ISLAMIC ETHICS
Through the Consciousness of Accountability
Anger Management
Of all the human emotions, the most destructive is anger. It tears apart human relationships, shatters the harmony of the environment, and has the potential to destabilize whole communities. Therefore, it must be recognized as one of the greatest negative forces in society and be kept under strict control.
Alas, it is an emotion that affects all human beings at some time or another, and keeping it under tight rein is often a matter of the greatest difficulty. Fury can be so blinding that it causes a person to forget all norms of human decency, to the point of wishing to humiliate, injure or even kill an opponent. He descends to using vile, harsh language, and even comes to blows, all in an attempt to beat his opponent either verbally or physically. His anger does not allow him to see that in so doing he degrades himself as much as the object of his rage. And it is not just the weak, the egoistic, or the ill-natured who fall prey to such baneful impulses, but even the most morally upright and socially irreproachable members of the community become a victim of anger.
Anger gives a momentary illusion of strength, but in reality, it weakens, degrades, and destroys. An otherwise excellent character is seriously marred by fits of rage, for that is what causes a man to forget all his moral precepts and throw his principles to the winds. It was not without good reason that the Prophet Muhammad said, “A strong man is not one who overwhelms his opponent; a strong man is one who controls himself when he becomes angry.”
Here is yet another piece of advice that the Prophet gave to his Companions: “When one of you becomes angry, he should keep quiet.” This is the master key to keeping one’s anger in check.
Fear of God in a human being is the supreme factor that can prevent an irate person from going beyond the bounds of decency. When awareness of God’s greatness is truly lodged in an individual’s heart, this enables him to rein himself in so that he does not stray beyond the limits laid down for him by the Almighty. His consciousness of the fact that God will call him to account for each one of his actions exercises a powerful restraint upon the anger surging within him. Such is the character of one, who fears God, that when he is made angry by a human being, it is God who looms up before him, effectively quelling his anger.
The Quran makes it clear that any such strong, adverse, emotional reaction such as anger does not befit the true believer, and instead cites as a mark of excellence the quality of forgivingness: “(The provision) with God is better and more lasting for those (…) who forgive when they are angry.” (42: 37)
A true believer must cultivate the capacity to rise above negative sentiments in his dealings with people so that his relationships with them remain positive. When anger and bitterness well up inside him, he should not give vent to these feelings but should, instead, contain and suppress them within himself. He should live in the world in the way that the flowers do— giving off a sweet fragrance even to those who give nothing but abuse and remaining unruffled even in the face of violent attack.
Mistake Management
However upright one may be, one cannot help but err from time to time in one’s dealings with one’s fellow beings. There are bound to be occasions when one fails to give another his due or neglects some responsibility towards him. The Quran tells us that at such times we should right the wrongs we have done by immediately doing good. If we lose no time in doing so, we can effectively cancel out any harmful consequences of our wrongdoing. To this end, the Prophet counselled: ”Fear God wherever you are, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed. In so doing, you will right whatever wrong you have done.”
This can take various forms. It can mean asking for forgiveness, praying for the one who has been wronged, giving him a present by way of making amends, speaking well of him to others, or generally acting as his well-wisher.
Controlling One’s Speech
According to the Quran, Paradise will be free of idle talk and sinful speech. There shall be no lying, no false accusations, and no denigration of others.
(In Paradise) they shall not hear any idle talk, or any untruth: all this will be a recompense, a gift, that will suffice them, from your Lord. (78: 35-36) In a sublime garden, where they will hear no idle talk. (88: 10-11) There will be the most sublime feeling of peace and goodwill, for there will be no ridicule, no abuse. In short, no remarks are even to the slightest degree inappropriate. For this to be a reality, only those who are truly superior in character will be ushered through its portals. Paradise is no place for the low in character. It is a place where only the noble shall reside.
It is of the greatest importance then to build a good character while still in this world, for it is only those who are possessed of the highest qualities of character who will be eligible to take up their abode in Paradise. Those who fall below this sublime standard will be discarded like so much rubbish and cast into the pit of Hell, there to suffer eternal punishment for the wickedness of their ways.
Fruitful Organization
Within even the tiniest of seeds, God has concealed the beginnings of a verdant plant. From one tiny kernel can spring forth the loftiest of trees. But this potentiality can be realized only when all of the conditions for its growth are just right—season, soil, temperatures, sunshine, rainfall, all must be exactly what the plant needs, and only then will the seed sprout and produce the most wonderful of foliage, blossoms, and fruits. Suppose we just dropped our seed on a tabletop and left it to its resources, there would be no question of its producing a plant, green or otherwise.
Why should this be so? It is because God has created the correct combination of conditions for growth to take place and has laid down a definite pattern for the functioning of every single thing and every single living creature on this earth. This divine pattern has been ordained for all time, and there is nothing that can exist without conforming to it. The slightest deviation from this pattern produces bad results, or no results at all, whereas acting in accordance with it causes all of God’s creations to thrive and flourish.
The same is true of our human communities. Once they are entrusted with the divine code of life, as enshrined in the Book of God, they need only adhere strictly to it, never deviating from the “straight path”, as it is termed in the Quran, to be able to take root and flourish both in this world and the Hereafter.
The right path is that of adherence to a certain discipline in life according to which human beings should live as though bound by a contract made with God. The right path will lead man straight to God. It is written in the Quran:
God made a covenant with the Children of Israel; and raised among them twelve leaders. God said, ‘Surely, I am with you. If you attend to your prayers and pay the alms and believe in My messengers and support them, and give a generous loan to God, I will certainly forgive you your sins and admit you into Gardens through which rivers flow. Whoever among you denies the truth after this shall go astray from the straight path.’ (5: 12)
This contract, or covenant, stipulates several religious duties, the first of which is prayer, a way of bowing to God and seeking to be close to Him. Next is Zakat (charity), which obliges one to be good in giving to others, and to behave as if they had a basic right to a share in one’s earnings. Then there is the duty to spread the Word of God. When one hears the call of truth, one is obliged to commit oneself unstintingly to its support and furtherance and to give one’s whole-hearted assistance to those who call humankind to the truth. All of these religious duties taken together are what make up the contract according to which a believer must pattern his life. Those who live their lives in such a manner find themselves close to God and become worthy of His divine assistance.
Patience makes a person
possess high human qualities.
