Lie, Deception, Corruption, Murder, Robbery, Intolerance, and Violence Have All Become Threats to Our Society and Country
By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
3 November 2021
Reforming
Social Evils Is the responsibility of Every Individual in a Society.
Main
Points
1. The Issue Is That No One
Wants To Work Hard To Make Society A Better Place.
2. Every individual is likely
to feel obligated to criticise society, but he or she fails to see that he or
she is a member of that society.
3. Believing and Acting On Any
News without First Verifying It.
4. Conflict Resolution between
Warring Factions.
5. Calling Each Other Names
That Are Derogatory.
6. Suspicions and Negative
Thoughts about Others.
7. We must follow the social
rules outlined in the Quran and Hadith.
8. One must first cultivate a
spirit of obedience and commitment to God inside oneself.
......
As we can see, our society is in a state of
turmoil. The ills of lie, deception, corruption, murder, robbery, intolerance
and violence have all become threats to our society. And it is because of them
that our country and society are in trouble.
This is a depressing truth that we as a
society are well aware of, which is why we regularly hear terms like “society
has gone bad” in our daily lives; yet, the problem is that no one wants to work
hard to make society a better place. One of the primary reasons for this is
because a large percentage of the public is either uninformed of or
uninterested in reality. As a result, it is vital to comprehend the social
reality.
Society is essentially a group of
individuals. The term "society as a whole" refers to the collective
of individuals who dwell in any given location. It's as if the collective noun
for people is society. In this way, when a society is made up of individuals,
its reformation is reliant on individual reformation. As a result, individual
transformation is essential for the advancement of society. However, every
individual is likely to feel obligated to criticise society, but he or she fails
to see that he or she is a member of that society and that it is his
responsibility to contribute individually and collectively to the good of
society.
For the benefit of society, it is also
necessary to be familiar with the social rules and issues addressed in Islam.
Various social principles and issues are found in the Qur'an and Hadith. It's
difficult to cover all of them here. However, some extremely essential social
rules are mentioned together in Surah Al-Hujurat of the Holy Qur'an, and this
Surah is of exceptional importance on this occasion. These regulations are
outlined shortly below.
Believing
and Acting On Any News without First Verifying It
This is a very harmful societal blight that
is all too frequent in today's culture. What happens is that the news is taken
as fact without question, and practical action is taken as a result. The report
is later shown to be inaccurate and incorrect, but the arrow had already flown
out of the bow. That's why there's a sense of remorse. As a result, whenever there
is any news or gossip about someone, it is a social responsibility to
thoroughly investigate it before believing it and acting on it.
Allah Almighty says:
“O those who believe, if a sinful person brings you a
report, verify its correctness, lest you harm a people out of ignorance then
become remorseful on what you did” (49:6)
This verse indicates ‘Do not rush into
actions or measures; be solid and steadfast in your position; and do not be
easily moved or shaken. Wait until other independent sources validate the news
or information.’
Conflict
Resolution between Warring Factions
It is common for people living in a society
to have disagreements and disputes. In such a case, the rest of the people have
a social responsibility to put an end to their disagreements and conflict by
reconciling them with fairness and justice, rather than simply watching a
display. If one of the parties oppresses the other, the oppressed must be
supported until the oppressor ceases to oppress them.
Making
Fun of People
This is a deplorable form of social
behaviour that must be avoided at all costs. In actuality, Islam places high
importance on a person's self-esteem, and any act that undermines one's
self-esteem is prohibited. Making fun of someone's self-esteem is obviously detrimental
and a major social faux; hence this behaviour must be avoided. Men and women
have been separately instructed by Allah Almighty to refrain from this immoral
behaviour.
Sneering
Sneering is strictly forbidden. Harassment
and mocking of one another over varied and age-old issues are normal in our
culture; nonetheless, it must be avoided.
Calling
Each Other Names That Are Derogatory
People living in a society calling and
remembering each other with nasty names and nicknames are actually toying with
each other’s self-esteem, and this behaviour is also against the relationship
of respect and esteem that people in a society must have among them, thus it is
prohibited. Islam teaches that people should address each other by their proper
names and titles.
Suspicions
and Negative Thoughts About Others
Man’s behaviours are heavily influenced by
his thoughts. Every action and decision a person makes in his life is based on
his thinking, because man makes decisions with his mind and heart before acting
with his body and limbs, so appropriate human thinking is essential. Never
thinking negatively is one of the most important and essential aspects of
proper thinking. Instead, one should always think positively.
Negative thinking is more likely to have
negative repercussions. Whatever decision you make in your life, whatever
practical action you take, whether it is related to yourself or others, it
should not be founded on negative thinking. Because the Islamic religion
condemns the cultivation of negative ideas and suspicions about people for no
reason, it is important to prevent it.
Reconnaissance
People in a society are not allowed to
pursue each other’s inferiority complexes or vices. It also shatters the trust
link, which is harmful to society. Every human being should examine his or her
own flaws and misdeeds and consider how to remedy them.
Backbiting
Backbiting is the term used to indicate the
evil done behind another Muslim's back. This is strictly forbidden in Islam. In
the same Surah of the Holy Qur'an, Allah Almighty compares this behaviour to
consuming the flesh of another dead Muslim. The Holy Prophet has declared it a
sin worse than adultery. Unfortunately, our society's members have become so
infected with this disease that its depravity has been washed from their
hearts. This is a great moment to reflect and think about how to prevent this
horrific crime.
Equality
This is an important social precept stated
at the end of this Surah, as well as a simple formula for avoiding the societal
evils outlined previously. In fact, one of the main reasons why someone
backbites, slanders, blasphemes, makes fun of others and remembers them with
terrible titles is because he believes he is superior to others. After
outlining all of the social ills, equality was taught at the end of the Surah,
stating that all human beings are descendants of Adam and Eve (peace be upon
them). There is just one criterion of virtue and merits, which is Taqwa, or the
fear of Allah.
Allah Almighty has given some of the most
important social commandments for His followers in this Surah. Discord and
strife are two of today's major societal evils. Hatred, conflicts, and fights
are prevalent among persons linked by any means and relationship, including
marriage, kinship, employer-employee relationships, business relationships, and
so on. Disagreements and disputes between the parties involved are prevalent in
all of these relationships, which is why they end sooner or later, and even if
they don't, the element of love and devotion goes missing.
When we examine the causes and reasons
behind it, we can see that the major and most important factor is a shift away
from decent social norms. As a result, if we wish to reform society, put an end
to battles, and see peace, love, calm, and happiness in it, we must follow the
social rules outlined in the Qur'an and Hadith. Every citizen in society must
bear this obligation.
Finally, in order to address these social
evils, I believe one must first cultivate a spirit of obedience and commitment
to God inside oneself. Our Nafs has become accustomed to obtaining a reward for
every good conduct while living in this material realm. Why not? Allah Almighty
has promised a reward for each of the servants' deeds. Whoever performs good
deeds will be rewarded, and whoever performs wicked deeds will be punished.
Some servants make the aim of doing good deeds and avoid evils solely for the
sake of pleasing their Lord Allah Almighty. We must educate our hearts and
thoughts by this divine decision that if we keep away from social ills, our
Lord would be delighted, and if we do not stay away from social evils, we must
remember that there is a life after death in which we will have to answer to
God Almighty. Then, if our actions are harmful, we shall be punished—a
conviction that must be a part of our firm faith and a source of inspiration
for addressing social problems, beginning with ourselves.
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A regular Columnist with
NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical Islamic scholar and
English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/corruption-intolerance-violence/d/125702