Thanks be to Allah, the
Lord of the worlds. Peace and prayers be upon the
most honorable of all messengers Mohammad; and all his folks, companions, and
followers to the day they are all summoned together.
Dear brothers
and sisters, we all know that good ethics and character is the main aim for
the message of Islam. The messenger said: “I was only sent to complement the
virtues of ethics”
Allah said:
{It is not piety, righteousness, and obedience to Allah, that you turn your
faces towards east and (or) west; but piety and righteousness is the one who
believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives
money, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to the
poor, and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free,
performs prayers, and gives charity, and who fulfill their covenant when they
make it, and the patient ones in extreme poverty and ailment or calamity, and
at rough times as during battles. Such are the people of the truth and they
are pious and fearing- V.177:2).
Good ethic and
character is the proof to belief. In fact belief has no value with out good
ethics. The messenger PPBU said [belief is not through wishing it, but it is
what stays in the heart and the action to verify it].
What are the
conditions, signs, types benefits of good ethics. This is what this Friday’s
talk is about.
First: the definition of best of ethics.
Linguistically, it is the character or nature of an individual, basic human
ethics, prowess and religion.
Religiously,
ethics and character, is a firm state of mind and soul which is the source
which initiates actions, good and bad, without thinking.
Best of
ethics: is a firm state which initiates good acts without the need to think.
Secondly, How important is the good ethics:
1) The real truth in messenger’s message.
2) Allah’ loves good ethics.
3) Through good ethics many will be
elevated in status, and without such ethics many, their status will be
dropped.
4) The ethics and standards of the
Messenger PPBU were of the highest and best standard. He said [The best of you
are those with the best of ethics]
Thirdly: Conditions for good ethics:
1)
The sincerity to
Allah for all acts
2)
The source of the
ethics has to be Koran and the Sunnah.
One who does a
good ethical act; it must have no intention purely for a worldly benefit or
purpose. The act must be purely for Allah. The act or ethic must be according
to the Koran and Sunna.
Fourthly, the signs of good ethics:
There are two
signs, if an individual has those two signs then he/she will know that they
possess good ethics and must maintain and nourish it:
1)
Wishing good for
other fellow Muslims. The Messenger PPBU said: [None of you is a believer
until he/she loves for his brother what he would love for himself.]
2)
Toleration to hurt
and wrong doings of others. In this respect there are 11 different levels or
attitudes in different situations when faced with natural or man inflicted
calamities or oppression, and they are:
1.
Accepting fate:
Believing what happens to an individual only happens due to Allah’s well and
predestined fate. Allah says: {No calamity befalls on the earth or in
yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees, before we bring it into
existence, verily, that is easy for Allah * In order that you may not be sad
over matters that you fail to get, nor rejoice because of that which has been
given to you. And Allah likes not prideful boasters.} 22,23 Hadeed.
2.
Patience:
Allah says: {You shall certainly be tried
and tested in your wealth and properties and
in your personal selves, and you shall certainly hear much that will grieve
you from those who received the Scripture before you, and from those who
ascribe partners to Allah, but if you persevere patiently, and become the
pious fearing then verily, that will be a determining factor in all affairs,
and that is from the great matters, which you must hold on with all your
efforts.} 186 Al-IEmran. Allah also said: {and verily, whosoever shows
patience and forgives, that would truly be from the things recommended by
Allah} aya 43-ashoura 42.
3.
Forgiving and keeping cool:
The messenger PPBU said: [A slave who forgives, Allah gives him more pride and
status]. And Allah said: {The recompense for an evil is an evil like thereof,
but whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah.
Verily, He likes not the oppressors.}
4.
Acceptance and satisfaction:
This is a higher level than forgiving.
5.
Responding with goodness:
Responding to the aggressor with goodness. Allah said: {The good deed and the
evil deed can not be equal. Repel the evil with one which is better, then
verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, will become as though he was
a close friend}.
6.
Safety and calmness of the heart:
This is where heart and mind do not remain busy worrying about the hurt that
took place and how to revenge.
7.
Security:
When one does not keep on thinking and worrying about revenge will also avoid
something even worse. For if he does take revenge, and then counter revenge
can reoccur. One can get into the cycle of enmity.
8.
Jihad:
That is being hurt by people because of one’s jihad or striving in the line of
Allah, by commending and soliciting good and deterring evil, establishing
Allah’s religion. When Abu-Baker was going to punish those who destroyed and
killed many Muslims, Omar recommended (and his recommendation was taken) that
those who lost lives and monies was lost for the sake of Allah, and Allah will
reward for it, and no compensation is taken for a Saheed (or one who dies in
the line of Allah). Allah said quoted prophet Loqman’s advice to his son
saying: {O my son, do your prayers, solicit good and deter evil, and bear with
patience whatever befall you. Verily, these are some of the important
commandments ordered by Allah}.
9.
Taking the tragedy as a Mercy:
In many ways more than one what may seem as bad happening to an individual can
be a mercy from Allah.
i.
For it is a mercy to
be a victim awaiting reward and victory from Allah rather than be an aggressor
awaiting the punishment from Allah.
ii.
Also, sins can be
cleared for an individual in this worldly life rather than be punished for
them in the life after. That can happen by hearts or calamities befall on to
him/her.
iii.
In a third manner,
one can take the calamity to be better than a bigger one. And remembering that
any calamity can be handled but the true catastrophic calamity is the disaster
of loosing the religion.
iv.
Receiving reward for
such heart on that day of real need. Allah said: {Only those who are patient
shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning. (or without being
brought to an account)}
10.
Similarity with the messenger PPBU and other
prophets. One can be satisfied by put
in similar situations and take similar actions like Allah’s messengers and
prophets and the chosen ones. They were the ones who were tested by the most
suffering inflicted by other people.
11.
The Oneness of Allah.
For this that loves Allah, and is sincere to Allah, and prefers Allah’s
satisfaction to his, those who feel safe with Allah, and those who trust in
and rely on Allah, those will not feel for people’s heart.
Fifth: Types of ethics
1)
Given ethics:
Some ethics the individual is created and molded into. These are the ethics
one is born with.
2)
Acquired ethics:
are those that one learns and adapts to by interacting with people round him.
Those ethics an individual will try to learn and adheres to on his own or with
the help of the good friends. One would also ask Allah to improve his standard
of ethics.
The messenger PPBU was reported saying:
“Knowledge is through learning, discretion is through wisdom, and he who seeks
goodness shall be given it, and he who avoids evil shall be protected from it”
He was also reported saying: “Every man will
take up the religion of his mate, so, let each of you see who they become
friends with”
Sixth: The benefits of good ethics.
