Inside Our Hearts

Our Muslim names, Islamic dress and our prayers are like the sign board found outside a shop, which informs us that inside this shop, sweets, chocolates, biscuits, cakes, fruit, etc. are stocked and sold. The person reading the signboard thus expects to find what has been advertised outside, inside that shop. What would be the reaction of the person if he or she finds cow dung, horse manure and cat’s droppings inside, instead of sweets and chocolates ?

In a similar vein, our beautiful Muslim names and Islamic garb informs others that inside our hearts there is certain ‘merchandise’ in the form of firm Imaan in Allah Ta’ala and love for His Beloved Rasool e. One expects to find therein, the attributes of trustworthiness, honesty, sincerity, forgiveness, charity, Taqwa (piety), zuhd (asceticism), sabr (patience), shukr (gratitude), etc. These are the qualities and traits a person expects to find in his social dealings with us.

Our beards, kurtas, turbans, tasbeehs, the cloak, purdah, etc. are all additional signs which lay more and more emphasis on the above. What would be a person’s reaction, when instead of these virtues, he or she finds arrogance, pride, malice, greed, jealousy, etc.?