Moral Development in Mankind

by Zartasha Zainab

The ayahs regarding moral development in the Qur’an have been taken, and using the commentary of Abdullah Yusuf Ali, reflected upon. These ayah state:

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind

The King or Ruler of Mankind

The God or Judge of Mankind

From the mischief of the whisperer of Evil who withdraws After his whisper

The same who whispers into the hearts of mankind

Among Jinns and among Men” (Surah 114: 1-6)

This ayah, in its six verses seems to explain chapters of how moral development has occurred throughout centuries with the muslim community. It acknowledges both human weakness as well as a divine law that must take precedence over those human weaknesses and inclinations. It acknowledges higher attributes such as compassion, kindness, sharing, and so on often at the expense of reducing or being considerate towards our surroundings.

The first and foremost subject that requires understanding is, the acknowledgement of the creator, Allah swt. To name this creator with the attributes of “Kind or Ruler of Mankind, God or Judge of Mankind, Lord and Cherisher of Mankind” seems to acknowledge a very supreme and higher force that is far greater than the force of the individual themselves. These attributes have very powerful meanings.

The attribute “Lord and Cherisher of Mankind” seems to imply that it is Allah that sustains him and cares for him, that He provides him with all the means for his growth and development and for his protection against evil. The attributes Allah is his king or ruler seems to imply that more than any earthly king, Allah s authority to guide man’s conduct and to lead him to ways which will make for his welfare, and He has given him laws. The attribute Allah is the judge implies that all of our actions will be held accountable and brought to light. It means that all human beings will return to Him and He will Judge and be the goal of the hereafter and only Being entitled to man’s worship at any time. (1,1718)

When a person acknowledges the greatness of Allah swt, he ends up loving His creator and depending on Him. When he/she is in need they learn to turn to their creator and he/she does not feel belittled infront of any other person besides Allah swt and keeps a clear conscience not out of fear from others, but out of fear from the creator to whom all His actions will be held accountable. He becomes more proactive and realizes that he/she doesnt need to prove themselves to anyone and yet that they will be held accountable for all of their actions. They learn to place their love, their hopes, and fears seeking refuge from their own selves and outward factors only from Him. They become calm and content in being able to rely on someone at all given times and places. His importance is first and foremost emphasizes in these surah and so does obeying His will. All other things/issues become irrelevant as the individual learns to trust in Him, rely on Him and His will which is best for the self as well as dealings and interactions. And they fear the consequences only from Him, their creator.

They further seek refuge from the evil whispers of the shaitan as well as their own selfish endeavours which are against the will of Allah swt that teaches a person to be good to their soul as well as to be good in their interactions and dealings. It helps one purify the soul and further become moral developed.

The greatest moral development that any person faces is when they let things go, they oppress the evil ideas from the shaitan, they focus on higher principles and sincerely submit to the good will which is the good will of Allah swt, and submission to Allah, also known as islam. Through submitting to the will of Allah swt, one becomes capable of submitting to moral values and obtaining self control, resistance to temptation, and personal sacrifices for the welfare of others or for the community at large. They develop an understanding of the perfect will or the acknowledgement of the greatness of the creator which helps them develop morally.

 

The Token of Time

By Zartasha Zainab

Time is one of the greatest workings of Allah (swt). It is a never-resting force, one of the creations of Allah swt of which everyone knows some, and yet no one can explain. People have attempted to visualize it using ticking clocks, or the hour glass, and yet it is best understood as persisting force. It is like any other force such as the forces of justice, or the forces of love and mercy within mothers, or the forces of order such as in gravity, the planet's orbit, the rain cycle, time also, is a natural force at work. Time also has a mission which is to to slowly deteriorate and finally destroy all that is material. It can be best explained like the wind that searched out all the doors destroying the arrogant in the time of Moses (a.s.) yet the force of time is much greater in its working and its target is everything material. The only growth that ist doesnt destroy or can catch is our spiritual achievements. 

This requires that we perfect our internal state and submit to the will of Allah swt. It is important for us to clean our intentions and sincerely, understand ourselves to the depth and deepest recesses of our soul. To strive towards and place our love, hopes, trust, fears, dependance, weaknessses and humbly have faith in Allah swt. It is important for us to constantly purify our intentions and time will not have any power to take that away from us. Our iman, is here. This internal condition is than outwardly reflected, the good works that we do, good deeds such as helping the needy, fulfilling the rights of our families, neighbors, co workers, travellers and community can withstand the blows of time. OUr good deeds and achievements are counted and taken with us eternally. Spreading knowledge and teachign truth, whether it be the Qur'an, discoveries in the miraculous signs around us in creation through science, new findings, highly reformed or enlightening information to further benefit humanity, will not fade through the passage of time. In fact, learning and expanding vocabulary is something that psychological research has shown continues to grow as a person ages. Being patient during difficult times, stressing less, staying peaceful and content and not giving into the whispers of shaitan has the power to withstand the blows of times. Staying constant and persistant, having a goal and striving daily, doing homework regularly, following schedules and committing to tasks without delays, laziness or giving up or changing your mind in between, can also withstand the blows of time. 

The Qur'an states "By the token of time, verily man is in loss, except such as have faith, do righteous deeds, and join together in the mutual teachings of truth, and of patience and of constancy" (Surah Asr). This should open our eyes to the reality around us. It shows that we are losing in our bargain against time if we are merely attending to our material gains. We should discard all bad habits such as laziness, music, idleness, feasting and excessive shopping. If we were to chase after, strive towards or make our direction in life and goals for material things, we would be like thirsty beings chasing after a fading mirage in a sandy desert and only find nothing. It should bring us to the realization that every morning we awaken, it is a blessing and with a purpose. Our attention should be towrds accomplishing that which will be ever lasting and beneficial to yourself and those around you. This can be in a wide range of careers with good will or iman including teaching, healing, counselling, justice and order order. Further to remain focused, persistant and patient in tryign to achieve them to the best of our ability and most efficient us of our time. It's our only surviaal. 

May Allah swt allow us all to win the race against time! 

Reflection: What It Really Means to Depend on Allah swt

There is a relationship that we have to establish and that is with our creator. When our creator becomes more important to us than anyone/anyplace/anything else.