an.

The achievements of the Holy Prophet, in a short period of 23 years, are too numerous and far-reaching in their impact to be described here. To give a glimpse of some of the aspects of Islam, I would like to men-tion that it was Islam that re-established the belief in One and Universal God. It was Islam that recognized the prophets, who had appeared in other nations before Muhammad, as true Prophets. It was Islam which freed mankind from the supposed stigma of inherent evil and sin, and thus bestowed an everlasting dignity to humanity. It was Islam that said that “no bearer of burdens bears the burden of another” - that is the chil-dren of Adam cannot be condemned for Adam’s supposed sin. It was Islam that laid no special rituals to accept a man in its fold, declaring that “every child is born a Muslim; it is his parents who take him away from Islam and convert him Judaism, Christianity or other religion” - that is, he does not need any permit to come back to his original home, Islam.

It was Islam that created a direct relationship between God and indi-vidual man. If he abstains from sins, or if, after committing a sin, repents sincerely, there would be no need of any intercessor. God Himself will forgive him. Muslim preachers have no privilege of forgiving sin on be-half of God, or of granting paradise quarters to their followers. Thus Islam has made each and every person responsible for his own actions.

Islam treated man as man, not as God; it recognized the shortcoming of human beings; and gave them a code of conduct which combines the lofty ideals of Love with the practical aspects of Justice. It has laid down clear rules for every aspect of life, which are based on justice and cannot be violated and after a man has achieved that minimum degree of piety, he is exhorted and encouraged to reach the higher and higher goal of moral and spiritual perfection. This combination of minimum require-ments of justice with maximum aspiration of lofty morals is the most unique aspect of the religion of God which is Islam.

Chapter 28: How Islam was Spread ?

“And the leaders among them (i.e. the unbelievers) go (saying) “Walk ye away and remain constant to your gods; for this (Islam) is truly a thing designed (against you)” (Qur’an 38:6)

Islam, in its infancy, was a secret mission. After 3 years the Holy Prophet announced openly his message to the people ofMecca. The news of new religion traveled far and wide, and the hurling of open denunci-ation at the ancestral idols of Arabs by the Holy Prophet set all Arabia ablaze.

The resentment, at first, led them to approach his uncle and guardian, Abu Talib, to persuade him to silence his nephew. Abu Talib conveyed their message to Muhammad. Muhammad replied; “Uncle dear, even if they place the Sun in my right hand and the Moon in my left hand in or-der to turn me away from the work which I have been entrusted by Al-lah to do, I will not listen to them”. Saying this he burst into tears. Abu Talib said “Go in peace, my son! And do what thou wilt, for, by God! I will not abandon thee”. This decision of Abu-Talib infuriated the Meccans.

As a last attempt they approached Muhammad himself. They told him: “If your ambition is to acquire wealth, we will amass wealth for you as much as you may ever desire, and if you are aspiring for power and honor, we are prepared to accept you as our kind and overlord; and if you have any fancy for beauty, you shall have the hand of the fairest maiden in the land”. Muhammad’s reply was short and clear: “Neither I want wealth nor do I want power or beauty. I have been commissioned by Allah as a warner to the mankind, I am communicating His message to you. If you accept it, you shall have facility in this life and the life hereafter, and should you reject it, verily, God will decide between you and me”.

And God decided in favor of his own religion. In spite of the bitterest persecution suffered by the Muslims at the hand of the Meccans, Islam made steady progress. And, in the end, even its erstwhile enemies were attracted to its fold.

Chapter 29: Mercy For All Worlds

“And We did not send thee (Muhammad) but for the whole mankind”. (Qur’an, 34:28)

Look at the major religions of the world minutely and you will find that it is only Islam which claimed from the beginning to be the religion for the whole mankind.

God sent, before Muhammad, thousands of prophets and apostles to different places and nations to guide their people to the right path. It should be mentioned here that the word ‘Prophet’, when used by a Muslim, does not mean ‘one who foretells the events’. Foretelling the events is not a very important function of a ‘Prophet’. A prophet, accord-ing to Islam, is sent by God to call people to His path. He is the link between Allah and His creatures, and by following his foot-prints the followers can be sure of receiving the glory of God.

Anyhow, when as a result of the efforts of those Prophets mankind reached the stage of maturity, the Holy Prophet of Islam was sent by God for the whole mankind. He re-affirmed, revived, consolidated and perfected the teachings of the earlier prophets (which by passage of time had become distorted and disfigured).

Muhammad come in the world, announcing that, “I have been sent to all people-red and black and yellow”. Among his early followers were people from Ethiopia, Iran, Rome and India.

According to the Qur’an, Allah is not a tribal god but the ‘Lord of Uni-verse’; and the Holy Prophet is ‘The Mercy for the universe’.

By sending his messengers to Asia Minor, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman and many other places, calling those people to ‘come within the fold of Islam, Muhammad left an undeniable proof that his was the universal religion, unfettered with the shackles of tribe, reli-gion, color or race.

Chapter 30: Equality of Man

Thought for the Week:

“O People, verily we created you of a male and a female; and We made you in clans and tribes so that you may recognize Each other: but the most honored of you with God is the one Who is the most pious of you”, (Qur’an, Chapter 49, Verse 13).

Go deep into the history of last 1400 years and you will find the im-print of Islam on every right chapter. Take, for example, the idea of hu-man brotherhood and equality of man with man. This wide-spread belief of today is the gift of Islam.

Before Islam, people generally believed in tribal gods. In some quar-ters there was an idea of a supreme being; but that supreme being was almost always the god of one’s own tribe; the gods of other tribes were inferior ones. One was bound to despise those other gods, but the inter-esting point is that, anyhow, the other gods were recognized to exist!

That multitude of gods and semi-gods, was bound to cause conflicts and disharmonies amongst mankind, and it did cause divisions to an un-believable extent. Theories were advanced to legalize the division of mankind into separate classes - some privileged, other persecuted and oppressed. Beliefs were fostered condemning certain branches of human-ity, not because they were of bad character but just because they happened to belong to a certain tribe or clan. Different legal and social codes were invented for different classes. As there was no feeling of a Universal God, man did not have a feeling of kinship with other human beings.

The advent of Islam was the beginning of the end of such tendencies. Islam, with its emphasis on the Oneness of God, created a belief in the oneness of His creatures. Gradually the belief influenced the thought of mankind. Now the principle of equality and human brotherhood is re-cognized in the whole world - with certain sad exceptions. When I hear the leaders of world opinion proclaiming that racial or tribal discrimina-tion is a sin against God, I feel proud to being to Islam which proclaimed that principle for the first time in the history of mankind. Not only pro-claimed it, but made it an integral part of the Muslims’ daily life.

It was Islam which explained in most realistic terms the cause of the existence of different tribes and clans and asked man to look into the qualities of soul, not on the color skin.

Chapter 31: On Akhlaq

Once A man asked the Holy Prophet: “What is the best of all actions”? The Holy Prophet replied: “Akhlaq”.

Akhlaq is an Arabic word meaning behavior or character or, more ac-curately, “moral character’. The Holy Prophet himself was praised by Al-lah because he possessed all the virtues and qualities of highest moral character. God said: “Indeed thou art at the highest peak of good manners”.

The Holy Prophet has also said; “You should create within yourselves the Akhlaq (behavior) of Allah”. For example, Allah is merciful: we should be merciful to others. Allah is forgiving; we also should forgive others when they are at fault. Allah treats even his enemies with love and magnanimity, we also should do likewise.

And herein lies the basic difference between an “Akhlaq” based on love of God and the modern “Akhlaq”, based on self-interest. Today na-tions have progressed materially to level which was undreamed of even 50 years ago. Contacts between man and man, and nation and nation, have increased due to trade, industry and commerce. There is exchange of students, scholars and technicians. The size of the earth has been re-duced by modern aircrafts.

Now, motivated by the instinct of self-preservation, nations are trying to evolve international moral codes. But these codes are observed more by violation than by adherence. Why?

The answer in simple words is one and only one. We have built these codes on a wrong foundation. We have tried to build our moral behavior (which requires some “sacrifices”) on self-interest (which allows for no sacrifice). The only way to emancipate mankind from moral bankruptcy is to restore our faith in Allah, and believe in the life hereafter.

Chapter 32: Code of Conduct

“Verily, the religion before God is Islam” (Qur’an, 3 : 19).

Islam has given mankind a perfect code of conduct. Man from every walk of life have been clearly instructed how to perform their duties, how to behave. Islamic law is based on Justice; Islamic ethics, on love and grace.

The most strict rules have been laid down for those who enter the pub-lic life, like judges, governors etc. The Holy Prophet once sent a man as a Qadhi to Southern Arabia. When he came back, he brought many gifts given to him during his stay there. When our Holy Prophet came to know about it, he demanded that all the gifts be brought to him to be distributed among poor. The ex-judge protested that it was his personal Property, as it was given as gifts. The Prophet said: “Had you gone there in your private capacity without any official credential, these gifts would have been your private property. But as long as you were my Qadhi, the things presented to you were not ‘gift’: it was ‘bribe’ to please you so that they might benefit from you.” The man had to return all his “gift”.

This clear cut rule is worth following by all public leaders. Then they would not have to worry how much a Member of Parliament may accept from his “clients”; or how much “expenses” can be spent on pleasure trips.

Hazrat Ali (A.S.) was informed of a dinner attended by the Governor of Basra. He at once wrote him a long letter, some sentences of which are sufficient to show how Islam expects its officers to behave.

“I have been told that a young man of Basra invited you to a dinner and you hurried to it. Fine dishes were brought out for you; luxurious plates were served. I never thought that you would accept a dinner to which only rich were invited, and from which poor were ex-cluded.......See that I, your Imam, am satisfied from his world with two old clothes and two daily bread. I know that you cannot do as I am doing, but at least you should try to help me with your efforts, your fear of God and your behavior; because, by God, I did not collect from this world of yours any gold, nor did I amass any riches....

“Should I remain content that people call me ‘Amir-ul -Mumeneen’ (leader of the faithful) without sharing with them their hardships, without setting for them a model to be followed.......”

Many of his letters to governors and officers show this trend when he exhorts them to live as ordinary men, without erecting barriers between them and the people; to behave in such a way “that big people cannot use you to oppress poor ones, and poor are not discouraged from obtain-ing justice even against the richest and biggest man”.

Chapter 33: Self - Criticism

In Islamic terminology, one aspect of human soul is called “Lawwamah’ (self-reproaching spirit). It is one of the surest means of perfecting one’s character and behavior. As Hadhrat Ali (A.S.) said: “Check your account (of deeds) before you are called to render it (after death, in presence of God)”. We must check our account and make up the shortcoming before it is too late.

Realistic self-evaluation and self-criticism are essential for the develop-ment of the soul. Only in this way can we save our self from being a prey of conceit and pride. Before we go to sleep we must relive the whole day, seeing whether our behavior was up to the required standard of spiritual perfection. If we detect any slip, any wrong or any impurity, we must firmly resolve to amend it at once and repent sincerely.

If we cultivate this habit of continuous self-criticism, we will progress, in no time at all, towards that stage of spiritual perfection which is called in Islam ‘Mutma’innah’ when a soul rest and satisfaction by grace of Al-lah. But this self-criticism must begin before our vision has blurred, be-fore evil makes a slave of our soul. Otherwise, we will fail to recognize the evil when we see it.

When a murderer justifies (nay, really feels justified in) his crime; when a robber thinks that, by his action, he is rectifying the imbalanced of the society, then only a special grace of God can save him from plunging into the lowest Hell of disgrace.

Unfortunately, modern society is heading blindly towards that same degradation. Social thinkers spend their whole energy in inventing new excuses for law-breakers. Stealing is white-washed by the impressive name of ‘kleptomania’; sex-perversion and dirty habits are explained away as “just a protest against society”. Criminals are afforded more protection in law than their helpless victims, under the disguise of ‘liberty of the individual’. And the real tragedy is that all of it is done in the name of ‘progress’.

Is the ‘conscience’ of modern nations merely stunned?

Or, really dead?

Chapter 34: On Righteousness

“Righteousness is not just to turn your faces towards the East or the West (in prayers). But the true righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Book (Qur’an) and the prophets; and gives his wealth, for love of Allah, to the kindred and the orphan and the poor and the traveler and to those who ask (for help), and for ransoming the captives;” (Qur’an 2: 178).

Just to observe some external rites is not Islam. True faith and good ac-tions are the primary requisite of a Muslim. Faith is the seed which gives birth to good deeds; and if the faith does not create an urge in us to per-form noble deeds, our faith is dormant, and we must try to awaken it by conscious efforts.

If a Muslim does not help needy persons, if he does not bestow love and kindness upon the orphans, if he turns out the people who are in need of assistance, then his claim of righteousness is just a claim and nothing more.

Often we have seen our kith and kin in distress; several times we have been approached by stranded travelers seeking shelter and food; daily we hear the cries of starving persons in famine-stricken areas; so many times we have looked upon a child whose very countenance was a monument of affliction and hardship. What has been our usual reaction in these circumstances? Have we parted with some of the wealth to help the poor fellows. And have we done it with kindness and a sense of grat-itude? And above all, have we done it “For love of Allah”? Let us search our soul!

The above-mentioned Ayat of Qur’an exhorts us to have faith, and to support that faith by charity and good deeds, based upon ‘Love of Allah’: We should realize that the fellow human-beings are in the eyes of Islam, dependents of Allah’, and that our wealth is, in fact, a property of Allah, given to us in trust. When we help our fellow brethren, we should remember that we are giving the property of God to the dependents of God. It should be based upon love of Allah, without any shade of worldly motives. A secret desire to enhance our social prestige by a char-ity destroys the fiber of that charity. A help given with a motive to gain political advantage is a body without soul.

Alas, how many good actions are ruined by unworthy motives!

Have faith, bestow charity; and bestow it ‘For Love of Allah’, That is the basic teaching of Islam.

Chapter 35: Justice & Generosity

“Verily, God commands (you) to do justice and be generous.. ” (Qur’an Chapter 16, Verse 90).

Islamic code of conduct is based on justice and love in every sphere of life. For example, it commands the trade to “give full measure and weight”. It is justice. Then it exhorts him to give more than the agreed quantity while, side by side, the buyer is encouraged to try to take less than that. It is love. In this atmosphere, friction and litigation are things unimaginable.

Another example: Islam prohibits hoarding food grain when there is a shortage in the market. It is justice, and it rules out that possibility of ar-tificial famine and black market which are the cause of our present day society. But our religious leaders have gone further, setting the example of Islamic love and sympathy.

Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (A.S.) used to purchase his one year’s require-ment of food grains at the beginning of the year. Once there was a danger of famine in Madina. He asked his men how much grain was left in his store. They assured him that there was enough to suffice for long time. Hearing it, he ordered them to take out all that grain and sell it at once at a much cheaper price. They protested that his family would have to suffer from the famine if the grain was sold out. Imam replied: “Let us alleviate the present calamity as much as we can. Afterwards, we will be just one of the public, sharing with them the hardships of the famine. We shall eat when they will eat; we will be hungry when they will be hungry”. This was the love. And what is our behavior these days? Fam-ine conditions are created artificially to raise the prices. Such people liter-ally feast on the dead-bodies of the poor. The present day economy of the world, which is based on un-Islamic principles, encourages human greed instead of suppressing it. Islamic love and sympathy have no room in the structure of today’s commerce and industry.

The people are taught from the childhood the God-less theory of the struggle for self-preservation and the survival of the fittest. Everybody is made to believe that his survival depends, not on co-operation with oth-ers, but on killing the weaklings. In this background, the strives and con-flicts are inevitable.

This way of life, which denies the authority of God in our daily life, of-fers no solution to the sufferings of our times. The only refuge is in the precincts of Islam which accepts the authority of God in every Sphere of our life, be it material of spiritual.

Chapter 36: Essence of Ethics

“Verily, God commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin; and He forbids all shameful deeds and injustice and rebellion”. - (Qur’an: 16: 90).

This ‘Ayat’ of the Holy Qur’an has been truly acclaimed by the com-mentators as the ‘essence of ethics”. The basic requirement of human character is “justice”. It is a comprehensive term which includes all vir-tues of philosophy. But to raise himself higher than this lowest rung of the ladder, a man needs something warmer and more humane - doing of good deeds even where they are not demanded by justice, returning good for evil, being kind to those who (in worldly language) have no claim on him.

After exhorting to be generous to all special mention has been made of those whose claims are recognized in social life: your kith and kin. This includes all moral and ethical, as well as legal and obligatory; duties of a man towards his family and relatives. It ensures a good society by ensur-ing a good family.

And the opposites, the evils, are to be avoided, because a cup of honey becomes poisonous if a few drops of poison are mixed with it. A man is to refrain from “shameful deeds”, and injustice. In Islam, end does not justify the means. A just and good and must be reached through just and good means. Therefore, it was necessary to warm mankind of all shame-ful acts, unjust means.

And last, but not least, man is to guard himself against rebellion - re-bellion against God, rebellion against good conscience. Some people say: “It is a very high standard; a very distant goal”. And then they decide that distance is a good excuse to abandon the path.

This attitude is the result of the weakness of their spirit. Ironically, the spirit can be strengthened by pursuing the right path only. If you want to go from Dar-es-Salaam to Londonyou have to make a start, otherwise you will never reach there. So, if you are to achieve perfection of charac-ter, you have to start the spiritual journey - in right direction. Distance of goals is not an excuse to sit idle on the road-side: rather, it is a challenge.

Chapter 37: On Pride

“He (Satan) refused (to obey God) and was proud...” (Qur’an, Chapter 2, verse 34):

Pride, greed and envy are the three basic evils which are the founda-tion of all sins and crimes in this world. All three were clearly demon-strated in the very beginning of mankind when Satan refused to bow down before Adam and arrogantly declared that he was better than Adam. It was ‘pride’ which led to disobedience of God. Eve, owing to her greed, was persuaded by Satan that eating from the ‘forbidden tree’ would be in her benefit. That also led to the disobedience of God. Cain became envious of his brother Abel and killed him. Envy led to the capit-al sin and crime. It is for the sake of these moral lessons that this story has been repeated several times in the Qur’an.

Pride is one of the most condemned sins in Islam. Four verses of the Qur’an clearly state that Hall is the abode of proud persons. The Holy Prophet has said: “Allah says, greatness is My prerogative, and whoever tries to share it with me (becomes proud) I will put him in Hell”.

Islam has framed its code of life in such a way that pride is crushed continuously. Take for example the rules of salutation. It has been stressed that you should be the first in saying ‘Asalamu alaikum’. Do not wait for others to salute you. And it makes no difference whether the other party is older or younger than you or equal to you in age. Not only this code, but the reason given for it also is a sure remedy of pride. It has been explained in this way. If the other party is older than you, you must salute him, because owing to his longer stay in this world, he has got more chances of good deed than you have; if he is younger than you, you must salute him, because owing to his shorter stay in this world, he has got less chances of evil -deed and sins than you have; if he is your contemporary, remember that you know your own, but not his, vices and sins: therefore you must be the first to begin Salaam to everyone without any distinction of age or rank.

Prayers in the mosques are another example of crushing the pride. There are no reserved seats. Whoever comes first, sits nearer to the priest. A pauper stands in the first line, a millionaire stands behind him: and in prostration the feet of the pauper touch the head of the million-aire, reminding him that in the presence of God it is piety which counts, not the coins.

Pilgrimage to Mecca is another reminder of this lesson. Poor and rich, great and small, ruler and ruled, all are dressed alike, with shaven heads and nearly bare feet, and perform all the functions of Hajj side by side.

Thus minds are dense constantly of ‘pride’, one of the fundamental evils.