Character of Goodness

Islam teaches us that human beings are born without sin. Indeed we are all born possessing an innate goodness of character, an awareness Allah, the Creator of purity in human hearts, and a recognition of the need for submission to Him . This is called ‘Fitrah’.

Unfortunately, some people deviate from this path of original purity, and evil becomes second nature to them and completely alters their characters. They are no longer able to follow the path of goodness, purity and submission to God’s beautiful Way.

Worse still, others, holding on to the goodness and purity of their innate character, seeing such people, and becoming attracted by what appear to be advantages, may start losing the faith and strength in their own goodness, and become attracted to evil.

On this matter that the Qur`an reminds us, saying: “O Muslims! You are the best nation that is created for the (guidance) of mankind. (Your task is) to command what is good and to forbid what is evil and wrong, and to believe in Allah, (the source of all good guidance).

This verse is not about any kind of false sense of superiority towards others, but it reveals the privileges that Islam bestows on those who, in all sincerity, submit themselves to their Creator, and by so doing, manage to retain the pristine purity of their own goodness. These privileges bring with them a very great responsibility, not only to uphold their own goodness, but to pass it on by example to others. This process is called ‘enjoining the goodness and forbidding wrongdoing and evil’.

The Prophet Mohammad was asked once, while giving a sermon: “what kind of people are the best?” He replied: “the best of the people are those who are the most conscious of God, who most enjoin people to goodness, who most forbid others from the path of evil, and who most join in human relationships.”

The modern world seems to be eager to plunge into conflict, but appears far less ready to reconcile differences and even less inclined towards forgiveness. The inevitable resulting mistrust is often used as a weapon, by some, with which they seek to keep humanity divided.

The Prophet Mohammad said: “No one can truly be a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself”.

This is the path of true understanding, and human sacrifice needed, for keeping a society healthy and void of conflict. We all need to fully embrace our faith and practices, to bring out the best in ourselves and others, and so contribute towards making the world a place of peace and harmony.