كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولاً مِنْكُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمْ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمْ مَا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ ۔

As We bestowed Our favor upon you when We sent among you a Messenger of your own who recites to you Our revelations, sanctifies you, teaches you the Law and the Wisdom, and teaches you that which you did not know. (Al Baqarah 2:151)

کیا اسلام دنیا کے لئے ایک خطرہ ہے؟ کیا مسلمانوں کی مذہبی تحریکیں دنیا کو تباہی کی طرف لے جا رہی ہیں؟ مسلم دنیا کی بدلتی ہوئی سیاست کے اہل مغرب پر کیا اثرات رونما ہوں گے؟ دین دار مسلمانوں کے مقابلے پر اہل مغرب کو کیا حکمت عملی اختیار کرنا ہوگی؟ ان سوالات کا جواب دیتے ہوئے امریکی ماہرین سیاسیات سیموئیل ہننگٹن اور لیوس برنارڈ نے انتہا پسندانہ نقطہ نظر اختیار کیا۔ ان کے رد میں ایک اعتدال پسند اور حقیقت پسند امریکی ماہر جان ایل ایسپوزیٹو نے ان سوالات کا جواب ایک مختلف زاویہ نظر سے دیا ہے۔ یہ تحریر ان کی کتاب Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality کے تعارف پر مبنی ہے۔ اس تحریر کے مطالعے سے آپ یہ دیکھ سکتے ہیں کہ مغربی ماہرین دنیا کو کس نظر سے دیکھتے ہیں اور ان کا طرز فکر کیا ہے؟ پڑھنے کے لئے کلک کیجیے۔

The Almighty Allah sent His various messengers to guide the humanity. The mission of these prophets is called “Tazkiya Nafs” in the Quran which means “purification of souls” or simply “personality development”. The concept of “Purification of Souls” means that a human personality should be purified from all types of physical and moral filth. The intellectual, emotional, ethical and practical aspects of a personality should be transformed in such a way that the person becomes a good human being. Instead of a harmful character, (s)he should become a constructive person for other people.

In this verse, the Quran has described the procedure of this “personality transformation”. It has two major points:

· A person should recite the verses of God i.e. Quran. (S)he should become a faithful slave of God by reading God’s message. It can be achieved only by reciting the Quran. The person should recite the Quran by understanding its meanings. Reading the Quran without understanding its meanings is like reading a medical prescription without understanding and following it.

· A person should be educated. The syllabus of this education has been described as “Al-Kitaab” and “Al-Hikmah”.

The religion given to the humanity by the Almighty through His prophets has two major components i.e. “Al-Kitaab” and “Al-Hikmah”. The former stands for the “Divine Law”. By their spirit, these laws were common in all divine religions, but their form contains certain minor adjustments according to the specific conditions of different ages. The Torah is a collection of these laws. The Quran calls it “Al-Kitaab” due to this reason.

In addition to this divine law, “Al-Hikmah” is related to the religious creed and moral character. The word ‘Al-Hikmah” refers to the “Divine Wisdom”. A person’s views and personality may contain impurities. The Divine Wisdom purifies it. The Gospels depict this wisdom. The Gospels are described as “Al-Hikmah” by the Quran.

Knowledge begins with fear and respect for the Lord, but stubborn fools hate wisdom and refuse to learn.

Prophet Solomon علیہ الصلوۃ والسلام Bible’s Proverbs

The Quran is the final testament revealed by God. It is a comprehensive collection of the Divine Law and the Divine Wisdom. Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ واٰلہ وسلم) certified the set of rituals commenced by Prophet Abraham (علیہ الصلوۃ والسلام). The objective of these rituals is to purify the outer and inner aspect of human personality. Prophet Muhammad further commenced a few rituals to this set of rituals transferred by various generations of Prophets.

This set of rituals is called the “Sunnah” which purifies the body and the soul of a person. If we study the life of the Prophet in Hadith literature, we will find the education of this Divine Law & Wisdom was his primary task. The Hadith literature is full of Divine Wisdom whose source is the same as that of Divine Wisdom of the Gospels.

The method for personality development as established by these Prophets is that people should be taught this Divine Law and Divine Wisdom, so that their personalities are sanctified from all types of material and moral filth.

Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ واٰلہ وسلم) was the last Prophet sent by God. After the end of Prophet hood, till the end of this world, religious scholars are responsible to educate people. All activities related to Islamic Call in the world, are based on the education of this Divine Law & Wisdom.

If we are interested in developing our personality, we should learn the Divine Law and the Divine Wisdom. It is the mission of this “Personality Development Program”.

(Author: Mubashir Nazir, Review by: Muhammed Umar Khan)

Your experiences may be important for other people. Send your questions and comments through email at mubashirnazir100@gmail.com

Think about it!

· What is the difference between “Al-Kitaab” and “Al-Hikmah”.

· Describe the Quranic Strategy for Personality Development in a paragraph.

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Download Printable Version

Unit 1: Relation with God & His Prophets

Unit 2: Elimination of our Negative Personality

Unit 3: Development of our Positive Personality

Unit 4: Relationship with Human Beings

Backbiting | Suspicion | Defamation | Examining Others with Suspicion | Are you killing your family?

Unit 5: Our Responsibility, Vision & Mission

The Love of Prophet Muhammad with Knowledge | Traditional Mentality | Strange Similarities between Christian & Muslim Histories | The Relationship of Revelation & Intellect (Part I) | The Relationship of Revelation & Intellect (Part II) | The Problem of Aurengzeb Alamgir