Islam_in_Focus_text

Righteousness (Birr)
Islam always warns against superficial concepts and
rituals, against lifeless formalities and non-effective beliefs.
In one representative verse God explains the full meaning of
righteousness as follows:
"It is not the righteousness that you turn
your faces (in Prayer) towards east or
west; but it is the righteousness to believe
in God and the Last Day, and the Angels
and the Book, and the Messengers; to
spend out of your wealth - in spite of your
love for it - for your kin, for orphans, for
the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who
ask. and for the ransom of slaves; to be
steadfast in Prayer and pay Zakah; to fulfill
the contracts which you have made; and to
be firm and patient, in pain and adversity,
and throughout all periods of panic, those
arethe pious."
(Our'an. 2:177)
In this verse there is a beautiful and clear description of
the righteous man. He should obey all the salutary regula-
tions, and should make his sincere motive the Love of God
and the love of his fellow man for the Sake of God. Here we
have four elements: (i) our Faith should be true and sincere,
(ii) we must be prepared to show it in deeds of charity and
kindness to our fellow men, (iii) we must be good citizens