Is Goodness Only an Appearance? Sharing, Keeping Promises, and Justice

31 December 2021

Question: Can we tell whether a person is good simply by looking from the outside?

We look at their worship. We look at the words they say.

We can draw a conclusion from the words they use and the clothes they wear.

But should we not also look at what they do in difficult times and whether they keep their promises?

Verse 177 of Surah Al-Baqarah does not limit goodness merely to turning in a particular direction.

It mentions qualities such as faith, sharing, worship, keeping promises, and patience together.

This means that goodness becomes visible in many actions throughout a person’s life.

Not the Direction of Goodness, but the Whole of Life

Verse 177 of Surah Al-Baqarah reminds us that turning our faces toward the east or west is not, by itself, goodness.

Then responsibilities toward people are listed together with right belief.

There is an important balance here.

A person cannot consider all their behavior right merely because they appear good from the outside.

Question: Does my goodness continue when people do not see me?

How are we when speaking with our family?

Sometimes we do not know enough about what those close to us are going through.

We may not concern ourselves with the troubles of someone living in the same home.

We may hear of a relative’s financial difficulty but remain silent because of an old hurt between us.

Question: When I am going to help, do I first think of the person in need, or of how I will feel?

When goodness turns into showing off, the other person’s need may recede into the background.

When we support someone, let us not think everyone has to know about it.

Let us not measure the value of help by people’s praise of us.

Of course, we do not have to say yes to every request.

We need to take our own responsibilities and resources into account.

But let us not build all our boundaries solely around our own comfort.

Making time to listen to a person is also something to take seriously.

Sometimes rebuilding closeness begins with a little attention before a grand statement.

How do we behave when someone at work makes a mistake?

When our customer is right, can we give up our own interest?

Merely knowing the right words does not show that we act in accordance with them in every situation.

Sometimes people may be very meticulous about their worship.

But they may be hurtful when speaking with their neighbor, child, or employee.

We need to see these two situations together.

Goodness does not belong to only one area of life.

The values we believe in should also find expression in the relationships we build.

Being Able to Give from the Wealth We Love

Verse 177 reminds us to give from our wealth to relatives, orphans, those in need, travelers, and others who need help.

It is natural for people to love what they have.

They may have worked, earned, and saved.

But setting aside a share of what they possess for others can be an important sign of love and responsibility.

Question: Am I waiting for all my desires to end before doing good?

Someone close to us may be in difficulty.

A person working hard and earning good money is not wrong in itself.

Wanting to live in a beautiful home or buy something they like is also understandable.

But if all these opportunities become life’s sole purpose, we may neglect our other responsibilities.

Question: As my possessions increase, does my desire to share increase, too?

Sometimes we see our desires grow along with our earnings.

We may want a bigger car, a more expensive watch, or more belongings.

What matters is not only whether we possess these things but also the meaning we give them.

Continually talking about a good deed after doing it may hurt the person we helped.

On the one hand, let us not forget others’ needs; on the other, let us not act without measure and neglect our own obligations.

Goodness also requires a balanced attitude between miserliness and extravagance.

But sometimes, instead of helping that person, we may look elsewhere for someone to help.

Because there is hurt between us and those close to us.

In such a situation, let us consider whether our own feelings are taking precedence over a person in need.

Let us not want others to know us as generous while ignoring a sibling’s troubles.

Sharing is not a behavior reserved for the very wealthy.

We can take responsibility according to our means.

Sometimes this may be food, sometimes financial support, and sometimes being there for someone.

But let us not forget the importance of the wealth given in the verse, either.

Continually postponing sharing when we have something to give can, over time, make us forget sharing altogether.

A person may earn a great deal. But let their gratitude and compassion not shrink as their earnings grow.

A person may earn less. They can still try to act well while knowing the limits of their means.

Giving is not merely something leaving our hands; it is taking someone else’s need seriously.

Keeping Our Word, Being Patient in Hardship

The same verse of Surah Al-Baqarah also mentions fulfilling agreements and being patient in difficulty.

Why do these qualities appear alongside sharing?

Because a person’s trustworthiness is not measured only at the moments when they help.

It also emerges when they keep their word.

Let us imagine that we have made an agreement in a business transaction.

We promised to make payment on a certain date.

The decision a person makes in a difficult time may be an important indication of their character.

Anyone can speak fine words on an easy day.

But what do we do when we suffer a loss, when an argument escalates, or when we are wronged?

Question: Can I continue trying to act justly when I become angry?

We do not have to remain silent in the face of injustice.

But while seeking our rights, we should also try to control our own behavior.

If we have suffered harm in a business matter, we can discuss it openly.

If someone has hurt us, we can set a boundary.

When necessary, we can use legal avenues.

But if we surrender all our decisions solely to the desire for revenge, greater hurts may arise.

Patience does not mean denying the pain we feel.

Sometimes it means trying to preserve our standard even amid a powerful emotion.

Living without separating goodness from justice can keep us away from both extremes.

We said we would deliver goods of a certain quality.

Then, if we easily forget our word when conditions become difficult, we may have violated the other party’s rights.

Question: Is my promise valid for me only as long as it benefits me?

Our relationships with our spouse, children, and friends are also built on promises.

For someone to be able to trust us, we need to stand behind what we say.

Sometimes keeping our word may be difficult.

Sometimes we may need to risk a loss or postpone our own desire.

That is when keeping a promise shows its true meaning.

The verse also mentions patience in times of hardship, illness, and distress.

Patience does not mean feeling nothing.

People become sad, tired, and sometimes afraid.

But amid the difficulty they experience, they can try not to abandon the standard they know to be right.

Let us think of someone who has lost a job.

Alongside their financial difficulties, they may feel insecure.

In this situation, we should try to support them rather than belittle what they are going through.

In our own distress, too, let us try to maintain patience while striving for a solution.

Patience does not mean accepting injustice.

It means not allowing anger to govern all our decisions while seeking our rights.

Considering Forgiveness Alongside Justice

Verse 178 of Surah Al-Baqarah addresses rulings concerning killing and retribution.

It is also noteworthy that expressions such as forgiveness and payment with good conduct appear in the continuation of the verse.

What matters here is seeing the importance of limits even in the face of a grave injustice.

When people experience great pain, their feelings may be very intense.

Anger, fear, and a sense of loss can influence their decisions.

At such moments, justice should not mean the limitless growth of personal anger.

Question: Can we see the difference between protecting a right and magnifying anger?

Let us not casually reduce the rulings on such matters to everyday arguments.

The context of the verse and its legal aspect need to be understood seriously.

But the responsibility to be just also has an expression in our daily relationships.

When someone wrongs us, we may erase all their past kindness.

In an argument, we may blame only the other person without seeing our own part at all.

In such situations, let us reconsider our standard.

Forgiving a person and preserving a justified boundary do not have to be opposites.

It is important to protect our own safety and another person’s rights.

But we do not need to place resentment at the center of our entire lives.

Let Goodness Enter Life

Worship, sharing, keeping one’s word, patience, and justice are not disconnected pieces.

They all show what kind of person we are trying to become.

If we emphasize one and entirely neglect the others, the balance may be disturbed.

If we want to earn a great deal, let us do so. But let us not forget honesty.

We can possess beautiful things. But let us not turn them into life’s sole purpose.

If we value our family, let us show it not only in words but also by making time.

When we help, let us not make showing off a need.

When we expect goodness only from others, we may forget the shortcomings in our own lives.

It is easy to say that someone is miserly.

But how much of what we have can we share?

We may say that an employee does not keep their word.

But do we show the same care toward our own promises?

Question: Can I look at myself with the same clarity with which I see others’ shortcomings?

That is why we should consider all the qualities in verse 177 of Surah Al-Baqarah together.

Let goodness not be reduced to a single action.

While behaving well in one corner of our lives, let us strive not to commit injustice in another.

To preserve our balance, we need to turn and look at ourselves every day.

Question: Which aspect of goodness am I leaving incomplete in my life today?

Sharing? Keeping my word? Being patient?

Let us answer ourselves honestly.

Then let us choose a behavior we can change.

Let us ask our Lord for sincerity, balance, and uprightness.

Goodness is not merely the side of us that appears; it is the whole life we live.