We Muslims do subscribe to certain values as enjoined by Islam, but in practice many a times we do not follow them. We need to ponder, are we guilty of being a Hypocrite?
Rais Baig, 31, a software consultant recently fell ill. He received lots of flower bouquets and get well soon email and messages. But he missed the physical presence of his friends and colleagues
Dawood Patel, 29, a production engineer, was on tour when he had the demise of his father last month.Inspite of his best efforts he could not attend the last rites. The emotional scar seems irreversible.
Rauf Ahmed,25, working in a BPO company as networking supervisor missed his sister’s wedding as he couldn’t skip his training in a city 250 kms away from Mumbai.
Not too long ago, when a colleague fell ill, friends visited him at his house. But now we hear people saying that we should forget such archaic values. “Life is fast here. Nobody is under any obligation to indulge in such luxuries. The maximum that you could do was to call them. You should not disturb the rhythm of life in this fast moving commercial city.
Do we remember Nobel Laureate Dr Abdus Salam? After receiving his award, he went to Kolkata, called on the teacher who had taught him Physics and sought his blessings. The teacher was a non-Muslim. The professor’s show of humility and obedience is what we call values and culture.
The young generation of today is impatient and in great haste. Their restlessness forces them to take steps which may not be always desirable. In their quest to reach the top as quickly as possible, they often abandon the minimum requirements of a decent conduct. But the fault is not with the youngsters alone.
As the society changes, people belonging to all age-groups and all spheres of life have been affected by the affliction. There is an insane rush for climbing the social ladder by any means, fair or foul. It would be interesting and educative to observe how people in general behave in ordinary circumstances.
Consider, for example, the mad rush by the motorists to overtake others caring least for their own safety and the safety of others, particularly the pedestrians. Every day dozens of cases of traffic accidents, claiming many precious lives, are reported. Can’t we wait for a few seconds to ease the congestion?
The fault really lies with our system. The structure of our society has not changed at all. Education system, family support structure and social norms all need to be centered around the values.
The start must be made by teaching to our new generation what Value is and why it is so important?
Values we can define as follows:
• Qualities, characteristics, or ideas about which we feel strongly.
• Our values affect our decisions, goals and behavior.
• A belief or feeling that someone or something is worthwhile.
• Values define what is of worth, what is beneficial, and what is harmful
• Values are standards to guide your action, judgments, and attitudes.
Unfortunately, we Muslim do subscribe to certain values as enjoined by Islam but in practice many a times we do not follow them. We need to ponder, are we guilty of being a Hypocrite - One who subscribes to one set of values, and does another.
Those of us who do not identify our values we tend to be immature. (Immaturity - One who has not identified his values). It is very essential that we teach today’s generation the importance of values.
What is the importance of values?
1) Values give direction and consistency to behavior.
2) Values help you know what to and not to make time for.
3) Values establish a relationship between you and the world.
4) Values set the direction for one’s life.
Now let’s look at all those places where we learn our values and how strong these institutions are and how strong are our bondings with them:
Our homes: Both parents’ involvement in inculcating the values to their children are very essential. Parents need to lead by example not just teaching and preaching values.
School: Unfortunately teachers as mentors are becoming an outdated concept. Teachers themselves need to be coached on the importance of values. Just ensure that teachers of your children are having right values by interacting with them.
Society: We all are influenced by the society. Hence for over all change we need to strive to bring in positive changes by giving importance to values individually.
Friends: You will inculcate the values of your friend circle and Values must be parameters while choosing the friends.
Mosque: How vibrant is the atmosphere inside the mosque and how regular and strong is our bonding with the mosque?
Quran and Books: Source of knowledge and wisdom.Atleast few hours in a week is so essential with the Quran and other books.
Families: they are the fountain head of the values. Hence strong ties with the family will ensure that value chain is also strong in the individual.
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March 2005 |