بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، الحمد لله رب العالمين، والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين، وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.

اللهمّ اغفر المسلمين والمسلمات، والمؤمنين والمؤمنات، الأحياء منهم والأموات,

اما بعد:

The concept of an Islamic personality is deeply rooted in the principles of Islam and the teachings of our beloved Prophet ﷺ. It encompasses a unique perception of one’s place in society, a distinctive perception on man, life and the universe, and a set of behaviours regulated by Islamic values.

When embracing Islam as a complete way of life, prevalent over other ways of life, the Islamic personality is born. Distinctly superior and unique due to its intellectual foundation, being the Islamic ‘Aqeedah. In this article, we will explore what constitutes an Islamic personality, how it is perceived in society, and the expectations regarding behaviour and conduct.

Foundations of the Islamic Personality

The basis of any personality is the thoughts that are formed from a specific perception on man, life and the universe, and how the fundamental questions about man, life and the universe are answered. These questions which every individual asks in their life are, what came before this life, what will come after it, and how does it relate to my life? The Islamic standpoint when it comes to answering these questions are clear, Allah (swt), the Almighty creator, came before this life and it is He (swt) who created the universe and everything it contains. Every soul will taste death, and will rise again on the day of judgement to be questioned on their actions, determining whether a soul is rewarded with eternal happiness in paradise or faces torment in the hell fire. And the Islamic standpoint on the purpose of life is to fully submit to Allah (swt) and worship Allah (swt) alone. Allah (swt) says in the Quran,

“They are those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth ˹and pray˺, “Our Lord! You have not created ˹all of˺ this without purpose. Glory be to You! Protect us from the torment of the Fire.”

(Quran Al-Imran, 3:191).

Likewise, Allah (swt) also says in the Quran,

“I did not create jinn and man except to worship me.”

(Quran Adh-Dhariyat, 51:56).

When an individual aligns all thoughts with the Islamic ‘Aqeedah, and uses it as a benchmark to measure all thoughts, they can soundly differentiate between true and false ideas, maintain the correct understanding on the purpose of life, and fulfil that purpose by referring all actions surrounding life back to Allah (swt) and the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. The Messenger ﷺ said:

“I advise you to fear Allah and to hear and obey even if a slave were to rule over you. For surely, he who lives from amongst you will see much differing, so it is upon you to be upon my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided khalifs. Bite on to it with your back molar teeth and beware of newly invented matters, for verily, every newly invented matter is an innovation, and all innovation is misguidance.”

(Abu Dawood 4607, Tirmidhi 2676).

Furthermore, the individual that uses the Islamic ‘Aqeedah as the tool of measurement upon all thoughts and the actions coming from those thoughts, has a mentality based upon controlling one’s desires through what is prescribed for them as Halal and what is forbidden for them which is Haram by Allah (swt) and His Messenger ﷺ. On the authority of Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin ’Amr bin al-’Aas (raa) who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

“None of you (truly) believes until his desires are subservient to that which I have brought.”

(Hadith 41, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi).

The Islamic Personality in Society

The Islamic personality, through their concrete belief in Allah (swt) and the Messenger ﷺ and with their foundation and outlook on life coming from the Islamic standpoint, aims to shape a society, propagate the Deen of Allah (swt), and behave as a beacon of light, hope and good for mankind. With the Individual’s enlightened and sound belief, and the understanding of man, life and the universe, naturally they become closer to Allah (swt) and the Messenger ﷺ and strives to live in accordance to what Islam allows and forbids and makes the Prophet ﷺ the example in which to live their life. Allah (swt) says in the Quran,

“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often.”

(Quran Al-Azab, 33:21).

When looking at the afflictions, trials and tribulations affecting the society today, it is important to note that the Islamic personality is not affected as remaining steadfast on the decree of Allah (swt) and the sunnah of Muhammad ﷺ is as natural to them as the blood flowing through their veins, and every breath inhaled and exhaled through their lungs.

Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“There shall come upon the people a time in which the one who is patient upon his religion will be like the one holding onto a burning ember.”

(Tirmidhi 2260).

Shaping a society is at the heart of a true believer and an Islamic personality. Whatever good is prevalent in society is embraced and whatever bad is existent in a society is challenged. On the authority of Abu Sa`eed al-Khudree (raa) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say,

“Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand (by force); and if he is not able to do so, then (let him change it) with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of ‘Imaan.”

(Muslim 49).

It innates within the Islamic personality to change the evil in the world which occurs from the love of Allah (swt), his Messenger ﷺ and subsequently, the love for the ummah. Allah (swt) says,

“The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakāh and obey Allāh and His Messenger. Those — Allāh will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.”

(Quran At-Tawbah, 9:71).

The Islamic personality’s daily conduct is based on the example of our beloved Prophet ﷺ and the Islamic personality as an individual strives to be the embodiment of the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ. From looking after one’s family and neighbours, to looking at the wider society, the individual seeks to enjoin what is good, forbid what is evil and generally care for the affairs of the society and the ummah.

It was Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet ﷺ said,

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should not hurt his neighbour and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should serve his guest generously and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should speak what is good or keep silent.”

(Bukhari 6136).

Furthermore, the Islamic personality aims for what is best for the society based on the system of Islam. The individual aims to achieve unity amongst the ummah, so that the prevalent ideas amongst a society are those emanating from the Quran and Sunnah, a system given to us by Allah (swt) and the Messenger ﷺ in order for the ultimate level of good is achieved for the society. Allah (swt) says,

“O you who have believed, obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allāh and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.”

(Quran Al-Nisa, 4:59).

Likewise, Allah (swt) says,

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favour of Allah upon you — when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.”

(Quran Al-Imran, 3:103).

Closing Comments

The Islamic personality is based on the foundations of Islam, being the Islamic ‘Aqeedah. The key element in determining if an individual is an Islamic personality remains in their adherence to Islam as the driving force for their thoughts, mentality and behaviour and where their thoughts, mentality and behaviours are shaped by Islam.

Many people make a mistake in searching for the ideal Islamic personality being a person that looks a certain way, which comes from superficiality. This can be detrimental as it paints Islam as being unreachable and impossible to put into practice. However, it is vital to understand that Islam is meant to be implemented in practical terms to regulate life and the society at large. It is within every individual to reach becoming an Islamic personality, regardless of age, intellect or desires.

By making the Islamic ‘Aqeedah the foundation of one’s mentality, using it as the measurement of all thoughts, and using Islam to regulate behaviour and desires, allows for the development of the Islamic personality, that aims to reach closeness with Allah (swt) and Muhammad ﷺ by not only shaping their own belief and behaviours, but also the behaviours of the society. Once achieving the Islamic personality, the individual is required to reinforce their mentality with the Islamic culture so they can remain steadfast in the path of Islam.

“Verily those who deny Allah and His Messengers, and who wish to separate Allah from His Messengers, saying, ‘We believe in some but reject others’ and who wish to take a course midway, they are in truth disbelievers”

(Quran Al-Nisa, 4:150–151).

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