covers all acts of righteousness and good deeds but in its specific meaning it requires fulfilling one’s responsibilities and obligations as sanctioned by the sharīʿah.
The phrase birr bi wālidayihi means that one is obedient to one’s parents as opposed to being unruly. It is said about the Prophet Yaḥyā (peace be upon him): “He was devout and kind to his parents and he was not overbearing or rebellious” (Maryam 19: 13–14).
The attainment of obedience to Allah demands purity of intention and willingness to spend and give in His way what one covets most. In Sūrah Āl ʿImrān it is specifically mentioned that: “By no means shall you attain righteousness (al-birr) unless you give (freely) of that which you love most” (Āl ʿImrān 3: 92). As the wording is very general it could include everything – one’s life, time, skills and talents as well as possessions.
Al-Birr is one of the Most Beautiful Names (al-Asmā’ al-Ḥusnā) of Allah. This means that Allah fulfills all His promises and gives rewards as well. Thus, in Sūrah al-Ṭūr it is said: “Truly it is He Who is al-Barr and al-Raḥīm.” (al-Ṭūr 52: 28).
Other Words from this Root
Barr and Bārr (pl. Abrār and Bararah). Abrār is used in the Qur’ān to mean righteous and pious beings (Āl ʿImrān 3: 193 and 198; al-Insān 76: 5; al-Infiṭār 82: 13; al-Muṭaffifīn 83: 18 and 22).
Bararah is used in the sense of reverent and dutiful. In Sūrah ʿAbasa the attributes ‘pious’ and ‘just’ are used of the honourable scribes (angels) (ʿAbasa 80: 16)
References
Birr: 2: 117; 3: 92; 5: 2; 19: 14; 52: 28.
Bukhl [
see Infāq
Dahr [
see Ajal
Ḍalāl, Ḍalālah [
Meaning
Ḍalāl, Ḍalālah are the opposite of Hudā and Hidāyah. Ḍalla means to lose one’s way, to go astray, to deviate from the straight path. Therefore Ḍalālah is the opposite of Hidāyah (guidance) and means misguidance. It embraces all aspects of straying from the right path whether intentionally or by mistake or ignorance.
Iḍlāl, from the same root, means misguiding, deceiving and misleading. In many verses in the Qur’ān it is mentioned that Allah guides whoever He likes and misguides whoever He wants:
Such is the guidance of Allah: He guides therewith whom He pleases, but such as Allah leaves to stray, can have none to guide.
(al-Zumar 39: 23)
But this is not an arbitrary act on the part of Allah. As all acts of Allah are based on justice and fairness those who are misguided are responsible for their own misguidance. This is explained in many places in the Qur’ān. Those who are prone to evil render themselves incapable of benefiting from Divine Guidance:
Those who believe know that it is truth from their Lord; but those who reject faith say: ‘What means Allah by this similitude?’ By it He causes many to stray and many He leads into the right path; but He causes not to stray except those who forsake (the path).
(al-Baqarah 2: 26)
Allah will establish in strength those who believe, with the Word that stands firm, in this world and in the Hereafter; but Allah will leave, to stray, those who do wrong. Allah does what He wills.
(Ibrāhīm 14: 27)
Thus Allah leaves the unbelievers to stray.
(al-Mu’min 40: 74)
From the above verses it is clear that Fāsiq (sinner), Ẓālim (oppressor) and Kāfir (non-believer) are led astray because of their rejection of the Path of Righteousness. In the Holy Qur’ān mention is also made of Christians who strayed from the Right Path:
Say: “O People of the Book! Exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by – who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the even Way.”
(al-Mā’idah 5: 77)
References
Ḍalālah: 1: 7; 3: 164; 40: 25; 42: 18; 67: 9.
Ḍarar [
see Iḍṭirār
Daʿwah [
Meaning
Daʿwah is derived from Daʿā which means to call or to invite. Hence Daʿwah means invitation. This invitation could be daʿwah ilā al-khayr (calling people towards good) which is performed by all the prophets (Nūḥ 71: 5), or it could be insinuation by Satan to allure people to his way (Ibrāhīm 14: 22).
Analysis
The prophets throughout the ages performed the duty of calling people towards Allah’s way. As the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him) was the last prophet, this duty was transferred to the Muslim Ummah. “You are the best of people, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong and believing in Allah” (Āl ʿImrān 3: 110).
The Qur’ān has provided the methodology of daʿwah by giving the basic guidance. The first duty is to invite oneself to surrender to the will of Allah as explained in the following verse: “Who is better in speech than one who calls (others) to Allah, works righteousness, and says: ‘I am of those who bow to Islam’” (Fuṣṣilat 41: 33). The second is to invite the whole society to live in submission to the will of Allah. These two processes continue simultaneously.
The other comprehensive advice is given in Sūrah al-Naḥl: “Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and reason with them in the best and most gracious manner possible” (al-Naḥl 16: 125). Thus, one has to know the psychology of the addressees. It is essential to respect their feelings and avoid hurting their dear and emotional attachments. One should choose the appropriate time and place to present the message. Of course the message has to be varied according to the competence of the addressees. If people are getting bored one should stop. If someone argues, one should not try to win the argument thus humiliating him. One can win the hearts of people by not retaliating and by continuing to be patient (Fuṣṣilat 41: 34–35).
