The word ‘Muslim’ is an Arabic word that means a surrenderer. Muslims are those who surrender all their wishes to Allah. Those who worship Allah as one God and recognize Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) as the final Prophet and Messenger of Allah are Muslims.
Allah, the Most High states in the holy Quran,”Yah aiuhallajina amanutta kullha haqqa tukkatihi wala tumtunna illa wa antum muslimin.”
Meaning: O believers! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except in a state of full submission to Him. [Sura: Al Imran, verse: 102]
This is how Allah asked human beings to be true Muslims by submitting themselves completely to Him (Allah). The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “None of you will be a believer until you love me more than your parents, children, wealth, and any other thing.” [Bukhari and Muslim Sharif]. In the light of the Prophet’s (PBUH) saying and commandment of Allah, a Muslim needs to surrender himself completely to Allah with wholehearted belief in Him (Allah). He must abide by all the commandments of Allah with no doubt in mind and lead a pious life under the guidance of the Prophet (PBUH). As a true Muslim completely submits himself to Allah, Allah also takes responsibility for everything he needs. He doesn’t have to worry about anything in the earthly life and the life hereafter. He lives in absolute peace.
Let’s see what peace is, what character is, and what it means to develop a peaceful character. Peace refers to a settled state of the human mind which is free from all kinds of outside disturbance. In fact, it is the gratification of the human mind which comes from within. It’s a level of spiritual development of man which can be achieved only through the process of self-purification. The man who is spiritually connected with Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) finds absolute peace and also works as an ever-flowing stream of peace for others. Character is the set of some beliefs and moral principles of a man which regulate his behavioral pattern. It’s a stable quality deeply rooted in the human mind, which results in his mannerism. So developing a peaceful character means following all the guidance of Allah and the Prophet (PBUH) and working as a promoter to establish peace at the individual, familial and national levels of life. Allah, the Most Merciful, sent our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a messenger of peace in this world. He got the most perfected peaceful character following the guidance of Allah. A Muslim can also have a peaceful character following his ideals.
Now the question arises why we need to develop a character of peace. Character is the most valuable asset in human life. The identity of a true believer is defined by the character of peace he develops. Every man must practice the ways to find peace in their character to be an idealistic human being. Successful indeed is he who has a peaceful character. The word ‘Muslim’ originated from the Arabic word ‘Salam,’ which literally means to ensure peace and security.
Another meaning of the word ‘Muslim’ is a man living in peacefulness. A true Muslim lives in peace and also allows others to live in peace. A true Muslim never causes misery to others. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “A Muslim is he who ensures the safety of others from the evils caused by his hands and mouth.” He also said, ” Of you, he who has an excellent character will be dearer and nearer to me on the day of Judgment.” Therefore, to be a Muslim in the true sense, we must have a character of peace.
The human being is called Ashraful Makhlakut or the best of all creations. This is why the character of man, his traits and activities, everything should be of the best quality too. Beastly activities and desires aren’t the ideals of humanity. If a man deviates from the ideals of humanity and leads a beastly life, he loses the excellence of being the best. There is no other way but to form a peaceful character to get salvation from Allah. Renowned Sufi Saint and Sufi Scholar Hazrat Syed Mahbub-E-Khoda (Rh.) said, “There is no other way to access religion but to develop a peaceful character.”
A seeker has to access religion through the entrance of peaceful character. He again said, “A man is asked three questions at the time of his death. One of them is what is your religion? Here religion actually refers to whether the man had a peaceful character or not. It’s not possible for a man to answer this question if he doesn’t have a peaceful character. We must have a peaceful character to get salvation.”
Allah states in the holy Quran, “O Mankind! We’ve created you all from a male and a female and made you into different nations and tribes so that you can get to know one another. [Sura: Al Hujurat, verse: 13]. It becomes quite clear from this statement of Allah that man is a social being. This is why it’s very natural that they’ll be able to know to one another and come to one another’s help and need. In this way, they’ll build a peaceful society with their peaceful character.
It’s the beauty of Islam that a true Muslim will choose for others what he chooses for himself, and he’ll discard those things that he doesn’t like for himself. It’s indispensable for Muslims to be kind to all, affectionate to the younger, respectful to the seniors, and share each other’s weal and woe.
All these are the practices of the character of peace.
Everyone seeks peace in this world. Let’s see how we should develop a peaceful character. Allah alone is the source of all peace. Allah states, “The hearts find serenity only in the remembrance of Allah.” [Sura: Raad, verse: 28]. According to Sufi scholars, “We’ve to follow the character of the Prophet (PBUH) for peace in our life.” The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a great character of endless peace. He was exemplary for the people seeking peace. Allah states in the holy Quran about him, “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, there is the best example for you.” [Sura: Al Ahjab, verse:21].
Allah says more, “Surely, he is of a sublime moral character.” [Sura: Al Qalam, verse: 04]. Therefore, it’s possible to advance to the path of peace by practicing the characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and remembering Allah.
Unrestrained sexual desire provokes a man to engage in adultery. Similarly, Anarchy, killing, bloodshed, etc., happen due to the provocation of uncontrolled rage.
To fulfill the desire for avarice, a man gets involved in thievery, robbery, hijacking, cheating, etc. Because of illusion, he becomes crazy about grabbing power and gets immersed in ignorance and insensibility. He cares about nobody because of his arrogance. Because of jealousy, he can’t think of others’ interests but his own. He can never tolerate the prosperity of others.
All these happen due to the provocation of satan. This is why human being needs to free themselves from satanic provocation and develop a peaceful character in them. He needs to learn how to escape the provocation of satan through meditation. The main objective of the arrival of the Prophets and Messengers was to ensure peace, blessings, and justice. The final scripture Al Quran was revealed to complete all these divine doctrines of Allah.
All religions mainly aim at ensuring social justice and security for all people, regardless of all races, colors, and creeds. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “All of humanity is like a body. The whole humanity gets hurt if it is pained anywhere- as the way the eyes become tearful or fever attacks for pain at any part of the body.” If a man can lead his life cherishing this philosophy of the Prophet (PBUH) in his heart, he can be a living embodiment to spread peace in society.
The Prophet (PBUH) said, “O the Servants of Allah! As you all are brothers of one another, so one Muslim is a relative of another one too. One brother can’t cause miseries and humiliation to his other brother.” [Muslim Sharif]. He said more, “If you love the creatures, then the Lord of the heavens and earth will love you.”
If we can sincerely accept this invitation of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to love the creations of Allah, then our life will be peaceful, and we’ll demonstrate a character of peace.
When the Ahammadi character will be manifested in us, and we’ll remember the Prophet (PBUH) then the light of faith will be created in our hearts. Allah states in the holy Quran, “He who obeys Messenger thereby obeys Allah. [Sura: Nisa, verse: 80]. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was exceptionally wonderful in his thoughts, manners, and ethics. He gave humankind the best and complete code of life. The Messenger of Allah said, “He who loves me will be in heaven with me.” [Tirmiji Sharif]. He said again, “He who is best in respect of his character has fulfillment in his faith [Tirmiji Sharif]. He said in another statement, “The person who is best in his moral character is nearest to me.” [Bukhari Sharif].
Sufi Emperor Hazrat Syed Mahbub-E-Khoda (Rh.) also gave people the great teaching of achieving a peaceful character through self-purification. He said, “We’ve to follow the character of the Prophet (PBUH) to find true peace in our familial, social, and national life. When a man won’t be guided by his Nafs (lower self), but rather will be guided to the path of Allah, then he’ll very naturally find peace. That’s why Allah mercifully commended in the holy Quran, “O believers! Enter into Islam wholeheartedly and don’t follow the footsteps of satan. Verily, they’re your avowed foe.” [Sura: Baqarah, verse:208]. Since the inception of creation, Allah sent the Prophets and Messengers one after another so that they convey the divine messages of peace to make human society peaceful and made them realize Allah is the source of all peace by giving a feeling of peacefulness into their hearts. Following this tradition, Allah sends the Imams, Reformers, and Awliya (friends of Allah) in the age of Belayet (friendhood) to let the salvation-seeking people find peace. As we find light to move forward in a dark night by going to a man who has a lamp lighted in his hand, the same way when the misled people immersed in the darkness of their sins and dominated by their desires come in contact with the friends of Allah, they find peace. His egotism gets eradicated. He becomes a possessor of peaceful character.
People of this modern age try their hearts and souls to find peace, but they don’t get rid of unrest. It’s mainly because of their turning away from Allah and straying from the doctrines of Allah. People have been excessively egocentric rather than surrendering to Allah due to their unchecked desires. They’re trying to establish peace in society with their self-made thoughts, ignoring the divine laws of Allah. Consequently, they create anarchy, bloodshed, etc., in society. They are deprived of the divine peace of Allah because of their own wilful activities. They’ve lost the character of peace.
Now the question arises of how we can develop a peaceful character following the directions of Allah and the Prophet (PBUH).
We can develop a peaceful character by removing the impurities in us through self-purification. The term self-purification means to purify the Nsfs (lower self). The objective of self-purification is to free oneself from the provocation of six evil instincts. Allah states in the holy Quran, “Verily, successful are those who purify themselves.” [Sura: Al Ala, verse: 14]. Allah says in another statement, “Successful indeed is he who’ve purified his soul, and doomed is the one who’s corrupted it.” [Sura: Ash-Shams, verse: 9-10]. Mercy for the World Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) turned the barbaric Arab nation into an idealistic one through the great teaching of self-purification and made an exemplary human civilization for mankind. At present, the Awliya-e-Keram (friends of Allah) are performing the same duties as the Prophet (PBUH) did. Allah decrees in the holy Quran to be in contact with such enlightened persons upholding the truth. It’s possible to be guided to the path of the Prophet (PBUH) following the guidelines of the Awliya-E-Keram.
Satan exists in the heart of human beings. When the dhikr (remembrance) of Allah starts in Qalb (the spiritual heart), satan disappears instantly. In this way heart becomes purified. And if the heart becomes purified, the entire body becomes purified. In fact, the evil instincts in a man stimulate his animalistic nature, and consequently, he becomes restless. That’s why it’s necessary to free ourselves from the provocation of evil instincts to find peace. The first step to surrender to Allah is to free our souls from the provocation of evil instincts. To do it, it’s necessary to be in contact with the friends of Allah and practice meditation following their guidance.
Let us all come in contact with the friends of Allah and guide ourselves to the path of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be true Muslims with peace in character, purifying ourselves by meditation. May Allah help us all in our endeavor to find eternal peace and salvation by guiding us to His path of peace.
Bengali