Q256 :Holier-than-thou attitude
A256 : Islam teaches us to be modest about what we
do or achieve. If you read the works of great Islamic scholars, you
always find a sense of modesty running through their writings. Great
scholars like the founders of the four major schools of thought have
advised their students and followers to always examine what they read
and to discard the opinions of those very scholars if they find them to
be in conflict with an authentic Hadith. One of them is quoted to have
said : “If you determine that a particular Hadith is authentic and you
find my view in conflict with it, then throw my opinion out of the
window.” Others have said : “If you determine that a particular Hadith
is authentic, then the Hadith is the view I hold.” Later scholars who
have enriched their respective schools of thought, have laid down the
scholarly principle which Islam advocates, saying “Our view is correct,
but it is liable to be mistaken. The views which are in conflict with
it are wrong, but they may be proved right.” You see in all these a
profound sense of modesty which recognizes that no matter how well-read
a scholar is, he is liable to make mistakes. There is nothing
surprising in this attitude since the Prophet himself has been our
first teacher of modesty. Although he was the only example of human
perfection for all generations, he lived as an ordinary member of his
netmunity. He was always prepared to listen to advice, particularly in
matters which related to the Islamic state and the conduct of its
affairs. When the Muslim army encamped at a particular place in the
open space of Badr, in preparation for the first major encounter
between the newly established Muslim state and the polytheists of
Quraish, one of his netpanions questioned him about encamping there. He
asked whether the encampment ordered by the Prophet was based on
inspiration by Allah and the Muslims were not allowed to depart from
that place, or it was simply the Prophet’s own personal opinion. When
the Prophet answered that it was his own personal view, the man
suggested that the army should take its position further ahead, at a
more strategic position, enabling the Muslim army to deprive the enemy
of access to water. The Prophet immediately acted on that advice and
ordered the army to move on. Moreover, the Prophet always used to
include in his supplication a prayer for his own forgiveness. We know
that Allah has forgiven him all his sins, if any. When his wife, Aisha
once asked him why he exerted himself so much in prayer and
supplication when his forgiveness was assured, he answered : “Should I
not, then, be a thankful servant of Allah?” The foregoing demarcates
for us the attitude of a good Muslim with regard to how he personally
views his position within his netmunity. It is a position of modesty
knowing that he is not free of sin, and seeking Allah’s forgiveness by
trying to do every good action he can. Moreover, a Muslim always tries
to enhance goodness in others. He recognizes their good points, praises
them and encourages them to be better servants of Allah, without ever
suggesting to them that his example is one to be followed. If he speaks
to others who do not practice Islam about what they are missing, he
certainly can state that he has actually experienced the benefits of
following the Islamic way of life, but a good Muslim will always say
that this has been a manifestation of Allah’s grace bestowed on him. It
is nothing that he has earned by his own work, but Allah’s netpassion
and grace have been bestowed because of Allah’s generosity. An attitude
claiming that anything a person enjoys of Allah’s grace has been earned
is alien to Islamic behavior. A truly good Muslim does not say to
others : Look at me; I have reached a high standard of obedience to
Allah and He has given me so and so as a reward. This is not the
attitude of a true Muslim since it is highly presumptuous. Instead he
says : My efforts fall far short of what I must do in order to thank
Allah for His grace. [This should not be simply a statement but a deep
rooted belief expressed in words. Both the belief and the pronouncement
are necessary.] Everything that he has bestowed upon me I have not
earned. It is His generosity and grace that has given me this position
of honor which I do not deserve. Moreover, a good Muslim feels that
others are better than him and he never tries to highlight his good
deeds, pressing that whatever good he does, constitutes nothing to
boast about. The attitude of the person who is a fault finder, who is
ready to stress to others that he is better than them, is a
“holier-than-thou” attitude; which is totally unacceptable in Islam. A
Muslim does not try to find fault with others. Nor does he speak to a
third person about the fault of someone else. He certainly counsels
them to always obey the instructions of Islam and encourages them to do
so, but he does not set himself as an example. The example to be
followed is that of the Prophet and his netpanions. Such people may
even have read a great deal but such reading may have been of all sorts
of books, some of which may give views which are not approved by Islam.
This may lead to confusion. Islamic readings should follow a set
pattern in the same way as reading in any field of study must have a
correct approach. You do not pick up a collection of books on medicine
or on law or mechanical engineering and read them through in order to
claim that you have benete a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer. You
have to follow a systematic approach to any type of study. The same
applies to Islamic studies. It is also not up to a person to describe
other people as believers or non-believers, Muslims or non-Muslims. A
person is a Muslim if he declares that he believes that there is no
deity save Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah’s
messenger. No one can deprive any person of the fact of being a Muslim
unless that person goes back on his declaration of belief. Judging
others as non-believers is not up to anyone of us. It is Allah who
judges them.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )