Malik Manzoor
Ethics imply the inner beauty of man, that is, creation and the betterment of the character. Morals are necessary for man because these are the attributes that give man the status of the best creation. Morals beautify human beings and shower mercy and grace from Heaven. Morals are the backbone of any nation’s existence, development, stability, and survival. Ethics is the common chapter of all the religions of the world.
It is not only Islam that denounces immorality but all the religions in the world also denounce it. They are the spiritual food that gives rise to strong, healthy, and capable generations because the generations are directly affected by society.
The beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) said: He has been sent to lift the moral virtues to all perfections. One of the purposes of the Prophet’s revelation was to correct the morals and affairs of the people.
Now the question is, what are the things that destroy society and spoil the nations? Yes, they are moral evils such as vanity, oppression, anger, fabrication, rejoicing over the sufferings of others, lies, obscenities, and slander, backbiting, unwarranted support and favoritism, unwarranted praise, false testimony, bad jokes, promises, disobedience, scandal-mongering, malice, and jealousy. If in a nation or society people are arrogant, rude and wicked, hoarders and miserly, or people who boast falsely, then it should be inferred that the nation is not advanced, it is subverted. Oppression and anger are evil traits. It is necessary to avoid them, otherwise, man becomes deserving and victim of natural calamities. Lying has become a routine now. Selfishness and greed have blindfolded people. To satisfy it people go to any extent.
A nation that prospers in the world always has good morals, while a nation with bad morals declines. We can see this scene in the world right now in our East and West
In a society where morality is extinct, it can never become civilized, in which collective tolerance, equality, brotherhood, and mutual brotherhood can never flourish. In a society where lies and dishonesty are common, there can never be peace. In an environment or society where ethics has no value and where moral depravity is rampant, such nations and societies are bound to disappear, whether Muslims or non-Muslim.
All types of immorality now exist in our society today and the spirit of morality is vanishing quickly. Abusive language, oppression, corruption, malice, envy, deprivation of rights, and vested interests, drugs, gambling, theft, robbery, murder, adultery, bribery, usury, fraud, dishonesty, lying, flattery, duplicity, greed, lust, adultery, etc., all these moral diseases and illnesses are reigning our social set up. There is no method of selfishness and corruption that we have not invented.
Moral depravity has entered every sphere of our lives, be it the issues of worship or the issues of rights and duties, honesty, integrity, truthfulness, justice, fulfillment of covenants, and so on.
We still have the divine gospels practiced and preached by Prophets and sages to live by, which are also the means to elevate us to the highest level of humanity. In a hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The real poor person in my ummah is the one who will appear before Allah on the Day of Resurrection in a state where he has offered prayers, fasted, and paid Zakat. There must have been all kinds of worship, but with that, he would have abused someone, slandered, snatched rights or legal property, shed blood, or beaten someone; Then Allah will distribute all his good deeds one by one among the oppressed. It is clear from this hadith that there should be moral values along with the worship of God. Morals not only make us achievers in this world but also guarantee our success in the hereafter.
Two things in human body are susceptible, through which the devil can easily attack and most of the sins are caused by these two. These two things are the tongue and the private parts. It has been narrated in a hadith that whoever guarantees the protection of the tongue and the private parts should take the guarantee of Paradise.
The enmity that is emerging between us breeds resentment and then mutual animosity. This is not a small shortcoming but a big flaw. Nowadays, the number and importance of such people who instil the spirit of bias and bigotry in society are increasing. If such evil deeds are not treated properly, then the day is not far when even the great nations will be wiped off from the face of the earth.
Without backbiting, our discussions are incomplete. Scandal-mongering, talking or suggesting evil of somebody by word or gesture, mimicry, sarcasm, insult, and belittling of character behind one’s backs are the evils prevalent among us. These evils or vices adversely affect our lives and society as well. In the same way, bigotry has hollowed us out from within. The disease of flattery is no less than poison. We wish our eyes to see things that are rarely found in and around us. That is, we want to see the qualities inside us that are not related to us for a long time. We love to pretend what we are not. Cajoling and buttering are common tricks to ensure approvals Modesty, respect and compassion have become rare. Now we have become empty vessels who make noise. The priceless symbols of humanity are vanishing very fast. It is the right time to contemplate and reform. Let’s seek refuge in Almighty Allah from the evils of eyes, ears, heart, and tongue.