Theological Significance of TTHIS

Asalamu alaikum everyone. My name is Muhammad Abdullah and in this session we would be exploring the theological significance of the virtues that are

embedded in the this framework. The this

framework is essentially based upon.

We would start by exploring uh the significance of each of these virtues from an Islamic perspective. Uh we would be quoting uh Quran and Sunnah. So

Islamic scriptures to to demonstrate the importance of these virtues. We would

then move on to a um uh a discussion on the importance of these virtues in other major world religions such as Christianity Sikhism Buddhism Islam

etc. uh we would start with truthfulness because it is the first virtue of the uh the framework from an Islamic perspective.

Truthfulness is a foundational principle. Uh it teaches us how to deal

principle. Uh it teaches us how to deal with people uh how we interact with people. So in all dealings we need to be

people. So in all dealings we need to be truthful.

It is an obligation upon the followers uh upon the believers uh uh to be truthful to one another to be truthful in their transactions to be truthful in

all contexts of their life and to their lord as well. uh prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam who is a from an Islamic perspective an exampler for

the entire humanity uh who is to be emulated uh to the best of our her ability was known in makda as

assadic which means the truthful. So

this is one of the prophetic characteristics.

uh in a hadith prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam highlighting the importance of truthfulness said truthfulness lead to righteousness and righteousness righteousness leads to

paradise which is the ultimate goal of all Muslims. Uh on contrary lying which is the opposite of

truthfulness uh obviously lying leads to wickedness and wickedness lead to leads to fire. So, so again uh from the

to fire. So, so again uh from the prophetic tradition we can see both the significance of u truthfulness and the

uh the the the negative effect or the the the importance of uh not uh engaging in deception and lying.

So the nature of a a Muslim is also highlighted in a simil in in a similar way that the person he or she may have a lot of traits different traits positive

and negative both. But the person uh an ideal Muslim cannot uh be uh a person who who does not uphold trust and who lies.

business transactions is is an arena where where this truthful importance of truthfulness uh is is is ch is is further challenged because it is it is a

arena where slight deception can potentially lead to huge uh amounts of profit at least in the in the short run.

Um so there is a lot of temptation to lie and deceive other people mostly customers.

So uh recognizing this this temptation Islam uh promises huge rewards for the people especially merchants who are trust truthful.

Uh the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said the truthful and trustworthy merchant will be with the prophets the truthful and the martyrs.

So that the truthful merchant would be with people who have exponentially high ranks among the people uh in general.

the the level of transparency uh in business dealings which Islam uh teaches us is highlighted by a by incident and a

narration uh from the pro prophetic tradition.

Uh one time um which is often known as the story of the merchant. One time

prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam was passing by a marketplace. He came to a store that was selling some grains. The

grains were in a bucket. So the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam put his hand in it to check the quality of the grains. But as the prophet sallallahu

grains. But as the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam did so the tips of his finger became wet and from the beautiful character of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam was that he didn't

immediately accuse the seller of wrongdoing. Rather he wanted to verify

wrongdoing. Rather he wanted to verify first. So he asked sallallahu alaihi

first. So he asked sallallahu alaihi wasallam what is uh this why is it wet?

The seller replied, "Oh messenger of Allah, these have been drenched by rainfall because the grains got wet from the rain. Uh the seller tried to hide it

the rain. Uh the seller tried to hide it by flipping his produce upside down. So

the wet parts are hidden from the hidden at the bottom of the bucket while the dry parts are on the top." Hearing this, the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "Why did you not place this that is the white part of the brains on the

top so that the people could know about it? He who deceives is not from me is is

it? He who deceives is not from me is is not from me which means that he is not the follower of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Uh the fact that the

alaihi wasallam. Uh the fact that the prophetam got upset by this uh highlights the importance of trans transparency in all business decisions and business transactions. uh to an

extent um that the prophet declares that those who do not uh uh follow this level of transparency are not from the prophet and there are many modern day

applications of uh of this uh this narration um in the business context um uh such as uh market in marketing for instance there should be no deception in marketing the goal of marketing should

be to accurately represent the product that the the company is trying to sell rather than exaggerate or or or deceive consumer wasn't to bind the path.

In another place, uh a prophetic hadith highlights uh the gravity of being honest and uh with with the fact that lying jokingly even is prohibited.

Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "Wo to the one who talks about something to make people laugh in which he lies." Woe

to him. Woe to him. Uh in another place the the the gravity of um giving false testimony which is um the epidome of uh deception and lying is highlighted.

Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said the one who bears false testimony will be unable to move on the day of judgment until Allah condemns him to hell.

Uh we will now move on to trustworthiness.

the the notion of trustworthiness worthiness and truthfulness are uh theoretically very strongly linked uh which is uh which is because

truthfulness is a essentially a prerequisite uh to trustworthiness because you cannot be trustworthy without being truthful.

A person who deceives others cannot be trustworthy.

Um, prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam along with being uh known as the trust the truthful is was also known as alamin trustworthy.

There are this theoretical link is also established by the fact that uh at multiple at multiple places in the scriptures uh the two con concepts are colllocated.

So for instance in a hadith nbi sallallahu alaihi wasallam mentioned that there are three signs of a hypocrite a monafik. When he speaks he lies so he is not truthful. When he

makes a promise he breaks it. And when

he is interested he betrays the trust.

So both truthfulness um uh and truth trustworthiness or lack of these two traits are identified as um

manifestations of hypocrisy.

The importance of trust is further highlighted by the fact that it's not something which we merely need to reciprocate. Reciprocate.

reciprocate. Reciprocate.

We need to entrust even those people who betray us. Sallallahu alaihi wasallam

betray us. Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said fulfill the trust for the one who entrusted you and do not betray the one who betrays you. So you you need to entrust even those people who betray

you.

uh trustworthiness is is essentially um even more important for the people who are in power. The Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "If any ruler having the

authority to rule Muslim subjects dies while he is receiving them, Allah will forbid paradise for him." Because

obviously when you are in a position of power, your deception would have um a multiffold effect, a multiplier effect on the the number of people it would

could influence. Right? So from that

could influence. Right? So from that perspective, it is even more important.

Now we would move on to humility. Uh

humility is basically recognizing one's true place uh in relation to the creator and therefore as a result recognizing after recognizing one's own significance

treating others with respect and kindness.

It is uh to not feel any superiority over them. Uh again this is not achieved

over them. Uh again this is not achieved through uh having a low self-esteem.

Rather it is achieved by by recognizing that all that one one has uh um all worldly positions that one that a person

has are a gift from the almighty and we can also understand this from a from a secular perspective. A lot of things

secular perspective. A lot of things which we have uh achieved in this world are a product not only of the agency that we have but also of the structural

factors which we were um given uh by default. For instance, the kind of uh uh

default. For instance, the kind of uh uh the kind of household a person was born in, the kind of intellect the person was given, for instance, the IQ the person was given or has a lot to do with the the material success that the person

achieves and there are host of other variables as well.

uh Quran gives a metaphor for for humility to the to the believers and how in what way the believers are humble.

Allah almighty says in the Quran and the servants of the most merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily that is humbly and when ignorant address them harshly they say words of peace. Right?

So the humility is not challenged by the by the kind of environment that they face.

uh humility is often associated with uh by uh among the common folks as something which would you know pos possibly demean you or diminish you in your rank but uh from an Islamic

perspective humility leads to elevation as opposed to ascent. The prophet

sallallahu alaihi wasallam said no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status.

Um simultaneously the dangers of pride uh from uh in terms of the outcome the hereafter are highlighted sallallahu alaihi wasallam said he who has in his

heart the way of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter paradise. So the

quantity of pride uh the thresh threshold of pride you may have is extremely low. Right? So you absolutely

extremely low. Right? So you absolutely need to diminish and eliminate all sort of pride from your heart.

In another hadith, the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "Almighty Allah has revealed to me that you people should adopt humility to the extent that no one should feel or should

have right or towards the other." Right?

So it's constantly in various uh places emphasized uh the importance of uh being humble and having humility.

Now we would move on to integrity. uh

integrity is a desira desirable trait identified by many traditions but it's something which is not theoretically that that much clear. So we need to first identify the essential aspects of

uh integrity. The first one is to uh is

uh integrity. The first one is to uh is to be consistent across all contexts right. So you you should not be your the

right. So you you should not be your the your character should not vary uh depending on the person you are in front of. So the principles um that you that

of. So the principles um that you that you find um as moral should be held across different context. Obviously you

need to have hikma you need to have wis you need to have wisdom and also response also respond to situations based on the context but again you have you should also have some level of

consistency across the context as well.

Um it is also um an essent another essential aspect of integrity is to be uh have is to have coherence between values and actions. Right? So what you say that you value should also be

reflected in your actions. Right? And

then finally it should there should be some stability over time. So you should not be one you should not have sort of a a a a very extreme fluctuations in terms

of a character over time. Right? You

should have um even if there is fluctuation it be it should be towards the um it should be towards certain prog certain level of progress character rather than you know um ups and downs

and stuff like that.

Uh integrity therefore is is an essential qualifier for other virtues.

Right? So the quality of a virtues is is can be seen in the the level of integrity the person has with regards to that virtue.

Um uh Islam again uh identifies um importance or signifies the importance of all of these uh manifestations of integrity. Uh for instance uh in Quran

integrity. Uh for instance uh in Quran Allah says oh you who have believed be persistently standing firm in justice witnesses of Allah for Allah even if it

be against yourselves of your parents or and relatives. So you need to be uh

and relatives. So you need to be uh consistent with your uh with with your with your with your honesty with your justice with your display of your values with with manifest manifestation of

values uh even in cases where it is it goes against your apparent interest as well. Uh Islam warns against

well. Uh Islam warns against inconsistency as well. Allah says in the Quran, "Oh you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? It is

greatly hurtful, hateful in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do.

So again uh there is should be some coherence between um there should be coherence between your speech and your actions.

Uh the consist the importance of consistency uh is also highlighted uh in one place and prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said the most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are done

consistently even if small. So you don't do not uh so it's more important to uh be consistent uh in terms of all the virtues that you that you that you that you have and that you manifest rather

than you know doing something extremely virtuous one day and then sort of uh uh losing all that um character manifestation the other day.

We would now move on to sabur or um striving uh in the times of hardships.

Uh the definition of sub essentially includes this aspect as well but we are mentioning it here specifically because in the um it is common place to assume

that subber is merely um uh some another word for patients which is which is it is not it is much more detailed um a term which which has a much more detailed explanation.

Again, sub is often translated as patience, but uh it's root word um uh means a lot of different things. For

instance, to restrain, to hold back, to tie firmly.

Um it is something which uh which which is very important um uh from an Islamic perspective uh which is indicated by the Quranic ayah where Allah says indeed

Allah is with the people of Sab.

It is considered as a divine gift. In a

hadith, prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "No one is given a gift better and more comprehensive than sar.

It is central to faith." In a in a hadith, prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam says sabar is half of faith.

Islam promises immense reward for people of sabar.

In Quran, Allah says indeed those with sabar will be given their reward without any account.

Um from an Islamic perspective um sabar is something which you are able to achieve by having the correct understanding of this world. It

is through reframing the trials and tribulations that are that one is able to achieve the required sub. The prophet

sallallahu alaihi wasallam said whoever intends good for whoever Allah intends good for he afflicts that person with trials. Right? The trials are not

trials. Right? The trials are not something which one should be afraid of.

It is something which which which is which which is something which which would lead to growth which would lead to uh further development of the person and would lead to experation of that person's sin. So it's not something

person's sin. So it's not something which should be which a person should fear.

Uh Islam gives a lot of hope uh which again enables people to practice that subar.

In the Quran Allah says and the future will be better for you than your past.

Right? Uh the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam at another place said that no fatigue nor disease nor sorrow nor sadness nor hurt nor distress befalls in

even if it were the brick he receives from a thorn but that Allah experiences some of his sins for that. So it is essentially a reframing again of the of the trials and tribulation that one one

faces. But if one knows that the the

faces. But if one knows that the the trial and tribulation which which person is going through is is something which would have positive outcomes for the

person ultimately that person would be able to then uh uh hold steadfast and strive in in those times of hardship more easily.

Uh and the magnitude of reward again is associated with the magnitude of trials.

So the people would have would because people would require a lot more um uh mental and physical energy to strive in the time of a minor hardship versus a

major heart major hardship. Prophet

sallallahu alaihi wasallam said the greatest reward comes from with the greatest trial. When Allah loves a

greatest trial. When Allah loves a people, he tests them. Whoever accepts

that wins his pleasure but whoever is discontent with that earns his wrath.

Right? So you need to be patient and strive in the times of hardships.

Uh now we would move on to discussing uh the the significance of this uh in other religious scriptures.

We would uh because of short of shortage of time uh code one scripture one or two scriptures for each of the virtue. So

for instance for the importance of truthfulness is highlighted in the Bible in the book of Ephesians. Uh therefore

each of you must put falsehood put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor for we all are members of one body. Right? So the importance of

body. Right? So the importance of truthfulness is highlighted highlighted in the Bible in the Hindu scriptures. The importance

of trust trustworthiness is highlighted.

Um the true leader of men is he who knows the secrets of his own heart and is trustworthy in his words and deeds.

The borus of humility can be seen highlighted in the six scriptures.

The humble beings abide in peace subduing egoism. They are meek.

subduing egoism. They are meek.

Similarly uh in the Bible importance of is of integrity is highlighted with the following uh quote from the scripture.

The righteous who walks in his integrity bless are his children after him. So not

only is he blessed but uh the reward for his uh position of integrity would be even shared by his progeny.

So the importance of sabar is um the various passages of sabar is highlighted in in in the bible and in mahabharat which is a hindu scripture.

Not only so but we are we also glory in our suffering because we know that suffering produces perseverance.

Perseverance produces character and then character produces hope. Right? Uh in

another uh place uh in in a Hindu in the Hindu scriptures it is mentioned that patience is the root of dharma. Patience

is the root of success. Patience is the root of happiness. Patience is the root of everything. So the essential uh

of everything. So the essential uh nature of patience as the root cause of all good it's mentioned in the in scripture.

Uh that would be all uh from my side. Um

and we in this presentation we discuss the theological significance of of the virtues which the supreme is based on um and al in Islam mainly and also in other

world religions. Um uh this framework um

world religions. Um uh this framework um also highlights uh also mentions and and emphasizes the importance of having good manners. That is the the way in which

manners. That is the the way in which these virtues uh should be practiced in balance.