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Islam's "Sabbath"        

Islam’s “Sabbath”     By Kenneth Westby

Allah, Islam’s God, didn’t rest after the six days of creation and Moslems see no need to rest on their “Sabbath” which is Friday, the sixth day of the week.

 

Jews and Christians find authority for their concept of “Sabbath” primarily from the example of the Creator who “rested” or ceased from his labors on the seventh day, blessed it and made it holy.[1] Observant Jews and most Christian Sabbatarians continue the practice of “ceasing” or “stopping”normal business activities on the seventh day to celebrate God’s good gifts and to worship the Creator of heaven and earth.

           Christianity in general, however, centuries ago swapped the biblical Sabbath for the first day of the week, a Sunday Sabbath. How the Sunday Sabbath is commonly observed by Protestants and Catholics has much more in common with typical Islamic Friday Sabbath observance than how devout Jews and Christians celebrate the seventh day Sabbath.

 

Observing the Muslim Sabbath

 

Using the word “Sabbath” to describe the Islamic Friday is

misleading. No rest or ceasing is commanded, expected or practiced. “Observing” or “celebrating” a Sabbath are terms that can be used

of religious Jews and Sabbatarians, and in times past of Sunday-

keepers (for most  Protestants and Catholics today all normal

business activity is allowed and some devout ones will pause to

attend church).

 

The only special feature of the Muslim Friday “Sabbath” is the

noon prayer which Muslims are encouraged—mandated—to do ......communally. It is a midday call on Friday to congregate at a

Mosque after which Muslims are free to go back to work. This

noon prayer time is a daily feature but on Friday assembly is .......emphasized so prayer can be done congregationally, usually

preceded by a sermon.  

 Concerning prayers, all the faithful are commanded to pray

at five set times during the day: 1) between dawn and sunrise;

2) at midday, when the sun has reached its zenith;

 3) in mid-afternoon; 4) after sundown; and 5) in the evening,

before going to bed. These are ritual prayers fixed in all details.

The daily prayer (salah) ritual is the second most

important duty of the five pillars of Islam.[2] There are also

three voluntary times for prayer: after dawn, “when the sun is

already high”; before midday, at about 11 a.m.; and after

midnight. Only the sick, the aged, the mentally retarded, and

under some circumstances, travelers are exempt from this duty

(and I expect that might include those soldiers of Islam fighting

infidels such as the nineteen suicide terrorists who attacked

America on September 11, 2001).

 

“In order for prayers to be valid, cleanliness of both clothing

and location is necessary; the latter is effected by decking the

ground on which one prays with a rug, cloth, or similar cover.

In addition, the person praying must also undergo a ritual

purification.”[3]

   The different sects of Islam can vary on the details of

accomplishing purification whether physically through

washings or symbolically. “In ritual washing, the hands,

forearms, head, and feet are cleansed with a threefold

movement of the hand. In addition, rinsing out the mouth,

blowing out of the nose, and scrubbing out the ears is

advisable. When no water is available, the Koran (Qur’an)

allows the believer a “dry wash” with earth, sand, or—

symbolically—a pebble.”[4]

   The Friday (Jumu’ah) assembly entails two sessions. The

first session, the head of the Muslim state (or his 

representative) delivers an address, in which he may discuss

any issues pertinent to Islam. Nowadays, rarely do rulers of

Muslim states attend the Friday congregations with common

Muslims, let alone lead in the Friday prayers. That duty has

been given to the Muslim clergy, the imams. The sermon

(Khutbah) usually starts at 12:30 p.m. in winter and at 1:30 p.m.

in the summer. An ancient sage taught than when Friday

sermon and prayer comes the angels take their place at the

door of the Mosque to write down the names of those who

come early and the order of their arrival. The person who

comes early is like one who had sacrificed a camel for the

pleasure of Allah.

    The one who comes after him is like one who had sacrificed

a cow, and it slides downward to rams, chickens, and for the

late comer, only an egg in the path of Allah. It is also believed

that when the Imam proceeds to the podium (Mimbar) to launch

his sermon, those same angels roll up their scrolls and join

the congregation to listen.

    The second session is the leading of Friday midday prayers.

With men separated from women, these prayers are orientated

toward Mecca. They are not praying to Mecca, but to Allah,

Mecca being the spiritual center of Islam. The precise location

of Mecca relative to the local mosque is published in degrees

of longitude and latitude and prayers are carefully oriented.

A key architectural design feature of mosques is their assembly

room’s straight line orientation to Mecca. Early on in Islam’s

history Muslims prayed toward Jerusalem!

      The prayers are set and the physical postures or positions

of prayer are likewise governed by rules. Prayer services begin

with all standing. Then the believers raise both hands next to

their head and speak the so-called declaration of intention

formula, Allahu akbar, (God is great) to move them into a state

of consecration. They then fold their hands in front of their

stomach and quietly recite sections of the Koran. Then they

bow forward, the palms of their hands touching the legs above

their knees and thrice repeating Allahu akbar along with words

of praise “Glory and praise be to my God, the Almighty.” There

are many cycles of such movements that compose the prayer

session

 

What’s so great about Friday?

 

The likely genesis of the Friday “Sabbath” goes back to the earliest

days of Islam. Islam, as most historians acknowledge, was heavily influenced by Muhammad’s borrowing from Judaism and

Christianity. Muhammad formulated his new religion mixing both

traditions as well as establishing his particular distinctions. He was

well acquainted with the several Jewish tribal communities in

Arabia and saw that a key element to their unity was “The Book.”

      He was inspired to create one of his own to galvanize unity

among his followers. Moslem doctrine holds that the Koran was

uncreated, its words conveyed to Muhammad from a sacred tablet preserved in heaven. Many non-Islamic researchers, however, 

believe that Muhammad commissioned for wages a Jew to rough

draft his book. It evidences many revisions and edits in spite of

claims to the contrary.[5]

 

Muhammad was also acquainted with the traditions of the

several Christian settlements in Arabia and their Sunday

(resurrection day) Sabbath tradition. He freely incorporated

certain Christian elements into his book. In the city of

Medina Muhammad often participated in the Friday market day.

Friday was a busy business and market gathering day for

seventh day Sabbath observant Jews. He determined Friday

would make a practical choice for communal assembly and

prayer for his followers. By establishing a “Sabbath” different

from Jews and Christians he avoided their Sabbaths and took

practical advantage of Friday’s commercial market day

assemblies. He declared Friday as the day for congregational

noon prayer for his followers. It was no more “spiritual” than

that.

     The Koran mentions the seventh day Sabbath in relation to

the Jews on several occasions—usually in a critical or negative

context. It chastens Jews for breaking their Sabbath and has

some novel stories to illustrate. One involves God testing Jews

by bringing them a bounty of fish on the Sabbath, but not on

other days. The greedy Jews yielded to temptation and rigged

nets to trap their Sabbath catch of fish.

    “And certainly you have known those among you who

exceeded the limits of the Sabbath, so we said to them: Be as

apes, despised and hated.  So we made them an example to

those who witnessed it and those who came after it, and an

admonition to those who guard against evil.”[6]

 

    The transgression referred to is likely the fishing story mentioned

in Surah 7:163. One of the common derogations of Jews by Muslims

to this day is to call them “apes” or “monkeys.” The Jews were

condemned for breaking the Sabbath, but Muhammad made no

attempt to keep it. He taught it had been abrogated and used

arguments similar to those used by Sunday keeping Christians.

 

            The Koran also creates space from the Jews by teaching

that Allah does not get tired and didn’t need to rest after his six

days of creating. “We created the heavens and the earth and all

that lies between them in six spans, and no weariness came upon

us.”[7] Islam erroneously accepts that the biblical account pictures

God as tired from creating and needing a rest.

 

            Islam and its Koran hold that the seventh day Sabbath has

been abrogated by the new revelation of Muhammad. Further, Islam

teaches that Jesus did not need resurrecting since he did not die on

the cross (a substitute took his place) and he was raised to heaven unharmed. The Christian Sunday has likewise been abrogated by

the last of God prophets, Muhammad

 

 Allah and Muhammad

 

The matter of which day is the correct Sabbath doesn’t figure large

in Muslim theology. Allah’s prophet trumps all previous religious commands and traditions and his example has become the new law. Abraham is claimed to be “the first Muslim,” and Moses is quoted

more than one hundred times in the Koran (often inaccurately), but Muhammad trumps them all. Those who resist the teachings of God’s final prophet are in for trouble.

 

“O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites!

Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless

journey’s end” (Surah 9:73). “O ye who believe! Fight those of

the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find

harshness in you” (Surah 9:123).

While Allah is considered by Muslims to be Creator and God,

he is not the same God the Bible describes. In fact, Allah has

nothing in common with Yahweh, the God of Israel and

Creator of all. Well, what about the oft heard claim of the

pure monotheism of Islam? Muhammad attacked the Arab

polytheists of Arabia, and Mecca in particular, for their

having and worshipping 360 idols of celestial gods

surrounding the sacred Kabah[8] in

     Mecca. Muhammad preached against this polytheism and

declared one of their gods to be the supreme and only God,

Allah (who was previously the moon god). The moon (and

sometimes a sword) is a common feature on the flag of Islamic

nations. Islam is monotheistic in the sense it worships but one

god. However, the God it worships is simply one of the idol

gods of the pagan polytheists of Arabia.

 

The True Genesis of the Sabbath

 

The origin of the Sabbath is found in God himself and nowhere

else. The Sabbath is not a revelation received by a charismatic

(though a likely illiterate) Arabian in the 6th century AD, but by

an act of God at the beginning—the very beginning. Hebrew

Scripture doesn’t picture a creating Yahweh being tired and

needing a rest. Genesis does not speak of God “resting” (nuah)

on the seventh day, which might suggest being tired and

needing refreshment. The object of the Sabbath was not for

God to find energy for another week’s work. God worked in

order to relax and enjoy his creation with the first couple—

made in his image—not the other way around. The Sabbath

is not for the weekdays, but the weekdays for the Sabbath.

In the OT, the Sabbath is a day God especially claims. It is

holy because it has special associations for and with God. By

blessing the day Yahweh implies it has the same capacity to be

fruitful that the living world possesses—the power to stimulate,

animate, enrich, and give fullness to life.

On the seventh day God “stopped” or “ceased” because the

work was done. The verb is sabat, from which the word

“Sabbath” comes. The fact that God stopped work at the end

of the week assures us that the world we live in is not a

half-finished project. God ceased creating because the job was

properly and completely done. It can now be enjoyed by

both God and man.[9]

The Sabbath signifies the completion of creation. It therefore

has no evening. Have you noticed that in the creation account

the Sabbath has no night? Yahweh didn’t close the seventh

day as he did the previous six by saying, “and there was

evening, and there was morning—the first day,” etc. I must

assume that it was a 24-hour day like the previous ones with

evenings and mornings. But the seventh day is handled

differently. Why? His work was complete. The earth would

endure forever. It is stable, secure, and constantly upheld and

“tended” to by its Creator. It also awaits the great

eschatological Sabbath of the Kingdom of God when the

earth will burst forth in full flower, free from despoiling evil.

Then there will be no night.

None of these profound truths attach to the Islamic Friday

“Sabbath.

 

It Is About the Image of the Creator

 

Daniel J. Boorstin writes is his engrossing book, The Creators,

“The contrast between the Hebrew and Christian views of the

Creator and the Muslim view appears wherever we look—

in the creeds, the traditions, and the visions of Islam. This, as

much as anything else, makes it hard for us in the West to feel at

home with Islam. For Islam found the very notion of Creation

unappealing. The first, decisive, yet unfamiliar evidence is the

Muslim view of Holy Scripture.”[10

]

Boorstin notes that the Muslim counterpart to Jesus is not

Mohammed but a book. Where the Bible records that man was

made in God’s image and that Jesus as Son of God had

so incarnated that divine image he could say if you have seen

him you had seen the Father. But Muslims believe in Inlibration,

the embodiment of god in a book—the Koran.

 A pillar of the Muslim faith is that the Koran is uncreated.

Why did God create man? The God of the Bible will judge man

by his fulfillment of the Godlike image. Not so in Islam. “I have

only created Jinns [angels] and men, that they may serve me.

I created the Jinn and humankind only that they might worship

me” (Surah 51:56). The Koran repeatedly reminds us that

Allah’s creatures are only his “servants” or “slaves.” The

people of the Koran prefer to call themselves Muslims, from

“Islam,” the Arabic word for submission or obedience. The

notion of sharing God’s creative image and nature as his sons

and daughters is foreign to Islam.

There is a reason that the nations of Islam are among the

worlds poorest and most backward and not known for

beneficial creations or contributions to civilization. For a

believing Muslim, to create is a rash and dangerous act. He is

not an image bearer of a divine creator, but a slave.

 

The Biblical Seventh Day Sabbath

 

Similarities between the Islamic “Sabbath” and the seventh day

Sabbath are virtually none, contrasts however abound. The biblical

Sabbath is not a mere Jewish peculiarity. It points toward a

completely different world view than that of Islam. It embodies the

ideology of creation. God is creating men and women in his image

and have been entrusted with Godlike abilities to create—abilities

to be used in serving fellow man and thereby glorify the Creator

who shared them with his image bearers.

            The creation story of seven days is a gospel declaring a

rhythm of God’s movement in fulfilling his Grand Plan for mankind.

It is a weekly celebration of the creation of the world.

The Sabbath celebrates the uncontestable enthronement of its

Creator. It points to a future golden age—the Kingdom of God—

when there will be no night.


Endnotes:

[1] Genesis 2:2-3

[2] The five pillars are: (1) The testimony (shahada) or affirmation of faith: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet”; (2) The obligation to pray (salat) at five set times daily—with communal assembly and prayer on Friday; (3) Obligation to pay alms (zakat)—at least two percent;  (4) The obligation to fast (sawm) from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan (the name of the ninth month) in commemoration of the beginning of Muhammad’s revelations from Allah; (5) Perform the pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj) at least once in a Moslem’s lifetime. Currently many Muslims acknowledge a sixth pillar, that of Jihad or “striving” against one’s evil nature, but more relevant to our times, Jihad to preserve and protect Islam  from all threats—real or perceived—such as the West, Jews, Christians, infidels in general and their “decadent” cultures. When the Afghan rebels fought the Soviets they were called the mujahidin.

[3] Walter M. Weiss, Islam, Barron’s Educational Services, Hauppauge, New York, 2000, pp 30-31.

[4] Ibid. p 31

[5] On a personal note, I have objectively tried to read the Koran and have invested many hours doing so. I have three different English translations. But I must confess it is a confusing, poorly written and disorganized book. Maybe it lends itself to rote repetitions and maybe is sounds and reads better in Arabic. Koran literally means “reciting” so maybe it doesn’t much matter what the quality of the content is. The Bible by contrast is narrative and has a historical time sequence to it—and its content is profoundly rich. It was also written by inspired servants of God, many of them Jews, over a period of several centuries. The Koran is claimed to be eternal, absolute and irrevocable and not written by a human, but conveyed to Muhammad from heavenly Arabic tablets. If that is the best heaven can do we have no hope.

[6] Surah (chapter) 2:65-66 (a translation of the Qur’an by M. H. Shakir published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an Inc., 12th U.S. edition, 2001)

[7] Surah 50:38 (a translation of the Qur’an by Ahmed Ali, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1993)

[8] The Kabah houses the sacred black stone in the grand mosque and is the destination for those who make the pilgrimage (hajj). The veneration of the black stone (probably a meteorite) predated Muhammad by over a thousand years and was one of many elements of paganism that Muhammad incorporated to ease the Arabs moving from paganism to Islam by continuing the practices of their fathers.

[9] See John Goldingay’s fine treatment of the Sabbath in his Old Testament Theology Volume One—Israel’s Gospel, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2003, pp 124-130.

[10] Boorstin, Daniel J., The Creators, Vintage Books, New York, 1992, pp 63-69.
 

More Islam's Thought!

  
   

ISLAM moral sense  Taken from  http://www.jamaat.org

 

The Moral System of Islam

 A moral sense is inborn in man and, through the ages, it has served as the common man’s standard of moral behavior, approving certain qualities and condemning others. While this instinctive faculty may vary from person to person, human conscience has consistently declared certain moral qualities to be good and others to be bad.

Justice, courage and truthfulness have always found praise, and history does not record any period worth the name in which falsehood, injustice, dishonesty and breach of trust have been praised; sympathy, compassion, loyalty and generosity have always been valued, while selfishness, cruelty, meanness and bigotry have never been approved of by society; men have always appreciated perseverance, determination and courage, but never impatience, fickleness, cowardice and stupidity. Dignity, restraint, politeness and friendliness have throughout the ages been counted virtues, whereas snobbery and rudeness have always been looked down upon. People with a sense of responsibility and devotion to duty have always won the highest regard, those who are incompetent, lazy and lacking in a sense of duty have never been looked upon with approval.

Similarly, in assessing the standards of good and bad in the collective behavior of society as a whole, only those societies have been considered worthy of honor which have possessed the virtues of organisation, discipline, mutual attention and compassion and which have established a social order based on justice, freedom and equality. Disorganisation, indiscipline, anarchy, disunity, injustice and social privilege have always been considered manifestations of decay and disintegration in a society. Robbery, murder, larceny, adultery and corruption have always been condemned. Slander and blackmail have never been considered healthy social activities, while service and care of the aged, helping one’s relatives, regard for neighbours, loyalty to friends, aiding the weak, the destitute and the orphans, and nursing the sick are qualities which have been highly valued since the dawn of civilisation.

Individuals who are honest, sincere and dependable, whose deeds match their words, who are content with their own rightful possessions, who are prompt in the discharge of their obligations to others, who live in peace and let others live in peace, and from whom nothing but good can be expected, have always formed the basis of any healthy human society.

These examples show that human moral standards are universal and have been well-known to mankind throughout the ages. Good and evil are not myths, but realities well understood by all. A sense of good and evil is inherent in the very nature of man. Hence in the terminology of the Qur’an good is called Ma’rif (a well-known thing) and evil munkar (an unknown thing); that is to say, good is known to be desirable and evil is known not to commend itself in any way. As the Qur’an says: Allah has revealed to human nature the consciousness and cognition of good and evil. (al-Shams 91: 8)

This is a new and revised translation of a talk given by the author on Radio Pakistan, Lahore, on 6th January, 1948.

 

Why Differences?

The question that now arises is: if what constitutes good and evil is so clear and universally agreed, why do varying patterns of moral behaviour exist in the world? Why are there so many conflicting moral philosophies? Why do certain moral standards contradict each other? What lies at the root of other differences? What is the unique position of Islam in the context of other ethical systems? On what grounds can we claim that Islam has a perfect moral system? And what exactly is the distinctive contribution of Islam in the realm of ethics?

Although these are important questions and must be squarely faced, justice cannot be done to them in the brief span of this talk. So I shall restrict myself to a summary of some of the points crucial to any critical examination of contemporary ethical systems and conflicting patterns of moral behaviour:

(a) Through their failure to prescribe specific limits and roles for the various moral virtues and values, present-day moral structures cannot provide a balanced and coherent plan of social conduct.

(b) The real cause of the differences in the moral systems seems to lie in their offering different standards for judging what constitutes good and bad actions and in their laying down different ways to distinguish good from evil. Differences also exist in respect of the sanction behind the moral law and in regard to the motives which impel a person to follow it.

(c) On deeper reflect we find that the grounds for these differences emerge from different peoples’ conflicting views and concepts of the universe, the place of man in it, and of man’s purpose on earth. The various systems of ethics, philosophy and religion are in fact a record of the vast divergence of views on such vital questions as: Is there an Allah of the universe and, if there is, is He the only one or are there many Allahs? What are the Divine attributes? What is the nature of the relationship between Allah and human beings? Has He made any arrangements for guiding humanity through the vicissitudes of life or not? Is man answerable to Him or not? And if so, in what spheres of his life? Is there an ultimate aim of man’s creation which he should keep in view throughout his life? The ethical philosophy and the pattern of moral behaviour of the individual and society.

It is difficult for me, in this brief talk, to take stock of the various ethical systems in the world and indicate what solutions each one of them has proposed to these questions and what has been the impact of these answers on the moral evolution of the society believing in these concepts. Here I have to confine myself to the Islamic concept only.

The Islamic Concept of Life and Morality

The viewpoint of Islam is that the universe is the creation of Allah who is One. He alone is its Master, Sovereign and Sustainer, and it is functioning under His command. He is All-powerful and Omniscient, he is subbã h and Quddã s (that is, free from all defects, mistakes, weaknesses and faults and is holy in every respect). His godhood is free from partiality and injustice.

Man is His creature, subject and servant and is born to serve and obey Him. These correct course of life for man is to live in complete obedience to Him. And it is for Allah, not man, to determine the mode of that worship and obedience.

At certain times Allah has raised Prophets for the guidance of humanity and has revealed His books through them. It is the duty of man to live his life according to the dictates of Allah and to follow the Divine guidance.

Man is answerable to Allah for all his actions and will be called on to render an account of them in the Hereafter. Man’s short life on earth is really an opportunity to prepare for that great test. He will be impartially assessed on his conduct in life by a Being who keeps a complete record not merely of his movements and actions and their influence on all that is in the world ¾ from the tiniest speck of dust to the highest mountains ¾ but also of his innermost thoughts and feelings and intentions.

The Goal of Moral Effort

This concept of the universe and of man’s place in it indicates the real and ultimate good which should be the object of all mankind’s endeavours ¾ ‘seeking the pleasure of Allah. This is the standard by which Islam judges all conduct. It means that man is not left like a ship without moorings at the mercy of winds and tides; instead, we have a set of unchangeable norms for all moral actions. Moreover, by making the ‘pleasure of Allah’ the object of man’s life, unlimited possibilities are opened for man’s moral evolution, untainted by narrow selfishness or racism or chauvinism.

Islam also furnishes us with the means to determine good and evil conduct. It does not base our knowledge of evil and virtue on mere intellect, desire, intuition or experience derived through the senses, which constantly undergo changes and modifications and thus fail to provide definite and unchanging standards of morality. Instead, it provides us with an objective source, the Divine revelation, as embodied in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah (way of life) of the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him. This source prescribes a standard of moral conduct that is permanent and universal and holds good in every age and under all circumstances.

The moral code of Islam ranges from smallest details of domestic life to the field of national and international behaviour. It guides us at every stage in life and makes us free from exclusive dependence on other sources of knowledge, although we may, of course, use these as an aid to this primary source.

Sanction Behind Morality

This concept of the universe and of man’s place in it also provides the sanction that must lie at the back of every moral law, that is, the love and fear of Allah, the sense of accountability on the Day of Judgment and the promise of eternal bliss and reward in the Hereafter. Although Islam aims to cultivate a mass ethos which may induce individuals and groups to observe the principles of morality it lays down as well as helps the evolution of a political system which will enforce the moral law through its legislative and executive powers, Islam’s moral law does not really depend on these external factors. It relies on the inherent desire for good in every man which is derived from belief in Allah and the Day of Judgment. Before laying down any moral injunctions, Islam seeks to implant firmly in man’s heart the conviction that his dealings are with Allah, who sees him at all times and in all places; that he may hide himself from the whole world but not from Allah; that he may deceive everyone but Allah; that he can flee from the power of any person but not from Allah; that while the world can see only man’s outward life, Allah knows his innermost intentions and desires; that while man may, in his short sojourn on earth, do whatever he likes, he has to die one day and preset himself before the Divine court of justice where no special pleading or deception will be of any avail and where his future will be decided with complete impartiality. It is this belief in accountability to Allah which is the real force behind the moral law of Islam. If public opinion and the powers of the state give it support, so much the better; otherwise, this faith alone can keep a Muslim individual and a Muslim community on the straight path of virtue.

Motives and Incentives

The fact that a man voluntarily and willingly accepts Allah as his Creator and obedience to Allah as the aim of his life and strives to seek His pleasure in his every action provides sufficient incentive to obey the commandments which he believes to be from Allah. Belief that whoever obeys the Divine commands is sure to be rewarded in the Hereafter, whatever difficulties he may have to face in his life on earth, is another strong incentive for leading a virtuous life. and the belief that breaking the commandments of Allah will mean eternal punishment is an effective deterrent against violation of the moral law, however tempted a man may be by the superficial attractiveness of a certain course of action. If this hope and fear are firmly ingrained in one’s heart, they will inspire virtuous deeds even on occasions when the immediate consequences may appear to be very damaging, and they will keep one away from evil even when it looks extremely attractive and profitable.

This clearly indicates that Islam possesses a distinctive criterion of good and evil, its own source of moral law, and its own sanctions and motivating force; through them it shapes the generally recognised moral virtues in all spheres of life into a balanced and comprehensive scheme and ensures that they are followed. It can therefore be justifiably claimed that Islam possesses a perfect moral system of its own. This system has many distinguishing features and I shall refer to three of the most significant ones which, in my opinion, form its special contribution to ethics.

Distinctive Features

1. By setting Divine pleasure as the objective of man’s life, Islam has set the highest possible standard of morality providing boundless possibilities for the moral evolution of humanity. By making Divine revelation the primary source of knowledge, it gives permanence and stability to moral standards, while at the same time allowing scope for reasonable flexibility and adjustment, though not for perversions or moral laxity. The love and fear of Allah become the real motives, which impel man to obey the moral law without external pressures. And through belief in Allah and the Day of Judgment, we are motivated to behave morally with earnestness and sincerity.

2. The Islamic moral order does not, through a mistaken love of originality and innovation, seek to lay down any new moral standards; nor does it seek to minimise the importance of the well-known moral standards, or give exaggerated importance to some and neglect others without cause. It takes all the recognised morals and assigns a suitable role to each within the total scheme of life. It widens the scope of their application to cover every aspect of man’s private and social life ¾ his domestic associations, his civic conduct, and his activities in the political, economic, legal and educational fields. It covers his life at home and in society, literally from the cradle to the grave. No sphere of life is exempt from the universal and comprehensive application of the moral principles of Islam. These ensure that the affairs of life, instead of being dominated by selfish desires and petty interests, are regulated by the dictates of morality.

3. The Islamic moral order guarantees for man a system of life which is free from all evil. It calls on the people not only to practise virtue, but also to eradicate vice. Those who respond to this call are gathered together into a community (Ummah) and given the name ‘Muslims’. The main purpose underlying the formation of this community is that it should make an organised effort to establish and enforce goodness and suppress and eradicate evil. It would be a day of morning for this community and a bad day for the entire world if its efforts were at any time directed towards establishing evil and suppressing good.

Taken from  http://www.jamaat.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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