Excellent Inter-personal Traits Derived from a Chapter of the Qur’an
O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and fear Allah. Verily! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. — Qur’an 49[Hujurat]:1
No doubt the Qur’an is a miraculous scripture. One which challenges its readers on various grounds. From scientific discoveries to historic predictions, the Qur’an remains an all-encompassing book that has stood the test of time. It guides the one who reads it with a pure heart to the truth. That’s why it’s also called the Criterion. God revealed the Qur’an as a final revelation to guide humanity. In it we find narratives of occurrences from the time of creation to events yet to occur.
Mankind over time have been in a state of loss. God sent down revelation to prophets in order to guide the people. Hence you will find in the Qur’an guiding principles that preserve wealth, intellect and human existence. In this piece, we examine proper conducts in dealing with each other as enjoined by our Creator in Suratul Hujurat. Most of this has to do with interpersonal relationships geared towards peace building. Let’s examine them in bits:
- Verify information before reaction: It is a common practice today for people to believe hear-say. With social media and web 2.0, rumors are transmitted faster than the speed of light. Beware of those who spread calumny of others to you. For sure, they will equally tell others about you too. So when next they come to you, this is what God instructs you to do:
O you who believe! If a rebellious evil person comes to you with a news, verify it, lest you harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful to what you have done. — Verse 6
2. Make reconciliation among people: It’s really sad how some people take joy in other’s mystery. In an instance where feud occurs between people, we should strive to make peace between them. Not the other way by taking sides or fueling malice. This is highly encouraged to a point where by you can give glad tidings to facilitate peace. God puts it clear this way:
The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allah, that you may receive mercy. — verse 10
3. Don’t look down on people: Like the popular adage says: “Pride goes before a fall”, this is very true. Arrogance gave birth to pride and this was eminent in the story of Iblees. There’s nothing good that comes out of being pompous. This was well depicted by the Rasul ﷺ when he said: “pride is rejecting the truth and looking down upon people”. God frowns at this as He instructs us here:
O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former; nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former… — verse 11
4. Avoid defamation and insults: Would anyone love to be disgraced publicly? It’s obvious the answer is NO! Man in his natural instinct rejects insult and disrepute. So do not do to others that which you wouldn’t accept. We sometimes insult people in the guise of jokes. Once the other party refuses to accept a name, it is sufficient to desist. Here is a warning that further buttress the point:
… nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. How bad is it, to insult one’s brother after having Faith [i.e. to call your Muslim brother (a faithful believer) as: "O sinner", or "O wicked", etc.]. And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.). — verse 11
5. Beware of suspicion and spying: When you hear a person say: “I think, I guess, I suspect” then be careful of the words that follow. The prophet ﷺ told us: be wary of suspicion for it is the worst of false tales. Spying on the other hand is defective. Is there anyone perfect who doesn’t commit sins in secrecy? So why would you be the ranger hunting other people’s fault while concealing yours. Often times, suspicion and spying without a valid reason leads to an unpleasant situation.This is the reason why God has warned us aforetime:
O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not… — verse 12
6. Backbiting is an evil thing: And one of the greatest evil of the moment we live in is backbiting. The reality is: people now take it as a hobby and pride themselves as mongers of slander. We live like people having two faces. In their presence, we praise them and behind them we stab them. This is a very ugly act that makes a sweet relationship sour. The worse of comparison God gave this act is like eating the flesh of a dead body:
And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful. — verse 12
It is sufficient for us as believers to follow the dictates of the Qur’an and the legal ways of the prophet ﷺ. If we do this in reality, the world will find peace and security will reign in communities.
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