Humans, as rational beings, have actions that are purpose driven. Much of what we do is intended. We have motives on why we think, act and speak in one way or another. Some of these motives are relatively evil, in the sense that they bring harm to others. Some of these motives are moral, in that they are conceived in order to benefit and keep harm away from ourselves and from others.
Goodness in a person comes in different guises such as nationalism, environmentalism, and others, each having their different interpretations between different individuals, culture and tradition. But there is one word that seems to encompass the will of the human to only bring about good in this world – wen call it, morality.
Morality is defined as the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. The best thing about morality is that much of it actually transcends race, time and place. Everywhere, whether they are Atheists, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Animists, and others, people of different religious affiliations know that to kill, rape and steal are forbidden. Morality somehow is hard- wired in humans that we do not need any written law to know that these are bad. The same goes to different virtues such as generosity, bravery, and honesty, these are good characteristics that are cherished everywhere. As humans, we wish to live our lives in hopes that we become the best person that we could ever be. Muslims try to achieve this by living a God-centered life.
A God-centered life is a life that is lived, spent and ends for the sake of Allah. Allah said in the Quran, “Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.””
Quran 6:162. This is Allah’s instruction to Prophet Muhammad and the believers on how they should lead their lives. Just like the Earth that revolves around the sun, the believer keeps Allah in the center of all his affairs and never deviates from it. A Muslim may be a parent, a student, a businessman, a religious leader or anyone, but he has to keep Allah at the middle of his affairs seeking His pleasure and reward and not to show off or gain the favor of fellow creatures. A Muslim loves and hates for the sake of Allah also.
If a Muslim should deviate from this God-centeredness, just like planet Earth to the sun, it could only result in catastrophe. A Muslim who is not God-centered is prey to the whispers of Satan who may induce him to commit sins like fornication, vice, and others. Some of the results of the deviation from being God-centered may be benign sounding like showing off because his intentions for doing good deeds were not purely for Allah, but surely, there is nothing benign in this, as this shall lead to the invalidation of his deeds that was not done for the pleasure of Allah. And perhaps, the worst thing that could happen to anyone who will not be God-centered is that they may fall into the trap of polytheism, almost unwittingly.
Polytheism, as Muslims know, is the worship of other gods other than Allah. But some are so deluded to think that polytheism only occurs in the worshipping of statues. Since they are probably not really knowledgeable in the religion too, they fall into the trap of the subtle kind of polytheism. The non- obvious which have been prepared by Satan. Prophet Muhammad said, “O believers, Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.”
These small things that Prophet Muhammad mentioned are the belief in superstitions, omens and to some extent, since many people don’t know it – sorcery and magic. Deviations that some ignorant Muslims may fall into believing that the superstitions they perform bring good luck, such as putting those waving cats at the stores or fanning money in the morning. Some are probably believing or performing such because they thought these are mere ways of having fun such as reading horoscopes or going to the soothsayers. Some may even fall into these traps by thinking that these help them in exacting some form of vengeance, getting even or achieving justice or finding love by going to the sorcerer or necromancer.
Deviating from a God-centered life may even delude man into thinking that the sins he is committing are of no consequence. He may be thinking that the little amount of money that he steals or embezzles are things that he deserves. He may also be thinking that not giving people their rights is something entitled to him as a leader of the people or a way to impose his authority. These deviations, however trivial to man, is, in fact, great in the eyes of the Creator.
Due to man’s social nature, the greatest thing that deviates the Muslim from a God-centered life is the impression or influence that people and events leave on him that shapes his views, opinions, and values. Much of these affect him negatively and make him deviate from the God-centered life he meant to live. He instead is driven into a self-centered life that is full of negativity, selfishness, and pride brought about by envy, anger, sadness and others.
Like a corrosive metal that is exposed to the elements, man is prone to rust that covers his God- centered nature, making him blind of his obligations. Because of this, man must continue on rediscovering God-centeredness by renewing his faith always by the performance of the obligations, avoidance of the prohibitions and remembrance of the All-knowing and All-seeing Creator, Maintainer and Sustainer.
Once his God-centeredness is renewed, only then could he find peace, solitude, and strength in the material world that Allah has meant for us to be the temporary testing ground, for Him to know who among us shall be righteous in our thought, speech and actions and be rewarded in return.
