Humility (Khushu‘) in Social Conduct

Key Point: Prayer is a spiritual institution which, by placing the human being before Divine Majesty, engenders humility (khushu‘) within the individual.

Humility (Khushu‘) in Social Conduct

Humility, which permeates from the heart to the bodily faculties, must manifest itself in social conduct, including gentle speech and composure in interactions. Harsh behaviours such as shouting and aggression indicate the absence of humility.

Key Point: Humility, as a lasting moral quality, must be reflected in social behaviour through gentleness and modesty.

Critique of Behaviour Devoid of Humility

Behaviours such as commotion and disorder hinder the transmission of truth and stand in opposition to Islamic identity. Islamic society ought to be characterised by gentleness and leniency as signs of being Muslim.

Key Point: Commotion and disorder conflict with humility and Islamic identity and obstruct the conveyance of truth.

Practical Examples of Humility and Its Absence

The conduct of some preachers, marked by uproar and shouting, reflects a lack of humility and an attempt to compensate for errors through noise and agitation. By contrast, composure and sincerity in speech indicate humility and modesty.

Key Point: Composure and sincerity in behaviour signify humility, whereas commotion demonstrates its absence.

Conclusion

The verse “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help” from Surah al-Fatihah, by emphasising both theoretical and practical wisdom, guides the human being towards monotheistic knowledge and practical reliance upon God. Theoretical wisdom, embodied in “You alone we worship”, provides the epistemological foundation for worship, while practical wisdom, expressed in “You alone we ask for help”, grounds action upon that knowledge. Humility, as a lasting attribute generated through prayer, permeates from the heart to the bodily faculties and manifests in social behaviour through gentleness and modesty.

The distinction between humility (khushu‘), submission (khudu‘), awe (khashyah) and fear (khawf) demonstrates the depth of Qur’anic psychology and underscores the necessity of avoiding false synonymy in understanding Qur’anic terminology. The critique of harsh behaviour and disorder highlights the need to return to composure and modesty within Islamic society.

Surah al-Fatihah, like a precious gateway in the treasury of the Holy Qur’an, is not merely an opening for entry into Divine knowledge, but also a mirror reflecting the inner and psychological states of the human being before Divine Majesty. This work, focusing on the key concepts of humility, awe, fear and sorrow, undertakes a psychological and Qur’anic analysis of these states within the context of Surah al-Fatihah.

Through a multifaceted approach combining psychology, linguistics and theology, this study examines the conceptual dimensions, practical manifestations and effects of these states within Qur’anic culture.

Continuation of the Discussion on Fear, Sorrow, Awe and Humility

The central focus of this discussion is the psychological and Qur’anic analysis of the key terms “fear” (khawf), “sorrow” (huzn), “awe” (khashyah) and “humility” (khushu‘) in human life.

Fear and sorrow are both inner psychological states sharing an element of internal pain, yet their objects differ. Sorrow relates to the past (what has passed), whereas fear pertains to the future (what is yet to come).

Key Point: Sorrow, like a shadow over the past, draws the heart into grief, while fear, as a gaze towards the future, brings anxiety to the heart.

This distinction is rooted in lexical and psychological analysis and facilitates a more precise understanding of human states.

Qur’anic Evaluation of Fear and Sorrow

Fear and sorrow may be either praiseworthy or blameworthy depending on their object and intention. Fear of God, arising from knowledge of Divine Majesty, is praiseworthy, whereas fear of other than God or unproductive sorrow (such as grief devoid of constructive reflection) is blameworthy.

Key Point: Fear of God, like a guiding light, leads the human being towards piety, whereas barren sorrow, like a heavy burden, enslaves the heart.

This evaluation emphasises the necessity of correctly orienting psychological states.

Analysis of the Event of Karbala

The event of Karbala should not be accompanied solely by sorrow and grief; rather, it should be analysed through constructive fear and profound reflection. The proposal to establish a centre for psychological, political and social analysis of this event points to the production of new knowledge in this field.

Key Point: Karbala, like a precious gem, must be polished through intellect and knowledge, not darkened by fruitless sorrow.

This perspective transforms Karbala from a purely emotional event into a source for social reform and knowledge production.

Non-academic and superficial mourning practices lacking deep analysis are criticised, and emphasis is placed on the necessity of presenting scholarly and intellectual forms of commemoration.

Key Point: Unscientific mourning, like an extinguished fire, dims the light of knowledge, whereas intellectual mourning, like a lit lamp, illuminates the path of guidance.

Awe (Khashyah) and Divine Majesty

Awe is a fear arising from Divine greatness and is accompanied by knowledge. It stands in contrast to recklessness and guides the human being towards caution and vigilance.

Key Point: Awe, like a breeze from Divine Majesty, directs the heart towards piety and watchfulness.

Because it is rooted in knowledge, awe is distinct from ordinary fear and compels adherence to religious injunctions.

Humility and Social Behaviour

Humility is a state of modesty and reverence before God that manifests in behaviours such as calm gaze, gentle speech and avoidance of violating others’ boundaries.

Verse under discussion:
“And voices shall be humbled before the Most Merciful, and you shall hear nothing but a whisper.”

Humility is a sign of knowledge and Divine etiquette and regulates human conduct in social interactions.

Key Point: Humility, like a pure mirror, reflects Divine etiquette in human social behaviour.

Humility in Prayer

Humility in prayer originates in the heart and is transmitted to the bodily faculties. Without inward humility, outward actions are insufficient.

Verse under discussion:
“Those who are humble in their prayer.”

Humility in prayer signifies deep connection with God and complete concentration in worship.

Key Point: Humility in prayer, like a light from the heart, guides worship towards Divine perfection.

Humility and Avoidance of Transgression

Humility restrains the human being from infringing upon others’ boundaries, such as interfering in their property or private matters. This quality signifies faith and Divine etiquette in social conduct.

Key Point: Humility, like a Divine shield, protects the human being from violating others’ boundaries and strengthens social propriety.

This principle underscores the necessity of respecting privacy in Islam.

Distinction between Fear, Awe and Humility

Fear arises from apprehension (sometimes with ignorance or knowledge), awe from greatness and knowledge, and humility from modesty and reverence. All three possess restraining qualities, yet their objects differ.

Key Point: Fear, awe and humility are like three branches of the tree of knowledge, each playing a role in guiding the human being towards perfection.

Critique of Contemporary Social Culture and Reform Proposals

Contemporary society, due to entanglement in stress and fear of the future, has neglected living in the present moment. This stress stems from the absence of scientific and religious analysis in psychological domains.

Key Point: Social stress, like a dark storm, deprives the human being of living in the Divine present.

This critique emphasises the need to reconstruct social culture based on Qur’anic teachings.

The Need for Religious Psychology

The establishment of a discipline of religious psychology to scientifically analyse Qur’anic concepts and social issues is presented as a necessity for producing new knowledge.

Key Point: Religious psychology, like a radiant torch, illuminates the path of Islamic knowledge production in the contemporary world.

This discipline can reconstruct the scientific and religious identity of society.

Critique of Western Psychology

Western psychology is considered ineffective due to its lack of attention to knowledge and spirituality and is seen as needing to learn from Islamic sciences.

Key Point: Western psychology, like a rootless tree, is devoid of spirituality, whereas Islamic sciences, like a flowing river, offer knowledge to the world.

Qur’anic Psychoanalysis and the Multidimensional Nature of Concepts

Psychoanalysis in Qur’anic culture goes beyond analysing psychological states to examine the linguistic and conceptual structures of verses, encompassing both referential (spiritual) and cultural (linguistic and conceptual) dimensions.

Key Point: Qur’anic psychoanalysis integrates psychology, linguistics and theology to analyse concepts in both referential and cultural dimensions.

This interdisciplinary approach analyses psychological states alongside linguistic and conceptual structures of Qur’anic verses, facilitating a deeper understanding of Qur’anic knowledge.

The Concept of Humility and the Distinction of Its Instances

Humility, meaning softness and modesty before a higher reality, is divided in the Qur’an into praiseworthy (Divine) and blameworthy (arising from humiliation) forms.

Key Point: Divine humility is epistemic modesty before God, whereas blameworthy humility arises from humiliation and fear.

Analysis of verses:
“Those who are humble in their prayer.” (Al-Mu’minun: 2)
“Their eyes humbled, humiliation covering them.” (Al-Qalam: 43)
“Their eyes humbled, humiliation covering them; that is the Day they were promised.” (Al-Ma‘arij: 44)

Praiseworthy humility, as in Al-Mu’minun (2), is a voluntary and epistemic modesty before God accompanied by love and reverence. In contrast, blameworthy humility, as in Al-Qalam (43) and Al-Ma‘arij (44), arises from fear and humiliation and lacks spiritual value.

The Ontological Nature of Humility and Awe

Humility and awe are ontological psychological states that arise in response to Divine or created stimuli.

Key Point: Humility and awe, as ontological states, arise from Divine or created motivations and produce distinct effects.

Their effects vary according to underlying motivations, whether rooted in Divine knowledge and love or in fear and humiliation.

Distinction between Fear and Sorrow

Fear involves future-oriented caution, whereas sorrow relates to the past and events that have already occurred.

Key Point: Fear concerns the future and caution, while sorrow returns to the past and grief arising from events.

This distinction reflects the Qur’an’s precise analysis of psychological states.