Only fearing Allah and having faith in the hereafter lead one to make sacrifices without expecting any reward in return; the God fearing expect their rewards only from Allah. For this reason, unlike those who pay no heed to the values of religion, those of perfected faith make no distinction between people or issues while making a sacrifice.
In an unenlightened society, however, the majority of the people lack a subtle understanding of sacrifice. The major reason is their selfishness, which is a character trait that originates from being distant from the values of Islam. In a society distant from the values of religion, everyone is chiefly or is solely concerned with himself and simply ignores the needs and priorities of others.
The attitude of a man of perfected faith is again entirely different; he is, above all, someone who has purified his self of such base desires.
Indeed, only a believer who has overcome the boundless desires of his self and has succeeded in controlling them can be self-sacrificing and considerate in the real sense. Indeed, perfected faith entails such moral perfection that believers hold the interests and needs of their brothers dearer than their own. This is the true faith, true submission and true conscience. The Qur'an provides the following example:
Those who were already settled in the abode, and had already embraced the faith, before they came, love those who have sought refuge with them and do not find it in their hearts to covet what they have been given and prefer them to themselves, even if they themselves are needy. It is those who are safeguarded from the avarice of their own selves who are successful.
As stated in the above verse, even if a man of perfected faith is in need himself, he prefers to meet the needs and priorities of his brothers. Furthermore, these noble preferences are not limited to some particular occasions; they stem from an attitude that permeates his entire life. Even if he is hungry, sleepless and exhausted, literally in a desperate situation physically, he gives priority to the needs of other believers and feels no difficulty in setting aside his own needs. While doing this, he never feels distress. Moreover, he meticulously avoids doing anything to make the other party feel grateful.
When people who do not live by the values of religion make a compulsory sacrifice, they certainly make the object of their "generosity" feel their discontent. They make evident the anger or impatience they feel deep inside by an indignant glance or a churlish attitude. However, a man of true faith never stoops to displaying a surly attitude to make the other party notice his sacrifice. On the contrary, he conducts himself most nobly and renounces his rights willingly, since Allah's knowledge of that sacrifice is enough for him. For this reason, most of the time, the other party never feels that a sacrifice has been made.
The Humbleness of The People of Perfected Faith
"… Your God is One God, so submit to Him. Give good news to the humble-hearted."
The Qur'anic sense of humbleness is acknowledgement of one's status as an imperfect servant of Allah and conducting one's entire life in acceptance of this fact. The opposite attitude is unthinkable for a man who can appreciate his Creator. He is the One Who creates man, Who gives and takes his life and Who regulates all affairs. There is no god but Him, He is the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. He encompasses everything, He has power over everything, He is the One Who creates destiny, He it is Who hears, sees and knows everything. Allah is exalted above all things. He does not need anything. He neither errs nor forgets.
Man, on the other hand, is an imperfect being who is not capable of creating anything. Furthermore, he is himself created and does not know anything other than what Allah has taught him. He relies on the thousands of blessings Allah bestows upon him at every moment. Even if only one of these blessings is lacking, he becomes weak and desperate. He is an imperfect being who continuously needs Allah's blessings to survive.
Not being humble is against the very nature of a man who is a weak and imperfect being before Allah. Therefore, a man of perfected faith never loses sight of his own weakness. This consciousness which he builds through contemplation, is what imbues him with a humble spirit, and this manifests itself in his face, looks, conversations, as well as in each of his character traits. For instance, only a humble person can take warning. He likes to hear any criticism or advice that comes from believers. Indeed, a man of deep faith does not even object to criticism of something about which he is most meticulous; he takes the advice and strives for the betterment of his acts. When he is told he is wrong about something when he is actually right, he meets this criticism with maturity, as in the example of the Prophet Yusuf:
I do not say that I myself was free from blame. The self indeed commands one to commit evil acts—except for one to whom my Lord has shown mercy...
Because such an understanding of humbleness hinders him from being self-sufficient and thus boasting of his intelligence, he benefits from all warnings, advice and criticism.
One who, failing to remember his imperfection, boasts of his intelligence and haughtily turns away from Allah, assumes an attitude contrary to his very nature. Allah draws attention to the fact that this is an unattainable desire:
"Certainly those who argue about the Signs of Allah without any authority having come to them have nothing in their breasts except for pride which they will never be able to vindicate..."
Do not avert your face from people out of haughtiness and do not strut about arrogantly on the earth. Allah does not love anyone who is vain or boastful.
The Prophet Muhammad also recommended believers to show humility towards one another: "(Allah) has revealed to me that you should adopt humility so that no one oppresses another." (Riyadh-us-Salaheen)
The "vain" and "boastful" have forgotten their creation and their physical and intellectual weaknesses before Allah, which are attributes of the devil as described in the Qur'an. Allah created Adam and commanded all His angels to prostrate themselves before him. Deeming himself superior to man, the devil rebelled against Allah and disobeyed this command. This wicked attitude of the devil is described in the Qur'an:
Your Lord said to the angels,
"I am going to create a human being out of clay. When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration to him!" So all the angels prostrated themselves, except for Iblis, who was arrogant for he was one of the disbelievers. He said, "Iblis, what prevented you from bowing to what I created with My own Hands? Were you overcome by arrogance or do you think he is beneath you?" He said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire, but You created him from clay." He (Allah) said, "Begone! You are accursed! My curse shall remain upon you until the Day of Reckoning."
This is the situation of those who treat people with arrogance because they turn away from Allah. Highly assured of their own capabilities, they do not credit the opinion of others. They insist on their own way of thinking, which is an inclination that causes them to drift away from the values of the Qur'an. More importantly, those failing to recognise their weakness before Allah will be sent to hell:
But as for those who reject Our Signs and are arrogant regarding them, shall be the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, for ever.
People of perfected faith, on the other hand, will be rewarded with paradise, since they avoid such a reprehensible attitude:
As for the abode of the hereafter—We shall grant it to those who do not seek to exalt themselves this world or to cause corruption in it. Those who are righteous shall have a blessed end.
The Forgivingness of The People of Perfected Faith
"... (Those who) pardon other people..."
Man is prone to make mistakes. He is here in this world to be tested. He can only grow mature as he internalises the values of the Qur'an and purifies himself of his mistakes. This is how he attains moral perfection. Indeed, the verses about repentance in the Qur'an indicate the weakness of man. Allah, the Creator of man, best knows these weaknesses and states that He will forgive those who do evil in ignorance but who then immediately repent and make amends for their mistakes:
Allah accepts the repentance only of those who do evil in ignorance and then quickly turn to Him in repentance. Allah will pardon such people. Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise.
If an individual is sincerely guided by his own wisdom and conscience, but still cannot help committing a mistake, then he may hope for Allah's forgiveness. In many verses, Allah informs us that He is forgiving and merciful. One verse reads:
Tell My servants that I am the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
As the verse informs us, Allah forgives human mistakes. This being the case, it would be improper for a man not to forgive mistakes. Besides, Allah advised believers to be forgiving:
Make allowances for people, command what is right, and turn away from the ignorant.
In compliance with Allah's commands, people of perfected faith assume a forgiving manner towards believers. Undoubtedly, this is a sign of a superior conscience. That is because, ordinarily, people find it difficult to forgive a mistake since a mistake often causes material or spiritual damage. They cannot even control their anger and feel no hesitation in showing it. But as the verse maintains, believers
In compliance with Allah's command, believers do not give in their selves but prefer to forgive. The greatest favour they can do to someone who makes a mistake, they know, is to urge him to do better. One verse says;
"And remind them, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers."
In another verse Allah says, "… They should rather pardon and overlook. Would you not love Allah to forgive you? Allah is EverForgiving and Most Merciful." (Surat an-Nur, 22) When a believer makes a mistake and sincerely regrets it, he wants Allah and other believers to forgive him and wants to earn their trust. Encountering a forgiving attitude makes him realise how a great blessing forgiveness is from Allah and what a comfort this is. For this reason, people of perfected faith forgive others and want to be forgiven by others. Surely, this is the attitude that earns the approval of Allah:
... But if you pardon and exonerate and forgive, Allah is EverForgiving and Most Merciful.
The Understanding of Justice by The People of Perfected Faith
"Allah commands justice and doing good and giving to relatives. And He forbids indecency and doing wrong and tyranny.
He warns you so that hopefully you will pay heed." (Surat an-Nahl, 90)
In the Qur'an, Allah commands believers not to diverge from justice whatever the circumstances may be:
You who believe! Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for Allah alone, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives. Whether they are rich or poor, Allah is well able to look after them. Do not follow your own desires and deviate from the truth. If you twist or turn away, Allah is aware of what you do.
People of perfected faith meticulously comply with this command and uphold justice even if its consequences could afflict them or their loved ones. They never forget that they shall have to give account of their deeds in the hereafter and that they will be faced there with every single good or wicked deed they committed. For this reason, none of the goals they are likely to attain in this world seem better than the approval of Allah they hope to attain in the hereafter.
One of the most important attributes of sincere believers is that they have chosen the way of "those who are the forerunners". For this reason, they always display the attitude with which they hope to earn Allah's pleasure. They act with the awareness that "for every day on which the sun rises there is a reward of a charitable gift (sadaqa) for the one who establishes justice among people." (Bukhari) as stated by Allah's Messenger. Therefore, neither family ties nor their worldly benefits hinder them from exercising justice. In the Qur'an, Allah commands as follows:
Allah commands you to return to their owners the things you hold on trust and, when you judge between people, to judge with justice. How excellent is what Allah exhorts you to do! Allah is All-Hearing and All-Seeing.
In another verse, Allah commands believers to be just even towards those for whom they feel enmity, and thus not to swerve from righteousness and piety:
You who believe! Show integrity for the sake of Allah, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for others to turn you away from justice. Be just. That is closer to true piety. Fear Allah. Allah is aware of all that you do.
Having these attributes, the people of perfected faith, who meticulously comply with the commands of Allah, become distinctive by the noble attitude they assume. The members of a society where the values of religion are not observed are consumed with the desire to take revenge upon those against whom they nurse anger and hold grudges. They cease to appeal to their consciences and their lower selves steer their decisions. The anger they feel and the grudges they bear deep inside obscure their reason and judgement. Therefore, they often take unsound decisions.
To attain an understanding of justice in the Qur'anic sense, the individual should be able to resist the desires of his lower self and follow his conscience. Besides, he should have the willpower to restrain his anger and think in compliance with the Qur'anic rationale.
Indeed, people of perfected faith possess all these characteristics. In accordance with the verse, "... Allah loves those who are evenhanded." (Surat al-Hujurat, 9), they never diverge from justice.
The People of Perfected Faith Call to The Good
"Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong.
They are the ones who have success."
The people of perfected faith meticulously comply with this command of Allah. They "enjoin the right and forbid the wrong" throughout their lives. The Qur'an provides us with the accurate meaning of "enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong".
"Enjoining the good" in the Qur'anic sense is to teach a person the attributes of Allah, and make him understand that he needs to love Allah and fear Him. It is to make him comprehend that the hereafter is an absolute truth and that he will be judged according to the Qur'an. It is to encourage him to listen to his conscience and become a sincere, wholehearted, loving, respectful, compassionate, merciful, tolerant, forgiving and self-sacrificing believer. In brief, "enjoining the good" is to exhort others to truly live by the values of the Qur'an. This is real goodness. That is because, such encouragement will ensure the best life both in this world and beyond and save a potential wrongdoer from eternal torment in hell.
"Forbidding the wrong", on the other hand, is to deter a person from following Satan, to make him purify himself of selfish desires, insincerity, hypocrisy, haughtiness, arrogance against Allah, unscrupulousness, and the assumption of an attitude that will displease Allah.
This is the how the people of perfected faith call one another to accept the truth. Allah defines such people in the Qur'an as follows:
They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the true believers.
In return for their efforts, they do not expect any rewards. They aim only to comply with the commands of the Qur'an and thus to attain the pleasure of our Lord. Throughout history, Allah's messengers admonished their people as the Prophet Nuh did:
I do not ask you for any recompense for this. For none can reward me but the Lord of all the worlds.
Another example mentioned in the Qur'an is the Prophet Musa's address to Pharaoh. Allah commands thus: When his Lord called out to him in the holy valley of Tuwa saying: "Go to Pharaoh—he has overstepped the limits—and say:
'Do you resolve to purify yourself? I will guide you to your Lord, so that you may fear Him.'" Then he showed Pharaoh the Great Sign. But he denied it and disobeyed, and then he hastily backed away. But then he rallied all his men and called out, saying, "I am your Lord Most High!" So Allah made an example of him, meting out punishment to him in this world and the hereafter. There is certainly a lesson in that for those who fear Allah.
As described in the verses above, the Prophet Musa called Pharaoh to believe in Allah but he refused outright and rebelled against Allah. This reprehensible attitude of Pharaoh exonerated Musa from his responsibilities towards him, since he was only held responsible for enjoining right and forbidding evil. It is Allah Who guides a man's heart to the true path or leads him astray.
However, a believer's duty to enjoin the good is not limited solely to calling people to the right path. They also enjoin the good upon other believers to urge them to attain a deeper understanding of the values of the Qur'an, to purify them of their mistakes and to make them display moral perfection. A believer enjoins good upon his brothers and sisters and forbids evil. He wants them to attain the approval of Allah and be rewarded by being ranked the highest in paradise.
The people of perfected faith do not communicate the morality of the religion through words only; the way they conduct themselves and their entire lives are also a manifestation of this morality. Rather than just talking about the meaning of friendship, wholeheartedness or sincerity, they display sincerity and wholeheartedness themselves and thus become role models to follow. Their behaviour conveys the meaning of sincerity far better than words. This holds true for all of the moral traits mentioned in the Qur'an. A man of perfected faith shows a willingness to be self-sacrificing, humbleness, forgiveness, justice, compassion, honesty–in brief, anything and everything to do with moral perfection by living by these values. This is what most impresses others. Indeed, one who talks about the importance of selfsacrifice at length, yet acts selfishly now and then would never be credible or appear sincere in the eyes of others.
It is obvious that one who sincerely lives by the values he preaches will surely appeal to others' conscience.
