Be good, always put others ahead of yourself

It is by adhering to the moral values of Islam in letter and spirit that we can achieve excellence of character

A serious reading of books on the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) for guidance is the need of the hour. The irony is that other nations have profited by the values underlying the Prophet's percepts and attained a higher stage of individual and collective living, while we Muslims pay only lip service to his teachings.
It is time we bridged the distance between profession and practice. Let us today resolve to do what we can and must so that we can legitimately claim that we are on our way towards organising our corporate life and its concerns according to the spirit of Islam. It is by adhering to the moral values of Islam in letter and spirit that we can achieve excellence of character --- a sure way to tame the world and regain our lost glory.
Here are some attributes of a good human being:
- Needs of others: A good person will put the needs of others ahead of his/her own personal needs.
- Seldom complains: Some people complain almost without hesitating. One complaint follows the other and people soon find themselves looking for ways to stay away from that person A truly good person will put all complaints aside. Constant complaining puts a burden on others that don't want it and can't do anything about it. Learning how to deal with those types of problems outside of your friendships is urgent.
- A characteristic of a good person are those that see the good in nearly everything. They are the people who will smile even when their world is turned upside down. There are few people that can pull it off successfully, but it is possible.
- Hard working: A good person works for a living. He works hard for what he wants in life. If he doesn't have much, it is still okay because what he does have is something to look at with pride because of the effort he put in it.
- Involved with family: A person who is involved with his family and places the family's welfare above everything else, then this itself defines his goodness. A person who leaves the family often to pursue other things isn't going to be someone that people look up to.
There are thousands of descriptions for what characteristics of a good person are. The bottom line is that a good person will always put others ahead of him or herself. There will be a genuine concern for the welfare of humankind and a strong will to help out where possible. No man or woman is perfect, but there are good ones out there.
Remember, service to humanity is a kind of worship for which God has promised great reward.
At this point of time the Muslim world is facing insurountabld challsnges what we need most is introspection and self-reform. One major step to self-reform is sincere efforts to become a good human being.
(The writer is a former KT staffer)
 

• Ramadan 2021