The Village Preacher

Plate 15 Shaykh Uthman El-Muhammady giving tokens of appreciation
to guests at ISTAC’s Training Room, January 11th 2012, at 12:02 p.m.
Photo courtesy of ISTAC.

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Plate 16 Shaykh Uthman El-Muhammady attending a meeting at the
Conference Room, ISTAC, IIUM. Photo taken on January 18th 2012, at
12:08 p.m., courtesy of ISTAC. In the background is a poster of the
summary of IIUM’s mission of “Triple I’CE”: Integration, Islamization,
Internationalization and Comprehensive Excellence.

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Plate 17 Shaykh Uthman El-Muhammady carefully stydying the artefacts
on display at the Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas Library, ISTAC, IIUM,
during during a visit by a member of Kelantan royal family to ISTAC,
IIUM on February 24th 2012, 4:12 p.m. Photo courtesy of ISTAC.



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Part Two

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Articles

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70

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE QUR’ĀNIC MESSAGE
AND ITS TIMELESS NATURE


Aidah Wong Suk Ting1

1 The paper was submitted by the author for The Qur’ān and Sunnah:
Foundations of Islamic Personality, Society and Culture, dated January 10th
2012 (Ed.).

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1. INTRODUCTION

The Qur’ān, the primary source of Islamic teachings, has been
nourishing a civilization for more 1,400 years – a civilization
that spanned three continents, flourished for centuries and had
contributed significantly to human achievements in history.
Though Islamic civilization has been in decline and has not yet
been able to get out of the state of weakness, the Qur’ān
remains to be the source of guidance and inspiration for
Muslims. It has been widely accepted that the prime reason for
the weakness of Muslims is their neglect of Qur’ānic teachings.
In addition, the ills of the modern world have become more and
more evident and prevalent. In lieu of this, the Qur’ān, as the
Final Revelation that remains intact and uncorrupted, with its
universal values and principles, can very well provide solutions
to the contemporary issues humanity is presently facing.

The Qur’ān is impressive in its comprehensiveness. Not
only does it inform its readers of the unseen realm, but it also
advises them about the seen world: the many different aspects
of human life and society.

2. A BOOK OF GUIDANCE FROM THE CREATOR

The Qur’ān, as the last Revelation of Allāh, the Creator, to
humankind, is a book of guidance2 intended for all times and all

2 Q. 2:185.

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places. Its “very heart and soul” is represented by the first
Sūrah, al-Fātiḥah (The Opening Chapter)3, which Muslims
recite seventeen times a day in their daily prayers.

Al-Fātiḥah conveys the quintessential ideal of Islam
giving expression and definition to the covenant between
human beings and God upon which the mission and task
of humankind in this world has been founded. It is,
moreover, an earnest prayer to God, a heartfelt plea to
show humans the right way, give them guidance and
make them deserving of His pleasure and benevolence.4

Thus, the Qur’ān reminds man of the existence of The Almighty
Creator and Sustainer of the universe, mentions His attributes
and stresses His Oneness. It tells man how he was created, his
role in the universe that Allāh wills for him, his purpose of life,
his destiny, the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon
them all) Allāh sent to guide him and the Straight Path – the
path of Allāh – which he should follow in order to achieve
success in this life and in the Hereafter.

In the Divine discourse, “the Qur’ān seeks always to
convince by reference to history, to what happened to earlier

3 Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali, A Thematic Commentary on the Qur’ān,
translated from Arabic by Ashur A. Shamis (Herndon, Virginia: International
Institute of Islamic Thought, 2000), 1.
4 Ibid., 1.

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generations, by explanations from nature, and through logic.”5
The Qur’ān is not arranged chronologically or by subject
matter. Very often, it presents, in the same surah, material
about different areas in an interwoven manner. To an
unfamiliar reader, this arrangement may look chaotic.
However, as this technique compresses many aspects of the
Qur’ānic message into any one Sūrah, forming self-contained
lessons, it is likely to benefit the reader who does not read the
whole Qur’ān all at once. This way of presentation also serves
to reinforce the message, to persuade and to dissuade. As
repetition of the same themes or stories occurs in different
Sūrahs, each appearance adds another layer to the fuller
picture and to the effectiveness of the guidance.6

3. THE EXISTENCE OF THE ONE GOD

Allāh is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.7 Everything
depends on Him, but He does not depend on anything; no one is
comparable to Him. He has no sons or daughters.8 He is
described by ninety-nine of His Most Beautiful Names, which
refer to His attributes. Some of them include The Merciful, The
Compassionate, The Omnipotent, The Dispenser of Rewards,

5 M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur’ān, A New Translation by M.A.S. Abdel
Haleem (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), xviii.
6 Ibid., xix.
7 Q. 35:2-3.
8 Q. 112:1-4.

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The Reckoner and the Wise. Allāh is the name, which
encompasses all His attributes. Above all, He is One—The only
One worthy of worship by man as He is The One and only God,
and He alone can bring benefit or harm to His creatures.

Allāh is transcendent and cannot be seen. Why then
should man believe in the existence of God? Allāh reveals to
man about Himself. It is noteworthy that the Qur’ān does not
present the belief in God as some dogma to be accepted blindly.
Instead, it invites man to think; it appeals to man’s reason in his
search for truth. It asks man to think about himself, his life and
death, his sustenance9; to observe the complex yet orderly
nature10; to travel and see the vestige of ancient peoples11.
Look, travel, think, reflect, contemplate; then, it would be easy
for man to come to the conclusion that God is out there as well
as to believe in Him. Though Allāh is beyond what man can
perceive and understand, His creations are, but signs of His
existence. Indeed the universe – its magnificence, order, beauty
and harmony – points to the existence of God, if only man is to
look and think.12

9 Q. 56:67-74.
10 Q. 2:164.
11 Q. 30:9.
12 Q. 3:190-191.

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3.1 Worship of Allāh

Once it is established that Allāh is the one and only God, the
Qur’ān stresses that He alone is worthy to be worshipped and
warns man against giving partners to Him. Attributing partners
to Allāh is so serious that it is the only sin which Allāh does not
forgive. At the same time, worship of Allāh has a very
comprehensive meaning. It is not merely to practice some
rituals as is the case in some religions. The Qur’ān asserts that
all of man’s life is meant to be for the sake of Allāh – in worship
of Him.13 It is the very purpose of man’s existence on earth.
Allāh states clearly in the Qur’ān why He has created man:

‫َو َما َخ َلقت ال ِج َّن َوال ِإن َس إلاَّ ِليَعبدو ِن ۝‬
“I created jinn and mankind only to worship Me” (Q.
51:56).

Allāh is Merciful; the Qur’ān is His Greatest Mercy bestowed on
man. Allāh tells in the Qur’ān how He is to be worshipped, that
is, the Straight Path He prescribes for man to follow and which,
alone, leads to success and happiness in both this worldly life
and the subsequent eternal life. Before man can understand
how he should live this life, he has to know fully about himself,
about how the scenario of life will unfold. Thus, the Qur’ān tells
how Allāh created man, the role Allāh has assigned to him in

13 Q. 6:162-163.

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relation to the other creations, and the plan Allāh has for him
following his earthly, transient existence.

3.2 Role of Man in the Cosmic Order

Man is no ordinary creation in the Divine scheme. He enjoys the
highest rank; he is the noblest creation; he even possesses
within him a breath of God’s spirit.14 Allāh wills for him a
leading role in the universe. The Qur’ān narrates vividly how
man is created with the witnessing of the angels. Allāh informs
the angels He intends to create a vicegerent on earth. Some of
the angels protest that this being will create rancour on earth
and will cause bloodshed. Allāh refutes their protests and
creates the first man, Ādam. Allāh teaches Ādam the names of
all things and then commands the angels to bow down to
Ādam.15

It is with such honour that man is created. He is
entrusted with the great task of being Allāh’s vicegerent on
earth. He is distinguished with free will and the discernment of
good and evil.16 Man is God’s choicest creation, in lieu of his

14 Q. 15:29, 32:9. Muhammad Asad comments, “God’s "breathing of His spirit
into man" is a metaphor for the divine gift of life and consciousness, or of a
"soul" (which, as pointed out in surah 4 note 181, is one of the meanings of
the term ruh). Consequently, "the soul of every human being is of the spirit of
God" (Razi).” (Commentary 9 of the verse 32:9.)
15 Q. 2:30-31, 34.
16 Q. 91:8.

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moral capacity – that is, obeying the divine commandment by
free choice. The Qur’ān relates another story, which illustrates
this unique character of man. Allāh offers the trust to the
heavens, the earth and the mountains. They decline it out of
fear; man is the one to accept it.17 While the heavens, the earth
and the mountains refuse to undertake the trust and are
without free will and submit themselves entirely to Allāh’s will.
Man, on the other hand, is too audacious and ignorant to realize
the burden of undertaking the trust.18

Therefore, Allāh has entrusted man to be His vicegerent on
earth. This is “man’s unique status in the hierarchy of the
universe”.19 What does this vicegerency mean? Ismā‘īl Rājī al
Fārūqī explains:

Vicegerency of God on earth means man’s transformation
of creation – including above all himself – into the
patterns of God. It means obedient fulfilment of His
command, which includes all values, all ethical
imperatives. The highest of imperatives are the moral.20

17 Q. 33:72.
18 Shahibuddīn Laming, Some Basic Themes in the Qur’ān (Kuala Lumpur: A.S.
Noordeen, 2000), 15.
19 John L. Esposito, Islam the Straight Path (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1988), 27.
20 Ismā‘īl Rājī al Fārūqī, “Towards a Critical World Theology” in Toward
Islamization of Disciplines (Herndon, Virginia: International Institute of Islamic
Thought, 1989), 441.

78

John L. Esposito phrases it in another way:

God ordains; humankind is to implement His will. Human
responsibility and mission are of cosmic proportion, and
people will be judged on the cosmic consequences of
their acts. As God’s representatives, the measure of
human actions, and indeed life, is the extent to which the
Muslim contributes to the realization of God’s will on
earth. This responsibility lies squarely on each
individual’s shoulders…21

From the two explanations quoted here, the central idea of
being Allāh’s vicegerent is to obey Him, follow His guidance and
teachings. This is the same as the very idea of worship of Allāh
in Islam as mentioned earlier.

In order to enable man to fulfil his leading role in the
cosmic order, Allāh has prepared him in a number of ways,
encompassing both the internal and external dimensions. As to
the internal aspect, man is created in the best of forms.22 He is
endowed with various faculties, including intellect, and, in
addition to them, the godly spirit.23 Furthermore, Ādam was
taught the names of all things. In this context, the names signify
a much wider and deeper meaning. Al-Bayḍāwī explains that it
means man is made capable of acquiring different types of

21 Esposito, Islam the Straight Path, 28.
22 Q. 95:4.
23 Q. 32:9.

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knowledge, including those which can be perceived, by the
intelligence, the senses, the imagination and the formation of
opinions. It also means Allāh has inspired in man the
knowledge of the essences of things, their special attributes
and qualities, names and principles of knowledge, the canons of
crafts and the ways of their instruments.24 Moreover,
Muhammad Asad is of the opinion that the “names” stand for
the power of defining terms and the power of articulated
thinking which is peculiar to man, and which enables him to be
Allāh’s vicegerent on earth.25 For the external dimension, Allāh
has made nature subservient to man. All other creations are
subdued for his use and benefit. The Qur’ān brings this point to
the attention of man repetitiously.26 Allāh

“has made the earth and all that is in it – indeed, the
whole of creation, including the human self – malleable,
that is, capable of change and of transformation by man’s
action, of engineering designed to fulfil man’s
purposes.”27

24 Al-Bayḍāwī, Tafsīr Bayḍāwī (Cairo: : Maktabah wa Matba’ah Mustafa al-
Bābi al-Halabi, 1939), 43-44. (partial and unpublished translation from Arabic
by Muhammad ‘Uthman El-Muhammady)
25 MuÍammad Asad, Islam at the Crossroads (Kuala Lumpur, The Other Press,
1999 edn), 59.
26 Q. 14:32-33, 16:10-16, 22:65, 45:12-13.
27 Al Fārūqī, Towards a Critical World Theology” …, 442.

80

Indeed, so much has been done for man to enable him to be
Allāh’s vicegerent on earth – it is obvious that there is a
purpose of life for man. To reinforce the message, the Qur’ān
points out that man and the entire universe are not created in
vain. Those who think otherwise are unbelievers and they will
face with eternal doom in the Hereafter.28 In contrast, men of
understanding would be able to discern the divine purpose
behind the cosmic order and beseech Allāh for their eternal
well-being in the Hereafter.29

3.3 Harvest in the Hereafter

An essential part in Allāh’s scheme of things is the Hereafter.
The Qur’ān goes to great lengths to assure man that life does
not end with death. In the literary expression of the Qur’ān,
death is just something that each soul has to taste.30 Life is to
continue in another form. Every human being will be
resurrected on the Day of Judgment and will be questioned for
all he does during his earthly existence. Each one will earn fully
what he deserves and will be rewarded with Paradise or
punished with hellfire in the Hereafter. This is the scenario the
Qur’ān states emphatically. Belief in the Hereafter is an
important element of faith. There are people who simply
dismiss the idea of resurrection and the Hereafter as something

28 Q. 38:27.
29 Q. 3:191.
30 Q. 3:185.

81

absurd. In refuting these people, the Qur’ān reminds man
repeatedly that it would be easy for Allāh, the Creator, to bring
them to life again as He wills31.

From what the Qur’ān relates, this worldly life has a
direct bearing on life in the Hereafter. While the life of this
world is both short and temporary, the one in the Hereafter
will be eternal and will constitute the Final outcome of one’s
earthly efforts. Yet, usually, people prefer the life of this world.
That is why the Qur’ān stresses that the Hereafter is better and
lasting.32 The primary purpose of this life is to worship Allāh
and, in so doing, prepare for the Hereafter. The successful ones
will be those who purify themselves, invoke Allāh, and follow
His teachings, i.e. do good deeds and lead a moral life. It follows
that the Qur’ānic notion of success is markedly different from
the prevailing norm in contemporary societies. Nowadays
success is commonly thought to mean worldly
accomplishments represented by wealth, rank, status, power,
and fame. People pursue these goals. God-consciousness, piety,
and morality would be the last things to be hailed as success by
most people.

31 Q. 22:5.
32 Q. 87:16-17.

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3.4 Moral Dualism in Man

From the Qur’ānic perspective, the false aspirations most
people entertain could be easily explained. In fact, man needs
to understand the source of his illusions before he can get rid of
them to set himself back on the right track and strive for the
things of genuine worth. The worst enemy of man has been
lying in ambush for him since the very first generation of
humankind. The Qur’ān narrates that when the angels bowed
down to Ādam, Iblīs objected to Allāh’s command. Iblīs argued
that he was superior to Ādam because he was created from fire,
while Ādam was a creature of clay. Iblīs was condemned for
disobeying Allāh, but was given temporary reprieve until the
Day of Judgment when he will be punished. From then on, Iblīs
was determined to lead man away from Allāh and make him
commit evil on earth.33 Iblīs is man’s worst enemy. He strives to
make as many of Ādam’s family join him in the hellfire of the
Hereafter. He does not cease to tempt them by every possible
means to disobey Allāh and be punished eternally like himself.

Hence, the first to be tempted was Ādam and his wife.
While in the Garden, they were allowed to eat whatever they
liked with the exception of one tree, which Allāh forbade them
to go near. Under Iblīs’ instigation, they disobeyed Allāh.
However, Allāh is Most-Forgiving. As long as man humbles

33 Q. 7:11-18

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himself, recognizes his sins and repents, Allāh is ready to
forgive. Such was the case of Ādam and his wife. Quickly they
realized their sin and repented. Allāh accepted their
repentance, forgave them and then commanded them to live on
earth. This is how the human family emerged. As humanity is
one family, Islam emphasizes the equality of man, and piety to
Allāh the sole criteria for nearness to Him.34

From the Qur’ānic account of creation, man can
understand the moral dynamics in himself. By the same token,
he knows thst he has a divine mission: he is to be Allāh’s
vicegerent on earth. He is given divine directions about
discharging responsibilities. With his godly originated spirit, he
is gifted with a variety of faculties so that he can fulfil what is
required of him. On the other hand, Iblīs is there every minute
to woo him away from the Divine Path. Indeed he is given free
will as to whether obey Allāh or follow Iblīs. If man obeys Allāh,
follows His guidance, fulfils his role as His vicegerent, he will be
rewarded with Paradise in the Hereafter. On the contrary, if he
disobeys Allāh, follows Iblīs, does evil, destroys humanity, he
will be punished with hellfire in the Hereafter. It can be seen
that the situation man faces is dialectical. Allāh seems to say,
“The greater the honour, the greater the test.”

34 Q. 49:13

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3.5 Spiritual Progress

The primary concern of the Qur’ān is man and his betterment.
It calls man to Allāh; it invites man to follow the Dīn He is
pleased with, i.e., Islam, the Straight Path. Sayyid Abū al-a‘lā
Mawdūdī points out that in Islam man’s entire individual and
social life is an exercise in developing and strengthening his
relationship with Allāh.35 The relationship was well established
from the very beginning when man was created. The Qur’ān
vividly relates how man enters into the primordial covenant
with Allāh, testifying that He is their Lord.36 It is in the earthly
stage that man, given his free will, is put to test. He is to choose
between identifying with Allāh and denying Him, obeying Him
and disobeying Him.

This is the central, the most fundamental issue in man’s
life. He is to choose between the two options: good or evil. His
choice will have a direct bearing on his eternal destiny in the
Hereafter. Is the choice difficult or is man likely to fail the test?
If man sincerely listens with intent to his inner callings and
employs deep and unobstructed intellection, the odds are that
he will triumph. By the primordial covenant, Allāh has instilled
in man the religious instinct to know Him. The wondrous
nature is full of signs pointing to the existence and oneness of

35 G.W. Choudhury, Islam and the Contemporary World (Des Plaines, Illinois:
Library of Islam, 1991), 3.

36 Q. 7:172
85

God. Although Iblīs has vowed to tempt man away from Allāh,
man, with the Divine Guidance, has the capacity to refuse to
side with evil. With conscious and constant effort, man can
progress on the spiritual path. The Qur’ān identifies three
stages that man is to go through in his spiritual journey to
attain peace with Allāh at the end. The three spiritual stages
would entail the soul’s proclivity to evil, its self-reproach, and
its attainment of peace with its Lord.37

4. TIMELESS NATURE OF THE QUR’ĀN

Since antiquity, regardless of whether in the East or in the
West, man has pondered about his existence and the universe.
He has searched for the purpose of life and the best way to live
his years on earth. As a result, different philosophies have been
formulated. Very often they serve as points of reference for
man to conduct his life and organize society. It is an ongoing
process. History evolves, so do philosophies. As man learns
from his experience, or shifts in his likes or dislikes, he revises
his thoughts and comes up with new philosophies. Up to the
present moment, the materialistic outlook of the modern
secular Western civilization has been dominating the world. In
whichever corner of the globe, traditions have been dying;
societies have been transformed; life has changed. Materially
man has progressed. Yet he has not found peace and happiness,

37 Q. 12:53, 75:2, 89:27

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perhaps much less so than in the past. The world today is
plagued with acute problems as a result of man’s own making,
such as climate change, the armament race, and adverse
imbalance in distribution of wealth. Man is still in search of a
way ahead.

It is against this backdrop of development of humanity
that the value of the Qur’ān can be better understood and
appreciated. First and foremost, the Qur’ān comes from Allāh. It
is the word of God – and is not of human authorship. The
Qur’ān has made this point clear and even challenges man to
produce similar works if anyone doubts its divine origin. 38

Different from the philosophical speculations of the
human mind, which has its many limitations, the Qur’ān comes
from the Creator who is All-knowing, Merciful, Wise and Just. It
is Allāh Who knows man the best, Who has ordained Mercy
upon Himself in His treatment of man, and whose Divine
Wisdom is beyond human comprehension. He is Just,
sanctioning no bias towards or against certain groups when
dealing with man. Altogether, it means that only He alone is in a
position to formulate the best, the most viable approach to life
for man as a whole. The optimum quality of this way of life
prescribed by Allāh is as the Qur’ān calls it – “al-Ṣirāt al-
Mustaqīm, the Straight Path”. The straight path represents the

38 Q. 2:23, 11:13, 10:38

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shortest, the most direct way towards a destination without
loss of energy by zigzagging.

Man is the noblest creation of Allāh; this distinct nature is
not to change over time. So is the way of life the most suited to
his nature prescribed by the Creator. The Qur’ān instructs:

‫فَأَ ِق ْم َو ْج َه َك ِلل ِدهي ِن َحنِيفا ِف ْط َرةَ ّل َّلاِ الَّ ِتي فَ َط َر النَّا َس َعلَ ْي َها َلا تَ ْب ِدي َل ِل َخ ْل ِق ّل َّلاِ ذَ ِل َك‬
‫ال ِدهين ا ْلقَيِهم َو َل ِك َّن أَ ْكثَ َر النَّا ِس َلا يَ ْعلَمو َن ۝‬

“So [Prophet] as a man of pure faith, stand firm in your
devotion to the religion. This is the natural disposition God
instilled in mankind – there is no altering God’s creation –
and this is the right religion, though most people do not
realize it” (Q. 30:30).

In this light, it is unquestionable that the Qur’ān, as the last
Revelation of Allāh to guide man, is viable at all times and in all
places.

4.1 Tawḥīdic Approach to Life

The contemporary era has witnessed man’s great leap forward
in the use of technology to improve the material conditions of
life. Man has been so successful in utilizing nature that he
forgets or denies the Creator and takes himself as God. He
thinks he can decide what is good for himself, what laws he
should set for societies. At best he relegates religion to his
private life and denies its role in the public sphere. The Qur’ān
squarely points out that this arrogant attitude towards God is

88

wrong and will lead to disasters for man. Life, like the universe,
is a totality. Allāh governs all in the universe. He is the Only
Lawmaker. This is another dimension of the Tawhīdic concept
in Islam. There is no compartmentalization into the sacred and
the profane. Allāh is to be remembered at all times and His
commands to be followed in all aspects of life. Religion is far
from a private matter, but is integral to society. The Qur’ān
gives principles and values to govern the political, economic,
social, and religious life of societies. As the Qur’ān is meant for
all times and all peoples, it does not specify the particular
institutions or mechanisms by which the fundamental
principles and values could be applied in reality. It leaves the
technical details of application to the human mind. Suffice it to
lay down the fundamentals. The essence is that man should
build a moral social order based on firmly grounded faith in
Allāh. In the light of the Qur’ān, modern secularist thinking is
discredited.

The Tawhīdic approach to life necessitates the
integration of the material and the spiritual. A balance of the
two is commanded. Any one-sided approach would be wrong.
As man has both body and spirit, hence, needing material and
spiritual fulfilments, the Straight Path incorporates the
inseparable and complementary twin aspects of the material
and the spiritual. It is human nature to seek the good things of
the material world. The Qur’ān does not forbid it, but advises

89

man to practice just balance in satisfying his needs.39 The
Qur’ān teaches believers to implore Allāh for good in this world
and good in the Hereafter, i.e., for both material and spiritual
well-being.40 It would be even wrong for man to neglect his
physical needs and to devote himself exclusively to spiritual
concerns. As such, there is no monasticism in Islam. Afterall,
Allāh has subjected nature to man for his welfare. Yet, it is
important for man to remember that the Hereafter is far
superior and everlasting so that he does not excessively
indulge with the transient and fleeting worldly pleasures.

In view of the contemporary materialistic outlook, the
Qur’ān serves as a much-needed reminder to man that such an
approach to life cannot bring genuineness to humanity. Man
will be doomed to failure and catastrophes if he forgets or
denies his Creator. A straightforward truth that the Qur’ān
points out is that man cannot attain inner peace if he forgets
the Creator:

‫الَّ ِذي َن ءا َمنوا َو تَط َمئِ َّن قلوبهم أَلا ِب ِذك ِر الله تَط َمئِ هن القلوب ۝‬
“Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in
the remembrance of Allāh; for truly it is in the
remembrance of Allāh that hearts find peace” (Q. 13:28).

39 Q. 5:87-88.
40 Q. 2:200-202.

90

Ironically, at a time when man has conquered even the outer
space, he is still at loss with himself. Therefore, the Qur’ān
objects to the Western modern conception of progress, which
only takes into account the material dimension of human
existence. Such a narrowed perspective is leading man to many
a wrong direction.

Disenchanted by the failure of Western civilization to
build the kind of noble society and just world order that is
yearned for, the postmodernists’ delusional thinking claims no
truth, no objective reality, no certainty in this world. Truth
simply does not exist. It is a matter of social convention. Values
can only be relative, not absolute. Man is moulded by society
and has no conscious choice of his own. His personality is
fragmented and unstable. As mentioned earlier in this article,
the philosophical speculations of the human mind evolve over
time, whereas the Qur’ān gives the Absolute, constant Truth.
With the Qur’ānic teachings, man can easily detect the errors in
human intellectual products. It can be seen that the
postmodernist ideas are worlds apart from the tenets given in
the Qur’ān. The logical reasoning presented by the Qur’ān helps
the sound human mind to distinguish between the true and the
false. While the candidness of the postmodernist claims might
not be totally dismissed, it has to be understood that they arise
from Western history and culture which have not been
nourished by the Qur’ān. At best, the postmodernist thought

91

describes the West, but it cannot claim universal applicability
as the Qur’ān can. legitimately do so. To Muslims, the truth of
Divine Revelation, the certainty of the Hereafter, the stability of
the original innate human nature, and the conscious and moral
choice of man cannot be dismissed by postmodernist claims no
matter how vociferous their proponents are.

Put in simple terms, the Straight Path prescribed for man
in the Qur’ān is straight: believe in Allāh, worship Him in
totality, take care of one’s physical and spiritual needs in a
balanced manner, pursue knowledge, cultivate virtues, do good
and forbid evil, build a just, harmonious and brotherly society.
The Qur’ān assures man that if he is thankful to Allāh and obeys
Him, He will give him good in this life and the Hereafter. If man
does the opposite and persists in his denial and disobedience of
God, Allāh’s wrath will descend upon him and he will be
doomed to disaster.

4.2 Prophecy

The Qur’ānic message is not new. Prophet Muḥammad (Peace
and blessings be upon him) to whom the Qur’ān was revealed
in the first place was the seal of a chain of Prophets41 who
spread one and the same Divine Message throughout history.
The Qur’ān states that Allāh is just and would not hold man
responsible for his choice of belief or disbelief, without sending

41 Q. 33:40.

92

Prophets to warn them. Allāh is not to leave man perplexed,
wandering in the maze of life. He gives man clear guidance by
means of Prophets and Revelations. He sent Prophets to every
race to call man to the divine way. Faith or religion had been
one initially. As time went on, man’s faith in Allāh weakened.
Religious belief and practices were corrupted. Moral and social
order degenerated. Allāh sent Prophets repeatedly to remind
man of faith in Him and Him alone, and to restore their sole
worship of Him.42

The chain of Prophets started with the very first man,
Ādam, and ended with Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon all
of them). The theme of Prophets is an important one in the
Qur’ān. Approximately one-fifth of the Qur’ān deals with
narratives of Prophets, their messages, their communities and
how those communities responded to Allāh’s call to recognize
His Oneness and follow His guidance.43 The Qur’ān mentions
the names of twenty-five Prophets while the others are not
identified.44 Among the Prophets named are familiar biblical
figures such as Ādam, Noah (Nūḥ), Abraham (Ibrāhīm), Jacob
(Ya‘qūb), Joseph (Yūsuf), Moses (Mūsā), David (Dāwūd),
Soloman (Sulaymān) and Jesus (‘Īsā). The Qur’ān tells that all of

42 Q. 16:36.
43 Abdullah Saeed, The Qur’ān: An Introduction (London and New York:
Routledge, 2008), 66.
44 Q. 4:164.

93

them taught the same basic message of belief in Allāh, The
Creator and The Sustainer of the Universe, and that human
beings should recognize His Oneness and lead an ethical and
moral life.

4.3 People of the Book

By relating Prophet Muḥammad to his prophetic predecessors
(peace be upon all of them)45, the Qur’ān asserts that its
message is not new. The Qur’ān is to confirm previous
scriptures – notably, the Tawrah sent to Prophet Mūsā (Moses)
and the Injīl to Prophet ‘Īsā (Jesus) (peace be upon them). In
the same way as previous Revelations, it serves as guidance to
man and as a distinction between right and wrong.46
Furthermore, the Qur’ān gives a special status to Jews and
Christians and refers to them as the “People of the Book” (Ahl
al-Kitāb). Together with Muslims, they are followers of the
three monotheistic religions. While acknowledging the close
relationship of Jews and Christians with Muslims, the Qur’ān
critiques these two communities. First, they were unable to
preserve the Divine Revelations they had received. Their
history is a testimony of tampering and peppering of the
scriptures with additions, emendations or falsifications.
Second, each of the two had borne fabricated creeds in their

45 Q. 4:163, 3:2-4
46 Q. 2:185

94

faith. While the Jews had singled themselves to be the people
favoured by Allāh, the Christians had formulated dogmas like
Original Sin, trinity, monasticism, distorting both the pristine
belief in Allāh and the sound way to worship Him. In contrast
with the previous scriptures, which had been corrupted, the
Qur’ān is preserved and protected by Allāh – its Author –
forever. The Qur’ān asserts its Divine Authorship
unequivocally.

5. PLURALISTIC SOCIETY

Much more than before, diversity of religion is a fact of life.
Societies are seldom homogeneous. Believers of different
religions and unbelievers live together in the same country, the
same community, the same neighbourhood. From time to time,
incidents of religious conflicts are in the news. How a
pluralistic society can attain harmony among its members of
different religious and philosophical orientations has become
an important concern. In this regard, the Qur’ān provides
guidelines. First, it is the Divine Will to let man choose belief or
unbelief. Heterogeneity is by Allāh’s Design, meaning that man
should have the mind and the heart to accept it. Muslims are
even commanded not to revile the faith of others and are
instructed to safeguard their places of worship if they are in a
position to do so:

95

‫َولَ ْو َشاء ّل هلا َل َج َعلَك ْم أ َّمة َوا ِحدَة َو َلـ ِكن ِلهيَ ْبل َوك ْم فِي َمآ آتَاكم َفا ْستَبِقوا ال َخ ْي َرا ِت ِإلَى‬
‫الله َم ْر ِجعك ْم َج ِميعا َفينَبِهئكم ِب َما كنت ْم ِفي ِه تَ ْختَ ِلفو َن ۝‬

“If God had so willed, He would have made you one
community, but He wanted to test you through that which
He has given you, so race to do good: you will return to God
and He will make clear to you the matters you differed
about” (Q. 5:48).

Secondly, what is crucial is Muslims must strive in commanding
that which is good or right and prohibiting that which is wrong
or evil, in line with the Qur’ānic injunction of spreading mercy
to all47 and in fostering good societal relationship on the
common ground of universal values whatever their outlook is.
Taking the “People of the Book” as an example, the Qur’ān
shows how to foster this relation, whilst standing firmly rooted
in Tawḥīd:

‫ق ْل يَا أَ ْه َل ا ْل ِكتَا ِب تَ َعا َل ْواْ ِإلَى َكلَ َمة َس َواء بَ ْينَنَا َو َب ْينَك ْم أَلاَّ نَ ْعبدَ إِلاَّ ّل هلاَ َولاَ ن ْش ِر َك ِب ِه‬
‫َش ْيئا َولاَ يَتَّ ِخذَ َب ْعضنَا بَ ْعضا أَ ْر َبابا ِهمن دو ِن ّل هلاِ َفإِن تَ َولَّ ْواْ َفقولواْ ا ْش َهدواْ ِبأَنَّا‬

‫م ْس ِلمو َن ۝‬
“Say, “O People of the Book, come to common terms as
between us and you: that we worship none but Allāh, that
we associate no partners with Him, that we erect not from
among ourselves lords and patrons other than Allāh. If they
then turn back, say ye, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims’”
(Q. 3:64).

47 Q. 21:107.

96

Third, justice reigns supreme. One should uphold justice even
when dealing with those not of one’s own liking.48 As a book of
guidance for man, the Qur’ān informs of the pluralistic nature
of humanity in which man exercises his free will to choose his
belief or unbelief, with an awareness of the circumstances and
outcome each brings. However, the pluralistic nature of
humanity that the Qur’ān informs is not to be confused with the
ideology of pluralism – the notion that all religions and creeds
are equally valid, each as a legitimate way at attaining felicity
or nearness to God – which the Qur’ān clearly and
unequivocally does not endorse49.

6. CONCLUSION

In summary, the Qur’ān elucidates in providing the
metaphysics that answer man’s puzzle about the mysteries of
life. It tells man his role in the cosmic order and the ultimate
reality he will face. With this necessary prelude, it informs man
of the viable approach to life, i.e., Islam, the “Straight Path”. It
stands for a commitment to surrender one’s will to the will of
God and thus to be at peace with the Creator and in harmony
with the true nature of all beings created by Him. As this
approach is prescribed by the Creator, and corresponds to the
primordial human nature, it applies to man irrespective of time

48 Q. 5:8.
49 See for example Q. 5:3; 24:55; 109:1-6. (Ed.)

97

and place. Its teachings are valid in the twenty-first century as
much as it was valid when it first came in the seventh century.

In fact, the core of this creed – Tawḥīd – is the very
essence of the unadulterated message given to the previous
Prophets, tracing back to Ādam (peace and blessings be upon
them all). It is applicable in all societies, whether in the East or
in the West. While man may be confused in the midst of various
philosophical speculations, the Qur’ān gives the Divine norm
and points the way ahead. It is by Allāh’s design that man is
given the freewill to choose. Since īmān is not by compulsion,
hence, humankind is sure to differ in the choice of belief (and
unbelief). The Qur’ān thus informs of plurality in human
society. It is then the very task of the believing man to
understand the Qur’ānic teachings, especially its fundamental
principles and values – not in hermitic isolation, but striving at
his best to put them into practice and forward at the individual,
societal and global levels, facing the pluralistic world before
him and sharing forth the Qur’ānic enlightenment.

98

REFERENCES

Abdel Haleem, M.A.S. (2004). The Qur’ān, A New Translation by M.A.S.
Abdel Haleem. New York: Oxford University Press.

Al Fārūqī, Ismā‘īl Rājī. (1982). Al Tawḥīd: Its Implications for Thought and
Life (1992 edn). Herndon: The International Institute of Islamic
Thought.

Al Fārūqī, Ismā‘īl Rājī. (1989). ‘Towards a Critical World Theology’ in
Toward Islamization of Disciplines. Herndon, Virginia:
International Institute of Islamic Thought, 409-453.

Al-Ghazali, Muhammad. (2000). A Thematic Commentary on the Qur’ān.
(Ashur A. Shamis, Trans.) Herndon, Virginia: International
Institute of Islamic Thought. (Year of original work unknown)

‘Alī, ‘Abdullah Yūsuf. (1992). The Holy Qur’ān: Translation and
Commentary, Brentwood, Maryland, USA: Amana Corp.
Asad, Muḥammad. (1934). Islam at the Crossroads (1999 edn). Kuala

Lumpur: The Other Press.
Choudhury, G.W. (1991). Islam and the Contemporary World. Des Plaines,

Illinois: Library of Islam.
Esposito, John L. (1988). Islam the Straight Path. New York: Oxford

University Press.
Laming, Shahibuddīn. (2000). Some Basic Themes in the Qur’ān. Kuala

Lumpur: A.S. Noordeen.
Saeed, Abdullah. (2008). The Qur’ān: An Introduction. London and New

York: Routledge.

99

ISLAMIC PERSONALITY:
ITS CONCEPT, DEVELOPMENT AND SIGNIFICANCE
IN THE LIFE OF CONTEMPORARY MAN BASED ON

THE TEACHINGS OF AL-IMĀM AL-GHAZĀLĪ


Aamir Bashir 1

1 Paper submitted for “The Qur’ān and Sunnah: Foundations of Islamic
Personality, Society and Culture”, dated April 2008. (Ed.)

100

1. INTRODUCTION

The human inner working as presented by Imām Ghazā lī in his
various works, especially Iḥyā ʿUlūm al-Dīn can be termed as a
true representation of Islamic psychology. The Islamic notion
of human personality differs markedly from those represented
by the West. The Cartesian dualism of mind and body
characterizes Western approaches to human psychology.
Islamic scholars, on the other hand, put forth the idea of man as
composed of the body and the spirit, where the mind is
acquiescent to the spirit. In Islam, man is considered a
theomorphic creature whose potential for development and
growth is vast.

The goal or the purpose of human existence has to be
clearly outlined in order that man systematically develops his
personality in line with the reason for his creation. The
example before Muslims is that of Prophet Muḥammad (Allāh
blesses him and gives him peace), who is al-insān al-kāmil, the
perfect man.

2. THE ISLAMIC CONCEPT OF HUMAN PERSONALITY

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines personality as “the
complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a
nation or a group; especially the totality of an individual's
behavioral and emotional characteristics.”

101

According to Islamic understanding, the human being is
composed of the body as well as the soul. Thus, he has a
physical, as well as a spiritual aspect to him. The spiritual is
variously termed as al-nafs (soul), al-ʿaql (intellect/reason), al-
qalb (heart), and al-rūḥ (spirit). Some ṣūfīs have added other
terms as well, but we shall confine ourselves to these four.2 As
explained by al-Ghazā li,̄ each of these four has a particular
meaning, but there is also a fifth meaning which is common to
all four. Let us first present the meanings specific to each four
and then we shall present the common meaning.

1. The physical aspect of the qalb refers to the cone-shaped
organ of flesh located at the left side of the chest, the
heart. It is a flesh of a certain sort in which there is a
cavity, and in this cavity there is black blood which is the
source (manbaʿ) and the seat (maʿdan) of the spirit. Both
human and animals – alive or dead – have this heart of
flesh.3 However, al-Ghazā li’̄ s focus is on the subtle

2 See al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī’s Bayān al-Farq bayn al-Ṣadr wa al-Qalb wa al-
Fu’ād wa al-Lubb, ed. Nicholas Heer (Beirut: Dār al-‘Arab, n.d.); also ʿAbd al-
Raḥmān Ḥasan Ḥabannakah al-Mīdānī’s Al-Akhlāq al-Islāmiyyah wa Usasuhā
(Damascus: Dār al-Qalam, 1999).
3 Walter James Skellie, The Religious Psychology of al-Ghazali: A Translation
of His Book of the Ihya on the Explanation of the Wonders of the Heart with
Introduction and Notes (Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International,
1938), 5.

102

entities that it holds, in an unknown and mysterious
relationship between the former and the latter.

2. The rūḥ is a subtle entity whose source is the cavity of the
physical heart, which spreads by means of the pulsative
arteries to all the other parts of the body. Its circulation
in the body is what gives life to the human being.4

3. The nafs refers to the faculty of anger (ghaḍab) and
appetite or craving (shahwah). Ṣūfīs generally use nafs to
denote all that is blameworthy in man. And so they say,
“The nafs must be striven against and broken”,5 exercised
with discipline to attain a higher level of nafs – the soul
that is pleased and well-pleasing.

4. The ʿaql refers to the force of knowledge of the real
nature of things and is thus an expression for the quality
of knowledge whose seat is the heart.6

To al-Ghazāli, the meaning common to all four of these is the
“essence of man”:

‫ وتلك اللطيفة هي حقيقة الإنسان وهو المدرك العالم‬.... ‫هو لطيفة ربانية روحانية‬
7.‫العارف من الإنسان وهو المخاطب والمعاقب والمعاتب والمطالب‬

4 Ibid., 7.
5 Ibid., 8.
6 Ibid., 10.

103

It is a subtle, tenuous substance of an ethereal spiritual
sort. …. This is the real essence of man. This is the one
which perceives and knows and experiences; it is
addressed and held responsible and rebuked.8

It is in this meaning that the rūḥ has been mentioned in the
Qur’ān.

‫َو َي ْسأَلو َن َك َع ِن ال ُّروحِ ق ِل ال ُّروح ِم ْن أَ ْم ِر َربِهي َو َما أوتِيتم ِهم َن ا ْل ِع ْل ِم إِ َّلا َق ِليلا ۝‬
“And they ask you about the rūḥ. Say: The rūḥ is one of the
commands of my Lord, and you are not given aught of
knowledge but a little” (Q. 17: 85).

That is why most people have difficulty in understanding it
because it belongs to the world of decrees (ʿālam al-’amr) as
opposed to the body which belongs to the world of creation
(ʿālam al-khalq).

For the rest of this discussion, we shall refer to this
“essence of man” as the rūḥ unless otherwise stated. This rūḥ is
transcendentally connected to the physical heart. The exact
relationship though belongs to the world of mukāshafah
(unveiling) with which we shall not deal in this paper. The
relationship between the body and the rūḥ is that of the
container and the contained. In other words, the physical body

7 Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī , IÍyā ‘Ulūm al-Dīn (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah,
n.d.), 3: 4.
8 Skellie, The Religious Psychology of Al-Ghazali…, 6.

104

is just a receptacle for this rūḥ. This body is not suitable for the
hereafter. Over there, each rūḥ will be given a different
resurrected body which will be suitable for that environment.

3. THE INTERPLAY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FORCES
ACCORDING TO AL- GHAZĀLĪ

All psychological phenomena originate in the rūḥ.9 Thus, man
is characterized by a number of powers and forces which give
him his particularly complex psychological composition. A
proper comprehension of the interplay of these forces is
necessary for an apt understanding of the human being. For
this purpose, we can use the analogy provided by al-Ghazālī .
He says,

The body may be figured as the kingdom, the soul (the
essence of man) as its king, and the different senses and
faculties as constituting an army. Reason may be called
the vizier, or prime minister, passion the revenue
collector, and anger the police officer. Under the guise of
collecting revenue, passion is continually prone to
plunder on its own account, while resentment is always
inclined to harshness and extreme severity. Both of these,
the revenue collector and the police officer have to be

9 Abdul Lateef Abdullah, “Toward a Concept of Islamic Personality”, Crescent
Life,
<http://www.crescentlife.com/articles/islamic%20psych/concept_of_islamic_
personality.htm> (accessed March 24, 2008).

105

kept in due subordination to the king, but not killed or
excelled, as they have their own proper functions to
fulfill. But if passion and resentment master reason, the
ruin of the soul (the essence of man) infallibly ensues. A
soul which allows its lower faculties to dominate the
higher is as one who should hand over an angel to the
power of a dog, or a Muslim to the tyranny of an
unbeliever.10

To elaborate further, we present Imām Ghazāli’̄ s detailed
exposition of the interplay of these forces or factors.

“It should be understood that there are four mingled
factors which dwell together in man’s nature and make-
up, and therefore four kinds of qualities are united
against him. These are the qualities of the beasts of prey
(sabuʿiyyah), brutish qualities (bahīmiyyah), demonic
qualities (shayṭāniyyah) and lordly qualities
(rabbāniyyah).

In so far as anger rules over him he is addicted to the
deeds of a beast of prey, such as enmity, detestation, and
assault of people by beating and cursing them. In so far as
appetite rules him he is addicted to brutish acts of
gluttony, greed, carnal desires and so on. In so far as
there is within his soul something lordly, as Allāh has
said, “The Spirit is from the decree of my Lord.” (Qurān,

10 Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī , The Alchemy of Happiness, translated from
Hindustani by Claud Field (New Delhi: Islamic Book Service, 1997), 22-23.

106

17: 87), he claims lordship for himself and loves majesty,
superiority, exclusiveness, and despotism in all things;
and to be the sole ruler, and to slip away from the noose
of servitude and humility. He longs to study all the
sciences, nay rather he claims for himself science and
knowledge and the real nature of things. He rejoices
when knowledge is attributed to him, and is grieved
when accused of ignorance. The comprehension of all
realities, and seeking to rule by force over all creatures
are among the lordly qualities, and man is greedy for
them.

In so far as he differs from the brutes in having the
faculty of discernment, although sharing with them in
anger (ghaḍab) and appetite (shahwah), he attains to
demonic qualities. Thus he becomes wicked and uses his
discernment in the discovery of ways of evil. He seeks to
attain his ends by guile, deceit, and cunning and sets
forth evil as though it were good. These are the
characteristics of demons (shayāṭīn).

Thus, every man has within him a mixture of these four
qualities, i.e., lordly, demonic, beastly, and brutish; and all
of these are gathered together in the qalb.11 So there are
gathered inside of a man’s skin, as it were, a pig, a dog, a
demon, and a sage. The pig is appetite, for the pig is
blameworthy for his covetousness, his voracity and his
greed. The dog is anger, because dog has the bestial

11 Referring to the essence of man defined above.
107

quality of savageness and enmity and slaughter. Thus, the
pig through gluttony invites man to excess and
abominations, and the wild beast by means of anger calls
him to oppression and harmful acts.

The demon continues to stir up the appetite of the pig
and the wrath of the wild beast, and to incite the one by
means of the other; and he makes their inborn
dispositions to appear good to them.

The sage who represents the intellect, is duty bound to
ward off the plotting and guile of the demon by revealing
his dissembling by means of his (i.e. the sage’s)
penetrating insight and clear illumination; and to destroy
the gluttony of this pig by setting the dog over him, for by
means of anger he breaks down the assault of appetite.
He wards off the savageness of the dog by setting the pig
over him and bringing the dog in subjection under his
rule. If he does this successfully, his affairs are set right,
equity is manifest in the kingdom of the body, and all
goes in the straight path.”12

4. THE THEOMORPHIC NATURE OF MAN
Man may also be described as a theomorphic creature. It means
that man is endowed with the ability to know God and can
achieve perfection by moulding himself by the moral qualities

12 Al-Ghazālī , The Wonders of the Heart; Skellie, The Religious Psychology of
Al-Ghazali, 36-38.

108

as epitomized by the ninety-nine Glorious Attributes of God –
Al-Asmā’ Al-Ḥusnā’. Thus, man is not just a homo economicos;
rather, the economic aspect of human life is just a small
segment of the overall human experience. To confine human
beings to just this aspect is extremely reductionist which
renders man at the same level as the ape or other animals.
Islam presents the concept of the Ᾱdamic man who is
theomorphic in nature as opposed to the Darwinian man who
is just a perfected ape, a homo sapiens.

Man’s perfection and happiness consists in conforming to
the perfections of Allāh, Most High, and in adorning himself
with the meanings of His Attributes and Names in so far as this
is conceivable for man.13 This is so because as mentioned by al-
Ghazā lī above, man is composed of both bestial and angelic
natures. The angels are the closest creatures to Allāh. Man by
working on his angelic side and taming his bestial side can
attain to the ranks of angels and even surpass them. That is
why the Prophets are considered higher in rank than the most
exalted angels. Adorning oneself with divine attributes does not
mean seeking a partnership with Allāh, The Exalted. On the
contrary, it only refers to man taking his share from each of
those attributes as is within his power, in lieu of the godly

13 Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī , Al-Maqṣad al-Asnā fī Sharḥ Asmā’ Allāh al-Ḥusnā,
translated from Arabic by David Burrel and Nazih Daher (Cambridge, UK:
Islamic Texts Society, 1992), 30.

109

potentials in the spirit breathed into him by Allāh (Qur’ān,
32:9), as a foetus in gestation. Being able to see does not render
man equal to Allāh, even though He also sees. The sight of man
has no comparison to the Sight of Allāh. But sight is still a
blessing of Allāh and an adornment for man. Similarly,
adorning oneself with Allāh’s Attributes only helps to perfect
him and does not in any way entail the possibility of man
seeking to be God’s equal. In the Ḥadīth of Muslim,14 the ninety-
nine names of God are mentioned. This short paper does not
allow us to deal with all of these. However, to illustrate the
point that we are making, we shall present below how some of
these attributes may be acquired in a human context.

Allāh is the name unique to God. No other creature can
conceive to be another Allāh. But man’s share from this name of
Allāh lies in becoming god-like (ta’alluh), which means that his
heart and his aspiration be taken up with God, that he does not
look towards anything other than Him, that he neither implore
nor fear anyone but Him.15 Similarly, His names Al-Raḥmān and
Al-Raḥīm, meaning the Infinitely Good and the Merciful are
derived from mercy. Man’s share in the name Al-Raḥmān lies in

14 The word ḥadīth means a saying that includes practice, opinion or silent
confirmation ascribed to Prophet Muhammad. In this paper, when we use it
with a small ḥ, it will refer to a single Prophetic tradition. Its plural will be
ḥadīths. We will use Ḥadīth with a capital Ḥ to refer to ḥadīths in general.
15 Ibid., 52.

110

his showing of mercy to the negligent, dissuading them from
the path of negligence towards God by exhortation and
counselling, by way of gentleness not violence, regarding the
disobedient with eyes of mercy and not contempt; letting every
insubordination perpetrated in the world to be as his own
misfortune, so sparing no effort to eliminate it to the extent
that he can. Man’s share in the name Al-Raḥīm lies in not
turning away from any needy person without meeting his
needs to the extent of his ability nor turning from any poor in
his neighbourhood or town without committing himself to
them and ridding them of their poverty – either through his
own wealth or by interceding on their behalf with another.16

5. DEVELOPMENT

In order for a human being to develop, he has to know his
purpose of existence and the potential that he has. While
discussing the concept of human personality in Islam, we have
already talked about the potential that man has within him.
Now, we shall deal with this in more detail. But first, we must
define the purpose of man’s existence.

5.1 Definition of Purpose or Goal

The special characteristic peculiar to man is knowledge and
wisdom, and the noblest kind of knowledge is the knowledge of

16 Ibid., 54-55.

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Allāh, His Attributes and His Deeds. By this comes man’s
perfection, and in his perfection is his happiness and
worthiness to live near to Allāh, the Divine Majesty and
Perfection. The body then is a vehicle for the soul (nafs or rūḥ),
and the soul is the seat of knowledge. Knowledge is the end
destined for man and his special characteristic for which he
was created:17

‫َو َما َخلَ ْقت ا ْل ِج َّن َوا ْل ِإن َس إِ َّلا ِل َي ْعبدو ِن ۝‬
“And I have not created the jinn and the men except that
they should worship me” (Q. 51: 56).

The totality of man’s happiness therein lies in making his
aim to meet Allāh, the abode of the world to come as his
dwelling place, this present world his temporary stopping
place, the body his vehicle and its members his servants.18
Thus, man being the most exalted of all creations, has a
purpose, which is to realize the moral through the proper
exercise of the qualities inherent in him. He has to develop
those qualities that facilitate moral progress19 and subjugate
those which hinder it.20 In order to achieve the moral end, one
has to build a good character that comprises all the virtues, the

17 Skellie, The Religious Psychology of Al-Ghazali, 31.
18 Ibid., 33.
19 Imam Ghazālī ’s term is al-munjiyāt (redeeming qualities) or faÌā’il (virtues).
20 Imam Ghazālī ’s term is al-muhlikāt (destructive qualities) or radhā’il
(vices).

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most important of which is the love of God. The actual worth of
a virtue is essentially determined by the part it plays in helping
man to achieve perfection whereby he attains nearness to God.
Good character is the beauty of the soul and like the beauty of
the body, it depends on the harmonious and proportionate
development of all its elements.”21

5.2 The Ideal

Islamic personality, grounded in high moral character,
encompasses belief, external traits, attributes, behaviours,
manners and social graces and ādāb. It covers every aspect of
interpersonal life, including relations between man and man,
man and God, man and family, man and society, as well as man
and the natural world.22 The perfect embodiment of this high
moral character was our beloved Prophet (Allāh blesses him
and grants him peace) himself. For Muslims, he is the ideal.
When Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah was asked about the character of the
Prophet (Allāh blesses him and grants him peace), she replied:
“His character was the Qur’ān.”23

‫لَّقَ ْد َكا َن َلك ْم ِفي َرسو ِل ّل َّلاِ أ ْس َوةٌ َح َس َنةٌ ِله َمن َكا َن َي ْرجوا ّل َّلاَ َوا ْليَ ْو َم ا ْْل ِخ َر َوذَ َك َر‬
‫ّل َّلاَ َكثِيرا ۝‬

21 M. Umaruddin, The Ethical Philosophy of Al-Ghazali (Lahore: Sh.
Muhammad Ahsraf, 1982), 163-164.
22 A. Lateef Abdullah, “Toward a Concept of Islamic Personality.”
23 Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī, al-Adab al-Mufrad, ḥadīth No. 308.

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“Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allāh an
excellent exemplar for him who hopes in Allāh and the
Last day and remembers Allāh much” (Q. 33: 21).

From the Prophetic example, we can begin to understand
and define the beliefs, behaviours, and attributes comprising
Islamic personality. Unlike other models and concepts of
personality, which rarely provide a human example from which
to draw, the Islamic notion of ideal personality is based on the
life and actions of the Prophet of Islam himself, and further
examples can be drawn from his closest companions and
exceptional Muslims throughout history. As the Qur’ān is to
Muslims the literal word of God as conveyed to the Prophet
through Archangel Gabriel, Muḥammad (Allāh blesses him and
grants him peace) is seen by Muslims as the full personification
of the Qur’ān, and consequently, the will of God.24

5.3 The Path to Perfection

The path to perfection lies in approximating to the best of our
ability the ideal life of our Prophet, (Allāh blesses him and
grants him peace). The books of Ḥadīth are filled with detailed
accounts of his behaviour. The scholars of Islam have studied
his life in detail as well as the guidelines contained in the
Qur’ān and Sunnah. These studies culminated in the works of

24 A. Lateef Abdullah, “Toward a Concept of Islamic Personality.”
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