X. BEAUTIES OF ISLAM

All of the Qur’an is a proclamation of Tawheed (The Oneness and Unity
of God). Some of the verses inform about God, His Names, Attributes,
Acts and Speech. These verses indicate the Unity and Oneness of God with
respect to His most excellent Names and perfect Attributes. Other verses
call to the necessity of worshipping God alone, without any associate or
partner and the renunciation of worship of anything other than Him. These
verses indicate the Oneness and Unity of Worship and the necessity for
people to single out their Lord in their intention, desire, requesting and their
turning to Him. The Qur’an also contains injunctions and prohibitions, and
so the doing of something or refraining from doing it is the fulfillment and
perfection of the affirmation of the Oneness and Unity of God. In addition,
the Qur’an includes stories and information about the people of true and
sincere belief and tells of their immediate reward in the life of this world as
well as the immense reward reserved for them in the hereafter. The Qur’an
also contains stories about those who associate partners with God and
informs of their punishment in the life of this world and the punishment they
are promised in the hereafter. This is the reward for those that associate
partners with God and deviate from affirmation of God’s Oneness and
Unity.

The Qur’an calls for the correcting and strengthening of peoples’
relationship with their Lord, and their relationship with each other. It also
calls for people to correct and straighten their own selves, both inwardly and
outwardly.
Concerning the correcting and strengthening of the relationship
between a person and his Lord, the Qur’an calls for people to draw close to
Him through both physical and financial acts of worship such as prayer,
Hajj, sacrifice and so forth. In addition, the Qur’an calls to the knowledge of
God through His Names and Attributes and this instills fear and awe of the
Lord in peoples’ hearts and establishes discipline in applying God’s
commands and prohibitions and strengthens the relationship between people
and their Lord.
Concerning the straightening of a person’s relationship with other
people, the Qur’an calls to behaviour which strengthens and reinforces
social relationships such as the importance given to the role of the family.
So treating parents kindly, maintaining good relations with other family
members, seeing to the rights and needs of wives and children, doing good
to neighbours are all obligatory while disobeying parents, severing family
ties and social isolation are all prohibited. The Qur’an also instructs that
reconciliation should be encouraged between husband and wife if a dispute occurs between them to avoid the break up of the family and separation of the children.
In addition, the Qur’an instructs that all people should be treated
with high moral behavior and noble manners such as smiling with them, being gentle in speech to them, controlling one’s anger with them, forgiving any harm or offence they may have caused and even returning that harm with good, in order that any spite or hatred might be removed from the hearts and that enmity be turned into love and affection. Whoever achieves this is promised an immense reward.
The Prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, instructed that even
animals be treated fairly and with kindness, instructing that they should be
fed and watered and informing that such action would be rewarded on the
Day of Resurrection. He also instructed that they should not be made to
carry a burden more than they could bear, nor tormented or caused undue
suffering or killed unless they were harmful. And if an animal was to be
eaten then it should be made to feel relaxed at the time of slaughter and
other animals should not be slaughtered in front of it.
The Qur’an also enjoins both physical and spiritual cleanliness and
purification. It encourages that the body be kept clean, the wearing of clean
clothes and shoes and the use of perfume. A bath should be taken every
Friday and after sexual intercourse and ablution performed before prayer, nails should be clipped, hair under the armpit plucked, pubic hair shaved, the moustache trimmed, the siwak (the small branch of a tree used for cleaning the teeth) used regularly and the private parts washed after going to
the toilet.
Concerning spiritual purity the Qur’an instructs that the soul be
straightened and corrected and that the heart be purified of spite, malice,
jealousy, pride and inequity. It calls for integrity of heart and love, affection
and humility towards people. It instructs that the tongue be purified from
lying, backbiting, slander and insulting people and adorned with truthfulness
and softness of speech. The eyes should be restrained from looking at
pornographic pictures and at peoples’ private parts and the ears should be
kept from listening to loose and immoral talk. The Qur’an praises and
encourages knowledge and criticizes ignorance saying that it leads to
destruction. It commands to action and dynamism while prohibiting inaction
and laziness. Likewise, the Qur’an calls to all similar praiseworthy behavior
and virtuous qualities.
The Qur’an orders that children be born within a legal marriage
contract and that sexual desire be controlled and contained within these
parameters. Marriage is fulfilled by the obligatory payment of a dowry by
the husband and by his supporting his wife and children financially and
treating them kindly. In the same manner, the Qur’an prohibits fornication
because it is one of the worst assaults on other peoples’ honour and dignity
and something which causes disease and produces illegitimate children.
Likewise, the Qur’an forbids everything which leads to fornication and so it
prohibits looking at pornographic pictures and being alone with
marriageable women. It also commands that men should lower their gaze
from looking or staring at improperly dressed women just as it has ordered
women to dress modestly and cover their bodies.
The Qur’an also calls to the protection and sanctity of peoples’ lives
and specifically mentions that the taking of an innocent life is one of the
worst and most hideous crimes. The Prophet forbade breaking the bones of a
dead animal so what about the taking of an innocent life? The Qur’an
prescribes a life for a life and an eye for an eye for all injuries, however
large or small, unless the family of the person killed or the injured person
accepts financial compensation instead.
The Qur’an commands that peoples’ property and wealth be safe and
inviolable and therefore prohibits theft, bribery, usury and deception. It calls
for moderation in spending and so forbids extravagance, lavishness and the
squandering of money while at the same time forbidding the hoarding and
amassing of wealth. It calls for balance and commands that people should
neither be greedy and covetous nor spend thrifty and wasteful. It encourages
the seeking and striving for provision in lawful ways such as buying, selling

and renting - activities that bring financial or material benefit to all parties
concerned - as well as safeguarding the rights and needs of the poor,
especially those of them who are relatives.
Islam promotes the protection of good health and has therefore
commanded that only wholesome and nutritious food in moderation be
eaten and has prohibited the consumption of all bad and harmful food and
drink such as carrion, liquor, smoking, drugs and so forth. It also prescribes
fasting that has many benefits for the body, especially the stomach.
The Prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, taught many general
good manners, including the virtue of adopting the correct manners for
eating and drinking. These include eating with the right hand and not
finding fault with the food but rather being satisfied with it. Therefore, if
someone likes the food, they should eat it but if they have no appetite for it,
they should leave it without criticizing it. This is both out of respect for the
blessing of the food and in order not to hurt the feelings of the person who
cooked it. It is also preferred that a person eats with others and not alone,
either by eating with his family or by inviting a poor person to eat with him.
The words ‘In the name of God’ (bismillah) should be said before beginning
to eat, and ‘All praise belongs to God’ (Al-hamdulillah) after finishing the
food, in order that people remember the blessing they have been given and
the One who provided it. The prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, also

prohibited people from blowing on food or drink or breathing on to it, out of
respect for others who may be sharing it and to avoid the spread of
contagious diseases.
The Prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, instructed people to
adopt good manners when in a gathering such as not raising one’s voice,
respecting elders, showing mercy to the young, greeting those present
(saying as-salaam) when entering the gathering and guarding the tongue
from saying bad things about people, even if it is true.
The Prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, also instructed people to
remember God at all times and in every situation. This creates a permanent
connection between people and their Lord and instills stability, stillness and
tranquility in their hearts and it is one of the means of protecting against evil
and vice. The Prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, for example
instructed that specific invocations be said at the time of sleep, before
entering the toilet, before sexual intercourse, while traveling, due to fear of a
people, upon entering or leaving one’s house, first thing in the morning and
in the afternoon, on being afflicted by distress, anxiety or misfortune, when
burdened by debt or poverty, upon entering a graveyard, when stopping for
a rest or setting up camp and other situations when specific invocations and
prayers should be said.

Another aspect of general behaviour which the Prophet, mercy and
peace be upon him, gave guidance about concerns correct behaviour and
manners when traveling. For example, he instructed that the one traveling
should say goodbye to his family and supplicate for them just as they should
supplicate and pray for him. In addition, he instructed that a person should
not travel alone but in company, one of whom should be appointed as the
leader, who undertakes to make decisions after consulting the others. The
traveler should also make continual invocation and remembrance of God
during his journey. He should also not surprise his family by returning
unexpectedly late at night. Rather, he should inform them before he arrives
in order that the wife can prepare for his arrival or leave returning until the
following morning.
The Prophet, mercy and peace be upon him, also instructed that a
woman should not travel by herself but travel either with her husband or
with someone who she cannot marry such as her father or brother to ensure
that both her honour and wealth are protected.
Islam calls for justice and noble conduct and urges that agreements
and contracts be fulfilled, that trusts are returned, that rulers are obeyed and
enjoins every noble character just as it forbids vileness, baseness, crime,
oppression, hostility, aggression and all blameworthy and reprehensible
qualities.


                          SOURCE: DR. BILAL PHILIP

                          BOOK: IS ISLAM YOUR BIRTHRIGHT