As already mentioned earlier, God’s teachings are directly related to human nature. Any injunction, which is likely to disturb the equilibrium, is counter-balanced by corrective measures.

Gratitude

In the case discussed above, there was of course, an inherent danger that some people would become ungrateful to their benefactors: instead of expressing gratitude for any favours they received from others, they may end up by saying that what one has given us was our right. There is no need for us to be grateful to such a person at all. If this tendency were to be promoted, then, it would be at the cost of courteous and decent behaviour.

Turning to the recipient of favours, the Holy Quran repeatedly reminds him of his duty to be grateful and to express his gratitude for even the smallest favour shown to him. The believer is repeatedly told that God does not love the ungrateful for example:

If you are ungrateful , surely Allah is Self-Sufficient, being independent of you; and He is not pleased with ingratitude in His servants; but if you are grateful, He likes it in you. No one shall bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return; and He will inform you of that which you used to do. Surely, He is Well-Aware of whatever passes in your thoughts.4

Further emphasising the importance of a grateful disposition, the Holy Founder(sa) of Islam reminds the believers:

One who is not grateful to human beings is not grateful to God either .5

The implication is that anyone who is ungrateful to fellow human beings, even if he were grateful to God, his gratitude will not be accepted by God. So decency, courtesy and gratitude are not discouraged by the Message of the Holy Quran as contained in the earlier verse 6. It is only a quiet message to the recipient of favours that he should not suffer from any complex and his dignity should remain uninjured. The inference would be that to express gratitude is not against the dignity of man; on the contrary, it elevates it further.

Turning to the donor, Islam inculcates a completely different attitude. It is considered against dignity and modesty to accept gratitude as if one deserved it. This tendency is found to be a part of civilized behaviour everywhere in the world, but there is one fundamental difference between this universal mannerism and Islamic teachings of noble conduct. Islam instructs the donor to serve mankind for a higher and nobler cause than merely to satisfy a natural urge or earn good reputation by benevolent acts. Islam repeatedly reminds man to do acts of goodness for the sake of God and only to win His pleasure and earn His favours.

From this it becomes obvious that when a true Muslim donates something to anyone in need, in truth, he does not do it for his own sake or anyone else’s sake, but only for the sake of pleasing his Creator Who initially bestowed on him everything he possesses.

In the light of this principle, whatever he spends on others is by way of an expression of gratitude to his Lord and not by way of any favour to anyone. This sublime attitude has its roots in one of the earliest verses of the Holy Quran which reminds the believers:

From what we had provided them, they spend a part thereof in Our cause.7

Therefore, it is not out of mere courtesy that a true believer rejects gratitude but he genuinely believes that if a recipient of his favours owes gratitude to anyone, it is only to God and not to him. True believers, who really understand the meaning of faith, feel extremely embarrassed whenever their favours are returned with thanks. The Holy Quran declares:

They feed, for love of Him, the poor , the orphan, the prisoner, even when they themselves stand in need saying: ‘We feed you for Allah’s pleasure only. We desire no reward nor thanks from you’.8

Just to feed people is not enough; you should feed them when you yourself know the meaning of hunger and suffering and you share in their pain, expecting no reward or thanks in return.

The beauty of this verse is dazzling. If the believers were taught to show a superficial and condescending attitude by just refusing to accept gratitude and posing as humble men, there was every danger that this would promote hypocrisy . When we say, ‘No, thanks’, in fact, we are conscious of the fact that by doing so, our image is further enhanced in the eyes of the person under favour.

The Islam ic teaching is much more sublime. The benefactor is reminded that he cannot sell his commodities twice over to different parties. An act of goodness can either be done to win the pleasure of God or to win public favour. According to this verse, one cannot entertain both intentions simultaneously.

When the refined faithful servant of God tells the needy that his intentions were indeed to please God, it also reminds him at the same time that God is his real benefactor. So whatever inferiority complex may have been born is wiped out.

No Human Reward for Favours

In Islam, to be courteous to others should not be a superficial habit acquired out of values of civilization but should be deeply rooted in the belief in God . All alms given to the needy should be given without any ulterior motive of getting any return from the recipient.

Bestow not favours seeking to get more in return.9

Once a favour is shown to anyone, Islam would require him to forget it, as if nothing had happened. To exult over one’s act of goodness and to rub in one’s favours are declared suicidal and self-annihilatory to the very act of goodness. On the contrary, the true believer behaves as described in the following verses, which compare the correct behaviour with the incorrect one most comprehensively:

The case of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah is like that of a grain of corn which grows seven ears, in each ear there are a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies it even more for whomsoever He pleases. Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing. Those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah, then follow not up that which they have spent with taunt or injury, have their reward with their Lord. And they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve. A kind word and forgiveness are better than charity followed up by injury. And Allah is Self-Sufficient, Forbearing. O ye who believe, render not vain your alms by reminding the recipient of your favours or causing him any inconvenience in return for what you have done for him. As such, his case will be like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he believes not in Allah and the Last Day. His example is like that of a smooth rock covered with earth, on which heavy rain falls, washing it clean and leaving it bare, smooth and hard. Such people shall not secure aught of that which they earn. And Allah guides not the disbelieving people.10

Likewise:

Chide not him who seeks thy help.11

Begging

Even beggars should be treated with respect. Do not speak harshly to a beggar. Although, begging is discouraged, the right to beg when one is in dire need is guaranteed. Not only that, no one is permitted to injure the self-respect of those who are compelled to beg.

In early Islam, despite the fact that the self-respect of even the beggar had been fully safeguarded, society as a whole had not failed to understand that not to beg was certainly better than to beg. Once the Holy Foundersa of Islam highlighted this comparison by stating:

The hand of the donor is better than that of the receiver.12

As a result of this a considerable number of Muslims preferred to die in poverty than to beg for survival. To cater for their needs, the Holy Quran reminds society as a whole that among you there are people striving in the path of Allah who have no way out of their poverty.

These alms are for the poor who are detained in the cause of Allah and are unable to move about in the land. The ignorant considers them to be free from want merely because they desist from begging . Thou shalt know them by their appearance; they do not beg of men with importunity. And whatever you spend of your wealth on such people of that Allah is Fully-Aware.13

This principle becomes very clear from the following verse:

Whatever Allah has given to His Messenger as spoils from the people of the towns is for Allah, and for the Messenger, and the near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy and the wayfarer, that it may not circulate only among those of you who are rich. And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain from that. And fear Allah; surely, Allah is severe in retribution.14

The Holy Prophet(sa) of Islam also mentions this principle in a Tradition partly translated as:

Narrates Hakim Ibn Hizam(ra): The Holy Prophet(sa) said, ‘The upper hand is better than the lower hand (i.e., he who gives in charity is better than he who takes it). One should start giving first to his dependants. The best object of charity is that which is given by a wealthy person (from the wealth left after his expenses). Whoever abstains from asking others for some financial help, Allah will give him and save him from asking others, Allah will make him self-sufficient.’ 15

You have an upper hand in service, i.e., to give alms and serve others and not to be on the receiving end of alms and favours.

What Can Be Given in Charity ?

Apart from the manner in which you give, what you give is also important. If you give something of which you yourself will be ashamed to receive from anyone else, this will not fall within the definition of alms , according to the Holy Quran . It will be more like throwing something in the dustbin.

O ye who believe spend of the good things that you have earned, and of that which We produce for you from the earth; and do not select out of it for charity that which is worthless, which you yourself would not take without extreme embarrassment and a sense of shame. And know that Allah is Self-Sufficient, Worthy of Highest Praise.16

The flesh of the sacrificial animals reaches not Allah, nor their blood, but it is your righteousness that reaches Him.17

Giving Openly and Secretly

Islam leaves both options open: to spend publicly or privately. The Holy Quran teaches:

Whatsoever you spend in the cause of Allah or vow as an offering, surely Allah knows it well; and the wrongdoers shall have no helpers. If you give alms openly that is indeed good, but if you give them secretly to the poor , it is even better for your own selves; thereby will He remove from you many of your ills. And Allah is aware of what you do.18

Social Responsibilities

In Islam , it is considered highly essential that those in authority should be sensitive to the cause of the people to a degree that there is no need to form pressure groups.

According to the Holy Quran , the ruler is repeatedly held responsible and answerable to God for the state of affairs of those who are under him and placed under his trust. In one of the traditions of the Holy Founder(sa) of Islam, we read:

Each of you is like a shepherd to whom the sheep belong. He is entrusted with the responsibility of tending the sheep. You will be held answerable.19

This tradition mentions the various relationships in which one can be in charge of other human beings e.g. master over servant; the wife who is the lady of the house and the father as head of the family who are both responsible for the entire family ; and the employer who is responsible for the employees under him, and so on and so forth, and each time the Holy Prophet(sa) repeated: Remember you will be held responsible and answerable.

An Example from Early Islam

Once Umar(ra), the Second Caliph in Islam , was passing through a street in a suburb of Medina at night. It was his custom to walk the streets incognito to see for himself at first hand what was happening to the people under his authority. He heard from a house the cries of children who seemed to be in some pain. His inquiry revealed that there were about three children sitting around a fire on which a kettle or pot was boiling and their mother was sitting by them. He enquired what had happened. She said: ‘My children were hungry. I have nothing to feed them. It is only to console them that I have put some water and some stones in the kettle or pot to create the impression that food is being cooked. That is what you see.’

In deep pain and anguish, Umar(ra) immediately returned to his seat of government. He procured some flour, butter, meat and dates and put them in a bag. He asked a slave standing nearby for help in putting the bag on his back. The slave , in surprise, asked Umar(ra) why he wanted to carry it himself and asked that he should be permitted to carry the bag instead. Umar(ra) replied: ‘No doubt you can carry this weight for me today, but who will carry my burden on the Day of Judgement?’ He meant that on the Day of Judgement, the slave would not be in a position to answer on Umar’s behalf as to how he discharged his responsibilities. He had to do it himself. It was also a sort of self-inflicted penance because Umar(ra) felt responsible for the misery of a helpless poor woman and her children whom he had just witnessed. He felt, in fact, that the entire township and its affairs were his ultimate responsibility—a trust he had to discharge himself.

It is impossible for the head of every government to physically emulate what Umar(ra) did, but in both spirit and attitude Umar(ra) remains an excellent model. This is the spirit which must be followed by modern societies everywhere. If the government s become sensitive to the cause and sufferings of the people, then, even before the people begin to give voice to their pain and sense of deprivation, those in authority would be compelled to take remedial measures, not because of demands from fear but from the impelling voice of their own conscience.

Extended Boundaries of Expenditure

The Holy Quran enlarges the boundaries of what should be spent in the cause of Allah to vast dimensions. An oft-repeated phrase in the Holy Quran, hard to come by elsewhere, is:

And the true believers spend in Our cause of whatsoever We Ourselves have bestowed upon them.20

This covers all faculties, qualities and also, of course, every type of material possession, human relationship and ties. The phrase also covers such values as honour, peace, comfort, etc.

In short, nothing conceivable is beyond the domain of the Arabic expression wa mimma razaqnahum.

Again, it is striking how the usage of the word min (lit. something of, of that) brings the advice within access of everyone. It does not mean that you should spend all or any fixed portion of that We have given you in Our cause . All that is required is that you should spend something of that which God has given you. The scope of something is so variable that even ordinary weak people who do not find the strength to make substantial sacrifices can at least participate to whatever degree they can afford. This is the atmosphere of social services, which Islam endeavours to promote. It belongs partly to the social behaviour of man and partly concerns his economic activities.

In an economy where the entire society is possession-oriented and is only concerned with what it can take, it is very hard and impractical to draw a line between what is foul and fair. Such a society is most likely to trespass into the domain of the rights of others than to remain within its own boundaries.

On the other hand, a society, which is constantly reminded and trained to give to others more than their dues, should be furthest from usurping the rights of others. It is hard to imagine how exploitation can flourish in such a climate.

Service to Others

The principle of the Islam ic concept of service is described in a single verse so beautifully and comprehensively. It states:

O people of Islam ! You are the best people ever raised for the good of mankind because you have been raised to serve others; you enjoin what is good and forbid evil and believe in Allah.21

You will remain the best as long as you are service-minded. If you fail to serve others then you no longer have a right to boast of the superiority of Islam and the Muslim umma.

Prohibition of Drinking and Gambling

When one talks of addiction, generally, drugs come to mind. There is another connotation of addiction in a wider sense, which is seldom associated with the word addiction. I refer to society’s regard for certain modes of pleasure, namely drinking and gambling , neither of which augurs well for the peace and good of society.

Gambling is institutionalised in almost all advanced countries of the world. But even in some Third World countries, where it is not institutionalised on such a large scale, gambling is found almost at every level as a small-time individual occupation. Drinking is the second addiction to which societies of the world have fallen prey.

The Holy Quran prohibits both gambling and drinking :

O ye who believe! Wine and the game of hazard and idols and divining arrows are only an abomination of Satan ’s handiwork. So shun each one of them that you may prosper. Satan desires only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of wine and the game of hazard, and to keep you back from the remembrance of Allah and from Prayer . But will you keep back?22

The Holy Prophet(sa), declared drinking to be:

The mother of all evils.

The two addictions are so widespread and universal in nature that it is hard to draw a dividing line. Politically, the East and West may never merge but, perhaps, in ever-greater propensity towards gambling and drinking , East and West, and North and South , have already met.

Both drinking and gambling are socio-economic evils. The amount spent on drinking in one day in Great Britain is enough to feed the famine-stricken multitudes of Africa for many weeks. Yet, in the most poverty-stricken countries of Africa and other continents, drinking is not considered a luxury that people cannot afford. Having failed to provide for the basic necessities of life and their children’s education, there are millions of Africa ns who would still have access to the consumption of alcohol . In the poor south of India where factory-made wine is not available to all, homemade toddy serves as a substitute. However, poverty does deter the spread of the ‘mother of all evils ’ to a degree. If the per capita income rises, so does the expenditure on drink. Until someone becomes an alcohol ic, nobody seems to care much about it.

One may wonder why drinking and gambling should be treated as problems of the contemporary world while, in fact, they are as ancient as the records of human history go. Indeed, wine and gambling have been found in every age and part of the world; yet, by their very nature of being timeless, they can be considered as problems of all ages.

In economics, gambling is more objectionable than drinking . In gambling , money changes hands without pushing the wheel of economy just as money is exchanged for money without an underlying exchange of commodity in the money markets. In gambling , money changes hands without participating in the process of economic development and production of wealth . Though some economic purpose is served in the money markets, almost none is served in gambling . Under a free trade and industry environment, money does not change hands without serving the economy in material form. In trade and commerce, the exchange of value, more often than not, is beneficial for all concerned. It is inconceivable that the majority of traders should most often suffer losses. While in gambling , as a rule, a large majority of participants suffer losses most of the time. For instance, few casino s go bust. For the gain of a few, hundreds of thousands of people must suffer. The only value they get in exchange for the money they lose is the excitement and thrill of suspense until the realisation that they have lost their stake at last dawns upon them. After that they begin to wager again with a slim chance of recouping their losses until the tension and stresses grow far beyond the pleasure of excitement they receive in the bargain; the anguish and the heartache no longer remain a private matter for an individual but begin to tell on family relationships. In the poorer sections of society, the daily needs of family members have to be sacrificed at the altar of gambling . The Holy Quran , while prohibiting drinking and gambling , acknowledges that there is, of course, some partial benefit to be derived from them but most certainly their harm always outweighs their advantage:

They ask thee concerning liquor and gambling . Tell them: There is great harm in both and also some benefit for people, but their harm is greater than their benefit. And they also ask thee what shall they spend. Tell them: Whatever is spare. Thus does Allah make His commandments clear to you that you may reflect.23

It may be argued that to acquire pleasure from the money which one earns is nobody else’s concern: let everyone enjoy himself as he pleases. Society has no right to interfere in individual freedom to the extent that one should be told where one may spend one’s earnings.

But it should be remembered that most religious teachings are by way of admonitions and warnings. Coercive measures here on earth have no part to play in the teachings of any religion unless specific crimes are committed against others—crimes , which are recognised as such, even from a non-religious point of view. Murder, theft , fraud, corruption and usurpation of rights fall under this category. But there are other social crimes , which, according to religions, are poisonous for society as a whole. Yet the penalty for such crimes is not meted out individually; society as a whole suffers. It is the broader social laws, which pass the sentence.

Indulgence in liquor and gambling does not take very long to become over-indulgence for society as a whole. But that is no surprise.

Moreover, such societies always become progressively more expensive to maintain. A sizeable portion of the national wealth continues to be flushed down the drain. Frustration grows in this atmosphere. Crimes go hand in hand with both liquor and gambling . Miseries and tragedies of many homes where the peace of family life is shattered is the ever-increasing by-product of drinking and gambling . Many a broken home and ruined marriage are their direct outcome.

Alcohol ism has serious economic and social consequences as indicated by the magazine Scientific America n. Apart from domestic violence, there is child abuse, incest and rape due to the removal of inhibitions under the influence of alcohol and fatal alcohol syndrome.

Mortality statistics: