Today’s khatira is a continuation of my previous khatira on the concept of righteousness in Islam. The main topic of discussion is the tafsir of ayah 177 of Surat al-Baqarah, which explains the concept of real righteousness against lifeless formalities, and non-effective beliefs that lead to a superficial and limited notion of righteousness. The ayah says:
“Righteousness does not consist in whether you face towards the East or the West; righteousness means believing in Allah, the last day, the angels, the book and the prophets; the righteous are those who, despite their love for it, give away their wealth to relatives, orphans, the poor, stranded travelers, beggars, and to free slaves, and who establish salah and pay the zakah, and who keep their pledges when they make them, and show patience in hardship and adversity, and in times of distress. Those are the people who are true. And it is they who are mindful of Allah.” (al-Baqarah, 2:177)
The first requirement to attain real righteousness or piety is to have iman in Allah (SWT). This was discussed in a previous khatira. Insha’Allah, today’s khatira will discuss the second prerequisite for acquiring righteousness, and that is to have iman in al-Akhirah or the hereafter. Numerous verses of the Qur’an as well as the ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) speak of life after death. It is significant to note that two-thirds of the Qur’an, which was revealed before the Prophet’s hijrah to Medina speaks mainly of the concept of al-Akhirah and of al-Ghayb—the unseen. In fact, all the articles of faith—belief in Allah, the angels, the scriptures, the messengers, the last day, and the divine decree are beyond the sphere of the ‘seen,’ and constitute a part of the ‘unseen.’ One of the fundamental qualities of a believer is to believe in the unseen. Belief in al-Akhirah constitutes believing in all these things of the unseen. We have in Surat al-Baqarah:
ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ () الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ
“This is the Book in which there is no doubt, containing guidance for those who are mindful of Allah, who believe in the unseen, keep up the prayer, and give out of what We have provided for them” (al-Baqarah, 2:2-3).
In one of his moving sermons, the Prophet (SAW) said, “I swear by Allah that all of you will certainly die, just as you go to sleep at night. Then surely you will all be raised again as you wake up in the morning. Then you will definitely be judged for the deeds you had been doing. You will get rewards for good deeds and punishment for the evil ones; it will either be the everlasting life of Paradise or the endless torment of Hell-fire.” The Qur’an tells us:
كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَيَطْغَى () أَنْ رَآَهُ اسْتَغْنَى () إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ الرُّجْعَىٰ
“No indeed, man exceeds all bounds; when he thinks he is self-sufficient. Truly, to your Lord is the return” (al-‘Alaq, 96:6-8).
We should know that our world is governed by physical laws and not moral laws. No harm comes to man immediately for the moral choices he makes. If some good deeds are seen not to get full appreciation and credit in this life, they will receive full compensation and be widely acknowledged on the Day of Judgment. If some people who willfully commit sins, neglect God’s commands, and indulge in immoral activities seem superficially successful and prosperous in this life, they will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment and judged accordingly. God will justly decide every human being’s ultimate destination – heaven or hell. Those who have firm belief in life after death are not expected to deliberately disobey God. They are conscious that God is watching their actions and the angels are recording them.
Believing in the angels is an integral part of our faith, and an essential part of believing in a world that is beyond human perception. Angels are a creation of God. They are purely spiritual beings that require no food, drink or sleep. They do not have any physical desires or needs. Angels spend their time praising, glorifying, and worshiping God. In contrast to human beings, angels do not have free will. As such, they can only obey God and do not have the ability to disobey Him. They are in no way related to God and have no share in His divinity. Muslims are forbidden from worshipping angels or seeking any help or any intercession from them. Each angel is charged with a certain duty.
Believing in the book and the prophets means to attest without reservation to the truth, honesty, and integrity of all the revealed books in their original forms, and all the prophets and messengers of God commissioned to deliver them at various times of human history. This leads to a belief in the unity of the human race, serving God alone, and adhering to one universal divine order.
Real righteousness requires maintaining a balanced personality and not letting righteousness grow out of proportion lest it turns into evil. This is how the institutions of monasticism or asceticism (rahbaniyyah) crept into the religious thought of Christianity. The monks in their desire to seek God’s good pleasure adopted asceticism. Monks would lead a life of celibacy, isolation, and extreme austerity. Their path made them transgress the limits of human nature. Consequently, this perverted their own nature and gave way to many social problems such as secretive sexual relationships, child abuse, and homosexuality.
The manifestation of real righteousness or al-Birr was practically demonstrated by the prophets and messengers of God who were the models of real righteousness and piety. They were the best human beings of their times, having the most balanced personalities. Speaking about the last and final messenger of God, the Qur’an says:
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الآَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا
“The Messenger of Allah is an excellent model for those of you who put your hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah very often.”(al-Ahzab, 33:21).
It is noteworthy that the first and foremost manifestation of iman and testimony of faith (shahadah) should normally be prayers (salah). Yet in ayah 177 of Surat al-Baqarah, it is not salah but al-Birr or real righteousness. This is because when there is a discussion about the pillars of Islam or the modes of worship, then it is salah that is mentioned as the link or immediate manifestation of iman. But when the discussion is about righteousness, then iman is followed by mentioning charitable deeds and acts of kindness. According to this ayah, the first manifestation of piety after iman in Allah, in the hereafter, and in the unseen, is to have kindness, sympathy and mercy toward fellow human beings. According to a hadith, “He who is deprived of kindness is deprived of good.” Describing the qualities of righteous people, the ayah says:
وَآَتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ
“And who, despite their love for it, give away their wealth.”
It may be understood from this ayah that a person who is miserly and without kindness of heart, or who has no sympathy toward his fellow human beings cannot be righteous according to this verdict of the Qur’an, even though he might otherwise appear to be religious. Virtuous and pious believers have the right attitude. They love doing good to others not for worldly gains or praise, but for the sake of pleasing Allah (SWT) and to be successful in the hereafter. The Qur’an also tells us:
لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِن شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ
“You will never attain virtue (piety) until you spend out of what you hold dear, and whatever you may spend of anything, Allah indeed knows it” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:92). The significance of such praiseworthy act of charity and sacrifice is that it liberates man from stinginess, selfishness, greed and excessive love of wealth, which cripple his tawfiq and ability to give and help those who are in need. It is an act of liberation for the human soul when man rises above worldly desires and materialistic instincts. It is an admirable achievement, which Islam praises and values very highly. InshaAllah, we’ll continue with part 3 of the concept of righteousness in a subsequent khatira.
