Ethics and Society
Tawhid Prophethood Divine Justice Imamah The Day of Resurrection Ethics and Society
Faith 26 Character 40 Family and Women 8 Society and Law 38
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Faith
On the Ascending Stages of Islam and Faith
The first stage of Islam is to accept and obey the exoteric commandments of Allāh's religion. This Islam is followed by the second stage of al-īmān — believing, with full details and reasoning, in the realities of the religion. This second stage paves the way for the third stage of Islam. When the soul is sufficiently imbued with this īmān, then man's animalistic faculties are subdued to the sublime powers of his intellect and spirituality. He reaches a stage where he worships Allāh as though he was seeing Him.
On the Tranquillity (Sakīnah) of the Believer vs. the Anxiety of the Disbeliever
A believing man, because of his belief in God, relies on a firm support and an unshaking pillar of strength. He bases his life on true knowledge where doubt and confusion cannot intrude. He knows that his affairs are not in his own hands; he is therefore not afraid of any possible loss. But a disbeliever has no guardian to look after his affairs. He wanders in the darkness of confusion, undecidedness and uncertainty, because his thoughts are permeated by low desires, spectres of unreality, and unhealthy feelings.
The Stages of Islām and Īmān
The first stage of islām is submission and generally bearing witness to the basics of religion. This is followed by a heartfelt belief in the above testimony in principle. Then comes the second stage of islām — the sincere submission to the meaning of the said belief. When this stage comes, all possibilities are removed of anger or annoyance with what God and His messenger has ordered. It is followed by the third stage of islām which means surrender to the love of God and to His will; such a Muslim does not love anything except because of God and does not want anything except for God.
Belief Is the Soul of Good Life
It is evident that his happy life is the result of his belief, and emanates from it; but the reward is the result of the good deeds. Therefore, belief is the soul of the good life. But its continuity — so that it may produce the desired effects — requires good deeds. It is like the natural life which depends on a soul for its coming into being but its continuity depends on the use of its powers and organs — if all become still, all will die and life will end.
Knowledge Completed Only in Action
Knowledge is joined with action — he who knows acts; knowledge calls action loudly; if it answers the call, well and good; otherwise knowledge too departs. The knowledge and cognition becomes complete when the knower holds truly to 'the known', and manifests it in his interior and exterior, in his heart and limbs, by submitting to it in spirit and flesh. And it is the faith, which spreads to his inner and outer self.
Two Levels of Life
Some humans have a higher share of life and light than others because they are invested with cognitions and volitions that cannot result from an ordinary stage of human life. They are the ones given divine knowledge and faith, grounded with certitude about eternal facts, who have totally engaged themselves with their Lord and let go of everyone and everything else. True believers are exclusively possessed of a reality that is more befitting to be called 'life' than the life found in ordinary people.
Life and Light as Existential Realities
The special 'life' and 'light' of the believers is not something merely metaphorical and figurative — both are meant in the most real and literal sense. Death here means being devoid of divine guidance; life means guidance or īmān; and light means knowledge that results from one's īmān. 'Is he who was dead then We raised him to life and placed for him a light by which he walks among the people, like him whose likeness is that of one in utter darkness whence he cannot come forth?'
The Gradual Dawn of Faith in the Heart
These traits are listed in the order in which they naturally appear, for the light of faith dawns gradually in the heart, then blossoms until it reaches its true fullness. Initially, it inspires the heart towards reverence and fear when God is mentioned. Then, faith continues to spread and branch off in the ways mentioned in the verse, guiding towards true understanding. Whenever a faithful person contemplates these things, their faith increases and strengthens, until it becomes true certainty.
The Faithful Understand What the Faithless Cannot Comprehend
The faithless being bereft of understanding, and the faithful being the opposite, is why one of the faithful equals ten of the faithless, as the verse prescribes. For the faithful are gifted certain things through their faith, such as unparalleled, unshakable strength — a different kind of strength stemming from a true understanding which grants them virtues such as bravery, gallantry, boldness, rectitude, solemnity, tranquillity, trust in God, and certainty that they will meet one of two good ends: either they will be killed and end up in Paradise, or shall fight and end up in Paradise, whereas the faithless see death as the final end, although there is no evidence for that.
Belief Alone Gives Life to Works
This passage of the Qurʾān explains that a person's deeds are only alive and pleasing to God if they emanate from genuine belief in God, the Messenger, and the Last Day. If they do not, then they are futile and will not convey the one who does them to happiness. And one of the requirements of true faith is to only give your loyalty, love, and affection for the sake of God and His Messenger.
Faith Elevates the Servant, Deeds Only Support It
Here, God describes the faithful with the qualities of having faith (īmān) and doing righteous deeds (aʿmāl ṣāliḥa), then attributes their being guided to Him to faith alone, for faith is what elevates God's servant to the station of divine proximity. Righteous deeds play no role besides supporting faith and putting it into practice. See the verse in which God says, Allah will raise those of you who have faith and those who have been given knowledge in rank (). This verse shows that faith and knowledge play a role in elevating the human being, but it does not say anything about righteous deeds. This idea comes across even more clearly in the verse, To Him ascends the good word, and He elevates righteous conduct ().
Faith Is Not Mere Cognition
Faith is not mere cognition or assent, but rather a specific acceptance and acknowledgment by the soul of what it has understood. This acceptance causes the soul to submit to the recognition and the consequences it entails, and the sign of having such acceptance is that all the faculties and limbs of a person also accept and submit to it.
Faith as a New and Genuine Life
The phrase, We shall revive him with a good life, suggests that God will grant the believer who does good deeds a unique form of life, separate from the common existence shared with others. It indicates the gift of a new life rather than merely enhancing the quality of the believer's current life.
Believing Without Doing Good
Since in this verse punishment is deemed to be a consequence of iniquity and reward is in contrast for believing and doing good, we can infer from that, that there is no reward for believing without doing good. On the contrary, the verse may even give the impression that [believing without doing good] counts as iniquity.
The Companions of the Cave Were Made Young by Faith
Did you not know that the Companions of the Cave were all middle-aged, but God called them youths because of their faith? Whoever believes in and fears God is a youth.
Belief Grows Until the Heart Detaches from All But God
Belief can continue to grow and become purer until it is free of all latent forms of associating partners to God, and until it causes the heart to detach from everything apart from God or does not even take notice of anyone else. At that point, this is the highest level of belief.
The People of Certitude and the Choice Between Mirage and Reality
They see that being given a choice between these adornments and what they have believed in is [just like] being given a choice between falsehood and truth, or mirage and reality. But the people of certitude would never doubt their certainty and choose falsehood over truth or mirage over reality, because they are direct witnesses to that.
Faith as Practical Knowledge
Īmān (belief, faith) is ‘to admit and confirm a statement and abide by its implications.’ Merely acknowledging something is not considered having Īmān in it, until the acknowledgement is accompanied by observing its requirements and implications in practice. This is because there are two elements in Īmān: knowing about something, and having conviction and confidence toward it.
Reality of Faith, Not Its Utterance
What God means by 'faith' is not merely to utter the words: 'We have faith in God' but to have the reality of faith (ḥaqīqat al-īmān) which does not shake with storms of persecution, nor change with the changing of time, rather which stands firm and immovable in the face of trials and tribulations.
The Good Deed Lifts the Good Word
Actions branch forth from knowledge and are its indelible effects. Whenever an action is repeated, the underlying belief becomes more cemented and visible, and its effects are strengthened. So a good deed—a noble, accepted deed stamped with the humility of servitude and sincerity before the face of God—supports a true belief in leaving behind its effects. This is ascent towards God; He is the one who dignifies it by raising it up. Therefore, the good deed lifts up the good word.
Standing on Manifest Proof
Standing on a manifest proof (bayyinah) from their Lord means that they are following a proof from their Lord that gives them certainty (yaqīn) in what they believe. This means a logical argument. In other words, they only follow a definitive proof, as befits any human being whose habit is to use his intellect and follow the truth.
Faith Is More Than Knowledge
So just knowing something and being convinced that it is true is not sufficient to produce faith or to become imbued with the qualities that result from it. Rather, one must observe its practical implications and set one's heart upon fulfilling these such that it has real outcomes. Someone who knows this but does not put it into practice and does not do anything to demonstrate his servanthood has knowledge but he cannot be said to have faith.
The Three Constituents: Knowledge, Commitment, Deed
It also proves false the claim that faith is only deeds, because deeds can co-exist with hypocrisy (nifāq). Insofar as faith is knowledge of something, accompanied by a commitment to its practical implications resulting in the knower taking action, and insofar as both knowledge and commitment can increase or decrease and strengthen or weaken, then faith—which is a combination of the two—can also be subject to increase or decrease and strengthening or weakening.
The Graduated Ranks of Faith
It is through the completeness of their faith that the faithful enter paradise, and by the enhancement of faith that the faithful occupy different ranks of superiority in God's eyes, while it is through lack of faith that the lax enter hellfire.
Enhancing Guidance Completes Knowledge; Godwariness Completes Practice
Guidance means submitting to what a healthy human nature (fiṭrah salīmah) guides you to and following the truth. God enhancing their guidance means that He elevates the level of their faith. This shows that enhancing guidance means completing them with respect to knowledge, while investing them with Godwariness means completing them with respect to practice.
Faith Dwells in the Heart; Islam on the Tongue
Faith has not entered their hearts, but this also signals an anticipation that it will. The difference between faith and Islam appears to be that faith is something that abides in the heart in the form of conviction (iʿtiqād) while Islam is something that abides upon the tongue and in the limbs; Islam is submission with one's tongue and body by verbally testifying to Divine Unity (tawḥīd) and prophethood (nubuwwah), regardless of whether one has conviction in what he has professed or not.
Character
On the Qurʾānic System That Removes Vice by Eliminating Its Motives
There is a third system, which is found exclusively in the Qurʾān. This system removes vile characteristics not by repulsing them, but by eliminating all motives other than Allāh. When one is imbued with this true knowledge, there will remain no question of doing any deed for the sake of what others see or hear. Such a man cannot look except at the face of Allāh, nor can he bow down before, hope for, or have fear of, anything other than Allāh.
On Righteousness as a Concrete Person, Not an Abstract Ideal
Instead of defining righteousness, the verse turns to describing the righteous ones; thus it introduces the people in the light of their attributes. In this way, it points to the fact that abstract ideals and abstruse ideas have no value in Islam unless they appear in concrete shape in the character of a man. It is a well-known style of the Qurʾān that it explains and defines a condition and a rank by introducing the people having that rank — it is never satisfied with mere theoretical definitions.
On True Reason vs. False Reason
'Reason,' as defined by the divine representatives, is that which benefits a man in his religion and leads him to true knowledge and virtuous deeds. If it is not so, it is not 'reason,' even if it helps him in distinguishing between worldly good and bad affairs. It is like a judge who bases his judgement on false testimonies or faked evidence — his judgement will be a perversity of justice, even though he does not mean to be unjust. He will be called a judge, but at the same time will not be a judge.
Those Who Lead Themselves Astray
The first and foremost human virtue is inclination towards truth and its acceptance. A desire to divert the people away from the truth, to turn them towards falsity, is a depravity of soul — and how evil this depravity is! It is a sin, a crime, a transgression against truth. Thus, when they desire to lead the believers astray, they in fact lead themselves astray although they do not perceive it. Man does not do anything — good or bad — but for himself. God says: 'Whoever does good, it is for his own self, and whoever does evil, it is against it.'
Two Logics: Praise of Men or Reward of God
The logic of sensuousness calls to worldly benefits and drives one to it. The logic of understanding, on the other hand, motivates one to follow the truth. A criminal thinks that he would surely wriggle out of the clutches of law. One who is apathetic in establishing the truth offers the plea that standing for truth would humiliate him in people's eyes. On the other hand, the Islamic logic has built its structure on following the truth and seeking the reward and recompense from God. Thus there is for every soul, in whatever it does or fails to do, an Observer, a Witness Who preserves what is done by man. It makes no difference whether the people witness it or not, admire it or not, appreciate it or not.
Man Cannot Sacrifice Without Belief in Return
Suppose a man desires something that he cannot obtain without trampling on someone else's rights. There is nothing to restrain him, no judge to punish him, no censurer to censure him. Why should a man sacrifice his life in order that someone else might live after him, when he believes that death is complete annihilation and total extinction? As for the promise that his good memory would remain alive for ever … it is just a deceit and delusion in which he allows himself to be entrapped. His condition is not unlike a drunk man driven by his emotions — he is drunk and unable to understand, and therefore thinks that it is heroism — while in fact it is nothing but foolishness, madness.
Self-Praise as Root of Social Catastrophe
This vanity and conceit — which incites man to attribute purity to himself — is the self-appreciation which is a fundamental evil. Very soon such a conceited person falls in another vice, and that is pride. That pride reaches its limit when he overpowers others, subjugating the servants of God. It leads to oppression and unlawfully exceeding the limit, sacrilege of inviolable matters, and plunging his hands in other people's blood, honor and properties. But if it infects others and turns into a social tradition and national character, then it brings catastrophe in its wake resulting in humanity's destruction and society's corruption.
Justice: The One Value Man Will Never Relinquish
The fact is that man is ready to change all his social customs, at once or gradually, according to the changing circumstances of the society; but he will never agree that he is deprived of the attribute of 'justice', that is, he is called 'unjust'. Even if he sees a friend oppressing someone, he will try to find excuses for him—but will not admit that his friend was unjust.
Piety as the Condition of True Cognition
Man cannot attain true cognizance and beneficial knowledge unless his morals are excellent and his human virtues are complete. And this is piety, God-fearing. It is thus proved that it is the good deeds which preserve the good characteristics, which in their turn preserve the true cognizance, beneficial knowledge, and correct thoughts. There is no good in knowledge if it is devoid of practice.
The Three Conditions for Receiving Truth
The felicity of religious life depends on good deeds, which emanate from knowledge. He first of all needs knowledge in order to perceive the right of religion and it is the religion of truth. However, mere perception of truth is not enough to prepare him to act according to its dictates unless and until man removes from his soul the opposite factors — that is, the arrogance which prevents him from submitting to truth, the bigotry, prejudice, and other such things.
The Strongest Psychological Deterrent Is Belief in God
Man is entangled in his desire; the desire invites him to enjoy whatever he can, and grasp whatever he longs for, making no difference whether he has any right to that desired item or not, whether it is based on justice or injustice even by nullifying someone else's right. The man desists from that transgression either because of some exterior thing which prevents him through punishment, or because of some inner prohibition from his own soul; and the strongest psychological prohibitive factor is the belief in God to Whom the servants have to return and Who takes reckoning of the deeds, decides with justice and awards full recompense.
The Metaphysics of the Oath
When you say, 'By God! I'll do such and such', you affect a special connection between your intention to do it and the dignity and honor which God has in your eyes according to your belief in Him, so much so that if you cancel your intention it would entail a negation of the divine dignity in your eyes. Its purpose is to create a deterrent against cancellation of that plan. Thus, oath creates a special connection between a statement and another thing which has a dignity and honor in such a way that if the former is nullified, the latter too would be negated.
Faith as Collateral: The Social Theology of the Oath
The denier links their denial of a claim to their faith in such a manner that should the falsity of their denial become evident, their belief in God can no longer be deemed trustworthy. As he ties his belief and faith with that oath, he pawns his faith putting it under the control of the pawn-broker, and its return to the borrower depends on his true promise and repayment of the loan within the agreed period; otherwise the pawned property goes and he remains empty-handed.
Reason, Mindfulness, and Taqwā
The first verse talks about things evidently wrong to innate human nature — including associating partners with God, disobeying parents, killing children, and murdering an innocent soul. Awakening the reason and leaving the base desires would suffice for people to realize these acts are forbidden — that is why the verse ends: 'this He enjoins you with that you may apply reason.' The second verse talks about keeping away from the property of orphans, giving full measure, and fulfilling God's covenant — which require not only reason but also mindful remembrance of the general benefits that human reason recognizes.
Two Forms of Human Knowledge
We can classify our knowledge into two kinds of propositions. There are certain propositions which do not pertain to our actions — descriptive statements about external truths regardless of whether we act in this world or not, such as 'four is even' or 'the world exists.' There are other propositions which pertain to our actions and interactions — normative statements constructed through social contracts, which we rely on to organize our life in society and justify our voluntary acts; these propositions do not reflect the external world as a primary function.
Betrayal of God Is Betrayal of One's Own Soul
Therefore, the correct view is that this sentence means 'that you betray your trusts'. The entire phrase — do not betray Allah and the Messenger, nor knowingly betray your own trusts — is a single prohibition, prohibiting treachery towards God and His Messenger. Such a traitor betrays God and the Messenger, should he be aware that this betrayal is of himself and his faithful brethren. No rational person would betray his own self; since the God-given human intellect acknowledges the ugliness of betrayal, how could a person then betray himself?
Lying and Betrayal as the Seeds of a Divided Heart
Breaking promises and uttering lies are both causes of hypocrisy and signs of it. Hypocrisy is something that afflicts a person after belief, just as apostasy is something that occurs when a person disbelieves after believing. God says, Then the fate of those who committed misdeeds was that they denied the signs of Allah and they used to deride them (). This shows that sinning can lead a person to deny the signs of God, and this denial might be both inward and outward, in which case it is disbelief, or it might be only inward, in which case it is hypocrisy.
Courage Is Not the Absence of Fear
What God has graced His prophets with, in terms of protection from sin, is establishing the virtue of courage in their souls without recklessness. Courage is not the opposite of fear, which is a natural emotional response to the sight of something unpleasant and which calls upon the soul to fulfil the duty of protecting itself. Instead, courage is the opposite of cowardice.
Belief in the Hereafter as Root of Virtue
Disbelief in the Afterlife and the underestimation of accountability and divine retribution stand at the core of all sinful behavior and its underlying causes. In contrast, belief in the Afterlife is the foundation of all virtuous acts and the wellspring of all blessings and moral excellence.
Man's Haste and the Path of Error
The human being, in his continuous haste, does not discriminate between good and evil, but pursues anything that occurs to him and asks for anything that springs to his mind. He desires things without differentiating between good and evil or truth and falsehood.
Character as the Root of Every Action
Action is a representation of the actor, the apparent is a sign of the hidden, and the form is an indication of the meaning. No matter what kind of character one has and what qualities have been actualized and realized in one's soul, the person's actions follow his character and are reflective and indicative of it.
The Intellect as the Crown of Human Honor
The children of Adam are honored by what God has exclusively bestowed upon them among all other existents in the universe. This bestowment that makes them stand out among others is the intellect, by which they distinguish between true and false, good and evil, beneficial and harmful.
The Etiquette of the True Pupil
What he says from first to last is founded on humility. First, he was polite to him — he did not present his request to be taught by him in the imperative but rather as a question. He called accompanying al-Khiḍr 'following him.' He did not suggest being taught as a condition. On the contrary he said, 'in return for your teaching me.'
Strong Souls Keep Their Word Without Wavering
Strong souls that watch what they say and do, do not say anything unless it is within their power to keep their word, by doing as they say. Then, once they have uttered the words, nothing diverts them from keeping it and carrying out what they have resolved upon.
Peace Is the Way of the Noble-Minded
Peace is the way of the noble-minded. He confronted his father's ignorance—when he threatened to stone him and cast him out because of a true word which he had spoken.
Turning Away from Vanity
Iʿrāḍ (turning away, keeping aloof) is an active decision, where one is being pulled toward an action, but he turns his face away from it because he does not care about it and does not see it significant. This means that the person elevates his soul above base acts. He prefers to strive for greater objectives and more significant affairs, instead of simply engaging in matters that are contrary to nobility and goodness.
Faith, Trust, and the Covenant of God
The verse describes the believers as those who preserve their trusts from being breached, and keep their covenants from being broken. Indeed Īmān (belief, faith) calls for such attitude, because it involves a sense of composure, confidence and security. When one shows trust in a believer by leaving one’s possession with him, or shows confidence in the person by making a contract with him, then that possession or contract will remain stable with him.
The Perfection of the Human Being
The perfection of the human lies in his journey from potentiality to actuality in the arenas of knowledge and deed. For the unblemished inner instinct (al-fiṭrah al-ṣaḥīḥah) guides a person to two things: belief in the truth, and acting righteously. These are also the two things that rectify human societies on earth.
The Root of All Sinfulness
Because they forgot about the Day of Reckoning, they immersed themselves in all manner of sins and iniquities, as forgetting the Hereafter is the key to all sinfulness and error.
The Mark of Intellect
This sentence serves as an explanation of why the two groups are not equal; one group ponders on the realities of things while the other does not, so they are not equal. On the contrary, those who have knowledge are superior to those who do not. The word lubb ('intellect') here is used as equivalent to ʿaql. This shows that the intellect is the faculty through which the human being is guided to the truth and the mark of someone who possesses intellect is that they follow the truth.
Seeking the Best of the Word
When this verse describes them as following the best of the word, this means that it is in their character to seek the truth, pursue good guidance, and find the reality of things, such that whenever there is a choice to be made between truth and falsehood or between guidance and error, they follow truth and guidance and turn away from falsehood and error.
The Heart as the Instrument of Discernment
The heart (qalb) is what the human being reasons with (yaʿqul bih) to discern truth from falsehood, good from evil and benefit from harm; so if the human being does not reflect and does not use it to discern, then it is as if he has no heart as it has no effect on his existence. So its existence or non-existence are the same for him.
Renunciation Defined by the Qurʾan
The life of this world is transitory and illusory—a false image that is afflicted by all five of the aforementioned traits: It is play, diversion, glitter, mutual vainglory, and covetousness. It is to these things that the human's low desires attach themselves, whether to some of them or all of them. These are imaginary matters and fleeting gains that will not endure for the human being. None of them can provide the human being with any real good or nurture any growth in their soul.
The Ordinance of Affliction and Equanimity
When the human being is certain that whatever befalls him is ordained to happen and unavoidable, he will not err and will remember that whatever blessings He is given are merely a deposit that he holds in trust until a specified time, then he will not be overly grieved if he loses these blessings, nor will he be overjoyed if he is given more of them. It is said that there is a difference between what escapes you and what He gives you, insomuch as the former is attributed to the things themselves, while the latter is attributed to God. This is because what escapes you refers to loss and non-existence, which pertain to the essences of things, as if things are left to their own devices, they will not last and will pass away.
The Prophet's Sublime Character and Its Societal Dimension
Khuluq is a spiritual or psychological trait which easily sparks deeds. When viewed in context of the other verses, it implies praise of his handsome conduct on a societal level, with respect to interpersonal relations, such as upholding justice, tolerating rudeness and harassment, clemency, overlooking things, striving hard, kindness, civility, humility, and so on. Alone, this verse praises the handsome conduct of the Prophet, but together with the following verses it confirms his prophetic mission.
The Hardwired Instinct for Good
Humans are equipped with this intense covetousness for good from the time of their birth. This is a quality of perfection for them because it prompts them to seek what is beneficial to them and avoid what is harmful. God says: And indeed he [man] has an intense love for good (). Later on, they are equipped with another tool as they mature, and that is the power of reason, through which they perceive the realities of things as they are. Thus they can discern true beliefs and good actions.
Covetousness as Blessing and Burden
This sense of intense self-interest is in fact a branch of self-love, which is hard-wired in humankind. This quality is by no means a vice in and of itself. How could it be a vice when it is the only means that leads us to our happiness and perfection? It becomes a vice when we do not conduct it in the right direction; when we pursue it with no regard for propriety and fairness.
The Three Forms of Patience
Patience here includes the three forms of it: patiently bearing the pains of afflictions; patiently enduring the difficulties of obedience; and patiently abstaining from the temptations and pleasures of sins. Since they dedicated themselves to the 'face' and satisfaction of their Lord in their life, they gave priority to His will over their own preferences. Thus they were patient in the face of calamities and ordeals that He decreed for them; were patient in abiding by His commands; and were patient in avoiding what He prohibited—in spite of their own desires and personal preferences.
The Righteous and Their Sincerity
Barr is someone who does good deeds without desiring any gain from it—any reward, appreciation or recognition. They do good because it is good, not because some benefit would accrue to them as a result of it. And if their ego and personal preferences find that good deed difficult, they would patiently oppose their ego and desires, and would fulfill the good deed. They would do so because the act is good in itself, such as observing a vow, or because it is beneficial to others, such as feeding those needy servants of God.
Forbidding the Soul from Desire
Verse stipulates 'forbidding' from evil and not 'avoiding' evil altogether. This is in consideration of the inherent weakness of humankind, which may lead them to slip into sin—not out of arrogance and defiance. For such slips, God is expansive in forgiveness, as He says: Those who avoid major sins and indecencies, excepting [minor and occasional] lapses. Indeed, your Lord is expansive in [His] forgiveness (). In short, we can deduce that the dwellers of hell are characterized by disbelief and sin, while the inhabitants of paradise are characterized by belief and taqwā (Godwariness, self-restraint, piety).
Family and Women
On Spouses as Mutual Garments: Concealment as the Bond of Marriage
Each spouse restrains the other from unchastity, and protects society from debauchery. Thus each one is like an apparel for the other with which he or she covers the shame and protects privacy. A man hides his private parts from others with his dress, but there is no hiding from the dress itself. Likewise, each spouse protects the other from having sexual relations with others; but there is no restriction on them against such relations with each other.
On the Equality of Woman in Human Nature
Islam declared that woman is as much a human being as man is. God clearly says that every human being originates and is made from a male and a female, and they both jointly and in equal degree are the source of his existence. He declared that being a male or a female, or being born in a certain family or tribe, is not the criterion of superiority. Superiority originates only from piety.
On the Residue of Pagan Contempt for Women Among Muslims
There has remained a residue of such superstitions among Muslims, a legacy of their pagan ancestors, which has not been washed away from their hearts. You will see them thinking that illicit sexual relations are a shame and disgrace for the woman — even if she repents — but not for the man. God severely condemned this practice in these words: And when the buried alive shall be asked for what sin she was killed ().
The Inverse Law of Ownership and Use
The net result of this marvellous ordinance is that man and woman have inverse relation in the spheres of possession and usufruct: Man owns two-thirds of the world's wealth but uses only one-third; while woman, who owns only a third of that wealth, has usufruct of two-thirds. As mentioned above, consideration has been given to predominance of contemplation and intellect over emotion and sentiment in man and to primacy of sentiment over intellect in woman — and that is more relevant to making use of, and benefiting from, a property.
Intellect, Sentiment, and the Balance of Creation
Humanity cannot progress with roughness and hardiness alone, it also needs softness and kindness; mankind will be incomplete if its anger is not balanced with desire. World's affairs are not run by repulsion if it is not counterpoised with attraction. In short, these two qualities maintain an equilibrium between man and woman and keep the scales of life well-balanced in a society which necessarily is constituted of both sexes. Far be it from God to commit injustice in His speech, action or judgment.
Woman as Civilization's Premier Cause
God created women and equipped them with qualities which men find comforting. He puts between them love and compassion. They attract the men with their beauty and glamour, love and kindness. Thus the women are the premier cause and the basic agent for bringing the civilization into being.
Two Roads Out of Unlawful Desire
There were only these two ways of eradicating illicit sexual conduct. Either the two sexes are prevented from mingling with each other, as Islam has done regarding one group of women; or all thoughts of getting a woman is erased from a man's mind, by making her perpetually unlawful to him, so that he grows up with this belief and does not see, or even hear of, any such material union anywhere in the society, and therefore such evil idea never crosses his mind.
Perpetual Prohibition as Mercy to the Weak
It was, therefore, essential to prohibit these women perpetually, for ever. Also the society members should be trained and brought up with this idea and belief firmly fixed in their mind, in order that they should have no hope at all that they could ever get these women. This would kill every base desire for them, and root all such evil craving out. Allah desires that He should make light your burdens, and man is created weak — these fourteen categories of women have been prohibited for ever by God, removing the burden of temptation from man.
Society and Law
On Ownership as an Instinct Prior to Society
Man and animal prohibit others from interfering in their affairs and do not allow anything to utilize what they want to utilize for themselves. This is the foundation of possession, which is recognized by one and all. Even a suckling infant does not allow another infant to suck at the same breast. Even those who apparently reject the idea of ownership have only transferred it from the individual to the society or the state — they have not been able to abolish private ownership totally, and they will never be able to do so, because it is the verdict of nature.
On the Hypocrite Who Destroys Crop and Progeny
When this hypocrite, this most violent of adversaries, gets a chance and is given authority and rules over the people, he creates mischief by destroying the crop and the progeny. The continued existence of the human species depends on food and procreation. In some traditions, 'crop' has been interpreted as religion, and 'progeny' as humanity: first, he corrupted religion and then destroyed humanity.
On Social Cooperation as Compulsion, Not Natural Virtue
Society and social justice were founded on the unavoidable compulsion of the above-mentioned situation. Had it not been for that compulsion, man would not have agreed to it at all. This is the reality behind the claim that man is social by nature! The fact is that this sociability and social justice came into being under the compulsion of the mutual tendency to exploit each other. That is why whenever a man acquires power over his fellows, the dictates of social justice are forgotten; and the mighty one ignores the rights of weaker ones.
On Religion as the Only System That Rules the Whole Being
Societies can be managed in any of three ways — there is no fourth alternative. First is the system of tyranny, which turns human beings into slaves of the tyrant in all aspects of their lives. Second is the system based on civil laws, which control overt actions only and do not touch character and ethics. Third is religion, which controls and rules over the whole being — beliefs, ethics, and actions — and calls to keep all of them on the right path, with truth and virtue.
On the Soul of the Law vs. the Letter
One should not try to separate legislative rules from moral principles. It is wrong to stick to the letter of the law, neglecting the spirit behind it. This sanctimoniousness defeats the purpose of the sharīʿah, negates the aims of religion, and changes the bliss of life into misery. Islam is a religion of deeds, not of words; a sharīʿah of action, not of dogma.
On Society as One Living Body — the Logic of Charity
Mankind is like one living body; it has various limbs and organs, all of different shapes and with distinctive names, but all of them are united in the goal of life. If one of these limbs loses its health and falters in its function, the whole body is adversely affected and fails to reach its goal. If other limbs were to send to the ailing hands some of the blood cells and energy from their own stock, the whole body would grow better and every limb would share in the benefits — benefits which may be hundreds of times more than the small amount expended.
On Interest as the Destruction of the Social Body
Interest leads to the destruction of the poor section of society, and all wealth gravitates towards the already wealthy group. Because of this financial strength, they become arrogant, they manipulate the money market, and rule over people's properties, honour, and lives in any way they wish. As a result, chaos appears on the earth, and disorder and violence spread in society. Humanity races towards extinction and civilization towards obliteration.
Kingdom — Tool, Not Foundation
The Qur'an treats the kingdom as a tool which is necessary for running the affairs of society — just as education and martial power is necessary for its intellectual and defence needs. Kingdom is an instrument of society; it is not the foundation upon which the society stands. The Qur'an does not invite the Muslims to unite to establish an empire to shame the Byzantine and Iranian empires; it calls them to unite in Islam — and this unity in religion is the foundation which the Islamic society is built upon.
Befriending the Enemy — Death Without Revival
If a Muslim establishes fraternal bonds with the enemies of Islam, his character is gradually influenced by their manners, deeds and thoughts. A time comes when disbelief replaces belief; the Muslims slowly discard the tenets and symbols of Islam one after the other, and before they realize it, Islam loses its hold on the society. It is death without any hope of revival, perdition without any chance of resurrection.
Two Goals: Islam's vs. Civilization's
The goal of Islamic society is the real and rational happiness and felicity. It means that man should practise moderation in giving his various powers their demands; he gives to his body what it desires but to the extent that it does not hinder him from knowing God through the path of servitude. On the other hand, the goal of the modern civilization is material enjoyment. Obviously it encourages a sensual life that follows the heart's desire — no matter whether it conforms with rational truth or not. Apart from that, only those laws that are concerned with overt actions may be guaranteed to be implemented. But as far as ethics and fundamental gnosis are concerned, there is no way of enforcing them.
All Property Belongs to All Mankind
All property and riches belong to God in real ownership; He has made it a means of support and a source of livelihood for the human society, without bequeathing it on a particular person to the exclusion of the others. The firm root which has to be respected at all times and which has developed many branches is this: All property belongs to all men. The individuals' interest should be respected if the common interest of the society is protected, that is, if the private interest is not in conflict with the public will. Otherwise, public welfare will take precedence over private one, definitely and without any hesitation.
Islam's Code and the Test of Fourteen Centuries
Until now no inheritance law prevalent in any community or nation has stood the test of time and remained alive as long as the Islamic inheritance law has — it has ruled over the Muslim nations from the day it was ordained to this day, for about fourteen centuries. Those customs prevalent from time to time were devoid of the bliss and felicity which human nature aspires for; and consequently each was altered or discarded before long.
What Ancient Law Could Not See
What the people, like the ancient Romans, called inheritance did not take into consideration the two factors of relationship and respect to the deceased's wishes. It was only based on the deceased's desire to prevent the transfer of property to another house; the intention was to keep it in the hands of the head of the family — its deity. Had it been founded on relationship and common blood, many of those who were deprived would have shared in inheritance.
The Correct Foundation of All Law
It has been repeatedly said that according to Islam the correct foundation of rules and laws is the nature on which people have been created — and there is no alteration in the creation of God. The basic difference between the Islamic laws and the others is in the respective aims and objectives. Islam intends that the world should achieve its righteousness, goodness and probity; while the other laws want it to get what it desires. All the branches sprout from these two different roots.
The Aim of Bequest and Philanthropy
Meditate on the verses concerning bequest, alms, zakāt, khums, and general spending in the way of God; and you will realize that these laws pave the way for setting aside about half of the properties and two-thirds of their benefits for philanthropy and charity, for meeting the needs of the needy and poor. This brings various classes nearer, and narrows the gaps between them, thus strengthening the weaker sections of the society.
The Society of One Soul
The word 'yourselves' refers to all members of the believing society, taken as one individual, each individual's soul is the other's. In such a society, man's life is his own, and also others' lives are his own. Whether he kills himself or kills someone else, he actually destroys his own self. Seen in this light, the sentence 'do not kill yourselves' will have a general import, covering suicide and murder both.
Society as a Living Moral Entity
The human society has its own existence, will and choice distinct from individual ones. The society is a living entity in which the past generations and ancient people are dissolved; in this way, the followers are held responsible for the evil deeds of their predecessors, the living bear the burden of the dead, and the innocent share in the punishment of the wrong-doers—while in the cases of the individuals it is never allowed.
The Judge Who Needs No Flattery
The wealth of the rich should not cause you to deviate from the truth and incline to him; nor should the poverty of the poor incite you to try to better his condition by twisting the truth in his favor. You should bear witness for the sake of God and then leave Him to look at the rich and the poor. He is nearer to them and more Merciful to their condition.
The Disease That Destroys Humanity
A rich or poor person may benefit in one or two cases from evidence which is twisted or hidden, but in the long run it makes the truth feeble and the justice dead. It gives life to oppression and strength to falsehood and injustice; and this is the incurable disease which destroys the humanity.
Covenant as the Bedrock of Social Justice
If we ponder upon human beings' social life, we will find that all the privileges which we enjoy and all the rights which we take for granted are based on general social covenant and the resulting agreements which spring from it. If a man were to break an agreement which he had made with his own free will merely because now he has power or authority or strength to break it, the first victim would be the social justice—and this justice is the first principle on which man relies for freeing himself from exploitation and servitude.
Each Human Soul Carries the Whole of Humanity
Individual men belong to a single species and have the same essence and reality. Each of them possesses in miniature the same humanity that is possessed by all others, and vice versa. God created so many individuals and multiplied the human race in order that this reality should survive. Destroying an individual by murder is tantamount to doing mischief in creation and negating the divine aim of keeping the humanity alive through increased population and succeeding generations.
Love as the Force That Fuses Souls
The reason that turns a friend of a group into a member of it is this: Love unites scattered things, unites different souls; because of love, perceptions of the lovers become one, their characters mirror one another, their actions reflect each other's. The two lovers, when love overwhelms them, become as if they are one person, having a single psyche, a single will, doing a single action; one does not go against the other in the passage of life and in social norms.
The Logic of Friendship and Spiritual Mingling
A waliyy will not treat as a joke or a mockery those things which his friend respects and pays honor to, and considers more distinguished and honorable than everything, even his own self. It is therefore necessary not to take such a person as a friend and not to let him interfere in one's spiritual and physical affairs.
Habit as Second Nature: Society's Role in Moral Formation
The activities which are performed by the society where children grow up — their sub-conscience forms a habit to go on doing it and it continues generation after generation. The conscious mind is not given a chance to think over it, to ponder or meditate as to how to get rid of that habit — even if he understands that the habit is harmful and against his felicity. The same is the case of good deeds and activities if they become deep-rooted in the society — it is extremely difficult to neglect them. That is why it is said that habit is second nature.
When Religion Loses Its Hold on Society
Religion has lost its hold; base desires have seeped into hearts; we are living in a society submerged in material enjoyments whose foundation is strong and general public eagerly proceeds towards it. Then there appeared severe quarrel and dispute between religious factors and modern civilization, in which constantly the latter is winning and the former retreating. The religious system that was supposed to dominate the society lost its coherence, and chaos and confusion appeared in spiritual affairs. In this condition, neither oath nor anything stronger can be of any benefit; there remains nothing to protect the people's rights.
Materialism and the Death of the Soul
The strong drive to enjoy material pleasures leaves no room for humankind to search for the treasures of divine realities and gnosis latent in their innate nature. Any spiritual values and moral virtues inherited by a society will gradually disappear in such an environment, until the entire society turns into a primitive animalistic one — as we observe in the advanced societies today which have plunged into materialism. Every second of their life is occupied by such matters and they are completely inattentive of the hereafter and spiritual realities.
Adornment as the Foundation of Civilization
Zīnah (adornment) is among the most important foundations of human societies and is directly related to how advanced a civilization and culture is. If it were to be lifted from a society, the society would collapse and disintegrate, because being devoid of zīnah means being devoid of good and bad, like and dislike, pleasure and displeasure. It is impossible to have a society without such values and classifications.
Sedition Spills Beyond Its Source to Swallow the Righteous
This verse boils down to a warning to the Muslims: do not go easy on factionalism and partisanship which threaten their unity, which would split them and their united stance apart. They should not be victims of divide and conquer, lest crookedness overtake the word of Truth and the upright religion, which the Muslims share. This sedition shall be led by a specific group of them — the wrongdoers; however, the effect of that shall be borne by everyone. They shall all face the threat of degradation, impoverishment, and all the ills which civil unrest begets.
God's Call Is a Call Toward Unity Through the Rope of God
Since the call of God is towards what brings life, it is also a call towards unity through the rope of God, the establishment of the religion, and avoiding factionalism. As God says: Hold fast to the rope of Allah together, and do not factionalize (). Establish the religion, and do not disunite about it (). This is My straight path, so follow it and do not follow the ways which would cause division among you from His Way ().
Islam Alone Can Unite Hearts That Wealth Cannot Buy
God blessed the Muslim nation through removing hatred from people and uniting their hearts through knowing the divine. He taught that to them and spread among them the teaching that the human life is eternal, not limited to these few days which soon perish, after which the human being disappears and is forgotten. Happiness in this eternal life does not depend on material pleasures or consumption. Rather, it is a true life with true sustenance, in which the human being subsists in the honor of worshipping God, the Exalted, basking in nearness to Him.
The World Desires the Fleeting; God Desires the Eternal for You
It is not for a prophet to take captives until he subdues the land. You desire the fleeting things (ʿaraḍ) of this world, while Allah desires the hereafter for you, and Allah is mighty, wise. Were it not for an ordinance from Allah that had already gone forth, an awful doom would have befallen you because of what you took. Eat then of what you have acquired in war, lawful and good (ḥalālan ṭayyiban), and mind Allah; Allah is forgiving, merciful.
Brotherhood as a Binding Spiritual Covenant
The verse uses the idea of religious brotherhood — a concept also expressed by the verse, the faithful are indeed brothers () — to show that they are of equal status and possess equal rights in the religion because brothers come from a common root and they are equals to one another within the family unit in the eyes of their father, who is the master of the home, and also in their extended family and community. Now, insofar as this notion of religious brotherhood has actual legal implications, this means that Islamic law genuinely recognizes a kind of kinship between members of Islamic society. This religious kinship confers a legal status with real rational and religious implications in the same way as familial kinship does.
Comradeship: The Bond That Pervades the Community
But the faithful, men and women, are comrades of one another to show that in spite of their multiplicity and differences in terms of number and gender, they share a single being that is not divided in the least, and hence they are comrades of one another. It is for this reason that they enjoin one another to good deeds and dissuade one another from evil. Therefore when the different members of a community look after one another, comradeship (wilāya) extends throughout it, and they enjoin the good and forbid the evil amongst themselves.
The Religion Capable of Managing Human Society
Monotheism is the firm religion without any deviation, embodying true divine guidance and utterly devoid of any form of falsehood. A society thrives when its norms and lifestyle regulations are founded on truths that align with reality. It doesn't flourish if built upon baseless myths without any steadfast foundation.
Justice as the Foundation of Society
The prohibition on indecency, wrong, and aggression essentially calls for a unified society where its members respect one another's rights and behave in a way that is conducive to their mutual harmony, where no one acts oppressively towards another, and where only beauty, not immorality or bad conduct, is observed.
Belief and Social Equity
Belief in God is such that it calls one to financial charity. One cannot achieve total happiness unless one lives in a felicitous society where each person receives their due rights. And a society is not felicitous unless its classes are close to one another in terms of standard of living and quality of life.
Honour Through Reverence Alone
Honour is not contingent on any other thing, such as nobility or ancestry, as is expressed in the verse the most honourable of you is the most reverent towards Allah ().
Brotherhood as a Legislative Reality
When God says the faithful are indeed brothers, this is a legislative declaration (jaʿal tashrīʿī) that establishes the relation of brotherhood between the faithful. This relation has both moral and legal consequences. God did not say: 'Therefore make peace between the brothers' but instead said your brothers because this is a more succinct and profound expression.