“NO father had given his child anything better than good manners.” - Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) “A cursory glance at the history of civilization will show that religion has been the supreme force in the development of mankind to its present condition. That all that is good and noble in man has been inspired by faith in God is a truth at which perhaps even an atheist would not cavil. One Ibrahim, one Musa, one Isa, and one Muhammad (peace be upon them) has, each in his turn and his degree, changed the whole history of the human race and raised it from the depths of degradation to moral heights undreamed of. It is through the teachings of this or that Prophet that man has been able to conquer his lower nature and to set before himself the noblest ideals of selflessness and the service of humanity,” wrote Mohammad Ali Jauhar in his book “The Religion of Islam.” Islam sets forth very high standards for general conduct and behavior. These principles were personified in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Holy Qur'an's verses testify that in “the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is the best example to emulate.” In fact, the Holy Qur'an is replete with verses that expound and impress upon Muslims continuous cultivation of good behavior. Surah Luqman is the 31st Surah of the Qur'an having 34 verses; of these eight verses are directly related to the message Luqman, the wise, passed on to his son. These verses embody within them an entire manifesto of how one can refine his conduct to be recognized as a good Muslim. It encapsulates within itself the lofty moral standards that ‘behaviors' must reflect in order to be recognized distinctively as those of the Muslim Ummah. Inevitably, the Qur'an is appropriately called and recognized as ‘the Book of Wisdom'. The entire Surah is about wisdom: “We bestowed (in the past), wisdom on Luqman.” (Qur'an, 31:12) Allah here refers to Luqman, as the wise and says further in the same verse in affirmation of what he (Luqman) would have done to earn this mention in the Holy Qur'an, “...show your gratitude to Allah. Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, Verily Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise.” In verses between 13 and 19, Luqman, the wise, addresses his son and entrusts to him a charter to abide by, if he is to attain supreme felicity. The corner stone of Islamic faith is the belief of Unity of Allah Almighty. It implies that Allah is one, which in turn means that there is no plurality of gods and that His oneness in attributes is a confirmation that no other being possesses these attributes in perfection; no other being can do what He can do. Hence, the foremost remark Luqman makes is “Behold, Luqman said, to his son, by way of instruction. ‘O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah, for false worship is indeed the highest wrong doing.'” (Qur'an, 31:13) The most grave sin is to ascribe partners unto Allah i.e. committing shirk (polytheism). The doctrine of unity of Allah is most beautifully described in the Surah Ikhlas: “Say He, Allah is one and only; Allah the Eternal, Absolute, He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.” (Qur'an, 112:1-4) Belief, in the Oneness of Allah is the fountainhead for all subsequent actions. Hence, after stressing upon his son to strictly adhere to the unity of Allah, Luqman, the wise, reveals: “And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents.” (Qur'an, 31:14) There are several Prophetic traditions alluding to the duty of care and respect the offspring must be duty-bound in treating their parents. It is incumbent upon us to be kind, courteous, gentle and respectful to our parents. The verse further goes on to put the position of the mother at the highest position: “In travail, upon travail, did his mother bear him and in years twain, was his weaning (hear the command), show gratitude to Me and your parents; to Me is your final goal.” (Qur'an, 31:14) Amongst parents, mother enjoys a special place in the hearts of children. She bears the burden in the womb without a complaint, and nurtures the offspring from her own body, with love, compassion and smile. The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) had very little time with his own mother; yet incessantly in all his sermons and deeds, he emphasized upon the need of showing extreme love to the mother. It is narrated that a man approached the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, “Who should I love and respect most after Allah and yourself, O Prophet of Allah?” The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Your mother.” The questioner said, “And after her?” The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Your mother.” The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) repeated the words “Your mother” three times and only on the fourth occasion he said, “Your father.” This is the status of mother in Islam! Luqman, who was bestowed with wisdom, emphasized on his son to show kindness and gratitude to parents. Having established allegiance to the unity of the concept and the need to respect the parents, the Holy Qur'an (Surah Luqman) says in the next verse, “But if they strive to make you join in worship with Me things of which you have no knowledge, obey them not;....” (Qur'an, 31:15) Here, Allah sets forth the rule that disobedience to parents is in order, if they invite to ‘shirk' (polytheism), i.e. associate partners with Allah. If the duty to man conflicts with the duty to Allah, then we are required to obey Allah alone and not the man. Ibrahim (may Allah be pleased with him), whom Allah refers to as being ‘kind and soft hearted,' prayed to Him for his father to be forgiven. Allah in response instructed him not to invoke and supplicate for things he did not know. The verse in Surah Luqman goes further: “Yet bear their company in this life with justice and consideration and follow the way of those who turn to Me (in love).” (Qur'an, 31:15) – The News (To be continued) __
