Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 236
236 generally known as the Golden Rule. Although the Golden Rule by implication may enjoin turning the other cheek or walking the second mile, it does so by implication only. In Islam, the three grades of virtue are specified, and this step is merely the first one toward the goal. The next stage is that of conscious beneficence, the doing of greater good in return for good and the doing of good without expectation of any return; and forgiveness of wrong if in the circumstances it may reasonably be expected that forgiveness would help the wrongdoer reform himself. The last stage is instinctive beneficence, a beneficence that flows out from one as love and affection flow out toward one’s kindred. Cultivated to that degree, beneficence would resemble a natural instinct; but having been acquired deliberately, it would be the highest moral quality. It would manifest itself toward a wrongdoer not only in forgiveness but in benevolence. Islam attaches great importance to gradation in the process of the attainment of moral and spiritual excellence. The very first Divine attribute in the Quran is Rabb , meaning that aspect of the Providence of God which leads stage by stage toward perfection (1:2). It is also stated that one of the functions of a prophet is to train people who could in turn assist their fellows in achieving moral and spiritual perfection, stage by stage (3:80). It must be remembered,