'Izzah: Forgotten Concept, Lost Virtue

During his Caliphate, ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu set out for Ash-Shaam with Abu ‘Ubaydah. Along the way, they encountered a deep creek which could only be crossed directly, so ‘Umar took off his sandals and waded through the water. Concerned, Abu ‘Ubaydah said, “I fear that the people of the village will think you without honour.”

‘Umar replied, “Oh Abu Ubaydah! If only someone less knowledgeable than you had made such a statement. We were the most disgraced of people, and Allah granted us honour with Islam. Now, whenever we seek honour in other than that which Allah honoured us with, Allah shall disgrace us (once again).”

What would ‘Umar say if he could see us today? Given that we are as many as the foam upon the sea, and as useless? What would he say today, when our brothers and sisters are collateral damage, slaughtered left, right, and centre on demand while the rest us of are impotent to protect them?

The problem is that we have forgotten the concept of ‘izzah (honour). We have forgotten that no matter what our physical or financial state is, Allah has placed us in a position of superiority over all other creation.

By virtue of our tawheed, our emaan, our Islam, we are better than anyone else. And yes, while that sounds politically incorrect, our Rabb has clearly stated:

Surely those who disbelieve from among the followers of the Book and the polytheists shall be in the fire of hell, abiding therein; they are the worst of men.

(And) lo! those who believe and do good deeds, they are the best of creation. (al-Bayyinah, 6-7)

You are the best of people among all peoples, for you command Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, and you submit [in belief] to Allah. 3:110

Knowing this, why then do we still have inferiority complexes? Why do we find ourselves asking for help from those responsible for oppressing us? Why do we lower ourselves to such a position?

The fact of the matter is that we have lost our ‘izzah. We have lost the understanding of what it is and how we are to attain it.

So what is this ‘izzah? How do we attain it, and how do we lose it? How do we put this forgotten concept into practice, especially in this day and age? Insha’Allah, these questions and more will be answered in the following articles.

Part One: Literary Origins and Islamic Understanding

The Arabic word ‘izzah is from ayn-zay-zay, which means might, honour, respect, dignity, prestige, fame and glory. It also means to have the upper hand; sometimes ‘izzah is used positively for praise, and sometimes it’s used negatively for arrogance (such as surah Saad ayah 2).

عز/ العزة

‘Azz/ ‘Izzah

‘Azz

The root word for I’zzah, Azeez and Uzzah is ‘Azz which means to be or become strong, powerful or/and respected.

‘Azz’ can also mean to overpower/defeat.

{…and He overpowered Me In speech.} [Saad 23]

This is because there is a saying in Arabic من عز بز ‘whoever overpowers will defeat’, due to the other being more powerful in debating and speaking, and this is how he overpowered him in speech.

‘Izzah

Al ‘Izzah is a state which prevents a person from being overcome. When the Arabs call a land عزاز [‘azaaz’] they mean it is hard, solid, stiff and rigid.

Linguistically this term means: might/ power/ standing/ strength/ force/ honour/ glory/ high rank/ fame/ pride.

In the Qur’aan, ‘Izzah is sometimes mentioned in a praiseworthy sense and at other times it is mentioned in a blameworthy sense as the examples below illustrate:

‘But honour, power and Glory belong to Allaah, his Messenger (Muhammad Sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe Wa Sallam), and to the believers’ [Al Munaafiqoon 8]

‘Do they seek honour, power and Glory with them? Verily, then to Allâh belongs all honour, power and glory.’ [Al Nisaa 139]

When ‘Izzah is mentioned with regards to Allah, His Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), and the believers, it’s an everlasting honour, power and glory – it’s the true [haqiqi] ‘Izzah. On the other hand, when ‘Izzah is mentioned with regards to the disbelievers, it’s used to denote both disgrace and dishonour:

Nay, those who disbelieve are in false pride and opposition. [Saad 2]

And when it is said to him, “Fear Allâh”, he is led by arrogance to (more) crime. So enough for Him is Hell, and worst indeed is that place to rest! [Al Baqarah 206]

And they have taken (for worship) âliha (gods) besides Allâh, that they might give them honour, power, and glory (and also protect them from Allâh’s punishment etc.). [Maryam 81]

If only man would understand that honour belongs to Allah alone,

Whosoever desires honour, power, and glory, then to Allâh belongs all honour, power, and glory [Faatir 10]

Thus, we can see that in general, ‘izzah can be described as honour, dignity, and higher status. Hereafter, we shall use the term interchangeably with ‘honour’ for easier comprehension.

So:

‘Izzah is honour. And what is honour?

It’s not something tangible that we can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Honour is something else, something higher, something far more noble. It is pride and confidence, an aura of strength and serenity. It is a type of knowledge, a type of belief.

There was a time when any man, woman, or child would rather die than sacrifice their honour. Honour was a sense of pride and dignity people had that came from being absolutely confident and resolute in their beliefs, values, and identity.

To the Muslim, honour is something which Allah has blessed us with. It is the knowledge that in humbling ourselves to Him and Him alone, He has raised us above all other creation. It is the knowledge that by fearing Him and seeking reward from Him alone, no one and nothing else on Earth can inspire within us fear or interest in what they have to offer us. It is something which is attained by truly loving, believing, and acting upon the words of Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) when he said:

Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you.

‘Izzah is attained by worshipping Allah alone, obeying His commands, avoiding what He has prohibited, and placing our entire reliance upon Him and Him alone.

Thus, its loss occurs when we do the opposite: when our emaan weakens, and our tawakkul fades, and we allow into our lives that which Allah hates for us. What kind of ‘izzah can we have when we abandon the very actions which are the cause of this elevated status? How can we have honour of any kind when we humiliate ourselves by neglecting the salaah, replacing the Words of Allah with the Qur’an of the Shaytaan (music), and place more importance in political activism than spiritual strength?

‘Izzah is borne of action, and is manifested as attitude. It is an attitude of superiority and of confidence, an attitude which we need to reclaim.

First of all, we need to recognize that having such an attitude is not a bad thing. Politically incorrect? Sure. And according to the current standards of political correctness, so is the Qur’an and the Sunnah; so is the entire religion of al-Islam. Are we going to deny it? Hide it? In an attempt to bring people closer to Islam, will we prevent them from reading the very source of Truth? No, by Allah! No matter what the people say, this is our Deen, this is al-Islam, and we will never be shy of it. This is the source of our ‘izzah, and we must never forget it.

Allah has stated repeatedly that He has chosen al-Islam as the only acceptable religion and that the true believers are those whom He has chosen as the khulafaa’ of this Earth.

The (only) religion with Allah is Islaam, but if they dispute with you, say, “I have submitted myself entirely to Allah.” (3:19 – 20)

And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers. (3:85)

So, do not become weak or sad, and you are superior if you are believers. [Al 'Imran; 139]

Once this is recognized, then we must go back to what we said in the beginning – this superiority and honour, this‘izzah, comes only from studying, understanding, and implementing Islam correctly in every sphere of our lives.

“So whoever hopes to see his Lord and be rewarded by Him, then let him make his worship correct and make it purely and exclusively for Him; and let him not give any share of it to other than Him.” [Surah al-Kahf 18:110].

If we obey Allah as we are supposed to, we will feel the peace, the tranquility, the strength and the confidence that befits those whom Allah is pleased with. And once Allah is pleased with a people, and He has promised them victory, is there anyone or anything on the face of this earth which could possibly stop them?

“Say: ‘O Allah. Lord of Power (And Rule), You give power to whom You please, and You strip off power from whom You please: You endow with honor whom You please, and You bring low whom You please: In Your hand is all good. Verily, over all things You have power.’” (3:26).