Aims and benefits of Shariat

Before describing some of the aims and good points of the commands of Shariat (i.e. religious law), Ameerul Momineen (AS) has begun with the aims and objects of Faith, because Faith serves as the basis of religious commands and without it, no need is felt for any religious code or jurisprudence. Faith is the name of acknowledging the existence of the Creator and admission of His Singularity. When this belief takes root in the heart of a man, then he does not agree to bow before any other being, nor is he overawed or affected by any power or authority. Rather, getting mentally freed of all ties he regards himself a devotee of Allah and the result of this adherence to Unity is that he is saved from the pollution of polytheism.

Prayer (Salat) is the most important of all forms of worship. It consists of standing, sitting, bending and prostration, and these postures are a successful way of destroying the feeling of vanity and pride, erasing self-conceit and egotism and creating humility and submissiveness, because actions and movements of a vain person produce pride and haughtiness while humble actions engender the quality of submissiveness and humbleness in the mind. With the exercise of these acts a man, by and by, acquires humble temperament. This is how the Arabs, (who were so vain that if their whip fell off during riding they would not bend down to pick it up or if the strap of the shoe gave way they took it as an insult to bend down to mend it) began to rub their faces on dust during prostration in prayers, and place their foreheads in the position of others' feet during the congregational prayers and in this way acquired the true spirit of Islam after abandoning the pre-Islamic vanity and partisanship.

Zakat, namely that a person who is able to do so should pay annually out of his money or property, a fixed share for those who are either destitute or do not have means of livelihood for a year, is an obligatory command of Islam, the purpose behind which is that no individual in the community should remain poor and they should remain safe from the evils that result from need and poverty. Besides, another objective is that wealth should keep rotating from one individual to another and should not be centred in a few persons.

Fasting is a form of worship in which there is not an iota of show, and no motive is active in it except that of pure intention As a result, even in seclusion when hunger perturbs a person or thirst makes him uneasy, he does not extend his hand for eating, nor does the longing for water makes him lose his control although if something is eaten or drunk, no one is to peep into his stomach but the purity of conscience prevents his will from deflecting. This is the greatest good of fasting that it engenders purity of will in action.

The purpose of Hajj (pilgrimage to Kaaba) is that Muslims from all corners of the globe should assemble at one place so that this world assembly should prove to be an occasion for the manifestation of Islam's greatness, renewal of the passion for worship and the creation of bonds of mutual brotherhood.

The purpose of Jehad (fighting for Allah) is to fight with all possible might all those forces which oppose Islam, so that Islam may achieve stability and progress. Although there are dangers for life in this course and difficulties crop up at every step, yet the tidings for eternal ease and everlasting life produces the courage to bear all these hardships.

The persuasion for good and dissuasion from evil are effective ways of showing others the correct path and preventing them from wrong. If a community has no persons to perform these duties, nothing can save it from ruin and it falls in extreme depth morally and socially. That is why Islam has laid great stress on it as compared to other matters, and held disregard to it as an unpardonable sin.

Doing good for kinship means that a person should do favours to his relations and at least should not stop mutual accosting and speaking with them so that spirits may become clean and family ties may develop, and the scattered individuals may render strength to one another.

Seeking vengeance is a right given to the survivors of the person killed. They can demand life for life so that for fear of punishment, no one would dare kill any person, and at the same time, the survivor's passion for revenge should not result in the killing of more than one person. No doubt forgiveness or pardon does carry weight in its own place but where it means trampling of an individual's right or a danger to world peace, it cannot be regarded as good. Rather on such an occasion, revenge would be the sole way of stopping bloodshed and killing for safety of human life. Thus Allah says:

"And for you, there is (security of) life in (the law of) Retaliation, O' you men of understanding." (Quran 2:175)

The purpose behind the award of penalties is to make the offender appreciate the seriousness of violating the prohibitions of Allah so that he may keep off the prohibitions for fear of punishment.

Wine causes diffusion of thinking, dispersion of senses and weakness of understanding. As a result, a man commits such actions which would not be expected of him in the state of being in his senses. Besides, it ruins health and renders the body liable to catch infectious diseases while, sleeplessness, nervous weakness and rheumatism are its chief effects. Shariat has prohibited it in view of these ill-effects.

Theft, that is, taking away some one else's property is an evil habit which is produced by the sway of greed and evil passions and since bringing down evil passions from the position of excess to the bounds of moderation means chastity, the abstinence from theft by curbing greed and evil passions would produce chastity.

Adultery and sodomy have been prohibited in order that lineage may be regulated and the human race may continue and prosper, because the issues by adultery are not regarded legitimate for purposes of lineage and consequently, they are not entitled to inheritance, while there is no question of issues in the case of unnatural practices. Besides, as a consequence of these evil practices, one contracts such diseases which cause ruination of life in addition to discontinuity of progeny.

The law of evidence is needed because if one party denies the right of another party, the latter may establish it through evidence and safeguard it thereby.

Abstention from lie and falsehood has been commended so that the standing and importance of its contrary, namely the Truth, may become prominent and on observing the benefits and advantages of truth the moral weakness of falsehood may be avoided.

"Salam" means peace and peace-loving and it is obvious that peaceful attitude is a successful way of protection from dangers and prevention of war and fighting Generally commentators have taken the word "Salam" to mean mutual greetings and well-wishing but the context and the fact that it has been mentioned in the series of obligations does not support this interpretation.

However, according to this interpretation, "Salam" is a means of safety from dangers because it is regarded as a way of peace and peace-loving. When two Muslims meet each other, they offer Salam one to the other, it means they announce the wishes of each for the welfare of the other, whereafter each feels safe with the other.

Trust is not only related to property, but failing in the performance of one's duties is also lack of trustworthiness. So if the Muslims remain dutiful in all relevant matters, the object of order and organisation of the nation would be achieved and the unification of the community would be completed.

The institution of Imamate is intended to cater to the unification of the nation and to protect the commandments of Islam from alteration and change, because if there is no head of the nation and no protector of religion neither the order of the nation can be maintained nor can the commandments of Islam remain safe from interference by others.

This object can be achieved only when his obedience is obligatory on the people, because if he is not obeyed and followed as an obligation, he would neither be able to maintain justice and equity, nor secure the rights of the oppressed from the oppressor, nor issue and enforce laws of Shariat and consequently the extinction of evil and mischief from the world cannot be expected.