“Goodness (rightness) is good morality; and sin (misdeed) is what embarrasses you (i.e. you are not comfortable within yourself) and you hate it to be known by others” (Muslim, 15/2553)
The question today - can we really judge people by everything that they or others did in the past? When ancient peoples did things, some of the things they might have been ashamed of, and others they were not ashamed of; should we as people coming much later, with a very different culture and ideas judge those former peoples according to our modern beliefs or standards? I don’t believe we should.
Am I saying this to defend some of the former people’s actions? Perhaps; I prefer to think we can look at ancient cultures and societies without judging them. For what is it about their cultures that we dislike, or disapprove of that is necessary to debate today?
Slavery is all but gone and we can hope the final remnants of slavery will be eradicated but who knows? Women’s rights are not yet equal across the nations nor even practiced all across the board in any modern nation. We can see there are strata where women are very blessed or free, vs. others where they are very poor, or degraded. There is a “glass ceiling” even in corporate boardrooms, or corporations today, which women have not always been able to break through. It takes a very special, intelligent or strong woman to do so. The rest are not able to break through that invisible, unspoken barrier which favors men. The most poverty-stricken people in America are elderly women. It’s the same all over the world.
Everyone accepts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; no one disputes the rights of children or the rights of women or minorities. All nations agree to the broad categories of human rights; women, children, minorities, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom from torture, etc.
I mention the above saying of Muhammad, pbuh, to show that there was a concept of “morality” in ancient Arabia. Of course, it evolved once Islam was introduced into the culture and it changed the religion, culture, cultural norms, and effectively created new ideals and examined cultural practices, etc. which were wrong, eliminated or corrected many of the cultural and religious practices, as well explaining what was “sinful” versus what was “virtuous”. Ethics and morals were important to earlier peoples as they are important to societies now.
“Fear Allah wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good deed as it erases it, and deal with people with high ethics”. (Tirmithi – 1987 & Ahmed 5/153)
Some of the ideals which were noble, such as chivalry, bravery, honesty, are still ideals which people today agree are positive. Other ideals (or ideas), such as male chauvinism, were fought or became unacceptable. People learned that men and women are equal and share the same basic humanity and rights.
“Oh people, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under God’s trust and with His permission. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers”.
- From Muhammad’s farewell sermon
It was the Prophet’s youngest wife, Aisha, who gave Muslims then and all to follow, the important examples of what was required of Muslim men, regards their wives, families, and society.
Muhammad taught, “Women are the twin halves of men”.
Michael Hart, a writer defended his choice of Muhammad, to lead the list of the top 100 in history, “My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels” (From the book, “The 100, A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History”)
We can say here that, perhaps Mr. Hart didn’t think Muhammad was the most pious person, and preferred Jesus to Muhammad, but he ranked Jesus second. Or we could speculate that maybe there were others on the list, who though not ranked first, were more self-sacrificing (I am saying this, only to be partial, though I cannot say that I am not really partial about Muhammad, pbuh, as he is the most near to perfection of all Allah’s creatures, nonetheless, I ask others to think about their choice of the most “perfect” human and the reasons they would pick that person.)
Christians will say Jesus was better than Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah unto both of the holy Messengers of God, but I do not distinguish between them or any of the Prophets, for Allah told us, they are “brothers”. Islam speaks about five strong prophets, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah unto all of them. There were many others we don’t know by name, and others mentioned by name in the Quran as well as some pious individuals or Saints, including the Mother of Jesus, Maryam (Mary mother of Christ (the Messiah)), may Allah be pleased with her.
The best person, therefore is not only someone who Allah had spoken to, or one who Allah had created with His own hands, or one who he had given the power to heal the blind and lepers or to raise the dead, nor one who was “his special friend”, as Abraham, nor one who He forgave all his sins, Muhammad, or gave him a miracle that would be for all humanity, or the final message, peace and blessings be unto them.
We don’t distinguish between the prophets, and there is no need. Allah sent these Prophets and Messengers to guide people in different times and different places. Therefore, they all were chosen slaves of Allah and the most obedient, praiseworthy and blessed of all the people.
In a narration about the ascension of Muhammad into heaven, Moses says that he had killed a person and send Muhammad to another; Jesus, merely tells Muhammad to go to another of the Prophets of God, Noah says, he had asked Allah something for which he had no right, and so on. We see from many of the stories or narrations that the Prophets of Allah were human beings whom Allah favored from his creation. He says about human fallibility, that if humans did not sin He would have created another creation that would sin, so that they would seek His forgiveness, because Allah, Most High, likes to hear His slaves pleading with Him, and He likes to forgive sins. Allah, azawajal, did not create men to be perfect, but to seek His forgiveness.
People often misunderstand religion. It is the Christians who are most close to the Muslims in their beliefs, though they raised Jesus to a status above his human status, when they said he is the son of Allah. Despite this invention, they believe in the need for repentance. The idea of repentance, and that God would forgive our sins is central to both Christianity and Islam; in Islam the most important belief or pillar of faith being the Oneness of God, and the worship of One God. This is why polytheism or associating others with Allah is called the greatest sin (Shirk al Kabir). Shirk, or joining partners with Allah is the only sin which Allah will not forgive, for which people remain forever in Hell. If it was not for that, they would all be Muslims. The Jews believe that they are “the Children of God” or His “chosen people” a concept foreign both to Islam and Christianity. It is in fact a racist idea which permits many heinous crimes in the name of their religion (in reality they kill and occupy for “Zionism” and Zion.)
Therefore, we do not say that the Prophets were perfectly sinless, but we believe that Allah guided them to the best forms of worship, the best supplications and prayers, the best ideals, and the best moral code and superior moral conduct. As a result of their good deeds and prayers, Allah forgave the Prophets their mistakes. It is famously recorded that Prophet Muhammad used to seek Allah’s forgiveness 70 times a day.
Muhammad, pbuh, was sent first and foremost to his own people, the ancient Arabs. But because Islam rooted out racism and enjoined many more of the modern ideals we take for granted, it is rightly called a universal religion.
Therefore, you will hear Muslims say that Islam is a religion for all time and place. (It is generally understood as such.) Where I might differ with some Muslims is that Islam is certainly compatible with today’s modern ideals. Some Muslims believe that Islam must “reform”; they don’t understand that Islam already is capable of meeting the challenges of social reform without the religion needing reform or improvement.
Sometimes what people will complain about are not cultural or religious ideals which need fixing, but moral values which they believe are now outdated. If we listen to such people, we would accept many evils in the name of freedom or modernity.
Lastly, the name Muhammad means in Arabic, “the person who is highly, frequently and repeatedly praised for his good deeds. Therefore, he is a praiseworthy person.”(P. 3, Muhammad, Who Is He? A pocket guide, produced by Discover Islam Center, 2012)
The fact that one is a praiseworthy person, or even a Prophet and Messenger of Allah, doesn’t affect his status as a human being, and this means that as other people he goes through trials, is subject to worries and misgivings, stumbles and falls, even. It is true that Prophet Moses had in his ignorance, killed a man, and Prophet Yunus (Jonah) had sought to run away from his Prophetic mission despairing of the peoples’ conversion to his religion, Islam. (Islam is the universal religion and was the religion of all the previous prophets and messengers of God.) It is also true that the Prophets, like all people, used to ask for forgiveness of Allah. They did not believe themselves free from error, responsibilities or worry. In fact, they prayed often, repented often, performed more good deeds seeking Allah’s pleasure, to show their grateful attitude to Allah for the many blessings which He bestowed upon them. They also relied on Allah to help them perform the task He set out for them to do; preaching the Oneness of God, Allah, and establishing a community of believers, who would then call others to Islam.
Therefore, we believe that Islam is the universal religion, and that all the Prophets or Messengers of Allah called to the worship of Allah.
Statements about Muhammad, pbuh:
“Whoever saw him unexpectedly would admire and revere him. And whoever socialized or associated with him familiarly, loved him. He was gentle by nature. He was neither coarse nor disdainful of anyone.”(P. 15, Ibid).
He told his friends, “I am a guarantor for a house at the outskirt of the Paradise for those who quit arguing even if they were right and I am a guarantor for a house in the middle of Paradise for those who quit lying even if they were kidding and I am a guarantor for a house in the highest part in the Paradise for those who behave with good manners.” (Sahih Abu Dawood)
Muhammad, pbuh, never found fault or overpraised others, nor got angry for his own sake. He did not speak unnecessarily, nor accept (an) other’s(s’) lauding his praises. He was unfailingly cheerful. But if he was angry when Allah’s law was violated, then his face would express strong emotion and displeasure. (Pp. 14-15, Muhammad, Who Is He?, 2012.)
“Muhammad never got angry for his own sake” (P. 15, Ibid)
Concluding remarks:
As it is not possible for any person to remove himself or disassociate himself from his own time, or the age into which he was born, nor his place; just as the bronze age man could not have imagined electricity, nor invented glass nor filaments for lights, it is not probable that men of Muhammad’s time would have changed everything around them; no more than what they were capable in a quarter of a century, nor that the next generation of Muslims which followed or generations for the next few centuries could have known or understood more than the ethical questions which Islam confronted. Many other social norms; ‘pithy’ preferences, which may or may not be regarded as ‘backwards’, inhumane, or injustice today, were not all questioned (neither eradicated nor once and for all banned) in the early Islamic Empire; nor would those people be responsible for our misguidance, just we are not responsible for the misguidance of theirs. Only Allah is the judge, and that is what all people can at least agree on, who believe in God and fear Him. It is enough to say that the Muslims have definitely evolved. Islam did that. Islam teaches, “There is neither harm nor reciprocating harm” a general ethos, which can be applied to any situation; any people can use it, it is workable anywhere.
It is recorded, that Aisha (RA) once said, “If alcohol had been banned (forthwith) the Arabs in Muhammad’s time would not have become Muslims” (although I am paraphrasing) In fact, during one of the earlier reigning Russian Czar’s time, he refused Islam on the very same pretext. In fact, it was not only a pretext, he must have felt it impossible to give up the freedom to drink alcohol, because that was one of their (Russians) lives’ greatest pleasures (or an addiction); then the Czar accepted Christianity, and since then, the religion even today, in some of the former Russian Empire has been one form or other of Christianity. Of course Islam also invaded (they tried to peacefully preach Islam and were challenged) later and took root; in the Bikhar region (e.g. Uzbekistan) also Chechnya, the Ukraine, etc.
I quote Yusuf Estes who said, “…not worshipping the Prophets, not worshipping the Messengers, putting them in a higher (sic) status saying only good about them.” Or what is often said, we say, not exaggerating their status beyond their human capacity for good and evil. I ask, “Who doesn’t sin?” The bible says, Jesus said, “He who has not sinned, shall cast the first stone”. Everyone has sinned, including the Holy messengers of Allah. We say they are holy, meaning they were the most holy of humans, but they were not perfect. The Catholics call their priests “holy”, too. It means that they think they are better than everyone else, not that they are perfect. It means that they believe there is a way to God through those people. Maybe, they can forgive us? That’s what the Catholics believe about their priests, that they can forgive them their sins. On the other hand, in Islam people go directly to God; Muslims pray for forgiveness, which also, all others do, who believe in God, but Muslims are sure that they never associate others with God, such as another human being. There is no priest class in Islam; no one can forgive sins for us; only God can forgive us. Forgiveness is easier than one might think, just pray sincerely to be forgiven and never do the sin again; that’s called “repentance” and it’s the only way to get forgiveness. God already knows what you did...you don’t have to tell another living soul, or breath a word of your sin, because that is not going to make you feel any better, especially if you believe that God won’t forgive you. You have to believe that God is the forgiver of sin, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Allah said, “I am what my slave thinks I am”, which means, if you believe Allah is forgiving, He will be. If you think Allah is generous, He will be. Etc.
(Where I have erred it is due to my own weakness or fault, and where I have stated the correct interpretations or beliefs, it is due to Allah. I ask Him for guidance.)
No comments:
Post a Comment