Duties as Aesthetical Being

 

 Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society

 Chapter II. 

DUTIES

 

The facts stated in the preceding chapter being what they are, the question is: Has the Holy Qur’an prescribed any duties relating to the aesthetic aspect of human life?

The answer is: yes. 

 

Let us look into the details.

1. The Holy Qur’an wants its followers to beautify their Faith and their actions, and strive to obtain beautiful reward from God, as the following verses reveal:

“Who can be more beautiful in religion—Faith and Action— than one who surrenders his whole self to Allah while doing good (to mankind)…” (4:125).

“… and that, seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance, He will grant you enjoyment, good and beautiful, for a term appointed.” (11:3).

“Those who do good (beautifying their deeds) obtain a (like) beautiful (reward)—and more (through Divine Grace). No darkness (of ugliness and sorrow) nor shame shall cover their faces (on the Day of Judgment)! They are Companions of the Garden: therein they will abide.” (10:26).

“And if anyone earns any good, We shall give him an increase in beauty (or, of good) in respect thereof.” (42:23).

“But if any have done wrong and have thereafter substituted beauty (in conduct) to take the place of evil, truly, I am Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (27:11). 

 

2. In respect of beauty in conduct, the Qur’anic verses bear reference in the form of command to certain specific situations also.

For instance

a.       Beauty in speech:

“Speak to people employing beauty (in your speech).” (2:83).

b.       Beauty in behavior towards Parents:

“We have enjoined on man beauty (in conduct) in respect of his parents.” (29:8).

c.       Beauty in preaching and argument:

“Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most beautiful.” (16:125). 

 

3.    As regards physical life, the following emphatic verse refers to the duty of beautifying it in all manner, of course, in harmony with the Qur’anic norms and principles:

“Say: Who has forbidden things of beauty which Allah has brought forth for His servants, and the things, clean and pure, which He bath provided for sustenance? Say: They are, in the life of this world, for those who believe (and) purely for them on the Day of Judgment. Thus do We explain the Signs in detail for those who have knowledge.” (7:32). 

 

4.    In respect of dress, we are told first that one of the functions of dress is beautification of the human personality:

“O children of Adam! We have bestowed upon you raiment to cover your shame* and as a means of beautification; and the raiment of piety (which covers and beautifies the inner self) is the best** That is of the Signs of Allah that haply they may be admonished.” (7:26).

* Here the Holy Qur’an condemns the cult of nudism, which is a product of the psychological perversions of modern times. 

**  Here we obtain the principle that the garments we wear should never transgress the bounds of piety; otherwise, they will become source of ugliness. Thus, the Holy Qur’an voices a masculine protest against those perversions in dress which have plagued modern womanhood in the West and in the countries coming under the influence of the West.

Then, as if to emphasize the element of sanctity in beautification through dress, and to emphasize it for rectifying the wrong notion preached by certain other religions, it says, referring to worship, and, because a Muslim must compulsorily pray five times during the day and the night, referring actually to all the twenty-four hours of one’s daily life, as follows

“O Children of Adam! look to your adornment at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: (Enjoy) but waste not by excess;^* for Allah loves not the wasters.” (7:31). 

 * Mark that the Holy Qur’an allows aesthetic fulfillment but not luxury, which is vice.

 

5. To conclude: The Holy Qur’an demands and commands positive beautification of every aspect of human life: spiritual, moral, intellectual and physical. Its teaching in this respect has been beautifully summed up by the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) in these words:

“Verily Allah has made obligatory the employment of beauty in respect of everything.”* (sahih al-Muslim), (Mishkat al Masabih, Kitab al-said, al-Fail  al-awwal, p. 357).

* The Holy Prophet (Peace be on him) has commanded Muslims to fulfill aesthetic requirements even in respect of such matters as putting on the clothing over the dead body, preparing a grave, slaughtering an animal and killing an enemy soldier on the battlefield. (See: Mishkat al-Masabih, Bab Ghusl- al-Mayyit, p. 143; and Kitab al-said, p. 357). 

 

And let every Muslim artist and artisan remember the following Prophetic exhortation:

“Verily, when a servant (of Allah) executes any task, Allah loves that he executes it with thorough skill and for stability and perfection.” (Kanz al-’Ummal).

Source

to be continued . . . . . 

Quranic Foundation & Structure Of Muslim Society In The End Times

 

The Prohibition of Riba in Quran and Sunnah Conclusion

THE PROHIBITION OF RIBA IN THE QUR’AN AND SUNNAH

Being an explanation of the Islamic prohibition of riba (i.e. borrowing and lending on interest. among other things) and an effort:

to remind Muslims of the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah as they pertain to the prohibition of riba and in particular that a violation of this prohibition constitutes a great sin;

to expose the grand design of hostile forces who have already made considerable progress, through riba in gaining control over mankind. Their aim is to gain total control and to use that power to destroy faith in Allah;

to assist Muslims to get out of direct involvement in riba and thus to preserve their faith (Imaan) while recognizing that it is today impossible to live a life which is completely free from riba.

to explain the economic Sunnah (i.e. the Sunnah as it pertains to economic affairs) and in particular the nature of the free and fair market and the different ways through which that market has today been tonally corrupted.

to warn Muslims of the inevitable collapse of the present fraudulent system of non-redeemable artificial money, i.e. paper plastic and electronic money; and to encourage them to return to the use of the real money created by Allah i.e. gold and silver coins or any other real money;

to contribute towards the restoration of the free and fair market (with a different business ethics to that of riba-based capitalism) by encouraging ba’i (business) in the place of riba and raising of capital by way of mudarabah and musharaqa) investments rather than bank loans on interest.

That time has now arrived! 

Islam declares that the oppressed have the right to resort to force in their struggle for liberation from all forms of oppression, including economic oppression! No law can take away that right from them.

This work has exposed the many forms of riba to be the most destructive forces at work corrupting and destroying the free and fair market. Riba should be recognized as the curse of business and trade, - and as systematically destroying the collective benefits which are derived from business and trade. The injustices involved in riba are both enormous and dangerous. It breaks up, for example, the unity and fraternity of the social order and creates class hatred, violence, chaos etc. or what the Qur’an describes as fitan.

The prevalence of riba in the world today further confirms that we now live in the age of fitan (evil) which the Prophet (s) prophesied to be the last age before qiyamah (the end of the world). How should a Muslim live in the age of fitan? A companion of the Prophet (s) named Hudhaifa asked the Prophet about the age of evil and how we should live in that age. This was his reply:

Among the Signs of the last day as described by Allah's Messenger to his companion, Hudhaifa, is the following: People will follow a Sunnah other than mine and give guidance other than mine, so you will find in them both something to acknowledge and something to reject. I asked whether there would be any evil after that good and he replied. Yes, there will be people who summon others at the gates of jahannam into which they will cast those who respond to them. I asked Allah's Messenger to describe them to us and he said: They will be of our stock and speak like us. I asked: what command he had to give me if that happened in my time and he replied: You must adhere to the jama'at.

Source: IMRAN N. HOSEIN

The Prohibition of Riba (Interest) by Imran Hosein

The Prohibition of Riba (Interest) (Q&A) by Imran Hosein