THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY: Islam’s Ethical and Spiritual Outlook

Humility is a vital human quality. In any society where people demonstrate humility, other positive values tend to emerge on their own. A humble person remains aligned with their natural disposition, while someone who lacks humility tends to stray from it. Humility encourages a realistic understanding of oneself and the world. A person without humility often lacks this realism. They may appear human outwardly, but they lose a core part of what it means to live responsibly and ethically. THE ATTITUDE OF GENTLENESS Adopting the teachings of Islam helps a person develop a temperament characterized by gentleness and kindness. These teachings instill the understanding that God is great (Allahu Akbar). This awareness leads a person to recognize that greatness belongs only to God, not to themselves. As a result, a natural sense of humility and modesty develops within them. However, an essential condition for maintaining gentleness is the possession of exceptional patience. In the modern world, it is inevitable to encounter unpleasant behaviour from others time and again. Therefore, only those who can resist the urge to react to such negativity are able to preserve their gentleness. This is why the Quran describes those who are mindful of God as people who “restrain their anger and forgive others” (3:134).