Impacts of Ibadaat (Acts of Worship) on Morality (v)

The main purpose of some rituals of adoration and offers to a graven image carved out of a piece of wood or a stone is to appease the deity, earn its favours and gain inner fulfillment. Beyond this any perceptible impacts on man’s character are neither required nor had through this adoration. The worshiped items, may they be the art work of the painters or statues made of wood, stones or something else, are in fact themselves needy to be cared, protected, polished and dusted regularly.
According to the Quran creation of mankind and jinn is solely to worship Allah. “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship me.” (Adh-Dhariyat: 56) Allah, being the Ever- Living and the Sustainer and Protector of all existing creatures, has no want from the worshipers. He is the Provider and Possessor of all powers. He needs neither the food nor protection from His worshipers. “Say: He is Allah, the One, the Self-Sufficient. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And nor is there to Him any equivalent.” (Al-Akhlas)

Apparently, having offspring is a matter of pride but actually in this power and pride, but in fact it is manifestation of man’s weakness. For keeping their name extent in the pace of changing times the parents generally depend on their children. But as it is hoped the children may earn honour for their parents, it is not unlikely they bring disgrace to them also. Allah’s being above from all such essentialities it is understandable why the matter of ascribing a ‘son’ to Allah has been taken so seriously. “And they say: “The Most Gracious (Allah) has taken (for Him) a son. You have brought forth a terrible evil thing. Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins.” (Maryam: 88-90)

While He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower and the All-seer still He has kept Himself intangible and immaterial due to the great wisdom. Man, for his own inner peace and satisfaction and his moral and spiritual uplifting, needs access to Him only through remembering Him constantly in Ibadat. All the forms and rites of Ibadat are a great source of moral elevation. So the one who disaffiliates himself from remembering Allah, he not only puts himself in miseries and misfortunes but also morally downturns. “And whoever turns away from My remembrance, indeed, he will have a depressed (difficult) life and We will raise him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” (Taha: 124)

1: Salaat (Five Times Obligatory Prayer)

Man has two dimensions of his personality. One is the material and corporal and the other is spiritual and moral. As a religion in complete conformity with the Fitrah (Nature), Islam helps man in developing both the aspects of his personality. None of the both is to be neglected or spoilt at the cost of the other. For spiritual and moral uplifting the five times obligatory prayers are the basic pillars of Islam and the imperative factor. The most preferable in the virtuous acts, for which first of all the believers will be called to the account on the Day of Judgment. Due to its most significant role in the believers’ life for remembrance of Allah, Salaat has been a compulsory ritual in the teachings of all the Prophets. It is nothing else but five times regular prayers, the main source of lifting the spirit of the sincere servants up from the swamps of the worldliness and keeping them linked to their Lord.

Al-Fatihah, the very first chapter (Surah) of the Quran, is must to be recited in the prayer, is repeated not less than 33 times during 24 hours daily, both in the congregational and individual prayers and a humble supplicant raises his request to his Lord to show him straight path, the path of only those upon whom He has bestowed His favours and not the path of those who earn His anger and nor of those who go astray. If this supplication is with an awakened conscience and earnestness, millions of the Muslims are most probable to save themselves from committing the sins and following the devilish steps. For the purity of the hearts and protecting the moral character from evils the Muslims are commanded to establish prayer. “…and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits Fuhshaa (all shameful and immodest acts) and Munkar (all kind of evils) and remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.” (Al-Ankbut: 45)

The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, underlining the reformative role of the prayers once said: “If any of you have a waterway close to his door and he takes bath in it five times daily, can the filth and dirt remain there (on his body)?” The companions replied in negative. The Messenger, SAW, said: “The same is the case of the five times prayers. Allah effaces the wrongdoings in result of the prayers.” (Agreed upon)

Prayers are the matter of the conscience. No doubt there are millions of the Muslims who establish prayer but why wakefulness is not seen and why the prayers prove fruitless and bringing no conspicuous impact on the moral behaviours? They are nothing more than an incognizant utterance of the Arabic text of Salaat and not made the matter of hearts and conscience. It is actually wasting the unprecedented spirit necessary to be gained from the prayer. Ultimate result of wasting the prayers, may it be by not establishing them or making them a spiritless and unvigilant activity is indulgence in lustfulness and carnal appetites, as told in the Quran about the descendants of the Prophets: “Then, there came after them successors (in later generations) who neglected prayer and pursued lusts. So they are going to meet evil.” (Maryam: 59)

The Divine plan of five times prayers is a magnificent spiritual fount to make the believers aware of the cause that is the very reason of creation of mankind. It keeps the believers connected with their Lord. Alongside its enhancing the soldierly intuition of punctuality, discipline and cautiousness in the believers, it has a profound lesson of equality of human being. It is the wise system of prayers which inculcates the quality of humbleness deep in the minds. The prayer eliminates the class differences and makes all rich and poor, black and white, master and servant stand shoulder to shoulder in lines without any discrimination. No one is superior on the ground of his social status. In the Masjid (mosque) no seat is kept reserved for VIPs and no place is fixed for some special people. ‘First come and first take’ is the principle followed in the congregational prayers and the bosses and the employers have no right to demand a higher status against their subordinates and employees.

Nearly 1440 years back a black freed Abyssinian slave, Bilal (RA) was one of the most trusted companions, and (in today’s term) the private secretary of Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him. Why? Because the criterion of preference set by Islam is only eminence in morality and virtues. While, in America, a self-proclaimed most civilized nation of the modern times, it is the matter of almost only half a century when Rosa Park, a black woman, dared to sit in one of the front seats of the public bus following the successful boycott of the bus system which had discrimination rules of not allowing the blacks in front seats and after decades of protests and political pressure decision of school desegregation across the country was also the matter of the same years.

2: Infaaq Fi Sabilillah (Spending Wealth to Win Allah’s Pleasure)

Niggardliness and avarice are the worst of the moral evils and are censured in almost every religion. Both the evils are the manifestation of hard heartedness and selfishness. Those who have notoriety in these negative characteristics are unconcerned about the miseries of the people living around them. Their own interests and pleasures are the pivot of their efforts and thinking. For the time being they may have some short-living pleasure of being wealthy but eventually both the evils prove having no sustainable good, because the Quran tells us that covetousness has proven ruinous for many communities in past. “And let not those who covetously withhold of that which Allah has bestowed on them of His Bounty think that it is good for them. Nay, it will be worse for them; the things they covetously withheld shall be tied to their necks like collars on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is Well-Acquainted with all that you do.” (Al-Imran: 180)

Both the moral evils are contradictory to the claim of having belief in Allah and the Day of Resurrection, as the fact has been made clear in a Hadith that: “The true belief and covetousness never remain together in the heart of a servant (of Allah).” (Tialsi) We find the same fact with a bit different words in another Hadith. “Two habits (or practices) do not gather in the heart of a believer: niggardliness and immorality.” (Ahmed) It is unbelievable that a person having the claim of belief find the people in distress and affliction and their cries make him not to step forward for their help. In an agreed upon Hadith the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, is reported to have said: “The Muslim is brother of the other Muslim. He neither wrongs him nor hands him over to the enemies. The one who helps his brother in need, Allah fulfils his needs. And the one who relieves his Muslim brother from his distress, Allah will remove his afflictions on the Day of Resurrection. The one who conceals the faults of a Muslim, on the Day of Resurrection Allah will provide him a cover for his faults.”

Salaat and Zakaat are the acts so twinned that the Quran mostly mentions them together. Their impacts are interconnected and become visible when both are followed as a system of life. In the Quran, like Salaat an excessive emphasis has been laid on spending the wealth for the noble cause to earn the pleasure of Allah, the All-Mighty. Zakat as an obligatory and alms as supererogatory act of spending from the cash amounts and agricultural products are the ways of Infaaq. Literally the term Zakaat has comprehensiveness in its meanings. It encompasses both sanctity or purity and increment and growth. Palpably the interest on the wealth adds in the amounts and alms cause a decrease but the wisdom of the Quran says something different. “Allah destroys interest and gives increase for charities. And Allah does not like every sinning disbeliever.” (Al-Baqarah: 276) At the individual level the act of paying Zakat and Sadaqaat is a source to save the true believers from the evils of covetousness, avarice and niggardliness, and in the collective sphere it helps in coping with the economic problems of the society also.

A believer sincerely desirous of attaining the righteousness has no other way except adopting the trait of generosity by spending from the best of his savings. Allah, making this fact clear, says: “By no means shall you attain Al-Birr (righteousness, piety and their reward) unless you spend of that which you love; and whatever of good you spend, Allah knows it well.” (Al-Imran: 92) Keeping the purifying and sanctifying role of Infaaq in consideration the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, was told: “Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily, your invocations are a source of security for them; and Allah is All-Hearer, All- Knower.” (At-Taubah: 103)

It is the significance of Infaaq that on some of the slips leading to the moral weaknesses the financial punishments have been fixed. For example if someone ignorantly and heedlessly utters the words of Zihar making his wife unlawful for him, for freeing himself from what he has uttered he has to either free a slave, fast for two months successively or should feed sixty poor before they touch each other. And for expiation by deliberate oaths the punishment is feeding of ten poor people or clothing them or freeing a slave or fasting for three days.

3: Saum (Fasting)

Most of us are actually captives of our habits. From getting up in the morning to going to the bed at night we are tightly in the shackles of our self created routines under the habits. Bed tea, shave, having wash or taking bath, breakfast, leaving for the workplace, before noon light refreshment, lunch, afternoon tea, watching our favouite programs on TV in the evening, dinner and then going to bed and within them many other are the idols whom we ‘worship’ with great devotion and mostly we are proud of it. Ramadhan, the month of fasting comes to give us freedom from these shackles. Entire routine gets change. We have to set a new schedule from Sehr to Iftar (the meals at the dawn and after sunset) and then Trawih prayer all not of our own but our Lord’s choice. This reminds us that mistakenly we have been taking ourselves to be the slaves of not our ‘SELF’, in fact we are obedient servants of our Lord for Whom we keep fast. Then the purpose of fasting and the wisdom hidden in it we realize. We come to know that instead of our meaningless habits we have to strengthen Taqwa in our hearts. Taqwa, a power needed to pull out the effigies of customs and habits firmly fixed in the ‘temple’ of our ‘SELF’.

Taqwa (piety) is a shield to protect the Faith from the attacks of Shaytan (devil). Taqwa works as a warning bell in the hearts. As soon as the tongues are about to utter the words of lies, backbiting and deception, the steps are going to move for an evil act and hands are made ready to commit a major sin, the warning bell starts ringing in the conscience. The modern style buildings in the big cities, nowadays, have fire sensors in them. On a minor sign of fire very sensitive devices fit in them start flashing particular lights or sounding sirens as alarm of the danger the building may catch fire. Same is the role of Taqwa in man’s heart. On a slight hint of an intention of committing a sin it starts giving alarm to avoid the sin. Nurturing Taqwa in the hearts is the main purpose of all the acts of Ibadah. “O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah) Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become pious.” (Al-Baqarah: 21)

Though there are a lot of benefits pertaining to financial good and physical health, but according to the Quran the main purpose of fasting is to strengthen Taqwa. Fasting makes the inner ‘sensor’ much more active and the ‘warning bell’ sound enormously higher within the hearts. It gives the conscience an extraordinary awakening. “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become pious (righteous). (Al-Baqarah: 183) The act of fasting most profoundly plays its role in purifying the hearts and cultivating the quality of God-fearing in the hearts. Keeping this role of fasting in sight, as mentioned above in discussion of Infaaq, in moral slips fasting has also been proposed as a remedial measure. It causes blocking the sins and stamps out the marks of previous sins. The Messenger, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, is reported to have said: “Whoever fasts Ramadhan and stands (in the night prayer) for it out of faith and seeking a reward (from Allah), he will be forgiven for what preceded of his sins.” (Agreed upon) Fasting is a shield to protect oneself from the sins. Imagine in the light of following Hadith Qudsi, how much helpful in building a strong moral character the fasting is. “Allah, the Exalted and Glorious said: “All the acts of worship a man does, belong to him, except fasting which is for Me, and I will reward for it.’ Fasting is a shield. When anyone of you is fasting, he should not engage in sexual activities nor raise the voice. If anyone reviles him or quarrels with him, he should say: ‘I am fasting…” (Agreed upon)

Telling lies not only itself is a major sin but root of many other sins and moral evils. Fasting is a source of righteousness. Practice of fasting remains fruitless if man gets not ready to give up falsehood. Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, once said: “The one who does not give up falsehood and deeds in its accordance, Allah is not at all in need of his giving up his food and water (in the name of fasting).” (Bukhari)

4: Hajj

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and an important act of Ibadah, having profound effects on the moral character of the believers. “…and due to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House, for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves (refuses to make pilgrimage) then indeed Allah is free from need of the worlds.” (Al-Imran: 97) Hajj is actually the essence of all the acts of worship. Jehad, Salaat, Infaq, and some kinds of fasting are its basic parts. To understand the effects of Hajj on man’s character take metaphor of an automatic washing machine. What the washing machine does with the clothes to remove their filth and dirt? On getting start working the washing machine gives swift and tough turns to the clothes in it. It dashes them from up to down and from one side to the other. Then the rinsing and drying operation starts with fast repeated whirls. In the result the clothes are clean and clear of all dots of the dirt.

In Hajj, a constant movement, no rest, not a long stay anywhere. A state of emergency! Hajj jolts us and shatters the huge tower of routines of the pilgrims. From entering Makkah, the rituals start with Tawaaf and Sa’ee, taking seven circles around the Ka’bah and then seven quick walks between the mountains of As-Safa and Al-Marwa. From morning of 8th Dhul-Hajj they have to out of their temporary places of abode leaving for Mina. In a state of restlessness they pass a day and night there and in the morning of 9th of Dhul-Hajj it is necessary to reach Arafat, the zenith of the Hajj rituals. Zuhr and Asr prayers are to be offered together and then till late evening, the time is to be spent in invocations and worshiping. Here the washing process becomes complete.

Now the step of rinsing and drying starts. Just after or a little before sunset Arafat is also to be left behind for approaching to Muzdalfah. There Maghrib and Isha prayers are to be offered together. The night in open air under the blue sky in the moonlight, needs to be spent in ibadat and then next morning again Mina becomes the orbit of the remaining Hajj rituals. In the morning of 10th Dhul-Hajj sacrifices are made and after this the pilgrims are free from almost all of the restrictions, except the sexual relation with their wives. But they have to go to stone the symbolic satanic Jamarah. In the evening again going to Makkah for Tawaf and Sa’ee and it is must to be back at Mina to pass the night there. Next day again stoning two more symbols of Shaytan is in the rituals. So Hajj gets complete.

The greatest harvest of Hajj is also Taqwa like fasting and a high moral character. “…And take a provision for journey (of Hajj), but the best provision is At-Taqwa. So fear Me, Omen of understanding.” (Al-Baqarah: 197) “It is neither their (the cattle’s) meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him…” (Al-Hajj: 37) The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him, is reported to have said: “The one who performed Hajj, neither he got involved in sexual activities, nor he did any act of disobedience, he returned from there as pure (from the sins) as a newly born baby is.” (Agreed upon)

The enormous stress, again and again, is on showing moral restrain. No sexual activities, no committing of sin and causing or getting involved in disputes and quarrels is a moral bridle to control the beastly wishes and feelings. “The Hajj is (in) the well-known months. So whosoever intends to perform Hajj therein, then he should not have sexual relation (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the Hajj…” (Al-Baqarah: 197)