History bears testimony to the fact that Allah’s Messengers have reorganised human society afresh on the basis of eternal values of goodness, virtue and justice. They invited mankind to the perennial teachings emanating from the Divine Call and organised those who responded positively to that call under a new, unifying banner. Those who had once been divided into groups, tribes and other partisan camps and who were after each other’s blood, life and honour, turned into the best and most trusted of friends, thanks to that unifying message. Their union culminated in the emergence of a new, powerful community, whose members, men and women, were kind and affectionate towards each other. They created history afresh and laid the foundation for a new civilisation. The Qur’ān underscores this truth in its characteristically beautiful style: “And remember with gratitude Allah’s favour unto you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His grace you became brethren; and you were on the brink of the pit of fire, and He saved you from it.” (Āl-‘Imrān 3:103) The Messengers of Allah also exhorted their followers: “And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves.” (Āl-‘Imrān 3:103) The real and lasting unifying force is holding to the rope of Allah, the Creator, and keeping up the covenant with Him.
This ideal of collective life in Islam is not merely some outward manifestation of unity. It seeks to weld the hearts of believers into unison. Islam transcends any legalistic notion of unity. The fact is that it infuses unity and fraternity into the very fabric of all believers. For it places a premium on the unity of faith and ideology, of sharing values and vision of man, society and destiny. It unites believers on the plank of their aspirations, their objectives and their innermost feelings and emotions. Of course, it unites them outwardly as well. However, more importantly, it unites them intrinsically as part of a single, unified community and fraternity. It goes without saying that real unity can be achieved only if people are united both outwardly and inwardly. Any artificial device cannot hold people together for long. For hearts reeking with hostility and rancour cannot come close. Symbolic gestures of unity cannot produce any genuine cohesion or singleness of purpose. Rather, a coalition prompted by selfish ends ultimately leads to chaos and disintegration. Legal ties alone cannot ensure genuine, abiding companionship. This explains why Islam bases the collective life of believers on the principles of faith, love and self-sacrifice. Relations based on these values have a rock-solid foundation, capable of weathering all storms.
Thus, society established on these ideals promotes mutual cooperation as against a life of social conflict and survival of the fittest. Every member of society helps and assists others. No one is allowed to fend for himself as is the case in a society based on the premise of “each one for himself and the devil takes the hindmost.” On the contrary, a vision of a society based on Islamic values is characterised by a commonality of interest and mutual help, support and succour for one another. Those lagging behind are encouraged to move forward. It trains the members of such a community to face problems together.
It is imperative for believers to assimilate thoroughly these fundamental values and principles, which lie at the core of social relations in Islam. Indeed, they should utilise their energies for strengthening such cordial relations.
As I have explained earlier, our very dear and respectable colleague and brother, Khurram Murad, has written this treatise so as to meet this basic requirement for those particularly associated with the Islamic movement. Notwithstanding his thorough grounding in Western education, Khurram Murad holds the enviable distinction of possessing ample Islamic religious knowledge and deep communion with the ethos of the Qur’ān. His work is permeated with this blend of the traditional and the modern, both in its thought content and style of presentation.
The main issues under discussion in this work have the following three dimensions.
i. Islam aims at inculcating certain qualities in the character and conduct of believers with a view to constructing Islamic society, community and polity. As such a true understanding of the message of Islam demands a clear exposition of these essential values so as to have a true vision of the Islamic model-individual life as well as cohesion of society.
ii. It is a natural corollary of the objectives detailed above that there should also be a clear appreciation of those weaknesses and failings that weaken the foundation of an Islamic society, of course with a view to avoiding them.
iii. It is also a requisite of mankind’s development of such a society that is charged with protecting it from negative forces which generates the character traits that they should also be identified and prevented so as to strengthen its foundation.
The learned author has brought out in full these dimensions. We are sure, if those associated with Islamic movement study this work attentively and endeavour to assimilate the desired qualities, both individually and collectively, their lives would be filled with bliss and contentment. This would also make their social life a perfection of love, mutual support and solidarity. This will enable all of them to taste the true flavour of faith and brotherhood, that makes life meaningful and worthy of divine blessings and grace.
Let me also clarify for the benefit of readers that all the qualities identified in this book cannot be gained by them overnight. Instead, we should first grasp the overall scheme of building excellent conduct and then seek to develop these qualities step by step. It is only through sustained efforts that this vision of life can be translated into reality.
It is reported that it took ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar almost eight years to study Sūrah al-Baqarah, the second Sūrah of the Qur’ān. On being asked to clarify this, he explained that he tried to develop, one by one, all the qualities mentioned in the Sūrah. It goes without saying that a gradual, unending effort is essential for character building. Study alone cannot guarantee a result. Instead results are mainly contingent on constant striving, unceasing effort and uninterrupted self-evaluation. It is also worth-noting that one passes through many stages in the struggle towards self-development. The secret of success, however, consists in one’s resolve, perseverance and confidence, first and foremost in God, and then in one’s own self, under His Grace. One must be prepared to bear with failures and lapses. They are part of the game. They must not deter us, instead they should prompt us to further effort and struggle. Problems of all sorts will crop up. However, one should act with perseverance. Everyday experience shows that such trials are inevitable, and as such should never demoralize one. It is constant and increasing struggle that ensures ultimate success. Allah is so kind that He has promised reward even for tawbah (repentance) and a new effort. It is one’s effort that counts. Effort is its own prize, a stepping stone to the final prize of Allah’s good pleasure and Jannah. That is the Prize we are expected to keep our eyes rivetted to. May Allah help us all by making us engaged