The Light 2018 07 July

July 2018 The
Light 9
We know that the month of Ramadan is the
month in which the Holy Quran was revealed. If
we study the Holy Quran, we come to the inescapable
conclusion that God has laid down for
us a broad and sound philosophical position.
Everything is placed in a proper perspective so
that man might not be at a loss as to his origin,
his place in the Universe and his ultimate journey.
The verse that I recited at the beginning,
9:24, presents itself to us as a wake-up call. The
ominous admonition is that if we are getting
caught up in the pursuit of worldly gains and
neglecting our Creator and his Messenger, then
we will not be counted among the rightly
guided. It is therefore imperative that we are
always kept conscious of the purpose of our existence.
The Quran states in 31:20 that all things are
made subservient to man as he is the best of creation.
In today’s materialistic world great emphasis
or focus is placed on acquiring material
resources for happiness. Wealth is pursued not
for itself but for the things that wealth brings;
things such as gourmet food, first-class
privileges, cars, houses, entertainment and the
like.
When human beings spend the majority of
their time in acquiring and or enjoying wealth,
they become diverted from other responsibilities
such as their health or the welfare of their
family, their friends, their community and even
their spiritual development. Acquiring material
resources for happiness is not bad. But it is our
attitude towards wealth which determines
whether we are selfless and care for others or
selfish and care only about ourselves. God exhorts
us not to let abundance bring us loss, especially
loss of character and values; see
18:103-105; chapters 102, 103 and 104. Progress
and gain are usually associated with material
advancement.
The gospel of the New Testament preaches
blessed are the poor for they shall inherit the
earth, but its followers claim that the poor are
lazy. The economic doctrine that rules the world
I Shall Love All Mankind.
is if you don't work you don't get. It has happened
that persons who could no longer afford
their mortgage, even though they may have already
paid back the amount they borrowed,
were kicked out of their homes. The message of
the Quran is quite different, as it says in 51:19:
“And in their prosperity, there is a due share for
the pauper and the indigent”.
The human being by nature is a seeker of
betterment and benefit. Everyone desires to improve
himself or herself and to better one's lot.
We seek to be better educated, richer, healthier
etc. The Quran does not stifle human nature and
its development. It does not condemn human
enjoyment of life. But it does state that in acquiring
all these we should be careful that we
do not belittle, look down upon or scorn others.
What then is the path to achieving prosperity
and all that goes with it? Is it through the
acquisition of wealth alone? Or is it through
faith and good deeds as well? Our Islam teaches
us: Don’t step over others, step down to help
others. Think of your progress and not how to
bring about the downfall of others.
The Quran educates us that six things destroy
our moral and spiritual progress. When
we amass a fortune in knowledge, health,
wealth or other material or worldly possessions
we must have faith, behave appropriately and
exhort each other to truth and tolerance; see
103:1-3. Our faith must not include these six
types of behaviour: sakhar which means laughing
at others, joking, ridiculing and mocking;
lamaz which means finding fault with your own
people; nabaz which is calling one another by
nicknames, or by inappropriate names; zann
which is suspicion; jas-sas which means spying
and ightaab which is backbiting 49:11, 12. All of
these not only hurt others but more importantly
they destroy us by becoming a burning obsession
enveloping us. When we laugh at other
people or backbite others, we demonstrate the
kind of ideas and thoughts we have in our
minds. We laugh at others because we feel we
are better than they; see 18:34.
We cannot spend out everything that we acquire.
If we do, then later on when we need resources
for our ill health, retirement, home care