Akhlaq is the Fundamental of Peaceful Community

“The believers whose faith are most perfect are those who have the best character ; akhlaq”

Hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning to the honourable judges, the accurate time keeper, and members of the floor. I’m standing here today to present my talk entitled “Akhlaq is the Fundamental of Peaceful Community”.But first and foremost, let me provide you with the definitions of the topic.

An understanding of Islamic morality usually begins with the concept of akhlaq.For majority of the Muslims, akhlaq is simply defined as morality and ethics. Akhlaq comes from the aabic root kh-l-q which means “to create, shape, make, form or mould”. Akhlaq is the plural word of khuluq. The great Myslim philisopher, Imam al-Ghazali defined akhlaq as virtues organized around the three cardinal roots which are ; wisdom, courage and temperance. Since the time of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, Islam has transformed the morality of the communit especially Jahiliyyah from being ignorance and evil to good and enlightening.

Members of the floor,

Islam is a religion sent as a gift from Allah to mankind in order to bring them together in peace and harmony. This can only be done if the morals of the community are pure. Accordingly, Allah sent us the great leader of mankind, Prophet Muhammad SAW to strenghten the akhlaq of human beings.This is proven by the following hadith :

“I’ve been sent to complete the nobility of character”

Hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW

This means that, out of all tasks which Allah sent us Prophet Muhammad SAW to us for, the most important is to teach and educate us a perfect akhlaq. In order to have a perfect akhlaq, which will lead to a peaceful life, Islam has given man a set of social values so that muslims as a whole can build up their moral characters.

Members of the floor,

Before i proceed, let us find out why in the first place is akhlaq the fundamental of peaceful community? The following hadith explains explicitly the positions of akhlaw in the eye of Islam.

“There is not anything important that will be placed on the mizan scale weightir than the good akhlaq”

When Allah created the human being, He created it in two parts. One part was like an empty car shell, used to hold something, this is known as the BODY. The other part was like the engine, this is known as the SOUL. Our body is such that it needs looking after, we have to feed it and keep it warm,

otherwise we will become ill, and suffer. The soul, known as the NAFS, also needs looking after, otherwise it will also become ill. The way to look after this soul is to listen, to think, to respect, to help. When we help someone, we feel happy, but it is not the body that feels happy. It is not the arms, or the legs, or the head that feels happy, it is something else. That something else is our NAFS. The Akhlaq of Islam is food for the soul, and if we feed it regularly, it will remain healthy.

Members of the floor,

This brings another question. Other religions also preach respect, so why don't wefollow them?

All the religions which were sent down by Allah were brought with their own codes of conduct. Each religion expanding and adding, until with the advent of Islam, all the rules had been perfected. The other religions have been altered by man in one way or another, and only Islam remains as pure as the night it was revealed. This means that by following the Akhlaq of Islam you are feeding your soul with the best food. There is also a saying in English, that the eyes are the windows to the soul. That means that whatever you look at, DIRECTLY affects your soul. If you look at things which are Haraam, you are lowering the standard of your soul, while if you refrain from looking at Haraam, you are strengthening the faith of your nafs. The problem with the world today is that the body is being looked after very well, but the soul is being totally neglected. This causes the disease of the soul, which people do not realise, such diseases cause intensive, and long-term damage. The greatest doctors of the soul, who have given us rules and examples to follow are the Fourteen Ma’sumeen

Members of the floor,

How are we to live a moral life ?

Each of us has a responsibility to the other, to maintain justice, to respect the rights of the other.
In the Holy Qur'an (Surah 49, ayats 11,12) Allah explains to us certain ways of behaving:

"O you who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: it may be that
the (latter) are better than the (former): nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other
by (offensive) nicknames...

Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: and
spy not on each other, nor speak ill of each other behind their backs (gheebat).
Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother ?"

There are countless ways to behave in a community; the essence of all moral behavior is in
CONSIDERATION. If one considers the needs of others, then he will not do anything to cause
further hardship.

Members of the floor,

Prophet Muhammad (S) has said:

"Prefer for people that which you prefer for yourself."

In a very short Surah (Suratul Asr) Allah explains the way the whole of mankind should behave.
verse 2:

"Verily Man is in a loss."

This is thought to refer to the Day of Judgment when Allah will raise man from his grave to
answer about his life, some men will say that they had lived an IMMORAL life, and these men will

be in a loss. Some men will reply that they had been very good themselves and established
regular prayers; THESE MEN TOO WILL BE IN A LOSS.

verse 3:

"Except for such as have Faith, AND do righteous deeds, AND join together in the
mutual teaching of Truth, AND of patience."

This shows that being good by yourself is not enough, you must lead such a life so as to serve
and teach the community by guiding them towards the truth and enjoining them towards good.
This is known as Amr bil Ma'aroof (direct towards good) and Nahy anil Munkar (persuade against
evil).

Once Saidina Ali was asked what a person’s morals should consist of, he answered:

"When powerful, he forgives easily.
He is generous in appropriate ways.

His behavior is gentle.
His actions and walk reflect modesty.
People enjoy his affection and calmness.
He is ready to bear pain in order to comfort others.

In friendship he is sincere.
He honors his promises.
He helps the oppressed and is concerned about the deprived.
He does not abandon those in distress; he tries to relieve their burdens.

He respects the rights of those who are absent.
He accepts the apologies of those at fault.
He assists those who have assisted him.

He does not divulge (tell) peoples' secrets.
He does not inquire into secret affairs that do not concern him.
He sets a good example for those who succeed him.
His good deeds are not performed for the sake of being boastful.

He does not fall into the same difficulty twice."

Conclusively, i ve proven that akhlaq is indeed the fundamental of peaceful mankind. So, as a muslim, united we stand, divided? we ll still stand, insyaAllah, cause our soul is made up of solid base, the akhlaq of islam. with that, i end my talk..

wabillahittaufiqwalhidayah wassalamualikum warahmatullahiwabarakatuh..

syarahan agama bahasa inggeris.

4th place in zon pudu. 2marks differ frm the 3rd winer ;)