BASIC ATTRIBUTES OF MEN AND WOMEN

enduring men and enduring women, humble men and humble women, men and women who give in charity, men who fast and women who fast, men and women who guard their chastity, men and women who remember God in abundance — for them God has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.29 These then are the basic attributes which both men and women must cultivate if they are to endear themselves to God and become His favored servants: ISLAM. The initial step to be taken is to embrace Islam, which means that one should willingly obey God, leading one’s life within the bounds of God’s commandments. IMAN (faith). Islam begins really to take root with the conscious discovery of God, which is known as iman (faith). When iman is genuine, the men or women concerned cannot but surrender themselves to God. Discovering God as their Creator causes them to treat Him as an object of worship and to mold their thinking upon the truth. They control their desires and dedicate their wealth to the cause of God. They even stop eating and drinking the whole day throughout the month of Ramadan in obedience to God’s will. Their consciousness of their servitude to God makes them remember God constantly, on all occasions and at all times. QUNUT (sincere obedience to God). This entails the adoption of the path of piety as shown by God and His prophet. It means the ‘fullest concentration of the heart and mind on the will of the Almighty. SIDQ (truthfulness) means living an honest, straightforward life in the sense of saying plainly what one is going to do, and then actually doing as one has said. In other words, it means leading a life of principle. SABR (patience) is a quality which enables one never to deviate religious teachings, even if one is faced with difficulties and persecution. It is the quality one needs if one is to follow the path of truth, surmounting all obstacles which have been placed there either by the self or by Satan. It is the virtue which will keep one from abandoning the divine path and succumbing to worldly temptations. KHUSHU’ (apprehension, fear) is a powerful emotion which engenders an attitude of humility and submission. One comes to this state through a realization of God’s greatness and His absolute power, which is in stark contrast to man’s total powerlessness. The fear of God completely engulfs the believer, making him bow before his Maker. In consequence, he becomes kind to and humble towards other human beings. SADAQAH (alms-giving, charity) is the duty of acceding to others the right to a share in one’s wealth. It makes one aware that if one’s own needs require the expenditure of money for