SOME BEAUTIES OF ISLAM
(For more detail on this section, read Ad-Durratul mukhtasarah fee mahaasiniddeenil Islami, by Shaykh Abdur-Rahman As-Sa‘dee; and Mahaasinul Islam, by Shaykh Abdul Azeez As-Salman.)
The beauties of Islam are beyond what pens can fully write and enough expressions cannot be found to describe the virtues of this religion; because it is the religion of Allah. Just as the eye cannot encompass the perception of Allah and man cannot encompass His Reality on Knowledge, so can the pen not encompass His Law in description. Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “If you reflect on the dazzling wisdom in this Upright Religion, this pure faith and the Law enacted for mankind, which no expression can perfectly describe, whose description cannot be perfected, the likeness of which the wisdom of the wise cannot propose – even if all wise men are to be as perfectly wise as the wisest one among them, whose beauty and virtues are perceived and attested to by the perfect and honourable intelligence, that the world had not known a law better and greater than it even if the Messenger of Allah had not brought any proof in support of it, all that would have been enough an evidence that it is from Allah. Every aspect of this religion shows perfect knowledge, perfect wisdom, expansiveness of mercy, righteousness and kindness, absolute inclusion of all that is hidden and manifest and the knowledge about the beginnings and ends. It also shows that it is one of the greatest favours that Allah has bestowed on His slaves, for He bestows not on them a favour greater than the fact that He guided them to this religion, made them its adherents and chosen it for them. Hence, He reminds His slaves of the fact that He guided them to it. He says,
“Indeed, Allaah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur’an), purifying them and instructing them in the Book and the wisdom (the Sunnah) while before that they had been in manifest error.” (Al-Imran 3:164.)
He also says, making Himself known to His slaves and reminding them of His great favour on them, calling them to thank Him for making them among its adherents,
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you.” (Al-Maidah 5:3, See: Miftaahu daaris Sa‘aadah V. 1, p. 374-375.)
It is therefore part of showing gratitude to Allaah on this religion, to mention some of its beauties:
1. That it is the religion of Allah which He has chosen for Himself, sent with His Messengers and by which He allowed His slaves to worship Him. His religion is not comparable to human statutes and man-made religions. As Allah possesses the quality of absolute perfection, so does His religion has an absolute perfection in providing ordainments that reform the worldly and eternal life of mankind; encompasses the rights of the Creator and obligations of His slaves towards Him; obligations of one towards another and the rights of each one of them upon another.
2. Comprehensiveness: One of the most prominent beauties of this religion is its comprehensiveness for everything. Allaah says,
“We have neglected nothing in the Book.” (Al-An’am 6:38.)
This religion encompasses all that has to do with the Creator like His Names, Attributes and rights; and all that has to do with the creatures like laws, obligations, manners and relationship. This religion also encompasses the stories of former and latter generation, stories of angels, Prophets and Messengers. It tells about the heaven, the earth, the orbits, the planets, seas, trees and the universe. It mentions the goal and aim of creation and its end; talks about Paradise and the final abode of the believers and Fire and the final abode of disbelievers.
3. It establishes a connection between the Creator and the creation: Every false religion and creed has the character of linking man with another man that is prone to death, weakness, incapacity and diseases. Some even link man to a person who has died since hundreds of years ago and had become mere bones and dust. Islam, on the other hand, has the quality of linking man to his Creator directly; with no priest nor reverend and no holy secret. If this direct connection between the Creator and the created; a connection that links the heart with its Lord and it thereby gets light, guidance and loftiness; seeks for perfection; and deems itself high above insignificant and debased things. For every heart that has no link with its Lord is more erroneous than animals.
It is a communication between the Creator and the creature by which he knows the wish of his Creator and then worship Him with the knowledge, and gets to know things that please Him and seek for that, and things that annoys Him and shun them. It is a communication between the All-Mighty Creator and the weak and destitute creature, that enables him seek for aid, assistance and success from Him, and ask Him for protection against evil planners and evil deeds of devils.
4. It caters for benefits of this world and the Hereafter. The Islamic Law is based on protection of the benefits of this world and the Hereafter and on perfection of good morals. As for the explanation of the benefits of the Hereafter, the religion of Islam has explained all that and left nothing of it untaken care of. It explains it in detail so that nothing of it may be unknown. Islam promises the bliss in the Hereafter and warns against its torment.
Concerning the benefits of this world, Allaah ordained in this religion what can protect for man his religion, life, property, posterity, dignity and intelligence.
Concerning honourable conducts, Islam enjoins that overtly and covertly and forbids debasing manners. Among the apparent noble conducts that Islam enjoins are cleanliness and purification from all kinds of impurities and dirt. Islam recommends using of perfume and outward adornment; it forbids filthy behaviours like adultery and fornication, consuming alcohol; eating dead animals, blood and pork flesh, and enjoins eating of lawful good things. It also prohibits wastefulness and extravagance.
As for inner purification, Islam prohibits undesirable conducts and encourages commendable ones. Among the forbidden manners are: lies, obscenity, anger, jealousy, stinginess, debasing oneself, love of prestige and this world, arrogance, haughtiness and hypocrisy. Among the commended behaviours are: good conduct, good companionship to all people and being kind to them, justice and fairness, humility, truthfulness, magnanimity, generosity, dependence on Allaah, sincerity in acts of worship, fear of Allaah, patience and showing gratitude. (See: Al-‘A’lam bimaa fee deenin-nasaaraa minal fasaad wal-awhaam, by Al-Qurtubee p. 442-445.)
5. Easiness: Easiness is one of the unique qualities of this religion. In every ritual is easiness and in every act of worship is easiness. Allaah says,
“He has not laid upon you in religion any hardship” (Al-Hajj 22:78)
The first easiness in Islam is that; anyone who wants to become a Muslim does not need a human intermediary or a confession of past sins. He only needs to cleanse himself and utter the statement: I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and to believe in the meanings of this statement and act by its implications.
Further, every worship in Islam is characterised by easiness and alleviation. If a man travels or is sick, the reward of the deed that he used to do when he was at home or healthy will continue to be recorded to his credit. The whole life of the Muslim is easy and filled with tranquillity, while the life of a disbeliever is conversely filled with hardship and toil. Also, the death of a Muslim is easy where his soul comes out of his body as a drop of water comes out of a vessel. Allah says,
“Those whose lives the angels take while they are pious saying (to them): peace be on you, enter Paradise because of that (the good) which you used to do (in the world).” (An-Nahl 16:32.)
As for the disbeliever, the stern and harsh angels will be present at his death beating him with lashes. Allaah says about the disbeliever,
“And if you could but see when the wrong-doers are in the agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth their hands (saying): Deliver your soul, this day, you shall be recompensed with the torment of degradation because of what you used to utter against Allaah other than the truth. And you used to reject His revelations with disrespect.” (Al-An’am 6:93.)
He also says,
“And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death); they smite their faces and their backs (saying): Taste the punishment of the blazing Fire.” (Al-Anfal 8:50.)
6. Justice: The one who ordains the Islamic injunctions is Allah alone. He is the Creator of all people: black and white, male and female. Men are equal before His judgement, justice and mercy. He ordains rules that suits each of the male and female. It then becomes impossible that the Law of Islam favours male at the expense of female or gives female preference and do injustice to male. Islam also does not endow white man with qualities and deny that to the black man. All are equal before the Laws of Allaah and no difference between them except by piety.
7. Enjoining all that is good and forbidding all that is evil: The religion of Islam has noble characteristics, which is enjoining all that is good and forbidding all that is evil. This duty is incumbent on every male or female Muslim who is an adult, sane and able to enjoin and forbid according to his or her ability and according to the degrees of the enjoining and prohibition. He or she should command or forbid with hand, if not able to do so then with the tongue and if not able then with the heart. By this all members of the Muslim community will be supervisors in the community.
Every individual should command whoever is negligent to do good deed, and forbid whoever does wrong to desist, be he either a ruler or ruled; each according to his ability and in accordance with Islamic regulations that control this matter.
This matter – as you can see – is compulsory upon individual according to his ability. Compare this to what the contemporary political orders proudly claim that they give opportunity to opposition parties to monitor the government activities and carry out official functions.
These are some of the beauties of Islam. Had I wanted to go into details, I would have stopped at every rite, every obligation, every commandment and every prohibition in order to explain the extensive wisdom, decisive ordainment, impressive, unique and matchless perfection that lie therein. Whoever ponders over the ordainments of this religion, he will know with certainty that it is from Allah and that it is the truth that is free of any doubt and a guidance from error. If you therefore want to go back to Allah, to follow His Law and to follow the path of His Prophets and Messengers, the door of repentance is open before you and your Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most –Merciful. He calls you in order to forgive you.
By Dr. Muhammad bin Abdullah As-Suhaym
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