Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society
Chapter 4.
Duties towards Muslims as Muslims
1. Duties of Commission;
2. Duties of Omission.
(1) Duties of Commission:
END: Promotion of the Happiness and Moral Perfection of the Muslims.
(1) Respecting the sanctity of life, honour and property of other Muslims, enjoined:
This duty is contained in the following directives:
(a) Cultivation and maintenance of genuine brotherly relations have been enjoined:
“The Believers are but a single Brotherhood:* So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and be careful of your duty towards Allah (in respect of safeguarding these brotherly relations), that you may receive Mercy.” (49:10).
It is a Brotherhood in which:
i). the odious distinctions of caste and color, and of tribe and race, have been totally eliminated. (See 49:13).
ii). even the worst enemy of Islam is accepted as a full brother, if he chooses genuinely to be a Muslim:
“In a Believer they (i.e., the enemies of Islam) respect not either the ties of kinship or of covenant! It is they who have transgressed all bounds. But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practice regular charity,—they are your brethren in Faith: Thus do We explain the Signs in detail for those who understand.” (9:10-11).
iii). even a human being with practically no social standing, including the humblest slave, who may belong to any race or color or country, can enter as a full brother by mere acceptance of Islam:
“… But if you know not their fathers, they are your Brothers in Faith and your friends …” (33:5).
To maintain the integrity of this world Brotherhood (having a membership today of more than a billion souls) forms one of the highest duties of a Muslim, as we shall note elsewhere.
That cannot be possible, however, without constantly maintaining the attitude of respecting the sanctity of the life, honour and property of individual Muslims. Hence the same is duty.
(b) Mercifulness towards Muslims has been proclaimed as one of the basic virtues of Islamic life:
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against (hostile) Disbelievers, and merciful amongst each other …” (48:29).
(c) Observing respectfulness towards other Muslims has been proclaimed as one of the basic virtues which should be possessed by every Muslim:
“… humble (or, respectful) toward Believers …” (5:57).
(d) Absolute honesty in respect of other Muslims’ trusts has been enjoined:
“… And if one of you deposits a thing on trust with another, let the trustee (faithfully) discharge his trust, and let him fear his Lord …” (2:283).
(e) Finally: keeping straight the relations with other Muslims, has been enjoined:
“… so fear Allah, and keep straight the relations between yourselves (i.e., preserve the sanctity of life, honour and property between yourselves) …” (8:1).
(2) Endeavour to ensure peace and justice among Muslims, whether the moral agent is involved in it or not, enjoined:
This duty is contained in the following directives:
a. In case quarrel or fight takes place between two Muslim parties, all possible effort for bringing about just peace between them, and, in case of failure, assisting the wronged party, has been commanded:
“If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make you peace between them: But if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight you against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah; but if it complies, then make peace between them with justice, and be fair. For Allah loves those who are just.” (49:9).
b. In case of one’s personal dispute, rising above self and settling all differences with brother Muslims on the basis of Divine Guidance given in the Holy Qur’an and in the Sunnah (Way of the Prophet), has been enjoined:
“… and if you dispute in aught (do not try to settle your dispute on the basis of any subjective considerations but purely on the objective grounds of justice, and for that) refer to Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad), if you (indeed) believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best and fairest (course) for final determination.” (4:59).
c. Such an attitude being impossible without the spirit of absolute selflessness, sacrificing personal interests and comforts for other Muslims has been commended and emphasized as one of the virtues of true Muslims:
“… and they give preference to (the interests and the needs of others) above themselves, though poverty become their lot …” (59:9).
d. The spirit of selflessness cannot be maintained without the constant cultivation of the attitude of goodwill towards all Muslims. This has been taught in the following prayer:
“… Our Lord! forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in the Faith, and permit not in our hearts rancor towards the Believers. Our Lord! verily You are Kind, Merciful.” (59:10).
(3) Ensuring and promoting the moral and spiritual welfare of Muslims, enjoined:
Enjoining right conduct and forbidding all evil ways has been proclaimed as the mission of every Muslim:
The Holy Qur’an says:
“… you are the best community that has been raised up for mankind. you enjoin right conduct and forbid what is wrong: and you believe in Allah …” (3:110).
“… and (those who) exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to perseverance (in the cause of truth).” (103:3).
Also: constantly exhorting one another to truth, perseverance in the way of truth, and the practice of compassion, have been declared as the basic conditions for the spiritual and moral progress of the Muslims:
“… and (those who) exhort one another to compassion …” (90:17).
Hence to strive for the moral and spiritual perfection of other Muslims in the above ways, is duty.
(2) Duties of Omission:
END: Preservation of the Happiness and the Moral Health of the Muslims.
(1) Killing a Muslim most severely condemned and prohibited:
“It is not for a Believer to kill a Believer unless (it be) by mistake....”
“Whoso slays a Believer of set purpose, his reward is Hell for ever. Allah is angry with him and He has cursed him and prepared for him an awful doom.” (4:92-93).
(2) Damaging the honour of other Muslims in any form, prohibited:
a. Insulting in any manner, defaming and backbiting has been ruled out:
“O you who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk, belike they may be better than they are, nor let (some) women (deride) (other) women, belike they may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Illseeming is a name connoting sin after belief. And whoso turns not in repentance, such are evil-doers.
“… nor backbite one another. Would anyone of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (49:11-12).
b. Slandering the Muslims has been very severely condemned:
“And those who hurt (through slander) the believing men and the believing women undeservedly, they bear the guilt of slander and manifest sin.” (33:58).
(3) Raking up disputes with other Muslims prohibited, with warning of very serious consequences:
“(O you who believe!) … rake up no disputes (with one another), lest you lose heart and your power depart …” (8:46).
One of the factors which lends ugliness to disputes is rancor. The Holy Qur’an censures rancor also, and teaches the following prayer:
“(The true Muslims pray:* Our Lord!) … permit not our hearts to suffer from rancor against the Believers. Our Lord! you are indeed Kind, Merciful.” (59:10).
* “They pray”, says A. Yusuf Ali, “not only for themselves, but for all their brethren, and above all, they pray that their hearts may be purified of any desire or tendency to disparage the work or virtues of other Muslims or to feel any jealousy on account of their success or good fortune.” (Op. cit., n.5384).
(4) Damaging the just interests of other Muslims, prohibited:
a. In respect of defrauding them in matters pertaining to wealth:
“O you who believe! Eat up not your wealth among yourselves (i.e., do not consume one another’s wealth) unlawfully …” (4:29).
b. In respect of concealing evidence:
“… Conceal not evidence; for whoever conceals it, his heart is tainted with sin. And Allah knows all that you do.” (2:283).
(5) Damaging the moral tone of the social environment of Muslims prohibited:
Propagating indecencies, including scandalous gossip, among the Muslims has been condemned very severely; hence, abstinence from the same is duty.
The Holy Qur’an says:
“Verily those who love that indecency (and scandalous gossip) should be propagated among, and regarding, those who believe, for them shall be a torment afflictive in the (present) world and the Hereafter. And Allah knows (what terrible harm accrues to human society through such acts), and you know not.” (24:19).
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to be continued . . . . .
Quranic Foundation & Structure Of Muslim Society In The End Times
