August 10': The Beatitudes- An Islamic Indicator of Hope (Article of the Month)

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The Beatitudes - An Islamic Indicator of Hope
Joan Booso

There may be many occasions in our lives that make us stop and 'take stock' of the way we are living and what is important to us in this life. This may be brought about simply by day-to-day issues, an important personal event, like the loss of a dear one or a tragic occurrence of some kind, like a natural disaster.  Faith is an important part of such reflection, what do we really believe, when we examine our hearts, and are we living according to those guiding principles and ideals? In an increasingly hedonistic society and so-called 'celebrity culture', our pleasure seeking is growing ever more extreme to satiate our worldly appetites and desires. How can we equate our mundane passions with those of the religious doctrine we profess to follow? Where can we find a guide to the truth, so we can understand this life and aim correctly towards the next?

Muslims have the only pristine, preserved holy book, the Qur'an from where guidance is to be sought, together with the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (blessings and peace be upon him) but the concerns of mankind were the same throughout history. In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus (upon him be peace) had this same dilemma, how could he teach and describe the Kingdom of Heaven to the worldly masses? It is documented that on one occasion (there are differing accounts as to exactly where and when), he framed these principles in a set of opposites, some say to provoke effect, and together they are called the Beatitudes (taken from the Latin- 'beatus' which means blessed or happy). Many of them will be familiar as they have found their way into popular speech and culture; turning around worldly values.

Notwithstanding that, there is no consensus as to the exact number, whether four, seven or eight or their exact meaning; the fullest number of verses are given as follows:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs will be the Kingdom of Heaven;
Blessed are the mourners, they shall be comforted;
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst (after righteousness), they shall be filled;
Blessed are they who are persecuted (for seeking righteousness), theirs shall be the Kingdom of Heaven;
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth;
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy;
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God;
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be the children of God.

In these succinct verses lies the difference between this world and the next; the injustices and inequalities of this life are transformed and rewarded in the permanent life to come. These same moral incentives serve Muslims and Christians alike in showing the trials of this existence and their reversal to bliss in the hereafter.

In these eight, short stanzas lies the entire moral compass and indication of heavenly attributes we need to examine our own direction in this life; what standards are we aiming for in our view of this world and the next? Whom are we revering as our role models? Within these short passages lies a truth that is as relevant today as when these words were first spoken two thousand years ago, enshrining the hope, beauty and embodiment of all good that is contained in faith and devotion to the One God in this mundane world, for eternal happiness in the life to come; the exchange of worldly ills and difficulties for the infinite rapture that awaits us in God's heavenly abode.

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