The Golden Rule
Reader:-
A Sheikh said 'Don't do to others what you don't want done to yourself.'
This is the basis of all moral conduct - the basis of all religions before they became tarnished and adapted, and all sorts of superimpositions were put onto them. It is the absolute code of behavior. Unless we have correct outward behavior, we cannot change inwardly.
Comment:-
"Don't do to others what you don't want done to yourself." = Statement A
I think this statement requires modification or explanation.
People are certainly different and like different things and even need different things. Different maladies require different medicines, for instance. I certainly want an ill person to have an operation or take some medicine, which I do not want for myself.
So the statement should read :-
" Do not do evil to others." = Statement B
But we can add "Do good to others" = Statement C
Thus we see that Statements B and C assume that we know what evil and good are. They have to be defined by some other statement.
We see that the statement A cannot define morality.
Statements B and C also imply that we do not judge what is good or evil according to our own prejudices and whims, but objectively. This means that we judge it by what Allah, the Creator has provided. This is the Quranic definition.
This does not necessarily mean only that which Allah has revealed in the Book, but also what He has created in nature. For instance, the awareness of good and evil are built-in in our conscience, which is an aspect of the Spirit within us.
The Writer (continues):-
How can we, as individuals, act rather than react? Take this simple checklist and discover for yourself. If the answers to the questions are no, then you are acting. Otherwise, you are reacting. Am I doing this in order to repel fear? To increase my security? Or my image? Or my position? Or my wealth? Through vanity? Anger? Fear? Love? Hate?
If my response is spontaneous, for God, not for anything else, then it is pure action. Only then is it spontaneous and correct action. Otherwise, it is only reaction.
Comment:-
Certainly "good" is also defined as that which is done purely for Allah's sake. This implies that subjective factors of likes and dislikes, ease and difficulty etc. are ignored.
As for action and reaction. We can certainly react to the suffering of others by trying to relieve this. This is also a spontaneous act and still remains good. Or we can deliberately go out to do a good act and do it after consideration and study and calculation of what is required and how to do it. This is not spontaneous but remains good. We can also do an evil act deliberately.
I would say that the statement made by the Sheikh should not be taken out of context. We do not know the situation in which he made the statement and the ideas or considerations that were being dealt with.
The Prophet (saw) according to a Hadith is reported to have said:-
"You will not attain righteousness until you desire for others what you desire for yourself." = Statement D
This is different from what the Sheikh said and we can understand this as meaning that we desire good and desire to avoid evil and that we should desire the same for others. But if it is interpreted in the narrow particular sense e.g. we might desire to drink alcohol or to kill someone and so on, then we have the same problem as above. The statement assumes that the person is virtuous.
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