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التعليمية
لتعليم اللغة
العربية
والإسلام
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STEPS ON
THE STRAIGHT PATH
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
GOD has revealed the unbroken chain of belief and
guidance through His Prophets to humanity. This book shows how previous Paths converge
into THE STRAIGHT PATH. The writer approaches this subject through (a)
objective writing and (b) group discussions to clear the mist of
misunderstanding held by Muslims and non-Muslims about Islam.
This work attempts to unite the spiritual with the
secular both in private and in public life after their long divorce. Religious
belief is to be translated into moral action supported by all social systems;
ethical, political, economic and in our duty towards God, to oneself and to
others. All of these are sustained by a Divine Moral Decree that links the
temporal world with the spiritual to save the welfare state of humanity and its
destiny.
These writings hope to persuade Muslims, in particular
the youth, to adapt a spiritual infusion, to safeguard their beliefs in
relation to moral action. To non-Muslims and researchers in this field of
study, it allows them to distinguish clearly the differences between Muslim
thought, the behaviour of Muslims and Islamic theology and its conduct. It is
also directed to assist students who need a reference book for use in Religious
Studies and also as a source of reference in public libraries. It is an
introduction to study the principles of Divine Decree in the Qur’an.
“And verily this is my Straight Path, so follow it,
and follow not other ways, lest they cause you to deviate from His way. This
has He enjoined upon you, so that you might remain conscious of Him” [Qur’an,
6:153].
H.M.Abbara is
an Educationist specialising in Moral and Religious Development.
7th Step
on the Straight Path
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Contents of 7th Step on the
Straight Path Chapter seventeen: The Individual System17.1
The Individual
Order 17.2
Purification of
the inner-self 17.3
Avoidance of
disbelief 17.4
Response to the
Call of God 4.1
Application of belief
2.Prayer of request 3.Applying patience in Affliction 4. Certainty of God’s
Mercy 5. Trust in God 6. Gratitude to God 17.5
Certainty of
Knowledge 17.6
Inviting to Way of God 17.7
Enjoining right
and forbidding wrong. 17.8
Jihad, Exert oneself to virtue 17.9
Duty to earn a
living 9.1
Limit of
expenditure 2. Avoidance of squandering. 17.10.
Avoidance of
greed; 17.11.
Avoidance of
ostentation 17.12.
Avoidance of
envy 17.13.
Avoidance of
pride 17.14.
Avoidance of
the lures of Satan 17.15.
Avoidance of
theft 17.16.
Avoidance of
deception 17.17.
Avoidance of
embezzlement 17.18.
Avoidance of
Monopoly 17.19.
Avoidance of
murder 17.20.
Avoidance of
oppression 17.21.
Avoidance of
avarice 17.22.
Telling the
Truth 22.1
Evidence and
testimony a. Bearing witness 22.2
Avoidance of
false statement a. The oath 17.23
Avoidance of
mockery 17.24
Avoidance of
slander 17.25
Avoidance of backbiting 17.26
Avoidance of
suspicion 17.27
Being
truthful 1. Honesty 17.28
Purification of
Moral Conduct 17.29
Keeping
covenants and promises 17.30
Speaking no
evil 17.31
Moral
application 17.32
Having courage 17.33
Control of
self-Desire 1. Avoidance of Unlawful sexual desire 2.Avoidance of intoxication
17.34
Controlling
diet: 1. Slaughtering of
animals 2. Animal slaughtered by
Christian and Jews 17.35
Avoidance of
suicide 17.36
Purity and
cleanliness 1. Condition of water to be used, 2. Circumcision 3. Ritual
cleanness for prayer: A. Ghusl, wish from impurity B.Ablution. C.
Wiping the shoes D. tayammum,
dry wash F. place of prayer G Using toothbrush; muswak 17.37
Discussion:
Individual Order. 7th Step on the Straight Path 15.
Individual system
The position of the individual and his responsibilities
in Islam is very comprehensive; Therefore, Individual order maintained by
purifying the inner-self; Purification the heart, maintained by
avoidance disbelief; Disbelief is a chronic disease, cured
by true belief; True belief maintained by virtuous
actions; Virtuous Action maintained by pillars
of Perfection (chapter.8 ) Pillars of perfection maintained by
sincerity to God; Sincerity to God sustained by sincerity
to His book, His prophet to His creation, prayer, prayer of request, certainty
of God’s Mercy, applying patience in affliction, gratitude to God; and trust
in God these maintained by certainty of
knowledge; Certainty of knowledge maintained by
inviting to the way of God, enjoin right and forbid wrong, jihad,
exert oneself to virtue which maintains by earning a living and managing
virtuous life Earn living maintained by accurate
expenditure; Expenditure maintained by avoidance
greed; Avoidance greed maintained by avoidance
squander; Avoidance squander maintained by
avoidance ostentation; Avoidance ostentation maintained by
avoidance envy; Avoidance envy maintained by
purification from pride; Avoidance pride maintained by avoidance
of the lures of Satan; Avoidance the lure of Satan maintained
by Moral conduct; Moral conduct sustained by keeping
covenant; Keeping covenant sustained by good
word; Good word sustained by good
characteristic and courage; Courage sustained by Moral application; Moral application sustained by control
desire; Controlling desires maintained by
control sexual desire Controlling sexual desire maintained by
control diet; Controlling diet maintained by lawful
diet; Controlling lawful diet maintained by
avoidance intoxication; Avoidance intoxication maintained by
avoidance suicide Avoidance suicide maintained by purity of heart; Purity of heart is maintained by purity
and cleanliness, from impurity recommended by Islamic teaching. Individual Order sustained by Education
system, next. Chapter seventeen
17-individual system We
pointed out earlier that duties are overlap, the duty to God is a duty
towards oneself, it is two way traffics and between them the duty toward
others. To God belong the purity, He accept only pure things pour out from
good heart. Therefore Individual order maintained by purifying the inner-self; Purification the heart, maintained by avoidance disbelief; Disbelief is a chronic disease, cured by true belief; True belief maintained by virtuous actions; Virtuous Action maintained by pillars of Perfection (chapter.8 ) Pillars of perfection maintained by sincerity to God; Sincerity to God sustained by sincerity to His book, His prophet to
His creation, prayer, prayer of request, certainty of God’s Mercy, applying
patience in affliction, gratitude to God; and trust in God these maintained
by certainty of knowledge; Certainty of knowledge maintained by inviting to the way of God, enjoin
right and forbid wrong, jihad, exert oneself to virtue which maintains
by earning a living and managing virtuous life Earn living maintained by accurate expenditure; Expenditure maintained by avoidance greed; Avoidance greed maintained by
avoidance squander; Avoidance squander maintained by avoidance ostentation; Avoidance ostentation maintained by avoidance envy; Avoidance envy maintained by purification from pride; Avoidance pride maintained by avoidance of the lures of Satan; Avoidance the lure of Satan maintained by Moral conduct; Moral conduct sustained by keeping covenant; Keeping covenant sustained by good word; Good word sustained by good characteristic and courage; Courage sustained by Moral application; Moral application sustained by control desire; Controlling desires maintained by control sexual desire Controlling
sexual desire maintained by control
diet; Controlling
diet maintained by lawful diet; Controlling
lawful diet maintained by avoidance
intoxication; Avoidance
intoxication maintained by
avoidance suicide Avoidance suicide maintained
by purity of heart; Purity of heart maintained by purity
and cleanliness, from impurity recommended by Islamic teaching. Individual Order sustained by Education system, next. 1. The
Individual Order. "Every soul is burdened only with what it has
done; no soul can bear the load of another. To your Lord shall you return,
and He will tell you of that wherein you were at variance." (6:164). God
created Adam (man) and breathed into him of His Spirit (15:29). He inspired
him with the faculties to help him fulfil his duties on earth and progress spiritually
to higher level. The individual is of the highest value in Islam and its
ultimate objective is to safeguard his life in this world as well as in the
next, which he was created for. We should imitate God in His attributes, i.e.
Love, Mercy, Compassion, Peace, Justice and Perfection, etc. God has
furnished us with the necessary faculties and prerequisites to realise our
destiny. "He shaped him in due proportion and breathed into him
something of His Spirit. And He gave you hearing, and sight, and hearts
(feeling and mind) - little thanks do you show." (32:9) God has given us
understanding and reason to know His Law, to see the We have
failed to fulfil the moral part of the Divine Will, failing to maintain a
proper spiritual relationship with God. This failure was questioned by the
angels at the beginning of creation, when God informed them that He was going
to create To know, as well as to obey, God's
Commandments is therefore second nature to us. Deviating from the We are
born innocent and if we can maintain that purity without digressing from God's
Way, we have autonomy. We are each responsible for our own development, and
should not rely on others for salvation. Nor also we inherit sin. "No
soul can bear the burden of another" (6:164). Islam defines our
responsibilities exclusively in terms of our own personal deeds, entered into
consciously and voluntarily. Individual order maintained by: 1. A. Responsibilities. Life is a God trust to mankind with quality
of reason to choose between belief and disbelief, right and wrong. God created
us as a trustee to fulfil that trust, prior to knowing the essence of that
trust; man has a commitment to fulfil its requirements. Hence, our first task
is to acquire knowledge in order to find out the Truth and then serve nothing
but the Truth. This principle will be discussed later. Our first
responsibility is towards our own soul. During childhood, this is our
parent’s responsibility. They are not only responsible for bringing up their
children well and keeping them from evil habits, but for choosing as a spouse
a good believer brought up in a family which believes and acts accordingly.
Islam does not ignore the influence of inherited factors, which go back many
generations “And those who believed, and their seed followed them in belief,
We shall join their seed with them.”(52:21) Also,
parents have a duty to secure their home environment from bad influence. so
they try to keep their subconscious pure from all ill-nature or evil. The
objective is to purify the inner self so that a person may be ready to
respond to the Call of God, rather than being misled by wrong desires, and
ingratitude, refusing to concede that God has any role within His Creation,
or associating with God an ideology which is related to man's arrogance
instead of God's Law. If the soul's primordial norm is preserved, man is
ready to pursue the spirit of development and fulfil the first Commandment
revealed by God, that is, "Read". In other words, willingness to
learn is a basic requirement in Islamic society, and this means acquiring
both secular and religious knowledge. Only through this approach can man
appreciate the world and the Deity Who is responsible for its creation and
existence and takes the Way leading to Him.
The
Qur’an Command to acquire knowledge and apply it is addressed to the
individual. God makes each one, believer or disbeliever, by Spiritual Moral
Decree, responsible for carrying out his duty in private and in public to the
best of his ability. However: "God only assigns a soul something it can
cope with; it is credited with whatever it has earned, while it is debited
with whatever it has brought upon itself" (2:286). The
individual is encouraged to be constructive and positive in his behaviour
rather than negative or destructive. God has given mankind more faculties
than He has given to other creatures, which have only their instincts to
guide them. Man has been endowed with the power of thinking so that he may
develop both horizontally (socially) and vertically (spiritually), but most
men fail to achieve spiritual development. This is why God revealed a
complete set of principles to the believers to direct them to the means of
achievement. God laid
the foundations for building up a sound society and presents clear values to
guide not only Muslims but all mankind to a sense of social responsibility
supported by the right belief and conduct. But this cannot be achieved unless
each individual is educated to know his relation to his Lord by purify his
inner-self: 17.2 Purification
of the Inner-self
The inner-self, the heart; which contain
the soul and the spirit. The spirit consists of the mind and the faculties.
It is like reservoir contains its substance and what comes from the
environment with streams. It is difficult for the mind to purify itself and
challenge all that and bad habit t placed in the soul or developed a wrong
ideas and belief; but, by determination and struggle against lower desires to
go forward in the Right Way possible. The
duty towards one's own soul succeeds the duty of parents towards their
children to foster their soul with all goodness and to keep them away from
evil habits. The soul in its first natural state of creation is ready to
accept whatever good or evil may happen to leave an imprint on it. This
imprint usually comes from its first environment. As the Prophet said,
"Every infant is born in a natural state. It is his parents who make him
a Jew or a Christian or a heathen." The belief which takes root in early
years of life from the surrounding environment paints the future of a
individual and creates obstacles in finding out the truth of a thing. When
habits proper to goodness have been the first to enter the soul of a good
person and his soul has thus acquired the habit of goodness, that person
moves away from evil and finds it difficult to do anything evil. The same
applies in the opposite case. Bad conduct is a disease of soul which ruins
the ever lasting life. However, he who uses his faculties to strengthen his
inclination to what is good and to purify himself and to weaken the evil
drive within himself will be prosperous and successful, while he who uses his
faculties to suppress the good tendency in himself will ruin himself. When
believer controls his evil drive passion he gains spiritual growth,
contentment self satisfaction and God consciousness, if he keeps anger under
control he keeps evil under control and gains kindness and patience, he then
he will gain salvation. "Successful is the one who keeps it (his soul)
pure and ruined is the one who corrupts it."(91:9-10) Three
stages and levels of the development of the human soul have been envisaged in
the Qur'an. The Qur'an mentions stages of the soul, but all souls are born
pure and innocent as God has said in the story of Moses and Khidr (the wise
man): "So the twain journeyed on till, when they met a lad, he slew him.
Moses said, 'What! Hast thou slain an innocent soul who hath slain no man?
Verily, thou has done a horrid thing!'" (18:74). First, The lowest stage of the soul,
this soul is inclined to do evil through passion and desire and, if not
checked and controlled, will lead oneself to moral and spiritual ruin and
will become used to evil, leading to future misery. It may be right to say
that man has three elements body, soul and spirit, the body is like a cart,
the soul like a horse "the passions", the spirit which controls all
faculties is the guide, when it expert and gained accurate knowledge it has
the power to keep the horse (the passions) under the control and the cart
(the man) conducted in the right direction. But if the spirit gains now power
of faith and knowledge then the cart will be controlled by the horse
similarly man conducted by his passions and lusts and finds it difficult to
guide it the right way "and who could be more astray than he who follows
(but) his own likes and dislikes without any guidance from God?"
(28:50). The only way to overcome this weakness is to seek knowledge for the
development of the spirit, and to seek refuge in God, the only One who knows
the human weaknesses and their effective cure. "Lo! The (human) soul is
prone to evil, save that whereon my Lord hath Mercy." (12:58). At
the second stage, the soul feels conscious of evil and resists it. At this
stage quite often the intellect frees itself from spiritual domination and
creates a conflict between spiritual demand and the demands of the lower self
but because of its awareness of evil, the soul saves itself through penitence
and seeks protection from God against evil and asks God's Grace and Pardon
after repentance and in this salvation his soul is self-reproaching and
self-accusing. "Nay, I swear by the accusing soul." (75:2) such a
soul rebukes one for neglect in self duties and divine duties. When
he slips and commits a sin, in a moment of human weakness, he repents and
prays for forgiveness. Thus he remains within the area of obedience, the
central point of which is the control of one's caprice and desires. At
the third stage, the purified soul in which the intellect willingly and
happily accepts the dominance of the spirit and the spirit keeps all passions
and desires under legitimate control only then can man be at peace with
himself and with rest of the world and look on life and death, suffering and
joy with complete detachment therefore he elevates himself to the highest
standard of humanity and reaches the highest stage of all: the righteous
soul, the satisfied soul. To this
soul, God will say: "Oh, soul at peace! Return to your Lord, well
pleased thyself and well-pleased unto Him!" (89:27-28). It is the soul
of the believer, the soul at peace with its Lord. It is a soul satisfied in
all eventualities: happiness or affliction, wealth or poverty. It entertains
no doubts; it is free from transgressions. Hence
a Muslim's duty to purify himself from all evil, for Islam stands for human
welfare and its avowed objective is to establish a perfect balance in life.
That is why the Islamic principles clearly declares that his soul also has
certain rights and he has a duty towards it. This duty comes next to the duty
towards God. "And they Sustainer's greatness Glorify and thine inner
self purify." (74:3-4). As
al-Ghazzali indicates, after the knowledge of God comes the Knowledge of the
Straight Path and the manner of traversing it. This is the knowledge of (a)
purification of the soul and removal of the obstacles and destructive
qualities and of (b) making the soul beautiful with the saving qualities, the
praiseworthy qualities with which the soul should be made beautiful, such as
trust in God, satisfaction with Divine Decrees, love of God, following His
Principles, truthfulness, purity and sincerity. The destructive qualities are
the vices from which the soul is required to release itself from evil ways,
namely, greed, anger, pride, ostentation, conceit, deceit, envy, hatred, love
of influence, love of wealth and so on.1 The
Qur'an tells the Muslim to purify himself inwardly and outwardly. Such a
Muslim goes always to the Mosque wherein there are men desirous of growing in
purity, prayer makes the soul pure. By its help faults of soul are disclosed
"God loves all who purify themselves." (9:108) and gives further
order that "And do not commit any shameful deeds, be they open or
secret." (6:151) as the shameful deeds ruin the inner self as well as
ignorance. "Many are led astray by their own lusts through
ignorance...forsake the outwardness of sin and the inwardness thereof."
(6:119-120). God
teaching us to purify ourselves in all means, but especially inwardly. As the
prophet always used to pray for that "O God give me light, increased my
light in my soul" that is the objective of purity of soul is to gain
light of faith that is to respond to the call of God and cannot do unless
exclude of disbelief in one hand and turn back from polytheism or associate
anything with Oneness of God. The healthy psyche sustained its prosperity by
avoidance of disbelief: 17.3. Avoidance of Disbelief
“So whosoever
disbelieves in at-taghout [following any, false deities or the powers
of evils instead of God] and believes in God, has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold that will never break.”(2:256) Before
you belief, you must cure your spirit, mind, from the disbelief. Spiritual
disease can easy catch the spirit and its faculties. Religion is like
language or its accent taught by first environment. To convert to the right
one, is like to learn new language privately. Muslims who brought up in
non-Islamic way, a misconception about Islam may printed in their subconscious in the same way, he or she needs
to do his or her best to weeds out such a disease and planted the right
belief to grow in the Right Way. The
first command is to purify the heart was addressed to the Prophet which
applied to everyone: “And thine inner self purify! And all defilement
shun!”(74:4-5). When the light of belief distinguished, God take away their
light and leaves them in utter darkness, and they cannot turn back unless
cure the spirit, inner-self from such disease and grow in purity as we have
explained earlier. Mind disease needs to be cured from the disbelief which
inspired by evil-spirit. Kufr
means the true belief has been covered, hide so it means
disbelief, that is, denying the existence of true God, also ingratitude and
ungrateful to Him. Kafir, means rejecter, one how refuse to believe in
God. The Qur'an gives a portrait of a
disbeliever in five hundred and twenty seven verses. Other verses indirectly
relate to the same subject. Because the disbeliever denies his or her true
Creator, must deny also the Day of Resurrection and this is precisely the
cause of the neglect of this duty. For disbeliever considers in mind only the
life of this world. The Qur'an shows this attitude thus: "Beautiful is
the life of this world for those who disbelieve; they make a jest of the
believers. But those who keep their duty to God will be above them on the Day
of Resurrection." (2:212). People will
have different destinies according as they plan this short life, the life of
trial. "The life of this world is nothing but a passing delight and a
play, whereas, behold, the life in the Hereafter is indeed the only (true)
life: if they but know this." (29:64). Hence, since consciousness of the
Hereafter defines the value and standards to be applied in this life, those
who prefer this life to the future life, and take no heed of the latter,
become despots and transgressors. As the Qur'an says: "Then he who has
transgressed the bounds of what is right and preferred the life of this world
(to the good of his soul), he will have Hell for his dwelling place. But he
who fears to stand before his Lord and forbids his soul its caprice will
dwell in The
essential task facing each individual is to search for the Truth and the
purpose of this living for a limited period on earth and why we have been put
into this world. However, it is impossible to reach a full answer to this
question without Guidance from the Creator Himself through His Revelations as
He sends down His Message: "But they who are bent on denying the Truth
give the lie (to this Divine Writ). Yet God has full knowledge of what they
conceal." (84:22). In
their hearts, they are unwilling to admit their responsibility to a Supreme
Being. Man is ungrateful to his Creator. God questioned us: "O man! What
has lured you away from your Gracious Lord, Who created and moulded you and
gave you an upright shape? He can give you whatever form He
wills."(82:6-8). What makes you neglect your duties to Him? Contemplation,
we should reflect deeply over His Reflection should prompt him to show his genuine
gratitude. Many volumes have been written on the perfection of creation as
evidenced by man. God challenge us and
questioned: “And on earth there are sings [of God’s existence, visible] to
all who are endowed with inner certainty, just as [ there are signs thereof]
within your own selves: can you not, then see?”(51:21-22) All these on others
determine by "He to Whom the Dominion over the heavens and the earth
belong: He begets no offspring, and has no partner in His Dominion: it is He
Who creates every thing and determines its nature in accordance with (His
Own) Design." (25:2). Thus
God indicated the existence of a conscious of Him in every aspect of this
life. But some men make their own desire their deity and choose a god after
their own lust. The Qur'an states that God has made plain to man His
Revelation and made man superior in intellect and morality so that he may
take heed. Yet most men decline to render thanks. "But most men refuse
to be aught but ingrate." (25:51). Therefore
all deeds not related to God's Will, are completely disregarded by Him. The
Qur'an gives an analogy of how such deeds will be in vain: "But as for those who are bent on
denying the Truth, their deeds are like a mirage in the desert, which the
thirsty supposes to be water, until, when he approaches it, he finds that it
is nothing. Instead, he finds (that) God (has always been present) with him,
and (that) He will pay him his account in full." (24:39). This last
phrase may mean that the reward for disbelieving is received in cash in this
world but the believers put it in a deposit account for the Hereafter. The
following commentary is cited in 2 as having been made by the scholar M.
Abduh: "Now these are clear statements discrediting every deed not
related to faith, which, in turn, gives it a motive that is connected with
the origin of its existence and an aim that is compatible with the purpose of
the world in all creation; this is a logical view of an ideology that
attributes all events to Allah. Whoever dissociates himself from Him,
vanishes and loses the reality of his existence”. From
all these quotations, we gather the purpose behind what God demands of His
servants when He instructs them to avoid denying the existence of Him and to
believe in, and worship, Him. He seeks no benefit thereby for Himself, as He
is All-Possessing, and He cares only for man's own welfare and prosperity,
the purification of one’s heart and happiness in life. God wishes human life
to be elevated, happy, based on pure motives and characterised by mutual
compassion, brotherhood, purity of heart and moral conduct. Al what God wants
to answer His Call in the inner-self or if it distinguished the call of the
Revelation. The healthy psychic sustained by the real spiritual salubrious
from Go by: 17.1.4
Response to the call of God
God
replace the spirit in us as His agent to call us back to believe in Him. God
demands: all people to give their response to the call of pure conscience,
for that call leads to real spiritual life. Believer will be on light from
his Lord. 'Gives him guidance means; 'gives him spiritual awareness of right
and wrong and the will to act accordingly.' On the other hand those rejected
the Call lives in darkness "And know that God intervenes between man and
(the desire of) his Soul." (8:24). Therefore God is near unto those who
have faith, taking them out of deep darkness into the light, whereas near
unto those who are bent on denying the truth are the powers of evil that take
them out of the light into darkness deep" (2:257). This
indicates that God can turn a man away from what his heart urges him to do.
It is God-consciousness alone that can prevent man from being misled by wrong
desires. But persistence in wrong actions is bound to react on man's beliefs
as well so that he will not listen to the Call of God and then he will let
his heart stray. "And so, when they swerved from the right way, God let
their heart swerve from the Truth: for God does not bestow His Guidance upon
iniquitous folk." (61:5). A
person who persistently adheres to false beliefs and refuses to listen to the
voice of Truth gradually loses the ability to perceive the Truth. God says
that those who insist on going astray will never attain to faith.
"Behold! As for those who are being on denying the Truth - it is all the
same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not
believe. God has sealed their hearts and their hearing and over their eyes is
a veil; and awesome suffering awaits them." (2:6-7). God
does not forsake anyone except those who deserve to be forsaken, and does not
bestow His Favour upon anyone except those who deserve to be favoured. So the
issue is dependent on one's free choice, on deserving either God's Favour or
the withdrawal of His Aid. Therefore a human being should be conscious of his
destination and seek Guidance from his Lord and follow the Straight Path
instead of following his own lusts. So God take away His light and leaves one
in utter darkness wherein he cannot see his evil doing and he perceive it not
because he rejects the Truth, "And if they answer thee not, then know
that what they follow is their lusts. And who go farther astray than he who
follows his lust without Guidance from God?
Lo, God guide not wrong-doing folk." (28:50). This
means that the greatest factor leading men astray is their own corporeal
urges. It is quite impossible for one to respond to the Call of God while he
submits himself to his physical urges and tries to fulfil them by one way or
another. But who are in greater error than those who seek Guidance and
invoke, instead of the True God, others, who will not answer and are, indeed,
unconscious of their prayer? "And who could be more astray than one who
invokes, instead of God, such as will not respond to him either now or (till)
the Day of Resurrection, and are not even conscious of being invoked?"
(46:5). The
advice from their Lord before they are finally returned to Him is,
"Respond to your Sustainer before there comes, at God's Behest, (from
God), a Day on which there will be not turning back. (For) on that Day, you
will have no place of refuge and neither will you be able to deny aught (of
the wrong that you have done)!" (42:47). Aggression
and bad deeds lead the perpetrator to deny the Day of Judgement. Almighty God
gives an insight into the motive of their insolence and disbelief and the
reasons for their inability to see the obvious truth or respond to it.
"Nay, but their hearts are corroded by all (the evil) that they were
wont to do." (83:14). this implies that their persistence in wrongdoing
has gradually deprived them of all consciousness of moral responsibility and,
hence, of the ability to visualise the fact of God's Ultimate Judgement.
Indeed, the faculties of those who indulge in sin become dulled, as if they
are veiled with a thick curtain which keeps them in total darkness, unable to
see the Light of their Lord, the Prophet said, "When a man commits a
sin, it throws a black spot over his heart (spirit). If he repents, his heart
is polished; but if he persists in his practice, the stains increase."3
As Imam al-Hassan al-Basri said, "It is a case of one sin on top of
another until the heart is blinded and dies." This is what God refers to
when he says, "Yet, verily, it is not their eyes that have become blind,
but the hearts in their breasts." (22:26). The blindness of spiritual
faculty of the spirit prevent us from seeing beyond the physical things and
their conception. Spiritual necessitate pure spirit or mind. Then
who is going to respond to the Call of his Creator? The answer from God that:
"only they who listen (with their; spirit) can respond to a call"
(6:36). Only they who listen to Truth sincerely and earnestly try to
understand by the Grace of God will believe in Him, and they will be revived
even if they have been evil for a long time. Suddenly, they get away from all
that and respond to the original Call in the core of their soul, which
willingly re-communicates with its Creator: "for those who respond to
their lord, are (all) good things." (13:18). Accordingly,
God gives us a parable saying that just as He sends down from the sky water,
which fills the rivers and streams, running according to their measure,
likewise He sends down (the Qur'an), the Standard by which to discern the
true from the false. All can perceive it and each will respond according to
his capacity. As the floods carry off surface scum from the rivers and purify
the water, so will the Revelation carry away spiritual scum and purify the
soul which saves human beings from going astray. In this connection, the
Qur'an says, "Is he who knows that which has been revealed unto thee
from they Lord is the Truth like him who is blind? But only men of
understanding heed."(13:19). Those of understanding', the Qur'an
describes them in the next verses (13:20-22) as follows: 1.
"Those who keep faith with God and do not break their pledge; 2.
"Those who join together what He has bidden to be united; 3. "Who fear their Lord and dread
the terrors of Judgement Day; 4.
"Who for the Sake of God endure with fortitude; 5. "Who attend to their prayers
and give alms in private and in public; and 6.
"Who ward off evil with good: 7.
“For such there
is a blissful end." (13:20-22).
For those 8.
"God
responds to all who attain faith and do righteous deeds and (it is He Who)
increase unto them His Bounty." (42:26). 9 Those who
always pray to their Lord and say, "O our Lord. Do not cause our hearts
to go astray after You have guided us. Grant us Your Own Mercy; You are the
Munificent giver, Lord. You will
surely gather all mankind before You upon a Day that will indubitably come.
(3:8-9). Believing in God demands not only the spiritual salubrious but its
applications: Discussions {Between Abbara and Dina expressing the Islamic view whilst Badr and Charles the opposite side of the argument} 17.36 Individual Order Charles: The individual system in Islam puts a very
heavy load on Muslim shoulders. It is therefore very difficult for a person
to bear all the responsibilities required to be a good Muslim. For this reason,
most Muslims free themselves from practising Islam in its entirety. When
reading what is referred to in the text, it could be thought that a Muslim is
like an angel on earth, but some of those who follow Islamic teaching cause
harm to others, more so than the duties you mentioned. The gap between theory
and practice is very wide. Dina: Islam is not a political party; the relationship
with God is not a wishful matter; but a matter of a devotional life dedicated
to Him. A Muslim is not an angel; he is a human being who has a soul with its
accompanying desires and a spirit with its higher spiritual motive. Muslim
has to maintain a balance between them; only true believers, who can sustain
this balance, that is those who are righteous believers, who act according to
the right beliefs, doing right and shunning evil. As for the first group you
mentioned, who have isolated themselves from Islamic practice, they can’t claim their behaviour on Islam,
and as for the second group, who claim to be true believers according to
their judgement, are not believers in the eyes of God:(2:8) because they
spread corruption –but they perceive it not-(2:12). Also, you can’t consider
their actions as Islamic, no matter how many people claim them to be True
Muslim behaviours; judge only by God, according to His Principles, which are
clear enough, not by wishful ones. Charles: As regards to Moral action. Do you mean
that most Muslims fail to uphold Islamic principles as a whole, so that they
unconsciously disbelieve in its validity, either spiritually or socially.
Most Muslim societies lag behind others with regards justice and equity. You
said that the first duty of an individual is the absence of disbelief from
the inner-self, while disbelievers not only have moral principles, but also
apply them and while you claim that you have principles, it seems that you do
not apply them because they are not practical!. Abbara: You are not discriminating between the public and
social systems we have already discussed; the political, ethical, social
values and economical values. We pointed out that that they are not applied
fully according to Islamic justice. Here we are discussing the individual
systems or orders, which are applied by many true believers even though the
media concentrate on the bad behaviour of some Muslims and generalise as you
did. We can’t ignore human nature: some of it is good and some is evil. There
are many factors involved in human moral judgement and behaviour, both
conscious and unconscious. The purpose of God’s Message is to cure the human
soul from its evils and illnesses; you cannot believe in the message unless
you first renounce all false beliefs and wickedness, then up hold the right
beliefs and the good way of life. There are so many believers who act
virtuously, but they may be unknown to you so your judgement is narrow and
confined to one group rather than to true believers. Badr: But according to our previous discussion, everyone
believes in theism, perhaps through intercession. If one divorces such
beliefs, he will be an atheist, whereas you are concentrating on theists. As
we can see, those who call themselves true believers give a bad reputation to
Islam. For example, the two parties in Afghanistan each claim that they are
right and calling people in the name of their belief in God to fight the
other to do jihad, cannot be tow parties rights. Dina: Everyone has the seeds of theism, but they are
covered by the social religious beliefs of his or her environment, including
some of those who call themselves Muslims. So, at the age of maturity, they
have to renew their covenant with God, not only to believe in Him, but to
enjoin his will and to act according to His Will. Whilst, on the matter of
belief, it should be pointed out that Satan is as a believer, though he
disobeys God’s Will, just as most people do. Therefore, the gap between
theory and action has its place and includes those who say good things but do
not act upon them, while with true believer’s actions speak louder than their
words. Their ‘God-consciousness’ is their judgement, the worldly
self-interests have no control over them. Those who responded to the call of
God, are those who are the successful ones. Charles: But you mentioned at the beginning that Islam is
one unit and cannot be taken apart. How do good believers disunite its
principles and functions? If Islam is one body, and justice is its crown,
then how can we be alive without heads? So, those believers, with their
beliefs and actions are incomplete and you appreciate their righteous deeds. Abbara: Islam is not like the physical body but it is a
spiritual body; each part of it is a living entity. True believers, exert
themselves to their best without causing harm to anybody. God comforted them
saying: “It is for your own selves that you are responsible: those who go
astray can do you no harm if you are on the right path”(5:105), and
repeatedly says: “Whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it
but for his own good; and whoever goes
astray, goes but astray to his own hurt; and no bearer of burdens shall be
made to bear another’s burden”(17:15). However, a true believer realises his
duty is to be enjoined to right and to forbid evils in a peaceful manner. If
a Muslim society is not applying the public orders the blame rests on those
who are in charge of it. Badr: Islam demands continues education; both secular and spiritual, but if you compare a
Muslim society with a non-Muslim one in their neighbourhood, you may find
that others are more educated in worldly affairs and in their spiritual
affairs. Why are Muslims like that? The misunderstanding of Islam comes from
their behaviour. They are lacking behind others in every field of knowledge
and its applications. Dina: Firstly, Muslims seek secular education not for
sake of education, but as a means of living, and secondly spiritual education
in Islam is very comprehensive, so they use it in parts. Every Muslim uses a
part to satisfy his spiritual interest within a narrow circle, and does not
use its teaching as a whole. Hence, its education is limited when it comes to
applying it to all aspects of life in a Muslim society, as we will discus in
next chapter. Badr: [Dua’a] If some Muslims are true believers,
why does God not answer their call when they make a request, or an invocation
dua’a? I have tried it on many occasions, but none of my prayers were
accepted. Why does God help non-Muslims more than Muslims, who continuously
pray to Him? Abbara: For the true believers, God responds to their
prayer in one way or another, not necessarily to the same request. God always
chooses for them the best course of action, both for this life and the next.
Their trust in God makes them happy in every situation. God
is the Just, He is the Lord of all human beings, and there is no
discrimination between believers and non-believers, in relation to this life
and His Natural Law: “Who-so disbelieves, his disbelief shall be charged
against him; and whosoever does righteousness – for themselves they are
making provision.” (30:44), believers gains right guidance to achieve
goodness, as long as they are just between themselves working hard, avoiding
the major sins, which destroyed not only spiritual life the whole society. On
the other hand, most Muslims misunderstand their relationship with God and
the Spiritual Moral Decree, its relation to natural law, and principles of dua’a.
God is not under the command of the unjust Muslims, evil-doers or those
ignorant of the Divine’s Law. They must trust in God and as a condition, rely
on God. They, often, use ambiguous words in their dua’a, contracted
with their action. For example, Most Imams know that most Muslims are
unjust to themselves: they pray: “O God! May those who want bad things to
happen to Muslims have them inflicted back on to them. If God listens to such
prayers, then no Muslims will escape from the curse of God because some
Muslims oppressive and wish bad things for other Muslims. When they ask
forgiveness for all Muslims, they indicate He has to change His Rules as
stated in the Qur’an. God teaches us in the way the angels pray and asks
forgiveness for the believers, who repent and follow the way of God (40:
7-9), not for all. God
teaches us how He responds to those who make dua’a,: “O God, grant us
good in this world and good in the life to come” (2:201) and He made the
condition that those will have a share from what they have earned; and God is
swift at the reckoning (2:203), it means He made a swift judgement of belief
and actions of prayer and from what they exert themselves to actually do, not
to merely say. God
taught us how true believers make their prayers (3:191-194). God answers
their prayer “I shall not lose sight of the labour of any of you who labour,
be it male or female” (3:195).He summarises in one condition: ‘action not
words’. Muslims want God to change His natural law for their sake. God
only guides and inspires those who accept their prayer and the rest depends
on the person to carry out his ambition. If anyone eats a mouthful of
unlawful food, God will not accept his dua’a, beside that those who do
wrong deeds as well. Badr: For this reason all Muslims pray to God to curse
Jews and give them back Charles: Why do some Imams during the ceremony of
Friday Prayer, ask God to curse Christians, Jews, the West and East? Dina: God prohibited cursing or reviling other people:
“Do not revile those whom invoke instead of God, lest they revile God out of
ignorance ”(6:108) God commands believers to be a good example in their words
and actions: “God does not like any evil to be mentioned openly, unless it is
the individual himself who has been wronged” (4:148). There is the difference
between some Muslim’s behaviour and God’ Rules. Badr: [Enjoin good] Muslims believe that everyone
should enjoin right and forbid others to do wrong even by force. As you know,
for each action there is a reaction, such behaviour may create more violence
from the other side. This will give a bad reputation to God’s Rules. Are
these motivations from Islam? Abbara: This public duty, assigned to faqih by Muslim scholars and the duty of every Muslim
is to enjoin good and forbid evil within his authority, with wisdom and with
a kind manner, to use reason and not the weapon, to bear the unjust attack
with patience and moral light. As we said earlier in the text, the Prophet
says. the highest kind of jihad is to speak up for the truth in face
of a governor who deviates from the right path. He tells us to use the word
and not the sword as some Muslims do. God command Moses and Aaron: “Go forth,
both of you, unto Pharaoh: for, verily, he has transgresses all bounds of
equity! But speak unto him in mild manners, so that he might bethink himself
or be filled with apprehension.” (20:44). this is the way of God to Call
others to His Way, not by violence as some Muslims consider it as a jihad.
In a way of God Charles: Jihad But, some Muslims use the word
jihad; as a licence to kill. In the name of jihad we are always
hearing of innocent people being killed. Is it not that their ideas come from
Islam? Abbara: We have explained that the word jihad means
personal duty, to exert oneself, to avoid all kinds of wickedness and to do
good for oneself and others. It does not mean to kill. Secondly, as a public
duty, in case of an enemy attack, Muslims, then, with the authority being in
the hand of the ruler, can announce jihad as a holy war. This happens
in every society due to public or common interest, but, some Muslims take the
law into their own hand. They neglect their personal duty and use the name jihad
as a shadow to cover over their evil deeds. Thus, the word jihad is
not a licence to kill, but is able to create peace within one’s self and to
reflect peace on others. This is the Way of God and those who deviate from
His Way have no authority to act in His name. Jihad is to defend one’s
rights not to be oppressive one. Charles: The responsibility in Islam is not only
private, but also mostly collective, so believers are only partly Muslim, if
they do not apply Islamic principles as a whole. How can we consider, such
belief to be complete and consummate? Dina: God created us with different capacities, everyone
responsible within his area, unable to be changed to another. God trusts
Humans with freedom of thought and it is not the responsibility of believers
to take that trust away from them by force: “God does not burden any human
being with more than he is well able to bear: in his favour shall be whatever
good he does, and against him whatever evil he does”(2:286). Everyone has the
freedom to respond to the invitation of His call or not. Nobody is free to do
so, unless he has purified his mind and has certain knowledge of God, who
grants it to those who have the will to join God’s Way. Charles: Thus, you divide people into two or three
categories, true believers as a party of God and unbelievers as opposition
party and between them, those who believe but are not practising. While so
many unbelievers act rightly more than some believers, what is the difference
between them? Dina: There is not any group who can claim that they are
the party of God, only God knows the best group. For non-believers they know
themselves that they are not. Those who do good do it not from their own
initiative, God initiate them for the sake of humanity. God
Makes distinction between them, the spiritual differences in the spirit or
mind of believers and disbelievers are apart: for the believers, the belief
is a spiritual light. As a niche contains a lamp; in shining glass like a
radiant star; ‘the reason’, lit from the light of the Qur’an gives light
because it proceeds from the Origin of the Light which is God, hence
believers have the light of belief supported by the light of the Qur’an and
inspired by light of inspiration according to their spiritual growth; light
upon light.(24:35). We pray to be one of them. Non-believers;
their minds and its thought are as in the darkness of a vast deep sea, made
more dark by waves [of ideas] billowing over waves, with black clouds {of
disbelief], layer upon layer, [of ideality,] so that when one holds his hand,
he can hardly see it, or he can hardly see the physical, ‘sign of God’ rather
than the spiritual. (24:40).Whosoever, does not seek God’s light, will stay
in his deep darkness with the ignorance of his existence in this life, and of
his destiny in the next life. Nowadays such a darkness of the deep ocean is
well known, which indicates how God gives a precise similitude of lessons to
use their reason and free it from such dark blindness. But, man is the most
disputatious [about his creators] of things (18:54). Charles: Still, I do confess, that Muslims as individuals
are morally right people. In the text, it was mentioned that it is compulsory
for every Muslim to earn his living and maintain his family. In any
masque during the day you can see many settings where people are living on
social security. Is that lawful In Islam? Dina: You can’t generalise. Most Muslims are hard
workers but in every community there is carelessness or laziness. Every
Muslim should fulfil his trust to the community as he carries out his duty to
God. As we said earlier Caliph Umar dismissed such people sitting in the
mosque in the name of worship. Work in Islam is next to worship and anyone
doing a job should observe its assurance. Otherwise it is a kind of deceit.
Please do not judge Islam by some Muslims’ behaviour. Charles: Apart from that, there are fundamentalists who
fight or kill others in the name of Islam. They draw their opinions from
Islamic teaching. If such behaviour occurs in Muslim societies then fine, but
when it happens in Western countries, which gave them asylum or permission to
settle down then it is not. Such Muslims create suspicion about all Muslims.
Why does fanaticism relate only to the Muslim religion? Isn’t that the
behaviour of Muslims here and there? Abbara: Islam calls for peace in all teachings, in the
meantime it stands up for its right to absolute justice. The spiritual
teaching of Islam is flexible and can be interrupted by non-observance of
God-consciousness in such a way that satisfies their self-interest and uses
religion as a means to gain a reputation or worldly things. Everyone knows
that violence creates more harm for its doers and others. It is not the way
of God; He created us all, and Muslims, have no right to kill others in His
name. God did not enforce His religion upon anyone and in the same way,
Muslims cannot do so either. So anyone calling for fanaticism is not a true
Muslim. A good Muslim, who goes to inform others about Islam, should do it
through setting an example with his actions. On the other hand, any Muslim is
only granted residency in the West on the basis of the covenant that he will
uphold his pledge as a good citizen and not allow any one to betrayed the
trust. Badr: Why do Muslims mostly act contrary to their religious
belief? Islam requires Muslims to avoid, killing, envy, greed, pride,
squander for the sake of ostentation, misery, arrogance ignorance and
following the lures of Satan. All of these are hated not only by religion,
but by society as well. A Muslim should act upon the principles of religion
otherwise, his behaviour is considered Islamic especially by non-Muslims, and
so may give a bad impression of God. Why is this?. Dina: God’s Laws very comprehensive, there is no change
in His Law. We are all human under God’s Law, we have a genetic inheritance,
causing individual differences, beside which, and the childhood development
is moral and religious as well as social and economic factors. All these
factors affect our attitude in different ways. Anyone who commits a crime is
not responsible alone. There are others who are indirectly involved in
forcing the offender to commit his crime.
Some Muslims occasionally fail and can’t resist temptations with
regards to the forces driving them. Naturally Muslim societies are far better
off than other societies in relation to crimes and other offences. Besides
the factors mentioned above, there is the whispering of Satan. His duty is to
inspire his followers and whisper to the believers to divert them from the Straight
Path. Otherwise he has nothing and he exists in vain. However, the moral
standard of Muslims in general testifies to their moral certainty. But the
mass media unconsciously try to indicate immoral aspects of Muslims in
particular. Abbara: We take the example of a major crime like killing,
or homicide. The popular propaganda calls a Muslim murderer an ‘Islamic
terrorist’ such that the first impression is directed to Islam rather
than to the Muslim who committed it. For some Muslims who do such things, the
motivation behind it is political. I do not mean Islamic political, even if
they give it an Islamic identification. There still exists in Muslim
countries, a lot of honest people bound by the name of Islam and God, free
from such accusations. If we put aside such manslaughter and examine the
ratio of murder in any Muslim society as compared to the West you will find
that there is less than 10% of similar crimes. This is because Satan stops in
the middle way between the human and God or His religion, he whispers to
those who deviated from His Path, and still using His name to cover their
crime. Charles: There is no smoke without fire. Who kills the
honest Muslims in Muslim countries rather than religious Muslims? Who plants
explosions in trade centres? Muslims admit that they are doing so in the name
of Islam which inspires them in a kind of Jihad, is this not true? Abbara: Such groups use the name of religion to justify
their evil actions in the name of God and mostly involve themselves in revenge
killings, which are nothing to do with religion, such as they do in
Others index crimes in the West, such as, aggravated assault, rape,
robbery, burglary and theft; all are crimes from which Western countries
suffer tremendously but can’t seem to control by any means, while, Muslim
societies have nothing to worry about. It is worthwhile mentioning, that the
non-index crimes such as the offences of: alcohol, drugs, sexual behaviour,
child-abuse are considered by God as great sins or crime. These stand behind
the indirect crimes such as killing and corruption in society, which also
involve a much greater financial cost. These offences have a green light in
Western countries, while they have a red light in Muslims societies. Badr: But Muslims involved in white collar crime fraud
and theft at the highest level, and at the social level, the civil
service often take bribes, which can be considered as a larceny-theft.
Such crimes occur far less in the Western countries. Dina: Such crimes are related to the social system or
the political system and are nothing to do with the Islam in which they are
an act of abomination. In Islamic tradition, God curses those who take
bribes, both the one who pays it and the one who mediates between them. If
the authority does not pay enough to its employees to maintain their living,
they can be indirectly considered to be involved in crime as well. Charles: Drinking alcohol becomes a part of social
life, social recognition, a symbol of love, victory, a gift, and a little of
it gives pleasures and relaxation. Why is it forbidden in Islam? In fact, the
word alcohol comes from the Arabic language. However, some
Muslims who drink; drink like a fish, upon arrival to the West. Abbara: The original meaning of the word Alcohol is
a chemical name; highly rectified spirits. While alcoholic drinks
called khamr are intoxicants and includes all kinds of alcohol, wines,
beers and drugs. God not only forbade them, along with gambling and lottery,
but also gave them the title of ‘Satan’s work like magic’, (in Arabic; amala
for you amal means He has cursed you by witchcraft or he has
put a spell on you to persuade you to come to evil) This indicates
that those who drink will be mostly under Satan’s spell or evils; in relation
to acting aggressively, in spouse-abuse, in domestic quarrels, making
potential offenders more likely to engage in violent behaviour. He is more
optimistic about the risks involved and less able to deal with them. Heavy
drinkers who have become hostile, unstable, or “rebellious” are commonly
involve in harming others, for instance road traffic accidents. On the other
hand, he also wrongs himself with symptoms: indigestion, depression,
moodiness, a shortened life; and unexpected illness. All these lay a high
cost on the community. Regarding
your point that some Muslims drink; they are rebellious to God, following in
the steps of Satan, but, the majority do not drink and live in safety and
comfort. Charles: Even if most Muslims do not drink, how is it that
a few of them deal in drugs, which cause harm to others by their evil
actions. Why do Muslims produce drugs and smuggle them to the West? During an
interview with a drug dealer, who appeared to be a religious man, said: “We
would like to poison the West’ is this interpretation of Islamic morality? Dina: Very few Muslims do such evils things, their
target is not to kill the West, but for hard cash. They are disobedient to
God, because they spread corruption on earth even if they call themselves
Muslims. Only true believers stand strongly in the face of such corruption.
Drugs are more dangerous than alcohol. It increases crime; killing, illness,
it enhances aggressive behaviour, is associated with violence and stealing.
When an addict needs money for drugs, he needs immediate cash, which can
often only be obtained by stealing, or committing another crime. In addition
to that, there is a high cost to the community. It increases corruption,
rehabilitation clinics and imprisonment. Muslim communities are more secure
because the majority are trained to following Islamic teaching to avoid all
evil things. Charles: In the past
people were ignorant of the difference between hygienic food and contaminated
food, but now it is clear that pork is clean enough to eat, so why do Muslims
still rely prohibit pork and ham? They also insist on buying halal. A
Western journalist, did research, as a favour for the Muslim community. The
result concluded that 80% of meat, sold in shops comes from the public
slaughtering house and so is not halal meat according to way Muslims
slaughter animals which can be considered as cruelty to animals. How can you
justify such things? Dina: Regarding
halal meat, such owners of these shops are deceivers and the majority
of Muslims know them, because they mostly also sell wine, which is forbidden,
alongside the halal meat, so true believers avoid them. As we said
earlier, God gives permission to eat the meat of animals slaughtered by
Christian or Jews lawfully. But anyone who would like to purify his diet
should obtain halal meat,
because diet has an effect on the purity of the soul which is reflected on
the purity of the spirit. True believers always care about their diets. Badr: Why do Muslims smoke more than other? Abbara: Because it was not known at the time of the
Prophet, most Muslims consider it makroh, blameworthy. General
statement in Islamic jurisdiction is that anything which causes harm is
forbidden, and God says that you should not kill yourselves (4:29).
Scientifically it well known that smoking shortens the life of human beings
by 10-25%, therefore, it is considered a slow committing suicide, which is
forbidden in Islam. Hence, any smoker is disobeying God and so will not be
granted respite till the end of his life (71:4). This indicates that such
Muslims are not adherent to their religion. Hence, their actions cannot be
counted as Islamic. Charles: The
taboo system and penal system in Islam is fundamentalist. What applies in
Muslims society in the past should apply now, while human social life has
changed very rapidly. What is good in the past can’t be the same now.
Sexuality cannot be considered away from a meaningful social structure. It is
a natural relationship, it is not only a natural instinct, oriented towards
reproduction as in all animal species, but there is psychological pleasure
linked to both sex-genders. It is a romantic love, and in the contemporary
view, it cannot be distinguished from heterosexuality. Why does Islam still
impose such a harsh punishment on those having relationships as human beings
giving their own consent. Dina: Sexual
behaviour might appear quite straightforward, but matters are not that
simple. It is a private activity that takes place only at certain times to
preserve not only the rights of the individuals, partners, married couples,
and parents, but social disease such as: illegitimate children, abortion,
sexual disease, psychological hurt, broken trust with social life. God made it a pleasurable,
continuous life-long activity, not for its own sake, but for the sake of a
caring family relationship, where every generation looks after one another.
Therefore, He revealed His family Law for our welfare. We have been granted
freedom, and it is up to each individual to be adherent, and to release
himself or herself, from its bond and bear the consequences of actions
unlawful in sight of God. While, animal species are controlled by instincts
and committed to the family life, with no homosexuality, and mostly no
adultery, some of them have polygamy. Their reproductions are safer than
humans who break the code of life with illegitimate relations, which are
considered great sins or adultery in Christianity, Judaism and the final
Message of God. But, those in charge of religion, like in Christianity,
changed the word, sins or adultery to; extramarital sex, abnormal sex or
perversion. While in Islam there is no clergy, lawful and unlawful belongs to
God alone. There will be no sexual deviance from the right procedures
predetermined by God for all human life for ever. Abbara: God who
created humans with desires and honoured him with the spirit and mind to be
able to lift himself above these desires to a human standard, or even higher.
Taking this into account He revealed His Legislation according to human
nature in order to preserve dignity and honours. Regarding your point about human life being
changeable, God, the Legislator, is the Lord in the past and forever, hence,
the validity of His rules and His creation are timeless, unless they are
corrupted by human beings. Everyone, both Muslims and non-Muslims, who break
His rules will suffer the consequences of his or her actions, according to
His; Spiritual Moral Decree. God revealed His Law and inspired every human
being with it; His traffic controls on sex, or illegitimate sex, are known by
nature to everyone. His social rules for existing families grant a happy
life. Muslim societies use these sex-traffic-controls; Firstly, when it shows
red; not only controlling sexuality between male and female, but,
homosexuality, lesbian, prostitution, sexual abuse, rape, masturbation and
oral sex; all, but, God made wet-dreams as a natural relief, and used the
ability with different activity and hard work. Muslims do not argue with God,
whither do we have to and why? Secondly, only at marriage does the traffic
light show green, which means go with full commitment and responsibility. God
made freedom restricted by reason. While some other societies broke this
traffic-control-sex, in the name of freedom and hypothetical equality and
inequality, social stratification, which creates unlimited problems such as:
the chaos which occurs in society, with confusion in youth behaviour,
disorders in family life, suffering from uncontrollable diseases, resulting
in the deep pain of physical and psychological outcomes, frustration of honest
relationships, not only, between lovers but also between married couples,
child abuse and child adversity, single-parent difficulties, conflict of
employment and family responsibility, family decline and cultural decay. The
young need hardly to believe in such categories, but, those middle aged
persons. Who have experience, realise the hard fact and admit that their
sexual behaviour was wrong. In such societies, it is an offence or may be
crime if anyone breaks the traffic light codes or rules, but, not in the case
of individual or family codes, which cause a major social danger, with more
corruption to the individuals and society as whole. Such results show the
difference between God’s Rules, showing how He cares about us and the liberal
social definition of sexual relation’s policy and how corrupt life is. |
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