Islam As It Is
Islamic Character
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performance in the world of nature that human
civilization has been able to advance. Were material
objects to lose their properties, the whole edifice of
human civilization would fall to pieces.
Such is the importance of the physical properties of
the material world. In the human world, too, there
are properties which are equally important: they are
the elements which together add up to strength of
character—a cardinal virtue without which no
flourishing society can be built. A society composed
of individuals who are weak in character can never
be anything but weak itself.
For a society to function in the best possible way, its
members should be so dependable that their
behaviour under specific conditions should be
easily predictable. In other words, in one’s dealings
with them, one should be able to trust them to do as
they say they will do. One should reasonably expect
that they will accept the truth and that, even if they
have a sense of personal grievance, they will not,
therefore, treat others unjustly. Individuals of this
nature are true ‘men of steel,’ for they fulfill the
expectations placed in them, just as steel will
