127. The restrictions which had shackled their lives were not those imposed by God. The really worthwhile restrictions are those prescribed by God in order to regulate human life. These have always served as the essential basis of all God-given codes (cf. Exodus. chapter 20).
128. The first principle is that they should associate none with God in His
divinity: neither in His essence, nor in His attributes, nor in His powers and
authority, nor in the rights He has against His creatures.
To associate someone with God in His divinity is to declare that the former
shares the essence of God's divinity. Instances of associating others in God's
essence are the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the belief of the pagan Arabs
that angels are daughters of God, and the belief of other polytheists in the
divine character of their self-styled gods and goddesses and, in some cases,
of their royalty. Likewise, a person associates others in the attributes of
God when he considers someone other than God to be invested with those attributes
which belong exclusively to God. One becomes guilty of this kind of polytheism
if one believes somebody either to know all the mysteries of the Unseen or to
be all-seeing and all-hearing or to be free of all defects and weaknesses and
thus infallible. Again, a person associates others in the authority of God when
he recognizes someone to be possessed of authority which belongs to God alone
by virtue of His godhead; for example, the power to either benefit or harm people
in a supernatural manner, to fulfil the needs of people and rescue them from
distress. to protect and shield them, to hear their prayers, to make or mar
their fate. A person is guilty of the same when he recognizes someone as possessing
the rightful authority to determine what is lawful and what is unlawful, and
to make laws for the regulation of human life. Such authority belongs to God
alone, and recognizing anyone other than God as possessing it is tantamount
to associating others with God in His authority.
Moreover, to associate others with God in His divine rights means that one recognizes
someone beside God as legitimately deserving that which may he asked of man
by God alone, viz. bowing and prostrating, standing in awe and reverence with
folded hands, devotional greeting and kissing the earth, slaughtering animals
and making any other offerings in thanksgiving for his grace and benevolence
and in acknowledgement of his overlordship, vowing offerings in his name, calling
him to rescue one from one's affliction and misfortune, and all the other forms
of worship, adoration and reverence which are exclusively for God. In the same
way, no one has the-right to be loved to the exclusion of all other attachments,
or to be held in such awe that one always fears his wrath and dreads the violation
of his command, both openly and in secret. Likewise, it is God - and God alone
- Who has the right to be obeyed unconditionally, and Whose guidance should
be considered the only criterion of right and wrong. In the same way, man should
not commit himself to obey any authority which is either independent of obedience
to God or whose command lacks the sanction of God.
If someone accords any of these rights to anyone other than God, he is guilty
of associating others with God in His divinity. His guilt is the same whether
or not he calls such beings divine.
129. Accordingly, good treatment of one's parents includes showing them respect and reverence, obeying them, trying to keep them pleased, and serving them. The Qur'an always mentions this right of the parents immediately after mentioning the duty one owes to God alone. This makes it quite clear that the rights of parents have precedence over those of other human beings.
130. The word fawahish applies to all those acts whose abominable character is self-evident. In the Qur'an all extra-marital sexual relationships, sodomy, nudity, false accusations of unchastity, and taking as one's wife a woman who had been married to one's father, are specifically reckoned as 'shameful deeds' (fawahish). In Hadith, theft, taking intoxicating drinks and begging have been characterized as fawahish, as have many other brazenly indecent acts. Man is required to abstain from them both openly and in secret.
131. This means that human life, which has been declared inviolable by God,
can only be destroyed for just cause. As for what is meant by 'just cause',
we ought to remember that three cases are embodied in the Qur'an whereas two
additional cases have been stated by the Prophet (peace be on him). The cases
mentioned by the Qur'an are the following:
(1) That a man is convicted of deliberate homicide and thus the claim of retaliation
is established against him.
(2) That someone resists the establishment of the true faith so that fighting
against him might become necessary.
(3) That someone is guilty of spreading disorder in the Domain of Islam and
strives to overthrow the Islamic order of government.
The two cases mentioned in the Hadith are:
(1) That a person commits illegitimate sexual intercourse even after marriage.
(2) That a Muslim is guilty of apostasy and rebellion against the Muslim body-politic.
Except for these five reasons, slaying a human being is not permissible, regardless
of whether he is a believer, a protected non-Muslim (dhimmi) or an ordinary
unbeliever.
132. That is, one's handling of the property of orphans should be based on maximum selflessness, sincerity and well-wishing for the orphans; it should be of a kind which lends itself to no reproach, either from God or man.
133. Even though this is a full-fledged postulate of the law of God, it is mentioned here in order to stress that one who tries to remain fair and just to the utmost of his ability, in giving weight and measure and in his dealings with people, will be acquitted of responsibility for error. If any mistakes in weight or measure occur out of oversight, and thus involuntarily, he will not be punished.
134. 'Covenant of Allah' signifies, in the first place, the commitment to God, as well as to human beings, to which man binds himself in His name. It also signifies that covenant between man and God, as well as between one human being and another which automatically takes place the moment a person is born onto God's earth and into human society. The first two covenants mentioned are voluntary and deliberate whereas the last one is natural. The last one is no less binding than the first two, even though man does not make it of his own volition. For when man enjoys his own existence, makes use of his physical and mental energy, benefits from the means of sustenance and natural resources - in other words, when he benefits from the world created by God and avails himself of the opportunities provided for him by the operation of natural laws - he incurs certain obligations towards God. In the same way, when one derives nourishment and sustenance from the blood of one's mother while in her womb, when one opens one's eyes in a family which is supported by the toil of one's father, when one benefits from the various institutions of human society, one is placed in varying degrees of obligation towards those individuals and institutions. This covenant between man and God and between man and society is inscribed, not on a piece of paper, but on every fibre of man's being. Man has not entered into this covenant consciously and deliberately, yet the whole of his being owes itself to it. (Surah al-Baqarah 2:27) alludes to this covenant when it says that it is the transgressors 'who break the covenant of Allah after its firm binding, and cut asunder what Allah has commanded to be joined, and spread mischief on earth'. It is also mentioned in (Surah al-A'raf 7:172 )in the following words: 'And recall when your Lord took the children of Adam from their loins and made them testify as to themselves saying, "Am I not your Lord?" (to which) they answered, "Yes, we do bear witness thereto. "
135. It is an essential corollary of the natural covenant mentioned above
that man should follow the way prescribed by his Lord; any deflection from the
orders of God, or serving anyone other than Him, constitutes a primary breach
of that covenant. Once this breach has been committed every single article of
the covenant is likely to be violated one after the other. Moreover, it should
also be remembered that man cannot acquit himself of the highly delicate, extensive
and complex set of responsibilities entailed by this covenant unless he accepts
the guidance of God and tries to follow the way prescribed by Him.
Non-acceptance of God's guidance necessarily produces two grave and damaging
consequences. First, by following any other way, one is inevitably led away
from the true path and is thus deprived of the opportunity to approach God and
please Him. Second, as soon as man deviates from the Straight Way prescribed
by God, he encounters a whole labyrinth of highways and byways, causing the
entire human species to fall a prey to total bewilderment and perplexity, and
which shatters all dreams of a steady advance towards maturity and betterment.
The words 'follow not other paths for they will scatter you away from His path'
hint at this damage. See
(Surah al-Ma'idah 5, n. 35) above.
136. To believe in 'meeting with the Lord' signifies the conviction that
one is answerable to God, and which leads one to adopt responsible behaviour
in life.
The statement made here could mean two things. It might mean that the teachings
of the heavenly Book vouchsafed to Moses could itself create a sense of responsibility
among the Israelites. Alternatively, it might mean that when ordinary people
observe the wonderful way of life prescribed by God, and note the beneficial
effects of its merciful dispensation in the lives of righteous people, they
will come to realize that belief in the After-life is, in all respects, a better
basis for human life than its denial. In this way, their observation and study
might turn them from rejection to true faith.