WAYS OF SELF-CORRECTION

Character Building

A STORY in chapter 99 of the Quran, Al-Zalazalah, (The Earthquake) gives us a great lesson. It is said that once a man came to the Prophet and after some discussion, he accepted Islam. Then the Prophet said to him: “Stay with Ali (one of Prophet’s Companions) for your further training.”

A few days later, the Prophet asked Ali about the man who had come to him. He replied that he had stayed with him for a while and then he had gone away, and that now he had no knowledge of his whereabouts. The Prophet said: “Anyone who meets him, bring him to me.” After a few days the Prophet was able to meet the man again. The Prophet said to him: “I asked you to stay with Ali for your further training, then why did you leave?” He replied, “You asked me to take training, I did so, and then I went away.”

Further, he said that Ali had taught him Chapter 99 of the Quran, which says, “Whoever has done the smallest particle of good will see it; while whoever has done the smallest particle of evil will see it.” (99: 7-8)

The man said that from these verses, he had found the complete message. Therefore, there was no need to stay on. The Prophet asked: “How did you find the complete message in them?” He replied: “These verses tell us that man is accountable to God and every deed of man will be evaluated by God. Now I always keep this in mind. I always do what is good and I always refrain from what is bad for me.”

This story explains very beautifully how the Quran develops a self-correcting mechanism in every person. The Quran wants everyone to be on their guard all the time. This concept is bound to make everyone conduct himself properly. It is the basis of a character-building system.