"Not religious, but kind "

Among the concepts that need correction - and urgently! -: (So-and-so or so-and-so is not religious, but he/she is kind, respectable, "gentlemanly", upright, skilled at his/her work).. And as if all these qualities are not part of religiosity! This is the result of the perception of "religiosity" as if it is confined to certain rituals such as the hijab and beard, avoiding unregulated relationships between the sexes, and so on. - And the truth is that we must expand the circle of religiosity in our perception and understanding to include every good character and every sublime meaning such as generosity, kindness, good dealing, helping people, and mastering work. - Have you not heard the saying of Allah the Almighty: - (Verily, Allah commands justice and kindness, and giving to relatives, and forbids lewdness and evil and oppression, He admonishes you that you may remember).. - And our Messenger (peace be upon him) expanded the circle in the hadith authenticated by Al-Albani: - A man passed by the Prophet, and his companions saw from his skin and activity what pleased them, so they said: (O Messenger of Allah, if this was for the sake of Allah)! - So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: (If he went out seeking for his young children, he is for the sake of Allah, and if he went out seeking for himself to purify it, he is for the sake of Allah, and if he went out for show and boasting, he is for the sake of Satan). - The Muslim and the Muslimah, who has not done what takes him/her out of the circle of Islam, who honors Allah and loves Allah and His Messenger, and acknowledges that the reference is to the Sharia of Allah Almighty, and confesses to Allah his/her sins and does not justify them, and performs the pillars of Islam without destroying them, he or she prays, fasts, gives zakah, and if he/she is able, performs Hajj... then every good character he/she has and every good deed he/she does is "religiosity", even if he/she is a sinner in some aspects. - On the other hand, among the dangerous statements: (So-and-so is religious but rude in dealing with his/her parents/neglectful of his/her children/"emotional" or dependent, not seeking the sustenance of his/her family/borrows from others and does not care about repaying the debt/hatred... etc.) - (So-and-so is religious but backbites her colleagues, envies them... etc.). - As if these sins do not affect the description of "religiosity"! - And just as major sins of the limbs affect "religiosity", so do major sins of the heart, and they are often worse than major sins of the limbs as Ibn Al-Qayyim stated... How many people are described as "religious" and have envy/bad opinion of Muslims/arrogance/pride... - And how many people are not classified - by the narrow definition - within the circle of the religious, and have from the goodness of the heart and purity of the chest and good character what makes him/her precede the "religious" in the eyes of people, for in the authentic hadith, our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: (Verily, Allah elevates the servant by his good character to the degree of fasting and prayer), and it is not meant that good character suffices him even if he destroys two pillars of Islam (fasting and prayer)! Rather, it emphasizes the importance of including good character in the circle of obedience and "religiosity". - Confining religiosity to certain rituals is a major intellectual flaw that consolidates secularism. And it is true that we must beware of trivializing the importance of sins and making meaningless comparisons (So-and-so is unveiled and better than many of the veiled).. These are comparisons mentioned in the context of trivializing the importance of these sins. - However, at the same time, we must beware of narrowing the circle of "religiosity"... Every good must be included in it, and every bad quality diminishes it even if the Muslim or Muslimah holds on to some rituals of religion: (And We will set the just scales on the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be wronged at all, even if it were the weight of a grain of mustard seed, We will bring it forth, and We are sufficient as reckoners (47)) (Surah Al-Anbiya). "Not religious, but kind" Among the concepts that need correction - and urgently! - (So-and-so or so-and-so is not religious, but he/she is kind, respectable, "gentlemanly", upright, skilled at his/her work).. As if all these qualities are not part of religiosity! This is the result of the perception of "religiosity" as if it is confined to certain rituals such as the hijab and beard, avoiding unregulated relationships between the sexes, and so on. - And the truth is that we must expand the circle of religiosity in our perception and understanding to include every good character and every sublime meaning such as generosity, kindness, good dealing, helping people, and mastering work. - Have you not heard the saying of Allah the Almighty: - (Verily, Allah commands justice and kindness, and giving to relatives, and forbids lewdness and evil and oppression, He admonishes you that you may remember).. - And our Messenger (peace be upon him) expanded the circle in the hadith authenticated by Al-Albani: - A man passed by the Prophet, and his companions saw from his skin and activity what pleased them, so they said: (O Messenger of Allah, if this was for the sake of Allah)! - So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: (If he went out seeking for his young children, he is for the sake of Allah, and if he went out seeking for himself to purify it, he is for the sake of Allah, and if he went out for show and boasting, he is for the sake of Satan). - The Muslim and the Muslimah, who has not done what takes him/her out of the circle of Islam, who honors Allah and loves Allah and His Messenger, and acknowledges that the reference is to the Sharia of Allah Almighty, and confesses to Allah his/her sins and does not justify them, and performs the pillars of Islam without destroying them, he or she prays, fasts, gives zakah, and if he/she is able, performs Hajj... then every good character he/she has and every good deed he/she does is "religiosity", even if he/she is a sinner in some aspects. - On the other hand, among the dangerous statements: (So-and-so is religious but rude in dealing with his/her parents/neglectful of his/her children/"emotional" or dependent, not seeking the sustenance of his/her family/borrows from others and does not care about repaying the debt/hatred... etc.) - (So-and-so is religious but backbites her colleagues, envies them... etc.).. - As if these sins do not affect the description of "religiosity"! - And just as major sins of the limbs affect "religiosity", so do major sins of the heart, and they are often worse than major sins of the limbs as Ibn Al-Qayyim stated... How many people are described as "religious" and have envy/bad opinion of Muslims/arrogance/pride... - And how many people are not classified - by the narrow definition - within the circle of the religious, and have from the goodness of the heart and purity of the chest and good character what makes him/her precede the "religious" in the eyes of people, for in the authentic hadith, our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: (Verily, Allah elevates the servant by his good character to the degree of fasting and prayer), and it is not meant that good character suffices him even if he destroys two pillars of Islam (fasting and prayer)! Rather, it emphasizes the importance of including good character in the circle of obedience and "religiosity". - Confining religiosity to certain rituals is a major intellectual flaw that consolidates secularism. And it is true that we must beware of trivializing the importance of sins and making meaningless comparisons (So-and-so is unveiled and better than many of the veiled).. These are comparisons mentioned in the context of trivializing the importance of these sins. - However, at the same time, we must beware of narrowing the circle of "religiosity"... Every good must be included in it, and every bad quality diminishes it even if the Muslim or Muslimah holds on to some rituals of religion: (And We will set the just scales on the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be wronged at all, even if it were the weight of a grain of mustard seed, We will bring it forth, and We are sufficient as reckoners (47)) (Surah Al-Anbiya).