The Quran

177

Preface

۞ لَيسَ البِرَّ أَن تُوَلّوا وُجوهَكُم قِبَلَ المَشرِقِ وَالمَغرِبِ وَلٰكِنَّ البِرَّ مَن آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَاليَومِ الآخِرِ وَالمَلائِكَةِ وَالكِتابِ وَالنَّبِيّينَ وَآتَى المالَ عَلىٰ حُبِّهِ ذَوِي القُربىٰ وَاليَتامىٰ وَالمَساكينَ وَابنَ السَّبيلِ وَالسّائِلينَ وَفِي الرِّقابِ وَأَقامَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكاةَ وَالموفونَ بِعَهدِهِم إِذا عاهَدوا ۖ وَالصّابِرينَ فِي البَأساءِ وَالضَّرّاءِ وَحينَ البَأسِ ۗ أُولٰئِكَ الَّذينَ صَدَقوا ۖ وَأُولٰئِكَ هُمُ المُتَّقونَ

Yusuf Ali

It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness¹- to believe in God² and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance³, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer⁴, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient⁵, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God.fearing.

As if to emphasise again a warning against deadening formalism, we are given a beautiful description of the righteous and God-fearing man. He should obey salutary regulations, but he should fix his gaze on the love of God and the love of his fellow-men. We are given four heads: (1) our faith should be true and sincere; (2) we must be prepared to show it in deeds of charity to our fellow-men; (3) we must be good citizens, supporting social organisation; and (4) our own individual soul must be firm and unshaken in all circumstances. They are interconnected, and yet can be viewed separately.
Faith is not merely a matter of words. We must realise the presence and goodness of God. When we do so, the scales fall from our eyes: all the falsities and fleeting nature of the Present cease to enslave us, for we see the Last Day as if it were today. We also see God’s working in His world and in us: His Angels. His Messengers and His Message are no longer remote from us, but come within our experience. (R).
Practical deeds of charity are of value when they proceed from love and from no other motive. In this respect, also, our duties take various forms, which are shown in reasonable gradation: our kith and kin: orphans (including any persons who are without support or help); people who are in real need but who never ask (it is our duty to find them out, and they come before those who ask); the stranger, who is entitled to laws of hospitality; the people who ask and are entitled to ask, i.e., not merely lazy beggars, but those who seek our assistance in some form or another (it is our duty to respond to them); and the slaves (we must do all we can to give or buy their freedom). Slavery has many insidious forms, and all are included.
Charity and piety in individual cases do not complete our duties. In prayer and charity we must also look to our organised effort. Where there is a Muslim State, these are made through the State in facilities for public prayer, and public assistance, and for the maintenance of contracts and fair dealing in all matters.
Then come the Muslim virtues of firmness and patience. They are to “preserve the dignity of man, with soul erect” (Burns). Three sets of circumstances are specially mentioned for the exercise of this virtue: (1) bodily pain or suffering, (2) adversities or injuries of all kinds, deserved and undeserved, and (3) periods of public panic, such as war, violence, pestilence, etc.