Character building in the light of the Holy Quran
The Quran is a representative book of the perfect religion. It is a book of guidance that shows humanity the most straightforward and reliable path.
انّ ھذا القرآنَ یھدي لِلَّتِي ھِيَ أقوَمُ (الاسراء:۹)
Translation: Indeed, this Quran guides to the straightest and most solid path.
It is a messenger of light, it is a beacon of light, through which the whole world will be saved from darkness for ever لِیُخرِجَ الذینَ آمَنوا وعَمِلوا الصٰلحٰتِ من الظلمٰتِ الی النور․ (الطلاق: ۱۰-۱۱)
Translation: Allah has sent down to you the Quran, and the Messenger recites to you His clear verses, that He may bring out those who believe and do righteous deeds from darkness into light.
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Strength of faith
The greatest role in the construction of an individual or a nation is played by this power of faith. The status of faith is like the soul for the life of an individual or a nation. It gives life to the personality and energy to life. Without it, no one in the world can flourish or emerge. Personality is formed on this basis. Any attempt to remove it is only a loss-making transaction. This has been witnessed by the eye of the sky in every era and the cycles of the months and years are witnesses. The Holy Quran has put its seal of confirmation on this experience of centuries.
والعصرِ انَّ الانسانَ لَفِي خُسْر، الاَّ الذینَ آمنوا وعَمِلوا الصالحاتِ وتَواصَوا بالحق وتَوَاصَوا بالصبر (العصر)
Translation: By time, indeed, man is in loss, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, and exhort one another to truth and patience.
This Surah is the most central in the issue of personality development. The subject of this Surah is the development of humanity and the determination of the standard of profit and loss. The Quran says with complete certainty (and every statement of the Quran is certain) and negating all kinds of doubts that: Those who are not believers are in loss, even if they appear to be in profit. And if a believer appears to be in loss, it means that he should work hard on his faith. The Holy Quran has instructed such believers:
Ya’aha adhayn aminua aminua (O you who believe! Renew your faith)
From the beginning of the revelation of the Quran, the Quran and the author of the Quran spent their entire Makkan life only on the work of faith, and in place of action, no religious command was given to the servants except prayer and recitation of the Quran. The servants were made to believe that the real thing is the pleasure of Allah, all the effort should be done so that Allah may be pleased with us. Therefore, in every issue of life, it is necessary to see that Allah’s will is what is it? After knowing the will of Allah and His command, there is no longer any will of one’s own left.
Building a person’s personality is good deeds
The second most important level in building a person’s personality is good deeds. The Holy Quran has placed it in second place in Surah Al-Asr.
Those who live in the world of desires and dreams and spend their time on making plans more than doing work and want to be praised in the world, the Quran draws their attention to the fact that without good deeds, no one can become a good person in this world or the Hereafter. A good personality is built by good deeds. Then there is a long list of good deeds, which are scattered throughout the Quran. Scholars are well aware of them. As an example, I will cite a couple of verses:
The following verse of Surah Al-Mu’minun mentions some deeds and declares them to be the path to success:
قَدْ اَفْلَحَ الموٴمنون الذین ھُم في صلاتِھم خاشِعون والذین ھُم عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعرِضون والذین ھم للزکوٰة فاعلون والذین ھُمْ لفروجِھم حافِظُون والذین ھم لامٰنٰتھم وعَھْدِھم راعون والذین ھم علٰی صلاتھم حافظون (موٴمنون:۱)
Translation: “Successful are the believers who establish their prayers humbly, who avoid idle talk, who pay the zakat, who guard their private parts, who fulfill their trusts and promises, and who are steadfast in prayer.”
It is in Surah Al-Baqarah:
لیس البرُ اَن تُوَلّوا وُجوھکم قِبَلَ المشرقِ والمَغْرِبِ ولکنَّ البِرَّ مَنْ آمن باللہ والیوم الآخر والملٰئکة والکتٰب والنبیین واٰتی المالَ علٰی حُبِّہِ ذوی القربٰی والیتٰمٰی والمساکین وابن السبیل والسائلین وفی الرقاب واَقامَ الصلٰوةَ واٰتی الزکوٰةَ والموفونَ بعھدِھم اذا عاھدوا والصٰبرین في الباساءِ والضراءِ وحینَ البأسِ اولٰئک الذین صدقوا وأولٰئک ھم المتقون․ (بقرہ:۲۲)
Translation: “Righteousness is not that you turn your faces towards the East and the West; rather, righteousness is that you believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets; and that you spend your wealth, despite your love for it, on relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, the beggar, and the freeing of slaves; and that you establish prayer, give zakat, fulfill your promise, and be patient in hardship and in battle. These are the righteous and the righteous.”
It is stated in Surah Al-Furqan:
وعبادُ الرحمٰن الذین یَمْشُون علی الارضِ ھوناً واذا خاطَبَھم الجاھلونَ قالوا سلٰماً والذین یبیتون لرَبِّھم سُجَّدًا قیامًا والذین یقولون ربَّنا اصرِف عذابَ جھنمَ انَّ عذابھا کان غرامًا، انّھا سَائَتْ مستقرًا ومقاماً والذین اذا انفقوا لم یسرفوا ولم یقتروا وکان بین ذٰلک قوامًا والذین لایدعون مع اللہ الٰھاً آخر ولا یقتلون النفس التي حَرَّم اللہُ الاّ بالحقِّ ولایزنون ومن یفعل ذٰلک یَلْقَ اثاماً․․․ والذین لایشھدون الزورَ واذا مرّوا باللغو مرّوا کِراماً والذین اذا ذکروا بآیٰتِ ربِّھم لم یَخِرّوا علیھا صُمًّا وعُمیاناً والذین یقولون ربنا ھب لنا من أزواجّنا وذریٰتِنا قرةَ أعیُنْ واجعلنا للمتقین امامًا (فرقان:۶)
Translation: “And the righteous servants of Allah are those who walk on the earth with humility, and when the foolish address them, they say, ‘Peace be upon them.’ Those who rise up at night and prostrate themselves before their Lord, and say, ‘Our Lord! Avert from us the punishment of Hell, for its punishment is utter destruction, and an evil destination.’ Those who are not stingy in spending, nor extravagant; but moderate in their conduct. Those who do not call upon any god other than Allah.
Those who do not shed the innocent blood of a soul which Allah has forbidden, nor commit indecency, for whoever does so is a sinner. Those who do not engage in falsehood. And when they pass by the vulgar, they pass by with dignity and respect. And when the verses of Allah are recited to them, they do not become blind and deaf, and they pray, ‘Our Lord! Grant us from our wives and children the coolness of our eyes and make us leaders of the righteous.
Similarly, in Surahs Shura, Aal Imran, Qasas, Dahr, etc.
Friendly environment
The third most important motivator is a good environment, which the Quran has described as “And exhort one another to the truth and to patience” (and exhort one another to the truth and to patience), because what better society in the world could there be than a society in which the truth is spoken and heard, and which is based on patience, tolerance, and tolerance for one another rather than mere emotion and provocation?
The environment plays a major role in the mental formation and personality development of a person. If a person is provided with a good environment and favorable surroundings, his personality develops very rapidly. A better environment also compensates for the lack of knowledge and action. That is, a person may be relatively inferior in knowledge and action; but if he gets a favorable environment and good company, he will make his place despite the lack of knowledge and action.
There is no greater helper than the environment for a person to move forward. Despite all the virtues of knowledge and action, if a person does not have a favorable environment and better opportunities, he will face great difficulties in his development and development. It is the environment that fosters knowledge and action. That is why Allah has emphasized creating an environment in prayer, fasting and other acts of worship. This includes congregational prayer, collective fasting in Ramadan, gathering for Hajj, Eid, Friday, eclipses, istisqa, etc. All this is because even the biggest task becomes easy in the general environment. In this way, if most of the people in the society are able to do good deeds, a wonderful society can come into being. The Holy Quran has eloquently pointed out this fact in the following verse:
کنتم خیرَ أمَّةٍ اُخرِجَتْ للناسِ تأمرون بالمعروف وتَنْھَوْن عَنِ المُنکَر․
Translation: You are a better nation, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil.
The Quran likes this kind of unity in all matters of life, and looks upon anarchy and disunity in society with disapproval, as the Holy Verse says: And hold fast to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. (Aal Imran: 11)
Translation: And hold fast to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.
In another place it is said:
And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute among yourselves, lest you lose heart and your spirit be shaken. (Anfal: 6)
Translation: Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute among yourselves, lest you lose heart and your spirit be shaken.
The Quran wants the Islamic society to develop on the basis of mutual love and brotherhood and for all to help each other like brothers:
Indeed, the believers are brothers, so make peace between your brothers (Al-Hujurat: 1)
All Muslims are brothers, so make peace between your brothers.
The Quran advocates religious brotherhood more than lineage:
If you do not know their families, then they are your brothers in religion and your allies (Al-Ahzab: 1)
Translation: If you do not know their lineage, then they are your brothers and your kinsmen.
Literature enhances personality, dignity
Literature has great importance in Islam. Literature enhances personality, dignity, and creates charm and popularity in life. If a child is instilled with the habit of literature from the beginning and good manners are taught to him, he can become a great person and can prove to be very useful for the nation and the nation. The Quran has taught literature for every stage of life. We mention two or three things as examples:
When people live together, there is a need to visit each other. On such occasions, if a person does not respect the limits, many temptations will arise; therefore, the Quran has set some limits and manners for it, for example, go with permission. The method of permission is: greet outside the door! Read the following verse:
O you who have believed! Do not enter houses other than your own, except by asking permission and greeting their people. That is better for you, so that you may remember.
If you want to borrow something from the women of another’s house, the following manners have been explained:
And when you ask them from behind a curtain that is purer for your hearts and their hearts. (Al-Ahzab: 7)
Translation: When you ask them from behind a curtain, ask them from behind a curtain that is purer for your hearts and their hearts.
Manners of greeting each other
The Quran has explained that the return of a greeting should be better than the return of a greeting:
When you are greeted with a greeting, greet with a greeting that is better than that which they have conveyed to you (An-Nisa: 11)
Translation: When you are greeted with a greeting, return it in a better manner, or at least repeat it.
The Quran, while shedding light on the manners of meeting the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), says:
O you who have believed! If you meet the Messenger alone, then give charity first. That is better for you and purer. But if you cannot find it, then indeed Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (Mujadilah: 12)
Translation: O you who have believed! If you meet the Messenger alone, then give charity first. That is better for you and purer. But if you cannot find it, then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
In family life, many difficulties arise while living together and sometimes one does not like what the other says. In this regard, the Quran advises politeness:
And live with your wives in a manner that is acceptable. If you dislike something, it is possible that you dislike it, and Allah has placed therein much good. (An-Nisa: 3)
Translation: Live with your wives in a manner that is acceptable. If you dislike something, it is possible that Allah has placed therein much good.
The manner of conversation is to speak with gentleness and consideration for the self-respect of the other person. It is said:
Speak to them in a gentle manner.
And lower your voice, for the most evil of voices is the voice of the donkey.
Good speech and forgiveness are better than charity followed by pain.
Thus, there are countless examples of Quranic manners. Here are just a few examples.
Purification is also essential for building personality
Purification is also essential for building personality. The Holy Quran guarantees the success of a person who has purified himself:
He who has purified himself has certainly succeeded.
The Holy Quran has included this among the duties of the Prophet.
And recite to them the verses of God and purify them.
Purification means the reformation of the heart and the reformation of the inner self. Unless a person’s inner self is taught, outward appearance will not do anything. Rather, the outward piety of showing off with the corruption of the inner self gives rise to hypocrisy, and instead of becoming a personality, it deteriorates further. Deception is the worst curse for humanity. The Quran and the author of the Quran have paid great attention to the reformation of the inner self, and have advised to strengthen faith in the heart and mind, and for this, they have given references to the fear of God, the accountability of the Hereafter, the fear of Hell, and the humiliation of this world and the Hereafter, and have warned against every act of showing off.
Prayer is a great act of worship, but if it is performed with negligence and hypocrisy, it becomes a sin instead of a reward:
Woe to those who are heedless of their prayers and pray only to be seen (Ma’un)
Translation: “Woe to those who are heedless of their prayers and pray only to be seen”:
Indeed, the hypocrites deceive Allah; and He is their deceiver. And when they stand up for prayer, they stand lazily, seeing people, and they remember Allah only a little (An-Nisa: 21)
Translation: The hypocrites deceive Allah; while they themselves are deceived. When they stand up for prayer, they stand lazily, only to be seen of people, and they remember Allah only in name.
Suspicion is a dangerous disease among the inner diseases of man. Such a person never finds peace and does not allow others to live in peace. The Quran considers it a major sin and advises to avoid it:
O you who have believed, guard against much suspicion. Indeed, some suspicion is a sin. (Al-Hujurat: 2)
Translation: O you who have believed! Beware of much suspicion. Indeed, some suspicion is a sin.
It is worth mentioning here that just as it is necessary to avoid suspicion, it is also necessary to protect oneself from the opportunities for suspicion.
Similarly, greed and covetousness, envy and disbelief, anger and wrath, hatred and grudge, pride and arrogance, self-conceit and self-conceit, etc. are many internal diseases, which are related to the heart and mind of man, which the Quran has specifically mentioned and emphasized their correction. For fear of length, I will limit myself to quoting only the verses (see An-Nisa:9, Al-Hashr:1, Al-Hijr:6, An-Nisa:5, Al-Kahf:10, Al-Baqarah:32, An-Nisa:1, Al-A’raf:24, An-Nisa:1, Al-Hijr:4, Al-A’raf:2,4-5, Ibrahim:3, Al-Mo’minun:3, Hud:3, Al-Mo’min:4, Nahl:3, Bani Israel:4, Luqman:2, An-Nisa:8, Al-Baqarah:13, etc.).
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