Muslimness Continued...

Ramadan being the month in which the Quran was revealed, muslims everywhere take the opportunity to recite the poetic verses. While reading verse 177 of the second Surah, I was very excited at having found the definition of muslimness:

“It is not righteousness
That ye turn your faces
Towards East or West;
But it is righteousness -
To believe in Allah
And the Last Day,
And the Angels,
And the Book,
And the Messengers;
To spend of your substance,
Out of your love for Him,
For your kin,
For orphans,
For the needy,
For the wayfarer,
For those who ask,
And for the ransom of slaves;
To be steadfast in prayer,
And practise regular charity,
To fulfill the contracts
Which ye have made;
And to be firm and patient,
In pain
And adversity
And throughout All periods of panic.
Such are the people
Of truth, the God- fearing

I love that Islam is so much more than just rituals and self-help. I love that it recognises injustice and inequality and that the fighting of social injustice and the uplifting of fellow human beings is at the top of the 'to do' list.