Islah

Abu al-Darda reported the Prophet (pbuh) saying: "Shall I not inform you of something more excellent in degree than fasting, prayer, and sadaqah?" The people replied: "Yes, Prophet of Allah!" He said: "It is Islah -- putting things right between people." (Sunan Abu Dawood; vol. 3, #4901)

Islah means to reform, to repair, to improve, to better, or to put something into a better position, and to restore oneself or to reconcile with one another, to make peace by improving, curing or reform.


Islah also means reconciliation by restoring mutual respect between individuals from different cultural backgrounds and to re-establish good relationship after a conflict.

Islah provides a systematic framework with a higher purpose. It begins at the individual level with emphasis on good and positive thought, which steadily leads to positive attitude, and in turn, positive actions and outcomes for the society.

Three major components of Islah are:

(a) Da'wah - propagation;

(b) Tanjeem - organization

(c) Tarbiyyat & tazkiyyat - education & purification

The prophets (pbuh) came to perform Islah and we, as the ummah of the last Prophet (pbuh), have to take on the same obligatory responsibility. Islah begins with subjecting our individual lives to the divine guidance and then, inviting others to the same guidance and offering ourselves to them as a model. The Quran says:

"And those who believe and do righteous deeds and believe in what has been sent down upon Muhammad - and it is the truth from their Lord - He will remove from them their misdeeds and improve (Aslaha) their condition."(QS 47:2)


Wallahu'alam