2.13. HONOUR

God says

As for those who take the deniers of the truth for their allies in preference to the believers – do they hope to be honoured by them when, all honour belongs to God [alone]?* -- Q.4: 139

*The term “allies” does not indicate, in this context, merely political alliance. More than anything else, it obviously alludes to a “moral alliance” with the deniers of the truth: that is to say, to an adoption of their way of life in preference to the way of life of the believers, in the hope of being “honoured”, or accepted as equals, by the former. Since an imitation of the way of life of confirmed unbelievers must obviously conflict with the moral principles demanded by true faith, it unavoidably leads to a gradual abondonment of those principles.

He who desires might and glory [ought to know that] all might and glory belong to God [alone]. Unto Him ascend all good words, and the righteous deed does He exalt. -- Q.35:10

Prophet said

1. “The most honorable among men is one who is most pious among them’* -- H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Abu Hurairah.

*Ancestry, cast, colour, wealth, authority, popularity etc., form the basis for pride and not honour. All racial national or tribal prejudice is condemned both in the Qur’an and the Hadith. The famous saying of Messenger of God: “He is not of us who proclaims the cause of tribal partnership; and he is not of us who fights in the cause of tribal partnership; and he is not one of us who dies in the cause of tribal partnership” (H: Abu Daud. N: Jubayr ibn Mut’im.) When asked the meaning of ‘tribal partnership’, the Prophet answered, “It means helping thine own people in an unjust cause” (Ibid. N: Wasilah ibn al-Asqa) – Al-Hadis

2.12. BOASTING (concluded)

God says

As for that (happy) life in the hereafter, We grant it to those who do not seek to exalt themselves on earth, nor yet to spread corruption: for the future belongs to God-conscious.*-- Q.28: 83

* The last clause makes it clear that, in order to have spiritual value, man’s “not seeking” worldly grandeur of self-indulgence in things depraved must be an outcome, not of indifference or of a lack of opportunity, but solely of a conscious moral choice.

…do not, then, consider yourselves pure – [for] He knows best as to who is conscious of Him.* -- Q.53: 32

i.e., “never boast your own piety”, but remain humble and remember that “it is God who causes whomever He wills to remain pure” (4:49)

Prophet said

1. When asked: Is it party-spirit that a man loves his own people? “No,” said the Prophet, “but it is party-spirit that a man helps his people in wrong-doing.” – H: Ahmed and Ibn Majah. N: Ubadah- Kasir.

2 “Whoever helps his people in an unjust cause is like a camel which falls in a well and is pulled by his tail.” -- H: Abu Daud. N: Ibn Masud.

2.12. BOASTING

God says

… Indeed, God does not love any of those who, full of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner.-- Q.4: 36

And thus it is: if We let him taste ease and plenty after hardship has visited him, he is sure to say, “Gone is all affliction from me!” – for, behold, he is given to vain exultation, and glories only in himself.* -- Q.11:10

* Lit., “he is exultant beyond all measure, excessively self-glorifying” -- i.e., he usually attributes the turn of fortune to his own good qualities and his supposed “good luck” and not to God’s grace.

Prophet said

1. “There is no superiority of one over the other except for religion and piety.”--H: Ahmed and Baihaqi. N: Oqbah-b-A`mer.

2. “Behold, God has removed from you the arrogance of ignorance with its boast of ancestral glories. Man is but a God-conscious believer or an unfortunate sinner. People, every one of them, are children of Adam, and Adam was created out of dust.” -- H: Tirmizi and Abu Daud. N: Abu Hurairah.

3.“He who boasts of receiving what he has not been given is like one who puts on two false garments.” – H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Asma.

Earth Hour & the message of Islam (special topic)

God says
O children of Adam! Beautify yourselves for every act of worship ; and eat and drink [freely], but do not waste: verily, He does not love the wasteful! - Q. 7:31

Prophet said

“(God disliked that you) squander possessions”– H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Mughirah.

Once the Prophet passed by his companion Sa`ad who was performing ablution (ie washing before prayers). As Sa'ad was washing himself more than required, he asked, “Why this extravagance?” Sa`ad enquired: "Is there any extravagance in ablution? “Yes” said the Prophet, “Even though you may be doing it from a flowing rivulet.” ‘Manage your resources and do not waste even if a resource is in plenty’ is the message of Islam for the people to remember during, and after the Earth Hour (Saturday 29th of March 2009 between 8:30–9:30, local time, wherever you are).
Let us make every hour for the Earth by living moderately and avoiding waste.Here are three areas, as an example, where waste of resource should be stopped in homes. Electricity, Food and Water. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/EcoCal

This being a topical message, we will resume the series next Friday.

2.11. HUMILITY

God says

Call your Sustainer humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts…. Q.7: 55

Behold, [only] those who attained to faith and do righteous deeds and humble themselves before their Sustainer -- [only] they are destined for paradise, and there shall they abide! ---Q.11: 23

….And give thou [O Muhammad] the glad tidings [of God’s acceptance] unto all who are humble – all whose hearts tremble with awe whenever God is mentioned, and all who patiently bear whatever ill befalls them, and all who are constant in prayer and spend on others out of whatever We provide for them as sustenance.* -- Q.22: 34,35 *Ar-rizq (“provision of sustenance”) applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The “spending on others” is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its true fruition.

And [God renders Satan’s aspersions null and void] so that they who are endowed with [innate] knowledge might know that this [divine writ] is the truth from thy Sustainer, and that they might believe in it, and that their hearts might humbly submit unto Him…. Q.22: 54

Prophet said

1. “God revealed to me: you shall be modest towards each other till nobody can boast over the other and oppress him”-- Hadis Qudsi: Muslim. N: Iyaz-b-Himar.

2. “Whoever humbles himself for God, is elevated by Him”-- H: Muslim. N: Abu Hurairah.

3. A man came to the Prophet and said: O the best of creation! The Prophet said, “That was Abraham”* --H: Muslim. N: Anas.

*This was said by the Prophet out of his sheer modesty because only the messenger of Islam was the world prophet: “We have sent you as (an evidence of our) grace towards all the worlds” (Q21:107), The significance of prophet Abraham is that Judaism, Christianity as well as Islam are Abrahamic religions because Moses, Jesus and Muhammad were his decendants.

4. “Don’t praise me too much just as the Christians praised the son of Mary, because I am only His servant. So say: Servant of God and His Messenger.” –H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Omar.

2.10. FALSEHOOD (concluded)

God says

Not even a word can he utter but there is a watcher with him ever- present. -- Q.50:18

… and He bears witness that the hypocrites are indeed false [in the declaration of their faith]. -- Q.63: 1

Nay, but their hearts are corroded by all [the evil] that they were wont to do!* Nay, verily, from [the grace of] their Sustainer shall they be debarred; … ” – Q.83: 14-17

*Persistence in wrong doing gradually deprives one of all consciousness of moral responsibility and, hence, of the ability to visualize the fact of God’s ultimate judgment.

Behold, this [divine writ] is indeed a word that cuts between truth and falsehood* and is no idle tale. Q. 86:13,14

*Lit., “a decisive word, or “word of ditinction”, i.e., between the true and the false.
Q.89:14 – for, verily, thy Sustainer is ever on the watch! -- Q.89:14

Prophet said

1. “Whoever gives up falsehood which is void, there is built a mansion for him in a corner of paradise”-- Fragment of a Tradition quoted by Tirmizi on the authority of Anas.

2. “Liar is not he who makes peace among men, speaks good and promotes good” – H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Umme Kulsum-b-Oqbah. Muslim added: she said that she did not hear the Prophet giving permission of false-speaking except in three (situations) : war, restoring peace among men, and discourse between husband and wife (in order to please each other).

2.10. FALSEHOOD (continued)

God says

….Shun, then, [all that God has forbidden and, most of all,] the loathsome evil of idolatrous beliefs and practices; shun every word that is untrue,* [inclining] towards God, [and] turning away from all that is false …. Q.22: 30

*I.e., not merely actual, concrete images of false deities but also, in its widest sense, everything that is associated with false beliefs and practices or with a tendency to “worship” false values.

And [know that the true servant of God are only] those who [also] never bear witness to what is false and [who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in] frivolity, pass on with dignity; -- Q.25: 72

And who could be more wicked than he who invents lies about God,* and gives the lie to the truth as soon as it is placed before him! …. Q.39: 32

*Here, the “inventing lies about God” alludes to the attribution of a share in His divinity to anyone or anything beside Him, whether it be a belief in a plurality of deities, or in an imaginary “incarnation” of God in human form.

Prophet said

1. “Whoever persists with falsehood both in speech and action should know that God is not in need of his giving up his food and drink * ” - Bukhari. N: Abu Hurairah.

*I.e., “does not care for his fasting,” the object of performing fast being spiritual conquest by defeating the forces of passion, false talk and judgements, backbiting, blasphemy, slander, curse etc.