Being mindful of the echoes of one’s actions

In my last blog I wrote, from an Islamic perspective, about some people's belief in superstition and the taking of ill omens from others’ actions. Such false beliefs could be regarded as the first signs of a person’s lack of belief in his or hers religious upbringing and, if continued, go on to adversely shape their daily routines, cultural reactions and future social behaviour.

In Islam, the heart is regarded as the repository of purification that will ultimately shape one's character, actions and bring happiness to a person's life. Beliefs in superstition are the first elements that impact and reduce the bond between a person and his creator by weakening its surety and a proper grounding in Islam.  

In a hadith, the Prophet Mohammad, Peace and Mercy of God be upon him, says: '‘behold! There is a piece of flesh in the body, which if purified, all body gets purified. But when it gets corrupt, all body gets corrupted. Behold that is the heart'’.

When it comes to belief, we listen less  to our hearts and more and more to the cultural aspects of our beliefs or to what is 'in fashion' in our society, inevitably arriving at incorrect conclusions.

Islam frees people from this mindset. The biggest and most important decision, made by any persons in their life, is to choose what they believe, or indeed, do not believe. This decision is made by all of us, without any exception, consciously or subconsciously, and will impact directly or indirectly, on every aspect of our lives and affect any future decisions and actions. A good and right decision will deliver the right result. The wrong one will introduce a negative mindset. In either case, whilst the person making the decision will be the first beneficiary or victim, the consequences of the decision will inevitably affect others.

 The Quran, very succinctly, put it in this verse: '‘And whoever purifies himself, he does so for only himself’'. Or' ‘Indeed he has succeeded who has purified himself'’.

The heart motivates our desires and plans, and the mind executes them, while the rest of the body is the tool which implements them.  Hence the emphasis must be on cleansing the heart so that it can become the seat of purity, happiness and divine attachment, ensuring that a person becomes a person of comprehensive goodness of character.

A collection of such hearts will produce collective good in a society, one becoming the cause for another in continuing to produce goodness in people. But collective wrongdoing, even by implication, or by just not raising voices against evil and wrongdoing, will be the cause of suffering for many. In this the Quran says: ‘‘and be alert to the ‘fitnah’ tribulation which would not affect only the wrongdoers'’.

In another verse, the Quran says: '‘the corruption has spread in the land and sea as a result of what people’s hands have earned'’.

Purification in Islam begins with the cleansing of the heart. To accomplish this we must first distinguish between what is pure and what is impure. How are we to make this decision? How can we separate all that which has been collected in the heart of a person from his surroundings and through external senses and what should be retained or discarded?

An Islamic solution is proposed by the Prophet himself. He says: '‘when a believing person commits a wrong a black dot is placed on his heart. If he thereafter repents and seeks forgiveness of God, it is removed. However, if he does not repent, the dot gets bigger till it covers the heart and so it starts rusting’'. If further indulgence in wrongdoing continues a person loses sight of the right action to take.

Here we can see the reason why Islam disapproves strongly of any superstitious belief.  If ill omens exist, they should not arise from people, but from the actions of our own selves and wrongdoing of others .People should be advised and counselled if they are the wrongdoers, whether it is their actions that are ruining their family life, affecting the lives of others in the neighbourhood and the community, or impacting on the lives of a people or a nation.

Discarding superstition and protecting a true belief in Islam will not only  result in a good life on earth but will help to ensure God’s pleasure in the Hereafter, when we must all account for our deeds. The Quran says: '‘That the ‘Other Abode’ (the Hereafter We only grant it to those who do not display arrogance in the land and commit not corruption (therein) and the (good) outcome is for those who are seeking righteousness (restraints)''.

 We are all given to acts, words and thoughts which we later regret, or should regret. Few of us have not spoken in haste and by doing so caused others to react in a negative or harmful manner.  As the Prophet said: '‘a person falls to the deepest low because of a one word that he has spoken and did not think of it’'.  

We must realise that our action and words can have consequences that may have dire and sometimes fatal consequences for others.  Restraint is the best counsel and if people have to act then it should be well measured and well thought out.

Month of Safar and superstitions in Islam

Safar is the second month of the Islamic calendar and one of the first which comes after three consecutive months that are denoted in the Quran as ‘sacred months’. These three preceding months were proclaimed as sanctified in the Quran alongside a fourth month which is called ‘Rajab’.

The Quran thus said: ‘don not, therefore, wrong yourselves therein’. This is a warning not to engage in war or to initiate it. However, if conflict is imposed from outside, it has to be defended against.

War, conflict, and turmoil of any kind, that destabilises a nation, does injustice to others, causes murder and pillage and wide ranging destruction in the land, and to the lives of people, is abhorred in Islam and thus forbidden.

However, in the era before Islam, the month of Safar was the subject of two different conditions imposed by the people of Makkah. The first was what the Quran describes as an act of ‘An nasi’  (exchanging the previous sacred month with the month of Safar), so allowing the people of Makkah to enter into a war earlier than they would normally, by simply bringing  the month of Safar forward before Muharram. By this action they sought to justify their acts of aggression and war, and in addition completely disregarded divine guidance inherited from the time of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (Abraham and Ishmael).

The second was the attribution of ill omens to the month of Safar, so the people could not travel in the month, and no longer regard it as a month of goodness and good fortune.  According to some other reports, the people of Makkah even emptied the city in this month to make it appear deserted.

Islam, in the  divine guidance it provides us, to rid us  from any superstitious acts that  damage its moral structure, comes down very hard when dealing with those who continue to practice them. The belief in one God, the Almighty and the Sovereign whose commands are not to be interfered with by any superstition, abrogates all superstitious beliefs of any kind.

The prophet Mohammad, Peace and Mercy of Allah be up on him, in a very loud and clear message, proclaimed saying: ‘there is no infection, no act of drawing ill omens, no spooks and no month of Safar’.

The prophet categorically rejected four kinds of superstition, which the people were commonly practising in his time.  First he said: ‘there is no infection’. Of course infection and contagious diseases are an ever present reality and happen. The people of that time did believe in infection which is catching an illness from an infected person. Upon hearing the prophetic statement, a Bedouin stood up and said to the Prophet: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Then what about when a camel, living in the desert like a healthy deer, mixing with an infected camel and suddenly becoming infected itself (with scabies)? The prophet replied, saying: ‘then who infected the first one?’ Here, according to this statement, what the Prophet explains is, that while the source of infection to the second camel is known, that of the first is not. Who or what has caused the first infection?  Anyone not believing in God’s design and power may say it is the result of a weak immune system, a filthy environment, airborne hostile organisms or even unhygienic surroundings that may have caused the infection. The prophet said: 'the first cause is Allah whose design and power supersede any cause'.  

So what does this Prophetic statement try to achieve?  The statement negates a common perception that still, unfortunately, remains very much part of our modern day life; the source of infection always lies with other people.  Even where this is the case should we continue to seek to blame others, or, even worse, perhaps take revenge on them for the damage caused, or isolate them without providing any support and assistance. Or even regard them as cursed? It also denies any divine interference or the Will of God.

In the same way, the Prophet said: ‘No drawing of ill omens’, which also still remains common in many parts of our modern world. Let me give you an example from the Quran itself. The Quran mentioned Pharaoh and his people, when they were infected by the nine calamities and says:  ‘and when a calamity had befallen them they took bad omens from Moses and those who were with him’. That kind of act leads to the demonisation of a people and their unjust persecution. It denies the very existence of goodness in certain people and they are consequently mistreated and suppressed. All people belong to the God who has created them, with equal rights and equal dignity. Therefore there should not be any such superstition as the drawing of bad omens from any person or people.

The third act of superstition is mentioned as ‘no spooks’ (the Arabic word used here is ‘haamah’ and I have translated it as spooks, though the word has other meaning as well). Haamah is a bird, perhaps an owl, which many people superstitiously consider, in particular at night, and more so when they hear their cries in an open place, like a desert or graveyard or other spooky places, as sealing the fate of someone or as warning. Some people may abandon their journeys or change their travel plans, or try to formulate a ‘fortunate time’ for doing anything - even meeting someone. According to Islam, this is against the proper and authentic belief in God’s design and power over all things. 

The fourth superstition mentioned in the hadith statement is ‘Safar’. I have translated it as referring to the month of Safar, as against its other meaning of a stomach disease, because that would have placed it under the heading of infection. I have explained above the superstitious acts of people in the month of Safar, which the prophet categorically negated by saying there should not be any such act of superstition when it comes to days, times and place, which are all the creation of Allah.

People suffer harsh consequences from the evil acts and evil utterances they themselves have committed in order to create mischief and corruption in the society in which they live. So if any ill omen is to be drawn it should be as the result of the evil deeds. People should be afraid of the consequence of their own evil acts, for it is certain that they will experience both the justice of God and that of their community. All actions result in a reaction, and the latter may be greater than the first. A sound mind is not only the result of a sound body but is ultimately shaped by sound and profound thoughts and deeds.