Tag: belonging to God

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New Muslims Society

Muslim and True Sense of Belonging

 

Minarets in America

To believe, along with the recollection of the presence of the Creator, is a way of understanding one’s life within creation and among people.

Muslims today experience, sometimes with a great deal of tension, conflicts of belonging, and if they themselves do not feel it as such, their fellow-citizens sometimes manage to connect them with another belonging – to “their community,” “their brothers” from some other place, as if this attribution were one more sign that they do not really belong to the Western nations.

For decades the same intentional process has been directed in Europe against Jews, whose genuine loyalty has always been suspect. Muslims face the same judgment, and international events push them even more onto the defensive.

So this issue must be dealt with particularly explicitly. Let us ask the questions clearly and simply: should Muslims be defined in the light of the notion of community (ummah), or are they simply Muslim citizens of one or another Western country? To which group or collectivity do they belong first, to the Ummah or to the country in which they live as residents or citizens?

These are sensitive questions, for behind their outward meaning we find the fundamental question: Is it possible for a Muslim to be an authentic European or American, a real citizen, a loyal citizen?

Belonging to the Islamic Ummah

The essence of the Muslim personality is the affirmation of the Shahadah (Declaration of Faith). If we had to look for the minimal element on which Muslims agree for the definition of their common identity, we would certainly find that it was this fundamental profession of faith, which, when declared sincerely, makes the individual a Muslim.

This Shahadah is not a simple statement, for it contains a profound perception of the Creation that itself gives rise to a specific way of life for the individual, as for the society. The permanent link with God, the recollection that we belong to Him and will return to Him sheds an intense light on our person because we understand that life has meaning and that all people will have to account for their actions. This ’intimate thought of every action‘ is one of the major dimensions of Islamic spirituality that, without any form of institutionalized influence, prompts every believer to decide on the markers for his social life.

To believe, along with the recollection of the presence of the Creator, is a way of understanding one’s life within creation and among people, for, from the Islamic point of view, to be with God is to be with human beings. This is the meaning of tawheed (Oneness of God) in Islam.

In Islam, there are four circles or areas that, at various levels and with specific prerogatives, should be highlighted in order to explain the social significance of the teaching of Islam, from the family to the Ummah and finally to the whole of humankind.

Immediately after the recognition of the presence of a Creator, which is the fundamental vertical dimension, a first horizontal area is opened up in matters to do with human relations. The strong affirmation of the Oneness of God and the worship of Him is linked as an essential condition with respect for parents and good behavior toward them.

The first area in social relations, which is based on family ties, is basic for Muslims. The Qur’an connects the reality of tawheed with respect for parents in numerous verses:

Do not set up any other deity side by side with God, lest you find yourself disgraced and forsaken: For your Lord has ordained that you shall worship none but Him. And do good unto your parents. Should one of them, or both, attain old age, in your care, never say ‘Ugh’ to them or scold them, but (always) speak unto them with reverent speech, and spread over them humbly the wings of your tenderness, and say: ‘O my Sustainer! Bestow Your grace upon them, as they cherished and reared me when I was a child.’ (Al-Israa’ 17:22-24)

To serve one’s parents and be good to them is the best way of being good before God. It is one of the most important teachings of Islam, and the Prophet constantly emphasized it with supporting injunctions, such as the famous hadith: “Paradise lies at the feet of mothers.” (Muslim)

Nevertheless, there may be a situation when parents ask something that is against the faith and God’s commands, in which case a son or a daughter should not obey, although they should remain respectful and polite. The most important of these commands is, of course, not to associate any other god with God, and if parents order their children to do this, they should refuse:

But if both try to force you to associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them; keep company with them in this world in an appropriate way, but follow the way of those who turn to Me. (Luqman 31:15)

This refusal to obey certain pressures exercised by one’s parents clearly shows where the priorities lie with regard to authority from the Islamic point of view: one should please both God and one’s parents, but one should not disobey God in order to please one’s parents. This was confirmed in general terms by the Prophet: “There should be no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator.” (Muslim)

This means that despite the importance of parental ties, which are where identity and fundamental belonging lie for a Muslim, they are not the first or the most important criterion in determining and guiding human relations.

If a Muslim has to choose between fairness, which God has commanded should be practiced and respected, and himself, his parents, or his loved ones, he should prefer justice, for such an act bears true witness to his faith:

O You who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it be against your own interests or those of your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God’s claim takes precedence over (the claims of) either. Do not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve from justice: for if you distort (the truth), behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do! (An-Nisaa’ 4:135)

A Muslim belongs above all to God, and this belonging influences and illumines with a particular light each social sphere in which he or she is involved. To believe in God and to bear witness to His message before the whole of humankind means that the fundamental values He has revealed, such as honesty, faithfulness, fairness, and justice, all have priority over parental ties.

Consequently, Muslims must respect family ties (and by extension ties with community, people, and nation), as long as no one forces or compels them to act against their faith or conscience.

Thus, the first area of social relations in Islam associates father and mother very closely with the concept of the family, which refers, in the broad Islamic sense, to close relations and to everyone with whom one has a family relationship.

The individual affirmation of Islamic faith by means of the Shahadah and the recognition of the family as the first area of social life are the prerequisites for entering into the second circle of social relations in Islam. Each of the four practical pillars of Islamic religious practice has a double dimension, individual and collective.

By trying to excel in the practice of their religion, Muslims are immediately called to face the communal dimension of the Islamic way of life. Most Qur’anic injunctions are addressed to the believers in the plural: “O bearers of the faith. . . .” and when Muslims recite Al-Fatihah (‘the opening chapter’ of the Qur’an) in each prayer cycle, they present themselves as members of a community by saying: “You alone we worship, to You alone we turn for help. Guide us in the right way.”  (Al-Fatihah 1:5, 6)

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The article is an excerpt from the author’s Western Muslims and the Future of Islam, Oxford University Press (2004).

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Ethics & Values New Muslims

Citizenship in Islam: Rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim (1/3)

By Editorial Staff

Citizenship in Islam Rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim

A Muslim is asked to give his Muslim brother a helping hand and stand with him until he accomplishes his matters.

Rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim are some of the first principles Islam came to instill.

When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions migrated to Al-Madinah, they had to encounter new, even, strange situations. It was similar to the conditions of refugees nowadays although being quite different.

The concept of migration itself was extrinsic to Arabs who have been known to their strong fidelity to their tribes and chieftains. A great deal of Arabs activities, such as marriage, residence, social relations, and litigation were pure tribal. The loyalty to tribe knew no limit to the extent that the history of Arabia recorded long destructive wars that remained for tenths of years and killed hundreds of people, such as the wars of Da`is wal-Ghabra’, and Al-Basus, because of tribal issues.

However, the approach of Islam was completely different. It toned the equity between people, loyalty to Islam, the universality of Islamic messages, the submission to the rulings of Islam alone, the formation of a new social system of equal rights and duties, and the elimination of the improper customs and conventions of the pre-Islamic period.

When Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived at Al-Madinah he established the concept of Islamic brotherhood in its best sense. He (peace be upon him) confirmed up the brotherhood of Islam between the Muslims of Al-Madinah and the migrants, which remained a lasting basis for the Muslim community ever. A Muslim became a brother of a Muslim, regardless of their homeland, tribe, color, gender, and economic level.

This relationship for a Muslim should be stronger and more preferred than any other relationship. It stems from the Islamic creed and touches on the belief of God himself. Almighty Allah blamed those who have loved the hostile non-Muslim fathers and brothers as they have set themselves against Allah and His Messengers:

You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred. Those – He has decreed within their hearts faith and supported them with spirit from Him. (Al-Mujadalah 58:22)

Then, He (Glory be to Him) praised the Muslims of Al-Madinah for their perfect application of the principle of Islamic brotherhood with their fellow Meccan Muslims. He says:

And (also for) those who were settled in al-Madinah and (adopted) the faith before them. They love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their breasts of what the emigrants were given 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. And (there is a share for) those who came after them, saying, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts (any) resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.” (Al-Hashr 59:9-10)

This concept of brotherhood was consolidated by the revelation. The Qur’an always uses the word brother, in the singular or plural forms, referring to Muslims:

The believers are but brothers. (Al-Hujurat 49:10)

And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (Al-Hujurat 49:12)

O you who have believed, prescribed for you is legal retribution for those murdered – the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. But whoever overlooks from his brother anything, then there should be a suitable follow-up and payment to him with good conduct. (Al-Baqarah 2:178)

Brotherhood in the Sunnah

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “A Muslim is a brother to a Muslim.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Do not desert (stop talking to) one another, do not nurse hatred towards one another, do not be jealous of one another, and become as fellow brothers and slaves of Allah. It is not lawful for a Muslim to stop talking to his brother (Muslim) for more than three days.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you.” (At-Tirmidhi)

In these quoted texts, Islamic brotherhood in all its meanings is highlighted. A Muslim is a brother to a Muslim in the full sense of the word with full rights and duties. A true Muslim cares for his Muslim brother, visits him, shares happiness with him, consoles him in case of grief, and cooperates with him in the goodness. In the following lines, we will try to find out these mutual rights between the Muslims and each other as substantiated by the Qur’an and Sunnah.

1- Right of Support

A Muslim is asked to support his Muslim brother and not to disappoint or relinquish him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) maintained that the Muslims should be a means of support and help to their fellow Muslims. Abu Musa? (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “The relationship of the believer with another believer is like (the bricks of) a building, each strengthens the other.” He (peace be upon him) illustrated this by interlacing the fingers of both his hands. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Moreover, the Prophet gives orders to support the Muslim brother, even in case of his wrongfulness in which case the support is different. This is clarified by the hadith narrated by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) who reported:

“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Support your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed”. A man enquired: “O Messenger of Allah! I support him when he is oppressed, but how can I support him when he is an oppressor?” He (peace be upon him) said, “You can keep him from committing oppression. That will be your support to him”. (Al-Bukhari)

2- Right of Help

Among the rights of Islamic brotherhood is to give your Muslim brother a helping hand and stand with him until he accomplishes his matters. A Muslim person should feel that is not alone in this life but rather every Muslim everywhere is his brother who supports, helps, cares for, defends, likes, assists and looks after him.

Ibn Abu Ad-Dunya narrated from Ibn `Umar that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The most beloved of people to Allah is the one who brings most benefit to people, and the most beloved of deeds to Allah is making a Muslim happy, or relieving him of hardship, or paying off his debt, or warding off hunger from him. For me to go with my Muslim brother to meet his need is dearer to me than observing i`tikaf (seclusion) in this mosque – meaning the mosque of Madinah – for a month… Whoever goes with his Muslim brother to meet his need, Allah will make him stand firm on the Day when all feet will slip.” (At-Targhib wa At-Tarhib)

The hadith states that causing good to a Muslim brother, helping them carry out their matters, paying off their debt, relieving them of hardship, etc. are on the top of the God-pleasing deeds. Also, the most beloved ones to God are those who undertake the rights of brotherhood perfectly.

To be continued..

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Source: The-Faith.com

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Categories
Ethics & Values New Muslims

Citizenship in Islam: Rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim (2/3)

In a previous article, we mentioned two of the rights of the Muslim upon his Muslim brother. We highlighted the rights of support and help that are highly confirmed by the Qur’an and Sunnah. In this article, we will explain the rights that Islam has imposed upon Muslims towards each other.

Rights of the Muslim

The Muslim is the one who protects the honor of his fellow Muslim.

Rights of the Muslim

Right of Justice

A Muslim is not allowed to oppress anyone. This is totally prohibited in Islam. Allah has repeatedly stated in the Qur’an that wrongfulness is forbidden and that He does not like the wrongdoers:

But as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards, and Allah does not like the wrongdoers. (Aal `Imran 3:57)

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet 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.” (Muslim)

Yet, wrongfulness, which is already prohibited, is more prohibited when it occurs between two Muslims. Ibn `Umar that the Prophet said, “A Muslim is a brother of (another) Muslim, he neither wrongs him nor does hand him over to one who does him wrong.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Right of Concealing the Faults

A Muslim should care for his Muslim brother. He should not uncover his faults, search to know them or encroach upon his brother’s privacy. He should be a means of protection of the dignity and honor of his brother. It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever covers (the sin of) a Muslim, Allah will cover him (his sin) in this world and in the Hereafter.” (Ibn Majah)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned against searching for others faults. Narrated Abu Barzah Al-Aslami: “The Prophet said: “O community of people, who believed by their tongue, and belief did not enter their hearts, do not back-bite Muslims, and do not search for their faults, for if anyone searches for their faults, Allah will search for his fault, and if Allah searches for the fault of anyone, He disgraces him in his house.” (Abu Dawud)

However, this does not mean letting a Muslim go ahead in committing sins where he should be advised and warned of their evil outcome.

Right of Protecting Honor

The most emphasized right of a Muslim upon the other Muslim is to preserve his honor and reputability. This right is stressed by the Prophet, and its violation is graver than anything else. Narrated Sa`id ibn Zayd: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The most prevalent kind of usury is going to lengths in talking unjustly against a Muslim’s honor.” (Abu Dawud)

Also, the Prophet stressed that the honor of a Muslim brother must be kept untouchable and inviolable for the other Muslims. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah said: “The blood, honor and property of a Muslim is inviolable for another Muslim.” (Muslim)

In another hadith, as the Prophet gives the definition and description of a true Muslim. He (peace be upon him) maintains that the Muslim is the one who protects the honor of his fellow Muslim. It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe, and the believer is the one from whom the people’s lives and wealth are safe.” (An-Nasa’i)

Right of Supplication

One of the indications of a Muslim’s love for his Muslim brother for the sake of God is to supplicate God for him, especially in his brother’s absence. This supplication is hoped to be answered by God. Abu Ad-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah said, “The supplication of a Muslim for his (Muslim) brother in his absence will certainly be answered. Every time he makes a supplication for good for his brother, the angel appointed for this particular task says: ‘Ameen! May it be for you, too’.” (Muslim)

The above hadith highlights two things: the supplication of a Muslim to his Muslim brother in his absence is certainly answered, and that the angels will respond to his supplication by saying “Ameen” and implore God to give the questioner the same thing he requested for his brother, which is expected to be answered as well.

Right of Preserving the Properties

The Prophet has maintained that it is not permissible by any means to encroach upon other’s properties, even if they are non-Muslims. However, this impermissibility becomes more established if it is between Muslims. Almighty Allah says,

O you who have believed, do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly but only (in lawful) business by mutual consent. (An-Nisaa’ 4:29)

The verse shows us that using up a Muslim’s properties is not allowable in Islam. In his Farwell Hajj, the Prophet declared in his well-known sermon as narrated by Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “Delivering the sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage on the day of Sacrifice at Mina, the Messenger of Allah said, “Verily your blood, your property and your honor are as sacred and inviolable as the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours and in this town of yours. Verily! I have conveyed this message to you.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Also, the Prophet (peace be upon him) made it directly that it is a mutual right between Muslims. Abu Hurairah (peace be upon him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Every Muslim’s blood, property and honor are unlawful to be violated by another Muslim.” (Muslim)

Right of Patience

The life troubles and conflicts naturally bring about undesired situations and problems. Therefore, patience and forbearance are always required. The Prophet explains that a Muslim who mingles with people and endures their harm is better than the one who does not mix with them and does not bear the harm.

Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet said: “The believer who mixes with people and endures their harm is better than the person who does not mix with people nor endure their harm.” (Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad)

Right of Advice

Offering advice is highly appreciated in Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) made it the core of religion. On the authority of Tamim ibn Aws, “The Prophet said, “The Religion is advice.” We said, “To whom?” He (peace be upon him) said, “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.” (Muslim)

Offering advice expresses love and caring for the other and sincere desire for bringing good or removing evil from them. The Prophet made it a right of the Muslim upon his fellow Muslim. Also, Jarir narrated: “I gave pledge of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah on the observance of prayer, payment of Zakah, and offering advice to every Muslim.” (Muslim)

                                                                                                                                                               To be continued…

Read also:

Citizenship in Islam: Rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim (1/3)

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Source: www.the-faith.com.

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Categories
Ethics & Values New Muslims

For a Merciful Society: Rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim (3/3)

This is the third and last article of the series of the “Rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim”. We will continue this interesting topic about the mutual Islamic rights between Muslims and one another.

muslim

All texts of revelation have stressed good treatment, kindness and cooperation.

Right of Kind Treatment

A Muslim is always required to deal with others with high morals and pleasant manners. He should not indulge in ill actions or behaviors with other Muslims or non-Muslims. IbnMas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “A true believer is not involved in taunting, or frequently cursing (others) or in indecency or abusing.” (At-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet also warned against cursing or fighting a Muslim because these actions are contrary to the peaceful message of Islam. IbnMas`udreported: “The Messenger of Allah said, “Reviling a Muslim is fusuq (disobedience of Allah) and killing him is (tantamount to) disbelief.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Right of Good Neighborhood

All texts of revelation have stressed good treatment, kindness, cooperation, sharing happiness and sorrow, and mercifulness to neighbors. This right has been repeated in revelation to the Prophet once and once again until he thought that there will be a share of inheritance to the neighbors.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Gabriel impressed upon me (the kind treatment) towards the neighbor (so much) that I thought as if he would soon confer upon him the (right) of inheritance.” (Muslim)

Right of Visiting

The right of visiting between Muslims is most required in case of sickness or troubles. It was narrated that ‘Ali said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah say:

‘Whoever comes to his Muslim brother and visits him (when he is sick), he is walking among the harvest of Paradise until he sits down, and when he sits down he is covered with mercy. If it is morning, seventy thousand angels will send blessing upon him until evening, and if it is evening, seventy thousand angels will send blessing upon him until morning.’” (IbnMajah)

Also, Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah said, “A believer owes another believer five rights: responding to greetings, visiting him in illness, following his funeral, accepting his invitation, and saying ‘Yarhamuk-Allah (may Allah have mercy on you),’ when he says ‘Al-hamdu-lillah(Praise be to Allah)’ after sneezing”. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Right of Greeting

It is an act of Sunnah and a right of the Muslim upon his Muslim brother to greet them when they meet. Abu Hurairah (peace be upon him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

“A Muslim has six duties towards other Muslims: When you meet him, you should salute him; when he invites you, accept his invitation; when he asks for your advice, give it to him; when he sneezes and praises Allah, say May Allah have mercy on you; when he is ill, visit him; and when he dies follow his funeral.” (Muslim)

Once a person asked Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him):“What (sort of) deeds in Islam that are good?” He replied, “To feed (the poor) and greet those whom you know and those whom you don’t know.” (Al-Bukhari)

Right of Accepting Invitation

It was narrated in Al-Bukhari and Muslim that Abu Hurairahsaid: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying: ‘The rights of a Muslim over his fellow Muslim are five: returning greetings, visiting the sick, attending funerals, accepting invitations, and saying Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah confer His mercy on you) when he sneezes.’”

Therefore, accepting the invitation, especially in occasions like marriage celebrations, are required upon the Muslim towards his Muslim brother. Some scholars considered this as an obligation upon the Muslim in case he or she is invited, provided that the place is devoid of sins such as music.

Right of Attending Muslim Funeral

The Prophet impressively clarifies that it is a right of a Muslim, even in case he is dead, to follow his funeral until he is buried. In the aforementioned hadiths, the Prophet said:

“A Muslim has six duties towards other Muslims: When you meet him, you should salute him; when he invites you, accept his invitation; when he asks for your advice, give it to him; when he sneezes and praises Allah, say May Allah have mercy on you; when he is ill, visit him; and when he dies follow his funeral.” (Muslim)

Attending the funerals of Muslim is of great reward. It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said: “Whoever follows the funeral procession of a Muslim out of faith and in the hope of reward, then offers the funeral prayer for him and waits until he is placed in his grave, then he will have two qirats, each of which is like Mount Uhud. Whoever offers the funeral prayer for him then returns, he will have one qirat.” (Al-Bukhari)

Saying the Dhikr of Sneezing

Among the mutual rights between Muslims is to say “Yarhamuka Allah” (may Allah confer mercy upon you) in case the Muslim is sneezing. Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu Hurairahthat the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“When one of you sneezes, let him say, ‘Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah),’ and let his brother or companion say to him. ‘Yarhamuka Allah” (may Allah have mercy on you).’ If he says, ‘Yarhamuka Allah,’ then let (the sneezer) say, ‘Yahdikum Allah wayuslihubalakum (may Allah guide you and rectify your condition).’”

 

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Part 1

Part 2

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Source: www.the-faith.com

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Divine Unity New Muslims

He Is One and We Are All Human

perfect nature

A relationship of obligation, trust is fully achieved with God when we cross the threshold of the realm of inner peace.

The notion of tawheed (the Oneness of God, tawheed al-rububiyya), of His names and His attributes (tawheed al-asma’ was-sifat), determines that the conception of human nature will be “a mirror image” and “a contrario,” one may say.

If God is one, everything in creation is in pairs, double, seeking union. Oneness, for the Transcendent, is an expression of the essence of being; union, for created beings, is achieved through marriage, fusion, movement.

The Body & the Soul

Created by the One, humans must go in search of the unity of their own being; their heart, their soul, their mind, and their body.

Put thus, it may give the impression that there is nothing to differentiate this from the Greek, Jewish, or Christian traditions. We well know the approach whose most familiar expression is the opposition between the soul and the body.

But a careful reading of the scriptural sources reveals that there is nothing in the Islamic tradition that can serve as a basis for the dualistic approach that opposes two constituent elements of humankind, each characterized by a positive or negative ethical quality: the soul would be the expression (explicitly or implicitly) of good, the body the expression (explicitly or implicitly) of evil.

Never does the Qur’anic revelation or the Prophetic tradition suggest anything of the sort. The ethical crux is not in the opposition of two elements that are separate and ethically fixed (which would represent the two poles of morality) but rather in controlling and guiding them toward their necessary merger, their inevitable union.

From the beginning, the Islamic tradition rejects this kind of antithetical dualism and bases the measurement of moral categories on the ability of human consciousness to take responsibility for finding balance, establishing harmony, making peace.

Human Responsibility

The human being is, essentially, responsible; awareness of tawheed invites humanity to set out on the quest, along the divine path (sabil Allah), to control, in the midst of the fluctuations of life, the contradictions within its being, its weaknesses, and its deficiencies.

This exercise of responsible control is an education that makes the human being truly human at the heart of a search which is like a virtuous and ascending circle; union, which is at the center of being, brings us toward the oneness of the being.

The opposite here would be an absence of boundaries and morality, a lack of constraint, that would drag the conscience into sleep, into the vicious circle of excess, which may even extend to bestiality.

An interesting passage in the Qur’an speaks of beings who lose awareness completely as being more lost than animals.

They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle- nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning). (Al-A`raf 7:179)

Thus, consciousness, when it atrophies to the point of prompting the human being only by means of the same instinct as the animals possess, is dehumanized. It is consciousness and control that define the humanity of humankind.

Thus, there is no moral quality good “in itself” attached to an-nafs (the soul in the body), the heart, or the spirit, and there is no moral quality bad “in itself” attached to the body, the senses, or the emotions.

& Ability

It is the human ability to control, to combine, and to guide that determines the ethical quality of individuals, their nafs, their hearts, their bodies, feelings, each of their emotions, as well as each of their actions.

This perception is the basis of the relationship that Muslims are invited to have with the world, which is not evil in itself (as opposed to the next world, which is presumed to be absolute good). Conversely, motherhood and fatherhood are not good in themselves (as opposed to the solitary life, which is presumed to be evil).

Knowledge is not always positive in itself (in contrast to ignorance, which is by nature negative). Nothing like this is to be found in the Islamic universe of reference. Sexuality may be a prayer and motherhood may be hell, depending on the moral intention that motivates the person.

In other words, the ethical quality of the elements of which we are constituted (nafs, heart, body, and so on), the faculties by which we are characterized (such as perception, intelligence, and imagination) and, of course, the actions we produce are determined only by the guidance our conscience gives them.

Get in Motion

This teaching reveals a perception of the human that is at once very demanding and very optimistic—demanding because the human conscience must acquire alone – “No one can bear another’s burden” (Al-Israa’ 17:15) – responsible control in a world where evil is neither an indelible mark on the being-in-the-world (like original sin) nor in itself a constituent part of the being- like the body or the imagination.

It is above all optimistic, for it requires us not to reject any part of our being, encouraging in us the confidence that the Only One will give us in every situation the means to meet this ethical challenge. “God only imposes on each soul [human being] what it is able to bear,” (Al-Baqarah 2:186) and along the way He provides numerous signs, invitations, and supports.

Thus, a relationship of obligation and trust is established with the divine that is fully achieved only when we cross the threshold of the realm of inner peace.

It remains to discover how to discern the guidance we have spoken of.

The Islamic tradition also offers an original conception of humankind that the sufis (Muslim mystics) have very much emphasized. It contains the idea of movement and dynamism that, as we have seen, characterizes Islamic thought.

Awareness of the divine, far from the dualist thinking which opposes “faith” to “reason,” sets in motion, as we shall see, a quest for the original breath that cannot dispense with reason in order successfully to bring to birth a faith that is both confirmation and reconciliation.

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The article is an excerpt from the author’s book Western Muslims and the Future of Islam, Oxford University Press (2004).

 

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Divine Unity New Muslims

Man’s Quest for God: Between Reason and Heart

In the quest for God, is there a contradiction between the realm of faith and the realm of reason? Could this quest for God and the truth be undertaken with only one of them?

The story of creation, as it is told in the Qur’an, is remarkable. It all began, one may say, with a testimony and a covenant. Indeed, Revelation tells us that in the first stage of creation the Only One brought together the whole of mankind and made them bear witness:

And when your Sustainer took the offspring of Adam from his loins to bear witness about themselves: ‘Am I not your Lord?,’ they replied, ‘Assuredly, yes. We bear witness to it.’ This is a reminder lest on the day of judgment you say: ‘We did not know!’  (Al-A`raf 7:172)

This original testimony is of fundamental importance for the formation of the Islamic conception of humanity. It teaches us that in the heart and consciousness of each individual there exists an essential and profound intuitive awareness and recognition of the presence of the Transcendent.

Fitrah

Just as the sun, the clouds, the winds, the birds, and all the animals express their natural submission, as we have seen, the human being has within it an almost instinctive longing for a dimension that is “beyond.”

This is the idea of the fitrah, which has given rise to numerous exegetical, mystical, and philosophical commentaries, so central is it to the Islamic conception of the human being, faith, and the sacred. We find it mentioned in the following verse: “Surrender your whole being as a true believer and in accordance with the nature (natural desire) which God gave to human beings when He created them. There is no change in God’s creation. This is the unchangeable religion, but most people do not know” (Ar-Rum 30:30), and confirmed by a Prophetic tradition: “Every newborn child is born in fitrah: it is his parents who make of him a Jew, a Christian, or a Zoroastrian.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

So this “original testimony” has impressed each person’s heart with a mark, which is a memory, a spark, a quest for God (transcendence) in a sense very close to Mircea Eliade’s insight when he affirms that religions “play a part in the structure of human consciousness.”

Original Covenant

This statement from the first age, in which human beings declared their recognition of the Creator, fashions their relationship with God: they are bound by a sort of original covenant to which their consciousness presses them to stay faithful.

There is no original sin in Islam: every being is born innocent and then becomes responsible for his or her faithfulness to the covenant. Those who do not believe, the un-faithful (kafir), are those who are not faithful to the original covenant, whose memory is faint and whose sight is veiled.

In the notion of kufr in Arabic there is the idea of a veiling that leads to the denial of the Truth. Only God decides whether human beings will be enlightened or veiled. Their responsibility consists in their constant action and personal effort to keep the memory alive.

Little by little, we feel that the outlines of an Islamic conception of human nature are emerging. If none of the elements that make up the human being has, in itself, a positive or negative moral quality, if, on the contrary, it is the awakened, responsible conscience that exerts, through the exercise of control, ethical guidance on one’s way of being in the world, one is naturally entitled to wonder how to comply with the way this guidance is leading, how, in short, to be with God.

The answer to this is: all of us are required to return to ourselves and to rediscover the original breath, to revive it and confirm it. In order for this to be achieved, the Creator has made available to human beings two kinds of Revelation. One is spread out before us in space—the whole universe. The other stands out in history at points in time.

Quest for God…Truth

These two kinds of Revelation “remind” and send the conscious back to itself:

We will show them our signs on the horizons and in themselves so that it will be clear to them that (this message) is the truth. (Fussilat 41:53)

This quest for God (the Transcendent) cannot be undertaken without the mind. There is absolutely no contradiction here between the realm of faith and the realm of reason.

On the contrary, the spark of faith, born in the original testimony, needs intellect to confirm that testimony and to be capable of being faithful to the original covenant.

The realm of faith necessarily calls on intellect, which, by accepting the two types of Revelation, allows faith to be confirmed, deepened, and rooted and to grow to fullness in the heart and in human consciousness.

Here again the two must be wedded, and each has a part to play: a living faith makes it possible for the intellect to accept signs beyond simple elements of nature, and active reason makes it possible for faith to understand and also to acquire more self-understanding, and in that way to draw closer to the divine:

Of all the servants, those who know are those who are (fully) open to the intimate awareness of God. (Fatir 35:28)

Blaise Pascal had an apt expression: “The heart has reasons that reason does not know,” thus differentiating the two realms of faith and reason (even though this formula has often been (wrongly) reduced to an opposition between the emotional and the rational).

From an Islamic point of view, the relationship of the heart (where the first longing, the first breath toward faith takes place) and the intellect (which responds to the call of this breath and takes up the quest for God) might rather be expressed this way: the heart has reasons that reason will recognize.

Apart from the expression, the difference is profound.

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The article is an excerpt from the author’s book Western Muslims and the Future of Islam, Oxford University Press (2004).

 

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