Answer: Many of us were raised without guides who could direct us to the right path and illuminate the roads we walk. As a result, we were unable to view events through a holistic perspective. We could not perceive the relationships between cause and effect. We failed to plan our present in connection with our future, and our future in connection with the days that lie beyond it. Consequently, we could not live our lives within the framework of a broader plan.

In general, concerns centered on merely getting through the present day came to dominate our thinking. We fixed our gaze on today and neglected tomorrow. Our thoughts became confined to worldly concerns, and our horizons narrowed. Indeed, for a person who does not lean on a heavenly source, it is extremely difficult to evaluate events from a comprehensive perspective, to rise beyond the prison of corporeality, and to organize life according to a grander plan.

Human beings are not merely material entities made up of physical bodies. They also possess a heart and a spirit, along with deeper inner faculties such as sirr, khafi, akhfa, and the latifa Rabbaniyya (the subtle divine faculty). Just as the physical structure of the human being consists of many interwoven systems and layers, the spiritual dimension likewise comprises numerous distinct mechanisms and depths.

Whoever created the human being with both inward and outward dimensions is also the One Who knows the human being best. Therefore, a balanced and peaceful life is possible only through recourse to His guidance. If that guidance is ignored, however, and the human being is viewed within a narrow framework and considered only in terms of material existence, then certain aspects of the person become paralyzed.

This resembles trying to take care of one organ of the human body without taking the entire anatomy into account. No matter how knowledgeable or skilled the specialist performing such an intervention may be, complications are inevitable when the whole is ignored.

Deepening within the inner self

Today, we seek everything in the outer world, whereas within the inner self lies an immense realm waiting to be discovered. The following couplet by Erzurumlu İbrahim Hakkı draws attention to this truth:  

“God said: ‘I cannot be contained within the earth and the heavens’;

Yet He was known through the mine of the heart.”

Indeed, neither the earth nor the heavens can encompass God; He is transcendent beyond space. Yet His knowledge and love manifest themselves in the human heart. As this couplet indicates, the inner self is profoundly important and deeply instructive. A person may not reach in the outer world the truths that can be attained within one’s own inner depths and spiritual world. Whoever is able to deepen within the self is graced with many inspirations and forms of spiritual knowledge that cannot be seen, read, or heard in the heavens and the earth.

Moreover, one who cannot properly read the inner self may become trapped in the swamp of positivism and naturalism while searching in the outer world. If a person first learns to read the inner self correctly, begins reflection there, and then turns toward the outer world, such a person walks with firmer steps, traverses life’s paths with greater awareness, and reaches important truths concerning the knowledge of God. Yet all of this depends upon benefiting from divine outpourings and from their sweet and abundant source. A person who is not nourished by revelation cannot correctly understand his or her own essential nature, nor reach the inner points of reliance and spiritual support embedded within.

Today, because naturalistic assumptions are predominantly presented to us in the name of knowledge and science, we too reduce the human being to the earth and confine the person within a narrow framework by considering only corporeal existence. Since we have been raised within the materialistic secular culture of the modern world, and since educational curricula shaped by this culture are implemented in our schools, our minds and ways of thinking are influenced by it, whether we realize it or not. Consequently, our criteria for interpreting the human being, existence, and the universe gradually change.

For the human being is a child of the cultural environment in which he or she is raised. Whatever people repeatedly encounter at home, in the streets, in schools, or in places of worship, they often come to adopt. Today, because people do not hear even a single spiritually uplifting voice or resonance nourishing the heart and soul in the environments through which they move, their emotional and intellectual worlds become impaired, and they begin wandering through very different and unfamiliar valleys.

The worldly drift of religious interpretation

The culture in which we live leaves its imprint on everything—from our understanding of the Divine Being to our view of angels, from the way we interpret religion to the nature of our spiritual lives. As a result, even matters that are heavenly and transcendent are gradually reduced to earthly terms. We interpret the divine scriptures through molds presented—and at times imposed—by the surrounding culture. Our own interpretations and understandings often distort the color and texture of these sources.

Instead of embracing the meanings we are truly meant to understand, we adopt what appeals to our desires or seems compatible with our interests. Rather than seeking to discern what God desires through His divine speech, we make the Qur’an speak according to the meanings we find expedient. Through our own worldliness, we flatten the profound depths of the Book and reduce it to our own frame of understanding. At the root of certain theological interpretations that cannot be reconciled with the spirit of religion lie precisely such tendencies. In fact, this superficiality and narrowness are often reflected even in the translations and interpretations we give to Qur’anic verses. Nor do we confine only the Qur’an within this shallow framework; we interpret the book of the universe in the same reductive manner.

Indeed, the foremost aim of the early scholars was to understand the divine intent of God Almighty. They constantly reflected: “This is what I understand from this verse, but what is the divine intent behind it?” Their lives revolved around exploring the depths of the Qur’an and Sunnah and uncovering the meanings hidden within them. Their primary goal was to understand the word of God correctly and to attain His pleasure.

Today, however, worldly concerns dominate. The minds of many people are occupied with questions such as, “How can we live a more prosperous life?” People move within worldly pursuits, think within worldly frameworks, and even connect religious matters to worldly anxieties. In other words, as mentioned earlier, we reshape religion according to ourselves and distance it from the divine intent. Everything is interpreted according to personal interests, worldly benefits, ambitions, and future prospects. Efforts are then made to derive religious rulings that support these interests—or at the very least, to force artificial associations onto the sacred texts.

It is even possible to encounter such forced interpretations in sermons and religious advice delivered in mosques.

An alienation that goes unnoticed

People gradually come under the influence of ideas promoted in their environments without even realizing it, and eventually begin aspiring to them. Intentions and goals are then shaped accordingly. Today, one can observe that people devoted to religion and people devoted to worldly life often think about the same things and speak about the same things.

Since they can no longer discover the lofty intentions, goals, and ideals belonging to their own spiritual world, they console and deceive themselves with trivial things. Consequently, they become estranged from noble ideals such as living so that others may live and tying their own salvation to the salvation of others.

The most dangerous aspect of all this, however, is that such alienation often goes unnoticed. If people become aware of the values they have lost, they will at least make some effort to recover them. But if a person is unaware of the condition he or she is in—or worse, is aware of it yet feels no discomfort—then one cannot expect that person to demonstrate the will to seek and rediscover what has been lost.

This situation may be likened to a chick still inside its egg. Suppose you somehow managed to tell it: “Why are you remaining there with your neck compressed between your legs? Outside, there is a vast and spacious world.” If the chick possessed the ability to laugh, it would probably laugh at such words and perhaps even accuse you of foolishness. For to the chick, no place could be better than the one it currently inhabits. In the same way, it is not easy to describe the vast and refreshing horizons of the heart and spirit to modern people who remain trapped within the narrow confines of the material realm.

A serious process of rehabilitation is needed if people are to be rescued from becoming prisoners of such constriction. For example, living models drawn from periods in which faith was practiced in its true and upright form can be presented before them, enabling these examples to become role models. Ideal examples from the generation of the Companions of the Prophet or from later periods of history may help modern people emerge from the narrowness in which they are trapped and broaden their horizons. This can also be achieved by discussing matters belonging to our own spiritual world in every gathering we participate, and by deeply internalizing and digesting the sources that belong to our own tradition.

Indeed, we need to reexamine and reconstruct our intellectual world from the ground up. For it is extremely difficult to reveal our own breadth and depth through the dominant philosophies of our age or through the modern understanding of science. Certainly, there are beneficial insights to be gained from every thought and every culture. Yet what is truly important is to approach the matter from its foundations, establish our own intellectual framework, and reinterpret existence through that perspective.

God has prescribed us to act mercifully and charged us with the responsibility of getting to know one another and living together in peace so that religion is practiced for God alone, and no human is given authority over another. The purpose of this prescription is to ensure that everyone is free to practice their faith, is safe, doesn’t worry about their financial interactions, and can express one’s beliefs. In fact, all the rules, laws and regulations of Islam have actually been placed in order to secure, guarantee, and regulate these freedoms.

Community freedoms are different; some are shared by all, and some are agreed upon. While some are mutually inclusive, some might conflict or oppose the freedoms of others. By reminding of possible consequences and promises of rewards in the hereafter, Islam aims to prevent such conflicts by commanding virtue and prohibiting vice.

A truly free human being is one whose presence in a community is respected. A free individual can enjoy the opportunities of advancement and development, in realms both material and immaterial. Therefore, what befalls upon such a free person is to observe and respect the rights and freedoms of others and to defend these rights just like his own rights are defended. Free individuals seek equality.

It is among one’s rights to discuss and debate with others regarding their thoughts and creeds; even to raise objections in light of one’s faith and creed. However, one is not allowed to cause any harm to others, nor mock what they consider holy or make fun of the symbols of their religions. Rather, one must respect what they hold high. In turn, one might expect others to respect what you consider holy.

Shedding light on this topic, God says, “And do not insult those they invoke other than God, lest they insult God in enmity without knowledge” (Qur’an 6:107-8). And He the Exalted also said, “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best” (16:125). He also added, “Do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best, except for those who commit injustice among them” (29:46).

The main structure of freedom, according to Islam, is based on the obligation of securing the individual’s life through providing his or her basic necessities and needs. Based on this provision, it is possible for an individual to utilize their right of freedom in thought, faith, religious practice, and expression. Nonetheless, if the community fails to cater to the rights of the poor, weak, and impoverished some people will be deprived of their freedoms. This is especially so when the distribution of welfare is off balance, for the crushing forces of poverty will further curtail the freedoms of the poor.

God says in the Qur’an, “God will surely perfect His light, however hateful (it may be) to the unbelievers dislike it. He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religions” (61:8-9).

The “perfecting of the light” and the “manifesting of the truth” can only be realized when the community and the nation become an exemplary embodiment of the values they hold. These values include mercy, peace, respect, solidarity, unity, prosperity, truthfulness, and other high moral qualities. In the community where all these values are manifested, creedal concepts are translated into behavior and aesthetic values. For this to be possible members of the community have to be aware of their rights and the ways of obtaining them. Consequently, communities will be committed to preserving these rights – and then extending them to other states or nations. Just as one must live justly, one should support other nations and communities that strive to obtain their human rights, prosperity, and freedom; this is an inseparable part of the being an exemplary community.

When moral qualities and values are firmly rooted in a community and the consciences of the people, these values will be seen in their behaviors, actions, and attitudes guiding them to becoming the “perfect human” who is potentially equipped with faculties to receive the heavenly message and benefit from it. A community’s advancement and civilization are in direct proportion with nobleness of the moral values it possesses.  

Islam did not leave the issue of a community’s morality to the wills of individuals. Rather, it put certain limits and borders on freedoms and established rules and regulations to establish a moral atmosphere. It also laid down a set of punitive measures to ensure security and peaceful coexistence in the society.

By entrusting the rights of the needy and poor upon the society at large it can also be said that Islam enjoins a social security system. As an extension of these rights, Islam has prescribed alms-giving (zakat) upon the rich and other legal incentives for the giving of charity through vows (nadhr), expiations (kaffarah), and financial compensations. In return, to protect peoples’ rights of property, Islam has also laid down a penal system against crimes like theft, rebellion, and murder which endanger a community’s safety and unity whilst also undermining its ethical values.

The moral system that Islam lays down is unique in the following aspects:

1. The source of Islam’s moral system is divine revelation: the Qur’an and the Sunna. In these two sources, there are measurements and broad objectives that adjust a person’s behavior in the universe in accordance with a lofty system of high morals.

2. Good character is obtained by effort. The opportunity to advance and acquire high moral levels is open to all humans and all people. All start from a common point where they are all equal in this race for a higher good, that being that they are all the children of Adam (pbuh). In light of this, it is narrated that the Companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, Abu Said al- Khudri said, “Some of the people of the Ansar asked for something from the Messenger of God and he gave it to them. Then they asked him again and he gave it to them until he had used up everything he had. He said, ‘If I had anything, I would not keep it away from you. (Remember) Whoever abstains from asking others, God will make him contented, and whoever tries to make himself self-sufficient, God will make him self-sufficient. And whoever remains patient, God will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience.’”

3. This moral system is also uniquely characterized by steadiness and stability. The reason for this is that morality in Islam has a “worship element” (ta’abbudi) in which a person seeks his Lord’s pleasure. Hence the reason behind the morality emanates from the fact that it is requested by the Almighty and hence it is not merely a way of interacting with others based on utilitarian principles and interest. In relation to this, the Companion of the Prophet, Abu Hurayra, narrated that the Prophet said, “May he be miserable, the worshipper of the dinar and dirham, and the worshipper of the striped silk cloak. If he is given anything, he is satisfied; but if not, he is unsatisfied” (Bukhari, Riqaq).

4. Islamic morality is also distinguished by being comprehensive and completing all aspects of life, the public and private, from one’s relationship with the Lord to those with other human beings, even down to the level of his domestic interactions.

5. The moral values in Islam point to ideal forms, yet they are also applicable and realistic. They do not oblige a person to do something that is beyond his or her ability. God said in the Holy Qur’an, “Keep, then, from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety as far as you can, and listen attentively and submit (to His commands), and obey Him, and spend (in His cause and for the needy), as it is to the betterment of your souls. Whoever is guarded against the avarice of his soul, those are they who are truly prosperous” (64:16).

Another verse reads, “What I seek is only to set things right so far as I am able. My success in my task depends on God alone. In Him have I put my trust, and to Him do I always turn with all my heart” (11:88).

God also said, “But seek, by means of what God has granted you, the abode of the Hereafter (by spending in alms and other good causes), without forgetting your share (which God has appointed) in this world. Do good to others as God has done good to you (out of His pure grace). Do not seek corruption and mischief in the land, for God does not love those who cause corruption and make mischief” (28:77).

6. Finally, Islamic morals are universal and dynamically alive. They are suitable for all human beings. The benefit of abiding by these morals will return to all humans, irrespective of whether they are Muslim or not. This stems from Islam being a religion which brought about universal and comprehensive systems, rules, and morals. To emphasize further on the universality of Islam, God said, “But it is not other than a Reminder for all beings” (68:52), and, “O humanity, in deed I am a messenger of God sent to all of you.” In the Qur’an, the Prophet is referred to as a “mercy” for all: “We have not sent you (O Muhammad) but as an unequalled mercy for all the worlds” (21:107). It is narrated that the Prophet said, “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe, and the believer is the one people trust with their lives and wealth” (Sahih Ibn Hibban). The Prophet (pbuh) also said, “The most beloved people to God are those who are most beneficial to the people” (Tabarani, al-Mu’jam’ul Kabir).

The message of the Prophet is established on the foundations of Islam’s moral system. The concept of the love of God and the love of His Prophet is tied with a person’s adherence to honorable and outstanding ethical and moral values. The Prophet summarized the whole purpose of his messengership as the completion and perfection of good character (Imam Malik, Muwatta). The Prophets before him began the project, and he finished it – or as he (pbuh) described through an analogy, all the Prophets worked together to build a building and only one brick was missing, and he (pbuh) was that missing brick.

It is reported that the Prophet said, “The dearest and nearest among you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be one who is the best of you in manners” (Bukhari, Fadail al-Sahaba). When the Prophet was asked what enables people to enter heaven, he replied, “piety and good manners” (Tirmidhi, Birr and Sila). The Prophet categorized good manners as worship through which a person can gain great spiritual rewards like someone who is in constant prayer day and night: “By his good character a believer will attain the degree of one who prays during the night and fasts during the day.”

There are two main points to this question – this matter has aspects that relate both to the people of guidance who are attached to God, and to those who are not.

It is the duty of the people of guidance to communicate to other people the truth as they believe, the truth they have found and had a taste of; the truth they are satisfied with or a view with which they mature with, and to guide them to peace. First and foremost, this is a debt of conscience we owe to humankind. A person who knows these truths, the content of which has been bestowed to our consciences as a divine favor, should communicate them to those who do not know and open for them the doors leading to God.

Now, let’s have look at how God has commanded about this matter: “The believers, both men and women, they are guardians, confidants and helpers of one another. They enjoin and promote what is right and good and forbid and try to prevent the evil” (Qur’an 9:71). Another verse reads: “O you who believe! There must be among you a community calling to good, and enjoining and promoting what is right and good and forbidding and trying to prevent evil (in appropriate ways). They are those who are the prosperous.” (3:104). God has always referred to those who promote what is right and good as an honorable community: “You are the best community ever brought forth for (the good of) humankind, enjoining and promoting what is right and good forbidding and trying to prevent the evil, and (this you do because) you believe in God” (Qur’an 3:110).

These divine lights considerably clarify this obligation towards humanity. This matter is clarified by many other verses and hadiths and it is so open and clear that it does not require any further interpretation or explanation. Therefore, we can gather from these verses that we are responsible for communicating the divine truths. This is such a compelling responsibility that if there was no one left on earth one day in future, then we will entertain the possibility that there might be people living in a colony near Sirius or some distant planet around some unknown star in the Hercules constellation and somewhere in the Milky Galaxy, and with an urge that is unique to human species to reach out to them, we will build colonies and cities as interim stations on our route toward them, and we will communicate our heart-felt inspirations to the people there (if any). We will intermingle and sympathize with them and we will show them the roads that will lead to God. We will say, “Say, ‘There is no god but God,’ and be saved and be prosperous,” as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, put, and this will always be our main motto. This is our duty. On the other hand, their duty is to lend an ear to this call of ours that invites them to peace and to search for the straight path wherever they are and everywhere they go.

If we do not fulfill our duty, we will fail to comply with our obligation towards God. Then, Almighty God will ask questioningly: “You knew the truth, but you failed to communicate to other people? You knew God, but you did not introduce Him to other people? You could see the straight path, but why didn’t you show it to other people? You were aware of the light, but why didn’t you turn other people to look toward that direction?”

In the light of divine revelations, I can say that on that day, Almighty God will say to them: “Although you satisfied all of your animal drives to the full, why didn’t you search for the way which would provide you with full gratification? Even during your most troubled and distressed times, you did not think for an instant to experiment this way? In other words, you have resorted to all sorts of recipes for your worldly welfare, but why didn’t you consider making the truth which you somewhat heard about even for once?”

In the final analysis, Almighty God will hold every individual against his or her own sins. Since we are responsible only for communicating the truth to them, we will be questioned only for our faults in fulfilling this duty of ours. On the other hand, they will be questioned for failing to search for truth or lend an ear in a sincere manner to the truth, if they have already heard about it. May God save us from falling tumbling down by failing to enjoin and promote what is right and good, and forbid and try to prevent the evil while having capability to do so!

How would you comment on the Qur’anic verses “You alone do we worship . . .” (Fatiha 1:5) and “This is the Book: there is no doubt about it. A perfect guidance for the God-revering, pious, who keep their duty to God” (Baqara 2:2).?

In this phrase, the object pronoun “You alone” (iyyaka) is placed before the predicate. This implies a very subtle point: “O God, we wholeheartedly proclaim, acknowledge, and confess that it is only You, and none but You that we turn to, bow before, and seek comfort in. We believe that by Your side alone we can attain serenity and peace.” Another point to note here is the tense; instead of abada, which is the past tense, in this verse na’budu is used for “worship”, the same root in the present. In the past, abada connotes “we did, we made, we performed, etc.” Such a tone, however, would in a way be contrary to the nature of worship, for it sounds like an accomplishment, which implies pride, as if the worshipper fulfilled something all by himself or herself.

The present tense form of na’budu implies that the task is not yet finished, which renders such a misinterpretation impossible. Meaning “we worship,” na’budu refers to the intention and determination to acknowledge the eternal impotence and poverty of humankind before His Presence. This can also be paraphrased as follows, “O Lord! I am determined that I will not sacrifice my freedom to anyone but You and I will not fall in humiliation before anyone or anything. I turn to You fully intent on servanthood and worship; my eyes are fixed upon You and no other. I am filled with a desire for submission and prayer. Resolute to distance myself from anything other than You, I wish to always stand opposed to all that You do not like or want. My intention is my greatest worship; I hope that You will accept my intention as my worship. I plead for Your favor, not in proportion to the number of things that I have done, but to those I have intended to do.”

In this phrase, na’budu, “we worship,” also emphasizes that the worshipper is not alone with such thoughts. Hoping that all others are thinking in the same vein, the worshipper proclaims, “In making this request, I am in full concord with all my fellow worshippers.” Through such an indisputable alliance, the worshipper is empowered with confirmation and testimony, and thus he or she turns to the presence of the Almighty Lord Who meets all needs. In this manner, they can relieve themselves of evil involuntary thoughts, and they can enact a complete form of worship toward the Perfect Divinity.

Perfect guidance

This is the Book: there is no doubt about it. A perfect guidance for the God-revering, pious, who keep their duty to God. (Baqara 2:2)

“Guidance,” in this verse is in the infinitive form. Since the infinitive is a verb form, like in other languages, in Arabic it expresses action and engagement; therefore, it implies that individuals cannot find guidance, or, ultimately, the main goal to which it leads, without having exerted any effort. The word also ends with a tanween (indefinite noun-ending with letter nun); a rule in Arabic grammar suggests that if a concept is used in the indefinite/unconditional form, then its perfect meaning is intended. Therefore, there is no doubt that this book is a transcending divine guidance for the pious. It is perfect guidance for the pious, as it is they who are free from the slightest skepticism, and it is they who are ready to comply with both the injunctions of faith (sharia al-garra) and the principles that are in effect in nature (sharia al-fitriyya). The pious are disposed to acknowledge the truth, and since they are not prejudiced, such perfect guidance can be viable for them alone (with the above-mentioned condition that they have to exert effort).

Nevertheless, there is another use of “guidance” at the end of the same page in the Qur’an in the following verse: “Those (illustrious ones) stand on the true guidance from their Lord” (2:5). Here “guidance” is in the form of a verbal noun (while the infinitive form implies human responsibility, the verbal noun is God’s creation). That is, it is a kind of actual guidance God bestows upon His servants, whomever He will, without the intervention of any cause-effect relationship. As far as we can deduce from the conditional in “for the God-revering, pious,” how one attains such guidance is by attaining a true level of piety. Faith and knowledge of God are the first level of ascending on this path, the last being the pleasure of God Almighty. Finally, as clearly expressed in the verse, only those who can live up to such guidance will attain salvation.

It can be derived from the context of this last verse that guidance is dependent upon God’s having created it. However, the behavior and preferences adopted through the exercise of free will are necessary if such guidance is to ensure safety and comfort in this world and if it is to become a means of salvation in the hereafter for humankind.

To conclude, the first “guidance” is a cause and the second is a blissfully granted result. Both are an answer to the prayer of “Guide us to the straight path” in Fatiha (1:7), while serving as guidelines for those on the road.

Note: See Nursi, The Words, Twenty-Sixth word, Sixth Way, for an explanation on verbal noun and infinitive in Arabic grammar.

In this scenario, according to one school of thought, as there is no source of knowledge but intellect for human beings, then there is no alternative with which we can identify the solutions of human problems. We have to go along life’s journey under the guidance of the intellect, bearing the distress of each abortive effort.

A second school of thought opposes this view. It states that intellect alone is not enough to reveal the truths of life and/or to solve the problems. Rather, knowledge is also a source; one can differentiate between right and wrong. Moreover, humans should be able to reach the destination safely and save themselves from the fruitless and exhaustive efforts of the intellect. But unlike animals, knowledge is not an instinctive characteristic of all human beings. Humanity has been given such knowledge through selected persons; this knowledge is called revelation.

Revelation does not exclude human intellect; rather, it respects it and claims that just as the human eye needs light to see, so too does the intellect depend on the light of revelation to be able to view the world correctly.

After having looked at these two different points of views, it is time to compare them.

Today, if human intellect (even after thousands of failures) has discovered the true solution to all problems, then there is no need for human beings to take on revelation as a panacea. The intention of revelation was to solve the problems of life. If such problems have been solved without the assistance of revelation, then it is useless to discuss intellect or revelation.

But what if human intellect is yet to discover the true solution of the problems of life and is yet entangled in the whirlpool of its experiments? Then, it is worth investigating whether humans should continue pursuing these answers with the intellect or whether they should verify the claim of the revelation by adopting its approach for dealing with problematic situations.

Today’s world carries the burden of diverse problems-social unrest, political instability, wide-spread poverty and destitution, prostitution, homicide, drug addiction, alcoholism, the disintegration of the family, juvenile delinquency, terrorism, suicides and AIDS. The figures and forecasts of this virulent disease are intimidating, bearing in mind that prostitution and pornography are not only permitted in many countries worldwide, but are becoming money-spinning sources of living, particularly in the West. This is aggravated by the actuality that there is at present an ever-increasing rise in the international trafficking of children for these purposes. Moreover, infidelity is also on the rise, along with soaring crime rates in leading democratic and formerly communist countries. Undeniable facts illustrate that man-made systems that are devoid of Divine guidance have done more damage than good to humanity. It appears that the ambitions of knowledge and contentment have not been realized.

In philosophy and contemporary sciences-natural, behavioral, and social-the source of knowledge is limited to the human intellect and its five senses. Revelation is dismissed out of hand, and is not considered to be a source of knowledge; it is renounced as being nothing more than a parable or a superstition. This refusal to accept revelation as a source of knowledge is a phenomenon that has both historical and philosophical antecedents.

It is the natural attribute of human intelligence to identify and strive to destroy disorders that exist in and near it; this is part of the “quest for truth.” Astoundingly, regardless of humanity’s efforts to bring order by abolishing these disorders, they are in fact increasing the world over. It is the same intelligence that causes the disorders and the attempts to correct them; the only difference is the level of perception. Intelligence, if it is improved, or not disturbed, believes that it can alter the situation of the world by evangelizing good behavior. Any amount of teaching or intimidation will only bring about a provisional alteration in behavior; yet it is only a fundamental or basic change in humanity’s frame of mind that can change the world.

If we are not able to elucidate “why things are the way they are” by means of principles that are the results of the intellect, then the only alternative, other than abandoning our pursuit, is to search for the true principles as the source. So, one might be led to inquire, where do we turn for an appropriate understanding of reality and the purpose of life itself then? If we cannot rely on the knowledge or findings of any human source, then where can we discover a dependable source of knowledge?

Moreover, knowledge that is gained through the endeavor of the intellect does not exist in isolation, but rather is linked with the economics and politics of the culture from which it arises, as well as all the rest of that culture. The thoughts, attitudes, feelings, values, motives, purposes, goals, modes of action and organization, rituals, and institutions of a society are all interrelated and all affect one another. The attention to nature, the idea that there are causes for things, that there is an underlying harmony and something constant behind change and diversity, and that the Universe is regulated by laws are attitudes that result from religion. These are pre-requisites that must be fulfilled before science can begin.

In fact, the Qur’an attaches great worth to human intellect. It appeals to the intellect of its addressees in order to persuade them about its legitimacy as the word of God. It denounces those who fail to employ their intellects as being undeserving of God’s blessings, and being no better than animals. Furthermore, those who do not have the appropriate mental ability-for example, children before they reach the age of puberty and the mentally ill-are not expected to fulfill the requirements imbedded in the message of Islam according to the Prophet.

Nevertheless, these facts about the intellect do not signify that human intellect does not have its limitations. It can be swayed to believe, for instance, what opposes its own instincts. Unrestrained eagerness for a definite model, equally, can cause the intellect to be prejudiced to what is undeserving of endorsement. There are, likewise, some intriguing problems which are beyond its grasp. All these limitations restrain the efficiency of human intellect if used without restrictions. It appears to yearn-given these restrictions-for external guidance. Divine Revelation in the form of the messages of the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them) is this very guidance. The Qur’an and Sunna (way of life of the Prophet) represent the final version of this guidance. The Qur’an has given an account of the connection between Divine Revelation and human intellect as being light upon light (Qur’an 24:35); that is, the guidance of human intellect is principally a light, although with defects (and therefore not bright), while the Divine revelation in the form of the Qur’an is a brighter light to compensate for the imperfections of the intellect. Hence, a brighter light (the Divine revelation) exhibits the path to a less bright light (the human intellect).

Islam, being the final source of revealed knowledge in the modern world, also equips us with the techniques to differentiate between good and evil. It does not base our knowledge of wickedness and virtue on mere intellect, desire, intuition, or experience that are derived through the senses; these frequently experience changes and alterations and therefore fail to offer explicit and unchanging ethical norms. As an alternative, Islam provides us with an unbiased source, the Divine revelation, as is obvious in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet. This source recommends a standard of moral conduct that is lasting and universal, holding true in every age and under all circumstances.

References

• Barbour, Ian G., “Religion in an Age of Science”, HarperCollins: New York, 1991.
• Hooykaas, R., “Religion and the Rise of Modern Science”, Scottish Academic Press, 1972.

A: Guidance is a light that God kindles in those people who use their free will in the way of belief. Only God can guide. Many Qur’anic verses state this fact clearly. For example: If God willed, He could have brought them all to the guidance (6:35); If it had been your Lord’s will, all who are on earth would have believed, altogether (10:99); You do not guide whom you like, but God guides whom He wills (28:56); and For verily You cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear the call when they have turned to flee. Nor can you guide the blind out of their deviation. You can make none to hear save those who believe in Our Revelation so that they surrender and become Muslims (30:52-3).

Since it is God Who guides, we implore Him in every rak’a of our daily prescribed prayers, saying: “Guide us to the Straight Path.” God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, says: “I have been sent to call people to belief. Only God guides them and places belief in their hearts.”

Besides the verses above and many other similar ones, we also see in the Qur’an other verses which state that God’s Messenger calls and guides people to the Straight Path, such as follows:

Surely you call them to the Straight Path. (23:73)

Thus We have revealed a Spirit to you from Our Command. You did not know what was the Scripture, nor what the Faith was, but We have made it a light whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants. You are indeed guiding to a Straight Path. (42:52)

The verses do not contradict each other. God creates everyone with the potential to accept belief. However, one’s family, education, and environment play a certain role in one’s guidance or misguidance. To call people to belief, throughout history God sent Messengers and gave some of them Books whereby people could reform themselves. Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is the last Messenger, and the Qur’an, which God revealed to him, is the last Divine Book. The Qur’an, which has remained uncorrupted, contains the principles of guidance; the Messenger, whether through the Book or his personality, conduct, and good example, functions as a means to guidance. He recites Divine Revelations to the people, shows them the signs of God, and shows them the errors behind their misconceptions, superstitions, and sins.

Everything that exists in the universe is a sign pointing to God’s Existence and Unity. Therefore, if one sincerely desires belief, struggles against carnal desire and temptation, and uses his or her free will to find the truth, surely God will guide such a person to Himself. He declares in the Qur’an: Fear God and seek the means [of approach to and knowledge of] Him, and strive in His way in order that you may succeed and be prosperous [in both worlds] (5:35); As for those who strive in Us [in Our way and for Our sake and to reach Us], We surely guide them to Our paths; and verily God is with the good (29:69); and Whoever fears God [and keeps his duty to Him], He will appoint a way out for him (62:2).

In order to find or deserve guidance, one must sincerely strive for it and search for the ways leading to it. Those whom God has blessed with guidance should first of all represent guidance personally and set good examples for others, and then call others to it through all lawful (Islamic) means. In many verses, God commands His Messenger to do just that: Warn your tribe of near kindred [of their end and the consequences of their deeds and of the punishment of Hell] (26:214); Remind and give advice, for you are one to remind (88:21); Proclaim openly and insistently what you are commanded (15:94); Call to the path of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the most courteous manner (16:125); and Surely in the Messenger of God you have a good example for him who hopes for God and the Last Day, and remembers God oft (33:21).

God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, communicated God’s Revelations to people and called them to belief in the best and most effective way, and bore all of the resulting difficulties and persecutions. He rejected without a second thought the most alluring bribes offered to him to abandon his call to belief in One God, and continued his mission without expecting any worldly reward. He sought only God’s pleasure and the prosperity of people in this life and the next. When he conquered Makka, an event marking his triumph in making God’s Word prevail, he forgave those Makkans who had subjected him and his followers to every form of persecution for the past 21 years: “No reproach, this day, shall be on you! God will forgive you. He is the Most Merciful of the Merciful. Go! You are freed.”

God’s Messenger once said to ‘Ali: If someone finds guidance at your hand, this is better for you than having red camels.

According to the rule that one who causes is like the doer, those who lead others to guidance receive the same reward as the others earn thereafter. Their own rewards do not decrease. Similarly, God’s Messenger says: Whoever establishes a good path receives the same reward as those who follow that path thereafter until the Last Day. There will be no decrease in their reward. Whoever establishes an evil path is burdened with the same sins as those who follow it thereafter until the Last Day. There will be no decrease in their burden.

Those who lead others to guidance should not keep bringing it up by saying, for example: “If I hadn’t brought you to this guidance, you never would have found it.” Doing so is a grave sin and shows ingratitude to God, as only God guides and causes one to lead another to guidance. Similarly, those who found guidance through someone else should never attribute their guidance to that person and say, for example: “If I hadn’t met you, I never would have found this guidance.” Instead, those who lead others to guidance should think: “Praise be to God, for He has allowed me to perform such a meritorious a deed as leading someone else to guidance. God is so powerful, so merciful, and so munificent that He creates clusters of grapes on wood. As wood has no right to ascribe to itself the grapes growing on it, I am no more than that wood to attribute another’s guidance to myself.” Those who find the guidance should think: “Go, seeing my need and helplessness, has used one of His servants to guide me. All praise be to Him.”

Nevertheless, those led to guidance should be thankful to those whom God used to lead them to guidance. After all, God created us and whatever we do, and also creates the means that enable guidance and misguidance. However, this does not negate or diminish the part that our free will plays in our guidance or misguidance.

The Prophet says that at the sixth week of the embryo’s development in the mother’s womb, God sends an angel who writes whether the person to come into the world will be righteous and prosperous or wicked and condemned. What does this mean, and how can we reconcile it with man’s having free will?

Answer

The explanations made earlier to reconcile destiny with man’s free will must suffice for an answer to this question. However, in order not to leave the question unanswered, we will say a few words concerning it.

As was pointed out earlier, destiny is a title of Divine knowledge. It is not something that annuls man’s free will and forces him to behave in a preordained way. Since God knows beforehand how each individual will behave in the world, He has an angel pre-record the person’s life history. Man behaves according to the dictates of his free will, not because God preordained his life.

Destiny is related to cause and effect. There are not two separate destinies, one for the cause, the other for the effect. God’s pre-knowledge of the individual’s behavior in a given circumstances does not contradict man’s having free will.

No one except God knows whether a person will go to Paradise or Hell. Although unbelief deserves eternal punishment, we may not judge an unbeliever as being destined for Hell, for it is possible that one day he or she will accept faith and ultimately go to Paradise. There are numerous people who, although once atheists, have embraced Islam. Islam came to guide unbelievers to faith and worship, and thereby make them worthy of eternal happiness in Paradise.

Question

What does Islamic fitra (primordial nature) mean?

Answer

In an authentic hadith, the Prophet Muhammad says that every new-born is born in the Islamic fitra, after which his parents cause the child to become either Christian or Jew or a member of another religion.

The hadith means that everyone has the innate potential to become a Muslim. Meaning peace, salvation and obedience, Islam is, first of all, the natural religion of all creatures. Since everything in nature has been created to render absolute obedience to God and functions according to His laws, all creatures are Muslims. Considered from the viewpoint of their bodily structure, every human being and jinn, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or of another religion, is Muslim since all bodies operate according to the laws determined for them by God. If a new born could lead a completely monastic life free of environmental effects, he would remain a “natural” Muslim. This hadith has another meaning: The mind of a new-born is like a tape on which everything can be recorded, like dough that can be molded to any shape, or blank paper on which anything can be written. If one could be protected from any external effect that would make one’s mind impure, one could easily receive anything related to Islam and become a perfect Muslim. But if the mind impure with many adverse elements, or if Christian or Judaic tenets of belief and conduct are injected into it, the person will become either a Christian or a Jew or suffer great impediments to becoming a good Muslim.

Every new-born is like a seed to grow a good Muslim; in other words, everyone comes to the world as the seed of a future Muslim. Adverse conditions cause this seed to be deformed or spoiled and, consequently, to become either a Christian, a Jew, a member of another belief or, according to the nature of the conditions, a person without religion. There- fore, in order to produce a good Muslim, improving one’s family and environmental conditions is vitally important. After a child has reached the age of puberty, sins are a primary factor in deforming the seed. For this reason, it is said that every sin has the potential to guide the sinner to unbelief. So, one must try his or her utmost to protect himself or herself against sins. Family, education, and environment are also of great importance for this purpose.

Question

What does “guidance” mean, and how can one guide another?

Answer

Guidance is a light kindled in one by God as a result of one’s use of free will in the way of belief. As pointed out earlier, only God can guide one to the truth. There are many verses in the Qur’an that state this explicitly. For example:

If God willed, he could have brought them all to the guidance. (al-Anam, 6:35)

If it had been your Lords will, all who are on the Earth would have believed, altogether. (Yunus, 10:99)

You do not guide whom you like, but God guides whom He wills. (al-Qasas, 28:56)

For verily You cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear the call when they have turned to flee. Nor can you guide the blind out of their deviation. You can make none to hear save those who believe in Our Revelation so that they surrender and become Muslims. (al-Rum, 30:52-53)

Since it is God Who guides, we implore Him in every rak’a of our daily prescribed prayers, saying: “Guide us to the Straight Path.” God’s Messenger says: “I have been sent to call people to belief. It is none but God only Who guides them and places belief in their hearts.”

Besides the verses above and many other similar ones, we also see in the Qur’an other verses stating that God’s Messenger calls and guides people to the Straight Path:

Surely you call them to the Straight Path. (al-Mu’minun, 23:73)

Thus We have revealed a Spirit to you from Our Command. You did not know what was the Scripture, nor what the Faith was, but We have made it a light whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants. You are indeed guiding to a Straight Path. (al-Shura, 42:52)

These verses are not contradictory. As we have pointed out in the last question, God creates everyone with the potential to accept belief. However, the family, educational, and environmental conditions have a certain role in one’s guidance or misguidance. So, in order to call people to belief, God sent Messengers throughout human history and gave some of them Books whereby people could reform themselves. The Prophet Muhammad, the last of the Messengers, received the Qur’an from God by means of revelation. This Qur’an is the last of the Divine Books, and it has remained uncorrupted. The Book contains the principles of guidance, and, whether through the Book or through his personality and conduct and good example, the Messenger functions as a means to guidance. He recites the Divine Revelation to people, snows them the signs of God, and he purifies them of their misconceptions, superstitions, and sins. As a matter of fact, every thing and event, every phenomenon in the universe, is a sign pointing to God’s existence and unity. Therefore if one desires to believe sincerely and without prejudice, and struggles against carnal desires and the temptations of the evil-commanding self, and if one uses his or her free will to find the truth, surely God will guide him or her to one of the ways leading to Him. He declares in the Qur’an:

Be aware of God and seek the means [of approach to and knowledge of] Him, and strive in His way in order that you may succeed and be prosperous [in both worlds]. (al-Maida, 5:35)

As for those who strive in Us [in Our way and for Our sake and to reach Us], We surely guide them to Our paths; and verily God is with the good. (al-Ankabut, 29:69)

Whoever is aware of God [and keeps his duty to Him], He will point a way out for him. (al-Jumu’a, 62:2)

In order to find or to deserve guidance, one must strive for it sincerely and search for the ways leading to it. Those whom God has blessed with guidance should first of all represent guidance personally, set good examples for others, and then call others to guidance by using every possible lawful (Islamic) means. In many verses of the Qur’an, God commands His Messenger to do just that:

Warn your tribe of near kindred [of their end and the consequences of their deeds and of the punishment of Hell]. (al-Shu’ara, 26:214)

Remind and give advice, for you are one to remind. (al-Ghashiya, 88:21)

Proclaim openly and insistently what you are commanded. (al-Hijr, 15:94)

Call to the path of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the most courteous manner. (al-Nahi, 16:125)

Surely in the Messenger of God you have a good example for him who hopes for God and the Last Day, and remembers God oft. (aI-Ahzab, 33:21)

Gods Messenger communicated God’s Revelations to people and called them to belief in the best and most effective way possible. He also bore all difficulties and persecutions in this way. He did not care at all for the most alluring bribes offered to him to give up calling people to belief in God: rather, he continued his mission without expecting any worldly reward. Since his aim was to obtain God’s good pleasure and to cause people to be prosperous in both worlds, when he conquered Makka (an event marking his triumph in his holy struggle to) and made God’s Word in it prevalent, he forgave those who had bitterly persecuted both him and his followers for 21 years, saying: “No reproach this day shall be on you. God will forgive you. He is the Most Merciful of the Merciful. Go! You are free.”

The Prophet Muhammad once said to ‘Ali: “If someone finds guidance at your hand, this is better for you than having red camels.” (Bukhari, Jihad, 102; Muslim, Fada’il al-Sahaba, 35.)

According to the rule that “the one who causes is like the doer,” the one who leads another to guidance receives the same reward as the new believer earns, without any decrease in his own reward. Similarly, God’s Messenger says: “Whoever establishes a good path, he receives the same reward as those who follow that path thereafter until the Last Day, without any decrease in their reward. Whoever establishes an evil path, he is burdened with the same sins as those who follow it thereafter until the Last Day, without any decrease in their burden. (Muslim, Zakat, 69; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima, 203)

One who leads another to guidance should never remind him of it, by saying, for example: ‘If I had not been a means to your guidance, you could never have found guidance.” This is a grave sin and shows one’s ingratitude to God, for only God guides and causes one to lead another to guidance. Similarly, one who has found guidance by means of another should never attribute his guidance to that other and say, for example: “But for you, I could not have found guidance.” Instead, the one who leads another to guidance should think: “Praise be to God, for He has made me, a poor and needy person, a means for so meritorious a deed as leading another to guidance. God is so powerful, so merciful to His servants and so munificent that He creates clusters of grapes on wood. As wood has no right to ascribe to itself the grapes growing on it, I am no more than that wood to attribute another’s guidance to myself.” As for the one who found guidance, he should think: “God, my Master, has seen my need and helplessness and made one of His servants a means for my guidance. All praise be to Him.” Nevertheless, it is proper for the one led to guidance to feel thankful to the one through whom God led him to guidance. After all, since God is the Creator of us and of whatever we do, He also creates the means that enable guidance and misguidance. However, this does not negate or diminish man’s free will in relation to his guidance or misguidance.

One of the reasons why some people have doubted the truthfulness of the story of his conversion from Christianity is that many Christians (and also Jews) as well as large numbers of Muslims, are reported to have publicly mourned his passing and claimed him as their own. However, this is not a good reason to doubt his conversion to Islam, albeit the details may have been transmitted without sufficient care and exactness. It is only evidence of the universality the saint had realized through his spiritual quest. He had attained so high a level of generality and fullness in his love of God that the essential unity of the religions of the Book, a unity that is real in virtue of the Reality of their Divine Origin, became evident through him. Thus Christians, Jews and Muslims were all equally glad to claim him as their own, though each community fell short to the extent that their claim was exclusive. In this respect Muslims have the better claim as Islam is, of the three religions, the most inclusive and tolerant of the other two.

Ma’ruf al-Karkhi is remembered through a number of anecdotes illustrating (1) his humility; (2) his moral and spiritual insight; and (3) his transcendence of this world, the constraints of time and space. Discussion of he last is deferred to a separate article which will look at that particular subject in more general terms.

His humility

A governor of the city saw Ma’ruf on one occasion eating bread with a dog. He would break off a morsel of bread and put it in his own mouth; then another morsel which he put into the mouth of the dog seated in front of him.

The governor’s sense of decorum was offended. He asked:

‘Are you not ashamed to be eating bread with a dog?’

The saint replied: ‘Should I be ashamed of sharing my bread with the needy? He then looked up and called to a bird flying above him. As if obeying an instruction, the bird came down and settled by his hand. The bird was not, as might be expected, in a state of nervous agitation. On the contrary, it was completely at ease, just as if it were enjoying the safety of its perch on a tree.

Wild birds are normally afraid of people but Ma’ruf had so far transcended his selfhood that he had lost this intimidating character for the birds: they did not see him as a creature to be fearful of. Ma’ruf explained to the governor that who ever is a shamed before God’s creatures, God’s creation is a shamed before him; conversely, whoever is at ease with God’s creatures, God’s creation is at ease with him.

Humility is an essential stage and strategy in self-transcendence. Its goal is perfect servant- hood before God, manifested as an unaffected compassion for all the creatures God has endowed with life, and practised as caring service of them. This kind of caring, done for God’s sake, expresses gratitude, wonder and respect for His creation and is thereby freed of self-interest. It is very different from the sentimental indulgence of animals, particularly dogs, kept in the home as pets. Such pampering of pets is by no means disinterested: it can indicate an emotional lack satisfied by giving food and affection so as to exercise possession and control over the animal.

His moral and spiritual insight

It is reported that on an occasion when Ma’ruf went down to the river to do his ablutions, the prayer mat and Qur’an he had left in the mosque were taken by an old woman. Happening to see her making off with them, Ma’ruf chased and caught up with the woman. In respect for the conventions of modesty, he did not stare at her directly when speaking to her. He did not express any anger or resentment, nor accused her of theft or any other crime. He asked if someone in her family would recite from that Qur’an. The woman said, No. Ma’ruf then asked her to return the Qur’an and keep the prayer mat. The woman was taken aback by his forbearance and wanted to relinquish both the Book and the prayer mat. But Ma’ruf insisted that she take the prayer mat, adding that it was rightfully hers. The woman obeyed and left.

What does this anecdote teach us? Stealing is obviously a wrong, and therefore not to be condoned. But in this instance, it matters what was taken and from where. Possibly, the woman had taken both items with a view to selling them for the little monetary value attached to them. Yet it is a fact that she had entered the mosque, that she did recognize both the Qur’an and the prayer- mat as items of value. Ma’ruf acted as though, behind the woman’s superficial motives, were deeper motives or needs of which the woman herself was unaware, namely to recite from the Book of God and to do the prayers ordained by Him. Ma’ruf did not assume, because she had acquired these things wrongfully that even this act of hers was wrong in all respects, still less that the woman herself was altogether worthless. He made the effort of running after her; he behaved towards her and addressed her as a Muslim of honour; and in the question he put to her he re-awakened her to the true value of the Qur’an. No doubt, if she had answered Yes to his question, he would have given her the Qur’an also. By giving her the prayer mat as rightfully hers, Ma’ruf was restoring to the woman her right/duty to pray and, more important, restoring her to that right/duty. Also, since nothing so dignifies a Muslim as obedience to the Divine injunction to pray, he was affirming the woman’s dignity as a Muslim. It is difficult to think of a response better calculated to deter the woman from stealing again: what Ma’ruf gave her was the desire (and through prayer, the means) not to repeat the offence.

This incident also sheds some light on the teaching, attributed in the Gospels (in various different wordings) to the Prophet Jesus, upon him be peace, whose meaning is: If a thief steals your coat, give him your cloak also. Some people misunderstand this saying to mean that a legal response to such crimes is irrelevant in the light of Jesus’ teaching, or that it is a morally undesirable response. But the teaching certainly cannot mean that it does not matter if someone has stolen something. Nor can it mean that the whole system and apparatus of the law which protects private property is (at best) a necessary evil, whereas the only true good is not to have property or not to care if someone steals it.

We rarely acknowledge the extent to which the property we hold in fact holds us. We are possessed by our possessions. We may not appreciate the extent of our attachment until something goes missing-this is well expressed in the common saying, You do not grasp the value of a thing until it is lost. If a thief steals your coat, you will feel resentment against the thief and distress at the loss of property. In real life, the thief will not be waiting around to see what your reaction is going to be. Therefore, the instruction, ‘Offer him your cloak’, can only be acted upon figuratively. It teaches you to immediately defeat resentment and distress by relinquishing what you still hold (and what still holds you), namely your cloak, to the thief. In this way, the heart is relieved of the burden of rancour, and of the weight of property in this world, leaving it freer to move onward in its spiritual journeying.

Forbearance and forgiveness, before or after due process of law, are better or fairer than the retaliation or compensation the law can demand from a convicted offender on behalf of the victim. That is the Qur’anic teaching. It means that resort to the law is good and fair; it does not mean that resort to the law is bad or unfair or otherwise undesirable. Even a little experience of the realities and necessities of life tells us that only in a very few cases does a crime result in loss for a single individual who would be in a position to choose the better/fairer way of forgiveness. Typically, a single criminal act will have several victims and, insofar as it may encourage other criminal acts, it will also harm the ethos of the community. Therefore, the process of law is desirable. The truth of the teaching attributed to Jesus, and exemplified in the anecdote related of Ma’ruf, is that even after the law is applied, the victim(s) and the community as a whole need to be rid of resentment and rancour against the offender(s). Retaliation and compensation are the public, outward form of the process of recovering the moral equilibirum shaken by the crime; offering to the one who steals from you, as Ma’ruf did, some part of your own goods, is the personal, inward form.

Dearer than our property is our sense of our own worth, and just as our property is possessed as ours by not being somebody else’s, so too our own worth is sometimes defined in contrast to others’ lack of worth. The fight against self- righteousness is correspondingly more demanding than that against possessive attachment to worldly goods. The following anecdote illustrates this:

While Ma’ruf was out walking by the river in the company of some of his young students, a gang of youths, drinking wine and playing music, came by and pestered them. The youths were noisy, boisterous and insulting. Ma’ruf’s students asked him to pray to God to rid them of the youths’ foul behaviour by drowning them in the river. Ma’ruf asked his students to raise their hands and join him in the prayer he would address to God. They did so. We must imagine, at this solemn moment, the boisterous youths falling silent and listening. Ma’ruf said: ‘O God, You have granted to these youths joy and happiness in this life, grant them likewise joy and happiness in the life to come.’ His students protested that they did not understand at all the meaning of this prayer. But the boisterous youths understood it: straightaway repenting, they poured away their wine and broke their lutes, and joined the saint’s company. Ma’ruf commented to his students: ‘You see that your prayer has been answered in full without anyone being drowned or caused to suffer.

The youths became aware, through the words Ma’ruf uttered (we must imagine the spiritual intensity with which he spoke), of Gods care for them, the reaching out of His Compassion. They understood that the disciplines of religious life (which they had mocked by mocking the saint and his students) were not a barren self-denial for its own sake, but the way to true self-fulfillment; indeed, it was their own vulgar pleasures that amounted, in the larger perspective, to self-denial-just as, in typical practice, such pleasures consist of devices for self-abandonment like intoxication.

For Ma’ruf’s students the lesson was harder. It is the severest temptation, having committed oneself to a journey, to believe one has arrived at its destination. Having elected to be in the saints company, to follow his disciplines, the students were blind to the reality that the Compassion of the One God must embrace all His creatures, even those who would deny Him. They willed to be saved themselves but did not desire the same good for those who opposed them on their path. The practice of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, and of his Companions, was to continue to desire the guidance of those who made war on the Muslims, before and after battle. Their guidance was more desirable than their defeat at the hands of the Muslims; that is the reason why, so often, their defeat was followed by their guidance, why victory for the Muslims was victory for Islam. So important is this principle that it became a matter of law that enemies must not be engaged in combat until they had first been offered Islam. As we know from the Qur’an, there are occasions, as recounted of the Prophets Noah and Moses, upon them be peace, when the enemies of religion are so inveterate, so utterly determined, in their enmity, that it becomes permissible to pray for their destruction before their guidance. But it may be that such a prayer is only allowed to Prophets, men whose understanding of and commitment to Divine Will is infallible. The general principle is to desire the guidance of ones enemies, not their destruction. Self-righteousness obscures this principle; it narrows the heart and the religion, making both exclusive in temperament and hardening the enmity of ones enemies. Also, wishing the destruction (rather than the guidance) of those who oppose on the path is to wish that path less difficult than it must be.