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ISLAMIC ETHICS:
Patience الصبر and other qualities
Abdullatif Aljibury, Phd.
Danville, California
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A true Muslim is, by definition, an individual who
submits to the will of God. Obviously, it is God’s intent to shape the Muslim according to His norms and design to be a true representative of Him on earth. The character of the
Muslim has to be commensurate with the divine ethical standards that God has promulgated in the Code of ethics. When the early Muslims had shaped their character according to the
divine code of ethics, then we can understand how the early Muslim community had progressed and the community expanded from the early nomadic community to cover vast areas from the
pacific ocean to the Atlantic.
The character of a Muslim was such that it had deeply impressed the Indonesian natives who came to know
the Muslim traders that had come to the shores of Indonesia to conduct their businesses and to earn a decent living. It is the character of those early Muslims that had influenced
those Indonesian natives who then converted to Islam.
It must be reiterated that all of the ethical codes that are mentioned herein have been extracted from the
Quran which is the reason for calling them the “divine Code of Ethics.”
To be God’s representative on earth is a tall order and requires adherence to sublime standards that are
articulated in the divine code of ethics. Some of the elements of the divine code of ethics that make up the character of a Muslim had been touched upon in the previous article
(Character, 1) which included:
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Be honest, trustworthy and just in dealing with others, |
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Maintain and serve Justice, even if against yourself or a relative: |
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Be truthful even if a near relative is concerned |
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Do not conceal the truth |
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Do not give false evidence |
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Refrain from Cheating |
| Do Not Steal |
| Do Not Give or Take Bribery |
| Return what you Borrow and protect what you are entrusted
with including Secrets |
| Fulfill Your Covenants |
The following elements are a continuation of the ethical aspects of the sublime
character of a true Muslim:
Holy Quran:
Code of Ethics #20:
Be patient and content with whatever happens to you.
Quran: 2:45
وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ |
Nay, seek God’s
help with patient perseverance and prayer:
It is indeed hard, except to those who are humble in spirit |
Quran 2:153
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ |
O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience
and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient. |
Quran 2:155-156
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
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And We will most certainly test you with means of danger
and hunger and loss of wealth, of lives and fruits; but give glad tidings unto those who are patient in adversity.
Who, when a misfortune befalls them, say: Surely we belong to Allah's and to Him we shall surely return. |
Quran 2:177
لَيْسَ
الْبِرَّ أَنْ تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ
وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ
وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُوا ۖ وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ
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It is not
righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West,
but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the
last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets,
and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the
orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives,
and keep up prayer and renders the purifying dues;
and who keep their promises, and are patient in misfortune and
affliction and in time of peril--
these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who
are conscious of God. |
Quran 8:46
وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ ۖ وَاصْبِرُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ |
And obey Allah and
His Messenger and do not quarrel for then you will be weak in hearts and your power will depart,
and be patient; surely Allah is with the patient. |
Quran 11:115
وَاصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ |
And be patient, for surely Allah does not waste the reward
of the good-doers |
Quran 29:59
الَّذِينَ
صَبَرُوا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ |
Those who are patient, and on their Lord do they rely. |
Quran 31:17
يَا
بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ ۖ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ |
O my son! keep up prayer and enjoin the good and forbid
the evil, and bear patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage; |
Quran 70:5
فَاصْبِرْ صَبْرًا
جَمِيلًا |
Therefore endure with a goodly patience |
Quran 103:1-3
وَالْعَصْرِ
إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ |
I swear by the
time,
Most surely man is in loss,
Except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience |
Holy Quran:
Code of Ethics #21:
Be humble and modest
Quran 4: 36
وَاعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا ۖ
وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَبِذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْجَارِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْجَارِ الْجُنُبِ وَالصَّاحِبِ بِالْجَنْبِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ
وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ ۗ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَنْ كَانَ مُخْتَالًا فَخُورًا |
And serve Allah
and do not ascribe divinity in any way that is near to Him,
and be good to the parents and to the near of kin and the orphans and
the needy and the neighbor of (your) kin and the alien neighbor, and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hands possess;
surely Allah does not love him who is self-conceited and boastful; |
Quran 17:37
وَلَا
تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَخْرِقَ الْأَرْضَ وَلَنْ تَبْلُغَ الْجِبَالَ طُولًا |
And do not walk on the earth with haughty conceit, for you
cannot cut through the earth nor reach the mountains in height. |
Quran 28:83
تِلْكَ الدَّارُ
الْآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا ۚ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ |
(As for) that future abode, We assign it to those who
have no desire to exalt themselves on earth nor to spread corruption , for the future belongs to those who are conscious of God. |
Quran 31:18-19
وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ
وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ وَاغْضُضْ مِنْ صَوْتِكَ ۚ إِنَّ أَنْكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ
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And do not turn
your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exultingly; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster;
And pursue the right course and be modest in your bearing and lower your
voice; surely the most hateful of voices is the braying of the asses. |
Quran 57:23
لِكَيْلَا
تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ |
So that you may not grieve for whatever has escaped you,
nor be over exultant at whatever He has given you; for Allah does not love those who, out of self-conceit, act in an arrogant and boastful manner. |
Holy Quran:
Code of Ethics #22:
Do not slander and defame
Quran 104:1
وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ
هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ |
Woe to every slanderer, defamer, |
Holy Quran:
Code of Ethics #23:
Abstain from mockery and ridiculing others.
Quran 49:11
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِنْ نِسَاءٍ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِنْهُنَّ ۖ وَلَا
تَلْمِزُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ ۖ بِئْسَ الِاسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ ۚ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
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O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another)
people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than they; and do not find fault with your own people nor
call one another by nicknames; evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not turn, these it is that are the unjust. |
Holy Quran:
Code of Ethics #24:
Do not backbite or talk about people behind their back.
Quran 49:12
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ
يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَحِيمٌ |
O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion, for surely
suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? But you abhor it; and be careful
of (your duty to) Allah, surely Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful. |
The above mentioned ethical codes are designed by our creator to build a character of a Muslim that comprises all that is
good and worthy of a useful member and a leader in the society.
| The criteria of patience under normal circumstances and in adversity are but a key to a solid and
fore-bearing character. |
| The Muslim is prodded to avoid slander and backbiting. He is to be humble and shun arrogance and deceit.
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| The Muslim is forewarned against any attempt at seeking out other people’s faults for the purpose of
mockery and failing other people. |
| The Muslim is expected not to bare other people’s failings and especially of those who have surrendered
to the will of God. |
| The Muslim is forewarned by the Quran and the Prophet to avoid guesswork and suspicions, for most of the
guesswork and suspicion is evil. |
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