Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned the following:
In the world, among the worldly class, showing good character and being honest revolves around acquiring worldly benefit and monetary gain. Since acquiring worldly benefit and monetary gain changes according to the demands of certain situations and conditions, their character and morals also continue to change subject to the situation they are in.
For example, wherever there are prospects of gaining wealth through them fulfilling their promise and being honest, then they will fulfil their promise and conduct themselves with honesty (as their good character and honesty is only motivated by monetary gain). However, if they see that some worldly loss will be incurred through them fulfilling their promise and being honest, then they will choose to lie and be dishonest (as the purpose of them showing good character was only to gain wealth).
On the contrary, the good character and honesty of the people of deen is based on deen (i.e. that deen commands them to show good character and remain honest at all times). Since deen does not change from situation to situation, the character of the people of deen also remains the same in all situations (and is not influenced by wealth).
The governments of today are such that they make promises or pledges on a daily basis and thereafter break their promises or pledges. The reason is that at times, they find that through fulfilling their promises or pledges, they will gain monetary benefit, hence they will fulfil it in such situations, and wherever they find that monetary losses will be incurred through fulfilling their promises or pledges, they opt to break it.
(Malfoozaat Hakeemul Ummat 26/292-293)
