Introduction

The author, Dr Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi, began his introduction dealing with the topic of the Muslim personality, as Islam meant it to be. He noted that many Muslims are often overzealous in some matters but negligent in others. An example was given, regarding a Muslim who insists on attending every prayer and sits in the front row, but he pays no heed to the bad smell emanating from his mouth or clothes.

Yes, it might sound niggly and not so alarming, but i've experienced this many times during prayers at the mosque and it disturbs me. This is the beauty of Islam, every aspect of life is covered.

Then he concludes that:

"So it seems that The Muslim, as intended by these texts(Quran and Sunnah), is supposed to be a decent, social person, whom this unique combination of honorable characteristics distinguishes. These features are described in the Quran and Hadiths, which present them as a religious obligation to be actively pursued by man in the hope of receiving reward from Allah.

He also identified the following topics that defines the Muslim personality:

1. The Muslim and his Lord
2. The Muslim and his own self
3. The Muslim and his parents
4. The Muslim and his wife
5. The Muslim and his children
6. The Muslim and his relatives
7. The Muslim and his neighbours
8. The Muslim and his Muslim brothers and friends
9. The Muslim and his community/society.

I can't wait to read all of these topics, but it is best that I read slowly and try to develop my own Muslim personality step by step.

Halfway through the introduction, a phrase catches my eye:
" were it not for this Divine guidance, mankind would be left wallowing in the mire of selfishness, hatred, domination, and oppression."

This is what is happening to the world now, even in our own beloved country. Thus, we must change, an Ideal Muslim is what we must strive to be. We must teach our young what it means to be an ideal Muslim, and tell them that they have no choice but to be one. It is for the good of they themselves and the society at large.

Dr Muhammad Ali gave an example that I can relate to:

"the evidence of this(the phrase above) is apparent in the behavior of the child, who strives to show his parents that he is better than his brother and seeks to deny that his brother has any of the same decent qualities to which he himself aspires. His natural inclination is to defeat his brother and prove that he is better."

You can just substitute the word "child" there with anything, since the child is the beginning of everything. A politician, statesman, student, teacher, doctor and the list goes on. This behavior destroys us, but Alhamdulillah, Allah has given us guidance to steer us away from it. We just need to look for it by instilling the hunger for knowldege and having the enthusiasm of improving oneself.

Dr Ali continues:
"Here we can see the value of religion and education in controlling this sickness, reducing his self-admiration and paving the way towards moderation, wisdom and humility."

He also wrote: "thinkers and writers have a duty to explain these noble values and present them in an easily-understood and attractive fashion so that people will be able to develop the values and attitudes which Allah intend for them, thus enabling them to enjoy a decent and pleasant life"

I hope to be as knowledgeable as the author and other Muslim scholars that have inspired millions of Muslims accross the globe. Hence, I take this blog as my starting point to further understand Islam and convey it to others in a simple and easily understood way.

Assalamualaikum.