If the true spirit of Islam is inculcated in a person, he becomes so compassionate to all living beings that even at the cost of his own comforts he extends a helping hand to others. Islamic belief softens the hearts of its believers. That is why when Islamic belief penetrates into people’s hearts they will of necessity become kind and compassionate to others. They will see everyone with eyes of ‘love and compassion,’ they will have this urge within them to serve others, and fulfill others’ needs.
As it is put in a hadith, “By God, he is not a Muslim who eats his fill, while his neighbour goes hungry.” (Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith No. 112) This shows that a Muslim is one who is as concerned with others’ hunger and thirst as he is with his own, who is concerned not only with his own person but with the whole of humanity. According to another hadith, you should “extend greetings to people, feed them and earn your place in heaven.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 23784)
This shows that according to Islam that person is worthy of heaven whose heart is impatient for others’ peace and good will, who is eager to share with everyone, whether it be food, clothes or medical help, etc. In short, one should share in people’s pain and suffering.
Islam is a religion of humanity. Islam considers serving others as a great act of worship. According to the teachings of Islam, it is only in serving people that we shall have a share in God’s mercy.
If even after adopting the beliefs of Islam, feelings of love and compassion do not well up in the heart of its adherent, he should rethink whether or not Islamic beliefs have truly found a place in his heart and mind, whether or not he is able to fully practice what he believes and whether or not he has succeeded in moulding himself entirely into the path of Islam.
Source: Simple Wisdom
According to Islam, the spirit of religion is its real part and the form of religion is a relative part. Islam forbids stressing on the relative part, which is called extremism in Islam. Islam’s emphasis is on the spirit. So far as form is concerned, the way of tolerance will be adopted.
Islam attaches great importance to the life Hereafter. According to the teachings of Islam, man should make the success of the Hereafter his greatest concern. If a living awareness of this concept is produced in man, material differences, and controversies will be minimized and replaced by a non-materialistic or other-worldly outlook. The following verse of the Quran is significant in this regard: “And God calls to the Home of peace.” (10:25)
This means according to the creation plan, peace and harmony should prevail in human society. God Himself is peace. He intended this world to be peaceful, and only a peaceful world will be able to receive His blessings. A peaceful world is like Paradise on Earth. It is only in such a world that we can meet and establish contact with God Almighty, the Creator of man and the universe.
God-consciousness is the spirit of religion. Every form, activity, and teaching of Islam aims at inculcating God-consciousness in a believer, well-wishing towards fellow human beings. As a believer proceeds along the journey of life, he faces numerous kinds of situations, such as unpleasant behaviour from others, experiences of success and failure, moments of complaint, incidents of disputes and controversy and so on. When a believer has the heightened awareness of being accountable before God, he becomes God-conscious. He cannot afford to debase his character. He is extremely cautious in his speech and actions, which fosters in him the development of noble virtues. He becomes a very responsible person. For a believer, life’s experiences are an opportunity for spiritual development and purification of the soul.
Source: Spirit of Islam September 2020
According to a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad observed: The moderate action is the best of all actions. Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet's Companion, advised the people: ‘Adopt the middle path.’ (Tafsir Qurtubi, 2/154)
The middle path means the path of moderation. One instance of it can be seen in the following verse of the Quran: “Be neither miserly nor prodigal, for then you should neither be reproached nor be reduced to penury.” (17:29)
The same point, worded differently, has been made in another verse which characterizes “the true servants of the Merciful” are “those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but maintain a just balance between those extremes.” (25:67)
According to these verses, moderate spending means neither lavishness nor miserliness but rather a balanced expenditure which will make life much easier to lead. In the same way, as regards optional fasts, prayers, etc., a middle path is desirable for man, as this enables him to maintain such a pattern of behaviour over a long period of time.
This middle path—the best path to follow—relates to all spheres of life. Man must shun extreme paths in all matters, for this accords with both the spirit of religion as well as with worldly success.
The middle path, to put it differently, is the non-emotional way. If a man loses his mental balance when confronted with any difficult situation in life, he goes to one extreme or the other. But if he keeps his feelings under control, he will be able to determine the proper course of action by giving it ample thought. A well-considered deed is always a moderate one; one who does not follow a moderate path will exceed all bounds both in friendship and in enmity. He will also be given to undue optimism in positive and pessimism in negative situations, and will unnecessarily regard some individuals as too bad and others as too good. However, it is the verdict of nature that in this world a moderate approach in life always succeeds, while taking the path of extremes inevitably leads to failure.
Source: Spirit of Islam December 2018
Islam is an answer to the demands of nature. Islam as it is, is in fact a counterpart of human nature. This is why Islam has been called a religion of nature in the Quran and Hadith.
A man once came to the Prophet Muhammad and asked him what he should do in a certain matter. The Prophet replied, 'Consult your heart about it'. By the heart the Prophet meant common sense. That is, what one's common sense tells one would likewise be the demand of Islam. What does human nature desire more than anything? It desires, above all, peace and love. Every human being wants to live in peace and to receive love from the people around him. Peace and love are the religion of human nature as well as the demand of Islam. The Quran tells us, "God calls to the home of peace".
One of the teachings of Islam is that when two or more people meet, they must greet one another with the words, Assalamu Alaikum (Peace be upon you). Similarly, salat, or prayer, five times daily is the highest form of worship in Islam. At the close of each prayer all worshippers have to turn their faces to either side and utter the words Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah (May peace and God's blessings be upon you). This is like a pledge given to people: "O people you are safe from me. Your life, your property, your honour is secure with me."
This sums up the spirit of true religion, the goal of which is spiritual upliftment. It is the ultimate state of this spiritual upliftment which is referred to in the Quran as the 'soul at peace.' (89:27)
Thus a true and perfect man, from the religious point of view, is one who has reached that level of spiritual development where nothing but peace prevails. When a person has attained that peaceful state, others will receive from him nothing but peace. He may be likened to a flower which can send out only its fragrance to man, it being impossible for it to emit a foul smell. One who has found the true essence of religion no longer has the will or the capacity to do harm. He gives life not death, to others. He benefits others, doing no injury to anyone. In short, he lives among the people like flowers and not like thorns. He has nothing but love in his heart to bestow upon others.
A believer who worships God can feel himself becoming imbued with a special kind of peace and in turn he will live as a peaceful person in society. He will be a well-wisher to everyone and will consider all as his fellow beings.
Source: Spirit of Islam January 2018
According to a tradition, the Prophet once observed: “When a person plants a tree and then he dies and this tree grows and bears fruit which human beings and birds eat, then this will be a continuous form of charity so long as the creatures of God keep benefiting from it.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 15616)
Being of use or being helpful is an immutable principle in Islam. It is called continuous charity. This means that when a person does something good which benefits others, for instance, he plants a tree or builds a bridge and then he dies but his work is still extant after his death and continues to benefit people, then this kind of continuous charity is regarded as being of great importance and deserving of a great reward.
Continuing charity in fact reflects a noble aspect of a person’s character. It shows a high level of altruism when a person does something which will benefit succeeding generations, long after he has left this world.
Munificence is a noble virtue. One who is of such a character does not do something good only when the need arises. He rather does things which are of general benefit. His wish is that even his death does not put an end to his beneficence. He wishes that the good he does should continue even when he has left this world.
Being of service to others is in fact the perfection of humanity. In giving to others he finds even more for himself, more than he has given to others. Such an act obliterates the concept of ‘we’ and ‘they’. And establishing an environment of human oneness is indeed a great service to humanity.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
It is desirable in Islam that everyone should be imbued with the spirit of charity. On all occasions he should be ready to give alms. The Prophet of Islam once observed that every Muslim is exhorted to give alms. When asked if the person concerned did not have anything to give, the Prophet replied he should work and earn and then he should keep some of his earnings for himself and give the rest to others. Then again he was asked what the person should do if he was unable to earn. The Prophet said, then he should help the needy. Again he was asked what he should do if he couldn’t help the needy. The Prophet replied, he should urge others to do good. He was asked what if he could not do this either. Then the Prophet observed that he should refrain from doing evil as that is also a form of charity. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1445)
Alms-giving is not an occasional act. It has to be performed regularity. When this spirit of charity is born within one it finds expression at all times. One who possesses this charitable spirit will surely act in accordance with it.
Charity in fact, expresses well-wishing for others. When this spirit of well-wishing is awakened, a person feels the inner compulsion to help others. If he has money he will help others with it. If he does not have money, he will earn some so that he may meet his own requirements and then give the rest to others. And if he does not have money, he will try to help others with his other capabilities, for instance, removing thorns from the path, or guiding travellers. This feeling will sometimes express itself in the form of urging others to do good. To reform others, he will say good words to them. The last form of charity is that he should save others from such of his actions as may harm them.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
The Quran thus defines the qualities of the believers: “They give away their wealth to their relatives and to orphans and the very poor, and to travellers and those who ask [for charity], and to set slaves free.” (2:177)
This verse shows in what ways the realization of faith finds expression in the family and in society.
The Quran tells us that the believer starts helping needy relatives since he is closely connected with them. But when there are many kinds of complaints there can be no expectation that the relatives will be grateful to him. That is why Islam strenuously encourages assistance for needy relatives.
Similarly, a believer loves to help orphans and the needy. His sensitive heart becomes a guarantee that he will not regard the weak as lowly but that he should rather rush to help them.
The same is true of the traveller. A traveller might be well off in his hometown. But when he is far away from his home on a journey, he can in many ways need help. Here the believer’s faith motivates him to help the traveller in whatever way is necessary. Similarly, if there are people who are beset by some problem because of social traditions such as slavery and they don’t have enough money to buy their freedom, it is one of the virtues of the believer that he will spend money to free them.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
Charity has been preached by every religion of the world. Islam has made charity obligatory, laying the greatest emphasis on the support of the needy and destitute members of the society.
It is thus a sacred duty of the affluent towards destitute members of society. It is incumbent upon the affluent to give part of their wealth to fulfil the needs of the deprived members of the community. A society can flourish only when its members do not spend all their wealth on the satisfaction of their own desires, but reserve a portion of it for relatives, neighbours, the poor and the needy. A true believer is thus always prepared, after meeting the needs of the family, to assist other people in need of help.
Charity in its broadest sense has been called sadaqah in Islam. Such great importance is attached to charity that the month of Ramazan has been fixed for individuals to be trained in the practice of charity. It has therefore been made into an institution in order to give it permanence and regularity. The law of zakat takes from the wealthy and gives to the poor, rotates wealth in such a way as to balance social inequality.
Islamic law empowers the Islamic government or community to collect the zakat and to keep separate account of it. Zakat funds must be spent on the categories specified in the Quran in chapter 2 verse 177. Zakat funds basically are to be used for the social welfare of the people which includes education and other essential services.
There are two forms of charity in Islam—obligatory and voluntary, which are respectively called Zakat and Sadaqah. Zakat is from the verb Zakat, which signifies “to thrive”, “to be wholesome”, “to be pure”, meaning purification. Giving up a portion of one’s wealth, which is in excess of what one needs for one’s own sustenance, is a purifying process.
Source: Spirit of Islam April 2018
Sadaqah or charity is the duty of acceding to others the right to share in one’s wealth. It makes one aware that if one’s own needs require the expenditure of money for their satisfaction, so also do the needs of others. One is never then oblivious to the needs of others.
Source: Spirit of Islam February 2018
Muslims should be able to revive the Islamic spirit by reading the Quran in a language they can understand. During one of my travels, I met a Muslim who used to carry a pocket Arabic Quran and used to keep reading it as and when he got some time. Upon enquiry he told me that he had been doing this for fourteen years. I asked him what he thought was the gist of the Quran. He said that he read the Quran for receiving heavenly reward and not to derive meaning by studying it. This is generally the case of those who read or recite the Quran. The true spirit of Islam would be inculcated in Muslims if they read the Quran so that they understand its meaning and follow its import.
Source: Spirit of Islam March 2020
The degeneration that we see in present Muslims had been predicted by the Prophet. According to a Hadith:
“A time will come when nothing except the name of Islam will remain [among Muslims] and nothing except the words of the Quran will remain [among Muslims]. (Shu'ab al-Iman, al-Bayhaqi, Hadith No. 1908)
This is not surprising because every community undergoes degeneration, and Muslims are no exception to this principle.
This degeneration does not set in in the first generation, but in the generations that follow. This is why reformers are required to suggest what work needs to be done to revive degenerated people. To revive the original spirit of religion one must study of religion from its original sources—Quran and Sunnah.
Source: Spirit of Islam March 2020
Islam does not need reform; it needs revival. The authentic text of the Quran is available and needs no alteration or correction. The only need is to re-interpret Quranic teachings in the modern idiom. The original face of Islam is enshrined in its original sources: Quran, the word of God; and Sunnah, the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. However, interpretations of the religion have covered Islam’s original face.
What is needed is to discard the superficial and erroneous the militant and political interpretation of Islam, and to adopt the original version of Islam based on peace, mercy and the love of humankind. The so-called Muslim Mujahideen have been exhorting their coreligionists to do battle all over the world. But the Quran says: ‘God calls man to the home of peace.’ (10: 25) It is up to right-thinking people everywhere to disregard the call of the Mujahideen, and to start seeing and accepting Islam as it is truly represented by the Quran.
Source: Spirit of Islam September 2020
One who studies Islam, directly from its sacred scriptures, is astonished to find that the original Islam is totally different from what it is now generally held to be. Other religions are known to people as they are; hence the need to rediscover them does not arise. The problem of misapprehension applies therefore exclusively to Islam. There is a great need to study Islam from its original scriptures in order to re-discover it in its original form. In modern times many books have been published with the aim of removing misunderstandings about Islam. One title is as follows: ‘Islam, the Most Misunderstood Religion’.
But titles such as these are not in accordance with the actual state of affairs. These books start with the premise that non-Muslims have mistakenly come to regard Islam as a religion of intolerance and violence and then they attempt to remove these misapprehensions. But the actual question to be addressed is why there should ever have been such misunderstanding. It has to be conceded that it is based not on some allegation but rather on the fact that the Muslims of today, in almost every country, repeatedly display violence and intolerance towards others. They have adopted this course of action in the name of Islamic movements or Islamic Jihad. Were Muslims to do so in the name of their own communal interest and people attributed that to Islam, this would amount to misunderstanding based on an allegation. But when Muslims themselves attributed their activities to Islam, it becomes a case of proper understanding and not that of misunderstanding.
Furthermore, the educated class of modern times is obsessed with the concept of anthropology, which treats religion as a social phenomenon instead of as a vehicle for revealed truth.
Therefore, according to their way of thinking, they naturally come to regard the activities of Muslims to be Islam itself. And their thinking is further confirmed when they find that Muslims engage themselves in these activities in the very name of Islam.
Given this state of affairs, the real task to be performed is to rediscover Islam by differentiating between Islam as such and Muslims. It should be made clear that Islam and Muslims are not necessarily one and the same thing, so that one must differentiate between Islam and Muslims. Islam is an ideology. One who adopts this ideology in full is a Muslim; otherwise he is not a Muslim. It is essential that Muslims be judged in the light of Islamic ideals: Islam should not be judged in the light of what Muslims do in the name of Islam.
Source: Islam Rediscovered
For all human beings, Islam begins from the discovery of God, rather than the mere fact of being of Muslim lineage. When an individual discovers Islam as an absolute truth, he makes that his starting point. Being born into a Muslim family and thus having a Muslim name certainly makes one a member of the cultural society of the Muslims, but in no way does it entitle anyone to find his or her name on the list of the ‘guided ones’ in the true Quranic sense. This is called the rediscovery of Islam.
Source: Islam Rediscovered
Today, there are many misconceptions prevalent about Islam. The only way to rediscover Islam is by studying Islam from its original sources—Quran, the word of God, and the Sunnah, the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. When we undertake such an objective study of Islam, by making a distinction between the source of Islam and the practice of Muslims, we will be able to rediscover Islam.
Source: Spirit of Islam September 2019
Patience is the exercise of restraint in trying situations. It is a virtue, which enables the individual to proceed towards worthy goals, undeterred by adverse circumstances or repeated provocations. If he allows himself to become upset by opposition, taunts or other kinds of unpleasantness, he will never reach his goals. He will simply become enmeshed in irrelevancies.
The only way to deal with the irksome side of daily living is to exercise patience. Patience will ensure that whenever one has some bitter experience, he will opt for the way of tolerance rather than that of reaction to provocation. It will enable one to absorb shocks and to continue undeterred on one’s onward journey.
Sabr or Patience, as well as being a practical solution to the problems faced in the outside world, is also a means of positive character building. One who fails to exercise patience gives free rein to negative thoughts and feelings, and develops a personality, which is likewise negative; while one who remains patient is so morally bolstered by his own positive thoughts and feelings that he develops a positive personality.
Sabr is no retreat. Sabr only amounts to taking the initiative along the path of wisdom and reason as opposed to the path of emotions. Sabr gives one the strength to restrain one’s emotions in delicate situations and rather to use one’s brains to find a course of action along result-oriented lines.
The present world is fashioned in such a way that everyone is necessarily confronted with unpleasant matters at one time or another. Unbearable circumstances have to be borne somehow; harrowing events have to be witnessed and all kinds of pain have to be suffered. In such situations, succumbing to impatience leads to the kind of unnecessary emotional involvement which is counter-productive, while a demonstration of patience has a healing, beneficial effect, allowing one to tread the path of discreet avoidance.
Success in the present world is destined only for those who adopt the path of patience in adverse circumstances.
Source: Spirit of Islam June 2013
In mutual dealings in social life, it often happens that a person gives his word to another. There is apparently no third person or group between the two, yet there is always a third present and that is God who is the supreme witness. That is why every promise becomes a divine promise. Therefore, man should be extremely sensitive about giving his word. His conviction should be that every commitment made between two persons is under the watchful eyes of God, and that he will be accountable for its fulfilment in the court of God. This compels him to be highly responsible as regards his promises. Whenever he gives his word to anyone he should make it a point to keep it.
People who invariably fulfil their promises are predictable characters in a society, and give their society that particular quality which exists on a vast scale throughout the universe. Every part of this universe is functioning with the most exact precision. For instance, we can learn in advance about any star’s or planet’s rotation, and where it will be moving after a hundred or even a thousand years. Similarly, we know in advance what the boiling point of water will be. In this way the entire universe evinces a predictable character.
Many other virtues come in the wake of the regular fulfilment of promises. One of these is mutual trust. In a society where mutual trust exists, there is no discord and dissension between people; there is an atmosphere of confidence and peacefulness as there is no fear of promises being broken.
Readiness to fulfil promises is a commendable trait, and it is spirituality that makes man the possessor of this highest of human virtues.
Source: Spirit of Islam June 2013
Two basic source books of Islam are the Quran and the Hadith. The Quran is believed to be the word of God, and the Hadith is the compilation of the sayings of the Prophet of Islam. The Quran contains about 6,500 verses while the Hadith contains about 25,000 sayings of the Prophet of Islam. Islamic teachings cover almost all the aspects of human life like belief, worship, morality, spirituality, social structure, etc.
Here are ten references from the Quran and Hadith that may be considered universal principles suitable for every man and woman, irrespective of religion and/or culture. They are formulae for life or an art of life management.
Mutual Respect: How to live in a multi-religious society? The Quranic answer to this question is found in this verse: “For you your religion; for me mine.” This principle is based on religious tolerance. It may be formulated in a sentence as ‘Follow one and respect all.’
Reconciliation and Adjustment: How to behave at the time of conflict? The Quran says, “Reconciliation is the best.” It means that at the time of conflict, we have to adopt a conciliatory rather than confrontational course of action.
Peace: The Prophet of Islam said, “God grants to non-violence what He does not grant to violence.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 6766) In other words, peaceful methods are always far more effective than violent methods.
Practical Wisdom: According to a Hadith the general policy of the Prophet of Islam was that whenever the Prophet of Islam had to choose between two options he always chose the easier option rather than the harder one. This was the general policy of Islam in every matter.
Positive Response: A person once came to the Prophet of Islam and asked, “O Prophet, give me some master advice by which I may be able to manage all the affairs of my life.” The Prophet replied, “Do not be angry.” It means that we must not react with anger even when provoked. Respond positively to negative situations. Always adopt positive thinking.
Modesty: The Prophet of Islam said, “God elevates the modest.” In other words, modesty is the way to high success.
Result-oriented Action: The Prophet of Islam said, “The beauty of a man is to keep himself away from futile activities, which produce no results.” Our actions should be always result-oriented.
Friendly Behaviour: The Prophet of Islam said, “He is not a believer who creates problems for his neighbours.”
Unilateral Good Character: The Quran says: “Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is good, then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend.” Our behaviour in society should not be retaliatory but good under all circumstances.
Universal Brotherhood: The Prophet of Islam said, “I bear witness that all human beings are brothers and sisters to each other.” This concept inculcates the feeling of universal brotherhood in all of us, and it is on this basis that a better society can be formed.
Source: Spirit of Islam August 2013
Islamic culture is one of mercy (rahmat). The aspect of mercy in Islam is so prominent that it engulfs the entire lives of those who have fully adopted the principles of Islam.
Islam teaches its followers that, when they meet one another, they should address one another with such words as “May peace and God’s blessings be upon you.’ Even when one sneezes, he should say, ‘May God be praised’, and the others sitting with him will respond ‘May God bless you.’ When the believer enters the mosque, he should say: ‘May God open the gates of mercy to me.’ Similarly, when worshippers have concluded their prayer, they are to turn their faces sideways and say: ‘May God’s blessings and peace be upon you.’
In this way, on all occasions and at every stage, the phrases of peace and mercy come readily to the lips of the believer. Thinking and speaking in terms of mercy become the distinguishing features of the believers. Their whole life is moulded by the demands of mercy and compassion.
The Prophet often uttered such phrases as ‘May God bless the man, may God bless the woman.’ This goes to show what type of attitude Islam wants to develop in its adherents. This is the culture of Rahmat and Love. Islam demands that on all occasions human beings should be well intentioned towards one another; on all occasions man should offer the gifts of love and compassion to others. Even in moments of conflict, such words come to the lips of the believers: “May God have mercy on you, why did you say or do such and such a thing?”
God is All-Merciful. He desires his servants to live in this world as merciful creatures.
Source: Simple Wisdom
If the commandment to practice polygamy is seen in the abstract, it would appear to be biased in favour of men. But when placed in the context of social organization, it is actually in favour of women. Polygamy is both a proper and a natural solution to women’s problems.
The permission to practice polygamy in Islam was not given in order to enable men to satisfy their carnal urges. It was designed as a practical strategy to solve a particular problem. Marrying more than one woman is possible only when there are more women than men. Failing this, it is out of question. It is inconceivable that Islam, just to satisfy man’s desires, would give us a commandment that is neither possible nor practical.
To have more than one wife is not an ideal in Islam. It is, in essence, a practical solution to a social problem.
Source: Spirit of Islam March 2013
