A Muslim as a first priority should strive to cleanse his
\n(spiritual) heart because heart is the leader of the body and all
\norgans are under its command. Our Prophet Muhammad \u2018sall-
\nAll\u00e2hu \u2019alaihi wa sal-lam\u2019 once said: \u201cThere is a piece of flesh
\nin the human body. If this is good, all the organs will be
\ngood. If this is evil, all the organs will be evil. This piece of
\n[1] Wal\u00ee (pl. Awliy\u00e2) means a person close and beloved to All\u00e2hu ta\u2019\u00e2l\u00e2.<\/p>\n
flesh is the heart.\u201d What is described in this had\u00eeth is not the
\nphysical heart but the spiritual heart which is located in the
\nphysical heart. The goodness of the flesh, as explained above,
\nmeans its being cleansed from vices and its assimilation of
\ngood morals (virtues). The physical appearance of a human
\nbeing is called (khalq). The power or state that exists in the
\nheart is called habits (khulq). Vices in the heart are called
\n\u201cmaladies of the heart\u201d or unacceptable morals (akhl\u00e2q alzam\u00eema).
\nTheir cure is a very difficult task. Correct treatment
\nrequires extremely sophisticated knowledge about the maladies
\nand correct methodology to apply this knowledge. Habits are
\nthe faculties (malakas) or states or desires in the heart. It is this
\npower in the spiritual heart which generates man\u2019s belief,
\nwords, actions. His optional behaviour also is the work of (this
\npower which is called his) khulq.<\/p>\n
\nChanging or transforming the state of the heart from
\nundesirable, unwanted, unacceptable morals or habits to
\ndesirable, good habits is possible. Our Prophet \u2018sall-All\u00e2hu
\n\u2019alaihi wa sal-lam\u2019 once said, \u201cImprove your morals (habits or
\ncharacter).\u201d Islam does not contain commandments that
\ncannot be accomplished. Experiences also show that this is the
\ncase. [Experience is only one of the three true-knowledgeacquirement
\nmethods. The other two true-knowledgeacquirement-
\nmethods are understanding through calculation
\nand information passed to us by our Prophet.] Human beings
\ndo not share equal abilities to correct their unacceptable,
\ndeficient morals.
\nOrigin or source or fountain of morals is three powers
\ninherent in the human soul. The first one is the power of
\nunderstanding (comprehension) of the soul. This is also called
\n\u201cnutq\u201d or wisdom (\u2019aql). The first and second powers of \u201cnutq\u201d
\nare theoretical knowledge (hikmat al-nazar\u00ee) and practical
\nknowledge (hikmat al-\u2019amal\u00ee) respectively. Theoretical
\nknowledge which exists in average proportions is called reason
\n(hikmat). Reason is the power that differentiates between virtue
\nand vice; right and wrong; and good and evil. A state of excess
\nin this power is termed jarbaza (the state of being a wiseacre).
\nA person who suffers from this excess tries to understand
\nthings beyond comprehension. For example, he tries to
\ninterpret verses of the Qur\u2019\u00e2n with hidden or metaphorical
\nmeanings (mutash\u00e2b\u00eeh \u00e2yats) or talks about fate and destiny<\/p>\n
or occupies himself with futile pursuits such as deceit, trickery,
\nand sorcery. Conversely, inadequacy of this power is termed
\nidiocy (bal\u00e2dat). A person suffering from this inadequacy
\ncannot differentiate between vice and virtue. When the practical
\npower of nutq (wisdom) exists in an average intensity, this state
\nis called justice (\u2019ad\u00e2lat). There cannot be paucity or plentitude
\nin justice.
\nThe second power of the sources of morals is wrath
\n(ghadab). It is the bestial aspect of the soul. Things which it
\ndislikes and loathes stir its blood. When this force is subdued to
\na reasonable intensity by the human aspect of the soul, it
\ndevelops into bravery (shaj\u00e2\u2019at), which prompts man to
\npractical and useful enterprises. Examples of this are Muslims\u2019
\nfighting against disbelievers whose numbers are more than
\ndouble theirs and their saving the oppressed from their
\noppressors. An excess in this force is tahawwur, which causes
\naggressiveness. A person with this temperament becomes
\nangry fast. If this power exists in less than average proportions,
\nit is called cowardice (jubn). A person having this character will
\nnot be able to attempt to do the necessary actions.
\nThe third power of the human soul is appetite (shahwat). It
\nis the bestial soul\u2019s desiring the things that it likes. The human
\naspect of the soul mollifies this desire into what we call chastity
\n(iffat), or honor. A person who has chastity gratifies the needs
\nof his nature in a manner prescibed by Islam and compatible
\nwith humanity. Excess in this is called greed or debauchery
\n(sharah). A person having this character tries to obtain all his
\ndesires and wishes without regard to laws or others\u2019 rights.
\nWhen appetite is less than average proportions in one\u2019s nature,
\nit causes a lazy character (hum\u00fbd). A person with this
\ncharacter will not even try to get things that are necessary for
\nhimself either because of his extreme sense of shame, fear or
\npride, or because of his (psychological) illness.
\nThe aforesaid four temperate forces, i.e. hikmat (reason),
\n\u2019ad\u00e2lat (justice), iffat (chastity), and shaj\u00e2\u2019at (bravery), are the
\nessence of all virtues. When a person adapts himself to hikmat,
\nwhich is one of the three forces of the soul, he overcomes the
\nother two forces of the bestial soul, i.e., ghadab and shahwat,
\nand attains happiness by developing these two excesses into
\niffat (chastity) and shaj\u00e2\u2019at (bravery). If the theoretical force of
\nwisdom fails to abide by hikmat, which is its temperate degree,<\/p>\n
and overflows unto either one of the vicious extremities, vices
\nwill appear. All six extremities are always evil. In fact, even the
\nfour temperate forces are evil when they are employed for evil
\npurposes. Examples of employing hikmat for evil purposes are:
\nto go into a religious career for the purpose of an easy
\ncompetence or a high position, and to perform (the daily
\nprayers termed) nam\u00e2z or (the struggle for the promulgation
\nand propagation of Islam, which should be done only to please
\nAll\u00e2hu ta\u2019\u00e2l\u00e2 and which is termed) jih\u00e2d for ostentation. On the
\nother hand, abstention from a certain kind of pleasure in order
\nto gratify one\u2019s desire to enjoy another kind of pleasure would
\nbe a good example of misusing iffat.
\nEach of the four main virtues is recognized by their
\nattributes. For example, wisdom has seven attributes. Bravery
\nand chastity have eleven attributes each.
\nREMEDY FOR THE VICES: A medicine that would be a
\ncommon cure for all the vices is the recognition of the illness
\nand things that are harmful to it, its cause, its opposite case, as
\nwell as effects of the medicine. The next step would be the
\ndiagnosis of the illness, which is done either by self-research or
\nunder the supervision of a guide, i.e. an \u2019\u00e2lim (a deeply learned
\nIslamic scholar). A Believer is another Believer\u2019s mirror. Selfdiagnosis
\nof one\u2019s faults is a difficult task. A recommendable
\nway of knowing your own faults, therefore, would be to consult
\nwith a dependable friend. A faithful friend is one who will protect
\nyou against dangers and fearful situations. Such a friend is hard
\nto come by. It is to this effect that Im\u00e2m Sh\u00e2fi\u2019\u00ee \u2018rahmatull\u00e2hi
\n\u2019aleyh\u2019 stated:
\nA staunch friend and true medicine,
\nAre hard to find, waste not your time.
\nAnd Hadrat \u2019Umar \u2018radiy-All\u00e2hu \u2019anh\u2019 stated:
\nMy friend\u2019s warned me about my fault,
\nThis is the true essence of brotherhood.
\nSince your adversaries will always be seeking ways for
\ncriticizing you, they will fling your shortcomings to your teeth
\nonce they find them. Such inimical comments therefore can be
\nexploited as efficient references to learn about your faults.
\nGood friends, by contrast, will mostly be inclined to overlook
\nyour faults. One day, someone begged Hadrat Ibr\u00e2h\u00eem Ad-ham,
\n(a great Islamic scholar and a Wal\u00ee,) to tell him about his faults<\/p>\n
and shortcomings. \u201cI have made a friend of you. So, all your
\nmanners and ways appear nice to me. Ask someone else about
\nyour faults,\u201d was the great scholar\u2019s reply. Another way of
\nrecognizing your shortcomings is to observe others\u2019 faults.
\nWhen you observe others\u2019 faults, you should try and see if you
\nhave the same fault(s), and, if you see that you do, you should
\ntry to get rid of them. This way of identifying vices is another
\nmethod for curing the vices and is the meaning of the following
\nhad\u00eeth, \u201cA Believer (Mu\u2019min) is a mirror of another
\nBeliever.\u201d In other words, you identify your own faults in others\u2019
\nfaults. When Jesus (\u00ces\u00e2 \u2018alaihis-sal\u00e2m\u2019) was asked who he had
\nlearned his virtues from, he answered: \u201cI did not learn them
\nfrom anyone. I looked at others, observed the things I did not
\nlike and I avoided doing the same, copying and imitating the
\nthings I liked.\u201d When the famous doctor Lokman was asked
\nwho he had learned manners from, he replied, \u201cFrom people
\nwithout manners!\u201d Reading about the biographies and episodes
\nof Islamic luminaries, such as the (blessed people called) Salaf
\nas-s\u00e2lih\u00een, the Sah\u00e2ba, and other Awliy\u00e2 \u2018rahmatull\u00e2hi \u2019alaihim
\najma\u2019\u00een\u2019, is another way of forming good habits.[1]
\nA person who has a vice should search for the reason
\n(cause) of his contracting that vice. He should try to eliminating
\nthis cause and then try to get rid of it by doing its opposite. He
\nshould try very hard to do the opposite of the vice for getting rid
\nof it. For, getting rid of a vice is very difficult. The nafs loves evil
\nand ugly things.
\nAnother useful medicine for getting rid of vices is to establish
\na method of retribution. For example, when one commits a vice,
\nimmediately afterwards, one should do some action one\u2019s nafs
\ndoes not like. A good way of accomplishing this is to take an
\noath. Namely, one should take an oath to the effect that if one
\ncommits a vice, one will do extra goodness such as giving alms,
\nfasting or performing sal\u00e2ts. Since one\u2019s nafs never likes to do
\nextra prayers, one will stop committing vices. Another useful
\nmedicine is reading or hearing from others about those vices
\nwhich produce harmful results. Many had\u00eeths inform us about
\nthe harms of vices. Some of them are:
\n[1] For terms such as Wal\u00ee, Awliy\u00e2 (pl. of Wal\u00ee), the Sah\u00e2ba, Salaf ass\u00e2lih\u00een,
\nsee our other publications, e.g. Sah\u00e2ba \u2018The Blessed\u2019,
\navailable from Hak\u00eekat Kit\u00e2bevi, F\u00e2tih, Istanbul, Turkey.<\/p>\n
1\u2013 \u201cIn the sight of All\u00e2hu ta\u2019\u00e2l\u00e2, there is no sin graver
\nthan vices.\u201d For, those who commit vices are not aware that
\nthey are committing sins. Therefore, they do not repent for their
\nsins so that their sins accumulate and increase many folds.
\n2\u2013 \u201cThe one sin which human beings commit without
\nany hesitation or reservation is being a person with vices.\u201d
\n3\u2013 \u201cThere is a repentance for every sort of sin but there
\nis none for vices. Instead of repenting for a certain vice,
\nthe offender commits something worse.\u201d
\n4\u2013 \u201cAs hot water melts an ice cube, likewise virtues melt
\nmistakes and errors. As vinegar destroys honey, likewise
\nvices destroy rewards (thaw\u00e2bs) for good deeds.\u201d
\nJustice (\u2019adalat), chastity (iffat), bravery (shaj\u00e2\u2019at) and
\nwisdom (hikmat), when they are not used with evil intentions
\nare the sources of all virtues. One should associate with pious
\n(s\u00e2lih) and good-natured people in order to be a good-natured
\nperson or to protect one\u2019s virtues. A person\u2019s akhl\u00e2q will be like
\nhis companion\u2019s habits. Akhl\u00e2q is contagious like a disease.
\nOne should not make friends with ill-humoured people. It is
\nstated as follows in a had\u00eeth-i-sher\u00eef: \u201cA person\u2019s faith will be
\nlike his companion\u2019s.\u201d One should shun from useless
\noccupations and games, harmful jokes, and quarrels. One
\nshould learn knowledge and do useful deeds. One should not
\nread books that undermine one\u2019s morals or which promotes sex
\nand should not watch television programs or listen to radio
\nprograms destructive of moral values or which arouse sexual
\ndesires. One should constantly remind oneself of the benefits of
\nvirtues and harmful effects of Islam\u2019s prohibitions and the
\npunishment they will incur in Hell. None of the pursuers of
\nwealth and position has attained his wish. However, those who
\nhave wanted rank and worldly possessions to do good deeds
\nwith them have lived comfortably and happily. Worldly ranks
\nand possessions should not be one\u2019s goals but instead they
\nshould be vehicles to do goodness to others. Worldly ranks and
\npossessions are like an ocean and many people are drowned in
\nthat ocean. Fear of All\u00e2hu ta\u2019\u00e2l\u00e2 is the ship which one needs to
\nsurvive in that ocean. Our Prophet \u2018sall-All\u00e2hu \u2019alaihi wa sallam\u2019
\nonce said, \u201cOne should live in the world not like a
\npermanent resident but like a traveler, and should never
\nforget that he will die!\u201d Human beings will not live in this world<\/p>\n
forever. When one is absorbed in worldly pleasures, one\u2019s<\/span><\/strong> angry as he may be.\u201d He will have no fears or anxieties. The <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ————–<\/p>\n source\u00a0 : ETHICS OF ISLAM A Muslim as a first priority should strive to cleanse his (spiritual) heart because heart is the leader of the body and all organs are under its command. Our Prophet Muhammad \u2018sall- All\u00e2hu \u2019alaihi...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[27],"class_list":["post-640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ethics-in-islam","tag-ethics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=640"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":642,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640\/revisions\/642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investigate-islam.com\/web\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\ntroubles, worries and distress will increase. The following<\/span><\/strong>
\nhad\u00eeths should never be forgotten:<\/span><\/strong>
\n1\u2013 \u201cA slave of All\u00e2hu ta\u2019\u00e2l\u00e2 who has not performed
\nmany acts of worship will have high grades in the Hereafter
\nif he has good morals.\u201d
\n2\u2013 \u201cThe easiest and the most useful worship is to talk
\nlittle and to be a good-natured person.\u201d
\n3\u2013 \u201cA slave of All\u00e2hu ta\u2019\u00e2l\u00e2 may have many worships
\nbut, his evil humour will deliver him into the depths of hell.
\nIt will sometimes lead him into disbelief.\u201d
\n4\u2013 It is reported that once the Sah\u00e2ba \u2018radiy-All\u00e2hu \u2019anhum\u2019
\ntold of a very devout worshipper to the Messenger of Allah \u2018sall-
\nAll\u00e2hu \u2019alaihi wa sal-lam\u2019. That person was spending his days
\nfasting and his nights praying, yet he was bad tempered.
\nRas\u00fblullah \u2018sall-All\u00e2hu \u2019alaihi wa sal-lam\u2019 answered, \u201cIt is not a
\ngood state. His destination will be Hell fire.\u201d
\n5\u2013 \u201cI was sent to complement the virtues and to help
\npeople so that they may assimilate these virtues.\u201d The
\nvirtues also existed in the previously sent monotheistic
\nreligions. Islam was sent to complement those virtues. Since
\nthis religion exists with all the good commandments and habits,
\nthere is no need for another source to inform us regarding the
\nvirtues. Therefore, no other prophet will come after the Prophet
\nMuhammad \u2018sall-All\u00e2hu \u2019alaihi wa sal-lam\u2019.
\n6\u2013 \u201cA good-natured person will attain both worldly and
\nnext worldly happiness.\u201d A person with virtues performs his
\nobligations toward All\u00e2hu ta\u2019\u00e2l\u00e2 and His creatures.
\n7\u2013 \u201cHell fire will not burn a person who has a good
\nnature and a beautiful physical appearance.\u201d
\n8\u2013 \u201cTo be good-natured means to keep close to (and to
\nbe in good terms with) those who keep away from you, to
\nforgive those who have hurt you, and to be generous to
\nthose who have been miserly toward you.\u201d A good-natured
\nperson will do goodness to those who keep cross with him or
\nhe will forgive those who harm his honor or hurt him physically
\nor materially.
\n9\u2013 \u201cAll\u00e2hu ta\u2019\u00e2l\u00e2 will fill the heart of a person with belief
\nand trustworthiness if he treats others with soft manners<\/p>\n
\nbest of all virtues is to do goodness to people who treat you
\nimproperly. This behavior is a sign of maturity and it converts
\nyour enemies into friends. Im\u00e2m Ghaz\u00e2l\u00ee \u2018rahmatull\u00e2hi \u2019aleyh\u2019
\nsays that he has read the following statements in the Inj\u00eel
\n(Bible), which was revealed to \u00ces\u00e2 (Jesus) \u2018alaihis-sal\u00e2m\u2019: \u201cBut I
\nsay unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite
\nthee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.\u201d \u201cAnd if any
\nman will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him
\nhave thy cloak also.\u201d (Matt: 5-39,40)[1] Books inform us about
\nthe cruelties, oppression and torture of Muslims and Jews by
\nChristians in Spain during the Spanish inquisitions, in India, in
\nBosnia-Herzegovina and in Jerusalem as well as against each
\nother by the Inquisition courts. Their uncivilized behavior proves
\nthat they are not following the true teachings of the Inj\u00eel.
\nEvery Muslim should get rid of vices residing in his heart and
\nreplace them with virtues. One cannot be a good-natured
\nperson by replacing a few vices with a few good ones. A Sufi
\norder is the path which makes one attain maturity, i.e.,
\nperfection in all virtues. [A path that cannot provide this maturity
\ncannot be called a Sufi path. As it often happens, there are
\nsham practitioners in every field of endeavor. Likewise, there
\nare some in the field of knowledge and Sufi Path (tar\u00eeqat) who
\nrepresent themselves as shaikhs (spiritual guides). In reality,
\nthey know nothing about the real Islam and beautiful moral
\nteachings of Islam. We should avoid these types and their
\ntraps.]
\nSixty vices are well known. We translated and included forty
\nof them in forty sub-chapters. A person who avoids these vices
\nand does their opposites will be a virtuous or good-natured
\nperson.<\/p>\n
\nAl\u00ee bin Emrullah Muhammed H\u00e2dim\u00ee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"