Religious and Conventional Laws Commitment to the religious laws...

Religious and Conventional Laws Commitment to the religious laws, reason-based pledges and covenants, as well as common conventional manners approved by the Holy Legislator, is in reality an ethical commitment towards Almighty Allah, the One and Only Lord and Creator Who has bestowed uncountable graces upon humankind.

Almighty Allah had taken a pledge and a covenant from humankind that they would profess His Oneness in godhead and lordship, and obey and comply with His commandments and prohibitions in this world.

Referring to this covenant, the Holy Qur'an says: وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُوا بَلَى شَهِدْنَا أَنْ تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَذَا غَافِلِينَ (172) أَوْ تَقُولُوا إِنَّمَا أَشْرَكَ آبَاؤُنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ أَفَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ (173) When your Lord brought forth the children of Adam and, from their backs, their descendants, and made them bear witness against their own souls, “Am I not your Lord?” They answered, “Yes!

We bear witness.” Lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “Surely, we were heedless of this.” Or, lest you should say *, “Only our fathers associated others with Allah before, and we were an offspring after them: Will You then destroy us for what the vain doers did?” (7:172-173)*** This commitment, therefore, is in reality the fulfillment of the pledge and covenant mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and the acknowledgement of the religion and system of Islam, which Almighty Allah revealed to Muhammad, His servant and messenger, peace be upon him and his Household.

This religion came to guide humankind, organize their affairs, and build a virtuous human community so that the believers of this divine message who fulfill this covenant form the best nation. These religious laws and regulations, including all commands and prohibitions, are based on actual advantage and disadvantage in both the individual and social movements of humanity. Obeying these religious laws is in truth achieving advantages and evading disadvantages.

The second aspect of the Islamic concept of social relations, reinforcing the social structure, cannot be put into practice except by means of gaining advantages and warding off disadvantages.

✦ ✦ ✦