HUMILITY AND MODESTY
(Surat as-Saff; 2-3)
"You were bandying it about on your tongues, your mouths uttering something about which you had no knowledge. You considered it to be a trivial matter, but, in Allah's Sight, it is immense."
(Surat an-Nur; 15)
HUMILITY AND MODESTY
Bragging over one's accomplishments or taking credit for what he has not done is common behavior for many members of society. Yet, the fact remains that it is blameworthy in the sight of Allah:
Those who exult in what they have done and love to be praised for what they have not done should not suppose that they have escaped the punishment. They will have a painful punishment. (Surah Al‘Imran; 188)
Perverted attitudes such as pride for an accomplishment that was actually realized by Allah's will underlies such behavior, in spite of the fact that whenever a deed is done, it is Allah, the All-Mighty, Who has willed it and carried it out. No individual has any independent power of his own. Everything happens by Allah's permission and will. Consequently, this kind of conceit reveals a person's incapability to appreciate Allah with just assessment, and further, it means considering oneself an equal to Allah (Allah is Surely Beyond That). In the Qur'an it is stated that ascribing partners to Allah is the greatest sin and, unless one repents from it, he will not be forgiven.
RESPECT FOR OTHERS
For the purpose of promoting themselves or attaining a superior position, some people employ wicked methods such as ridiculing and humiliating others, or insulting them with derogatory nicknames.
Allah forbids such behaviors that stem from the morality of ignorance:
You who believe! People should not ridicule others who may be better than themselves; nor should any women ridicule other women who may be better than themselves. And do not find fault with one another or insult each other with derogatory nicknames. How evil it is to have a name for evil conduct after coming to faith! Those people who do not turn from it are wrongdoers. (Surat al-Hujurat; 11)
In compliance with this command, believers respect one another as persons endowed with the teachings of Allah. Allah reflects many of His sublime attributes in a sincere believer, and he is someone whom Allah praises in the Qur'an and grants blessings in the Hereafter. Believers should be aware of the attributes Allah mentions in the Qur'an, and thus practice moral conduct toward one another.
Allah disparaged name-calling, saying, "How evil it is to have a name for evil conduct after coming to faith"! Unless one repents from this sin and corrects his behavior, he remains a wrongdoer. Ridicule can consist of insulting someone with humiliating names or mimicking him through body language. The fearsome end awaiting those who scorn and mock others makes clear that it should be avoided by everyone:
The evil actions they did assailed them. They were engulfed by what they mocked. (Surat an-Nahl; 34)
This verse goes on to say that the end of such a person shows more clearly that derision is something that believers should avoid by all means:
No indeed! He will be flung into the Shatterer. And what will convey to you what the Shatterer is? The kindled Fire of Allah reaching right into the heart. It is sealed in above them in towering columns. (Surat an-Humaza; 4-9)
A believer must also be careful not to belittle someone while pointing out to him a mistake. When one has detected the fault of another, it is utterly wrong to assume himself wiser or superior. It may well be that, in the Sight of Allah, the other is the superior one, while the person who belittles him in fact reveals his own imprudence in violating a clear commandment of Allah. By disobeying the command of the Qur'an, it is clear that a derisive person is not acting wisely; on the contrary, his conscience is closed. If such a person does not give up his attitude and continues being disdainful, he will turn into an insatiable individual as another verse of the Qur'an says.
SUPPORTING BELIEVERS AND NOT QUARRELING
In the Qur'an, Allah reminds believers to be unified and provide support to one another. The status of Muslims on Earth and in the Sight of Allah is not like that of other people. The conscientious and noble life they lead makes them valuable and beloved in Allah's Sight. Allah reveals that the number of these noble and respectable servants is few. He declares that the majority of people will not believe, and most of those who do believe will not harbor true faith—that is, without associating anything with Allah.
Hence, true Muslims are always in the minority, and even a single one is of great importance for other believers. In the Qur'an, Allah defines a believer as the "protector" of another believer.
Hence, Allah commands believers of every age to support one another like well-built walls. Appreciating the value of other believers, providing full support to them in the face of difficulties, and establishing a strong unity are responsibilities of the believers Allah mentions in the Qur'an. In compliance, believers support and help one another under all circumstances and employ all their material and spiritual resources for the advance of fellow Muslims.
In one verse Allah gives an example:
Allah loves those who fight in His Way in ranks like well-built walls. (Surat as-Saff; 4)
Besides spiritual unity, the verse refers to strong unity that is not separable and observable from outside. The Qur'an does not include the idea of watching and supporting other Muslims from a distance. That is, believers always remain with other believers, performing acts of worship, rendering services and struggling against disbelief on any intellectual grounds.
Strong unity and solidarity is required to advance the message of Allah, protect the rights and interests of other Muslims, and to struggle intellectually against the mentality of ignorant societies. It is also the key to properly upholding the commandments of Allah and earning His good pleasure. Thus, believers must avoid all attitudes and behaviors likely to weaken unity, solidarity and brotherhood among themselves. Quarrelling is particularly to be avoided, as it is explicitly forbidden in the Qur'an:
Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves lest you lose heart and your momentum disappear. And be steadfast. Allah is with the steadfast. (Surat al-Anfal; 46)
Unity among Muslims is an essential attribute that influences their stand against unbelievers, as learned from the verse above. Quarrelling and disputing is inspired only by Satan and leads to no real solution. Therefore, a believer who, in an instant of forgetfulness, becomes involved in a quarrel should remember this verse, cease and repent for his error. Awareness that it displeases Allah will make believers alert to circumstances likely to produce quarrels and prevent them. It is against the ethic of the Qur'an to fight with believers and thereby weaken their courage and strength while unbelievers and hypocrites unite to cause them harm.
In every instance, it is Allah through His Messenger (saas) Who guides Muslims to the straight path. Whatever the issue, only truth is acceptable to Allah. No Muslim can have an understanding or way of thinking about a matter that differs from that of other Muslims. For that reason, animosity does not occur among the true believers; Discord and dispute is attributed in the Qur'an to unbelievers. The Qur'an commands believers to bring issues over which they disagree to Allah and His Messenger (saas) to be resolved in the best way. To believers, quarrelling and disputing are not legitimate methods to solve a problem and are contrary to Qur'anic conduct.
In another verse, Allah states that Satan tries hard to sow the seeds of conflict among believers, and that the way to defeat him is to say what is best:
Say to My slaves that they should only say the best. Satan wants to stir up trouble between them. Satan is an outright enemy to man. (Surat al-Isra'; 53)
AVOIDING SUSPICION, GOSSIPING AND SPYING
You who believe! Avoid most suspicion. Indeed some suspicion is a crime. And do not spy and do not backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat his brother's dead flesh? No, you would hate it. And have fear of Allah. Allah is Ever-Returning, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Hujurat; 12)
In the verse above, Allah mentions three errors that a Muslim must strictly avoid: suspicion, gossiping and backbiting. In fact, these are behaviors related to one another, since a person who talks spitefully or backbites on someone harbors suspicion about him.
What is common to these practices is that they are all harmful to believers and weaken their solidarity and unity and lessen love, compassion and mercy. The description of backbiting in the verse makes clear the extent of damage such acts cause, although some people often deem them insignificant. And in another verse, Allah gives a serious warning against those who criticize others behind their backs. The verse contains this command:
Woe to every faultfinding backbiter. (Surat Al-Humaza; 1)
No indeed! He will be flung into the Shatterer. And what will convey to you what the Shatterer is? The kindled Fire of Allah. (Surat Al-Humaza; 4-6)
From the continuation of the verse, we can see that there is a certain threat of Hell for those who adopt this kind of behavior. When this threat is taken seriously, it becomes obvious that this morality has no place in the Qur'an and believers must beware of it.
Satan may promote suspicion and backbiting (resulting from rage, jealousy and intolerance) through the rationale that bringing out one's feelings is in the interest of his religion. However, Allah has forbidden such conduct.
The same is true of suspicion. Backbiting and spying are more observable in comparison to suspicion or negative assumption, so believers who witness those acts have more opportunity to warn the offender. But suspicion is felt in the heart and can be detected only by the person himself. If one fails to be alert against it, he may find himself harboring evil thoughts. A believer is held responsible not only for his deeds but for attitudes, feelings and thoughts if left uncontrolled.
Throughout this book, we shall see that believers are also responsible for other feelings such as resentment, envy, fear, love and similar concepts. Whatever is on a believer's mind and what he feels must remain within the limits that Allah has set in the Qur'an. A person who controls his negative feelings and thoughts is, no doubt, on the right path.
CONTROLLING RAGE
In the Qur'an, the control of anger is described as exemplary behavior since it hinders harmful reactions likely caused by it.
Those who give in times of both ease and hardship, those who control their rage and pardon other people—Allah loves the good-doers. (Surah Al ‘Imran; 134)
Although rage may surface as an instant reaction in particular situations, a believer should comply with the description in this verse by controlling it. That is because rage clouds one's mind and hinders sound reasoning. In such a case, a person runs the risk of transgressing the limits of Allah, since the emotional judgments he makes under the influence of anger will usually be rash and incompatible with Qur'anic ethics.
A believer must immediately strive to overcome resentment he feels pertaining to personal matters, especially toward other believers, and try to replace it with compassion and mercy. If a person's anger is based on unjust grounds, then he has no right to be furious in the first place. He must accept his mistake, apologize and make up for his misbehavior. But even if he was in the right, he must still control anger, and in compliance with the verse, it is better to forgive.
What has been related so far concerns the mundane situations believers are likely to encounter. Apart from these there is a group of people who become angry at the least provocation. They actually fail to grasp some basic faith-related issues, such as putting one's trust in Allah or recognizing the fact that all people are under His control. This weakness of faith manifests itself in the form of anger. In order to cope, they first need to get to the root of the problem and establish faith on solid grounds.
