Often we talk about the rights people owe to each other, we read about them and we hear about them. But the fact of the matter is that most of us are unaware of what the Quran and ahadith say about them and because of that we fail to discharge our obligations about the rights of the people (Haqooq-al-Ibad). Unfortunately, the religious books, magazines, and articles which we get to read ignore this topic. According to the Quran and the ahadith, the rights of the people (i.e. Haqooq –al- ibad) are as important as the duties we owe to Allah (Haqooq-Allah). In certain situations, Allah has given priority to the rights of the people over duties owing to Him and any negligence in the performance of the rights of the people has been included in the category of major sins and punishment of hell has been assigned for it.
In this article, I have extensively quoted from a celebrated book on the life of the Prophet, called “Seerat-ul-Nabi” written by the late Shibli Naumani and Syed Suleiman Nadvi. This biography is spread over six volumes; it was published before 1947 and is considered one of the very authentic biographies.
The main purpose of writing this article is that we should be aware of the rights of the people as enunciated in the Quran and the ahadiths, so that we can save ourselves from committing sins inadvertantly and getting punishment for not performing our duties towards our fellow beings.
Most of us have the misunderstanding that after Iman, if we perform our duties of salat, fasting, zakat and hajj then all of our sins will be forgiven and we will be able to enter the Jannat. In fact, this is the half truth. There are a number of reasons for this misunderstanding; the following are more important:
1. Our reading of the Quran without understanding,
2. Due to either ignorance or intentionally, our less educated and sometimes even educated religious speakers (Khateebs), and writers talk only of these four fundamentals (i.e. salat, zakat, fasting and hajj) and ignore the commands given in the Quran and the ahadiths regarding morality and dealings with the people.
3. The large number of such religious books, magazines and newspaper articles, which we all read, hear about, and spread around, mention these four obligatory duties, but remain silent regarding the moral education of Islam, or they mention it casually as if they are not very important.
Most of us don’t even read the Quran and even if we do, we don’t try to understand its meaning because it is in Arabic, and Arabic is not our language. We don’t feel the need to read its translation because we have been told that just reading the Quran brings Allah’s blessings. Allah revealed the Quran in Arabic because the people for whom the Quran was revealed at that time only spoke and understood Arabic, and our Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) also spoke Arabic. In the same way, the Bible and the Torah were revealed for the earlier people, that is the Jews and the Christians, in languages which they spoke and understood. When the verses of the Quran were narrated to the Arabs, they understood every word of it. If the Quran had been revealed in any other language, the people would not have understood, and the message of Allah, which was sent for them, would not reach them. In this context, Quran itself says “if we had revealed this Quran in any other language, they would have said, ‘why these verses have not been explained in detail ? What! A foreign tongue(language) and a messenger an arab?” (Surah Fussilat:44). Again in Surah Al-Shura verse number 7, Allah says, “we revealed the Quran in Arabic for you so that you may warn the Mother of Cities (i.e. Makka) and all around her”. Again in Surah Al-Zakhruf verse number 1-4, Allah says, “Ha Mim, by the book that makes things clear, we made this Quran in Arabic so that you may be able to understand”
In many verses of the Quran it has been stated emphatically that we should ponder over and try to understand the message in the Book of Allah. If we continue to read the Quran in Arabic without understanding, then how do we expect to understand the commands of Allah. As a result we depend upon others to do that. They themselves read the translations of Arabic and then explain it to us because even for them Arabic is not their mother tongue. Such people try to tell us as much only which they like selectively, and they present it according to their school of thought and viewpoint. In such a situation, why shouldn’t we read an authentic translation of the whole of the Quran and understand it? Reading the Quran without understanding the message of Allah doesn’t have an impact on our daily lives. Hazrat Ali (R.A.) once said, “Worship without understanding gives no result and it does not bring any blessing”. Imam Ghazali said, “During reading the Quran, your heart and mind should both work together. The tongue only utters the words; our mind helps us understand them.”
The Bible and the Torah and other revealed books were sent in the languages which were spoken and understood by those people and the Prophets upon whom the books were revealed also spoke and understood those same languages. We are dependent upon others for understanding the Quran in the same way as the Christians and Jews were dependent upon their priests because the Bible and the Torah were available to them in the Latin or Hebrew languages and generally the people did not understand them. Similarly, the Hindus are dependent upon their Pundits, because their religious books are written in Sansikrit which is not commonly spoken or understood by the people. Our lack of knowledge of Arabic is exploited by our religious leaders; they present the message of Allah and the message of the Prophet selectively by twisting it according to their own school of thought and aims. Instead of conveying the true spirit of Islam and the complete message of the Quran, they only emphasize the rituals (i.e. salat, fasting, zaqat and hajj). Allah did not make these rituals as our destination but rather a means to reach our goal. Every religion in the world has rituals. Islam too has some obligatory rituals, but along with that the whole of Quran is filled with the message of acting righteously, follow what is permitted, abstain from what is forbidden, do good to others, and abstain from evils. What are those good deeds and what are those evils? Their details are contained in the Quran and ahadiths.
Rituals assist us in doing good and abstaining from evil; by offering salat five times a day we remain close to Allah, the fear of Allah always remains in mind due to which we try to abstain from evils. Through fasting we attain Taqwa, and in addition we also feel the pain of the hungry; through Zakat we share a part of what we possess with the poor and other needy people and thus we participate in building a balanced society. For zakat a certain percentage has been fixed, but there are no limits on charity. Through charity, (khairat and sadaqah) by fulfilling the needs of others we get great reward and blessing. During hajj, the rich and the poor, the high and the low all stand together in front of Allah this is a great lesson in equality of mankind and a source of building brotherhood in Muslims. Our religious leaders often talk about the duties towards Allah but they hardly ever talk about the rights of the people, about which the Quran and the ahadiths lays so much emphasis. They sometimes mention them casually as if performance of the rights of the people is an option; if you exercise it you get Sawab, and if you don’t there is no punishment, which is incorrect. We are only told that if we perform all the rituals, then entry into Jannat is assured. These people probably ignore the other moral duties mentioned in the Quran and the ahadiths because rituals are easier to perform. Fulfilling the rights of the people is difficult, for this one has to suppress one’s ego and one has to make a lot of sacrifices.
The main purpose behind Allah’s commands and the teachings of our Prophet is to build a better society and society is created out of the individuals for which the Quran and ahadiths carry these commands. They also point towards those virtues and actions through which human beings can attain a higher position than even the Angels. We can gain success in both this world and the hereafter through worship and good deeds. Fulfilling the rights of the people in fact amounts to doing our duties towards Allah, because Allah himself declared the rights of the people to be paramount.
Salat, zakat, fasting, hajj are all individual actions, which we perform for our own selves and as the preachers tell us, their purpose is to get as much Sawab as possible through which Jannat is assured. In this quest, we are more concerned about our own self; therefore we are not prepared to do much for others, that is to fulfil our duties towards other fellow beings imposed upon us by Allah; we don’t bother about those. That is the reason the Muslims are lagging in community work everywhere. We have been made prisoners of these four rituals. The real purpose behind these obligatory duties is not explained to us, and thus we are lost in our own selves and have become selfish. In reality, Islam came for social betterment and the welfare of the people, and also to create brotherhood amongst people. More rewards have been offered for salat in jamaat, in order that people get together in one place and share each other’s joys and sorrows, and help each other when required. According to statistics, the word salat appears 36 times in the Quran, whereas the rights of the people (Haqooq-al-Ibad), under different names, have been mentioned 121 times in the Quran, and more than 150 times in the ahadiths.
There are two ways to please Allah, one Iman, and second good deeds. Both are equally important in Islam. Iman is the foundation, and good deeds are the structure. In a number of places in the Quran two sources for man’s success have been mentioned, and they are Iman and good deeds, and everywhere Iman has been given the first place and the good deeds the second, but obligatory. In Surah Asr, verse #1 Allah says, “By the Time man is in loss, except those who have Faith and do righteous deeds”.In Surah Hajj, ayat Number 14, Allah says, “Verily Allah will admit those who believe and work righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow ”.
Through these verses and many other ayats, it is established that salvation does not depend on Iman alone but on good deeds as well.
We need now to understand what is meant by good deeds. Invariably, due to misunderstanding, good deeds are explained incorrectly. The meanings of good deeds are very wide. Shibli Naumani and Syed Suleiman Nadvi in their celebrated biography of the prophet, Seerat-ul-Nabi, volume five, page 9, write “good deeds can be divided under three major headings: 1. Ritual worship 2. Morality 3. Dealings with people. In Islam the word worship has a very wide meaning. It includes every action which aims at pleasing Allah. Therefore, morality and dealing with people, if they are performed with good intention, even they are part of worship. But, the Muslim jurists have declared these three topics separate. The good deeds are of two types, one which is directly related to Allah, called worship (ibadat), and the second is related to humans, which also has two kinds: first of which is a duty imposed upon people, known as morality, and the other, which carries legal responsibilities,is known as Dealings”.
Shibli Naumani and Syed Suleiman Nadvi, in their book Seerat-ul-Nabi, volume five, pages 30-31 write, “Generally it is understood that after Iman, by performing the four rituals, i.e. salah, fasting, zakat, and hajj, all our duties and obligations are completed. These four rituals by themselves are not the goal, the performance of other detailed duties, connected with these obligations is compulsory, and without performing them the act of worship is incomplete. The rewards in this world, and the hereafter promised by Allah are doubtful. That is the reason that our prayers are not stopping us from evil deeds, we are not attaining Taqwa in spite of fasting, in spite of paying zakat our hearts are not clean, and in spite of performing hajj our sins are not forgiven. It is very strange that people do not give due importance to the moral teachings of Islam; amongst the teachings of Rasulallah (p.b.u.h.), after Iman and the ritual worship, the third most important part is morality. By moral education we mean those mutual rights and duties, the performance of which is compulsory. While living in this world, we establish relationships with others (parents, sisters, brothers, children, relatives, friends, neighbors, etc.). The performance of our obligations, connected to all these relationships, is part of Haqooq-al-Ibad”. In volume six, page six of Seerat-ul-Nabi, it is stated, “After Iman, the teachings of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) can be divided into two parts: 1. Worship and 2. Morality or Ethics. In the first part, the duties towards Allah are contained, and in the second the rights of the people are included, combined together they form Islam”.
“Allah has stated that except Shirk (associating anyone with Allah) and Kufr (infidelity) all sins “could” be forgiven, but the forgiveness of the sins committed by neglecting to fulfil our obligations towards fellow beings has not been kept by Allah in His own hands. Instead, its forgiveness is kept in the hands of those who become the victims of others’ injustice or mistreatment”. (Seerat-ul-Nabi Volume six, page seven). Our Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has stated in a hadith, “If a Muslim brother has done anything wrong with another Muslim brother, then he should ask for forgiveness from his brother in this world, otherwise, in the hereafter, he will have neither Dinar nor Dirham which he can pay as compensation. He will have only his deeds with him. The person who did wrong, his good deeds will be given over to the one who became the victim of his wrong, and if that person did not have any good deeds to his credit, in that case, the one who became the victim of his wrong, his sins will be entered in the Amalnama (book of deeds) of the one who was responsible for mistreatment or injustice.” (Sahih Bukhari, Page 967). There is a Hadith in Masnad Ahmed, “On the day of Judgment, in every person’s book of deeds, there will be a list of three kinds of deeds, one list will have deeds out of which Allah will not forgive even a word,this would include Shirk and Kufr. In the second list, will be deeds about which Allah won’t bother, these will be the sins which man will commit against his own self. (i.e. matters between Allah and the man, for example somebody did not fast, neglected prayers) and if Allah wills, he could forgive. In the third one, will be the deeds Allah will not forgive even a little bit, which includes not fulfilling the rights of other people”. This makes it very clear how serious are the sins committed by not performing Haqooq-al-Ibad (Seerat-ul-Nabi, volume six, page seven). The great importance of Haqooq-al-Ibad is made clear by the fact that Allah has given priority to some of the rights of people over the duties owing to Himself. For example, if somebody has enough money to perform hajj, but he owes money to another person and by paying off his debt, is not left with enough money,then hajj is not obligatory on him. This means the person has to fulfil the rights of another person, i.e. pay off his debt, even if it means he would not be able to go for hajj. Similarly, zakat would not be payable if a person owes money to another person and if after paying his debt he’s not left with enough money to pay zakat, then he is exempted. Which means again, first he must fulfil his obligations towards his fellow beings, and only after that the duty of Allah will be performed by him.
In some ahadiths, it is stated that the structure of Islam stands on Iman, salat, fasting, zakat and hajj. This has created a misunderstanding that there is no room for moral education in the structure of Islam, and this misunderstanding has been deepened due to ill informed Muslim speakers and writers. The act of worship has a number of objectives which includes that it prevents us from evil deeds. The basic aim of all worship is moral education and training. In one hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) stated, “If a person’s salat does not stop him from bad deeds, then his worship is useless (Surah Ankbut, verse number two, Tafseer Ibn Khatir). In another hadith the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) stated, “Complete Iman amongst Muslims is among those who possess moral excellence” (Tirmizi). In another hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “The highest test of Iman is that whatever you like for yourself, the same you should like for your brother”.
Now we should try to find out what are the Haqooq-al-Ibad (rights of the people)which we have to fulfil otherwise ,Allah would not forgive our sins, and about which there are very clear commands in the Quran and Hadiths. The list of these rights is very long and it is not possible to mention them all here. However, I will try to mention a few of them in detail.
One of the most important rights of the people mentioned in the Quran and the teaching of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) is called “Silah-e-Rahmi”. The good treatment that we give to one another in our relationships is known as “Silah-e-Rahm”. In one hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) stated, “Rahm comes out of the root word, Rehman” (Bukhari - Kitab Al Adab). Once a person came to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and asked him a question as to what particular deed should he perform which could get him into Jannat, and the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) replied, “Obey Allah, do not associate anyone with Allah, offer your salat, give zaqat and fulfil your Haqooq-al-Ibad of your relatives” (i.e. do good with your relatives, keep relationships with your friends and family, participate in their joys and sorrows) (Sahih Bukhari). In another hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) stated, “If someone does not do Silah-e-Rahmi and does not fulfil his obligations towards his relatives, he will not enter Jannat”. Abu Hurairah, a sahabi of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has narrated a hadith, saying that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “If someone desires increase in his means of livelihood and a longer life he should do Silah-e-Rahmi” (Bukhari).
The following verses of the Holy Quran establish the great importance of Silah-e-Rahmi:
1. “Allah commands justice,the doing of good and giving to kith and kin ” (Surah Al-Nahal, verse 90)
2. “So give what is due to the kindred(relatives),the needy,and the wayfarer” (Surah Rum, verse 38)
3. “And render to the kindred their rights,as also to those in want and to the wayfarer” (Surah Bani Isra’il, verse 26)
4. “They ask you what they should spend(in charity).Say;whatever wealth you spend that is good,is for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers,and whatever you do that is good,Allah knows it well.”
5. “Serve Allah, don’t associate anyone with Him, do good to parents, kinsfolk,orphans, those in need, neighbors who are of kin, neighbors who are strangers,the companion by your side, the wayfarer,and what your right hands possess: for Allah loves not the vainglorious;nor those who are niggardly, enjoin niggardliness on others,hide bounties which Allah has bestowed on them” (Surah Al-Nisa, verse 36)
Besides these ayats, there are a number of other ayats in the Quran in which Silah-e-Rahmi has been emphasized.
According to one hadith, mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, our Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “a person who pays back in kindness to somebody , does not fulfil his obligations as a relative, but it is the person who even if someone has not done good to him, he still does good in return.”
Shibli Noamani and Syed Suleiman Nadvi, write in Seerat-ul-Nabi, volume six, page 14, “When Allah bestows wealth and bounties on someone, then it is necessary for him that he should share it with those who do not possess these bounties. This is the right and your relatives have a prior right on it compared to the poor and the wayfarers”. In Surah Al-Rum, verse 38, Allah says, “So give what is due to kindred,the needy,and the wayfarer,that is best for those who seek the Countenance”. In one authentic hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “Anyone who does not do Silah-e-Rahmi, i.e. does not fulfil the rights of the relatives, he will not enter the paradise”.
Under the moral teachings, the Quran and hadith have clearly stated the rights and duties of everyone. After the rights of the parents, the rights of children and spouses have been explained. The rights of other relatives, neighbors, the poor and the wayfarers have been spelled out. Besides these, the rights of orphans, the needy, the sick, the slaves, the guests and muslims in general have been described; so much so, even the rights of animals have been explained.
Besides the social rights and duties, there are clear directives in the Quran and hadiths, regarding a long list of moral virtues and qualities. Out of these virtues, the most praiseworthy quality is called Sidq (truthfulness); after truthfulness, the second fundamental virtue is generosity, that is you forego your right for someone else, giving away something to someone disregarding your own need, using your physical or mental energy for someone else. In Surah Baqarah, verse #3, Allah states”O you who believe in the Unseen,are steadfast in prayer,and spend out of what We have provided for them” Again in Surah Baqarah, verse 254, Allah says,
“O you who believe !Spend out of the bounties We have provided for you before the day comes when no bargaining will avail,nor friendship nor intercessionl”.
Besides this, the other virtues mentioned in the Quran and hadith include Iffat (chastity purity of character) , honesty, trust, modesty, justice, fulfilling your covenants, doing good to others (ehsan), forgiveness, patience, humility, moderation, forthrightness,selflessness etc.
In addition to moral virtues, the Quran has pointed out many social evils as well, and we have been directed to avoid them. In Arabic, these social evils are called “Razaail”. These are the bad qualities, for which Allah has expressed His dislike, and for which Allah has ordered the people to avoid, and those who indulge in them, they commit sin.
Telling Lies/Falsehood
Out of all the social evils, the worst is telling lies. This evil is the root of all other evils. A person who tells lies, he tries deceive others. Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) has said according to one hadith that, “Lies take you towards sin and sin leads to hell” (Sahih Bukhari). Once a person came to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and asked, “Oh Prophet of Allah, what is the action that leads to hell?” the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) replied, “Telling lies; when a person lies, he commits a sin, and when someone commits a sin, he is entering kufr, and the one who enters kufr, he will go to hell” (Masnad Ahmad, 1-176). In Seerat-ul-Nabi, volume six, page 275, Shibli Naomani and Syed Suleiman Nadvi write, “The word ‘Laanat’ [curse] means deprivation of Allah’s blessing; in the Holy Quran, , after Satan, the Jews, kafirs and hypocrites have been declared to deserve this, but a Momin has not been declared deserving Laanat for any action except for telling lies. Allah has permitted to express the curse of Allah on a liar”. In Surah Al-Shura, Allah says, “the liar is a sinner”. Besides this, in many other ayats, it has been stated that a liar is soaked in sins, because of his habit of telling lies, he does not abstain from doing any evil action because he thinks he would be able to hide his misdeeds by telling lies whenever necessary, therefore he is prepared to indulge in every evil action. Connected with telling lies, are various other evils, like taking false oaths, violating promises, hypocrisy, misappropriation, etc. In one hadith, mentioned in Sahih Muslim the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) says, “There are three signs of a hypocrite, one, whenever he speaks he lies, whenever he promises he breaks it, three, when he is entrusted with something he misappropriates it, even if he offers prayers, fasts, and considers himself to be a Muslim”.
Backbiting
In the Quran Allah has compared backbiting to eating the flesh of one’s dead brother. The purpose of backbiting is to propagate others’ shortcomings. Backbiting means to speak ill of someone in his absence. Some people think that if they talk about some shortcomings which are present in a person, then it is not backbiting. But one Hadith of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) contradicts this. Someone asked the Prophet (p.b.u.h.), “What is backbiting?” and he (p.b.u.h.) replied, “To talk about something pertaining to your brother which he would not like”. The other person said, “But if those shortcomings are present in my brother, and I narrate them, then what?” and the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) replied, “If that shortcoming exists in him then you are backbiting, and if it does not exist, then you have made a false allegation Bohtan)” (Abu Dawood).
Mistrust
Mistrust is a kind of wrong suspicion due to which a person finds bad intention in everything someone else is doing, he does not note any good intention in anything someone is doing. A person suffering from mistrust starts ascribing to others things which the other person never did, this results in enmity and hatred. In Surah Al-Hujrat, verse 12, Allah says, “Oh you who believe, avoid suspicion/mistrust as much,for suspicion is in some cases a sin,and spy not on each other,nor speak ill of each other behind their backs.Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?”
Flattery
This is also a social evil which has been condemned by the Quran and hadith.
Bukhl (miserliness /stinginess)
Islam has named three fundamental social evils. The first is telling lies, the second is love for your possessions, which includes greediness, stealing, misappropriation and miserliness. The third fundamental social evil is love for yourself, which results in jealousy, arrogance, cruelty, etc.
Bukhl, is the root of many other social evils, including misappropriation dishonesty, mistreatment, greediness, narrow-mindedness, etc. After condemning lies, Islam hit hard on this deep rooted evil of miserliness and declared that feeding the hungry, giving to the needy, care of the orphan helping those who are in debt, helping the relatives, are a duty for the Muslims. This collectively was covered under the name of zakat. In addition,Khairat and Sadaqat (charity), were encouraged emphatically, and no limit was imposed upon it. When Gabriel came to our Prophet (p.b.u.h.) for the first time with the revelations and the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) narrated the incident of the arrival of Gabriel to Hazrat Khadija (R.A), she calmed the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and assured him of his prophethood, and the arguments she gave for this assurance were as follows,
“Oh Prophet of Allah, you fulfil the rights of the relatives, and pay off the debt of those in debt, provide money to the poor, provide food for the guests and help those who are suffering on account of their righteousness” (Sahih Bukhari).
There are a number of verses in the Quran condemning Bukhl i.e. miserliness, the following are a few examples:
(1) In Surah Aal-e-Imran Allah says, “those who show niggardliness in the bounties that Allah has granted them, they should not consider that niggardliness good for them, instead it is an evil. The niggardliness that they show in what they possess that will be put around their necks like a yoke on the Day of Judgment, and Allah is the owner of all that is in the Heaven and Earth.
(2) Surah An-Nisa, verse 37, Allah says, “ Allah loves not those…who are niggardly ,enjoin niggardliness on others,hide the bounties which Allah has bestowed on them;for we have prepared …punishment that steeps them in contempt”.
(3) In Surah Al-Humza, verse 1-9, Allah says, “Woe to every (kind of)scandal-monger and backbiter.Who piled up wealth and laid it by.Thinking that his wealth would make him last for ever!By no ,means!He will be sure to be thrown into Hutma and what do you know what Hutma is? It is the fire of Allah kindled to a blaze,the which mounts right to the hearts.It shall be made into a vault over them,in columns outstretched” .
(4) Surah Al-Lail, verse 8-11, Allah says, “But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient ,and gives lie to the Best,We will indeed make smooth for him the Path to Misery;nor will his wealth profit him when he falls headlong into the Pit””.
(5) Surah Hadid, verse 13, Allah says, “And Allah loves not any vainglorious boaster,such persons are greedy and and commend greediness to others”
In one hadith (Tirmizi) the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “Two habits cannot be present in a Momin: Bukhl, i.e. miserliness, and bad manners”. In Seerat-ul-Nabi, volume six, page 306, Shibl Naomani and Syed Suleiman Nadvi write, “A person whom Allah does not love, who would love him?”. Therefore, even his own children and relatives do not love such a person. A miser is always surrounded by difficulties in this world, in spite of having everything he does not enjoy good food, nor good clothes, he doesn’t have a decent home, no respect, no dignity, everyone considers him bad to the extent that his wife for whom he does everything, even they are not happy with him”. Miserliness is not confined only to your duty of sharing your wealth, but also whatever Allah has bestowed upon you, like, knowledge, wisdom, physical strength, even these should be shared, and one should not show miserliness. Otherwise, you will be liable to be punished. Anyone who has knowledge should spread it around, pass it on to others, otherwise he will be considered a miser and that will be a sin. In one hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “After Allah and his messenger, the most generous person is the one who acquired knowledge and then spread it”.
Besides miserliness, Quran and hadith have condemned other social evils like pride or self conceit, jealousy, etc.
Besides social evils, Islam has also given directions regarding social etiquette; this includes personal cleanliness, eating and drinking, community, meeting people, conversation, dress, and etiquettes regarding expression of joy and sorrow. At this time, I would like to discuss only the etiquette regarding moments of happiness and how to express them. There are a large number of occasions of happiness in one’s life, wealth , education and knowledge, position and promotion, marriages and festivals. On such occasions of happiness it is the duty of Muslims that they should congratulate their brothers and sisters in Islam and should join their moments of happiness, which was the way of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) himself, and his companions.
One of the occasions of collective happiness is a marriage. Islam has permitted singing and the beating of drums to express happiness so that everyone comes to know about it, and the news of Nikah is spread all around. In one hadith in Tirmizi, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “Singing and beating the drum makes the difference between halal and haram”. Once, Hazrat Aisha, the Prophet’s (p.b.u.h.) wife, arranged the marriage of one of her relatives with an Ansari, and bid farewell to her, at that time, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, ”Aisha, there was no accompaniment of singing during the wedding, despite the fact that the Ansar like singing”. In another narration, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said on the same occasion, “Why didn’t you send a slave girl with the bride who could keep on singing and beating the drum?” (Sahih Bukhari – Kitab al Nikah). Once there was a wedding going on, Abu Saud Ansari and another companion of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) were attending and listening to a song being sung by girls, meanwhile a “Tabae” (follower of the sahabi) Aamir bin Saad came over, and he objected to it, and said, “All this is going on in front of you two Badri(those who participated in Battle of Badr) companions?” they replied, “If you like sit down and listen, the Prophet had permitted us this on the occasion of weddings” (Nisai) (Seerat-ul-Nabi, volume six, page 381)
On the occasion of weddings, a feast for relatives and friends is a Sunnah, this is known as Walima. Whatever one can afford, one should accordingly be able to feed one’s relatives and friends. In one hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, “If nothing else, slaughter a goat and feed them with it” (Nisai). Two other collective occasions of happiness are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. It has been said that we should wear good dress and also use perfumes on these occasions, this is a Sunnah, and besides that, singing and legitimate games are permitted on occasions of happiness; Hazrat Aisha has stated that once on Eid day, some slave girls of Ansar were singing some verses, meanwhile Hazrat Abu Bakr (her father) came over and said, “This satanic action, and in the house of the Prophet?”. But the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) was there and replied, “Oh Abu Bakr, every community has a day of Eid, and this is our day of Eid.” (Seerat-ul-Nabi, volume six, page 388).
The Holy Quran and Ahadith, show us the way to live a better life and create an exemplary society, but unfortunately we remain ignorant fn the real message contained in them. The cause for most of our social evils is our inability to understand first hand the real and complete message of the Quran. We have been made to understand that it’s not possible for everyone to understand the Quran, but this is not true. We could consider this to be true to the extent that the Quran is in Arabic and we do not understand Arabic. For this purpose, either someone should translate and explain it, or we ourselves should read its authentic translation. If we depend upon the professional religious leaders to help us in this matter, it involves the risk that they would be connected with a particular school of thought and taking advantage of your ignorance, will present the reality in a different color, or in order to protect their own viewpoint, will not explain many points. Quran contains two kinds of ayats (verses) one is known as ‘Muhkamat’ and the other is known as ‘Muhtshabahat’. In Surah Al-e-Imran, verse 7, Allah says, “He it is Who has sent down to you The Book:in it are verses basic or fundamental clear (in meaning);they are the foundation to the Book i.e.Mother of the Book: others are not entirely clear .But those in whose hearts is perversity follow that part which is not entirely clear.seeking discord and searching for its interpretation,but none knows Its true meaning except Allah” ”. Ibn Kathir writes in his Tafseer, “Quran contains such ayats which are very clear and precise, everyone can understand their meaning, and there are some ayats, which generally cannot be comprehended. The mother of the book, (Umm-al-Kitab) that is, the real foundation of the book, contains clear and precise verses, do not indulge in doubts, and follow the clear commands”.
Allah’s commands which have direct bearing on our lives and the society are quite clear;we don’t need any religious experts to understand them,explain them or interpret them.In those ayats called muhkmats,which are also known as Nasus,there are clear directions for the muslims.They are so clear that it is not possible to make different interpretations or explanations.There are only 30 ayats which are called Ayat-al –Ahkam and there are about 70 ahadith which together form Shariat which provides us the guidelines in our personal,social and political matters.Legal matters are covered in about 500 ayats.The total number of ayats in the Quran are 6236
The ayats known as “mutshabihat”are a different matter.In these ayats most of the ayats are allegorical for example Adam and were told not to go near the tree but till this day nobody can say with any certainty what tree was it or is it only an allegorical reference.There are no commands in mutashabaihat.We have been advised not to be inquisitive about the meanings of those ayats because as Allah has said in the Quran that their true meanings are known only to Allah.
Thererfore,in addition to ritual worship the clear commands about haqooq al-ibad given in the Quran should be read by us with understanding and we should act upon them.The same applies to ahadith.We should study authentic collections of ahadith ourselves critically.Most of the elightened religious scholars agree that some ahadith even in the authentic collections are not above suspicion.
It has been observed generally that in many of the Islamic books,magazines and articles the ahadith quoted are not from the known authentic collections known as Siha-e-Sitta;in many cases no reference is made to the source of the hadith quoted.The writers try to make a point by quoting a weak hadith.Many of our so called religious leaders offer easy prescriptions to enter jannat and please the people and expand their clientele.They are all the time selling secrets of extra “Sawab” and short cuts to jannat in the same way as some people in Pakistan print and sell Guides and solved Matric and university examination question papers with hundred per cent guaranteed success.
We should study directly our prescribed syllabus of Islam contained in the Quran and ahadit,ponder over it and then act upon it which contains,among other things, clear and detailed commands regarding haqooq-al-ibad.Only after that we will be able to come out of our shells and fulfil our obligations towards others and thus please Allah and that is the way to the jannat promised by Allah.
