Ethics of Islam, Part 1: There’s only one true path

Summary

This script discusses Islamic ethics as detailed in the first chapter of the book 'Berica' by Abu Saeed Muhammad. It explores the significance of taqwa (piety) and the importance of cleansing oneself from vices to attain spiritual purity and avoid sins. The worst vices, such as disbelief and polytheism, are highlighted, along with their detrimental effects on the soul. The script emphasizes that true happiness in this world and the next is achieved by preventing sins and developing a heart naturally inclined to virtue, in accordance with Islamic teachings.

Takeaways

• 📖 The first chapter of the book explains 40 important vices and their remedies, based on the famous Islamic book Berica by Abu Saeed Muhammad.
• 📅 Berica was originally published in Arabic in 1284 Hijri (1868 A.D.) in Istanbul and reproduced in 1411 Hijri (1991 A.D.) by Hakikath Bookstore.
• 🕌 Taqwa (piety) is the essence of avoiding vices and is considered the most precious of all worships.
• ❌ Disbelief is the worst of all vices, and good deeds of a non-believer will not benefit them in the Hereafter.
• 🔍 The foundation of all virtues is taqwa, which leads to living peacefully in this world and obtaining eternal blessings.
• 💔 Vices cause diseases in the heart or soul, with disbelief (kuffer) and polytheism (shirk) being the most fatal.
• 🙏 Taoba (repentance) is necessary for forgiveness of sins, and those who violate human rights may face severe punishment.
• 🚫 Respecting statues or pictures of people assuming they possess divine attributes is considered polytheism (shirk).
• 📜 Certain actions are forbidden (haram), and not performing obligatory duties (fard) is also a grave sin.
• ❤️ The spiritual heart (qalb) must be developed to naturally avoid sins, which requires obedience to Islamic rules.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the first chapter of the book 'Berica'?

The first chapter of 'Berica' explains 40 of the most important vices and their remedies.

Who is the author of the book 'Berica'?

The book 'Berica' was written by Abu Saeed Muhammad.

When and where was 'Berica' originally published?

'Berica' was originally published in 1284 Hijri (1868 A.D) in Istanbul.

What is the most important concept in avoiding vices according to the book?

The most important concept in avoiding vices is taqwa, which means the avoidance of vices and is considered the most precious of all worships.

What is considered the worst of all vices in 'Berica'?

The worst of all vices is disbelief (kuffer).

How does the book describe the effect of vices on the soul?

Vices cause disease in the heart or soul, and any increase in this disease can lead to the death of the soul, meaning disbelief or shirk.

What does shirk mean, and why is it significant in Islamic ethics?

Shirk means to attribute partners to Allah. It is the worst form of disbelief and is considered a fatal poison of the soul.

What is the book's stance on paying respect to statues or pictures of respected figures?

Paying respect to statues or pictures of respected figures is considered forbidden (Haram) and doing so makes a person a sinner (fasic). If done with the belief that these figures possess divine attributes, it is considered polytheism (shirk).

What is required for one to become a Wali, according to the book?

To become a Wali, one must purify their heart so that avoiding sins becomes a natural habit. This requires obedience to the rules of Islam, including knowledge, practice, and sincerity.

What are the three parts of Islam as described in 'Berica'?

The three parts of Islam described in 'Berica' are knowledge (ilum), practice (Amal), and sincerity (ikhlas).

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Islamic Ethics

The first chapter of an Islamic book on ethics explains 40 significant vices and their remedies. The book was originally written in Arabic in two volumes by Abu Saeed Muhammad and published in 1868 in Istanbul. The essence of spiritual loss is having vices, and avoiding them is known as taqwa, which is essential for worship. Disbelief is the worst vice, and good deeds without belief will not benefit in the Hereafter. The chapter emphasizes the importance of taqwa for peace in this life and eternal blessings.

05:01

🚫 The Grave Sin of Polytheism

The text elaborates on the severity of polytheism (shirk) and its consequences. Polytheism is attributing partners to Allah, which is an unforgivable sin. Believing that any creature possesses divine attributes and worshipping them is considered polytheism. Disbelief and disrespect towards Allah’s exclusive attributes lead to eternal punishment. The chapter further explains that respecting images of non-divine beings, even if not considered divine, is forbidden and can lead to sin.

10:03

🔄 Repentance and Avoiding Sins

The discussion continues on heretical beliefs (bid'ah) and the importance of repentance (taoba) for sins other than disbelief. Sins violating human rights are particularly grave and require careful attention to avoid. Practicing Islam amidst challenges and abstaining from prohibited actions is emphasized as taqwa. The chapter highlights the need to avoid sins using specific organs, such as the heart, eyes, tongue, and hands, and stresses the development of a pure heart for attaining Allah's love.

💖 Achieving Piety through Obedience

The final section underscores the journey to becoming a pious person (muttaqi) through natural avoidance of sins. Achieving this state requires purifying the heart, obedience to Islamic rules, and integrating knowledge, practice, and sincerity. The Quran commands adherence to these principles. The book aims to communicate the sins to be avoided for cleansing the heart, focusing on ethical behavior and moral acts.

Keywords

💡Taqwa

Taqwa refers to the avoidance of vices and sins, striving for piety and righteousness. It is described as the most precious of all worships in Islam. The script emphasizes that obtaining taqwa is essential for living peacefully in this world and for obtaining eternal blessings. Taqwa requires cleansing oneself from sins to ensure that worship and good deeds are fruitful.

💡Disbelief (Kuffer)

Disbelief, or kuffer, is the worst of all vices according to the script. It is a state of rejecting faith in Allah, leading to spiritual loss and the death of the soul. The script states that good deeds performed by a disbeliever will not be rewarded in the Hereafter. Disbelief includes polytheism, which is explicitly condemned in the Quran.

💡Shirk

Shirk, or polytheism, is the act of attributing partners to Allah, and is considered the most severe form of disbelief. The script explains that shirk is a fatal poison for the soul and is unforgivable by Allah according to the Quran. It includes believing that any creature possesses divine attributes or worshipping such entities.

💡Attributes of Divinity

Attributes of Divinity are qualities that belong exclusively to Allah, such as eternal existence, creating, all-knowing, and healing the sick. The script mentions that attributing these qualities to any being other than Allah constitutes shirk. Respecting or worshipping someone believed to have these attributes is a form of polytheism.

💡Heretical Beliefs (Bid'ah)

Heretical beliefs, or bid'ah, are innovations in religious matters that deviate from the authentic teachings of Islam. The script identifies them as the second worst disease of the soul after shirk. Practicing bid'ah leads to spiritual corruption and strays believers from the true path of Islam.

💡Taoba

Taoba means repentance for one's sins, seeking forgiveness from Allah, and resolving not to commit the same sins again. The script highlights the importance of taoba for cleansing oneself from sins, especially venial sins that, if not forgiven, may result in punishment in Hell. It emphasizes the necessity of taoba for achieving spiritual purity.

💡Human Rights (Haq)

Human rights, or haq, refer to the rights owed to individuals as prescribed by Islamic law. The script underscores the severity of violating human rights, such as not giving due money in marriage or prohibiting others from learning their correct religion. Such violations are considered grave sins and are subject to severe punishment.

💡Prohibited Actions (Haram)

Prohibited actions, or haram, are behaviors forbidden by Islamic law. The script discusses the importance of avoiding haram actions to achieve taqwa and spiritual purity. Examples include not performing obligatory duties and paying respect to statues or pictures, which are explicitly forbidden and lead to spiritual and moral decline.

💡Worship (Fard)

Worship, or fard, includes obligatory acts of worship in Islam such as the five daily prayers. The script stresses that neglecting these acts leads to punishment and spiritual loss. Performing worship sincerely and regularly is crucial for maintaining faith and achieving Allah's approval.

💡Makrooh

Makrooh refers to actions that are disliked or discouraged in Islam but are not strictly forbidden. The script indicates that avoiding makrooh actions is part of taqwa, as they are close to being haram. Examples include actions that are not obligatory but are regularly practiced by the Prophet Muhammad, and avoiding them without a valid excuse is strongly discouraged.

Highlights

The book 'Berica' by Abu Saeed Muhammad explains 40 of the most important vices and their remedies, focusing on Islamic ethics.

Originally written in Arabic in 1284 Hijri (1868 A.D.) in Istanbul, the book was reproduced in 1411 Hijri (1991 A.D.) by Hakikath Bookstore.

Taqwa, or avoidance of vices, is considered the most precious of all worships in Islam.

The essence of a man's spiritual loss is his having vices, and cleansing oneself from vices is essential for worship to be rewarded.

The worst of all vices is disbelief, as the good deeds of a disbeliever will not bear fruit in the Hereafter.

Shirk, or polytheism, is identified as a fatal poison for the soul and the worst type of disbelief.

Different types of disbelief exist, with polytheism being the most severe, leading to eternal punishment in Hellfire.

The book emphasizes that merely claiming a clean heart without belief is meaningless, as a dead heart cannot be clean.

Taqwa is the foundation of all virtues and essential for living peacefully in this world and obtaining eternal blessings.

Heretical beliefs (bid'ah) and looseness in abstaining from sins are other major diseases of the soul after shirk.

Repentance (taoba) is crucial for forgiveness of sins, and it involves seeking Allah's forgiveness and resolving not to commit the same sins again.

Violating the rights of other human beings is a grave sin and difficult to be forgiven, often leading to severe punishment.

The book highlights the importance of performing obligatory duties (fards) and avoiding prohibited actions (harams) and disliked actions (makroohs).

Eight organs are commonly associated with committing sins: heart, ears, eyes, tongue, hands, stomach, sexual organs, and feet.

Purifying the heart requires adherence to Islamic rules, which encompass knowledge (ilm), practice (amal), and sincerity (ikhlas).

Achieving a state where avoiding sins becomes a natural habit is key to becoming Allah-fearing (muttaqi) and gaining Allah's approval.

Transcripts

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ethics of Islam

Islamic ethics first chapter the first

chapter of the book explains 40 of the

most important vices and their remedies

all of the following information is

translated from the first chapter of the

famous Islamic book berica written by

Abu Saeed Muhammad

this book originally written in two

volumes in Arabic was published in 1284

hijri 1868 A.D in Istanbul and was

reproduced in 1411 hijri 1991 A.D by

hakikath bookstore Muhammad hadimi

Ibrahim

passed away in 1176 hijri Kamari 1762

A.D in his birthplace hadeem Village of

the city of Konya turkey

vices add methods of cleansing oneself

from them things that harm men in this

world and in the next are due to Vices

the essence of a man's spiritual loss is

his having vices man's avoidance of

vices is called taqwa taqwa is the most

precious of all worships decorating

something requires that the thing first

should be cleansed from all dirt and

stain similarly neither any reward fawab

will be given nor any benefit will occur

for the worships unless the man who does

those worships cleanses himself from the

sin the worst of all vices is disbelief

The Good Deeds of a person who does not

have belief will not bear any fruit for

him in the Hereafter a disbeliever who

is killed unjustly does not become a

martyr and will not go to paradise the

foundation of all virtues is taqwa one

should try hard to obtain taqwa and

advise others to do the same living in

this world peacefully with others and

obtaining the best of Eternal blessings

could only be accomplished by having

taqwa vices cause disease in the heart

or Soul any increase in this disease

will cause the death of the soul that is

it will cause kuffer disbelief shirk

which is the worst of all vices is a

fatal poison of the Soul some people who

do not have belief claim my heart

spiritual is clean you should look at my

heart their claim is no more than empty

words a dead heart cannot be clean there

are many types of disbelief the worst of

all is polytheism any variety of a

certain Vice is mostly specified with

its most outstanding characteristic for

that matter the word shirk used in ayati

kerimasu that is verses of the Quran and

in our blessed prophets utterances

termed hadithi sharifs represents all

sorts of kuffer disbelief Allah in the

48th and 116th

ayats of the Surah of the Quran states

that he will never forgive the

polytheists mushriks these verses point

out that disbelievers will burn forever

in the Hellfire shirk means to attribute

Partners

a person who does the attributing is

called a polytheist and the thing which

is attributed is called partner shadik

to believe that someone possesses one of

the attributes of divinity means to make

him a partner sharik the attributes

possessed exclusively by Allah are

called attributes of divinity

some Divine attributes are the following

existing

eternally creating all-knowing and

Healing The Sick to believe that a human

being or the son or a cow or any other

creature possesses a Divine attribute

and thus to respect or beg that being or

creature is called To Worship them those

things become an idol to say words that

mean deification of such people or to

speak respectfully before statues

pictures or Graves of disbelievers

assumed to be possessing Divine

attributes means to worship them and

therefore it is polytheism if one

believes that a person does not possess

a Divine attribute but instead he is a

person loved by Allah or alternately if

one believes that that person has served

his Nation much and therefore deserves

respect paying respect to his statue or

pictures is not disbelief or polytheism

nevertheless since paying respect to any

person's picture is forbidden Haram

anyone doing so becomes a sinner fasic

if he slights the fact that it is

forbidden he will become an apostate

and so will those who flout a prohibited

action Haram since those Jews and

Christians who are not mushriks do not

believe in the prophethood of Muhammad

alaihi Salam they are disbelievers they

are called disbelievers with a Heavenly

book presently most Christians are

polytheists because they attribute

Divinity to Prophet Isa that is Jesus

salaam Christians belonging to the sects

of Barnabas and Arius Aryans were among

the people of the book however they have

not survived to the present time the

second worst to disease of the Soul

after shirk is to hold and practice

heretical beliefs which are called beat

up which is followed by looseness in

abstaining from sins in the order of

evil a person who dies without making

talba for venial or grave sins other

than disbelief may be forgiven by Allah

either through intercession

or directly by his Mercy taoba means

penitence to make taoba means to repent

for your sins to beg Allah for

forgiveness and to be resolved not to

commit the same sins again if a venial

sin is not forgiven then there will be

punishment in Hell sins that involve

violating rights of other human beings

will not be forgiven easily most likely

people who commit them will be punished

more severely for example not giving

wives do money

regarding the marriage contract or

prohibiting human beings from learning

their correct religion which is their

right Huck is the gravest gross

violation of Human Rights

stated as follows a time will come when

people will not care whether they earn

the money by permissible Halal means or

not and a time will come when practicing

Islam will be as difficult as holding a

fireball with bare hands therefore to

avoid committing all prohibited actions

harams and those actions that are called

makro Karimi because they are quite

close to harams is taqwa not to perform

obligatory duties fards and strongly

recommended actions where jibs is

forbidden Haram According to some

information not performing

that is acts of worship which our

blessed Prophet practiced regularly

without an excuse is strongly disliked

makrutakrimi people who do not carry out

Commandments of Islam with respect to

belief

ethics

and deeds Amal will be punished

logically one must avoid doing things

that will cause punishment for example

not performing five daily salats and

women and girls not covering themselves

is a grave sin it would be a strong

requirement for one to abstain from the

grave sin by performing the five daily

salats nevertheless in this book we will

not deal with the subject matter

regarding the things that must not be

omitted instead we will communicate the

things that should be avoided that is

prohibited actions and vices

the things we should not do prohibited

actions are committed either with a

particular organ or with the entire body

the following eight organs are very well

known for committing sins spiritual

heart ears eyes tongue hands stomach

sexual organs and feet the spiritual

heart cowb is a spiritual Grace blown

upon the material heart of human beings

it is incorporeal not made of matter

like the soul these organs themselves do

not commit the sin the sensing power of

these organs commits the sin anyone who

wants to attain happiness in this world

and the next must prevent these organs

from committing sins the spiritual heart

has to be developed into a state wherein

not committing sins will be its natural

habit malaka anyone who can achieve the

this state is called Allah fearing

botaki or Pius Sally person he has now

attained all hotels love and approval

and become a Wali to him Wally plural

Alia means a person close and beloved to

Allah it would also be piety taqwa to

avoid sins by exerting yourself without

its becoming the heart's natural habit

yet being a Wali requires its being a

natural habit not to commit sins which

in turn requires purifying the heart and

to purify the heart requires obedience

to the rules of Islam Islam consists of

three parts knowledge ilum practice Amal

and sincerity

one to learn the knowledge teaching the

Commandments that is funds wajibs

sunnats and forbidden actions harams and

makroofs two to practice them in

accordance with this knowledge and three

to do them only for the sake of Allah

the Quran al-qareem commands and Praises

all these three parts in this book we

will only communicate those sins that

are to be abstained from in order to

cleanse the heart they are called vices

on ethical Behavior or immoral Acts

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