Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Feeling inferior and being a believer! | ||||
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| Haniff | ||||
| 09/02/01 at 08:01:56 | ||||
| Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh [center]Feeling inferior and being a believer! By Dr Muhammad Kamal Al-Shareef[/center] Shyness is a major problem for many people. It is not merely a nuisance; it disrupts personal activity and prevents a person from fulfilling his social potential. When a usually shy person finds himself at the center of attention, particularly by strangers or people of high position or power in society, he will feel embarrassed. His embarrassment will be associated with physical symptoms of worry, such as faster heart beats, perspiration, trembling, hoarse voice and stammering. Shyness may prevent a person from asserting his position and taking his rightful place in society. Needless to say, this should not involve trespassing over the rights of others or jeopardising their freedom. Shyness may prevent a person from expressing himself freely, stating the truth when called upon to do so, or prevent him from pursuing his interests. It may cause him to avoid meeting people or coming in contact with strangers. This unpleasant feeling is totally different in its causes, motives and nature from modesty which Islam encourages. Indeed the Prophet has stressed the virtue of modesty in several of his statements. Shyness may be so irritating that some shy people resort to drinking or drugs, because they feel less inhibited when they are under the influence of such substances. But both alcohol and drugs are addictive and exceedingly harmful to both individual and society. A believer, however, does not feel any need to resort to such harmful substances. He realizes that people who resort to them lose everything, faith, health and money for a casual gain. Faith, on the other hand, treats the causes of shyness, replacing it with reassurance and inner peace. A main reason for shyness is a sense of inferiority. A person may think himself to be less respectable than others. This is what psychologists call 'low self-esteem', which involves that a person does not accord himself due respect. He undervalues himself and his potential. The Prophet describes this as self-contempt. A person may he contemptuous of himself because he feels that he is inferior to others as a result of his color, ethnic origin, poverty, physical impairment, lack of beauty or physical strength, or because of his low profession or indeed for any other reason. Islam makes it clear to its adherents that all people are equal. No one has the right to a higher position over another except through faith, piety and the fear of God. When a person is pious, he does not show any arrogance or conceit, because arrogance is bound to take him out of the category of the God-fearing. Part of the education Islam imparts to people is that 'the most honorable among you in God's sight are the most God-fearing.' (49: 13). This verse outlines a clear maxim: the better status a God-fearing person gains is with God, not with human beings. In the Islamic view, all people in human society are the same. They are brothers and sisters, descending from the same parents: "All of you belong to Adam, and Adam was created from clay." Thus, a true Muslim will not take airs before anyone. He does not try to emphasize his superiority, even to a slave he buys. About slaves the Prophet says: "These are your brothers placed in your hands." When a person does not show conceit to one who is in a lesser position than his, he does not look at himself with contempt when he looks up to those who are favored with something superior to his own. A believer does not measure the status of people according to what they may have of position, wealth or beauty. All mankind are God's dependents. He loves most those who are of greater benefit to His dependents. Self-contempt and arrogance are two opposites which exist side by side. A person who is arrogant on account of his wealth, position, physical beauty, or scholarly achievement will undoubtedly come across another person who has greater wealth, higher position, more beauty and superior achievement than his own. He will then feel his inferiority and begin to feel contempt for himself. Shyness, or fear of people, as the Qur'an describes it, is unbecoming of a believer, who must never underesteem himself. How can he look at himself with low esteem when it is God who has created him, loves him and is pleased with him? Indeed God listens to his appeal and supplication, but He certainly does not look at appearances or physical form. He looks only at people's hearts and their faith and piety. [i]"Islam in Perspective" - Arab News - 16 October 2000[/i] Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Haniff | ||||
| Re: Feeling inferior and being a believer! | ||||
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| amatullah | ||||
| 09/02/01 at 10:25:50 | ||||
| Bismillah and salam, Brother jazaka Allah khayran for your articles. I like them and sometimes I see their timeliness as well. But regarding this article, i thought shyness was encouraged in Islam. Even the prophet saws was very shy person. Maybe I am misunderstanding one or the other? | ||||
| Re: Feeling inferior and being a believer! | ||||
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| Haniff | ||||
| 09/03/01 at 02:39:37 | ||||
| Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh [quote]i thought shyness was encouraged in Islam. Even the prophet saws was very shy person.[/quote] Please read the article, Modesty, not fear, which I posted a short while ago. I hope this will clear your doubts. Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Haniff | ||||
| Re: Feeling inferior and being a believer! | ||||
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| Sonny | ||||
| 09/04/01 at 14:42:28 | ||||
| Of course you know that I enjoy these articles, and I know that I probably don't have to mention each time...and these last articles are great, for me. You know, being American, and used to American ways, sometimes I tend to feel that issues pertaining to modesty are a little fussy--often one doesn't recieve a very good explanation as to both what and why one would choose to be More modest than ones contemporaries. :) Nice to read a good explanation, and I thought quite a bit about what I had read. The articles do a real good job of blending modern psychology with theology, which gives greater meaning and accessability to each. That's a very unique approach. Still, in the long run, how a person puts these concepts into action in their life is a very individual thing. For example, a person might embrace the entire article on 'suspicion', and yet harbour distrust of the 'kufr'--? (sp?) Or embrace the articles on 'modesty' and 'universal noble values' and yet engage in contempt for or purient interest in, say, pagan (kufr) lifestyles and social displays. In other words, respect for other's is not solely the responsibility of everyone else--to mainatin good conduct, but it comes back to the individual to give respect to others, regardless of how they do or do not earn it. Otherwise we are ourselves perhaps, falling into arrogance, suspicion, pride, vanity, ect.-- in a sense, thus we would be placing the burden of keeping ourselves in accordance with God's will on other's, and denying that we are solely responsible for our own attitudes and actions. It then comes into play an old adage that states that thieves are always afraid someone is going to steal from them. No? In other words, we make assumptions as to other's moral characters, which may or may not be the case. So while it is Madina Archives
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