compensating a person for his deficiencies and thus restoring his
disturbed equilibrium. From the economic point of view, for
instance, justice demands that every individual should receive the
full product of his labours. But if it is found that this will not suffice
for his needs, the gap between his earnings and his needs ought to be
filled; this is called ihsaan. Ihsaan not only helps to restore the
equilibrium of the person concerned but also to maintain the
balance of the social system.
- Adyaan This is the plural form of deen (q.v.). According
to the Qur’an, every nation on earth has been blessed from time to
time with Divine Guidance through the agency of Anbiya
(Messengers). All these Anbiya were entrusted with the
establishment of the same deen or way of life. But in course of time,
their followers failed to maintain the deen established by their Anbiya
in its pristine purity; they deviated from the right course, altered and
modified God’s revealed Guidance, and foisted upon it elements
utterly alien and repugnant to its spirit. Deen thus degenerated into
religion (madhhab) and lost its soul.
The Qur’an rules out the plurality of deens and contemplates only
one deen; indeed, the plural of deen (adyaan) does not occur at all in
the Qur’anic text. However, the use of the plural form only refers to
the several versions in which the Divine Guidance given to mankind
through different Anbiya is known to exist. In the present work also
adyan has been used only in such cases. - A’maal-ul-Hasanah: A’maal is the plural form of ‘amal, which
means action or deed. In English, the phrases “good deeds” and
“evil deed” are commonly used; but the Qur’an uses the terms
a’maal-ul-hasanah and a’maal-us-sayyi’ah, which are far more
comprehensive. Hasanaat means acts that are haseen or result in the
creation of husan (beauty); and husn signifies “proper proportion”.
When a person conducts himself in accordance with the Divine
Law, every act of his helps to bring about husn in his own personality
or to make it balanced and properly proportioned; it is also
conducive to the maintenance of balance and proportion in the
social order and the universe at large. In the event, the individual
develops a balanced personality, and a society rid of imbalances and
disharmonies is thereby created, which ensures true happiness to all.
On the other hand is the kind of conduct that is described by the
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 20