The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 15
Natural, Moral and Spiritual States of Man 15 which is by nature simple and naïve, and, because of its young age, has not yet acquired any bad habits, dislikes what belongs to others; so much so that it is with great difficulty that it allows a strange woman to breastfeed it. . If a wet-nurse is not appointed early enough, it becomes very difficult for another woman to suckle the baby, and in such a case the child suffers so much that its very life is endangered. It is naturally averse to the milk of another woman. What is the secret of this aversion? Only that it has an innate aversion to leave its mother and turn to what belongs to a stranger. . When we reflect deeply upon this habit of the infant it becomes clear that this characteristic of disliking what belongs to a stranger, and even suffering because of it, is the source of honesty and integrity. No one can be credited with the quality of integrity unless, like the infant, he develops in his heart a deep dislike and abhorrence for the possession of another person's property. But an infant does not employ this habit on its proper occasion and often suffers a great deal on account of its ignorance. This habit is a natural mode of behaviour, which it exhibits involuntarily; it cannot, therefore, form part of its morals, though in human nature this is the root cause of the moral values of honesty and integrity. Just as an infant cannot be described as faithful and trustworthy on account of this unconscious habit, similarly a person who does not employ this natural state on its proper occasion, cannot be said to possess this moral quality. . To be honest and trustworthy is a very delicate matter and a person cannot be honest and trustworthy unless he fulfils all aspects of it. In the following verses God, by way of illustration, teaches us how to be honest: