change – The Message International

Islam is a set of beliefs that must manifest themselves in a set of rituals. These rituals must have an impact on the character of the individual. The character of the individual manifests itself when we deal with other people. Therefore, it is a circle that is made of six vital components that will be discussed shortly.

If one engages in excellent Ibadah (worship), but has terrible Ikhlaaq (manners, character), then the Ibadah will not make up for the deficiency in character. However, if one has excellent Ikhlaaq and decent Ibadah, the excellent Ikhlaaq may make up for the deficiency in Ibadah. We extract this teaching from the hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) in which he was informed about two women. One woman prayed, fasted, and performed all of her extra acts of worship, but she was extremely rude to her neighbors. The Prophet (pbuh) said that if she continues in this lifestyle, then her final abode would be the hellfire. The hadith then mentions another woman who did not pray or fast much, but only fulfilled her obligations in regards to people, like being kind to her neighbors. The Prophet (pbuh) said that if she continues in this lifestyle, then her final abode in the hereafter would be heaven.

It is not that the earth cannot cater to our needs, but the earth cannot cater to our greed. There are a lot of resources, but there is not enough compassion

To underline this teaching, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Those of you who will be closest to me on the Day of Judgment will be those who have the best ikhlaaq.” These teachings do not undermine the importance of worship, but do underline the importance of good character. The Prophet (pbuh) also said, “Inna ahadakum layoudriku darajata si`am al qaa`im,” which means, “Due to your good character, you can attain equal position with someone who is constantly praying at night and who is constantly fasting during the day.” If someone has good character, he said, he/she will be able to reach that rank.

What is Character?

It is said that our character is made up by our words, actions, and habits. Perhaps that is why the saying goes, “Watch your thoughts, as your thoughts become your words. Watch your words, as your words become your actions. Watch your actions, as your actions become your habits. Watch your habits, as your habits formulate your character, and your character becomes your destiny.”

The Prophet (pbuh) has warned us to control our thoughts as well. One may wonder as to how thoughts can be controlled. We are not able to control what comes into our minds, but we are able to control the thoughts we dwell on. Therefore, it is essential to be careful about which thoughts we choose to dwell on.

In order to control these thoughts, it is important to know what the essential components of having a good character are. The following are the six essential components, and they all start with the letter “C”.

Conscience

The first one is conscience or dhameer. The conscience is the innermost moral compass that Allah (SWT) has given us. It is by this internal moral compass that we (sometimes) are able to distinguish right from wrong. The Prophet (pbuh) has explained this beautifully. In one hadith, we are informed, “Al birru husnul khulooq,” which means, “Righteousness is about having good character.” He (pbuh) then said, “Wal ithmu”, (as for sin), ma haka fee sadrika wa khasheeta ay- ya-tali`a alayi Nas.” This translates as, “Sin is that which pricks into your heart, and you do not want it to be exposed to people.” Many times when our inner voice tries to stop us from committing sin, we ignore it. The next time it tries to do this, we are unable to hear it. It then comes to a point that we become de-synthesized and unaware of our inner voices.

If we have courage, then we have what it takes to bring about a change

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “A believer is not the one who eats his fill when his neighbor is hungry” (Bukhari). The person who knows that his/her neighbor is going to bed with an empty belly and does not take action has a dead conscience. The Prophet (pbuh) would say that this person cannot really claim to be of the community of the believers.

It is incumbent on us to listen to our conscience. When we cannot sleep at night because something is bothering our conscience, then, at times like this, we must be our own policemen. Many times, we can be technically right but ethically wrong. If we have a living conscience, sin can be defined as something that pricks into the heart and what we would not want to expose to others. Usually, we try to hide things that we are ashamed of, so the Prophet (pbuh) said that the moment we feel this way, we must listen to our conscience.

Compassion

The second component of having good character is compassion. This is our ability to feel for others and with others. Today, the poverty and starvation we see in the world is not due to the lack of resources. At no time in the history of mankind was the food production as abundant as it is now. It is not that the earth cannot cater to our needs, but the earth cannot cater to our greed. There are a lot of resources, but there is not enough compassion. The three richest people in the world have more money than the 48 poorest countries in the world combined.

Those who are compassionate in this world, Allah (SWT) will be compassionate towards them in the hereafter. It is easy to be compassionate to those who deserve compassion, like those who are sick, poor, or needy. However, real compassion occurs when it is least expected. Once, Ibn Umar (R) went to the market, and someone picked his pocket. When people in the market realized that his money was stolen, they started to make duaa to destroy the person that robbed Ibn Umar (R). At this moment, Ibn Umar (R) raised his hands and said, “Oh Allah, if this person took it because he was in need, Oh Allah, bless this money for him. Oh Allah, if he is a professional thief, Oh Allah, then make this one the last of his sins.” Now, that is compassion!

Another example of real compassion is the moment of the conquest of Makkah. After all of the evil things that the people of Makkah did to the Prophet (pbuh), and despite him having the power now, he chose to let everyone go free. Indeed, he was the most compassionate human being.

Having good character also means that you are able to feel for others. When the Prophet’s (pbuh) son died and he was crying, he said, “It is the mercy that Allah (SWT) places in the heart of the believers.” We are also reminded of the incident when the Prophet (pbuh) was kissing his young grandchildren Hassan and Hussain, and a bedouin said with arrogance, “I have ten children and I have not kissed a single one of them.” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “What can I do to you if mercy has been snatched away from your heart?” Muslims are to follow the example of the Prophet (pbuh) and be compassionate to everyone.

Consideration

We have discussed the conscience and compassion; now, we move onto consideration. What does it mean to be considerate? It means to be deliberate and to think before you speak in regards to the following questions: How are my actions and my words going to impact others? Is my behavior going to crush their spirits? Or is it going to please them? Therefore, being considerate is the ability to think before you take action.

The seerah again gives us the best examples in this regard. One day, the Prophet (pbuh) was sitting with his companions, and he told them that Ikrimah (the son of Abu Jahl, the worst enemy of Islam) is coming to accept Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) cautioned his companions to not mention anything ill about his father Abu Jahl. He said that cursing those who are dead only affects those who are alive as the dead cannot hear you. In other words, he told them to be considerate of Ikrimah’s feelings.

Being considerate means respecting the feelings of others. For example, the Prophet (pbuh) said that if there are three people present, then two people should not be whispering to one another. Why? The reason for this is that this behavior would hurt the third person who is present. The Prophet (pbuh) also said that when you lead people in salah, be considerate of them by shortening your prayers. The Prophet (pbuh) would be leading the prayers, and when he heard a child crying, the Prophet (pbuh) expedited the salah in a very noticeable way. When asked after the salah about why he was in such a hurry, he said, “I heard a child crying and I knew that His mother would want to attend to him. So, I wanted to finish the salah as soon as possible.”

Are we as considerate in our masajid today? What would we do if a child started crying in the salah? The parent would be told not to bring their children to the prayer. In Islam, we are urged to be sensitive, and it covers all aspects of life. The Prophet (pbuh) said, addressing men, “Do not be like beasts when you have an intimate relationship with your wife and you have your own desires fulfilled, but you are so inconsiderate whether your wife has received the same fulfillment or not.” Intimacy is something that it supposed to be enjoyed by two people. There are some men who joke with their wives about getting a second wife, and they believe it is amusing. It is important to remember that if the other person is not laughing, then they do not believe it is funny. Be considerate to the feelings of your spouses.

Do we ever reflect on the fact that sometimes we make people hate the Sunnah or the Deen because of our actions? In the name of Islam, how can we be rude? In the name of Islam, how can we yell at people, demoralize people, crush the spirits of people? A Muslim is supposed to be considerate. In every way that we do things, it displays our character, like the way we drive or where we park our cars. Constantly, we are displaying our character. The Prophet (pbuh) would tell his companions to avoid eating garlic or onions before they plan on going to the Masjid. This is to make sure that our presence brings joy to others. Be considerate. Have a conscience. Be compassionate.

Courage

The fourth “C” is courage. Courage is about being able to stand up for what we believe in. It is about the ability to stand up for the principles and the values that we hold. An individual is a person of courage when he/she is challenged and stands up for beliefs, principles, and values. It may be noticed that whenever Prophet Musa (pbuh) is mentioned in the Quran, it is always in situations involving fear. His stick turned into a serpent so he was afraid to pick it up. He was told to go to Pharaoh and was afraid. Nevertheless, Prophet Musa (pbuh) was not a coward, because courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is doing what is right despite the existence of fear. Prophet Musa (pbuh) was afraid, but his fear did not stop him from doing what is right.

Courage is needed especially when we must challenge the social status quo. The Arabs did not allow women to inherit; it took social courage for the Prophet (pbuh) to come and address such an issue. People would say our forefathers never did this, but it took courage to speak the truth to the people in power. If we have courage, then we have what it takes to bring about a change.

Control

We must have a conscience, compassion, consideration, courage, and also control. A person of character is a person of control. It is the ability to control our desires and anger, the ability to control and be able to abstain and hold back, that defines this characteristic. Many times, we want to express ourselves in a negative way. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger” (Bukhari). Strength is not determined by the ability to wrestle people down to the ground. A strong person is the one who is able to take hold of himself/herself when the anger is powerful. The Prophet (pbuh) said that if you are able to this, then you are a strong person. Sometimes we have rage and we want to steal or do something wrong, but then there is that conscience, that control, and that power to hold us back. This idea of control should be in charge of our desires and not the other way around.

Confidence

We have discussed the conscience, compassion, consideration, courage, control, and now the last one is confidence. What do we need to have confidence in? Oftentimes, we know what is right, but we cannot see the results immediately and therefore have doubt. We need to do the right thing at all times, whether we reap the benefit or not. We need to be confident that the right thing needs to be done all the time with no exceptions. Then, if we see the results, Alhamdulillah, and if we do not see the results, then it was actually to begin doing the right thing that was the most important.

A story can illustrate this point: A man was once given a surprise bonus of $1,000 by his company. While on his way home, he was planning to buy gifts for his family so that his wife and children would be happy. However, he was approached by a crying woman holding a young baby in her hands. She said, “Sir, my baby is dying! I need help. I cannot afford to buy any medication for my baby.” The man was so moved by this woman and baby that he put his hands in his pocket and gave her the entire $1,000. When his family found out, they told him he had been tricked by this woman. They made fun of him and told him that this was on the TV news. Instead of getting upset at the situation, the man said, “Alhamdulillah, this is the best news I have heard today. I gave the money to that woman because I didn’t want that baby to die. What really matters is the fact that the baby is not dying.”

The beauty of Islam is when Islam is implemented. We can say all of the nice things that we want, at the end of the day, it is not about what we say, but it is really about what we do. With every passing moment, we are constantly giving people clues about who we really are; we are constantly displaying what kind of character we have.

To conclude, consider this story: A man had a very nice car. He once saw a young boy walking around and admiring his car. So, the man asked the young boy, “Do you like it, son?” The boy responded, “Sir, I love it; this is the most beautiful car I have ever seen.” The man then told him that my brother gave it to me as a gift. The young boy immediately responded by saying, “Sir, I wish I could be like your brother.” Notice, he did not say that I wish I can have a brother like yours. This is what most of us would have said. Instead, he chose to say that I wish I was like your brother. This is a beautiful display of character. Remember, have a conscience along with compassion, consideration, courage, control, and confidence.

As we know, the Glorious Quran contains many stories related to the Messengers that were sent by Allah (SWT). These stories about the great men are not bedtime stories, nor should we take them as entertainment. Rather, the stories serve as great lessons and reminders for all of us. A striking thing about the stories of the Messengers of Allah is that the Messengers mainly spoke about two things: spiritual awakening and social reform.

The fountainhead of Islamic belief is that there is none worthy of worship except Allah (SWT). So this was the aim of all the Messengers of Allah: to rejuvenate the spirituality of the people, to come and redirect humanity to the right path, i.e. to the light of Islam. To show people the way to develop an appropriate relationship with the Creator was the central mission of all of the Prophets (pbut).

However, equally as important as the spiritual awakening that the Messengers of Allah brought into people that were spiritually bankrupt is the idea of social reform. The Messengers of Allah taught and preached, but their preaching and their thoughts and their education did not stop at “Lailaha illallah”.

For instance, Prophet Musa (pbuh) invited people to worship none but Allah. However, besides the spiritual bankruptcy among people, there was something else that was going on. There was political tyranny, a group of people was downtrodden, marginalized, and exploited. Musa (pbuh) could not solely invite people to have a proper relationship with their Creator and say nothing about the rotten condition many people were living in. People would not listen. So, Musa (pbuh) not only taught them “Lailaha illallah” but also spoke on behalf of the masses. Musa (pbuh) addressed Firoun directly. Following Allah’s command, he spoke softly to Firoun. He did it with sincere hope that maybe Firoun would have a change of heart and become a better person, because if Firoun became a better person, then you could count on improvement in the entire state of Egypt.

Musa (pbuh) started by inviting Firoun, “We are the Messengers (Haroon and Musa) of your Lord.” They made it a personal invitation and invited him to worship Allah (swt) alone. So Musa (pbuh) saw the oppression taking place and he confronted the oppressor in a gentle and civil manner.

All the Messengers of Allah were engaged in the reality of their time. They directly confronted the challenges and problems of their time. Another great example is Prophet Lut (pbuh). He came to his people with a clear message: “Worship none but Allah”, and this was the aspect aimed at the spiritual awakening of the people. However, during the time of Lut (pbuh), there was also another problem rampant in society. Not only were people spiritually bankrupt, but they were morally bankrupt, indulging in the fulfillment of improper sexual desires. What did Lut (pbuh) do? In addition to inviting them to “Lailaha illallah”, he worked for social reform. He spoke against their behavior and their wicked ways of life.

Similarly, the Prophet (pbuh) invited people to “Lailaha illallah”. However, along with a return to monotheism, social reform was imperative. People were being wrongly enslaved, women were oppressed, and the weak were marginalized. Nobody stood up for their rights and spoke out for them. It was the Prophet (pbuh) who took a stand on their behalf. He spoke against alcoholism and against the exploitation of the poor and needy. In fact, in the fourth year of prophethood, he and his companions were prosecuted and tortured.

Quran asks us a very simple question: “Have you seen the one who denies the religion?” Our first instinct would be to say one who doesn’t pray or doesn’t believe in the Day of Judgment is the one who denies the religion. But the Quran gives us a totally different account. “It is he or she who repels the orphan with harshness; and he does not encourage the feeding of the poor and the needy.” Unbelievable! This is the Deen from Allah (SWT). These are the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh).

Prophet Shuaib (pbuh) presents another great example. The Quran tells us, “And to the people of Madian, we sent them their brother Shuaib.” (Surah Al-Araf) Madian was very important geographically as it was strategically located where caravans met and business transactions happened. So Shuaib (pbuh) not only reminded them to worship Allah (SWT), but told them, “I fear for you the chastisement of an encompassing day! O my people, be just in your measurements and weight. And do not torture people, do not deprive of people that which belongs to them. And do not go around the earth intending mischief. That which you earn in a proper way, the way that Allah (SWT) approves, is what is best for you. If you the people believe Me.” How did the people respond? They started mocking him! Shuaib (pbuh) did not give up or resort to harsh methods to stop people. He simply reiterated, “I wish not to do that for which I am forbidding you of doing. You will not find me guilty of double standards or hypocrisy.” He then went on to prove his sincerity, an essential ingredient of social reform by saying, “I only wish for your betterment to the best of my ability.”

It’s our moral obligation that when we see the social ills around us, we raise awareness and call people away from them.Whether people respond to the call for social reform or not is almost irrelevant. These ills are not for us to curse; these ills are for us to address and try to fix as much as we can. Nowadays, you cannot help but admire these young activists in the West who are marching in the streets, protesting the wars, the WTO, the GH Summit. These young activists who live in a comfortable life in their own countries are feeling the pain of other people. Why aren’t we Muslims realizing that this is part of our Deen? Isn’t this the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh)?

It is remarkable how in the farewell sermon, the Prophet (pbuh) addressed the people. He said “O People”, not “O Muslims” or “O Believers”. He said “O People” because his message is a universal message. He was the leading activist of all times. He took up issues that really mattered. The Quran tells us that we have been appointed as people who are constantly engaged in the eradication of evil and in the progressing and facilitating good. We are supposed to be the ones who do not live for ourselves but rather live to make sure that other people also have human dignity and integrity. This is the message of Islam.

For us as Muslims, being an activist is an essential element of our faith. Didn’t the Prophet (pbuh) say that if you see something wrong, you must do something about it? He advised us to either speak against it, eradicate it physically, or at least denounce it in our hearts. And then He (pbuh) said the last option is the weakest level of faith. The point is that we must learn from these teachings, we should not take these stories for entertainment. Rather these stories and the Ahadith of the Prophet (pbuh) are mapping for us a way of life, a path to success.

Some Reminders

1 We must be engaged in reality. We have to get engaged and involved. This is not a suggestion or a recommendation; this is an obligation. Unfortunately, too often we hear our elders cursing social ills around us, and then taking the attitude that our children will fix them. Do we simply sit around and watch? Act as if we don’t count?

2 As we listen to these stories, there is a sense of care among the Messengers that you can sense. They constantly reminded people, that “I am one of you”, or “you are my people”. They addressed people out of sincere concern and love in a way saying “I fear for you”. We are not following these great models when we think of problems as other people’s problems. The world is becoming so small nowadays that any social ill will creep into any community, and no community is immune from this. So do not think that because these are someone else’s problems today, they cannot become yours tomorrow! They very well could; it’s just a matter of time.

3 When there are so many social ills that we need to be engaged in, we need to choose our battles wisely. We have to be mature as to which ones we choose to fight. We must carefully decide which social ill we are going to confront first and which one to speak about. We, the Muslim Ummah, sometimes are so easily offended and so easily provoked and instigated. Yes, we should appreciate the passion, but our responses are not mature. For example, people who write against the Prophet (pbuh), or Quran, or Islam (and some may even be Muslim), it might be wise to just ignore them. Even if somehow they are made to stop, is our situation any better? Would we have less poverty? More freedom? No, the situations of the masses will not improve because we decided to fight this battle. So what did we win? What was in it for us? We actually made someone more famous, seen as heroes, and we definitely made them rich! What did we gain? So we must carefully choose which causes we are going to take a stand on.

Upon closer look, we realize that the Prophet (pbuh) didn’t address every issue immediately. At times, he remained silent. His silence was not an approval of the social ill that was taking place. It’s all about timing. Always remember that the teachings of Islam are not one horizontal line, but rather it’s a slope where some things are more important than others. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Faith has 77 branches where the highest branch is ‘Lailaha illallah’ and the lowest part is to remove harm from the path of the people.” This implies that to remain occupied at the lowest level at the expense of the highest is not acceptable. The Prophet (pbuh) demonstrated this principle by emphasizing on Tawheed (oneness of God) in the early years of Prophethood and other issues, such as the prohibition of alcohol, were addressed much later. The point is that we must learn to choose our causes wisely. That’s why scholars speak of the “Fiqh” of determining priority of various matters.

What do we want? We want to be engaged in reality. Many social ills are out there by which we can tell people about Islam and by which we can aid and help in the betterment of our fellow human beings. We need to engage ourselves in grassroots campaigns such as the campaigns against drugs and poverty. Drugs are consuming our children, boys and girls, be they Muslim or Non-Muslim; they are being wasted. This is a situation where we, as the Muslim community, can speak about the teachings of Islam and the wisdom behind the prohibition of all intoxicants. It is an opportunity for us to say that the teachings of Islam are so good that we wish them for you as well.

We need to have an “Aids Awareness Day”. As the Muslim community, we can explain that we understand the reasons behind the rapid spread of AIDS. Islam provides a deterrent for the spread of AIDS by prohibiting sex outside of marriage. We need to engage in a campaign against domestic violence. It is appalling how many of our sisters are being abused day and night and the Muslim community remains silent. At times, it may even be happening in our own community, and we do not address it. Child abuse is another major social evil on which the Muslim community is silent. We cannot afford to be.

We need to put our Masajid to further use. Our centers are virtually empty from Fajr to Dhuhr: how about running health clinics? Or starting an educational institution where people can come and learn? We can make the Masjid a place of refuge for people. Our centers can serve with lots more than just five times prayers.

The bottom line is that we must be engaged in the reality and our response should be mature by choosing our causes wisely. Keep in mind though, that to bring change is mandatory, but to eradicate evil, we cannot use evil means. You cannot replace evil with evil. You can only eradicate evil with good and righteous initiatives.

I hope that, InshaAllah, with this short reminder I have provoked my fellow Muslims to be more proactive. Let us analyze: are we really doing what Islam asked us to, or are we just talking about it?

A brother was once visiting France and in the hotel he inquired if there was any Muslim around. A young individual came to him and said, “I am a Muslim. I am a Sunni, and I follow Maliki.” The brother looked at him and said, “Masha Allah, could you show me the direction of the the Qibla so I can pray?” The boy looked puzzled and said, “I don’t know. I never pray.” So he claimed he was a Muslim, he was a Sunni, and a Maliki, yet he did not pray.

If what you believe in does not impact how you behave, then what you believe in is not important. We can say all the nice things we want to say about Islam, but unless we put it into practice, nice words remain just that, words without any practical relevance.
Nobody is interested in just nice words. People want to see results. In current times, as a Muslim community, we have a lot to show for, but let us begin by this “Care for Humanity” grassroots effort. When we say this, we are not pretending to be anything that we are not, we are not pretending to be like anybody else, but we are just trying to be what the Prophet (pbuh) was to humanity.

Tag: change

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