THE HOLY QUR'AN ON MORAL BUILDING, ANGER AND DESIRE

 

THE HOLY QUR'AN ON MORAL BUILDING,

 ANGER AND DESIRE

Khwaja Nazir Ahmad

Anger and desire are the treble and bass of the whole gamut of morality. They are also the root passions, and act as life-tendencies, branching off in various directions. In their original form they are bestial in character. They must be polished otherwise they would harm irreparably the superstructure of social order. If anger, for example, assumes the form of murder, physical hurt, libel, slander, and the rest, desire, in its naked form engenders theft, larceny, cheating, misappropriation, adultery and many other evils. Their combination also creates a variety of new vices, jealousy being one of them. But the said two passions, rightly blended, produce a high morality. If anger assumed the form of bravery and justice, desire becomes sublimated into mercy, sympathy, and charity. Real morality depends upon training these passions rightly, and this ought to be the first concern of human society. The culture and civilization of a nation do not lie in its ability to use brute force, but rather in the wise display of moral force. The aim and end of legislation is to check the distorted form of anger and desire, but numerous things that arise there from on the moral plane remain beyond its jurisdiction. It is therefore, the duty of a religion from God to deal rightly with the matter. Wellnight all Books of Revelation inculcate good morals and depricate vices. But the Qur'anic treatment of the subject is both systematic and scientific. Without doubt, it denounces these passions in their lower aspects, but it does not teach us to crush them. Rather does it treat them as the bedrock of the moral edifice. It lays down rules and regulations whereby we may control them and bring them to their proper use. 

It should not be forgotten that all the achievements of which the best of civilization can boast, together with their protection, are indebted to those crude passions. They set our actions in motion, desire, at the outset, creates craving. To satisfy our cravings or appetites, we search for the means to do so. Thus appetitive passions call forth cognitive passions. We try to acquire knowledge of things that will satisfy our appetites, and the knowledge thus gained is the instigatour of our actions. 

The whole industrial world owes its existence to Desire. But there must be some passion in us that urges us to protect what we have, and this passion is Anger. If Desire prompts us to acquisition, Anger prompts us to secure the safety of that which we have acquired. Thus the two passions are not only life-tendencies but instruments of human perfection. We cannot, therefore afford to kill them; we have to balance them and discover, if we can, their proper use. 

Herein lies the superiority of the Qur'an. Not only does it condemn the worst form of evil passion as other Scripture do, but it lays down a code of life which makes those same passions the most valuable assets of human society. 

The opening chapter of the Qur'an divides the human race into three classes. 

(a) Those who are on the right path and are the recipients of God's blessings. 

(b) Those who are anger-ridden people and in peril of Divine wrath. 

(c) Those who have been misled and go astray. 

"Dall" is the word used in the Qur'anic text for "misled". It primarily means one strongly tempted by evil desire. Such an one loses all good judgment and prudence. He cannot but go astray. 

The blessed of God, as depicted by the Qur'an, are those who clothe themselves with Divine morals. These morals are no other than the same two passions in their most excellent form. Thus Anger and Desire become the dividing principles of the whole human race. We are warned in this chapter to shun the ways of those who are overtaken by Anger and Desire, and we are urged to follow in the footsteps of those who tread the right path in pursuit of the highest of morality. In other words, those who have controlled their evil passions and have converted them into their desirable forms are the chosen people of God, while the others are under His curse. If the Holy Qur'an is devoted chiefly to training these two passions in their different forms, it could not do better, seeing that on them hinges the whole machinery of a health society. 

Anger, in its highest form, is a real blessing of God. It secures peace and safety. It seeks to establish immunity in the world against and misdeeds. But it may also become God's curse when wrongly used. The Holy Qur'an deals with it scientifically and on a psychological basis, converting the cause of enmity into a means for reconciliation and friendship. It says: "And not alike are the good and the evil. Repel (evil) with what is best, when lo; he between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend" (41:34). 

Anger has been implanted in our nature for the suppression of evil, but the reform of the wrongdoer is like a part of our duty. This problem has faced humanity from the very beginning. Different civilizations have adopted different ways to achieve this end. The Mosaic Dispensation taught the Law of Retribution, Jesus preached submission to evil. Both measures were timely, but not of general application. The former creates the spirit of revenge and anger, the latter is enough to emasculate all manliness from us. But both dispensations were necessary when they were given. The Israelites were a race of slaves before the Exodus. The Lawgiver sought to make a martial race of the Children of Bondage and had therefore, to promulgate the Law of Retribution but in the course of time the followers of Moses came to forget mercy. They knew nothing but vengeance and anger at the time of Jesus. It was to reform them in this respect that he went to other extreme. 

To return evil with good is, no doubt, a beautiful maxim, but its universal application must needs, as things are at present, be harmful to the social fabric. It is putting a premium on evil. It encourages offence. It may produce reform in some cases but it may also engender stubbornness and wickedness. But the law given in the Holy Qur'an meets all emergencies, "Repel evil with the best," is the Qur'anic injunction. To amend wrong is the main object. If this can be obtained by forgiveness or by doing good, it is desirable, but if some coercive measures are needed it should be resorted to. We have to choose the best that suits the occasion. In chapter 42 the Holy Book speaks thus of the believers: "And those who shun the great sins and indecencies, and whenever they are angry they forgive" (42:37). "And their rule is to take counsel among themselves" (42:38). "And those who, when great wrong afflicts them, defend themselves" (42:39). "And the recompense of evil is punishment like it, but whoever forgives and amends, he shall have his reward from Allah; surely He does not love the unjust" (42:40). 

What beautiful and comprehensive teaching. Not only does it absorb into itself the Laws of Moses and of Jesus, but it also indicates the occasions proper for their application. It views the problem as a whole and lays down right principles for the suppression of evil on one hand and its reform on the other. Evil must be repelled at any cost, but we must not give way to anger; the best course is not to rely on our own judgment, when angry, but to take counsel with' others. Forgiveness and punishment are both suggested. If amendments can be achieved through forgiveness, that is the best way, but nothing must be done at the expense of justice. 

Anger is most readily aroused against a weaker class for if such persons happen to commit a wrong it is easy enough to punish them. Here, then, is an occasion for controlling the passions and the Book advises us in the following words: "(They hasten to forgiveness) who spend (bene-volently)........and restrain anger and pardon men, and Allah loves the doers of good" (3:133). 

In the case of the weak ones we have not only to suppress our anger, but to forgive them their transgressions and then to be kind to them. This will make them attached to us, and they will not only have become reformed, but will also be our friends. 

There is another verse which co- ordinates the proper use of desire and anger. It furnishes us ideal code of life and secures peace and well-being. It is read to Muslim congregations every Friday from the pulpit, and surpasses every teaching given elsewhere in Law or Religion: 

"Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency, the denial of other's rights and rebellion" (16:90) 

If the first part of the verse speaks of the three stages of goodness which the passion of desire in us, i.e. doing good to others, assumes, the other part deals with three forms of anger, which, in a way, comprise every form of evil. The verse begins with justice. We must respect individual rights and pay to others their dues; that is the first form of goodness, without which no society can continue to exist. We must be charitable to others, as we are in the case of our kindred and pay them more than they deserve. We must do good to them spontaneously out of our own accord. Not only must we reward others according to their merits, but we must be benevolent to them, without regard to their merits. This kind of benevolence partakes of God's Beneficence, Whose blessings come to us without our deserving them. 

The last part of the verse comprehends in three words the greater part of crime. Anything that harms life, property, and name is styled "indecency", and we have been warned against it. But if this injury affects others, it amounts to a denial, on our part, of their rights, and has, therefore, been prohibited. Those others, too, are entitled to protection as regards their own life, property, and fame, and these we must respect. Anything that affects the whole of the society, by violating its laws, is treated as rebellion in the Holy Qur'an. The Friday sermon gives its hearers the noblest of inspiration for acting as good citizens and doing their duty to society. We have to observe equity and justice in our dealings, to be charitable to others, to do no wrong to ourselves, to our fellowmen or the community. By obeying these injunctions we sublimate desire and anger to their most excellent forms and banish evil.