Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thaanwi (rahimahullah) once mentioned the following:
In today’s times, the society has become corrupt on account of the manner people conduct among themselves (i.e. through people not upholding purdah in their lives with the opposite gender and resembling the ways of the kuffaar).
Our pure and pristine Shariah has provided us with deeni guidance in all facets of our lives, thereby giving us complete direction in regard to how we should fulfil the rights of others when speaking to them or interacting with them.
The Shariah has not left us free to do as we please, but rather it has provided us with guidelines through which we will be able to uphold the rights we owe to one and all when living among people and interacting with them.
However, people have removed the social etiquettes and conduct from the list of the various departments of deen.
People think that salaah, fasting, haj, zakaat, zikr, recitation of the Qur’aan Majeed and other nafl actions, all have laws and injunctions linked to them which have to be fulfilled, but apart from these few ibaadaat, people feel that in regard to the other departments of our lives, we are free to do as we wish.
This is what is regarded as ‘freedom’ in today’s times (i.e. leading a carefree and unrestricted life).
Remember well that a believer is never left free to do as he pleases. He is not like the buffaloes and other animals which roam about freely, eating the crop of any person’s land they pass by. We have not been left free like these animals.
Rather, Shariah has given us sufficient guidance regarding the manner in which we should conduct and interact with each other.
We are taught how we should enter a gathering and leave the gathering, and how we should conduct monetary dealings among ourselves, and how we should eat and drink, etc.
In all these aspects of life, Shariah has shown us the clear path to adopt when conducting among ourselves.
(Malfoozaat Hakeemul Ummat 4/184)
