Sixteenth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1443 A. H.
Righteousness in the Holy Quran and Its Comprehensive Titles
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.
O Allah, confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.
We are still seeking the guidance contained in the saying of Allah (Glory be to Him), {‘Cooperate with one another in righteousness and Taqwa, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Surely, Allah is severe in punishment’}.
We spoke yesterday about how Islam is a unity-promoting religion, which builds the Ummah, unifies it, organizes its movement, and establishes cooperation between its people: The state of cooperation which is a required state in the reality of human society so that the affairs of humans’ life take the right track. Islam, even at the level of spirituality and religious rituals, has organized the collective performance of the rituals, such as Salat in congregation, the pillar of Hajj , the rites of Hajj and Umrah, and other rituals that the Ummah gathers at doing them at the same time (such as fasting the month of Ramadan) with the same performance, and with cooperative performance that helps everyone in carrying out their responsibilities. So efforts get combined and talents and abilities get integrated so that efforts and effects get blessed and the result gets to be important, great, and huge.
In addition, about responsibilities, religious responsibilities (religious collective responsibilities), such as Jihad in the cause of Allah, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and Infaq in the cause of Allah, are responsibilities that hugely depend on cooperation, collective performance, and moving as one ummah. This has its great importance in its great effect at the level of the soul and at the level of the general reality of society. When it becomes a reality that enjoys cooperation, harmony, and gathering around goodness, around righteousness, around Taqwa, around what contains the real interest for society, and around what contributes to purifying the souls, rectifying the deeds, and correcting the behaviour of society, it will lead to a blessed impact on one's soul at the individual level and on society at the collective level. Its blessed impact also extends to what is more than that: the great, eternal future in the Hereafter.
The Holy Quran pays attention to righteousness as Allah says, {‘Cooperate with one another in righteousness and Taqwa.’} The same goes for Taqwa, which receives much attention in the Holy Quran. Righteousness, which means that a person should seek goodness and increase his/her goodness-related efforts, goes beyond looking after oneself in what s/he spends and takes as a practical priority. A person should move in an integrated manner without limiting him/herself in his/her interests and attitudes to specific aspects whose source is the whims of the soul, the inclination of the soul, or the desires of the soul. Instead, s/he should move towards integration according to the instructions of Allah (Glory be to Him), towards righteousness, towards good deeds, and towards act of charity and righteousness: So s/he moves towards integration in the way that Allah (Glory be to Him) has prescribed and according to what He instructed, commanded, and guided to.
Inclination-following people and drawing their priorities
Allah (Glory be to Him) says in an important verse of the Holy Quran (which tells us about righteousness and provides an important definition in accordance with broad titles that indicate what they should include), {‘Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the east or the west’}. Before introducing expressive titles about righteousness, He starts with solving a problem that happens to many people, which is that they try to draw for themselves (in accordance with their desires, personal preferences, and interests) what is a priority in relation to righteousness, charity, and good deeds. Indeed, they try to draw priorities for themselves within a specific range, easy-to-do priorities based on their personal preferences and the inclinations of their souls. This has a seriously negative impact on people. A person may focus on these priorities in a symbolic way. Therefore, s/he limits him/herself to some matters and abandons what is more important and what is required in order to be of the righteous who do righteousness and move in righteousness at the personal level and at the cooperative level. This might keep people from interacting with many acts of righteousness, sources of righteousness, or areas of righteousness, most of which might be obligatory or required for achieving these important and great characteristics that make you of Allah's Auliya and the righteous people who seek righteousness. They might not interact with many things; instead, they might limit themselves to some things according to their personal preferences and away from the guidance of Allah and His instructions and teachings, as well as what He guided us to and encouraged us to do.
Allah (Glory be to Him) solves this problem, which affects the reality of many people: You notice that they look like religious, righteous people and worshipers; however, when you come to their priorities, they are limited to the practice of worship best explained in the public expression that says, ‘From your home to your mosque, and that is enough.’ What they limit their attention to does not go beyond attending Salat in the mosque with a rosary in hand and then going back home, back and forth! However, they turn their backs to their commitments, to their duties to spend in situations where a person is commanded by Allah to spend, and to religious and faith-related responsibilities: They do not interact however great the developments and events are, however the circumstances and the changes are, and however the events, hardships, and circumstances are, such events and hardships that require every person and even touch the conscience of every conscience-living person to interact, to get affected, and to respond. That is because a person with a living conscience has a strong motive deep in his/her feelings to do and interact with what is good, to offer what should be offered, and to contribute with what should be contributed with.
This state in which a person focuses on some forms in Allah's religion and makes them his/her ultimate focus, is a state that Allah (Glory be to Him) warns against! Allah also makes it clear that this state does not represent the title for righteousness in the true and wide sense of the word. Instead, it is nothing but a matter of selecting what is desired by the inclination of the soul. {‘Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the east or the west’}—so that all your focus is directed towards Qibla and Salat in such a form and a way that make it your ultimate focus and main priority, for your focus should not completely go into this direction or that one. This is an example provided by the Quran, for it usually provides a particular example which at the same time benefits us in other matters that are similar in their content and form. That is not the right way that pleases Allah (Glory be to Him).
Resorting to deception—sometimes it is performed in a deceitful way—makes some assume that they have made a perfect plan even in what is between them and Allah. They think that they can please Allah with that particular thing they limited their focus to and made a number one priority in order to justify why they ignored other things. However, religion does not contradict itself. You can take care of your Salat, establish it, and pay attention to it and to going to the mosque, but that does not mean that you can neglect your other commitments and practical duties, or to choose one thing over another thing or as an alternative to another thing, as if religion were established in a contradicting way, or as if faith-based commitments were in contrast to one another so that you do one thing and make it your justification for neglecting the other. This is unacceptable in the religion of Allah (Glory be to Him).
Some follow a tricky way in determining what is righteousness and what it is a priority: Some may focus on performing Umrah in the month of Ramadan of every year, paying all his/her money for that purpose and abandoning other greatly important commitments, including fundamental commitments of faith. People need to focus on the more important commitments of faith, and then whatever comes after is good, welcome, and righteous—other things that the person could not achieve. Some might focus on deeds that are recommended and encouraged, but they abandon what is more important as an obligation and greater in reward, deeds that received great attention in the Holy Quran and that Allah greatly commanded. Even so, some turn their backs on such deeds and focus on false alternatives that they see as more comfortable deeds that match their personal desire. This is of serious consequences on the person.
The foundation and first title of righteousness: Faith
{‘Rather, the righteous’}—which comes at the end of the verse {‘Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the east or the west. Rather, the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the books, and the prophets’}—makes it clear that the first main title for righteousness is faith. That is because faith is a main principle that represents the motive and the starting point from where you go into the reality of this life and carry out and present all your deeds based on this motive that is a motive of faith, so whatever you do is out of faith. Some people have other intentions and motives that shape what they present in the name of righteousness, goodness, and charity; these other intentions might include riyaa or material motives, so they are all about seeking material gains, about reputation, about distracting others from their misdeeds, or about seeking political and personal gains.
Some of those who trade in forbidden things might give some of their money in charity to seem generous among their communities so that they can gain their sympathy and love whenever they face a trouble related to their trade in forbidden things. So when they face a trouble, they enjoy sympathy among people because they were kind and generous in their dealing with their communities. They do deeds of charity, and as a result, they gain social sympathy; that is what they wanted from the beginning: enjoying sympathy—indeed, people do show sympathy with them! Some others might seek political gains or evil goals, just like organizations that have evil goals with what they give. Indeed, what they give has nothing to do with goodness and righteousness, nor does it have to do with seeking nearness to Allah or having righteous or faith-based motives.
That is why, with regard to righteousness, the Holy Quran presents a first main title on what should shape the motive for doing deeds of righteousness and goodness, a motive that needs to be pure, honest, and good. First and foremost, the motive for doing righteousness needs to be a good, pure motive that in itself reflects righteousness. If the purposes behind what a person gives are evil, forbidden, not positive, not based on faith, unrighteous, or not of what pleases Allah, they will have a negative impact on what s/he gives. In other words, righteousness should start from your own soul, feelings, and motives and should be taken into consideration when drawing your aims: What do you want from what you give, do, or contribute?
If your contribution, generosity, or cooperation does not rely on a faith-based motive, you will wait for privileges and advantages, which will later reflect badly on your conduct. That is because you consider what you have given, contributed with, or cooperated in as a means to achieve your own personal goals and interests. You may even want something bad, exploitative, or of a bad impact on what is right or good—something that is all about your personal gains. So, in practical life, your motives and principles must be based on faith. Indeed, one should have faith-based motives and move with faith. Faith itself must be a complete circle: Your faith in Allah (Glory be to Him) does have an effect on you and on your reliance on Allah (Glory be to Him), so you place your hope in Allah and seek Him in everything you request, want, wish, and do—it is Allah (Glory be to Him) Whom you seek and Whose pleasure you pursue.
Fear of your shortcomings and acts of disobedience that cause punishment is a basic part of your faith in Allah: You become afraid of Allah if you neglect, disobey, or do forbidden things; this fear pushes you to do whatever protects you from the torment of Allah and makes you avoid His wrath. Its effect prompts you to do righteousness and makes your intention good and pure, your motive great and benevolent, and righteousness deep in your soul. So your generosity is the result and reflection of that.
Faith enhances your love for Allah (Glory be to Him); therefore, what you do, give, or contribute both at the personal or cooperative level is out of your great love for Allah, Whom you love very much. When one's love for Allah is great and strong, it gives him/her an enormous motive to give whatever s/he gives with magnificent love without feeling forced or finding that difficult or boredom as if s/he were killing him/herself and taking his/her soul out of his/her body!
Believing in the Last Day is one of the most important motives towards righteousness
{‘Rather, the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day’}: The Last Day in relation to your belief in the Reckoning, Judgment, reward, and punishment of Allah has a very great effect as a strong motive for you.
What can heal people from laziness and lack of interaction that affect some when they are called to do righteousness or participate in carrying out acts of righteousness or cooperating in Taqwa and righteousness or when they are advised to righteousness and Taqwa as they show lack of interaction and become reluctant or may run away? The reason is their lack of faith in Allah, the Day of Judgment, Allah's promise of punishment and reward, and the Judgment. The reward for what we offer is very promising; therefore, you should never think of whatever you give as a burden or loss. You realize that you are offering yourself what is better, greater, a lot more, everlasting, and finer, so this is not a loss or waste.
What does keep one from that if s/he really believes in all that, has faith in Allah's promise that He will compensate whatever s/he spends in His cause, believes in His words (the Almighty), Who says {‘Who is it that will lend to Allah a good loan which Allah will multiply for them’}, or believes in Allah's saying, {‘And whatsoever you spend of anything , He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers’}? Indeed, if s/he believes in such many and many verses that contained a firm promise from Allah, Who never breaks His word and is the best Who fulfils His promise, s/he will never hesitate to respond, will s/he? What made him/her lazy is considering whatever s/he offers as a loss; this is what s/he thinks in the depths of him/herself, so it affects, discourages, and keeps him/her from giving and from righteousness. Having a firm belief in Allah's reward and the punishment you will have if you fall short in fulfilling your faith-based commitments—that is, you will be punished and greatly lose—represents a pure, faithful, and good motive, doesn't it?
Believing in the angels and its role in attracting one
to good deeds
{‘The Last Day, the angels’}—to believe in the angles according to what Allah has said about them in the Holy Quran and according to their roles, responsibilities, and tasks mentioned in the Holy Quran. Their tasks are various and include what has to do with the affairs of people: to protect them, to monitor their deeds, to support and make the believers steadfast, and to raise the morale of the believers. They also have other tasks and roles mentioned in the Holy Quran, such as being Auliya to the believers: {‘We are your Auliya in this worldly life and the Hereafter’}—their companionship with the believers and their good moral impact in support of the believers while acting according Allah's instructions and teachings and carrying out their responsibilities and commitments to please Allah. This has great importance in many aspects since it helps the person remain steadfast and assured and feel that s/he is not alone in what s/he faces on the ground.
Believing in all Allah's books as an important motive towards righteousness
{‘The Books’}—one should believe in Allah's holy books and His never-ending guidance and to believe that He has never neglected His servants and that the divine march of guidance has been continuing since the time of Prophet Adam (PBUH) and will keep continuing in the reality of people according to His way in guiding His servants through His books and prophets. Therefore, you have to believe in all His books, not in some of them, as the Jews do—even these some books they claimed to believe in were distorted by them, and they rejected a great portion of them, caused a great portion of them to be lost, and turned against what was left of them! The same goes for the Christians, who turned against divine teachings, committed distortion, and caused the loss of sacred texts.
To believe in all Allah's books and the Great Quran, which is the essence and confirmation of the previous sacred books and has final authority over them—your belief in the Holy Quran must be part of your belief in Allah's books. The Quran expresses what contained in them, and it is their essence. So when you turn to the Holy Quran, you gain divine guidance, which was in the books of Allah, and with which Allah sealed the Holy Quran, which is broader, more comprehensive, confirming, and dominant, as mentioned in the Holy Quran.
When you return to the Holy Quran, won't you find enough of a motive to do righteousness? First, it gives you what helps you correct your intentions and motives. Then it perfectly guides you at the practical level, guides you to work, makes you like it, and draws your attention to its importance for you, its benefits, its results for you, etc. It also explains to you what the results and consequences of your negligence, carelessness, and evasion of what is good for you will be. Thus, the Holy Quran is a great source of support, light, and guidance. Indeed, it provides you with sufficient insight and a great motive.
Believing in the prophets and its great effect
{‘And the prophets’}—we must believe in all Allah's prophets as a whole, whether those whose names are mentioned in the Holy Quran or others who were not revealed in the Quran. This kind of belief is a belief in the unity of the march of faith and religion as an extended march that connects you with all prophets of Allah (Glory be to Him) and with Allah through all His prophets. It is a belief in the one extended path, in the continuity of His guidance throughout human history and throughout centuries, and in the fact that Allah has never left His servants without guidance.
Your belief in the prophets of Allah, the kind of impact that results from what Allah has mentioned about them in the Holy Quran, and your belief in Allah's Last Prophet and the Master of the Messengers Muhammad (PBUH&F) represent a great motive and provide you with guidance, instructions, teachings, sufficient insight about righteousness, and its categories, importance, results, and benefit in the immediate life and in the Hereafter at the individual level and the collective level—the nation and community that respond positively.
This aspect (faith) represents the principle that serves as the motive and the point of departure, establishes the goals, and creates the environment and the suitable conditions for work so that performance becomes perfect. That way, righteousness gets wonderfully integrated in its principle, motives, eligible categories, and the way it is performed. Such a complete and great form of righteousness pleases Allah (Glory be to Him) and represents the great values, morals, and principles that are in harmony with human instinct, religion, faith, and humanity.
{‘And who give wealth—despite loving it’}
Then, Allah says after specifying the first title based on which righteousness should be built,{‘and who give wealth—despite loving it—to relatives, orphans, the poor, travellers, beggars, and for freeing captives’}. {‘Who give wealth’}—spending wealth is one of the most important titles that are described as righteousness and is expressed through giving with money, which a lot of people are stingy about and which a lot of people commit forbidden acts for its sake , using all means available including forbidden means and sources that make them bear sin.
Therefore, the spirituality of faith takes a person far away from all of that: away from greed and ambition that make him/her commit forbidden acts. Such a spirit of faith accustoms one to giving, spending , and offering.
{‘Who give wealth’} indicates that s/he is quick to give out of his/her money. , s/he does not need any audits, endeavors, or any strenuous efforts to persuade him/her to spend or give before s/he, if willing, give too little. This is the case with some people: Someone needs to visit them, speaks to them, encourages them, and comes up with all means of persuasion to make them respond poorly (just a little bit).
Some people have no living conscience, are insensitive, and lack some of the basic human feelings, if not all. However, in fact, there is what can make the believer with a living conscience and living feelings spontaneously interact with all painful human sufferings when s/he sees a poor or needy person suffer and cannot even secure their living; when s/he sees the suffering of a poor patient who cannot afford to pay for medicine to cure his/her pain and aches; and when s/he sees a Muslim family suffer and have no food to eat—a lot of things can be sufficient to make the believer interact.
when they see threats and challenges that require standing up to the enemy and pushing its evil directed against themselves, their communities, and nations (its falsehood, wrongdoing, corruption, injustice, criminality, and the threat all of that constitutes to people in this life and the Hereafter), they never interact. Indeed, they may interact with other matters, such as matters that have to do with wrongdoing, corruption, evil, or absurdity: {‘He says, “I have spent wealth in abundance”’}. So they interact with absurd things and turn their backs to what is good.
{‘Who give wealth—despite loving it—to relatives’} means even in times of hardship, even of what s/he loves, not like those who, when embarrassed, give out of compliment the nasty thing that they see themselves no longer in need of and consider it an important thing, so it is ok to give out of compliment. On the other hand, the believer gives what s/he loves, out of his/her strong motive of faith, his/her desire to give, and his/her awareness of the importance of giving in this worldly life and the Hereafter: {‘You will never achieve righteousness until you donate some of what you cherish’}—even in hard times! So s/he is not like those who spend and give just in times of ease and abundance and may even stick to a limit even in times of ease. That is, if money becomes available, s/he may spend some because there is enough of money to spend. Strangely enough, most of the miserly are of the rich, making them of those who deny Allah's favours upon them.
The believer, even in hard times, never loses his/her good spirit or faith-based motive that makes him/her give and stick to acts of righteousness; s/he cooperates in righteousness and provides even in hard times according to his/her capacity. This is important because those who suffer from difficult circumstances are many in society. Therefore, when the principle of cooperation gets applied, what is given by this person here and that person there increases and Allah bestows His blessings, too. Therefore, a good amount of money can be gathered and play an important role in supporting good deeds and acts of righteousness, either in spending for the sake of Allah or spending for the poor and the needy—it could support all deeds righteousness. Indeed, cooperation does solve the problem of the lack of funds and poverty. What is limited in amount, cooperation can make it effective.
Therefore, this matter is so important that Allah (Glory be to Him) shed light on it in the Holy Quran when some people at the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&F) ridiculed the believers who were poor but wanted to spend, those who gave little—little but it was according to their circumstances. Some provided two handfuls of grain or dates due to their poverty. For what they had, it was so much because they only had little. So other people used to ridicule them, ‘How will that benefit Islam?’ That is because some believers provided two handfuls of corn, grain, dates, etc. Therefore, Allah sent down His revelation, saying, {‘Those who criticize the contributors among the believers concerning charities and the ones who find nothing except their effort, so they ridicule them—Allah will ridicule them, and they will have a painful punishment’}. Allah's wrath on them was great because they were trying to hurt the dignity of those spenders and to embarrass them when they despised them, slandered them, spoke about them, and ridiculed them, saying, ‘How will you benefit your Islam? This is too little!’
In fact, cooperation makes the little become great: a little from here and a little from there, but a lot in the end. So it has a great impact on the reality, whether what is presented within the framework of the cause of Allah, for the poor, or for any category that deserves acts of righteousness.
Righteousness and kindness and their categories
{‘Who give wealth—despite loving it—to relatives’}—to this category of the categories that deserve acts of righteousness. {‘Relatives’}, starting from your near surrounding, be kind with them, and do not leave your poor, miserable, suffering relative without doing acts of kindness and righteousness towards him/her. Keeping good relationships with relatives also falls within this title. {‘Orphans’}—they represent a category that people should pay attention to, take care of, and be kind with. One of the most important areas of righteousness is being kind to orphans. Orphans are many, especially in times of wars and major events. {‘The poor’}—this also includes the poor, who are in poverty and extreme need. The poor are in dire need and live circumstances that are extremely difficult. {‘ travellers’} means those who are far from their home land and need help. {‘Beggars’}—there are also of the poor who ask people because of their difficult circumstances. {‘And for freeing captives’}—so this also includes freeing people.
All of these charity-related categories are important, and directing acts of righteousness towards them is accepted and commanded in the Holy Quran. That is because some people, for example, only focus on a certain aspect and perhaps for one time (once a year). If they spend once, they want it to be the first and the last: They do not want to continue according to their circumstances. Allah says, {‘and donate from what We have provided for them’}; this indicates continuity, so a person who has the spirit of goodness, his/her righteousness and kindness expand, as well as his/her generosity and contribution in everything.
Other titles related to righteousness and their role
in encouraging generosity
{‘Who establish Salat’}—establishing Salat is part of righteousness, the rewardable Salat that has its great impact that attracts you to Allah. You mention Allah and remember Him in your Salat. The Athkar of Salat (Takbir, Tasbih, Tahlil, Tahmid, reading the Holy Quran, and asking for guidance in Surat Al-Fatihah) strengthen their meanings and connotations in your soul. That increases your faith, draws you near to Allah (Glory be to Him), and reflects well on the purification of your soul, on your desire for doing acts of righteousness and kindness, and on your spirit of goodness and giving. That also helps you heal from the state of miserliness, stinginess, greediness, selfishness, and cupidity.
{‘pay Zakat’}, {‘who give wealth—despite loving it’}—s/he also gives his/her Zakat. S/he is not of that kind of person who gives only Zakat, or even like some who pay just part of it. A lot of people do not fully pay their Zakat. Indeed, they get themselves in trouble and cause themselves to perish when they withhold some of it , part of it! This is a serious state, and the same goes for your many duties and commitments related to money. That is because money is linked to responsibilities. It is a gift from Allah and is accompanied with responsibility: Whatever Allah gives you in this worldly life comes with responsibilities. Indeed, you have responsibility towards whatever Allah has given to you, so it has to do with fulfilling the responsibility that you are entrusted with.
Therefore, when Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘ pay the Zakat,’} after His saying, {‘and give wealth’}, it is in the context of your various obligations related to your money. Thus, you should be quick to pay Zakat without the need to be asked, forced, embarrassed, urged, annoyed, or put into problems. Some people need to be jailed, to be in great pressure, to be blamed, to be reprimanded, to be reproached, etc. in order to pay it according to Allah's instructions!
{‘And keep the pledges they make’}: They are faithful in their firm commitments, attitudes, relationships, and actions, whether in peace or wartime. They are the people of faithfulness to their commitments, and they are not the people of backstabbing or betrayal.
{‘And who are patient in times of suffering, adversity, and at the time of battle’}—patience is of the most important characteristics for the people of righteousness and Taqwa. It is of the most important requirements for righteousness and for acts of righteousness and generosity: patience in all cases, especially the three cases and other matters related to them.
{‘And who are patient in times of suffering’} means that in times of misery, difficulties, poverty, want, and living-sufferings, they are patient. That does not affect them so that they seek to gain money in any forbidden way for the sake of having a comfortable living. That also does not lead them to fall short in fulfilling their faith-based commitments and generosity according to their circumstances and conditions.
{‘And who are patient in times of suffering, adversity’}—they are those who are patient in times of suffering, illness, sadness, anguish, and stress as well as in the case of psychological and physical pain and even in the case of injury or disability in the cause of Allah. These are cases that require patience; otherwise, lack of patience might affect a person's faith and mentality so that it leaves an effect on him/her. Moreover, some people might get to the extent of offending Allah (Glory be to Him) when they lack patience in the face of what they are suffering. So the believer is patient in times of adversity at the mental and physical levels, and that does not affect his/her faithfulness to his/her commitments according to his/her circumstances, for Allah is the Merciful; He is aware of the human's circumstances and conditions, and He knows them well.
{‘And at the time of battle’}—in the places of Jihad and fighting in the cause of Allah and in the places of confronting and defending against the enemies of Allah, they are those who exercise patience in the face of troubles, pain, and dangers. Also, their perseverance comes as a result of their patience, and so is their persistence.
We notice this state of integration that reflects righteousness and is expressed by righteousness through the integration of these faith-based characteristics, which Allah has concluded with His saying, {‘It is they who are truthful.’} So those who have these characteristics that lead to integration are the ones who are truthful: truthful in their faith; truthful in their understanding to their religion; truthful in their affiliation to righteousness, faith, and Taqwa; and truthful in their responsibilities and the way they carry them out as required and as commanded by Allah (Glory be to Him). Truthfulness is their title. {‘And it is they who are muttaqun’}: Those who have these integrated characteristics and who are walking towards this integration are muttaqun, who have achieved the rank of Taqwa in their reality.
Therefore, we can see the importance of these characteristics that provide us with clarity on righteousness, the areas of righteousness, which we cooperate in and in which cooperation is extensively fruitful. Taqwa is also a very wide title that includes all good things that supports society in standing up to the enemies of Allah and carrying out its major responsibilities: It includes, as we mentioned yesterday, a wide range of cooperation in what contains goodness for the Ummah, in what the Ummah gets stronger with, and in what reflects well on the wellbeing of the Ummah. Hence, cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa is a necessity: It is part of our faith-based commitments, is a solution, and is wisdom that helps in solving many of the problems that our society suffers in its weak reality caused by division, disintegration, and fragmented efforts.
That is enough for today.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah (Glory be to You), have mercy on our martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are All-Hearing! O Allah, help us to cooperate in righteousness and Taqwa and accept our fasting, night prayers, and good deeds.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.