THE MANNERS AND CRITERIA OF DELIVERING SERVICE 2
Osman Nûri Topbaş
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God does not only examine how correct our actions are, but how they fit in with the criteria of piety. God examines the way we act, but more importantly, he examines our intentions. Therefore, while one who is materially poor, but rich in heart, may gain paradise by giving away just one single date, one who is not rich in heart may be disappointed even if he has spent all of his fortune.
This means that prayers are valued by God in accordance with the intentions and sincerity attached to them. Many seemingly righteous acts may depreciate in a spiritually poor soul, while many seemingly simple acts may bring a great spiritual profit in a spiritually rich soul.
Thus, the most important point here is the feelings of the soul/heart. That is to say, the manners and criteria of worship that the soul/heart observes are, perhaps, more important in the service of people. The story of two mosques cited in the Qur'an is a good example of this. God tells the Prophet in the Qur'an to pray at the mosque of Quba, which had been built in sincerity, but to destroy the mosque of Dhrar, which had been built by hypocrites on the basis of factious intentions. While outwardly both buildings are mosques, inwardly there is as great a difference beween the two as that of West and East, of heaven and hell.
So it is the result of the service in which manners are observed and not observed!..
There are countless manners that come into play here. Some of them have been cited in the previous article. Here are the rest:
7. To Behave in Moderation:
As in every act, it is important to behave moderately in one's service. One should not neglect his basic duties, such as work, family, or the care of parents in favour of performing a service. Likewise, one should not use being of service to their family or parents as an excuse to neglect service .
God describes the people of Islam in the Quran as being moderate:
"Thus have We made of you an Ummah justly balanced ..." (Baqara 2: 143).
The Prophet says:
"The most beneficial act is the moderate one." (Bayhaki, Shuab al-Iman, V, 261). This is a criterium that was given by the Prophet to the people of Islam to be observed in all acts.
Another saying of the Prophet is as follows:
"When one of you leads the prayer let him make it short, as there might be weak, sick or old people in the congregation. If one of you perform a prayer on their own, let him make it as long as he wishes." (Bukhari, Ilm, 28).
As clearly illustrated in the above verse and in the saying of the Prophet, keeping a balance between worldly and other-worldly affairs is a strict criterium that was set by God and His messenger. As long as this criterium is observed, both individual and social peace, welfare and order undoubtedly will be ensured. Therefore, a man of service should be a man of balance and moderation. A preacher, for example, should stop preaching as soon as the call to prayer has been recited, allowing the prayer to be started, taking into account the fact that there might be old or ill people in the congregation. A preacher should provide comfort to the congregation, allowing them to perform their prayers in ease. A man of service should have foresight, insight and a broad vision. He should always maintain a balance and be moderate in sympathy, compliments, criticism, praise, and admonitions. He should develop friendship without becoming too familiar with the people around him. He should be serious, but not arrogant.
One of the factors that foils balance and moderation is anger. Anger is a form of impotence, and it is in part a mental disorder. It brings forth the impotency and weakness of a man to the surface, letting the baser-self take precedence. Therefore, a man of service should control his anger. Incorrect decisions and miscalculations are often made in times of anger. The Prophet points this fact out in the following:
"Let none of you try to settle a dispute between two persons when he is angry." (Muslim, Akida, 16).
A person's failure or fault should not be reproached in public. If it is necessary to correct the behaviour of the person, this should be done delicately and indirectly. It was a characteristic of the Prophet that he always corrected failure or pointed out someone's fault delicately. When faced with such a case he used to say in a sensitive way:
"What is wrong with me that I see you acting in such a way?"
Distinguished people brought up in environments of moral excellence have conducted masses, these people ranging from common people to kings, throughout history. Sheikh Adabali was the spiritual guide of Othman Bey, the founding governor of the Ottoman Empire. He gave the following exhortation when Othman Bey succeeded to the crown; it sets a good example :
"O, my son! You are the governer now! From now on:
Anger is for us; meekness is for you...
Resentment is for us; atonement is for you...
Reproach is for us; endurance is for you...
Impotency and delusion are for us; condonation is for you...
Dissension, unconformity, attack, and disagreement are for us; justice is for you...
Turning away and unjust comments are for us; forgiveness is for you...
O, my son! From now on:
Fraction is for us; unification is for you...
Indolence is for us; warning and fostering are for you..."
All of the above oratory lists the criteria of moderate behaviour.
8. To Give Importance to Services that are Connected with Qur'anic Education :
It is a prime responsibility to transmit the Qur'an, which has been sent down as a guide for all humanity, to our selves and to all the servants of God. Thus, the Prophet says:
"The most benevolent of you are those who learn and teach the Qur'an." (Bukhari, Fadail al-Qur'an, 21).
The greatest service a person can do for another person is to help him reach eternal salvation. This can be achieved by helping him to be a servant on the true path; this is only possible with the guidance of morality that is provided by the Holy Book, the Qur'an.
The Qur'an is the eternal guide; every Muslim who believes that the Qur'an is the correct guide should follow it in order to acheive the true path, until the end of his mortal life. He should be loyal to its message and endeavor to educate new generations in the pursuance of the Qur'an; the Qur'an will always lead humanity to comfort and prosperity. An incident that occured in the time of the Prophet illustrates how difficult such a task is:
The Prophet had sent around 70 teachers of the Qur'an from Madina to the people from the tribes of Ra'l, Zakwan, Usayya, and Benu Lihyan, upon the latter's request. On the way the teachers were captured by these tribes and martyred at a place called Bir al-Maune . When the Prophet was informed of these events he cursed the tribe members.
Never before had the Prophet cursed a person, not even those who had stoned him at Taif; he was a prophet of compassion and mercy. The fact that the Prophet cursed the people responsible for this martyrdom of the teachers illustrates how honourable the task of teaching the Qur'an was in the eyes of the Prophet, and how sinful the act of interfering with the study of the Qur'an was considered to be.
In history, the most influential acts leading away from social upheaval to salvation have always been accomplished through efforts that are parallel to the Qur'an. We now live in a time when such efforts are of vital importance. The revival and resurgence of the people of Islam in our time may only be achieved by turning our attention to the Qur'an.
At a time when people are concerned mainly with material gain, teachers of the Qur'an should concern themselves essentially with their students, now more than ever. They should conquer their students. They should make their students love God and His Prophet. They should enable the grace and beauty of Islam to flow into their students' innocent hearts.
In short, to be in the service of the Qur'an is a task of the heart; it requires great care and attention, and is a gift from God to His servant.
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