Ethics of Islam

eings causes one to believe Him and love Him. Pondering about
the rewards promised by Him for the worships causes one to
perform those worships. Pondering about the punishments
informed by Him causes one to be afraid of Him and thereby
inhibits one from wronging others. Pondering about one’s having
enslaved oneself to one’s nafs and committing sins and living in a
state of heedlessness regardless of all the blessings bestowed by
Him causes one to have shame towards Allâhu ta’âlâ. Allâhu
ta’âlâ loves those who observe the terrestrial and celestial
creatures and take lessons from them. It is stated as follows in a
hadîth-i-sherîf: “No other act of worship is so valuable as
meditation.” And another hadîth-i-sherîf reads: “A momentary
meditation is more useful than sixty years’ worship.” The book
Kimyâ-i-sa’âdat, in Persian, by Imâm Ghazâlî ‘rahimahullâhu
ta’âlâ’ contains a lengthy discourse on tafakkur (meditation,
pondering).
34– MALEDICTION OVER MUSLIMS
Two hadîth-i-sherîfs read as follows: “Do not pronounce
maledictions over yourselves or over your offspring. Acquiesce
in what Allâhu ta’âlâ foreordained. Pray so that He will increase
His blessings.” “Maledictions pronounced over you by your
parents or by the oppressed over their oppressor will not be
rejected (by Allâhu ta’âlâ).” A person who prays that another
Muslim should become a disbeliever becomes a disbeliever
himself. Desiring that an oppressing person should die as a
disbeliever so that he may suffer eternal punishment, would not
cause disbelief. The Qur’ân al-kerîm informs us that Mûsâ
(Moses) ‘alaihis-salâm’ made a similar malediction. Imâm a’zâm
Abû Hanîfa ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ stated that it would cause a
state of disbelief to wish that someone else should become a
disbeliever. It is forbidden (harâm) to pronounce a malediction
over anyone, with the exception of one’s oppressor. It is
permissible to pronounce a malediction over one’s oppressor
with an earnestness and vehemence equivalent to the degree of
the injustice perpetrated. Anything permissible should (only)
countervail the ’udhr (, i.e. the reason,) which makes it
(canonically) permissible (, i.e. jâiz). If you are patient enough
not to pronounce a malediction over someone who has wronged
you, then so much the better; and forgiving is the best. It is not
permissible to say “May Allâhu ta’âlâ give you a long life” to any
– 151 –