As humans started to make new discoveries and research about different species that exist in this world, so we discovered that there is a purpose for every living being’s existence on this planet. They play their own special role in this world, The whole universe and whatever exists on it has been created by One Creator with a purpose, and among the different creations of Allah(SWT), the best of His creation is Human beings as Allah says in The Qur’an “And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and the sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with (definite) preference.”(Qur’an 17:70) This ayah clearly shows that human beings are the best of creations of Allah so being that we have a greater purpose in life as we have been given more faculties than other of Allah’s creation. We must have a lifestyle that is productive and more fulfilling leading toward righteousness. So, we can attain righteousness by knowing whats the correct way of life or lifestyle we should follow from the words of our creator.
This ayah is a comprehensive definition of righteousness and also one of the very important ayahs of The Qur’an. Islam is a complete package of lifestyle it deals with every aspect of life whether it’s personal, business, dealings, or Ibaadah(worship) in all aspects of life. This ayah gives the whole deen in a nutshell, it deals with 4categories of life:-
1.Aqeeda(The Creed)– If Aqeeda is not right no matter how much good we do it goes to waste, we have to fix our Aqeeda first if that has defected no matter how much good we do it goes to waste. It is to believe in Allah(SWT) that “Allah(SWT) is all alone”, The Last Day, The Angels, The Books, and The Prophets if you believe in all of this and if you believe in the oneness of Allah that means your Aqeeda is correct.
2. Moamilaat(Dealings)- Dealings with others come first more important, Ibaadah is not the only thing. People think Islam means doing 5rituals but Allah(SWT) talks about dealings(moamilaat) first five rituals come after that. Ibaadah is not the only thing Allah(SWT) talks about dealings 1st more important & nothing is less important than Ibaadah because this is what makes Islam a complete picture. What is the Moamilaat? He gives his wealth just not spends on himself, he gives it away spends it on his family and others. He takes care of the relatives, the orphans, the needy, and the traveler. He doesn’t ignore someone who is falsely accused, those who are in jail, the slaves, or somebody who is oppressed so dealings are a very important part of his life.
3. Ibaadah(worship of Allah)- They are the ones who establish salah and give zakah. In the dealings part they give away the wealth but here zakah is mentioned Why 2different things? Because Zakah is a mandatory part of Islam but giving away the wealth and spending money for others is not mandatory. Giving away wealth comes under the dealings means it is required you have to do it.
4. Akhlaaqiyaat(Mannerisms)– It has to do with your mannerisms, character which is an important part of Islam. Those who fulfill their promises shows what kind of character a person is. If they are very lazy to keep up their promises, this is not from Islam.
5. Those who are patient in poverty and adversity- When Allah tests them with hunger or fear and if they are ill or suffer financially they don’t complain about it. They don’t yell or show ingratitude for their suffering they bear it patiently.
So, we learn the importance of Al-Birr in this ayah. When a person follows all these categories then this is the comprehensive picture of Islam, a true deen that we are supposed to be following. Islam is a religion that is more than just rituals. It is a way of life or lifestyle, Allah(SWT) says”Deen is not that you turn your faces toward the east and the west” Why Allah(SWT) is saying that? Because people think “If I pray salah facing the Qiblah, It’s enough”. Allah is saying “It’s not enough”
The Reason For Revelation of this ayah- According to Ibn Abbas(RA anhu) “This ayah was revealed to let the believers know that “The righteousness is not just facing the right direction, It’s more than that” In this ayah salah comes way after but the true righteousness is that the one who believes in the oneness of Allah(SWT).
What is the Righteousness? The One who believes in Allah(SWT) and The One who performs Al-Birr, not just belief, but his belief should be followed by his actions.
What does the righteous person do? Believes in Oneness of Allah(SWT) and He believes that Allah(SWT) is my Creator, Provider and He is The One who takes care of everything that I do and He is The Master of The Day of Judgement. When people take Islam and certain parts of Islam, they are not doing justice in describing Islam. Besides believing in Allah, believe in Angels, in books, all the prophets and they spend money for the sake of Allah(SWT).
IMPORTANT LESSON– WHEN A PERSON SPENDS FOR ALLAH ONLY, ALLAH GIVES HIM HIS LOVE.
Where do they spend money?
- Relatives– The generation before you and after you. It could be your family, parents, relatives, or could be the one who has the most right upon you. E.g. When you spend on your relatives you’re earning double the reward. 1.You are keeping the kinship 2. You are spending your money. So, all the siblings, aunts come under this. Buy some gifts or something for your family and cousins. Work on the betterment of your relationships.
- Community Members- After spending on your family and relatives then next comes the community members that are orphans because orphans are the weakest members of the society. You must look after them.
- The needy ones- These are the ones who have enough but not really enough. They are hand to mouth people, they do have enough, they do have a job but they don’t have enough to support themselves. Look for those people who are struggling to make ends meet, they are on paycheque to paycheque still not able to make the ends meet. So, you should spend on them.
- Travelers- A person may be rich at home but in travel, he may need your help. Travelers are like guests so spend on them.
- Ones who ask for help- They are asking verbally or they could be destitute in a place. Their appearance tells you that they are as-saileen so you spend on them. Don’t be hard on them.
- For freeing the slaves- There is some type of injustice going on, People say “They are falsely accused’ could be Muslim or somebody who needs help in freeing themselves. E.g. false accusations take people to jail, they spent years in jail and nobody is spending money to take them out. You can give on this cause.
IMPORTANT LESSON– When Allah blesses you with maal(wealth), Raise the standard of giving not the standard of living. When you have this mindset then giving becomes a passion, then Ibaadah(worship) becomes a passion, not a chore. A person’s actions must prove what they really believe, true eeman is shown from a person’s actions & they are the ones who are the righteous ones.
Conclusion- Our deen is not just an act of worship its a way of life, rules, and regulations
