Muslim's Character
CHAPTER 13
STRENGTH
Faith-A Revolutionary Strength
A firm and strong faith is
such a
never-drying spring, from which flow the strength for the desired
activities,
coveted courage and forbearance to tolerate adversities and to face
dangers. It
creates in man such a restless feeling and deep attachment to his ideal
that if
he is unable to achieve his coveted objective, he does not hesitate
to
partake of the drink of death.
When faith finds a place in a
man's heart
and takes deep roots in it, it brings out these results only. It fills
a man's
heart and mind with such power and strength that cover and influence
all his
dealings. Accordingly, when he opens his mouth, he talks with
confidence and
certainty. When he undertakes a work, he attends to it with full
interest and
sincerity. When he starts on a journey, his destination is before his
eyes. If
he enjoys the wealth of the correct end firm thinking, the world of the
heart
too is inhabited by the enthusiasm and restless courage. Hesitation and
ambivalence do not find a place in his heart, and high-velocity winds
do not
move him from his path or make him deviate from his objective. It will
not be
surprising if he says to every one, in the words of an Urdu poet:
"Come here O tyrant! we will
try our
art,
"You try your arrow, and I
will try
my liver (courage)."
And he may challenge the
people around
him thus:
"You work in your manner, I
too am
acting. Soon you will know who will get disgraceful punishment, and who
will
get the everlasting punishment."
(Zumar : 39-40)
This challenging
accent, this
independent spirit in action and deeds, this self-confidence in
understanding truth and tradition are
the qualities which make him a distinguished personality in life. He
deals with
the people in the light of the facts
seen and experienced by him. If he
finds the people on a policy which is right f and truthful, he extends
his hand
for co-operation; and if he finds them committing errors, he withdraws
himself,
,and leaves his conscience alive and wakeful.
Allah's
Messenger has said:
"Everyone of you should desist
from
walking with every traveler. He should
not say that he is with the people, and that if people would do good
deed, he
would also do the good deeds; and that if they would do wicked deeds
then he
would co-operate with them. You should prepare yourself to co-operate
with them
if they do righteous deeds and to keep away if they do wicked deeds."
(Tirmizi)
But one who is weak, the
current customs
and habits make one their slave. On such a man's conduct rule the
things which
are current in the society. If these customs and practices are wrong
and
destructive, then he carries the burden of the troubles of this world
as well
as of the next.
Among the people, various
kinds of innovations
have become customary on the occasions of celebrations and mourning.
They pay
more attention to performing these innovative acts than on the
realities of the
religion.
But a straight-going Momin
does not take
any interest in these things, for which there is no supportive proof in
religion. He is confronted with opposition and experiences difficulties
in
opposing the popular and customary rituals, but it is obvious that he
need not
care for any condemnation from anybody in the affairs of Allah. He has
to
achieve his ideal. No weapon of criticism and fault-finding and no
injuries
from tongue can obstruct his way.
Falsehood which sometimes is
successful
is subsequently ruled by powerful individuals. They then destroy its
position
and rank. This also cannot stay for a long time with the help and
support of
its allies, because many enemies who are today with it, having been
deceived by
falsehood, tomorrow they would become the supporters of the other
enemies; they
approve of their aims and objects after knowing their character and
pledge
their support after severe hostility and spite.
Ibn Abbas has narrated that
Allah's
Messenger has said:
"He who has displeased Allah
for
seeking the pleasure of the people, Allah is displeased with him and those people are also displeased for
pleasing whom he had earned Allah's
displeasure. And he who pleases Allah by displeasing the people, Allah
is also
pleased with him and also those people whom he had displeased for
pleasing
Allah, so much so that He made him splendid and his speech and acts in
the eyes
of others beautiful."
(Tibrani)
A Muslim should stick to what
he believes
to be true, and he should ignore all the insults, fun-making, and
difficulties
with which he is confronted. He should adopt for himself such a policy
through
following which he should always try to get rewards (sawab) from
Allah.
If those, who believe in superstitions and absurd things, make fun of
the
faithful people and laugh at them, then it is necessary for a Momin to
be
strong and to stand his ground with firmness.
"When they see you, (0
Muhammed !)
they treat you only as a jest (saying): Is this he whom Allah sends as
a
messenger? He would have led us far away from our gods if we had not
been
staunch to them. They will know, when they behold the doom, who is more
astray
as to the road."
(Furqan : 42-43)
No doubt, a Muslim must feel
in his
personality the strength of belief and in his heart the pressure and
awe of
faith. If the things around him do not influence him, then he is like a
rock
which is not moved by the lashing of the waves of the sea. What harm
these men
can inflict on a man who feels in his heart the strength of faith and
belief,
and on account of his relation with his Lord and steadfastness in his
religion
feels in himself a new determination and a fresh courage ? If all these
rush
and attack, they will not be able to harm him a bit.
Ibn Abbas says that he was
sitting on a
mount be- hind the Prophet. The Prophet said:
"O child! remember Allah, He
will
take care of you. Remember Allah, you will find Him everywhere.
Recognize
Allah's rights in your prosperity, He will recognize you in your
adversity. If
you want to ask anything, ask from Allah. If you need help, seek help
from
Allah, for if all the men together decide to help, they will not be
able to do
so, if Allah has not written that for you and they have no control over
it. And
if all of them decide to inflict some harm on you which Allah has not
meant for
you, they cannot harm you a bit. The ink of the pen has been dried and
the
sheets have been collected."
The fact is that in a Muslim
the basis of
strength and power is the belief in the oneness of Allah. Similarly
other
virtues prevent him from accepting any disgrace and insult in this
world,
because a Muslim is most honored and of high rank on account of his
relationship with the heavens. In his own sphere of faith he has the power to become a whole community.
These are Allah's words, speaking for
him:
"Say:
'Shall I choose for a protecting friend other than Allah, the
Originator of the
heavens and the earth, who feeds and is never fed?' Say: 'I am ordered
to be
the first to surrender (to Him). And be not you (0 Muhammed !) of the
idolaters'.'"
(An'am: 14).
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."
Sycophants are Disliked by Islam
Islam dislikes those persons
who become
merely a supplement of other people, those persons who live on the
charity of
others, those who want to live like foxes that is content with eating
the
remnants of a Lion's prey.
A Muslim is much above this
kind of
living, to maintain himself in this superficial way on the support of
others.
It is necessary that he should shun all places or situations of insults
and
ignominy, and should go to the end of the world in search of a life of
honor
and dignity.
Allah's Messenger has talked
of the
people of the Paradise and their
companions, and the people of the hell and their companions.
Accordingly he has
mentioned in the first group the good qualities and advantages of
strength,
decency and morality, while in the other group he has mentioned the
infamy,
ignominy, helplessness and immoral enjoyments.
"People of paradise will be of
three
kinds. First that powerful man who was just and balanced in his dealings, who popularized the practice of
charity and virtue, and adopted the
attitude of softness and rightness. Second will be that person who was
kind,
who was soft hearted for every relative and every Muslim. Third will be
that
person who having a wife and children, yet was able to save himself
from the
forbidden things. In the people of the hell will be that dishonest
person whose
greed will not be discernible, but he would be indulging in
misappropriation,
that man who may deceive you every morning and evening in connection
with your
property and your family. And the Prophet talked about miserliness,
falsehood,
speaker of vulgarity and ill-mannered person, and said:
"Allah has inspired me to say
that
you should be humble and none should feel proud, nor should anyone
oppress
others."
(Muslim)
Although many occasions come
when a
Muslim is caught in dilemmas and sometimes he feels mean in his own
eyes, if he
is bound by these melancholic handcuffs. Accordingly the fear of
individual
infamy and social ignominy sometimes compel a man to be inactive.
He thinks on wrong lines and
considers
these misfortunes as bad omen. His productivity in the field of life
reduces
considerably. But it is the responsibility of a Muslim that he should
break all
these chains of sorrow and adversities and should strive fully to
extricate
himself from these crippling curbs.
The last Prophet of Allah used
to pray
for shelter under his Lord from all these adversities:
"O Allah! I seek shelter
through you
from sorrow and hardship. I seek shelter from humility and laziness,
and through
you seek shelter from cowardice and miserliness, from the defeat of the
religion and from the cruelty and
tyranny of the oppressors."
(Abu Daud)