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| Online Edition | Vol. 3 No. 7 Zul-Hijjah 1418/April 1998 |
EDITORIAL Conduct Unbecoming Barely twenty years ago, a person I know very well responded to an advert in a personnel section of a large daily paper. He responded more out of curiosity than need, as he was still a student at a university. The bold and striking headlines screamed: "Muslim Executive Wanted". Thinking that the job entailed acting as a secret go-between, for lucrative oil or arms deals to the Middle East, he applied for the job. After an exhaustive selection process and a battery of tests, he was selected for the job from amongst thirty-two other hopeful candidates; who also were under the impression, that the emphasis on the word "MUSLIM", indicated dealings with Muslim countries. Needless to say, all the applicants were Muslim. Our friend's glee, at getting the job was short-lived, when it was revealed, that the position entailed spearheading the launch of a new range of cosmetics from Italy for the South African market! No doubt, he would have made a fortune, since two years later, the company listed on the JSE and has does exceptionally well in the material sense. But of course, our friend declined with disdain and disgust more so use the word "MUSLIM" was used to lure unsuspecting hopefuls like our friend. He, of course, angrily raised this issue with the panel that interviewed him. But 'DISGUST' was soon turned to a swelling pride, when the answer was given. You see, the European MD of the company was still new to our country and the only people he knew, to guide him in his choice for this important position were three Bank Managers, some business friends, an industrialist and an employment agency. Of course, all of these were non-Muslim. His brief to them, was that the prospective candidates, must have integrity, a high sense of personal hygiene, be disciplined, diligent and scrupulously honest. Without hesitation, all his advisers told him "You are looking for a Muslim. They have these qualities". 'That is why, they worded the advert with Muslim Executive. Moral Yardstick In a similar vein, a few months ago, the Chief Justice of Natal Province, expressed his dismay in court, in a case of two parties, both Muslim, contesting legalities over religious issues. He sadly remarked that this was unheard of in the past and reiterated the view that Muslims resolved their differences amongst themselves, with amity and generous mercy. We seem to have turned full circle, from a Community whose moral and ethical values were the yardstick, to one that is still reeling from the shock of the unthinkable. The unthinkable bloodletting of Muslim teenagers, settling petty scores in wanton orgy of violence. Who would have even thought this was probable, let alone possible? The unthinkable fight, in dubious circumstances, of a 'Prominent' businessman here and a 'Prominent' businessman there. The unthinkable collapse of a bank, and the shock-waves of disbelief, the pleading of innocence by those entrusted with the amanah of hard earned savings of widows, orphans and trusts; the unthinkable conduct of some of our students, male & female, in public displays of ignorance; the familly feuds and partnership spats, of people we thought it impossible of. ikhtilāf (differences) of the most dangerous kind, between the 'Learned' and the 'Wise', has led to further polarisation of a divided Ummah. Certainly, these are symptoms of a minority in our midst. Our community has not subverted all modesty. But the abandonment of Haya, lets loose all types of excess and deviant behaviour. What is Haya? It is normally translated as modesty or inhibition but neither word conveys the same idea as haya. Modesty suggests shunning indecent behaviour but it also implies bashfulness based on timidity. In contrast to the moral ambiguity of these words, haya refers to an extremely desirable quality that protects us from all evil. It is natural feeling that brings us pain at the very idea of committing a wrong. Along with its unique connotation comes the unique value of haya in Islām. Prophet Muhammad r said: "Every religion has a distinct call. For Islām it is haya" (Ibn Majah). Another famous hadīth says: "There are more than 70 branches of imān [faith]. The foremost is the declaration that there is no god except Allāh and the least of it is removing harmful things from the path. And haya is a branch of imān.' (Bukhari, Muslim) What the hadīth tells us is that the declaration of faith is the most important part of imān but that is not all. Imān also has to reflect itself in all kinds of actions in real life. Moreover, haya is a centrepiece of most of the actions that imān calls for. It is the basic building block of Islāmic morality. When it is lost, everything is lost. Self-Reformation What has happened to that highly developed sixth sense of self-reformation? Islāmic morality, both individual and public, is the glue that keeps our synergy as an Ummah. A moral revolution without the self-effacing concept of haya is no revolution at all. Nudity in dress is no different from nudity in speech, which is no different from nudity of thought and nudity in behaviour. The synthesis of all this is abandonment of an absolute moral standard, where indecency is made to look attractive and moral decline is routinely accepted. If we have mercy amongst ourselves and in our dealings, we will receive the mercy of the Most Merciful. If our conduct is without haya in all aspects of our life, then a sustainable morality of thought, word and deed will forever elude us. Perhaps, so much so, that we might not qualify for that brief job description, that appeared in a newspaper that has yellowed and crumpled in a short span of twenty years. |
Protecting your Gaze Once Nabī A person wrote to Hadrat Thanwi (Rahmatullah) stating that by looking at beautiful women he gained recognition of Allāh. "O Allāh, what a beautiful mirror you have made. We see the beauty of Allāh in them." Hadrat Thanwi replied, "Yes, they are the mirrors of Allāh, but there are two categories of mirrors. One is made of glass while the other reflects the light through it and burns whatever is on the other side. It kindles a fire. Similarly, your imān will be burnt to ashes and your health will be ruined. The Love of Allāh Fulfilling all the needs of one's life, one should make Allāh Ta’āla's love dominant. There should be a harmonious mixture of this world and the Hereafter. Moulana Rumi (Rahmatullah alaihi) has explained how it is possible to create this. He cites the example of a ship on water. "As long as the ship remains on water, it will sail but the moment the water enters the ship, it will sink. If the material things of the world remain beneath and the love of Allāh and the Hereafter remains dominant, then the Hereafter will become very pleasant. However, when the water of the love of this world enters the heart, it results in the drowning of a person." Rushdie Say "No Apology to Muslims" Salman Rushdie said recently that he was not sorry for having written the Satanic Verses. In an Interview with the Birmingham Post he said: "I have absolutely no regrets writing the ‘Satanic Verses’. How can one regret doing something which takes five year’s of one’s life and one’s best intellectual efforts to write?" Muslims are not surprised at Rushdie's about-turn. "It shows how dishonest and totally self-motivated this man is. He has at various times apologised, retracted his apologies, re-converted to Islām and then denied it. Now he is telling us what we knew all along." (Courtesy: The Muslim News) Azeris Living as Refugees 1 250 000 Azeris living as refugees in Nagorno-Karabakh Baku. Nearly 1 250 000 Muslim Azeris are living as refugees in their own country due to the Armenian occupation of their province, Nagorno-Karabakh. The refugees, who were living in camps for the last eight years are suffering from hunger, diseases, lack of shelter and attempts by Christian evangelists to convert them. The suffering of the Azeri refugees was the direct result of Armenian designs and greed to capture the Azeri-majority mineral rich province. The former Soviet Union and rich Armenians abroad financed the equipping of a large Armenian army. Armenians planned ceaselessly for the occupation of the province that they eventually captured. On the other hand, the former Soviet Union hindered the establishment of a strong Azeri defence force to counter the Armenian designs. In 1987 Armenia decided to capture Nagorno-Karabakh by force. To achieve that goal, Armenian militias started terrorising the Muslim civilian population to force them to flee their homes or face brutal expulsion. Once the actual war started, the Russian backed and better-armed Armenians defeated the Azeri army. Once Armenians occupied the entire territory, whole scale forcible expulsions began, and the Armenians also occupied some Azeri territory outside the disputed region. The Muslim refugees are in constant danger from hunger, disease, and lack of education and shelter. Christian relief societies that are active among the refugees are trying to convert Muslims away from their faith. However, Muslim societies in Azerbaijan and abroad are just beginning to perceive the danger, and have been trying to counter this new onslaught. |
said, "Those who cast glances
at non-mahrams commit adultery with their eyes." An accidental glance is
forgiven but to continuously stare or look for a second time and derive pleasure is harām.