In this article, Shaikh Ahmad Kutty provides tips for leading an examined life by reflecting the ethical and spiritual vision of Islam.

BELIEF

Our belief is centered on Allah, His angels, books, prophets, the Day of Judgment and His divine decrees on fate in our lives.

We believe that Muhammad seals prophethood; through him the circle of prophecy has come to an end. We also believe that as God’s final prophet and messenger he has come to revive the pristine religion revealed to all previous prophets, and to correct the errors that have crept into previous religious traditions due to human tampering. Islam affirms the true aspects of all previous revelations.

WORSHIP

We are committed to observing the fundamental duties of Islam, including five daily prayers, zakah, fasting, and hajj as well as our duties towards parents, spouses and children, relatives, neighbors, fellow Muslims, fellow humans, as well as fellow living creatures as enjoined by Allah. We shun all cardinal sins and strive hard to keep away from that which Allah has forbidden, while developing the habit of turning to Allah in consistent repentance, beseeching His mercy and forgiveness for sins of omission and commission, outward and inward, major and minor, that which we are aware of and that which we are unaware of.

LOVE

We love God, and seek to gain His love through self-surrender and maintaining a close watch on our thoughts, speech and actions to achieve this goal, as well as by expending our utmost in carrying out extra acts of virtue, including voluntary works such as visiting the sick, helping those in need, hastening to comfort the grieving, etc. We love the Prophet (peace be upon him) and strive hard to emulate his beautiful examples and morals and to reflect the message of mercy he has been sent with. We also love the Prophet’s family and his companions, including the four pious caliphs and the imams and sages throughout the ages who followed them earnestly and sincerely.

THEOLOGY & JURISPRUDENCE

We cherish knowledge and consider the life-long pursuit of it as a religious duty We adhere to the path of wasatiyyah, or the middle way, shunning all forms of extremism in beliefs and practices. We resist the temptation of using the labels of kufr (disbelief) or bid’ah (heresy) against those who differ from us, and dissociate ourselves from all forms of sectarianism and dogmatism. We consider the four madhhabs as genuine schools of jurisprudence, and we believe that a Muslim is free to follow any of them; however, we do not attach infallibility to each and every ruling from any of them. We believe that ijtihad and exercising creative interpretation of sources and reexamining the legacy of the Fiqh is an ongoing necessity in order to enable the practice of Islam to continue in changing circumstances, and that ijtihad must be exercised only by those who are qualified to do so.

AUTHENTICITY & SPIRITUALITY

We believe there is no contradiction between the genuine way of the Salaf alssaalih (Pious Predecessors) and authentic tasawwuf (Sufism). The former ensures that we do not follow aberrations in religious beliefs or practices, while the latter helps us to experience the inner sweetness of faith, gaining certitude and strengthening our relationship with Allah.

We believe that offering supplications to anyone other than God Almighty (including at the graves of prophets or saints) is a major sin to be shunned as an innovation.

UNIVERSAL VALUES

We believe there is no contradiction between the core principles of Democracy and the Shari’ah, when the former is understood to be aimed at upholding the rule of law, equal rights for all citizens, universal suffrage, accountability of government and separation of powers. We affirm the Qur’anic emphasis on the oneness of the human family under the Lordship of God, and we believe in the dignity of all people (regardless of differences in creed, race or ethnicity) and consider freedom of conscience, freedom of worship, and justice for all as essential teachings of Islam. As there is no compulsion in religion, as stated in the Qur’an, we have no right to force our beliefs on others. We encourage and participate in humanitarian, charitable and social work both individually and also in co-operation with other organizations.

NATURE & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

We consider reflection and contemplation of nature as conducive to nurturing a sound mind and soul and attaining closeness with God.

We believe that Muslims ought to join and participate in projects geared towards protecting the rights of animals and the environment, and to be active promoters of justice and peace and oppose wars of aggression and occupation.

We cherish a love of nature and seek to develop a close relationship with it. We consider nature an open book to be read to decipher the signs of God in conjunction with the Book of Revelation (the Qur’an).

SIN & VIRTUE

We strive to purge our hearts of the diseases that corrupt our spiritual souls: diseases such as pride, greed, envy, malice, anger, gluttony, excessive love of wealth and the mundane world, wastage and extravagance. We strive to cultivate virtues and good character in ourselves. We will work to promote them in our families and in the community. These character traits include Cleanliness, Compassion, Contentment, Creativity, Forgiveness, Generosity, Gentleness, Gratefulness, Honor, Hospitality, Humility, Joyfulness, Justice, Patience, Punctuality, Responsibility, Security, Self-Control, Sincerity, Tolerance and Truthfulness. We develop healthy eating habits and moderation in lifestyle and in the use of Godgiven resources.

REFLECTION AND MEDITATION

We recite a portion of the Qur’an every day and reflect on the meaning of at least three of those verses and seek to practice the lessons in our daily lives. We begin and end our day with dhikr and du’a and will set aside time, every day, for active practice of dhikr. For this purpose, we shall choose a daily dose of dhikr (wazifah) from works such as Invocation of God by Ibn al-Qayyim, etc. We also read a Hadith from Imam Nawawi’s Forty Hadith and selections from Mishakat al-masabih (selected and translated by Le Gai Eaton in The Book of Hadith). We are committed to practicing self-examination and self-evaluation in order to see how we are progressing in our journey on the spiritual path.

PATIENCE

We shall strive to practice patience in all of its three forms:

1. Patience in carrying out our duties to God and His servants;
2. Staying away from sins;
3. Facing the trials and tribulations we face in life, while always turning to Allah for comfort and strength.

LIFE & DEATH

We recognize the transient nature of the life of this world and try our best to fix our gaze on the permanence of the next world.

We practice contemplation of death as often as we can in order to reinforce the conscious understanding that we are sojourners in this world, merely journeying through it, on our way to our meeting with the Lord.

OUR COMMITMENT

We will share these teachings with our friends and loved ones

OUR PRAYER

“O Allah! enable us to live by these principles and grant us good in this world and the hereafter.”

• We believe that Muhammad seals prophethood; through him the circle of prophecy has come to an end. We also believe that as God’s final prophet and messenger he has come to revive the pristine religion revealed to all previous prophets, and to correct the errors that have crept into previous religious traditions due to human tampering. Islam affirms the true aspects of all previous revelations.