Muslim's Character

Muhammad Al-Ghazali

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STRENGTH´part 2

 

Determination and Trust-the best Manifestation of Strength

Islam has declared achievement of strength and power essential. Its one characteristic and manifestation is that you make a firm determination and a strong resolve to achieve, with the help of your nearest available means and resources, your objective. Try your utmost in achieving your goal. You should leave no stone unturned and no room for chance, and thereafter leave the outcome in the hands of destiny. There are many individuals who take Allah's shelter in order to cover their objectionable defects reprehensible negligence, inability and laziness, and grumble against luck. Islam has disapproved of this tendency.

Auf bin Malik says that Allah's Messenger once gave a decision in a dispute of two people. When the man against whom the Prophet's decision was given was returning, said:

"For me Allah is sufficient, and He is the best support." The Prophet said: "Allah sends curses on helplessness and weakness. You should give proof of your wisdom. When you are overpowered in any matter say: 'For me Allah is sufficient, and He is the best support'."

(Abu Daud)

It is the duty of everybody that he should make full efforts and try to the best of his ability to overcome his difficulty, till the time he achieves his objective. If he overpowers his difficulties then he has fulfilled his responsibility.

However, if after making all the efforts he fails, then at such a time the support of Allah is the best shelter for him, which would help him to overcome the sense of defeatism and frustration. In both the states he is strong and powerful. First by making efforts and working, and in the second case by relying on God he receives strength.

Islam does not like that in your affairs you should be a prey to vagueness and hesitation, You should not be undecided in the matter of selecting the advantageous alternative. Your head should not be filled up with doubts and misgivings, resulting in an atmosphere of indetermination and indecision, making it difficult for you to come to a decision. It does not like that due to your weakness you may not be able to strongly hold the advantageous things in your firm grip, and they should slip through your fingers and may be wasted. This restlessness and indecision does not become a Muslim.

Allah's Prophet has said:

“ A strong Momin is better than a weak Momin and is more liked by Allah, and there is good ill each one. Desire profitable things and seek Allah's help and be humble. If you are harmed then do not say that had you done in this way the result would have been different, but say Allah is Controller, whatever He likes He may decide, because the botheration of ifs and buts opens the door of the devil's workshop."

(Muslim)

What is the work of Satan? To remind of the troubles and the difficulties of the past, which would create a sense of heart-breaking disappointment and de-privation. Man thinks about the prospects of his present and future. As regards shedding tears on the defeats of the past, to bring back the memory of the past sadness, to think of old enmities and to be entangled in the net of ifs and buts, are inclinations which do not suit the conduct of a Muslim. Quran has listed them with sorrow and frustration in those manifestations which are generated in the hearts of the infidels:

"0 you who believe ! Be not as those who disbelieved and said of their brethren who went abroad in the land or were fighting in the field : If they had been (here) with us they would not have died or been killed; that Allah may make it anguish in their hearts. Allah gives life and causes death and Allah is Observer of what you do."

( Ale Imran .. 156)

One hadith has it:

"One who wants to be strong among men, should rely on Allah."

Trust in Allah which makes a man powerful is a kind of confidence in Allah, which saves a man from destruction at a time when he is surrounded on all sides by harrowing difficulties, and when he is unable to get help from anyone else, nor is there any hope of getting it from elsewhere.

Accordingly he becomes a mountain of strength at the time of confrontation with the enemy. If the reliance is on Allah, then in spite of the shortage of weapons and war equipment and insufficient number of supporters, he feels that he has a strong support. From this trust in Allah he receives encouragement and support to be steadfast. He sticks to his job till in the dark and frightening atmosphere the glad tidings of victory are heard by him. The holy Quran says that trust is such an eternal food for war that with its help prophets and their followers have bravely and successfully faced the tyrants of their time:

"How should we not put our trust in Allah when He has shown US our ways? We surely will endure that hurt you do us. In Allah let the trusting put their trust"

(Ibrahim: 12)

The faithful and their supporters stand their ground, sticking to their mandate. They have expectations of well-being in the future. They have full confidence that their present weakness will be converted into a powerful victorious force, but the wicked and evil rulers and their disciples term this determination and trust of the faithful as their pride and madness:

"When the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said: 'Their religion has deluded these. Whosoever puts his trust in Allah (will find that) surely, Allah is Mighty, Wise."

(AI-Anfal: 49)

The correct and true trust is that which accompanies profitable striving and firm determination. From these things trust became deprived when the face of Islam was disfigured and religion was made a plaything For becoming strong and powerful a Muslim should take care that he keeps away from the life of wickedness and evil, loves the policy of cleanness and steadfastness. A man who is ill mannered, and bereft of decency and consideration, cannot attain strength. He should put on the hide of the beasts and walk in the wake of the kings as a servant.

Allah informed the nation of Hud, that was tyrant and rebellious against Allah, the correct and profitable causes of strength:

"Ask forgiveness of your Lord, then turn to Him repentant ; He will cause the sky to rain abundance on you and will add to you strength to your strength. Turn not away, guilty.”

(Hud: 52)

The kind Prophet wanted to present the worship to the people in a beautiful form and to persuade them to perform it. When a man performs a righteous deed, he opposes the Satan and tries to rise towards the angels. At that time how great becomes his sanctity and magnificence! To focus attention on this the Prophet has explained it by giving an example:

"When Allah created the earth, it tilted and was unsteady. Accordingly Allah put the stakes , (nails) of mountains in it, and it became steady, and stood in one position. The angels were amazed by the strength of the mountains. They asked the Creator: 'Our Lord! Have you created anything harder than the mountains ?' He replied: 'Yes, Iron is harder than this.' The angels again asked: ”Is anything harder than iron ?' He said: 'Yes, Fire has more power,' They asked: 'Is there any- thing more powerful created by you than fire ? He said: 'Yes. Water is more powerful than this.' The angels asked: 'Does anything among your created things exist more powerful than water ? He said: 'Yes, air has more power than this.' They asked: : 'Have you created anything more powerful than air ?' He said: 'Yes. Adam's son is more powerful, provided he gives charity from his right hand without letting his left hand know it."

(Tirmizi)

Man is the strangest creature of the universe. The day his personality attains greatness and excellence of moral character he becomes the hunter of the universe. He brings under his control the hardest and the most powerful things of the universe, and derives benefit from it. But the day when his personality declines, he earns the curses of the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, and the particles of dust carry him with them in their flight.

In the hadith quoted above the value and importance of such a virtuous man has been mentioned who tries to forge ahead in the field of righteousness and who tries to touch the heights of excellence and decency.

One factor of strength is that a Muslim should be in the habit of stating the truth unhesitatingly. He should meet people with an open heart, and on the basis of righteous values and principles. He should not compromise in the matter of truth, so that his decency and his companions' character may not be tarnished.

He should consider his strength a direct outcome of his belief which he represents and for which he is alive. He should never waver in unhesitatingly and courageously proving a reality.

It is reported that when the Prophet's son Ibrahim died, the sun went into an eclipse. The people said that the eclipse was due to the death of Ibrahim. Allah's Messenger gave a sermon to the people, and said:

"The eclipse of the sun and the moon are not on account of the death or life of some person, but they both are the signs of Allah, which He shows to His slaves. So when you see the eclipse of the sun or the moon, you run for offering salat."

(Bukhari)

A man who breathes in the atmosphere of realities, does not compromise with falsehood and absurdities. He is always indifferent to such things, and his uncompromising words point to the vast treasure of greatness and nobility, whose owner does not derive any benefit from deception and his character, stands on the rock of excellent moral character.

The performance of the duty of ordering the righteous thing and preventing the commitment of the forbidden thing comes from the personal excellence, because it results from the courageous talk of the sincere people who want to earn Allah's reward by ending their own egoist leanings.

In our other books we have explained the social and political objectives which is related to the performance of the righteous and the forbidding of the forbidden. (Author's Arabic book)

Here what we want to emphasize is that a Muslim must necessarily straight away criticize the general evils, should be courageous in attacking them. neither the fear of a big man nor the consideration for a relative should prevent him from doing the right thing, and in the path of Allah no condemnation from any source should block his away.

Islam has disliked that a man should feel weak in the presence of wicked and evil persons, and should address them in a respectable way. Allah's Messenger has said: "When a man addresses a hypocrite as 'Ya Sayyedi' (My master), he makes Allah very wrathful."

This is a double crime that a man should not respect the Allah's commands about forbidden things, and then he should only listen to those who think him respectable and should not care for those who consider him mean and humble:

"He whom Allah scorns. there is none to give him honor. Surely, Allah does what He will."

(Hajj: 18)

Islam has declared backbiting as haram, so that man's life may continue and the factors of strength may remain in it, for the man who states the defects of a person in his absence and derives satisfaction from it, is undoubtedly very mean and low.

But the man who has the strength to respond to the motivation and call of truth, he stops those whom he likes, in whatever manner and words he thinks proper he criticizes them. He does not keep anything hidden in his heart for condemning anybody behind the scene.

However it does not mean that we may address anybody whom we like in an insulting way. If we find any defects in persons, we may fix up certain] norms about dealing with them.

If his defect is limited to his own person or if it is not in consonance with his position, then it would be foolish to castigate him in his presence or in his absence.

And if his steps are slipping towards a sin, and he does not seem to be in a mood to give it up like a horse who flounders and falls on his face then to defame such a person among the people is meanness.

However, if he is a blatant sinner, and he openly breaks the rights of Allah and usurps the rights of his fellow men, then it is necessary that he should be opposed with the words of truth and without caring for anybody he should be properly warned.

Since this dialogue has to be straight, it is necessary that curses and abuses should be avoided and physical hurt should be averted. The purpose should be to change the bad habit and to reform the individual and the society. It does not mean that his mention before his enemies should be in demeaning words, so that you may get closer to their hearts, or may derive some benefits or may claim yourself to be innocent of those sins. Allah's Messenger has said:

"He who has eaten food in exchange for the honor of a Muslim, Allah will feed him fire of hell in compensation on the Doomsday; and he who put on clothes in exchange for dishonoring a Muslim, Allah will clothe him in compensation with the cloth of hell fire; and if he who earned respect and fame by playing with the chastity of a Muslim, Allah will make him taste fully for this on the Doomsday."

(Abu Daud)

Backbiting is the policy of the weak persons, and "only those people try to indulge in backbiting who are unable to strive for themselves

TO BE CONTINUED

 

 

 

 

 

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