Zeal and Enthusiasm Described in the Qur'an: Commitment to Live Good Morals

One who aims to attain the good pleasure of Allah in the life of this world will show great determination to live the good morals with which Allah is pleased. Those who do not have a sincere faith in Allah and who are not eager to earn His pleasure will find it burdensome. That is because good morals entail a perfect exercise of conscience and will. Those who do not have the zeal and fervor of faith in their hearts fail to show sensitivity of conscience and will. Consequently, they fail to show good morals in the true sense. Believers who embrace religion enthusiastically, on the other hand, willingly live by the moral principles described in the Qur’an and derive pleasure from it. At times they may face tempting situations, but when they refuse to follow their baser instincts, they feel great pleasure in this accomplishment and in being committed to good morals. They often encounter difficulties and problems yet display a brave and daring character.

Against an aggressive attitude likely to arouse anger, they show patience and restrain themselves. They repay a bad deed with a good one. When treated unjustly, they prefer to be generous and forgive, even though they are in the right. Throughout the most difficult and distressing situations they willingly forego their own preferences, giving priority to the wishes of other people and taking pleasure in making sacrifices for other believers. When they realize that they have made a mistake, they put forth-sincere effort to rectify the situation. Although they might be in need themselves, they give to orphans, to the poor, to the wayfarer and to those who ask in compliance with the command of Allah. They always exercise justice and display an honest attitude when they testify, even when against their own interests. They neither spy on each other nor backbite one another. Above all, they are committed to live by the values of the Qur’an until their last breath.

Only the zeal of faith grants a person the ability to live by the good values of the Qur’an. The commitment of believers to good values shows the depth of their faith. There are indeed moments when Muslims struggle with the desires of their lower selves and when they are tempted by satan. However, despite everything, Allah’s conscientious servants show determination to live by the moral values that will please Allah due to their devotion to Him and their aspiration to be close to Him.