The Quest of a Curious Muslim — Page 58
IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE GOOD WITHOUT GOD? 58 What is essentially absent from the utilitarian model is justice. In Islam, on the other hand, morality comes from God. God is the ultimate source of all moral qualities. We learn to be gracious, because God is Gracious. We learn to be merciful, by emulating God’s Mercy, in our own spheres and at our own level. We learn beautiful, undeniable moral principles to follow in our lives that are unlike any other, as God says: ا ِ ن 7 ا Q ّ ٰ َ † َ ۡ ﻣ ُ ﺮ ُ ° ِ ﻟ ۡ ﻌ َ ﺪ ۡ ل ِ و َ ا ﻻ ۡ ِ ﺣ ۡ ﺴ َ ﺎ ن ِ و َ ا ِ ﯾ ۡ ﺘ َ ﺎ ٓ ى J ذ ِ ى ا ﻟ ۡ ﻘ ُ ﺮ ۡ ىب ٰ و َ ﻳ َ هن ۡ ٰ ـ ﻰ ﻋ َ ﻦ ِ ا ﻟ ۡ ﻔ َ ﺤ ۡ ﺸ َ ﺎ ٓ ء ِ و َ ا ﻟ ۡ ﻤ ُ ﻨ ۡ ﻜ َ ﺮ ِ و َ ا ﻟ ۡ ﺒ َ ﻐ ۡ ﻰ ِ ۚ ﯾ َ ﻌ ِ ﻈ ُ مك ُ ۡ ﻟ َ ﻌ َ ﻠ 7 مك ُ ۡ ﺗ َ ﺬ َ ﻛ 7 ﺮ ُ و ۡ ن َ That is, God enjoins equity, beneficence and treatment like that between relatives; and forbids evils which concern the individual alone and are not manifest, and those that are manifest and offend the feelings of others, and those that injure others. He admonishes you, so that you may be rightfully guided (Holy Quran, 16:91). 33 Explaining this verse, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad ra writes that there are three stages of virtue. The first stage is ‘Adal or justice,