Morality in Islam...
The Islamic moral system stems from its primary creed of belief in One God as the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Islam considers the human race to be a part of God’s creation, and as His subjects.
From an Islamic perspective, the purpose of human life is to worship God, by leading this worldly life in harmony with the Divine Will, and thereby achieve peace in this world, and everlasting success in the life of the hereafter. Muslims look to the Glorious Qur’an and the Traditions of the Prophet as their moral guides
Akhlak, in the context of our daily life, is the behaviour, morals and practices that we demonstrate in our interactions with our family, neighbours and friends.as servants of Allah on earth, we are the best of creations, have been bestowed with the gift of akal, as in Surah Al Isra’ verse 70:
Which means: And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and have provided them with At-Taiyibât (lawful good things), and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preference.
Thus with this akal lies the responsibility to choose good akhlak and refrain from the bad.
Man does not live as an island, but within a society. In these times of rapid development, society encompasses family, nation and the global community. A baby is born into this world like a sheet of white linen, that is patterned first by his parents and family; then his friends in school and subsequently friends far and near.
A man and his wife that has been bestowed by Allah with a child carry upon them the trust to instill and sow good akhlak in their young. In carrying out this responsibility, our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. had said in his hadis:
Which means: Every child is born in a pure state of fitrah, thus his parents are the ones who make him either a Jew, a Christian or a Pagan.
Parents must make full use of the early years of the children’s life to train them to be good Muslims. In our hurry to complete the day’s chores at home and at work, we must never leave our children’s upbringing to the childcare centers, maids or nannies.
My dear friends,.....
Our akhlak is shaped through our interactions day by day with friends in at work and at play. Prophet Muhammad SAW said:
Which means: On each is his friend’s religion. So, watch among you who your friends are.
Other than friends, we are also exposed to new lifestyles and ideas through the mass media such as newspapers and of late, the Internet.
Allah said in Surah Al An’am verse 151:
That means: …come not near to shameful deeds. Whether open or secret;
Modernisation and globalisation bring with them both good and bad. Among the positive impacts of modernization and globalisation are rapidly growing economy and higher standard of living.
On the other hand, our Eastern society is increasingly open to ways of life from the West that
may be not be in line with our customs and practices here. Problems arise when we are not able to balance the tide of modernization nad globalisation with ilmu and well-founded akhlak. Ilmu is the backbone of our life, and it is the light that beckons in times of distress and confusion. In addition, Muslims are told to refer to the two heritage of Prophet Muhammad SAW, that are the Al-Quran and Hadith. Prophet Muhammad SAW said:
Meaning: I have left you two things which, if you were to hold on to tightly, you will never go astray: the book of Allah and the traditions of His Prophet.
The advent and breakthroughs of science and technology, such as the ability to clone, brings forth issues that challenge our Islamic values. Once again, the importance of knowledge in deciding the halal and haram of such advancements cannot be further emphasized. Thus, it is no wonder that knowledge is given such stature in Islam, as reflected in Surah Al Mujadalah verse 11:
That means: Allâh will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge.
Blessed congregation,
The threats to our akhlak coming from many internal and external sources. In realizing the importance of our environment and the company that we keep in shaping good akhlak, thus it is important that we look to those with virtue and good conduct as role models. This is in line with the hadis:
Which means: Indeed, the comparison of a good companion and a bad companion is like the carrier of the musk and a blacksmith. The carrier of the musk can either give the musk to you, or you may buy the musk from him, or you can get from him a nice smell. Meanwhile, the blacksmith can either burn your clothes or you may get from him a bed smell.
At the same time, we must also be aware and look to the needs of those who are in danger of falling into the traps of immorality and help to steer them back towards goodness. For those who have succumbed to life that is impermissible in Islam, it is our responsibility to guide them back to the correct path that leads to the Islamic way of life, as advocated in Ali ‘Imran verse 104:
Which says: Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity.
