Two kinds of directives---General and Special
Brethren-in-Islam!
Allah has
formulated a rule of His Shari'ah that firstly a general directive is given in
regard to good and bad deeds so that people may in general take up the path of
piety. Then a special form of piety is laid down in order that it is specially
adhered to.
General injunction for remembering Allah
As an example
you may note that remembering Allah is an act of piety, in fact the greatest
piety, and the fountainhead of all good deeds. For this there is a general
injunction that remember Allah every moment and in every condition and never be
heedless of Him.
"Remember Allah, standing, sitting and
reclining." (Al-Qur'an 4: 103)
"And remember Allah more, that you may be
successful."
Undoubtedly in
the creation of heavens and the earth and in the alternate appearance of night
and day are numerous tokens (of His sovereignty) for those who are men of
understanding and considering Allah, standing, sitting and reclining, and
considering the creation of the heavens and the earth, Instinctively say :
Our Lord Thou created not this in vain."
(Al-Qur'an 3: 190-191)
"And obey not him whose heart We made heedless
of Our remembrance, who follows his own lust and whose all works have gone
beyond limit." (Al-Qur'an 18: 29)
There are many
other verses besides these in which it has been enjoined to keep up remembering
Allah always and in every condition because it is the very remembrance of Allah
which keeps the affairs of man in proper shape and sustains him on the right
path. Whenever he becomes heedless of His remembrance, corporeal urges and
instigations of evil forces overpower him. It’s inevitable consequence is that
straying from the right path he will go beyond limits in the affairs of his
life.
Special injunction for Remembrance of Allah
It should he
noted that the above is a general injunction. Now a special form has been
enunciated for remembrance of Allah. There is Salah, and here too in the
five-time daily offering of it a few Rak'ats have been made obligatory which do
not take more than five to ten minutes. Thus making Allah's remembrance
obligatory for a few minutes at one time and for a few minutes at another time
does not mean that you should remember Allah only at these fixed periods and
forget Him for the rest of the time. On the other hand it means that at least
for this much period you Might (0 be exclusively engaged in the remembrance of
Allah. After that, while you keep yourself husy in your work, in the midst of
it you should continue remembering Allah
General injunction of 'Infaq-Fi-Sabilillah'
Similar is the
case of Zakat. Here also there is a general injunction and then a special one.
On one side it is enjoined: "Refrain from miserliness and
narrow-mindedness as it is the root of evils and mother of vices. Develop in
your manners the colour of Allah Who is all the time bountifully showering His
beneficence on His innumerable and limitless creations alihote4, no one has any
right and claim over Him. Spend whatever you can in the way of Allah Save as
much as you can from your requirements and from the savings fulfil the wants of
other needy slaves of Allah Never flinch from sacrificing life and money to
sublimate the Word of Allah and to render service to religion. If you love
Allah, then sacrifice your love to wealth for the love of Him” --- And this
pertains to the general injunction.
Special injunction for ‘Infaq’
On the other
side, there is the special injunction that if you possess so much amount of
money then it is incumbent on you to spend at least this much part of it in the
cause of Allah, and when so much is the produce of your land, then It least
this much portion of it must be offered to God by you. Then just as the fact of
a few Rak'ats or Salah having been made obligatory does not mean that God
should be remembered only while oftenng these Rak'ats and be to forgotten for
the rest of the time, in the same way the fact of a small quantity of money having
been fixed to be spent in the cause of Allah also does not mean that only those
who possess so much of money should spend in the way of Allah while those who
have less money than this should close tightly their hands. Nor does it mean
that the rich people should spend in the way of Allah while those who have less
money than this should close tightly their hands Nor does it mean that the rich
people should spend in the way of Allah that much Zakat only, which has been
made obligatory and after that drive away a needy fellow It he approaches them,
or if an occasion arises to render service to religion you should say "We hate already get en Zokat. Now
don't expect a pie from us." This is certainly not what is meant from
making Zakat obligatory. On the other hand, it actually, means that at least
this much money has to be given in any case in the way of Allah by every
well-to-do person and beyond it whatever is possible for any man should be
spent by him in His cause.
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