"If" In Doing Good
ASSALAMU`ALAIKUM WARAHMATULLAH
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| "If?" |
This entry is in English. I've heard rumours that some people have gotten annoyed with my style. Although I do repetitively stress the importance of Malay language preservation, I don't really wage war with English. I just hate two things:- the culture of its native speakers and the irritating, voluntary grammatical mistakes in both languages. That's why you'd see me texting in full language, regardless the language used. It's not a thing to brag either, for it is our duty. We must preserve and conserve our language.
Sin?
Is "if" in doing good thing a sin? For instance: when we're intended to do something good, and suddenly questions like "what if this is not enough?" or "what if people label me as a 'showing off' man who pretend to do goodness for popularity?" come pouring. Is it sinful? Wouldn't it lead to not doing the good thing and thus sending us directly to a state of ignorance?
In approaching the sphere of morality, I'm always appealed with Azra Banu's comprehensive view which I learnt from the Khalifah Youth Institute's two days camp. She proposed that similar to a glass which is being passively maintained and exposed to the open air in a room without any efforts to preserve it, our heart will slowly turn cloudy and polluted by bad things if we're not actively preserving it. This said, good deeds preserve heart's purity.
The world we live in is full of moral dust: egoism, hatred, individualism, corruption which encloud men's good nature. Again, Rousseau was right, modernization is killing our benevolence. As an active observer to the society, I see humans have no more concern about the corruption that happen all around them, as if it is a new part of life. Other illnesses, such as under-age sex, drug abuse, homicide and partying all night long have also degraded men to their lowest level. This is non-contradictory in Islam, and no Muslims should repel this idea from their moral understanding:
In Islam, we're pinned down to Saidina Ali Karamallahu Wajhah's atsar which states, "Not doing something good because you're afraid of being riya` (showing off), is riya` (showing off)". In this unbelievable prodigious understanding, Saidina `Ali KWJ r.a managed to contend, and even defeated the Greeks understanding of morality.
Conclusion
"If" is not necessarily a sin. "If" can be a natural opposition to not being bad, which is also a comprehensible, intellectual judgment of an action. It is a way for us to logically argue about something's true attributes: what it is and where it will go. As intention does not justify the means, means should not be the cause of our misery.
Peaceful acts are truly useful for morality, but peaceful act in battle in facing the insurgence of merciless enemy will not do a damn good thing. Whereas Christianity developed an impractical morality in NIV Matthews 5:39, in Islam we have zakah (obliged charity) as an analogue. If you don't have enough money to feed yourself and your family, you're free from the obligation to pay it.
Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) hadeeth and sunnah have also proven pro to this moderate notion. He explicitly stated is a hadeeth narrated by Imam Ahmad r.a, Muslims are the People of Moderate. In Riyadhus Solihin, it is told to us that when some the Prophet's Companions insisted of showing their devoutness by fasting for days without eating and establishing nawafil prayer their whole life without marrying, he said they were diverging from his way.
"If" is relatively sinful to some extent, but is not in another extension. If it is, then Rudyard Kipling is very sinful LOL. And sorry, my ideas are quite scattered.
Sin?
Is "if" in doing good thing a sin? For instance: when we're intended to do something good, and suddenly questions like "what if this is not enough?" or "what if people label me as a 'showing off' man who pretend to do goodness for popularity?" come pouring. Is it sinful? Wouldn't it lead to not doing the good thing and thus sending us directly to a state of ignorance?
In approaching the sphere of morality, I'm always appealed with Azra Banu's comprehensive view which I learnt from the Khalifah Youth Institute's two days camp. She proposed that similar to a glass which is being passively maintained and exposed to the open air in a room without any efforts to preserve it, our heart will slowly turn cloudy and polluted by bad things if we're not actively preserving it. This said, good deeds preserve heart's purity.
The world we live in is full of moral dust: egoism, hatred, individualism, corruption which encloud men's good nature. Again, Rousseau was right, modernization is killing our benevolence. As an active observer to the society, I see humans have no more concern about the corruption that happen all around them, as if it is a new part of life. Other illnesses, such as under-age sex, drug abuse, homicide and partying all night long have also degraded men to their lowest level. This is non-contradictory in Islam, and no Muslims should repel this idea from their moral understanding:
"We have certainly created men in their best stature. Then We returned him to the lowest of low. Except for those who believe and do RIGHTEOUS deeds, for they will have uninterrupted rewards."
- Qur`an, 95:4-6. Sahih Int. TranslationIt boils back down to how we define the actual framework of morality. If morality is defined as hedonism (pleasures to man) like how Epicurus the early Greek philosopher coined it, then we're on the right track. But are we living ourselves truly hedonistic, specifically spiritually, when it comes to celebrating sexual freedom, bribery, et cetera? As these will cause guilt, Epicurus stood on the notion of negative hedonism subsequently, promoting downright asceticism and simple life. We'll leave this to that.
In Islam, we're pinned down to Saidina Ali Karamallahu Wajhah's atsar which states, "Not doing something good because you're afraid of being riya` (showing off), is riya` (showing off)". In this unbelievable prodigious understanding, Saidina `Ali KWJ r.a managed to contend, and even defeated the Greeks understanding of morality.
Conclusion
"If" is not necessarily a sin. "If" can be a natural opposition to not being bad, which is also a comprehensible, intellectual judgment of an action. It is a way for us to logically argue about something's true attributes: what it is and where it will go. As intention does not justify the means, means should not be the cause of our misery.
Peaceful acts are truly useful for morality, but peaceful act in battle in facing the insurgence of merciless enemy will not do a damn good thing. Whereas Christianity developed an impractical morality in NIV Matthews 5:39, in Islam we have zakah (obliged charity) as an analogue. If you don't have enough money to feed yourself and your family, you're free from the obligation to pay it.
Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) hadeeth and sunnah have also proven pro to this moderate notion. He explicitly stated is a hadeeth narrated by Imam Ahmad r.a, Muslims are the People of Moderate. In Riyadhus Solihin, it is told to us that when some the Prophet's Companions insisted of showing their devoutness by fasting for days without eating and establishing nawafil prayer their whole life without marrying, he said they were diverging from his way.
"If" is relatively sinful to some extent, but is not in another extension. If it is, then Rudyard Kipling is very sinful LOL. And sorry, my ideas are quite scattered.
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