The Reality of Virtue in the light of Ayah Al-Bir By Dr.
Muhammad Haq Slide 2 2:177 ) Slide 3 In the name of Allah, the
Merciful, the Compassionate It is no virtue. That you turn your
faces towards the east or the west, but virtue is that one should
sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the
Book and the Prophets and, out of His love, spend of one's choice
wealth for relatives and orphans, for the needy and the wayfarer,
for beggars and for the ransom of slaves, and establish the Salat
and pay the Zakat. And the virtuous are those who keep their
pledges when they make them and show fortitude in hardships and
adversity and in the struggle between the Truth and falsehood; such
are the truthful people and such are the pious. (2:177) Slide 4
Points to be noted, regarding the division of The Holy Quran This
is one of the longest verse (Ayah) in The Holy Quran. There are
short as well as long Surah (chapters) in the Holy Quran. There are
short as well as long Ayat (verses) in the Holy Quran. There are
verses that consist of only one word. e.g. Slide 5 For example:
103:1 By the time! (103:1) Vocables of The Holy Quran ( Huruf
Muqatta'at) The longest Surah (chapter) is Al-Baqarah(The Cow) and
it consists of 286 verses. All the above division of the Glorious
Quran is termed as Tauqeefi. Slide 6 What Tauqeefi means ? No
grammar rule or logic is involved while classifying the Quran. It
does not depend upon human thinking. All this came into our
knowledge as the Holy Prophet told us. So it is called Tauqeefi
Slide 7 The relationship and resemblance between Surah Al-Asr and
Ayah Al-Bir. Four requirements for human salvation Faith Good deeds
Exhortation to truth Exhortation to patience Slide 8 Elaboration of
Faith in Ayah Al-Bir Al-AsrAyah Al-Bir Faith Allah The Last Day The
Angels The Book The Prophets Slide 9 The Faith is like a bud (an
unblown flower) in Surah Al-Asr whereas in Ayah Al-Bir it has
already blown and have five petals. Slide 10 Elaboration of Good
Deeds in Ayah Al-Bir Al-AsrAyah Al-Bir Good Deeds Spending of one's
choice wealth for relatives and orphans, for the needy and the
wayfarer, for beggars and for the ransom of slaves Establishing the
Salat and pay the Zakat Keeping their pledges when they make them
Slide 11 Elaboration of Good Deeds in Ayah Al-Bir Al-AsrAyah Al-Bir
Good Deeds Service to humanity, human sympathy, charity- spend of
one's choice wealth to the needy Worship of God or Religious
rituals- Salat and Zakat Our Dealings with others- keep ones pledge
Slide 12 The Good deeds is like a stem of a tree in Surah Al-Asr
whereas in Ayah Al-Bir it has three branches. Slide 13 Elaboration
of Exhortation to patience in Ayah Al-Bir Al-AsrAyah Al-Bir
Exhortation to Patience Showing fortitude in Hardships Adversity
The struggle between the Truth and falsehood; Slide 14 Elaboration
of Exhortation to patience in Ayah Al-Bir Al-AsrAyah Al-Bir
Exhortation to Patience Showing fortitude in Hardships-poverty,
live hand to mouth, make both ends meet Adversity-physical or
mental torture, illness, perilless The struggle between the Truth
and falsehood- battlefield, war Slide 15 The so-called concept of
virtue, piety or righteousness in the society Business People:
Perform religious rituals, give charity to the Islamic centres and
respect the Islamic Scholars(Imams). But at the same time are
involved in smuggling, black- marketing, tax evasion, hoarding
goods, lack of softness in their hearts, inconsiderate, cruel and
miser person Slide 16 The so-called concept of virtue, piety or
righteousness in the society Modern qualified people: Performing
assigned duties duty properly, honestly and professionally. But On
the other hand they consider religious duties as a private matter
Slide 17 The so-called concept of virtue, piety or righteousness in
the society So-called Religious People: They normally focus on the
appearance of the mode of Worships But neglect the spirit and inner
of these religious duties. They just pay attention on performing
prayers but are unaware of its spirit and reality. Slide 18 Outward
Appearance of Moral and Religious Observances In the first part of
this verse a particular view of moral rectitude and righteousness
has been negated, that of pure formalism and ritualism. Some
devoutly religious persons exhibit this attitude when they assign
utmost importance to outward appearance of moral and religious
observances to the total neglect of their inner spirit and meaning.
Quite understandably many people, as a reaction to the ritualistic
soulless moralism of religious people, turn to secular ethics.
Islam, on the other hand, always warns against superficial concepts
and rituals, against lifeless formalities and non-effective
beliefs. Slide 19 Concept of Morality in Islam It centres around
certain basic metaphysical beliefs and principles. Among these are
the following : God is the creator and Source of all goodness,
truth and beauty. Man is a responsible, dignified, and honorable
agent of his Creator. By His Mercy and Wisdom, God does not expect
the impossible from man or hold him accountable for anything beyond
his power. Nor does God forbid man to enjoy the good things of
life. Moderation, practicality, and balance are the guarantees of
high integrity and sound morality. Mans ultimate responsibility is
to God and his highest goal is the pleasure of his Creator. Slide
20 The Dimensions of Moral Righteousness The dimensions of moral
righteousness in Islam are numerous, far reaching and
comprehensive. The Islamic morals deal with the relationship
between man and God, man and his fellow-men, man and other elements
and creatures of the universe, man and his innermost self. A Muslim
has to guard his external behaviour and his manifest deeds, his
words and his thoughts, his feelings and intentions. Slide 21 The
Dimensions of Moral Righteousness In a general sense, his role is
to champion what is right and fight what is wrong, seek what is
true and abandon what is false, cherish what is beautiful and
wholesome and avoid what is indecent. Truth and moral virtue are
his goal. Humility and simplicity, courtesy and compassion, are his
second nature. To him, arrogance and vanity, harshness and
indifference, are distasteful, offensive, and displeasing to God.
Slide 22 Verses About the Change of Qiblah The Holy Quran Says: Of
course, the foolish people will say, "What has turned them abruptly
away from the Qiblah towards which they formerly used to turn their
faces in prayer? Tell them, O Messenger, `'East and West all belong
to Allah; He shows the Right Way to anyone He wills. Thus have We
made you a Community of the "Golden Mean" so that you may be
witnesses in regard to mankind and the Messenger may be a witness
in regard to you. (2-142) Slide 23 The Holy Quran Says: We have
seen you (O Muhammad), turning your face over and over again
towards Heaven. Now, therefore, We turn you towards the Qiblah that
you like best: so turn your face towards the Masjid Haram.
Henceforth, where so ever you may be, turn your face at prayer
towards it. The people who were given the Book know it well that
the commandment (about the change of Qiblah) is in fact from their
Lord, and is based on the Truth, but Allah is not unaware of what
they are doing (in spite of this) [2-144] Slide 24 The Holy Quran
Says: Everyone has a direction towards which he turns in Prayer: so
try to excel one another in good works. Allah will find you where
so ever you be, for nothing is out of Allah's reach. [2-148] Slide
25 The Holy Quran Says: At whatever place you may be, turn your
face towards Masjid Haram (at Prayer time) for this is, in fact, a
Commandment of your Lord, and Allah is not unaware of what you do.
At whatever place you may be, you must turn your face towards the
Masjid Haram, and wherever you may be, you must turn your face
towards the same at prayer so that people might not find an
argument against you. As for the unjust people, they will never
stop talking; so do not fear them but fear Me -- (Do this) so that
I may complete My favour upon you and you may find the way to real
success. [2-150] Slide 26 Story regarding the Change of Qiblah
After the Hijrah the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) continued to
turn his face in the Prayer towards the Temple (at Jerusalem) for
about 16 or 17 months; then he was commanded to turn his face
towards the Ka'bah (at Makkah). This change of the Qiblah
(direction of Prayer) with its implications has been described in
detail in the succeeding verses. Contd Slide 27 Story regarding the
Change of Qiblah This is the commandment for the change of the
Qiblah, which was enjoined in Rajab or Sha'ban, A.H. 2. When this
was revealed, according to Ibn Sa'd, the Holy Prophet was leading
the Zuhr (early afternoon) prayer in the house of Bishr bin Bara'
bin Ma'rur where he had gone in response to an invitation. This
verse was revealed when he had gone through half of the prayer. lie
at once turned his face towards the Ka'bah during the prayer and
those who were saying their Prayer following his lead did the same.
Slide 28 Those foolish people who did not have the sense to
appreciate the true significance of this change began to raise
different kinds of objections in order to create doubts in the
minds of the Believers. Being narrow- minded, they thought that
Allah was confined to a particular point or direction and the
change of Qiblah meant turning away from Him. This absurd objection
has been removed by the declaration that east, west and all other
directions belong to Allah. The fact that the Qiblah lies in a
certain direction does not mean that Allah is confined to that
direction only. Those people who are blessed with guidance cannot
entertain such narrow ideas. Objections Raised by Foolish People
& its Refutation Slide 29 The Declaration of the Leadership of
the Muslim Community "Thus" refers both to the Guidance of Allah
which was sent through Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) and to
the change of the Qiblah. It was by following the Guidance that the
Muslims achieved those excellences which led to their appointment
as the "Community of the Golden Mean," and it was the change of the
Qiblah from the Temple to the Ka`bah that was an indication that
the Israelites had been deposed from the leadership and the Muslims
had been appointed to it. Slide 30 Therefore the change of the
Qiblah from the Temple to the Ka`bah was not merely a change of
direction as the foolish people took it to be, but it was really
the formal declaration of the change of leadership from the
Israelites to the followers of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon
him). Change of Qiblah - Change of Leadership Slide 31 Separating
the Believers from the Slaves of Prejudice and Racialism The change
of the Qiblah also served to separate the Believers from the slaves
of prejudice and racialism. On the one side, there were the Arabs
who were not ready to give up their own Ka'bah and to adopt the
Temple at Jerusalem as the Qiblah. They were tried first. It was a
hard test but the sincere believers passed successfully through
this and the worshippers of the idol of nationalism failed. Contd
Slide 32 Now when the Qiblah was changed from Jerusalem to the
Ka'bah, those Jews and Christians who had embraced Islam were put
to the test. It was very difficult for them to accept any other
Qiblah than the one of their forefathers. Thus the worshippers of
race, who turned back from Islam were separated from the
worshippers of Allah and fatally the worshippers of Allah only
remained with the Holy Prophet. Test of Their Belief Slide 33
Importance of the Topic In Islam, the first and foremost goal is
the inner, moral progress of man, and therefore the ethical
considerations overrule the purely utilitarian. In the contemporary
world the situation is unfortunately just the opposite. The
consideration of material utility and physical comfort dominates
all manifestations of human activity, and ethics are being
relegated to an obscure background of life and condemned to merely
a theoretical position without the slightest power of influencing
the human community. Slide 34 Ethics constitutes an essential
aspect of mans intrinsic nature : it is part of his ontological
substance. The sense of right and wrong fulfils a psychical demand
emanating from a mans inner being, just as water and air fulfill
our basic needs for physical existence. The inner non-corporeal
component of man the spiritual core or soul requires nourishment
through gratification of its moral demands. In this sense, some
conception of moral righteousness or piety is inalienable from
human life. On deeper analysis it would become clear that even
socially undesirable elements have a sense of righteousness and
observe a code of ethics to gratify it. Pace Durkheim, a minimal
sense of ethics (good, virtue) is unavoidable, and hence his notion
of anomie or a state of normlessness is a pure fiction. Slide 35
The literal meaning of Bir(virtue) The Term Birr ( ) is derived
from the root ( ) which means Godliness, righteousness, probity,
kindness, charitable gift. It is common knowledge that when a
person sets his feet on shore after a long sailing in rough seas he
feels a great relief. He is never sure of his safety in the ocean,
but he feels sure-footed and comfortable when he has landed on the
ground. This comfort and peace of mind is the reality of this word.
Slide 36 Saying of The Holy Prophet (PBUH) This very sense of
righteousness (virtue or charity) has been beautifully conveyed
thus by the Prophets saying: "Give up whatever pricks your heart".
(al-Bukhari) Slide 37 Poem-Charity Charities that soothe and heal
and bless, Are scattered over the feet of men like flowers, No
mystery is here no special boon, For the high and nor for the low,
The smoke ascends as high from the hearth of a humble cottage, As
from that of a haughty palace. Slide 38 The Mutual Relationship
between Faith and Virtue Why Faith comes first in the discussion of
virtue? What are the moral values? Are these values permanent or
subject to change with the passage of time? What is the motive
behind virtue despite facing hardships and difficulties? Slide 39
The Holy Quran Says: 91:7 And by the soul and by Him Who perfectly
proportioned it. (91:7) 91:8 And imbued it with (the consciousness
of) its evil and its piety: (91:8) Slide 40 Awareness of
Universally valid Norms In Islam, man by nature (i.e., fitrah) has
an awareness of the universally valid moral norms. To every man
this awareness is potentially given, even though actually distorted
by culture, education, and his existential estrangement from his
true being. The Divine law is creatively present both in the laws
of nature and in the natural moral laws of the human mind. A man
who performs morally vicious actions, feels a consciousness of
estrangement from, and contradiction of, his essential being.
According to the Quran, the original nature of man is essentially
good. Slide 41 According to a western philosopher Kant : First Book
- Critique of pure reason no need of any belief for morality Second
Book - Critique of practical reason must have faith in God as base
of moral values Slide 42 Two Motives for Morality Faith in God is a
positive motive to please Allah. Believe in the Last day is a sense
of accountability. Slide 43 The Base of our Deeds The Holy Quran
Says: It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah. it
is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to
you, that ye may glorify Allah for His Guidance to you and proclaim
the good news to all who do right. (33-37) Slide 44 The Holy Quran
Says: You can never attain piety unless you spend (in the way of
Allah) of what you love; surely Allah will have full knowledge of
what you spend. [3-92] Slide 45 Saying of The Holy Prophet Narrated
'Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward
of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the
reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for
worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for
what he emigrated for." Slide 46 Saying of The Holy Prophet Slide
47 Virtue and Prophethood The Holy Quran Says: Ye have indeed in
the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one
whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in
the Praise of Allah. (33-21) Slide 48 Believe in angels,books and
prophets is actually Prophethood Virtue should remain within the
limits and must not cross the boundary line Slide 49 Doctrine of
Pessimism Disgusted with the Buddhist or Tayag doctrine of
pessimism that this world is full of evil and consequently no good
can come out of it, some thinkers have taken refuge in the opposite
extreme of optimism. The Quran, on the other hand, advocates
neither the one nor the other. Slide 50 Quranic Approach The
teaching of the Quran, which stands for the possibility of
improvement in the behavior of man and his control over natural
forces, is neither pessimism nor optimism and is animated by the
hope of mans eventual victory over evil. Slide 51 Earthly Life
Earthly life is of tremendous value; but it is of a purely
instrumental value. In Islam there is no room for the materialistic
optimism of the modern West which says : My kingdom is of this
world alone Slide 52 A Quranic Prayer for The believers "Our Lord!
give us the good in this world and the good in the Hereafter". (2 :
201) Slide 53 "Let the virtues of God by your virtues".
(al-Bukhari) Slide 54 Good Morals in Islam Good morals in Islam are
divine attributes and it is demanded of us to recreate them in
ourselves as far as our humanity allows. Slide 55 Human Sympathy
comes first in the discussion of virtue Slide 56 DonorsRecipients
Spending of one's choice wealth Relatives Orphans The Needy the
wayfarer, beggars the ransom of slaves The Recipients of Human
Sympathy Slide 57 Modes of Worship Establishing Prayers Paying
Zakat Keeping ones pledge is the key for the reformation of Human
behavior The struggle between the Truth and falsehood- battlefield,
war Slide 58 Summum Bonum or Highest Good To sacrifice ones life in
the way of Allah in the battlefield or war. Slide 59 The standard
of truthfulness or piety Those people whose life is the embodiment
of those characteristics that has been explained in Ayah-e-Bir are
the truthful and pious people according to the Quranic concept of
Virtue. Slide 60 Thanks for your Empathetic listening.
