Concept of Virtue in Islam - Part 3

Transcript of the Friday Sermon delivered by Dr. Munawar Haque on Oct 14, 2016

 Brothers and sisters! Today’s khutba is a continuation (i.e., Part-3) of my previous two khutbas on the concept of virtue in Islam. The main topic of discussion is the tafsir of ayah 177 of Surat al-Baqarah, which explains the concept of piety, virtue, and righteousness.

لَيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَنْ تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَالْمَلائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُوا وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمْ الْمُتَّقُونَ ()

Virtue does not consist in whether you face towards the East or the West; virtue means believing in Allah, the last day, the angels, the book and the prophets; the virtuous 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. They are the people who have taqwa. (al-Baqarah, 2:177) 

It has been discussed in the previous two khutbas that the first requirement for attaining virtue according to this ayah is to have iman in Allah (SWT), and to live by tawheed. The second requirement for acquiring virtue is to have iman in al-Akhirah or the hereafter. Belief in the hereafter is a belief in universal and divine justice. It is testimony to the fact that human life on earth is not without purpose or value. The righteous men and women who seem to go unrewarded, here in this world, shall certainly be rewarded and the evil ones that seem to escape punishment, here in this world, shall certainly be punished. This followed a discussion on believing in the angels, in the revealed books, and in the prophets and messengers of God who were the models of real virtue and piety. 

The first manifestation of virtue after iman is to have kindness, sympathy and mercy toward fellow human beings. InshaAllah, today’s khutba is a continuation of our previous discussions on this subject.

It is narrated by Abu Hurairah that Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: A charity (sadaqah) is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Rendering justice between two persons is an act charity; assisting a person to ride upon his beast (vehicle), or helping him load his luggage upon it, is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take towards prayer is a charity, and removing of harmful things from the pathway is a charity.”

Brothers and sisters! Charity is also a social value that strengthens the bonds of love and trust within the family unit by preserving the dignity of its members. And we know that this unit is the vital nucleus of society. The first and foremost in the list of worthy recipients who deserve to be given from our wealth are our relatives, especially those who are close to us through relations of the womb. Ironically, they are the ones to whom people are generally disinclined to give. We are obliged to keep the ties of kinship intact, and helping them financially is one of the ways of doing it. There is a hadith that says that those who give their wealth to their relatives will have a double reward—one for maintaining the ties of kinship and another for charity.

Charity towards orphans in society achieves social justice and helps to save the young and the weak from homelessness, corruption and abuse. Taking care of orphans is highly meritorious. The Prophet (SAW) himself was an orphan. In a hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said, "I and the person who looks after an orphan will be in Paradise together like this..." - then he raised his forefinger and middle finger together. 

The third group of people who should be helped is the miskeen. The Prophet (SAW) said: “The miskeen (poor person) is not the one for whom a date-fruit or two, or a morsel or two (of food) is sufficient, but the miskeen is he who does not beg or ask the people for anything or show his poverty at all.” This hadith defines who a miskeen is. It is not someone who is obviously poor, or who begs of people, but someone who is ashamed to let people know of his need and poverty. Such people can be recognized by their faces and by our sensitivity. Out of self-respect they do not ask others to help them but suffer in silence. They are truly deserving of our help. Another group of people entitled for charity are the stranded travelers. They are those who may be well off otherwise, but while on journey, they have been confronted with difficulties such as having lost their money, ticket, identification cards etc and are therefore deserving of our help to overcome their problems. Even when it comes to giving to beggars (fuqara’), who are yet another type of recipients deserving help, we should never scold them or scorn at them.

وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ

And as for beggars, do not rebuke them.  (al-Dhuha, 93:10)

It is learnt from many Prophetic traditions and from the sirah (life history) of the Prophet (SAW) that our deen discourages begging and encourages people to maintain their honor and dignity. The Prophet (SAW) said: “Man should call upon Allah alone to provide for all his needs, so much so that even if a shoe-lace is broken, he should pray to Allah to provide a shoe-lace. Narrated Ibn 'Umar: I heard Allah's Messenger (SAW) while he was on the pulpit speaking about charity,…saying, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand. The upper hand is that of the giver and the lower hand is that of the beggar." Actually, Allah tests His servants in both ways. One group of people face His test by refraining from begging and asking others for help. Others face His test by not repulsing or repelling the one who asks for help. So, everyone has to do his best to emerge successful in the test. 

The slaves are also among those who are entitled for financial help so that they can be freed from slavery, but as the institution of slavery is no longer in vogue, the scholars are of the opinion that in contemporary times, settling debts of Muslims who genuinely need to be extricated from financial debts falls into this category. 

Ayah 177 of Surat al-Baqarah, which is under discussion next talks about fulfilling the rights of Allah (Huqooq Allah). The regular observance of prayer (salah) is an important aspect of piety, virtue, and righteousness. Prayer is more than a sequence of bodily movements, and there is more to it than facing in a certain direction, east or west. It is more than a simple act of spiritual meditation. Prayer is an act of total submission and dedication to Allah (SWT), and epitomizes the entire Islamic outlook on life. 

Islam recognizes the human being as a complex entity comprising of body, mind and soul, and perceives no contradiction or conflict among their respective roles or needs. Prayer combines the activity of all three elements in an integrated act of worship dedicated completely to the adoration and glorification of God Almighty. The bodily movements of standing (qiyam), bowing (ruku’) and prostration (sujood), and the recitation of verses of the Qur’an and other prescribed text and the reflection required on that, and exclusive devotion to God, unite beautifully during prayer in a unique and splendid combination. Maintaining this standard in the performance of prayer is a reminder and a fulfillment of the essence and purpose of Islam as a whole.

Paying the obligatory charity (zakah) is another aspect of virtue. This is a social tax instituted by Allah (SWT), the ultimate provider, as a token of the entitlement of the poor to a share in the wealth of the rich. It is clear from the text that zakah is separate from, and not a substitute for, the charitable spending (sadaqah) mentioned earlier. While giving to those causes is voluntary, payment of zakah is a religious duty in its own right, and both are essential factors in attaining righteousness. 

The term zakah is derived from the Arabic root meaning ‘to increase,’ ‘to purify,’ and ‘to bless’ and can be defined as a specific portion of one’s wealth which is designated by way of obligatory charity for certain categories of people and for certain purposes. While, discussing some aspects of the topic of zakah, it is important to have some idea of the concept of wealth according to the Qur’an, which in nutshell is that man owns nothing. The absolute ownership of everything belongs to Allah (SWT) alone.

وَلِلَّهِ خَزَائِنُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

The treasures of the heavens and earth belong to Allah. (al-Munafiqun, 63:7)

 Whatever man possesses is a trust from Allah (SWT), and one needs to be faithful to the owner of that trust. What we have is not really our earnings; rather it is a gift or bounty from Allah (SWT). All the blessings we have—the known and the unknown—our very existence, our life, our body, our physical appearance, and all our abilities and accomplishments are from Allah. The Qur’an says,

وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ

Whatever blessing you have is from Allah. (al-Nahl, 16:53)

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ 

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين

Brothers and sisters! Salah and zakah are two of the most important rights of Allah (SWT). It is obligatory upon all believers to pray five times a day and give the obligatory charity regularly. Both these acts of worship connect one with one’s Creator and have been mentioned in the ayah right after acts of charity. This is to inform and remind the believers that acts of charity without fulfilling the rights of Allah (SWT) is no righteousness at all with Him. Both salah and zakah are mandatory. It is not sufficient that one performs salah but does not give zakah or gives zakah but does not perform salah regularly. There are around eighty places in the Qur’an where Allah (SWT) associates zakah with salah.  Both salah and zakah have to do with purification. While salah purifies one’s soul, zakah purifies one’s wealth. Further, those who observe their prayers and pay their zakah regularly also have firm belief in the hereafter. This notion is expressed in numerous verses of the Qur’an, such as

طس تِلْكَ آَيَاتُ الْقُرْآَنِ وَكِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ () هُدًى وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ () الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالْآَخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ()

Ta Seen.These are the Signs of the Qur´an and a Clear Book. It is guidance and good news for the believers; those who establish salah and pay hand are certain about the life to come. (al-Naml, 27:1-3)

Hence, being mindful of accountability before their Lord in the life to come, true believers are very conscious about guarding their salah and paying their zakah. Just as fasting (siyam) was prescribed to all nations to whom Allah (SWT) sent prophets and messengers, so was zakah prescribed to nations before us. It is not exclusive to the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Talking of Isma’il (AS), the son of Ibrahim (AS), the Qur’an mentions:

وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَكَانَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا

He used to command his household to perform salah and give zakah, and his Lord was well pleased with him. (Maryam, 19:55)

Allah (SWT) commands the Bani Israel by saying,

وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآَتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ

Establish salah and pay zakah and bow with those who bow. (al-Baqarah, 2:43)

The Qur’an mentions ‘Isa ibn Maryam (AS) as saying,

وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُ ‎وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا

He has made me blessed wherever I am and directed me to do salah and give zakah as long as I live. (Maryam, 19:31)

InshaAllah, we’ll continue with Part-4 of the concept of virtue in a subsequent khutba.

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