Cultivating the Islamic Personality

Zafar Bangash

Safar 18, 1448 2026-08-01

Opinion

by Zafar Bangash (Opinion, Crescent International Vol. 56, No. 6, Safar, 1448)

Committed Muslims are involved in a constant effort to get closer to Allah by conforming to His commands. It involves progressive improvement to move from one stage to the next. The Qur’an describes it thus: لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقاً عَنْ طَبَقٍۜ

“[Likewise, O social human] you shall move through life—stage by stage” (The Ascendant Qur’an, Surat al-Inshiqaq, ayat 19).

Thus, a committed Muslim can never be content with his state at any given time. There is always room for improvement. He must strive for it with sincere effort.

There is also a Prophetic hadith emphasizing the same point. He (ﷺ) said: “The successful person is the one whose today is better than yesterday, and the one who is at loss is the one whose today is the same as yesterday” (Sahih Muslim: Hadith No. 2834).

It must be borne in mind that Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) are referring to a person’s spiritual growth and improvement, not worldly acquistions and possessions, appealing as they may appear. It is only through spiritual growth that one can develop the consiousness that will bring one closer to Allah.

The noble Qur’an outlines injunctions for our existence in this world. Among these, two points are repeatedly emphasized: Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah), and, social justice. Surah Ikhlas, a short surah near the end of the noble Qur’an, emphasizes Tawhid (Allah’s Oneness) and with it His power and authority very powerfully.

This emphasis is the direct result of human tendency to slip into shirk, often without even realizing it. Thus, constant reminder is necessary. In Surah Luqman, ayat 13, the sage Luqman advises his son not to associate partners with Allah (ie, do not commit shirk), for shirk is the greatest form of dhulm (injustice, inequity).

The second principle—social justice—is also repeatedly emphasized for society’s well-being because human beings are created as social beings. They must live based on the injunctions established by Allah for humanity. While human beings are not created identical, they are all equal in the sight of Allah. Differences of colour, language, tribe etc are meant to enable us to recognize each other. Allah judges people only by the level of their taqwa (Surat al-Hujarat, ayat 13).

So, how do we develop the Islamic personality? We must first identify what constitutes the Islamic personality. Allah and His Prophet (ﷺ) must be at the centre of our existence. In order to access Allah, we have to understand the Qur’an properly. Such understanding can only be gained by studying the Sunnah and the Seerah of the Prophet (ﷺ) for he was the embodiment of the Qur’an and its practical manifestation.

Unfortunately, most Muslims have become detached from the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah and Seerah. There is a tendency to reduce Islam to a few rituals such as salat, fasting and zakat. While these are important and necessary, they are not sufficient for the development of an Islamic personality.

During the Prophet’s 13-year mission in Makkah, there was no formal salat (except in the last year), nor fasting or zakat. Yet nobody can say that those early Muslims were not good Muslims. They were in fact the best of Muslims. They suffered torture, persecution, exile and even death. Yet they remained steadfast in their commitment to Allah and His Prophet.

So, we have to consider other aspects to develop a comprehensive Islamic personality. In Surah al-Baqarah, Allah defines virtue (or righteousness) which if accompanied by certain righteous deeds, would lead to the building of taqwa. Let us consider ayat 177 that outlines these steps.

“Virtue does not mean turning your faces toward the east or the west—but truly virtuous is he who is committed to [the reality of] Allah; and the Last Day, and the malaikah, and scripture; and the prophets; and distributes money, however much he himself may cherish it, upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the deprived, and the homeless, and the beggars, and the freeing of human beings from bondage, and upholds [the standards of] divine communion, and renders the purifying dues [zakah]; and [truly virtuous are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril; it is they who have proved themselves true, and it is they who are consciously defensive [vis-à-vis Allah’s power].”

The ayat starts with birr (virtue) and ends with taqwa after a Muslim fulfills certain obligations. It clearly indicates that there are several routes to achieving taqwa. Achieving taqwa, however, requires much more than indulging in rituals.

The above ayat starts with pointing out that rituals do not constitute righeteousness when it reminds us about turning our faces to the east or the west. The ayat outlines the framework of Imaan (faith-commitment) and then mentions certain social responsibilities that we must fulfill before it mentions salat and zakat.

The social responsibilities include being kind and considerate toward near relatives who may be financially constrained, helping the orphans, and the deprived, and the homeless, and the beggars, and the freeing of human beings from bondage. All these acts are part of social justice.

Allah also emphasizes that dhulm must not be tolerated in society. Regrettably, dhulm is widespread at every level in society today. The rich and powerful oppress and exploit the weak and poor. They even blame them for their poverty by accusing them of being lazy.

Perish the thought if they would admit that it is their unfair and unjust practices that are responsible for so much poverty and misery in the world. The laws enacted and policies implemented are not for the benefit of the majority opinion. These laws serve the interests of the rich and powerful because they bribe and corrupt people that pass such laws.

This is as true in non-Muslim majority societies as it is in Muslim societies. In fact, in most Muslim majority countries, they do not even bother to go through the ritual of elections. So, the opinion of the masses is not considered relevant.

In the unlikely event that people are given an opportunity to express their opinion—consider what happened in Pakistan in 2024—the powerful (in this case the army) disregard the people’s wishes and install their own puppets in power. This is an insult to the people. The level of corruption among the elite and the exploitation and oppression of the masses has escalated alarmingly.

Oppressive laws are enacted because the elite’s inner consciousness has died. Only by developing an Islamic personality can the inner conscious be awakened. It prevents people from doing wrong even when nobody is watching because they know that Allah is watching.

People that have developed the Islamic personality are also the ones that love freedom not only for themselves but also for others. They oppose tyranny because it breeds injustice in society. Struggle against tyranny and ending it becomes a moral obligation.

In Surat Al-e Imran, ayat 139 of the noble Qur’an, Allah offers these comforing words: “Be not, then, discouraged and grieve not: for you are [bound to rise] superior if you are truly committed to Allah.”

This is how an Islamic personality is developed and shaped. It is a life-long quest. The Islamic personality is to our spiritual existence what oxygen is to our physical existence.