How Islamic Discipline Works in Everyday Life

How Islamic Discipline Works in Everyday Life

Dr. Pasha

(Bringing Islam to the World One Concept at a Time!
Taking the Qur'an to Every Home and Heart that Needs It --
And which One Does Not?)

Islam is discipline. So, to say Islamic Discipline may be a bit redundant. But that is fine.

We have an organized group – a Jama’at of sorts – that, collectively, reads the Qur’an cover to cover every week.

This completing of the Qur’an, from beginning to end, is called Khatm. It is an age-old tradition of Islam and we are happy and grateful that Allah guided us to something like this.

So, we do one Khatm a week, more or less, among us, on a shared basis.

There is a leadership structure that we selected – call it “elected” if you wish – for this purpose.

Who should read what particular part – Juz – of the Qur’an which week is decided upon by the leadership on a weekly basis.

Once the leaders, in this case there are two of them, one male and one female, have allocated a Juz to each one of us, the Jama’at carries out the readings.

When the readings are completed, a senior member of the Jama’at makes a Du’a that is appropriate for the Khatm.

Having a man and a woman as joint leaders of this effort is not based on a feminist or masculine quota system; but it is based, rather, on who showed themselves to be the most qualified individuals among us to do a good job with such a serious responsibility on a consistent, dependable basis.

Now, some of us are able to anticipate what their next weekly allocation is likely to be. The thought crosses their mind:

Why don’t I do next week’s reading right now?
That way, I will be ahead of the game a bit.

In some cases, this may also be a convenient thing to do. So, it is a nice and noble feeling altogether.

But then, that thought is superseded by another thought, which says:

I must wait for instructions to come from above – from our leadership.

Some people would say:

What is the big deal?
You have figured out how they are doing it.
So, why not go ahead and do what you have to.
You are not causing any trouble.
No harm is done to anyone.
No harm is intended.

And such people would be right. And these are all good ideas.

But then there is another way of looking at the situation:

This thing I am doing, it is for Allah.
We have a leadership in place.
We put that leadership there.
And true and good and right leadership is a successor to Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, no matter in what diluted and distanced and attenuated form.
So, to wait for instructions and marching orders from the leadership is not only good discipline, call it Islamic Discipline if you will, it is also an act of great devotion to God.
And of loyalty to God’s Prophet – 
Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

And, sure, there is likely to be a great deal of blessing and reward associated with such an act, if it is done with pure and clean and good intentions and motives.

Once you make up your mind on this issue, and on other similar issues, you can almost sense Allah’s blessings pouring down on you.

You can almost physically taste the joy and exuberance that this simple act of Islamic Discipline brings to you.

This elementary gesture of Sam’ and Ta’ah in Islam.

END