Personal ethics is essential for a healthy society. The previous article spoke about having an Allah-centered life through ‘ubūdīya and tawhīd as a guide to goodness. The Quran being the “…guide for those who believe (Quran 2:2).”, is the guidebook to navigate life's journey. As people come together to form families and families come together to form a society, guidelines need to be established. This is when Islamic law transforms and becomes something for the masses. What is an intention we can make as a group that has Allah in the center, and at the same time, helps us be present with the context? How can a good intention help improve our sincerity? How does that effect us here in the United States, even with it's secular way of life? What from American life can be incorporated into this maturing vision of Islam in America?
If every Muslim is consistently self-improving, then both man and woman will be healthy and good when it is time to start a family. Each couple falls in line with the Muhammadan standard. Just as good is necessary for a person, good will be necessary for a group of people, a society.
The goal of the Shariah is to command and establish the good and forbid what is reprehensible. Built in to the religion are five aspects Islam seeks to preserve which are known as the maqāsid of the Shariah: preserving intellect, wealth, family, property, and health. Anything that preserves and expands these things is good. Things that are reprehensible do the opposite. For eons, people have spoken about the good and why it is so. In Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, he categorized good into various categories: what it is, quality, relative to something, and what is in its own right1. Goodness brings some type of benefit to people. Because people are different, results will vary. A doctor brings a different goodness than the teacher. A teacher brings a different goodness than an engineer. Concomitantly, people attempt to justify all sorts of things in the name of goodness. The line is crossed when it comes at the cost of others and violates any of the maqāsid of the Shariah. This is selfishness. Arrogance and self-entitlement are often the fuel for this. It is important to be self-aware of these flaws. Otherwise, the quality of goodness becomes very poor and may be harmful. This is one of the many reasons why following the prophetic sunnah is essential to a good life.
The Arabic word used in the title statement is ma‘rūf (معروف), where the root letters are ‘-r-f (عرف). Some meanings include custom, practice, tradition, and customary law. Many entries down, ma‘rūf is defined as well-known and conventional2. Then it takes a quick turn to benefit, equity, and amicability. How can an act of society bring good within the confines of Islamic law to the masses, Muslim or otherwise? That is the question I posit. For Muslims living in the West and in my context, the United States, we have a great chance to be creative in highlighting the benefits we can bring to our society. It is a chance to be as Muslim as we can be, however we best can do that. Like cultures before us, we can take what is known and customary and create something new. In contrast, the things disliked bring harm to individuals and society. The second half of the statement, forbidding what is reprehensible, is also key. The Arabic that is used is munkar (منكر). It is defined as the reprehensible, detestable, abomination, and the like3. With the definitive particle attached brings specificity. To nahī something is to prohibit it4. It is on us to prohibit things that are reprehensible. What act is in contrast to the Muhammadan way? What act violates the sacred law? That is what we avoid. Growing up, the Arab community in Northern New Jersey Islamized parts of American culture. Super Bowl Sunday incorporated a small religious portion during halftime. We also turned New Years Eve into a night of prayers, dedicating time for the countdown and time for worship. Is this a good alternative for young Muslims? That is a question for your community to answer.
When it comes to prohibiting reprehensible things, there are a few things to consider. When dealing with each other, it is important to do so with mercy. The twenty-fifth chapter of the Quran, sura Furqān, the Criterion, has a group of verses that speak about the decorum of the servant-slaves of the Most Merciful. These are people “who do not bear false witness, and when they come across falsehood, they pass ˹it˺ by with dignity.” At the same time, “˹They are˺ those who, when reminded of the revelation of their Lord, do not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to it (Quran 25:72-73).” This is opposite of what you find on YouTube videos and social media comments. What is the point of being confrontational? This is extremely antithetical to being servant-slaves of the Most Merciful. There are also various ahādīth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ advising believers to make excuses for your brothers and sisters and to not judge or backbite, along with other ahādīth in the same manner.
When each of us is sincerely trying, success follows. Tā‘a (طاعة) is how we all fall in line. It is defined as obedience, compliance, and submissiveness. When this is directed to Allah, the definition changes to pious deed (p. 670). Sometimes it is easy to forget that we are creation and that Allah is not only God, but the Creator. Sincerity is the “secret ingredient” to living a righteous life. The more sincere we are, meaning that when we do something, we are as present as can be with our intentions, the more obedience and the like become a reality we can live with. Our life on Earth will end eventually. Live it in obedience. With this comes tawfīq (توفيق) which is defined as success granted by God, happy outcome, prosperity, and succeeding5. Tawfīq is one of the many blessings of tā‘a. There is a phrase in Arabic that expands on this: waqqafahu Allah (وقفه الله). In the Lane’s Lexicon Supplement, it is translated to God accommodated or adapted him6. Help comes from Allah. Life is madness sometimes and we need all the help we can get.
The current American landscape is highly disoriented. In the last few decades, Americans have survived a presidential assassination, an attempted presidential assassination, cities burning, 9/11, a preputial war, and more. But here we are. What can we provide our fellow citizens? Throughout the world, when Islam arrived in a new land, integration happened through normal everyday interactions. Andalusia for hundreds of years created some of the best culture that crossed religious lines. Muslims from Yemen cultivated Islam in Indonesia and now it is the most populated Muslim country. Islam in China is distinctively Chinese. What will Islam in the West look like? What will Islam in the United States look like? Islam purified cultures around the world. It cut away whatever was problematic and improved the good via the Muhammadan standard. How can we do that? The United States is a big country. American culture varies, many times greatly, from region to region. I argue that Islam in America should integrate in the same manner. Because there is not one mold of American, one mold of Islam will never be able to meet it.
British historian Arnold Toynbee in his work, A Study of History, writes about a demographic called the creative minority7. This group of individuals do not only consist of doctors, lawyers, or engineers. They are also artists, poets, journalists, fashion designers, writers, and more. Historically, people thrived when culture was producing beauty. Who produced and produces more beauty than us? How are we going to produce a culture that is American and distinctly Islamic? For better or for worse, it may have to be trial by error. The disliked will fall. Keeping to a good lifestyle that is Muhammadan helps guide what is produced and our contributions to society. When a new creative minority is formed that has a distinct Islamic methodology, we will be in a healthy place in our home, thinking and creating for ourselves.
Commanding the good and forbidding the reprehensible is a balancing act. In class, I learned it is important to review the essentials periodically so that a person does not forget or get confused the essence. Islam is a religion that emphasizes praxis. This is most evident in the three of the five pillars: prayer, fasting, and Hajj. The law keeps us as a community within the confines of what is acceptable with room to express it differently. It is up to us how we express our Islam, as long as it fits within the scope of the Shariah. It takes work and a lot of patience. Being the best Muslim we can be is the first step towards that goal.
Aristotle, Rowe, C., & Broadie, S. (2002). Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics. Oxford University Press. pg. 98.
Wehr, H. (n.d.). A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic: (Arabic-English) (4th ed.). Spoken Language Services. pg. 708.
Wehr, H. (n.d.). A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic: (Arabic-English) (4th ed.). Spoken Language Services. pg. 1171.
Wehr, H. (n.d.). A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic: (Arabic-English) (4th ed.). Spoken Language Services. pg. 1178.
Wehr, H. (n.d.). A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic: (Arabic-English) (4th ed.). Spoken Language Services. pg. 1172.
Lane, E. W. (2013). An Arabic-English lexicon. Cosimo Incorporated. pg. 3057.
Toynbee, A. J. (1988). A Study of History: Volume I: Abridgement of Volumes I-VI. Oxford Paperbacks. pg. 230.