ISLAMIC SOCIETY

Islamic Society ~ 154 ~ others, one sign of a true believer being his strictness with himself, and his tolerance towards others. To bear out the principles of Islam, the emphasis should be more on actions than on words. Anas, a companion of the Prophet, tells of a Muslim who died waging a holy war. Someone commented that he could rejoice in the knowledge that he would go to Paradise. But the Prophet disagreed: “How can you tell? It may be that this man engaged in futile talk, and indulged in unworthy miserliness.” On another, similar occasion, the Prophet said: “God does not look at how you appear, but at your actual deeds.” An Islamic society should, therefore, be a seriousminded society, in which its members should refrain from idle chatter and apply themselves diligently to the more important of life’s tasks. Another characteristic of a truly Islamic society is that its members work for their living. They do not make demands, but earn whatever they receive. They never think of snatching things away from others, but use their God-given faculties to provide themselves with the necessities of life. Abu Abd al-