He says: If there is a person who loves a quality of goodness and virtue, such as courage or generosity, and this quality is not currently present in him, and he wants to
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He says: If there is a person who loves a quality of goodness and virtue, such as courage or generosity, and this quality is not currently present in him, and he wants to instill it in himself and make it a permanent habit for life, and he wants it at any cost, even if it costs him his life, can he do so? —And he objected, or placed it between two dashes, the question seems strange— but I hope you will kindly solve it, because it matters to me greatly, and may Allah reward you for the service you provide to Muslims?
The Shaykh : Noble morals, such as generosity, courage, and composure, are divided into two categories: the first is innate, which Allah has created the servant with, and the second is acquired, which the servant acquires through practice. So, O brother questioner, it appears from your words that you love courage and generosity, but you do not currently possess them. You have missed the innate quality, but the second category, which is acquired, has not been missed by you. It is possible for you to train yourself in courage and boldness in beneficial matters, step by step, until you reach perfection. Likewise, regarding generosity, accustom yourself to giving in what is good and beneficial until you reach perfection through it. Generosity is not recklessness in spending money or in sacrificing oneself and exposing oneself to danger. Rather, generosity is spending money in its proper place, and courage is also sacrificing oneself in its proper place. Al-Mutanabbi said:
"Reason is before the courage of the brave, it is the first, and the place of the second".
So when you want to accustom yourself to generosity, do not be extravagant in spending and wasteful, but spend where spending is better than holding back, and hold back where holding back is better than spending. Likewise, in courage, when you want to be bold, let no one’s blame in the path of Allah deter you, and do not care about anyone. Advance where advancing is better than retreating, and retreat where retreating is better than advancing. In any case, balance is necessary in these two matters.
The questioner : His second question was answered, and he says in it: Is courage an innate trait or an acquired habit? You answered it during the response, but we presented it so that it would not be said that the question was overlooked.
The Shaykh : Noble morals, such as generosity, courage, and composure, are divided into two categories: the first is innate, which Allah has created the servant with, and the second is acquired, which the servant acquires through practice. So, O brother questioner, it appears from your words that you love courage and generosity, but you do not currently possess them. You have missed the innate quality, but the second category, which is acquired, has not been missed by you. It is possible for you to train yourself in courage and boldness in beneficial matters, step by step, until you reach perfection. Likewise, regarding generosity, accustom yourself to giving in what is good and beneficial until you reach perfection through it. Generosity is not recklessness in spending money or in sacrificing oneself and exposing oneself to danger. Rather, generosity is spending money in its proper place, and courage is also sacrificing oneself in its proper place. Al-Mutanabbi said:
"Reason is before the courage of the brave, it is the first, and the place of the second".
So when you want to accustom yourself to generosity, do not be extravagant in spending and wasteful, but spend where spending is better than holding back, and hold back where holding back is better than spending. Likewise, in courage, when you want to be bold, let no one’s blame in the path of Allah deter you, and do not care about anyone. Advance where advancing is better than retreating, and retreat where retreating is better than advancing. In any case, balance is necessary in these two matters.
The questioner : His second question was answered, and he says in it: Is courage an innate trait or an acquired habit? You answered it during the response, but we presented it so that it would not be said that the question was overlooked.