Ruling and steering a nation towards affluence and social responsibility is rarely easy. However, given the religious and cultural imperatives, and the tribal societal dynamics, it probably comes easier than in the West, where so called ‘civil liberties’ tend to offer many more questions than answers.
The predominance of the Islamic faith, at around 90 per cent of the roughly half a billion population across the entire region, should be seen as distinctly positive, but with its diversity of wholesome, family-based qualities. Certainly, and in no particular order, I understand, and can support, these defined characteristics of the Islamic faith.
Personally, I have always been overwhelmed by the level of unconditional kindness among Omanis, and I see no reason why this is not prevalent throughout the faith. Why? Because every discussion on the topic begins with the attribution of kindness being to that faith. Welcoming smiles, kindness, compassion and mercy, the ‘Rahmah’, are well tried and examined in the formal and informal literature, never more so than in the Hadith: “He who is not merciful to people, Allah will not be merciful to him.”
Another Hadith refers to ‘actions being judged by intentions', and this refers to the quality of sincerity, or ‘Ikhlas', which always exudes from within. Ibn Al Qayyim wrote, “A person can have nothing more beneficial than sincerity towards his Lord in all affairs, along with sincerity of resolve. So, he should be sincere towards Him in his resolve and his actions.” In any culture, sincerity is coveted as it brings appearance and reality together, and it can only be aligned with truth, not falsehood.
Although truth (Sidq) and sincerity are very close, the former develops trust and integrity, and is a hallmark of all faiths. Within Islam, truth becomes righteousness, which leads to paradise, and is encouraged at every stage of life, from birth to the last days. We are only human though, aren’t we, and problems occur when we are treated untruthfully, and we tend to feel that it’s okay to respond in kind.
Humility, or ‘Tawadhu’, is, in my opinion, very much a stand-alone quality and is one that we are all capable of, but often find it difficult to consistently demonstrate, and I’ll always remember the C S Lewis quotation that, “Humility is not about thinking less of yourself – but thinking of yourself, less.” Lewis was a literary scholar, author and theologian, which means he was a scholar of religion, yet one of significant personal humility, “more than happy,” wrote A N Wilson, “worshipping with men of faith who came in shabby clothes and work boots and who sang all the verses to all the hymns,” than with the wealthy, this being a genuine demonstration of humility.
And finally, to my ‘Achilles heel', which is my absence of patience (Sabr). I do reflect often, but tend to reflect in action, or, on the move. Patience, it appears, though, is most tested in times of bereavement, when we ask why (?) perpetually, of nobody in particular. Or maybe when we are made to wait, like in traffic jams or airport queues, and particularly when we are frustrated. Paul Cuelho said, we are at our most vulnerable when, having been patient enough to await the right moment, we then become frustrated by the outcome. The Islamic faith, however, recognises the benefits and value of patience... at least more than I do.
I hope I don’t sound like a preacher or an evangelist, but more like practical. None of those five qualities, at least to some extent, is difficult to engage with, and most of us don’t try hard enough. At the end of the day, yes, I know, the Sun goes down, and we should take comfort that progress rather than perfection is a really good perspective to have, after all... we’re only human.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
