Faith and Morality: Two Interconnected Aspects of Islam
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ وَكُونُواْ مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ {التوبة 119}
O you who believe, be mindful of Allah and be with those who are truthful. (Al-Tawbah 9:119)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا {70}يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَن يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا {الأحزاب 70-71}
O you who believe, be mindful of Allah, and speak right words. He will make your deeds right for you and forgive you your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will truly achieve a great triumph. (Al-Ahzab 33:70-71)
The Prophet –peace be upon him- said,
عن أبي هريرة ، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلّم قال: «والله لا يؤمن، والله لا يؤمن، والله لا يؤمن، قالوا: وما ذاك يا رسول الله؟ قال: الجار لا يأمن جاره بوائقه، قالوا: يا رسول الله وما بوائقه؟ قال: شره».(مسند أحمد 7836)
By Allah, he is not a believer. By Allah, he is not a believer. By Allah, he is not a believer. They asked, “Who is that person, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “The one whose neighbor is not safe from his evils.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith no. 7836)
These and many other Ayat and Ahadith indicate that according to Islam, Faith ( Iman) is deeply connected with morality. It is impossible to have true and sincere Islamic faith and be without moral behavior. If a person is morally not good, he/she cannot be called a faithful or religious person in Islam.
In Islam, as it is emphasized to accept some beliefs (Allah, Angles, Prophets, Scriptures, Last Day) and to do some acts of worship (Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Siyam and Hajj); it is also emphasized to be truthful, honest, kind, merciful, forgiving and charitable. Morality is a corollary of faith; the deeper the faith, the more honest and kind will be a person. Actually the purpose of faith and worship is to reform and transform human beings into noble servants of Allah. In a Hadith Qudsi, it is reported:
عن ابنِ عبّاسٍ قالَ: قالَ رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلّم : «قالَ الله تبارَكَ وتعالى: إِنَّمَا أَتَقَبَّلُ الصَّلاةَ مِمَّنْ تَوَاضَعَ بِهَا لِعَظَمَتِي، ولَمْ يَسْتَطِلْ على خَلْقِي، ولَمْ يَبِتْ مُصِرّاً على مَعْصِيَتِي، وقَطَعَ نَهَارَهُ في ذِكْرِي، وَرَحِمَ المِسْكِينَ وابنَ السَّبِيلِ وأَلارْمَلَةَ، ورَحِمَ المُصَابَ، ذَلِكَ نُورُهُ كَنُورِ الشَّمْسِ أَكْلأُهُ بِعِزَّتِي وأَسْتَحْفِظُهُ مَلائِكَتِي، أَجْعَلُ لَهُ في الظُّلْمَةِ نُوراً، وفي الجِهَالَةِ حُلْماً، ومِثْلُهُ في خَلْقيِ كَمَثَلِ الفِرْدَوْسِ في الجَنَّةِ».(مجمع الزوائد 2889)
Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet –peace be upon him- said that Allah says, “I accept the prayer of him who humbles himself for My Greatness, who does not display arrogance towards My creation, who does not insist on My disobedience, who remembers Me during his day, shows mercy towards the poor, travelers, widows and those in difficulty. Thais is the person who light is like the light of the sun. I shall guard him by My Honor, I shall appoint My angels to take care of him. I shall give him light in the darkness and forbearance in the time of ignorance. His example in My creation is like the example of Paradise among the gardens.
(Majma’ al-Zawa’id, Hadith no. 2889)
The Prophet –peace be upon him- one day asked his Companions:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّهَ قَالَ: «أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْمُفْلِسُ ؟» قَالُوا: الْمُفْلِسُ فِينَا مَنْ لاَ دِرْهَمَ لَهُ وَلاَ مَتَاعَ. فَقَالَ: «إِنَّ الْمُفْلِسَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي، يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِصَلاَةٍ وَصِيَامٍ وَزَكَاةٍ، وَيَأْتِي قَدْ شَتَمَ هَـذَا، وَقَذَفَ هَـذَا، وَأَكَلَ مَالَ هَـذَا، وَسَفَكَ دَمَ هَـذَا، وَضَرَبَ هَـذَا. فَيُعْطَى هَـذَا مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ وَهَـذَا مِنْ حَسَنَاتِهِ. فَإِنْ فَنِيَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُ، قَبْلَ أَنْ يُقْضَى مَا عَلَيْهِ. أُخِذَ مِنْ خَطَايَاهُمْ فَطُرِحَتْ عَلَيْهِ. ثُمَّ طُرِحَ فِي النَّارِ». (مسلم 6531)
Do you know who is a bankrupt person? They said, ‘The bankrupt to us a person who has no money and no property.’ The Prophet said, ‘The bankrupt in my Ummah will be the person who will come on the Day of Judgment with prayers, fasting and Zakat; but he will also have abused someone, accused someone, took someone’s money, shed the blood of someone, and hit someone. So this person will be given his good deeds and this person will be given his good deeds. If his good deeds were finished before the claims of others against him, other people’s sins will be taken from them and thrown on him and then he will be thrown into Hellfire.
(Muslim, Hadith no. 6531)
The Prophet was sent by Allah to teach the humanity the noblest morals (makarim al-akhlaq). He said,
عن أبي هريرةَ رضي الله عنه قالَ: قالَ رسولُ الله: «إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ لأُتَمِّمَ مَكَارِمَ الأَخْلاَقِ». (سنن الكبرى للبيهقي 21242)
“I am sent by Allah to perfect noble morals.” (Sunan al-Kubra of al-Baihaqi 21242)
عن عمرو ابن شعيب عن أبيه عن جده قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ان الرجل يدرك بحسن خلقه درجة الصائم القانت ولا يتم لرجل حسن خلقه حتى يتم عقله فعند ذلك يتم أمانته أو ايمانه أطاع ربه وعصى عدوه يعني إبليس (مسند الحارث 848)
“A person reaches by his good morals the rank of a devout fasting person. A person’s morals will not be complete until his mind is complete; then his faith and his trustworthiness will be complete. He will obey his Lord and he will disobey his enemy, the Iblis. (Musnad al-Harith 848)
عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ يُوضَعُ فِي الْمِيزَانِ أَثْقَلُ مِنْ حُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ وَإِنَّ صَاحِبَ حُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ لَيَبْلُغُ بِهِ دَرَجَةَ صَاحِبِ الصَّوْمِ وَالصَّلَاةِ (الترمذي2009)
Abu al-Darda’ reports that I heard the Prophet –peace be upon him- say, “There is nothing in the Balance heavier than the good morals. Indeed the person of good morals shall attain by them the rank of the person of fasts and prayers.” (al-Tirmidhi 2009)
Allah addresses the believers in the Qur’an :
وَسَارِعُواْ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ {133}الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاء وَالضَّرَّاء وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ {134}وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُواْ اللّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَى مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ {135}أُوْلَـئِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ {آل عمران 133-134}
Hurry towards your Lord’s forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth prepared for the righteous. Those who give both in prosperity and adversity and who restrain their anger and pardon people; and Allah loves those who do good. Those who if they do something shameful or wrong themselves, they remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins - and who forgives sins but Allah - and those who never knowingly persist in doing wrong. The reward for such people is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens graced with flowing streams, where they will remain. How excellent is the reward of those who act (morally). (Al ‘Imran 3:133-136)
(Khutbah at ISOC – Rabi’ al-Thani 21, 1430/ April 17, 2009)
