Be A Good Person

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

The concept of honesty and being ethical and moral was engrained in the early Makkan Surahs. Long before the obligation of the five times daily prayers, fast, zakat and hajj were revealed, Allah was teaching us moral values, honesty, and how to interact with others. This really show the core element what Islam is all about. Rituals are very important and along with the rituals, is the matter of how we deal with other people.

In Surah Al Mutaffifin, Allah talks about people who cheat at the measure,

وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ ﴿١﴾ الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ ﴿٢﴾ وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ ﴿٣﴾ أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُولَـٰئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ ﴿٤﴾ لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ ﴿٥﴾ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٦

Woe to those who give less [than due], (1) Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. (2) But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss. (3) Do they not think that they will be resurrected (4) For a tremendous Day - (5) The Day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the worlds? (6) [Quran, Al Mutaffifin 83:1-6]

Throughout the entire Quran, religiosity is your rituals and your compassion to others.

إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ ﴿١٥﴾ آخِذِينَ مَا آتَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَبْلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٦﴾ كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ ﴿١٧﴾ وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ﴿١٨﴾ وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ ﴿١٩

Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and springs, (15) Accepting what their Lord has given them. Indeed, they were before that doers of good. (16) They used to sleep but little of the night, (17) And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness, (18) And from their properties was [given] the right of the [needy] petitioner and the deprived. (19)[Quran, Adh-Dhariyat 51:15-19]

This is the message of the Quran -- be good with your rituals, be a good person to mankind and you are a good person overall.

May Allah make us of the doers of good. Aameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam