Islam is a worldly religion which cares first for the worldly affairs
of humanity. The hereafter is merely a continuation of the worldly
life. It is difficult to portend that man can be saved in the
hereafter without being saved in this world. The safe way is to follow
the way shown to us by the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him). Islam
as brought by the Prophet Muhammad is very much misunderstood as a
religion Thanks to the new developments in the world, Islam is now
looked upon In a wider perspective than the narrow-minded view.
The increased interest in Islamic studies by Muslims and non-Muslims
supported by the advanced printing technology, has begun to open the
eyes of the world about the true teaching and intrinsic values of
Islam.
Economy:
In the field of economic development, the goal is not material gain,
but human welfare in general. Islam exhorts that the balance between
the material and physical aspects, between the individual and societal
needs, be maintained in order to narrow the gap between two opposite
sides of human world. It is stated in the Qur'an:"Say, who is there to
forbid the beauty which Allah has brought forth for His creatures, and
the good things from among the means of sustenance. Say, they are for
those who believe (in Allah) In this worldly life, to be theirs alone
in the Hereafter on the Day of Resurrection ...... Say, the only things my
Lord forbids are the shameful deeds, be they open or secret, the sin,
unjustified envy, the ascribing of divinity to aught beside Allah, and
the attributing unto Allah of aught of which you have no knowledge"
So everyone is free to conduct any business he likes outside the
harmful circle he has been warned not to indulge in. If he does not
listen to this warning, he will be in trouble. Every good quality as
precondition to a successful business is encouraged by Islam.
.. the prophet Muhammad said: "If you leave matters to those who are
not professional, you are waiting for the disaster".
If he works in the production line, his products must be compatible
with products of other companies or factories. In order to be
marketable, it must suit the taste of buyers and their standards of
living. In this regard, Islam teaches not to cheat in offering the
product to the market. It must be shown as it is without any publicity
it does not deserve. In the life time of the Prophet, he found many
cases in market places where the merchants tried to cheat the
customers. The Prophet said to them: "Whoever cheated are not from
amongst us (Muslims)".
Islam laid many regulations in the field of economy such as trade,
leasing, business transaction, contract and others to prevent unfair
dealing within the community and in the world of business at large.
What is also prevented by Islam is a monopoly and exploitation -by one
man or one group at the expense of the others.
Cleanliness:
The first thing in the religion brought by the Prophet Muhammad is the
care of cleanliness. The concept of cleanliness in Islam covers
physical and spiritual, mundane and religious domains.
Before performing any rituals, prescribed by Islam, one should cleanse
his body, and his dress, his place of worship and his environment
should be clean.
Before performing his prayers or starting for pilgrimage, one has to
make his ablution (wudu'). If he or she is in a state of unclean after
having had a lawful Intimate intercourse or post-natal period or other
reasons, he or she has to take a complete bath by pouring clean water
over the whole body.
In the case of daily prayer, every Muslim has to clean his/her private
parts, face, hand, feet, mouth, nose and ears at least five times
every day for the five daily prayers. This also reminds him/her to
keep his/ her soul clean from unlawful deeds.
Cleanliness is not in the physical sense only. The body should be
purified as well from evil doings that might harm his relationship
with others and with God. He has to clean his mind from bad intentions
or committing unlawful acts. He has to clean his heart from jealousy,
hypocrisy and other evil desires. He has to embody hope, truthfulness,
forgiveness, compassion, holiness, the sense of brotherliness,
neighbourliness and other noble qualities.
He has to pay special attention to his diet against all unhealthy food
medically and religiously. He has to keep his eyes, ears, tongue from
evils. These are among the noble characteristics as exemplified by
Prophet Muhammad.
To clean the wealth, Islam instituted the zakat system (way of
purifying wealth). A person whose wealth has reached a certain point
is obligated to pay zakat (alms) which is a duty enjoined by God and
undertaken by Muslims in the interest of society as a whole.
For those able persons whose wealth does not reach the minimum rate
point, he can also give voluntary contribution to the needy. This does
not mean that the needy should always be receiving help from the able.
Prophet Muhammad said: "The upper hand (giver) is better than the
lower one (receiver of help)."
If the receiver of zakat can grasp the spirit of the Prophet's saying,
he will try his best to be the giver instead of the receiver by
endeavouring to better his life as encouraged by the teachings of
Islam.
In Islam the possession of more wealth does not raise a man's dignity,
nor does poverty degrade him. It is true that wealth is necessary for
man to live on this earth, but It is only a means, not the end. The
end is happiness in life by attaining the higher values and not losing
sight of in the pursuit of wealth.
Among the great virtues of Islam is the command to do good and the
prohibition to do evil. The good should be preserved and the evil
should be discarded. In short, Islam is actually composed of a series
of commands and prohibitions. All the commands and prohibitions are
for the good of humanity. Allah the Most Knowing, the Most Merciful,
did not decree any law and regulations but for the good and benefit of
his creatures.
The prohibition was decreed because of its evil implications to
humanity. The evils were created to test the human conscience and
challenge their freewill in choosing between right and wrong.
All the commands and prohibitions from Allah as transmitted through
His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was intended to purify the
human soul in order to live a pure and clean life adored by Allah and
human genesis.
Orderliness:
One of the other teachings of Islam is about orderliness. Discipline,
regulation, management, planning and all other terms relating to
organisation are mostly. understood as alien to Islam. On the
contrary, Islam exhorts people to live in orderliness and to put the
right thing in the right place. The foundation of Islamic order rests
on two main principles, the crucial -faith in one God (Allah) and the
oneness of humanity. All the frame works were laid down in the Qur'an
and the Prophet Muhammad applied himself to working out the essential
details of that order.
One of the great values taught by Islam in this regard is to make use
of the time left to humanity. The Qur'an and the Sunnah (Traditions)
mentioned about time, day, week, month, year and century. People are
lost if they did not spend the time available to them during this life
for good things. It is a great loss if people have to waste the
valuable time they have at their disposal for useless activities. It
is true that life should be enjoyable but not at the expense of human
resources and values which are essential for the continuation of their
wellbeing.
Allah the Most Knowing had created time and space suitable for human
activities for they can attain achievements in life. There are times
for work, study, recreation, resting and even celebration. All are
parts of activities in worshipping Allah and serving His cause. The
Qur'an says that Allah had created day for earning and night for
resting and enjoyment. He created the sun, the moon and all outer-
space objects co that man on the earth can fix the time and arraflge
the calendar. By having a standard time and standard calendar and the
movements of astronomical objects, people are able to regulate their
time table in choosing the right moment for them in doing business and
carrying out their activities.
Islam prescribes certain times for the daily prayers, certain month
for the obligatory fasting and certain time during life time for
performing the haj pilgrimage which indicates that the religion
brought by Prophet Muhammad places the life of Muslims in systematic
order. For every move and occasion made by Muslims there is a rule
governing it, be it in the form of advice, spiritual guidance or
practical directive. If all these directives are followed and
understood properly, people will have high discipline and a well-
managed life.
Islam encourages people to think correctly before taking any action.
This means planning. There are many verses in the Qur'an admonishing
against doing things unthinkingly and jumping to conclusions.
The Prophet also showed good example in fulfilling promise and staying
true to treaty, agreement or contract made between parties.
As a man of honour he always remained true to the principles agreed in
the treaty, depicting his high discipline and inclination of doing
everything in proper order.
Friendliness:
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a warmhearted and faithful
friend. He loved his companions. He extended greetings to those he
knew and to those he did not know. He treated all people around him
with kindness and affection.
He was very courteous to all those who met him. He never contradicted
anybody who is not opposed to the teachings of Islam. He treated
equally the humble and the lofty. He claimed no distinction and lived
amongst his companions as if he was not their leader.
Neighbourliness:
He regarded the neighbours as brothers and sisters because of their
closeness and living in the same vicinity. He once smelt the aroma of
the soup cooked by his wife. He told her to give some of it to the
neighbours who also smelt it. He said it was not right for a Muslim to
sleep with a full stomach after having had a good meal but let his
neighbour starve. He laid the foundation for a friendly relation and
cooperation among neighbours exemplifying that living as a neighbour
one has one's right and responsibility.
In regard to the rights of a neighbour, the Prophet said: "Help him if
he asks your help; give him relief if he seeks your relief; show him
concern if he is distressed and when he is ill; attend his funeral if
he dies; congratulate him If he meets any good; sympathize with him if
any calamity befalls him; do not block his air by raising your
building without his permission and do not harass him."
Goodwill:
He was a good exemplar to those who subscribe to a harmonious society.
Islam exhorts people not to violate the rights of others and injure
their interest, but should positively cooperate with each other and
establish a mutual relationship and social cohesion.
To safeguard the unity and solidarity of the nation and to achieve the
welfare and wellbeing of the community, Muslims have been enjoined to
avoid mutual hostility, social dissension, backbiting one another, and
hurting others with their hand or tongue.
Islam as brought by the Prophet Muhammad exhorts Muslims to visit the
sick, to help the needy and assist the weak. Islam makes no
discrimination on the basis of race, colour or language. Its appeal Is
to the entire humanity.
Women:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought changes for the
betterment of women.
Woman is recognised by Islam as a full and equal partner of man in the
procreation of humankind. He is the father, she is the mother, and
both are essential for life. Her role is no less vital than his. By
this partnership she has an equal share in every aspect; she is
entitled to equal rights; she undertakes equal responsibilities, and
in her there are many qualities and so much humanity as there are In
her partner.
She is equal to man in bearing personal and common responsibilities
and in receiving rewards for her deeds.
She is equal to man in the pursuit of education and knowledge.
Islam enjoined the seeking of knowledge upon Muslims, it makes no
distinction between man and woman.
She is entitled to freedom of expression as much as man is. Her sound
opinions are taken into consideration and cannot be disregarded just
because she is a female.
Islam grants woman equal fights to contract, to enterprise, to earn
and posses independently. Her life, her property, her honour are as
sacred as those of man.
Islam has also given woman a share of inheritance. Before Islam, she
was not only deprived of that share, but was herself considered as
property to be inherited by man.
Statehood:
When Prophet Muhammad arrived at Madinah, he initiated the formation
of an Islamic state. After establishing political brotherhood and the
authority of the state of Madinah, he began negotiations with various
tribes around the dy and made treaties with them.
When the Makkan unbelievers launched a series of attacks on Madinah,
Prophet Muhammad was able to confront them, and when the Makkans were
finally defeated in the battle of the Trenches (Al-Khandaq), he was
able to make truce with them at Hudaibiyah for ten years. This treaty
was a masterpiece of practical statesmanship on the part of Prophet
Muhammad.
His diplomacy in sending and receiving envoys to and from the various
chiefs of tribes and foreign rulers, his fairness In conducting
judiciary, and his general pardon at the liberation of Makkah, was
another proof of his lofty statesmanship.
The State he established in Madinah was not a matter of chance. It was
the very nature of his mission that he would establish a state to
enforce the way of Allah. People might accept a new faith but it would
take time to change their habits, custom and way of life. And even If
a small group of people succeeded In changing their way of life, there
would be many others who would not let these people practise their
belief and try to stop them by force. So the Islamic State became an
urgent necessity to protect the Islamic way of life.
The State founded by Prophet Muhammad was invested with physical
force, as every State must necessarily be, to fulfil its function of
stopping aggression and oppression.
A democratic system In Islam is expressed through the term shura
(council). The Qur'an says: "And those who respond to their Lord and
keep up prayer and their affairs (of government) is by council among
themselves and who spend out of what we have given them.".
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