THE ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFE

THE ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFE Worshipping God and Doing Good to Man T HE Islamic way of life is, to put it briefly, a God-oriented life. The greatest concern of a Muslim is God Almighty. The focus of his whole life is the Hereafter, which is the ideal world of God. He obeys divine injunctions in every aspect of his life. His life is a practical expression of this Quranic verse: We take on God’s own dye. Who has a better dye than God’s? We worship Him alone. (THE QURAN 2: 138) Taking on ‘God’s dye’ means being of ‘godly character’ in all aspects of one’s life, personal as well as social, exemplified in one’s thoughts, words and deeds. This ‘godly’ character is personified in a Muslim individual whose words and deeds in family matters, dealings with other members of society, and earning a livelihood, are always distinguishably ‘dyed’ in the divine hue. FAITH By accepting Iman (Faith), one enters the fold of Islam. But Faith is not simply the verbal recitation of the Kalima, the creed of Islam. According to the Quran, it is realisation (5: 83). Realisation of truth is the door to Islam. When one discovers that Islam is truly God’s religion and is the same truth that one has sought all along, one undergoes a unique experience of realisation which in Islamic terminology is Ma'rifat. Making any discovery revolutionises a person’s life. But this discovery leads to an intellectual transformation, a new life. Such an intellectual revolution is no simple event. It turns man into superman, giving him the greatest mission of his life. It regulates his life in all aspects. He begins to see entire humanity as his family and the universe as his abode. He becomes a maker of history, rather than a product of it. This is the stuff of Iman. And it was this Iman which enabled the Prophet and his Companions to bring about the expansion of Islam. As one historian remarked, it was “the most miraculous of all miracles”. Islamic morality is based on the formula of unilateral and unconditional positive conduct: 'Do good to others, even if they do not.’