Fiqh project birr - Al Birr PDF

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Al Birr...

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Question 1: Define the word al-birr (righteousness / virtue) literally and technically according to one of the Muslim scholars The essential verse known as the "verse of righteousness" occurs in the last third of the second chapter of the Quran, The Cow. This long verse contains great wisdom by explaining that performing religious rites with an outward show of piety without true faith and obedience to God is of little value. The Arabic word for righteousness is birr and it has various levels of meaning. It has been translated as righteousness, piety, virtue and charity. Birr is derived from the root letters ba-ra-ra. The word barr means land, and it is also derived from the same root letters. In the past when a person set sail he was uneasy due to the hazards involved and only felt safe when he at last returned to stable dry land. Birr encompasses the inner satisfaction, pleasure and happiness a person feels when he does the right thing, when everything feels correct and at peace with itself and the surroundings. Thus, in an Islamic sense, when a person does the right thing, obeys God and worships Him correctly, he feels satisfied, secure and happy. Birr is righteousness; it is acting in a way that invokes this inner peace. It is a firm set of beliefs and actions that will keep your life balanced and safe. God begins the verse by saying it is not true righteousness that you turn your face to the east or the west, rather the quality of righteousness is found in the person who believes in God, the last Day, the angels, the Book and the prophets. At first God commanded the Muslims to face Jerusalem when they prayed, that was to the east. He later changed that to the Kaba in Mecca facing west. This change was difficult for some people, thus God revealed that the direction is only important in that it fulfils a command made by God. The direction itself is not important similar to how an outward appearance of piety is not important unless a person believes in all the commands of God..If a person is to have real righteousness the first requirement is for that person to have faith. Belief or faith in God is the most fundamental belief in Islam and it is the basis for a moral upstanding life.

A truly righteous person gives charity from his wealth, despite his love for the good things he owns and regardless of how much he is in need of it. Righteousness requires implementation and according to this verse, a sign of righteousness is demonstrating kindness and mercy towards our fellow human beings. The righteous give from their wealth to their kinfolk, even though people are often reluctant to help those closest to them, preferring to give to some well-known charity or organization. We should give generously to the poor and the orphans. A measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.[2] The charity of the righteous should also go to the traveler in need and to those who need help and to set slaves free. The next step in the quest for righteousness involves performing the prayer and paying the obligatory charity. These are both commandments from God and two of the pillars of Islam. It is not enough to do one without the other. The person who prays yet does not give the obligatory charity or vice versa, is not one who is firmly on the path to righteousness and a happy Hereafter. Prayer is more than a sequence of movements and there is more to it then facing right and then left. It is an act of complete submission to the will of God. Payment of the obligatory charity is a religious duty and a redistribution of wealth. Another aspect of righteousness includes fulfilling contracts and pledges. Abiding by contracts entered into and fulfilling promises is part of leading an Islamic life. A Muslim is true to his or her word in all dealings such as buying and selling, leasing, renting, partnership deals, and marriage contracts. This includes the promises made to God and those made to fellow human beings. A righteous person is also patient; it is one of the most important qualities of a believer. This verse specifies patience when one is faced with poverty or sickness and in the time of battle. Living life according to Islam gives the believer leverage when it comes to the struggles that could in other circumstances bring them down. Patience and endurance will overcome calamity, hardship, conflict and danger. The verse concludes by saying that these qualities outlined belong to the people of truth. To earn this title they have

proven themselves capable of turning faith and righteousness into a practical way of life. They fear God’s punishment yet hope in His mercy because they are conscious of God in all that they do and conscientious while fulfilling their obligations towards Him.

Question 2: Explain the concept of al-birr (righteousness / virtue) according to Islam The word ‘Al birr’ is usually translated as “piety”and it appears approximately eight times in the Holy Quran: Surah Al Baqarah verse: 44; Surah Al Baqarah verse: 177 (twice); Surah Al Baqarah verse: 189 (twice);Surah Aalu Imran verse: 92;Surah Al Ma’idah verse: 2 and Surah Al Mujadalah verse: 9.

Imam Nawawi (rahimahullah) explains under the commentary of this Hadith that ‘birr’ means kinship, kindness, acts of charity, good social etiquette, obedience. He then states that all of the above meanings make up good character.

(Sahih Muslim with commentary of Imam Nawawi rahimahullah Hadith: 6463) Allamah Tibi (rahimahullah) says the word ‘birr’ has various explanations given in Hadith. Sometimes it means those actions with which the heart is at ease when carrying out, sometimes it means ‘Iman’, sometimes all those deeds that bring you closer to Allah Ta’ala, and in the Hadith mentioned above ‘birr’ was explained as good character.

(Sharhut Tibi vol. 10 pg. 323) The famous linguist Ibn Manzur has written several explanations of this word, he says ‘birr’ means truthfulness, obedience, piety and good (deeds). He goes on to say the best meaning of this word is good (deeds) because it encompasses all the previous meanings.

(Lisanul ‘Arab vol.1 pg. 370) The word birr has many different meanings, which will have to be viewed in context. Among them is ‘birrul walidayn’, here ‘birr’ means being obedient/dutiful to one’s parents. One will have to translate the word ‘birr’ according to the context it appears in. “Piety” is just one of these meanings.

Aisha Stacey, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 177: THE VERSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, the place ,2017, The Religion of Islam, Retrieved from https://www.islamreligion.com/articles/11172/chapter-2-verse-177/ at 30.7.2020

Birr encompasses the inner satisfaction, pleasure and happiness a person feels when he does the right thing, when everything feels correct and at peace with itself and the surroundings. Thus, in an Islamic sense, when a person does the right thing, obeys God and worships Him correctly, he feels satisfied, secure and happy. Birr is righteousness; it is acting in a way that invokes this inner peace. It is a firm set of beliefs and actions that will keep your life balanced and safe.

God begins the verse by saying it is not true righteousness that you turn your face to the east or the west, rather the quality of righteousness is found in the person who believes in God, the last Day, the angels, the Book and the prophets. At first God commanded the Muslims to face Jerusalem when they prayed, that was to the east. He later changed that to the Kaba in Mecca facing west. This change was difficult for some people, thus God revealed that the direction is only important in that it fulfils a command made by God. The direction itself is not important similar to how an outward appearance of piety is not important unless a person believes in all the commands of God.

God then mentions some fundamental beliefs and deeds that constitute righteousness. He specifically mentions five of the six pillars of faith. If a person is to have real righteousness the first requirement is for that person to have faith. Belief or faith in God is the most fundamental belief in Islam and it is the basis for a moral upstanding life. Belief in the Hereafter testifies to the fact that life has purpose and that the good and righteousness person will be rewarded. Belief in the angels confirms a belief in a world where some things

are beyond human perception and belief in the Quran means you attest to the truth and integrity of all the revealed books. The prophets and messengers of God were the models of real righteousness and piety, and belief in them is essential to cultivate our own righteousness. A truly righteous person gives charity from his wealth, despite his love for the good things he owns and regardless of how much he is in need of it. Prophet Muhammad (may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him) said[1] that the best charity is that which you give away while you are still healthy and thrifty, hoping to get rich and fearing poverty. A person should not wait until death is imminent and then dole out his charity, some for this one and some for that one. He should instead give freely from the things that he loves. Righteousness requires implementation and according to this verse, a sign of righteousness is demonstrating kindness and mercy towards our fellow human beings. The righteous give from their wealth to their kinfolk, even though people are often reluctant to help those closest to them, preferring to give to some well-known charity or organization. We should give generously to the poor and the orphans. A measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.[2] The charity of the righteous should also go to the traveler in need and to those who need help and to set slaves free. The next step in the quest for righteousness involves performing the prayer and paying the obligatory charity. These are both commandments from God and two of the pillars of Islam. It is not enough to do one without the other. The person who prays yet does not give the obligatory charity or vice versa, is not one who is firmly on the path to righteousness and a happy Hereafter. Prayer is more than a sequence of movements and there is more to it then facing right and then left. It is an act of complete submission to the will of God. Payment of the obligatory charity is a religious duty and a redistribution of wealth. Another aspect of righteousness includes fulfilling contracts and pledges. Abiding by contracts entered into and fulfilling promises is part of leading an Islamic life. A Muslim is true to his or her word in all dealings such as buying and selling, leasing, renting, partnership deals, and marriage contracts. This includes the promises made to God and those made to fellow human beings. A righteous person is also patient; it is one of the most important qualities of a believer. This verse specifies patience when one is faced with poverty or

sickness and in the time of battle. Living life according to Islam gives the believer leverage when it comes to the struggles that could in other circumstances bring them down. Patience and endurance will overcome calamity, hardship, conflict and danger. The verse concludes by saying that these qualities outlined belong to the people of truth. To earn this title they have proven themselves capable of turning faith and righteousness into a practical way of life. They fear God’s punishment yet hope in His mercy because they are conscious of God in all that they do and conscientious while fulfilling their obligations towards Him.

The main responsibility of woman is to focus on the home and the family, and all that is needed to run and ensure the progression of these institutions. She, too, has certain social responsibilities, rights and duties, but her main interest should be the family. She is also responsible in nurturing, coaching and proper education of the children, the ideal functioning of the home and wider family relationships and the physical, emotional, educational, administrative and other needs of the institution.29. The institution is a world itself and includes a range of programmes, intellectual, physical and organisational maintenance. She operate and govern this world with responsibility and authority.51 She have to corroborate the, adaptation and gradual introduction into religion and culture of her children. In an Islamic community, she is exempted from the hardships of running about in search of a living and addressing the insistence of employment and work. Instead she more or less solely busy herself to the family, not only to her own children but to all the dependant relations in the family.

The responsibility of man is sustentation of his family, regardless of whether the wife is rich enough to support it or not. He is also in charge of guarding his family from all constrains and burdens of social economic and otherwise. He needs to be aware of the duty to the ties of the womb is an all-encompassing behest including the commitment towards the wife, the children, and other ties. “And take care of what is for you" in Surah aI-Baqarah also refers to the same operation.38 One is encouraged to take good care of one's self and one’s family members. "O you who believe", says the Quran, "strive to protect yourselves and your wives and children from Fire."39 This objective is set forth in the form of prayer in a number of places mostly for his and his family’s safety and well-being in this world and hereafter: "Our Lord! Grant us the comfort of our eyes from our wives and our offspring and give us all (the grace) to be in the forefront of the righteous."40

"My Lord! Make me a performer of the prayer and make my offspring prayer performing. Our Lord, accept my petition, Our Lord, forgive me and my parents."41

Every role is pivotal in its own way and each person is to be adjudicated based on the duties designated to him or her. Their roles are not contentious but harmonious and interdependant. Although he may be someone highly influential with a lot of power, the man acts in his home as one who acknowledge the rule of his spouse in this area and approves it. In taking care of one’s children, for instance, the husband and wife must cooperate instead of competing as it would cause conflicts that could lead to unsuitable and harmful environment for children’s upbringing. That is the reason why the husband and wife share some of the responsibilities as such responsibilities are too heavy to be carried alone....