Islam: A Comprehensive Way of Life .
All praise is due to Allah and may His
choicest salutations continue to descend on our Master and Leader Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam.“I created the jinn and humankind only that they worship Me “(51:56)
We often associate worship with specific religious acts separated from our everyday activities. Worship in Islam is to live our lives with the conscious awareness of the ever presence of Allah.
Hence we can be worshipping Allah throughout the day, be it at home, the workplace or any other place. We certainly will not be fulfilling the purpose of our creation by limiting worship to the five fundamentals of Islam even though they serve as the central pillars of our faith? Worship does not only relate to
the performance of salah, payment of zakat, fasting and
performance of Haj? If the reason of our entire existence is to
worship Allah, there has to be more to worship than fulfilling
the five fundamentals of faith.
The discharge of our five daily prayers does not take more than
one hour or more than 5% of twenty four hours. How do we worship
Allah in the remaining 95% of the day?
The month of fasting equals to one month form twelve months. How
do we worship Allah in the rest of the eleven months?
Zakaat is paid once a year only by those who own the nisaab. How
do we worship Allah in rest of the year?
Likewise haj is a once in a lifetime obligation for those who
have the means. How do we worship Allah for the better part of
our lives?
Worship has to be all-encompassing for it to be to be the
primary function of our lives, it has to be interwoven into
every aspect of our daily lives… it cannot be confined to a
particular time, place or occasion. By looking at the broader
and more inclusive meaning of worship we do not in any way
undervalue the importance of the five fundamentals which form
the bedrock of Islam.
Abu Hurairah Radh-Allahu anhu narrates that the Prophet
Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam said: “Whosoever relieves a believer
from some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve him
of grief pertaining to the Hereafter. Whosoever lessens the
difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah
will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the
Hereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will
conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter.” In this
hadith Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam has connected the doing
of good to fellow humans as acts of worship that attract rewards
in this world and the hereafter. This means that:
You are worshipping Allah when you extend a helping
hand to others: “Allah will help you for as long
as you are engaged in helping others.” (Muslim)
You are worshipping Allah when you feed the poor and
forge family ties: “ It is not righteousness that
ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is
righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the
Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your
substance, out of love for Him, 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 practice
regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and
to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity,
and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of
truth, the Allah-fearing. (2:177)
You are worshipping Allah when you fulfil the rights
of others and honour your commitments:“O you who
believe! Fulfil (all) obligations.” (5:1)
You are worshipping Allah when you talk
respectfully: “And be moderate in your pace, and
lower your voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is
the braying of the ass. (31:19)
You are worshipping Allah each time you smile and
greet your fellow brother: “Do not despise any act
of good even if it be meeting your brother with a smile.”
(Muslim)
You are worshipping when you treat your partner with
kindness and love: “The best of you are those who
are best to their families and I am best to my family”
(Tirmidhi)
You are worshipping Allah when your restrain your
anger: “Those who spend (freely), whether in
prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon
(all) men; - for Allah loves those who do good” (3:134)
You are worshipping Allah when you say no to bribery
and corruption: “Allah curses one who bribes
(rashi) and one who takes a bribe (murtashi).” (Abu Dawud)
There are approximately 500 verses that deal with law –halal &
haram - out of a total of more than six thousand verses in the
Quran. The central message of the Quran is to develop a bond
with Allah that creates a conscious awareness of accountability
and subservience to the Beloved. Less than 10% of the Quran
deals with laws – the balance deals with development of
character, self- reformation, rectitude, justice, fairness,
brotherhood, mercy, compassion and solidarity. The mission of
Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam was to help develop the
individual. He said: “I have been sent to perfect good
character.” (Musnad Bazzar) He further said that: “The best
among you is the one whose character is best.” (Bukhari) Islam
spread to South East Asia - Indonesia Malaysia Thailand etc.
when the locals observed the ethics, values, and honesty of
Muslim traders who came to their shores.
Islam is an all -inclusive way of life. It regulates all our
activities; individual, social, economic, political and
spiritual. Humility, honesty, simplicity, equality and justice,
stand as the hallmarks of a true Muslim. We are the vicegerents
of Allah who live Islam not only at particular times of the
day, month or year, but who live and die for the pleasure of
Allah: “Say: ‘Truly, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my
dying are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. No partner has He:
this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who submit to
His Will.” (6:162-163)
We must guard against relegating Islam to a ritualistic creed,
where worship is something we do in the masjid, or in the month
of Ramadhan, where Islam has no bearing on how we earn our
living, how we treat others, how we conduct our social affairs
and the kind of character we display.
May Allah grant us the ability to worship Him in all that we do.