3.13 Ethics

Even in the earliest revelations to the Holy Prophet as much stress was laid on prayer to God as on service to humanity, perhaps more on the latter. In fact, prayer to him was meaningless if it was not accompanied with service to humanity. It would then be a mere show, severely condemnable. One of the short earlier chapters is devoted entirely to this: “Hast thou seen him who belies religion? That is the one who is rough to the orphan, And urges not the feeding of the needy. So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayer! Who do good to be seen, and refrain from acts of kindness” (107:1-7). Prayer, therefore, had no value if it did not lead to the service of humanity. Of the two, prayer to God and service of humanity, the latter was the more difficult task. It was an uphill road: “And (have We not) pointed out to him (man) the two conspicuous ways? But he attempts not the uphill road. And what will make thee comprehend what the uphill road is? It is to free a slave, or to feed in a day of hunger, an orphan nearly related, or the poor man lying in the dust” (90:10-16). The orphan and the needy were not only to be helped; they were to be honoured: “Nay! But you honour not the orphan; nor do you urge one another to feed the poor; and you devour heritage, devouring all; and you love wealth with exceeding love” (89:17-20). Elsewhere the Holy Qur’an states: “Righteous is the one who believes in Allah … and gives away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarers and to those who ask and to set slaves free” (2:177). The Holy Qur’an lays great stress on the point that wealth was not given to man for amassing; the needy have a right in the wealth of the rich: “And in their wealth is a due share for the beggar and for the one who is denied (good)” (51:19). In other revelations the possessors of wealth who do not help the poor are threatened with destruction (e.g. 68:17-27).

From his earliest life the Holy Prophet was a staunch supporter of the cause of the weak and oppressed. When deputation after deputation of his opponents, the Quraish of Makkah, went to his uncle, Abu Talib to persuade him to deliver the Holy Prophet to them to be put to death, Abu Talib sang his praises in the memorable words which have come down to us in one of his poems: What! said he, shall I make over to you one “who is the refuge of the orphans and the protector of the widows?” And when, on receiving the Call, the Holy Prophet trembled for fear that he might not be able to achieve the grand task of the reformation of humanity, his wife consoled him in these words … “Allah will never bring thee to disgrace, for thou unitest the ties of relationship and bearest the burden of the weak and earnest for the destitute and honourest the guest and helpest people in real distress” (Bu. 1:1).

That service of humanity was a great goal of life was repeatedly impressed upon his hearers by the Holy Prophet. He once likened the Muslims to a body; when a part of it ails, the entire body ails (Bu. 78:27). He placed the person who faithfully manages the affairs of the widows and the needy at par with one who performs Jihad in the way of Allah or with one who stands up for prayer in the night and fasts during the day (Bu. 69:1). He described the man who brings up an orphan as closest to him in Paradise (Bu. 78:24). And he clearly stated that “he is not of us who does not show mercy to our little ones and respect to our great ones (MM. 24:15). He had a tender heart even for animals and specifically forbade acts of cruelty to animals, stating that doing good to the animals had its rewards (MM. 6:6).

The Holy Prophet’s charity was proverbial. “He was the most charitable of men” was the description of him given by his companions to the later generations. Along with the theme of obedience to God, great stress has been laid in the Holy Qur’an and in the sayings of the Holy Prophet on charity to man. It has been emphasized that love of God should be the basis for charity. It is said in one of the earliest revelations: “And they give food, out of love for Him, to the poor and the orphan and the captive. We feed you for Allah’s pleasure only — we desire from you neither reward nor thanks” (76:8, 9). And in a later revelation: “… Righteous is the one who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the Book and the prophets, and gives away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask and to set slaves free … ” (2:177). Charity proceeding from such a pure motive brought about increase of wealth: “… And whatever you give in charity, desiring Allah’s pleasure — these will get manifold” (30:39). The increase which charity brought in its wake is likened to the seed which multiplies a large number of times: “The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is as the parable of a grain growing seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies (further) for whom He pleases …” (2:261).

The exercise of charity must be free from show and from all sordid motives such as any personal gain or even placing the recipient of charity under an obligation: “Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah then follow not up what they have spent with reproach or injury, their reward is with their Lord, and they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve. A kind word with forgiveness is better than charity followed by injury. And Allah is Self-Sufficient, Forbearing. O you who believe, make not your charity worthless by reproach and injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men and believes not in Allah and the Last Day …” (2:262-264).

Charity must be given out of good things, out of things which a man loves for himself: “O you who believe, spend of the good things that you earn and of that which We bring forth for you out of the earth, and aim not at the bad to spend thereof, while you would not take it yourselves …” (2:267). And elsewhere it is stated “you cannot attain righteousness unless you spend out of what you love” (3:92). Charity may be exercised openly, as for some national good, or secretly, as for helping the poor: “If you manifest charity, how excellent it is! And if you hide it and give it to the poor, it is good for you …” (2:271). The charity of a Muslim is not limited to his co-religionist (2:272). Charity must be exercised specially towards those who abstain from begging (2:273). Above all, Islam wishes its followers to acquire a new mentality altogether about possession of wealth, by doing away with love for wealth and its hoarding, and by stating plainly that the poor have a due share in the wealth of the rich. Describing the existence of the true Muslims in the Hereafter, their qualities in this life are stated to be: “They used to sleep but little at night. And in the morning they asked (Divine) protection. And in their wealth there was a due share for the beggar and for one who is denied (good)” (51:17-19). Elsewhere the true Muslims are described as “Those who are constant at their prayer, and in whose wealth there is a known right for the beggar and the destitute” (70:23-25).

Prayer and charity were thus the two essential conditions of righteousness. The “due share” or “known right” mentioned here is different from Zakat which, being obligatory and leviable at a fixed rate and being the due of the state, is a kind of tax. The Holy Prophet himself made this clear: “In one’s wealth there is a due besides Zakat” (Bu. 24:31). All the wealth a man earned was not his own. A part of it should go to charity, however stringent the circumstances in which a man lives. “Charity is incumbent on every Muslim” were the clear orders of the Holy Prophet (Bu. 56:72). But what about him who has not got anything? asked his Companions. He replied: “he should work with his hands and profit himself and give in charity.” They again asked, if he has nothing in spite of this? The reply was: “He should help the distressed one who is in need”. And if he is unable to do that? they said again. He said: “He should do good deeds and refrain from doing evil—this is charity on his part” (Bu. 46:2).

The Holy Prophet’s conception of charity was the broadest possible: “On every bone of the finger, charity is incumbent every day. One assists a man in riding his beast or in lifting his provisions to the back of the animals, this is charity; and a good word and every step which one takes in walking over to prayer is charity” (MM. 6:6). “Removal from the way of that which is harmful is charity” (Bu. 46:2). Even to meet a fellow-being with a cheerful countenance was charity: “Every good deed is charity, and it is a good deed that thou meet thy brother with a cheerful countenance and that thou pour water from thy bucket into the vessel of thy brother” (MM. 6:6).

The Holy Prophet thus wanted to make men realize that to be charitable was to be truly human. To make men prayer-minded and to make them charity-minded for the service of humanity are the two distinctive characteristics of the religious system which he established.

One of the earliest works to which the Holy Prophet applied himself, as can be seen from the earliest revelations, was the building up of character. Long before any reforms were introduced about social relations or state policy, emphasis was being placed in the revelations on the moral uplift of man, and very correctly too, because even good laws could benefit humanity only when they were worked out by men standing on a high moral plane.

The Holy Prophet was recognized by friends and foes as the most truthful of men. On repeated occasions, his bitterest enemies had to acknowledge his eminent truthfulness, on account of which he was called al-Amin (the Faithful one). Himself so eminently truthful, he laid stress on truth as the basis of a high character: “Surely truth leads to virtue, and virtue leads to paradise, and a man continues to speak the truth until he becomes thoroughly truthful; and surely falsehood leads to vice and vice leads to the fire, and a man continues to tell lies until he is written down a great liar with Allah” (Bu. 78:69). The Holy Qur’an mentions truthfulness as one of the most prominent qualities of true Muslims: “… And the truthful men and the truthful women … Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a mighty reward” (33:35). Speaking of the great transformation which the Holy Prophet had brought about, the Holy Qur’an bears testimony to the truthfulness of the Muslims by stating that they do not bear witness to what is false (25:72). The Holy Qur’an also lays down the basis of a society in which everyone is required to enjoin truth upon those with whom he comes into contact (103:2, 3), and states repeatedly that it is with truth that falsehood can be challenged and vanquished. It exhorts again and again that truth is to be adhered to at all costs, even if it goes against one’s own interest or interest of one’s friends and relatives: “O you who believe, be maintainers of justice, bearers of witness for Allah, even though it be against your own selves or your parents or near relatives … Follow not your low desires lest you deviate. And if you distort or turn away from truth, surely Allah is aware of what you do” (4:135). The principle of truth was not to be deviated from even if it went in favour of the enemy: “O you who believe be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice; and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably. Be just; that is nearer to observance of duty. .”(5:8). And even if one was called upon to speak the truth in the face of a tyrant, he must do it: “The most excellent jihad is the uttering of truth in the presence of an unjust ruler” (MM. 17). Only truth shall benefit in the final judgement: “… This is the day when their truth shall profit the truthful ones. For them are Gardens wherein flow rivers, abiding therein forever. Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Allah. This is the mighty achievement” (5:119).

The Holy Prophet enjoys the distinction that he made people walk in the ways which he pointed out. The quality of truth was so ingrained in the heart of his followers that they not only loved it but underwent severest hardship for the sake of truth. When about two centuries later, the critics laid down certain canons to judge the truthfulness of the transmitters of Hadith they all agreed on one point, that no companion of the Holy Prophet had uttered a deliberate falsehood. In fact one of the latest revelations of the Holy Qur’an itself bears witness to this: “… Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it seemly in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you disbelief and transgression and disobedience” (49:7). Faith includes all virtues taught by the Holy Prophet and truthfulness was one of the most prominent of these.

Perseverance was another characteristic on which great emphasis is laid in the Holy Qur’an and which shone prominently in the life of the Holy Prophet and those inspired by him. Persecuted on all sides, suffering the severest hardships, with no apparent prospects of success, the Holy Prophet stood adamant when threatened with death. He was equally firm when offered worldly temptations. During the flight to Madinah, hidden in a cave with a search party at its mouth, he consoled his single companion, Abu Bakr, with these words: “Grieve not, surely Allah is with us” (9:40). The Holy Qur’an states clearly that perseverance in the cause of truth brings down angels from heaven to console a man (41:30, 31). Patience and perseverance were inculcated again and again in the early revelations as well as in the later ones (e.g. 14:12; 42:15; 11:112, 115; 11:49; 3:200). Patience and prayers are said to be the two doors through which Divine help is received: “O you who believe, seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient” (2:153).

Courage was another great quality on which stress was laid. The heart in which there was fear of God could not entertain fear of any other than God, and this makes a Muslim fearless in the face of severest opposition: “Those to whom men said: Surely people have gathered against you, so fear them; but this increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient for us and He is an excellent Guardian … (So) no evil touched them and they followed the pleasure of Allah … It is the devil who only frightens his friends, but fear them not and fear Me, if you are believers” (3:173-175). “Fear not, surely I am with you — I do hear and see” (20:46). “Those who deliver the messages of Allah and fear Him, and fear none but Allah, and Allah is Sufficient to take account” (33:39). “Surely those who say, Our Lord is Allah, then continue on the right way, on them is no fear, nor shall they grieve” (46:13). “Now surely the friends of Allah, they have no fear, nor do they grieve” (10:62). It was on account of their fearlessness and great moral courage that the Muslims, in the Holy Prophet’s time, defended themselves in battles against three to ten times their numbers and won on all occasions. Later, in the battles they had to fight against Persia and the Roman Empire, their numbers bore no comparison with the enemy forces, and they were almost always victorious. The courage which they showed on the battle-fields was in fact due to their firm faith.

But while facing so boldly all opposition to the cause of truth, the Muslims were required to develop the quality of humility: “And go not about in the land exultingly …” (17:37); “And turn not thy face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exultingly. Surely Allah loves not any self-conceited boaster” (31:18); “Surely He loves not the proud” (16:23). Humility, in fact, should be deeply rooted in a Muslim’s heart because of the five daily prayers, when all standing on terms of perfect equality bow down and prostrate themselves before their Lord as one body. The Holy Prophet’s own example is a beacon-light in this respect. In his dealings with others he was humble and never placed himself on a higher pedestal. And along with humility, selflessness is another great quality with which Islam arms every Muslim to fight the battle of life. There are repeated injunctions in the Holy Qur’an that God’s pleasure is to be the only motive for one’s actions and not one’s personal gains or losses.

Great stress has been laid in Islam on faithfulness to agreements and trusts: “Those who are faithful to their trusts and their covenants” is a twice repeated description of the true believers (23:8; 70:32). Elsewhere too, it is enjoined: “And fulfil the promise; surely the promise will be enquired into” (17:34); “O you who believe, fulfil the obligations (‘uqud)” (5:1), where ‘uqud (sing. ‘aqd, a tie) stands not only for covenants, contracts, agreements, leagues, treaties and engagements but also for Divine ordinances (LL.). The obligation to fulfil both the covenant of Allah and covenants between man and man, particularly between nations, is again mentioned together in 16:91, 92. Thus respect for law, both religious as well as temporal, has been placed on equal footing. True to this teaching the Holy Prophet and his followers stood firmly by their agreements under the most trying circumstances.

There is not a single instance on record in which they broke their agreement with any other nation. A typical example of this, in the Holy Prophet’s time, is that of the truce of Hudaibiyah, under which Abu Jandal, a refugee convert to Islam, who had been tortured by the enemy, had to be returned under the terms of the truce. In the time of ‘Umar, the Muslim general Abu ‘Ubaidah was obliged to evacuate the occupied territory of Hims, which the enemy was going to occupy, and he ordered that the tax received from the people as a condition for their protection should be paid back to them as Muslims could protect them no longer. Another example of such scrupulous honesty and regard for agreements can hardly be met with elsewhere.

Hypocrisy has been condemned in the Holy Qur’an in the severest terms. The hypocrites have been described as “in the lowest depths of the fire” (4:145) and uttering words from the mouth which are not in the heart has been condemned again and again.

All qualities which make man stand on a high moral plane were inculcated one after another. Thankfulness was one of them. “If you are grateful, I will give you more; and if you are ungrateful My chastisement is truly severe” (14:7). “Eat of the good things that We have provided you with, and give thanks to Allah if He it is Whom you serve” (2:172). “If you are ungrateful, then surely Allah is above need of you. And he likes not ungratefulness in His servants. And if you are grateful, He likes it in you” (39:7). One was required to be grateful to fellow-men as well. The Holy Prophet said: “Whoever is not thankful to men is not thankful to Allah”. Thankfulness to men meant repaying their kindness: “Is the reward of goodness aught but goodness” (55:60).

The high morals depicted in the Holy Qur’an were the morals of the Holy Prophet, and it was in this shape that he wanted to mould the character of his followers. Even a cursory glance at the lives of his Companions and his first four successors, who were the rulers of a vast empire, would show that the Holy Prophet achieved a mighty success in this respect. One of the many descriptions of the high moral plane on which the Holy Prophet’s Companions stood occurs in the Holy Qur’an as follows: “And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, Peace! And they who pass the night prostrating themselves before their Lord and standing … And they who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor parsimonious, and the just mean is ever between these. And they who call not upon another god with Allah and slay not the soul which Allah has forbidden except in the cause of justice, nor commit fornication … And they who witness no falsehood, and when they pass by what is vain, they pass by nobly. And they who, when reminded of the messages of their Lord, fall not down thereat deaf and blind. And they who say, our Lord, grant us in our wives and our offspring the joy of our eyes, and make us leaders for those who guard against evil. These are rewarded with high places because they are patient, and are met therein with greetings and salutation” (25:63-75).

Good morals and good manners are, according to the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, the real test of a man’s excellence. “The noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the best of you in conduct” (49:13). The Holy Prophet used to say: “The best of you are those who have the most excellent morals” (Bu. 61:23). In the moral code of Islam respect of and kindness to the parents occupies a very high place. “And do good to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with thee, say not to them, fie; nor chide them; and speak to them a generous word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy, and say, My Lord! Have mercy on them as they brought me up when I was little” (17:23-24). The great stress which the Holy Qur’an lays on the duty of obedience to parents is also apparent from two other verses: “And We have enjoined on man concerning his parents … saying: Give thanks to Me and to thy parents. To Me is the Eventual coming. And if they strive with thee to make thee associate with Me that of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not, and keep kindly company with them in this world, and follow the way of him who turns to Me … ” (31:14, 15). Here disobedience to parents is permitted only if there is a clash with one’s duty to one’s Maker. Even then kind behaviour towards them is enjoined. Special emphasis was placed by the Holy Prophet on showing consideration to one’s mother, so much so that paradise was described by him to be beneath her two feet. It is reported in a hadith that a companion of the Holy Prophet came to him and consulted him about enlistment in the fighting forces. The Holy Prophet asked him if he had a mother living. On receiving the reply in the affirmative the Holy Prophet said: “Then stick to her for paradise is beneath her two feet” (Ns. 25:6). Another companion once asked the Holy Prophet: “Who has the greatest right that I should keep company with him with goodness?” The Holy Prophet said: “Thy mother”. The man asked: “Who next?” The Holy Prophet said: “Thy mother”. The man asked: “Who next” The Holy Prophet said: “Then thy father.”

Parents on the other hand were required to be kind and gentle towards their children. The suffering of parents in providing for and protecting their children was described by the Holy Prophet as “a screen from the fire” for the parents (Bu. 24:10). In one hadith the Holy Prophet is reported to have said: “He is not one of us who does not show mercy to our little ones and respect to our great ones” (MM. 24:15). The words of this hadith are general and apply not only to those younger or older in age but also to degrees of position and authority.

Unity and brotherhood of all mankind is a fundamental conception of Islam. The Muslims were, however, particularly exhorted to be kind to one another and to help one another. Believers are frequently described in the Holy Qur’an as brethren, and the quality of being “merciful among themselves” (48:29) is expressly mentioned. Muslims have been specifically prohibited from deriding others or looking down upon other Muslims with contempt, seeking faults in and being unduly suspicious of one another, etc: “O you who believe, let not people laugh at people, perchance they may be better than they. Neither find fault with your own people, nor call one another by nicknames. Evil is a bad name after faith … O you who believe, avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is sin; and spy not, nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You abhor it! And keep your duty to Allah, surely Allah is oft-returning (to mercy). Merciful” (49:11, 12). Hadith describes Muslims as parts of one structure and compares them to a human body; when one member of it ails, the entire body ails. The Holy Prophet said: “Thou wilt recognize the believers in their having mercy for one another and in their love for one another and in their kindness towards one another like the body; when one member of it ails, the entire body ails, one part calling out the other with sleeplessness and fever (Bu. 78:27). Books of Hadith are full of reports of a similar nature, some of which are given below:

“A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does him no injustice, nor does he leave him alone (to be the victim of another’s injustice); and whoever fulfils the need of his brother, Allah fulfils his need; and whoever removes the distress of a Muslim, Allah removes from him a distress out of the distresses of the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers (the fault of) a Muslim, Allah will cover his sins on the Day of Resurrection” (Bu. 46:3).

“Help thy brother whether he does wrong or wrong is done to him”. The Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! We can help a man to whom wrong is done, but how can we help him, when he himself does wrong?” The Holy Prophet said, “Take hold of his hand from doing wrong” (Bu. 46:4).

“Believers are in relation to one another as (parts of) a structure, one part of which strengthens another’’, and he inserted the fingers of one hand amid those of the other (so as to conjoin his two hands)” (Bu. 8:88).

“Do not hate one another and do not be jealous of one another and do not boycott one another, and be servants of Allah as brethren; and it is not lawful for a Muslim that he should sever his relations with his brother for more than three days” (Bu. 78:57).

Finally, in his last pilgrimage sermon at Mina, the Holy Prophet said: “Surely Allah has made sacred to you your blood and your property and your honour as this day of yours is sacred in this month of yours in this city of yours” (Bu. 25:132).

Kindness and good relations with one’s neighbours are separately mentioned in a number of hadith. The Holy Prophet said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his neighbour and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should honour his guests” (Bu. 78:31). According to another report the Holy Prophet said: “Gabriel continued to enjoin me with good treatment towards the neighbour until I thought he would make him heir of the property (of the deceased neighbour)” (Bu. 78:28). Kindness and generosity towards one’s servants and employees is also separately mentioned in a number of hadith (e.g., Bu. 2:21, 78:39) with the injunction to treat them on a basis of equality. But most of all, emphasis has been placed on kind and good behaviour towards the widows and orphans, as explained earlier in this chapter.

The home is the unit of human society and the human happiness and stability of the society depends to a large extent on the stability of the home and the happiness which prevails in it. As the male and the female together make the home, it was necessary to bring about a right understanding of their positions and relations. Women, before the time of the Holy Prophet, were regarded as property of their husbands. They could not themselves own property nor carry out transactions in their own names. It was a perfect revolution in the existing social order which Islam brought about. Even in the earliest revelations of the Holy Prophet men and women were spoken of as standing on the same level in the sight of God and it is mentioned that both male and female were made perfect. It was also in the earlier revelations that it was made clear that spiritually the woman stood on the same level with the man. Women were also spoken of as receiving Divine revelation, the greatest spiritual gift. They were chosen by God and purified as men were chosen and purified. And generally women are spoken of as equal to men in all spiritual aspects.

The Holy Prophet, however, went further and introduced a reform by which a woman became a free person in the fullest sense of the word. She could earn, inherit and own property. “For men is the benefit of what they earn and for women is the benefit of what they earn” (4:32). This direction opened for her all vocations, and though her maintenance was a condition of marriage, she could support herself and even become the breadwinner of the family, if she stood in need of it. Further, the Arabs had a very strong tradition against inheritance by women. Islam had a new message for her: “… for women is a share of what the parents and the near relatives leave … an appointed share … ”(4:7). Every woman was, in fact, made the owner of some property at her marriage, and there was no limitation to the amount of dowry. This was a practical step to raise the status of the woman. The status of a woman even before marriage was recognized by laying down that a woman could be taken in marriage only with her permission or consent. In fact marriage has been described in the Holy Qur’an as a sacred contract (mithaq) and there would be no contract without the consent of the two parties.

For the stabilization of society everyone was required to live in a married condition. There is a clear injunction to this effect: “And marry those among you who are single” (24:32). The Holy Prophet is reported to have said that “the man who marries perfects half his religion”. Marriage was thus recognized as a means to the moral uplift of man, and such it is in fact. Mutual love between husband and wife and parental love for offspring lead to a very high development to the feeling of love of man for man as such, and this in turn leads to the disinterested service of humanity. Through marriage the home is made a training ground for the development of the feeling of love and service. Here a man finds a real pleasure in suffering for the sake of others, and the sense of service is thus gradually developed and broadened.

Special emphasis has been laid in Islam on the mutual rights and responsibilities of husbands and wives. The position of the wife in the family was, according to the Holy Prophet, that of a ruler (Bu. 67:91), and in a number of hadith the Holy Prophet has emphasized the rights of women. The husband was required to provide for the maintenance of the wife and for her lodging according to his means. The wife was bound to keep company with her husband, to preserve the husband’s property from loss or waste and to refrain from doing anything which should disturb the peace of the family. Stress was laid on kindly and good treatment of the wife. “Keep them in good fellowship” (2:229), “Treat them kindly” (4:19) is the oft-recurring advice, so much so that kindness was recommended even if a man disliked his wife (4:19). Good treatment towards the wife was a criterion of good morals: “The most excellent of you is he who is best in the treatment of his wife” (MM. 13:11-ii). While imparting advice to his followers at the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Holy Prophet said:

“O my people! you have certain rights over your wives and so have your wives over you. .They are the trust of Allah in your hands. So you must treat them with all kindness”.

Islam places great emphasis on the necessity for hard work and the dignity of labour. The principle was laid down in the earliest revelations in unequivocal terms that no one who does not work shall hope to reap any fruit and that the worker should have his full reward: “That man can have nothing but what he strives for; and that his striving will soon be seen. Then he will be rewarded for it with the fullest reward” (53:39-41); “So whoever does good deeds and is a believer, there is no rejection of his effort, and We surely write it down for him” (21:94). Equal stress is laid in the Holy Qur’an, on faith and work: “those who believe and do good” is the ever-recurring description of the faithful.

The Holy Prophet himself was an indefatigable worker. While he passed half the night, and even two-thirds of it, praying to God, he was doing every kind of work in the day time. No work was too low for him. He would milk his own goats, patch his own clothes and mend his own shoes. In person he would dust his home and assist his wife in her household duties. In person he would do shopping, not only for his own household but also for his neighbours and friends. He worked like a labourer in the construction of the mosque. Again, when a ditch was being dug around Madinah to fortify it against a heavy attack, he was seen at work among the rank and file. He never despised any work, however humble, notwithstanding the dignity of his position as Holy Prophet, as generalissimo and as king. He thus demonstrated through his personal example that every kind of work dignified man, and that a man’s calling, whether high or low, did not constitute the criterion of his status. “No one eats better food than that which he eats out of the work of his own hand”, he is reported to have said (Bu. 34:15). In his other sayings he has made clear that every work was honourable in comparison with asking for charity. His Companions followed his example and the most honourable of them did not disdain even the work of a porter.

The relations between a labourer and his employer were those of two contracting parties on a term of equality. The Holy Prophet laid down a general law relating to contracts: “Muslims shall be bound by the conditions which they make” (Bu. 37:14). The master and the servant were considered two contracting parties, and the master was bound as much by the terms of the contract as the servant. This was made clear by the Holy Prophet: “Allah says, there are three persons whose adversary in dispute I shall be on the Day of Resurrection: a person who makes a promise in My name and then acts unfaithfully, a person who sells a free person then devours his price and a person who employs a servant and receives fully the labour due from him, then does not pay his remuneration” (Bu. 34:106).

The employees of the State, its collectors and executive officers and judges, were all included in the category of servants. They were entitled to a remuneration but they could not accept any gift from the public. Even those who taught the Holy Qur’an were entitled to remuneration: “The most worthy of things for which you take a remuneration is the Book of Allah” (Bu. 37:16). ‘Umar was once appointed a collector by the Holy Prophet, and when offered a remuneration he said that he did not stand in need of it. The Holy Prophet, however, told him to accept it and then give it away in charity if he liked (Bu. 94:17). The principle was thus laid down that every employee, every servant, every labourer was entitled to a remuneration.

Trading was one of the most honourable professions and the Holy Prophet had special words of praise for the truthful and honest merchant (Tr. 12:4). People were taught to be generous in their dealings with one another, in buying and selling and demanding their dues (Bu. 34:16). Honesty was to be the basic principle in all dealings. “If they both speak the truth and make manifest (the defect, if any, in the transaction), their transaction shall be blessed, and if they conceal (the defect) and tell lies, the blessing of their transaction shall be obliterated (Bu. 34:19). Speculation, in cereals especially, was strictly prohibited: “Whoever buys cereals, he shall not sell them until he obtains their possession” (Bu. 34:54). The cultivation of land and planting of trees was encouraged (Bu. 41:1). It was also stated by the Holy Prophet that whoever cultivates land which is not the property of anyone has a better title to it (Bu. 41:15). Those who had vast tracts of land, which they could not manage to cultivate for themselves, were advised to allow others to cultivate them free of charge: “If one of you gives it (i.e., cultivable land) as a gift to his brother, it is better for him than that he takes it for a fixed payment” (MM. 12:13). But it was allowed that the owner of the land should give it to others to cultivate for a share of the produce or for a fixed sum (Bu. 41:8, 11, 19). The ownership of land by individuals was thus recognized, as also their right to buy or sell it or to have it cultivated for them by others. A warning was at the same time given that a people who give themselves up entirely to agriculture, neglecting other lines of development, could not rise to a position of great glory (Bu. 41:2).

The most outstanding characteristic of the Holy Prophet’s life is the amazing success which he achieved in bringing about a complete transformation in the life of his followers in all aspects. And all this came to pass in a short span of a little over 20 years. No other reformer found his people at such a depth of degradation as the Holy Prophet found the Arabs, and no one raised them materially, morally and spiritually to the height to which he raised them. Not only was their deep-rooted love for idols and their superstitions swept away and the nation awakened to a sense of true dignity of humankind based on a rational religion but also there was a complete metamorphosis in their character. The Arab was cleansed of deep-rooted vice and bare-faced immorality; he was inspired with a burning desire for the best and noblest deed in the service of, not a country or nation, but, what is far higher than that, humanity. Old customs which involved injustice to the weak were all swept away and just and reasonable laws took their place. Drunkenness to which Arabia was addicted from time immemorial disappeared completely, gambling became unknown and loose relations between sexes gave place to the highest regard for chastity. The Arab who prided himself on ignorance became the lover of knowledge, drinking deep at every fountain of learning to which he could get access. The whole character of the nation was changed. And thus from a discordant and disunited people full of vices and superstitions, the religion and the Prophet of Islam, welded together a united nation full of life, vigour and virtues before whose onward march the greatest kingdoms of the world crumbled. No man ever breathed such a new life into a people on such a wide scale, no other religion brought about such transformation in their lives affecting all branches of human activity — a transformation of the individual, of the family, of the society, of the nation, of the country, an awakening material as well as moral, intellectual as well as spiritual — as did the religion of Islam.