Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society
(2)
DUTIES OF LOVE
(a) Duties of Commission:
(1) Seeking in all actions the Pleasure of God,
Who is the Moral Sovereign of the Universe, enjoined:
“And of mankind is he (i.e., the
true Muslim) who would sell (even) his life to earn the Pleasure of Allah. And
Allah is full of kindness to His devotees.” (2:207).
Nay: a true Muslim, in
his highest spiritual effort, goes even beyond, and seeks God Himself:
“… and (the righteous) have in their
minds no favor from anyone for which a reward is expected in return, but only
the yearning to seek the Countenance of their Lord Most High.” (92:19-20).
(2)
Cultivation of Gratefulness to God enjoined:
“… and express gratefulness to Allah, if
it is (indeed) He Whom you worship.” (2:172).
“… and be grateful for the favor of Allah
…” (16:114).
(3)
Cultivation of sincere devotion to God enjoined:
“… so serve Allah offering Him sincere
devotion;…” (39:2).
(4)
Steadfastness in devotion to God enjoined:
“… and hold fast by Allah (without
swerving)! He is your Patron: an excellent Patron and an excellent Helper.”
(22:78).
“… Your God is One God: so stand true to
Him…” (41:6).
“Verily those who say: ‘Our Lord is
Allah’, and remain steadfast thereto, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they
grieve.” (46:13).
(5)
Seeking nearness to God, the Source of all Goodness and
Holiness, enjoined:
(a)
through turning penitently unto Him:
“And turn penitently unto your Lord
and submit unto Him before there comes unto you the torment, and then you shall
not be succored.” (39:54).
(b)
through seeking ardently the means of approach:
“O you who believe! fear Allah and
seek the means of approach unto Him and strive with might and main in His
cause: that you may prosper.”41 (5:38).
(c)
through detaching from worldly things and engaging in
remembrance of and communion with Him:
“And remember the name of your Lord,
and devote yourself to Him with an exclusive devotion. Lord of the East and the West! No God is there but He. Take Him therefore for
(your) Disposer of Affairs.” (73:8-9).
“Therefore remember Me, I will remember
you …” (2:152).
“O you who believe! Remember Allah with
much remembrance and glorify Him early and late.” (33:41-42).
“… and celebrate His praise.” (25:58).
“And remember your Lord in your
(very) soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in word, in the
mornings and evenings; and be not of those who are neglectful (of Allah’s
remembrance).” (7:205).
This remembrance should take the form of
regular prayers also:
“Verily I! I am Allah! no God there is but
I; so worship Me and establish regular prayer for My remembrance.” (20:14).
These regular, or,
obligatory, prayers should be performed punctually at the appointed times:
“Verily regular prayers are enjoined on
the Believers at fixed times.” (4:103).
The regular prayers are
to be followed (and preceded) by as much remembrance of God as possible and
practicable:
“Then when you have finished the prayer,
remember Allah, standing and sitting and lying on your sides …” (4:103).
Also, besides the
regular and repeated daily communion and constant remembrance of Allah during
the normal waking hours of the day and the night, devoted Muslims should
sacrifice their comfort during the sleeping hours of the night, according to
their individual capacity, for communion with their Lord:
“Only those believe in Our
revelations who, when they (i.e. the revelations) are recited to them, fall
down in adoration and celebrate the praises of their Lord, and they are not
puffed up with pride. Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep (while yet
there is night), the while they call on their Lord, in Fear and Hope, and of
that wherewith We have provided them they spend (for the welfare of
others).” (32:15-16).
Indeed, the ‘Servants of God’ are:
“… those who spend the night in adoration
of their Lord, prostrate and standing …” (25:64).
(6) Cultivation
of Love for God enjoined:
Allah is the Loving One
(al-Wadud) and the cultivation of, and absorption in,
His love forms the highest pursuit of a Muslim. The Holy Qur’an speaks of the
true Believers as “a people whom Allah loves and they love Him.” (5:54).
It is a relationship
which is cultivated through right belief and right conduct:
“Verily those who believe and work
deeds of righteousness, for them (Allah) Most Gracious will appoint (in this
world as well as in the next) Love (i.e., His own love and the love of
fellow creatures).” (19:96).
This relationship is
consciously and assiduously cultivated at a level where it surpasses a Muslim’s
love for everything else:
“… but the Believers are strongest in love
for Allah.” (2:165).
It forms the highest
achievement for a Muslim, gives the direction to his will, and functions as the
motivating force—equally with ‘fear of God’—for all the actions of his life.
(b) Duties of Omission
(1)
Following lusts of the heart, thereby incurring God’s
Displeasure, prohibited:
“… and follow not the lusts (of your
heart) that it beguile you from the Way of Allah. Lo! those who wander from the
Way of Allah have an awful doom, for as much as they forgot the Day of
Reckoning.” (38:26).
(2)
Ungratefulness to God, prohibited:
“… and unto Me give thanks, and be not
ungrateful to Me.” (2:152).
(3)
Behaving disloyally (as opposed to, sincere devotion)
to God, prohibited:
“O you who believe! be not disloyal to
(or, betray not the trust of) Allah …” (8:27).
(4)
Worshipping false gods, whether those of the
polytheists and idol-worshippers or those that reside within the human self,
prohibited:
“And assuredly We sent among every
people a Messenger (with the Command:) ‘Serve God, and eschew Evil and shun
false gods’.” (16:36).
(5)
Fickle-mindedness in respect of faith in God’s
Goodness, condemned: hence to abstain from it is duty:
“And of mankind is he who worships
Allah, as it were, on the verge: if there befalleth him good, he is contented
therewith; but if there befalls him a trial, he turns round on his face; he
loses the world and the Hereafter: that indeed is a loss manifest.” (22:11).
(6)
Allowing pre-occupation with and engrossment in worldly
things to stand in the way of God’s remembrance, prohibited:
“O you who believe! let not your
riches or your children—the two worldly things having a wide range of
engrossment—divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that,
the loss is their own”. (63:9).
(7)
Lack of earnestness in prayers and in the remembrance
of God in general, condemned as the way of the Hypocrites, hence abstinence from it is duty:
“… (The Hypocrites) when they stand
up in prayer, stand without earnestness, making a show to the people, and they
remember not Allah but little.” (4:142).
(8)
Befriending the forces of evil, thereby violating our
duty of love for God, condemned:
“Whosoever befriends Satan (who
represents all the forces of evil), instead of Allah, has of a surety suffered
a loss that is manifest.” (4:119).
This is so because:
“… Satan’s wish is to lead them astray far
away (from the Right).” (4:60).
(9)
Loving any object of worldly life in preference to love
for God, severely condemned: hence abstinence from it is duty:
“Say (O Muhammad! to the Muslims):
If your fathers, and your sons, and your brothers, and your mates, and your
kindred, and the wealth you have acquired, and the commerce in which you fear a
decline, and the dwellings in which you delight—(these) are dearer to you than
Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause: then wait until Allah
brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious.” (9:24).
Source
to be continued . . . . .
