Some Major Moral Diseases (i v)

As deadly epidemics hit the vast areas of populations, moral diseases also hit the nations and communities as a dangerous scourge proving much more devastating than plagues. While turning out the pages of history we find many of the people attacked by moral diseases and eventually were destroyed. The Quran gives us the detail of the communities to whom the Prophets were sent to warn them of the outgrowth of their moral evils, and when they paid no heed finally they were obliterated from the face of earth. Even the civilizations once thought to be vibrant and enduring were washed out because of the moral downfall. The details of some of the moral evils that caused the communities bringing them out to their end hit by worst torment. The people of the Prophet Lut and Shoaib, be blessings of Allah upon both of them, were severely punished and erased out from this earth. Here, in the following pages some of the major moral diseases are mentioned.

1: Haughtiness and Vain Pride

All the exhibitions of arrogance and pride, may they by any powerful super power colonizing the lands and countries of poor and weak nations or any arbitrary head of the state subjugating his own people and governing harshly and cruelly, are actually devilish attitudes. Validating the distinguished position of some individual, a group of people or a community being from a particular race or part of land has no reason to be accepted. It was Iblees who, first of all, showed his racial pride and refused to prostrate before Adam. His pride was based on his racial superiority on Adam who was created from dried clay of altered mud. Racial vanity of Iblees caused him to be accursed and rejected from the Court of the Lord of the worlds. Social status, power, wealth, knowledge, wisdom or physical strength and face charm are some other fake reasons behind man’s haughty and prideful behavior. “They dispute concerning the Signs of Allah without any authority having come to them. There is nothing else in their breasts except pride...” (Ghafir: 56) The qualities mentioned above are in fact the gifts given by none but only Allah, the Most Exalted. What more ignorance may there be than making them reasons of pride and boastfulness? Islam accepts only one thing as a base of one’s preeminence and that is piety and righteousness.

“Say, O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honour whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your Hand is all good. Verily, You are able to do all things.” (Al- Imran: 26)

“Truly, your Lord extends the provisions for who He wills and restricts (for who He wills). Verily, He is Ever All-Knower, All- Seer of His slaves.” (Al-Isra: 30)

He has taught us to invoke Him. “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (Taha: 114)

“It is He Who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. None has the right to be worshiped except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (Al-Imran: 6)

In the call for five times prayer (Azaan), announcement of establishing the prayer (Iqamah) and while changing the postures of Salat (prayer) repetition of ‘Allaho Akbar’ reminds the Muslims that man is nothing but a humble servant and only Allah, the Lord of the worlds is the Greatest. “Verily, Allah likes not any arrogant and boaster.” (Luqman: 18) In an agreed upon Hadith, the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, is reported to have said: “Should I not inform you about those who will go to the Hell?” (and then said) “All the cruel and arrogant (are the fuel of the Hellfire).” In another Hadith he is reported have said: “The one who bears an atom size of arrogance, Allah will cast him down on his face in the Fire.” (Ahmed)

2: Nifaq (Hypocrisy)

Nifaaq (Hypocrisy) is one of the worst moral diseases. The Arabic term ‘nifaaq’ and ‘nafaq’ are from the same root. Nafaq means a tunnel or a passage with two opens. The mice, when dig holes in the ground, keep more than one or two openings in them. Sometimes we look them peeping out from one open and the other time from the next. The hypocrite plays double game and has more than one faces, somewhere getting introduced with one face and at the other place is known with the other face. He is loyal to none but assures all sides to be one of them.

The hypocrites pretend to have believed but actually they lack in firm belief and are trying to deceive others. “And of the people are some who say, “We believe in Allah and the Last Day” while in fact they believe not. They (think to) deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive not but themselves and perceive (it) not.” (Al-Baqarah: 8-9) Hypocrisy is a major moral disease keeping their hearts in its grip. They introduce themselves at one place with a face different from that they come with at the other place. “And when they meet those who believe, they say: “We believe,” but when they are alone with their Shayatin (hypocrite friends) they say: “Truly, we are with you, we were but mocking.” (Al-Baqarah: 14)

Hypocrites are never to be trusted. They turn their backs in the moments of need. They break their pledges and their words are unreliable. They have three signs of their disease, as told by the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him. “When he (hypocrite) speaks, he tells lies, when he makes any promise, he goes against it and when he is trusted, he proves to be untrustworthy.” (Agreed upon)

The hypocrites left no stone unturned to bring adversities to the prophetic mission of Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him. They always did the worst to harm the noble Cause of Islam. At the very critical moments as it was at the time of battle of Uhd, they betrayed and their treasonous behavior caused a big setback for the Muslims. While during the journey back from the Expedition of Banu Mustaliq, Abdullah bin Ubayy, the chief of the hypocrites, plotted on one hand to blow the feelings of tribal rivalries and create a conflict between the Muhajirun and Ansar, and on the other hand he lead a campaign of slandering against Aishah, RA, the beloved wife of the Messenger, SAW. This is why the hypocrites are destined to suffer much more harsh torment than the none-believers. “Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth (degree) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.” (An-Nisa: 145)



3: Sanctimoniousness

Formalism and showiness as a social doctrine or a personal habit does a great moral damage. This trait is opposite of sincerity and honesty and proves nothing but the hollowness of the personality. Showiness may earn some fame or bring some reward through overacting but the deeds that have sanctimoniousness behind them as a motive are morally unfruitful and worthless. Infaq (spending the money for the pleasure of Allah, SWT) and Slat (five times regular prayer) have substantial moral and spiritual consequences. But the same acts performed with sanctimoniousness lose the value and remain worthless. The sincere believers have been warned of the fruitlessness of the acts having the showiness as a motive behind them.

“O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders (of it) or injury as does one who spends his wealth (only) to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day…” (Al-Baqarah: 264) “Indeed, the hypocrites (think to) deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing (themselves to) the people and not remembering Allah except a little.” (An-Nisa: 142)

The one who does something with intention to make it seen and known to the people to earn some fame or importance does nothing good but makes puerility of his mind and shallowness of his personality evident. Showiness is actually a kind of hypocrisy but hypocrisy carries the brand of Kufr (disbelief) while showiness, in Ahadith, we find ranked with Shirk (Polytheism). “Sanctimoniousness is a kind of the minor Shirk (Polytheism)” (Ahmed, Hakim)

Another Hadith draws a ludicrous picture of a showy person. “The sanctimonious one has three signs: He shows activeness when he is with other people in an activity. When he is alone (to do the same job) he is lazy (and work shirker), he loves to be appreciated in all his matters. A hypocrite also has three signs: when he talks, he tells lies, when he makes any promise, he breaks his commitments and when he is entrusted with something he proves to be untrustworthy.” (Ibn Babwiyah)

4: Dupery and Bribery

Honesty is always believed to be the best policy in dealings in all the religions and communities. Dishonestly bringing about loss to others in dealings is a kind of ‘Fasaad fil Ardh’. In history, as the Quran tells us, the people of Madyan were the first community who made this dirty thing a popular practice in their business. Allah sent Shoaib, AS, to warn them. He said to them: “O my people! Worship Allah; you have no other Ilah (the one to be worshiped). Verily, a clear proof from your Lord has come unto you; so give full measure and full weight and wrong not men in their things, and do not cause corruption on the earth after it has been set in order, that will be better for you, if you are believers.” (Al-Araf: 85) Unfortunately perversion and corruption grew and now we see not only ordinary grocers and hawkers in the streets but giant product suppliers and multi-national companies are not free of the taints of corruption. Even powerful industrial countries in the world in their productions and launching them make gross moral turpitude and depravity. The Third World countries, where no check and balance system has evolved and the rulers, politicians and bureaucrats and business community have very less fear of being called to account, they receive heavy kickbacks on bargains from the big companies and even from the foreign governments.

In the local markets causing an artificial scarcity by hoarding the commodities and creating a rise in the prices is one of the biggest social evils. Adulteration is another exhibition of moral lowness, which causes the disconnection of adulterator’s link with Muslim Ummah. The Messenger, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, had clearly said: “The one who commits adulteration is not from among us.” (Muslim) No one seems fearing about the result of trickeries, while there is a clear warning in this case. “The wickedness, trickery and dishonesty will lead to the Fire.”(Abu Dawud) The politicians, lower grade officials in government and private sector, Judges, journalists, generals, bureaucrats and high business community are not ashamed of unlawfully grabbing the properties and wealth of others. Bribery has become a popular culture. They are aware of the admonition of such evil practices. Allah Says: “And eat up not one another’s property unjustly, nor give bribery to the rulers that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully.” (Al-Baqarah: 188)

5: Jealousy

An inner seething on success and progress of the real or supposed rivals and wishing their influence, property and wealth be vanished is jealousy. Sometime the person who is jealous makes a deliberate effort to bring his opponent to nothing. Ghazali has quoted a tradition that the believer is just envious but the hypocrite is jealous. In the second last Surah of the Quran, Allah has taught to seek His protection from the jealousy of those who are boiling with jealousy.

The People of the Scripture (particularly the Jews) were very well aware of the fact that Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, was the same Messenger, about whom they had good tidings in their Scripture, but his being not from the Bani Israel, they were not ready to believe in his post of a Messenger. They were greatly jealous of the blissfulness of the believers and wanted them either to join them or revert to their earlier polytheistic faith. Allah exposed their inner feelings and said: “ Many of the people of the Scripture wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their ownselves, even after the truth has become manifest unto them…” (Al-Baqarah: 109)

Jealousy, as it is a very harmful social evil, is strictly prohibited and extremely disliked in Islam. As a termite growing in the hearts feeling of jealousy mostly remains undiscovered. It breeds rivalries, induces intrigues, and secretly eats up the integrity and threatens to tear apart the social fabric of the nations. Our Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, is reported to have said: “Be warned of the jealousy. The Jealousy eats out the virtues and good deeds as the fire consumes out the wood.” (Abu Dawud) Taking up the matter of strength and unity of the Muslim community, he advised: “Do not hate each other, do not be jealous of each other and do not be discarded, do not break off the relations and be like brothers with each other. It is not allowed for a Muslim to keep cut off from his Muslim brother more than three days.” (Agreed upon)

6: Rage and Irascibility

If we go to trace out what is generally behind the litigating parties in courts, the separated couple in the families, the bitterness of the relations in the kinships and revengeful actions against the workers at the job places, we come to the conclusion that the main factor is rage and irascibility, a kind of the psychological ailments. The fire of rage on very petty issues and matters of little importance reduce the lives and properties into ashes and honorable families have to face disgrace.

Man is in fact created weak and has some shortcomings rooted in his nature. The Creator Himself told this fact saying: “Indeed man was created impatient. Irritable when evil touches him. And niggardly when good touches him” (Al-Ma’arij: 19-21) There are remedial measures proposed by the Lord, the Exalted in the following verses of the Surah referred above. Establishing the five times obligatory prayers, spending from their wealth seeking their Lord’s Countenance and a firm belief in the Day of Recompense, with fear of the torment on that Day, guarding their chastity and remaining committed to their promises and trustfulness and standing firm in their testimonies are the means to control themselves from the temperamental lapses. Building the quality of forgiveness is a protective course of dozens of possible dangerous steps causing serious tumults and upheavals in individual and social life.

Among some very basic characteristics of a believer, the Quran has mentioned three explicitly demanded qualities. “(The believers are) those who avoid the greater sins, and shameful immoralities (illegal sexual intercourse) and when they are angry, forgive.” (Ash-Shura: 37) The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, once repeatedly said: “Be not in rage.” (Bukhari) At another occasion he is reported to have said: “The powerful is not one who brings his opponent in wrestling down on the ground but in fact powerful is one who controls his rage.” (Agreed upon)

7: Hyperbole

The greatest problem Muslim Ummah is presently facing is militancy and extremism. Though unending aggressions of the world powers and their evil designs against the Muslims cause breeding of these trends but even then our ultimate good and success latent in coolness and serenity of mind and avoiding from excessive exaggeration in our expressions. Islam, by its very basic nature as a religion, completely rejects inordinate attitudes. Rigidity and unaccommodating nature in the name of Islam and a religious tradition has nothing to do with Islam and certainly is to be denounced.

Most of the communities in history went astray and were finally destroyed only because of hyperbole in social customs and religious rites. Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, once strictly warning of the negative consequences of exaggerative behaviours, thinking and views said: “Be warned of and avoid hyperbole in Deen (religion). Indeed the communities before you were destroyed because of introducing exaggerative traits in their Deen.” (Ahmed, Nisai)

Islam as a complete code of life and Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad, SAW, came as His blessing and mercy for the worlds. Islam is completely in accordance with the pure Fitrah of man and its teachings are not to plunge man into hardships and complications. It is very easy to follow. The Quran mentions some salient aspects of the mission of Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, as Messenger of Allah. “…he commands them for Al-Ma’ruf (all that Islam has ordained); and forbids them from Al-Munkar (all creeds, ways of action, customs and foods) that Islam has forbidden; he allows them as lawful At-Tayyebat (pure foods, noble deeds, logical beliefs and rites); and prohibits them as unlawful Al-Khabaith (evil deeds, harmful foods and social traits under ignorance); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from fetters that were upon them…” (Al-a’raf: 157)

Extremism and exaggerations in result of hair-splitting of the jurisprudents and religious guides, exaggerative monastic practices of the ascetics and devotees and superstitions and self invented religious restrictions of the ignorant followers become unbearable religious shackles. The simple and clear teachings of the Quran and the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, rid the Muslims from all unnatural restraints.

The moral diseases mentioned above in detail are not all but some of the major from them. Suffering from any one of them gives way to the other to attack and getting deliverance from any one of them means protecting ourselves from others also. We have to develop a preventive power against them to protect ourselves from them.

(Fourth installment of the subject ‘Morality in Islam’)