DEFINITION OF MEAN

1. DEFINITION OF MEAN • There are many meanings of mean or wast. According to al-Ghazzali, mean is the faculties of human soul should remain in order that good character may be achieved. • The observance of mean results in the virtue of : • wisdom, • courage, • temperance and • justice.

2. Wisdom refers to the state of soul, which enable man to distinguish right from wrong in all voluntary actions. • Courage means the state of soul in which faculty of anger is always obedient to reason. • While temperance is the state of soul in which faculty of desire is disciplined under the commands of reason and the teachings of Shari`ah.

3. Another meaning of wast is justice. Justice refers to the state of the soul in which anger and desire are controlled under the dictates of reason and adheres to the teachings of Shari`ah. • Justice therefore, is the equilibrium state of the faculties of desire, anger and action. • Justice in this sense of equilibrium is often used by al-Ghazzali to denote the mean state of the soul. In line with this equilibrium, there is a hadith of the Prophet, which informs that the best in all things is their moderate manner. خير الامور اوسطها

4. Wast or moderate means to acquire the ability to perform man’s proper function like seeking knowledge, doing good deeds and avoiding evils. • If a man is moderate in satisfying his desire for food he feels neither the heaviness of his stomach nor the pain of hunger. It is as if the man ”forgets his stomach”. Such a state is conducive to knowledge and good deeds.

5. Observance the mean in desires for worldly things is the most beloved of things to God. • In al-Qur’an, Allah says, translated as: “Those who, when they spend are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold a just balance between those extremes.” (Refer to Surah al-Furqan, 25:67). • This verse explains that one needs to spend wisely, even in charity for it is not for show neither extravagant nor “rob Ali to pay Ahmad”.

6. Observing wast in this sense of moderate, just, order of good action is practically refers to sirat al-mustaqim or the straight path which every Muslim pray to Allah for several times daily for the purpose of spiritual upliftment.

7. To sum up, the meaning of wast is numerous and the importance of it is explicit because the ultimate aim in all affairs and character traits is moderate, since the best in all things is to be moderate. • Both extremes are blameworthy and man needs to acquire the ability of applying the concept of mean in seeking knowledge, doing virtuous deeds and avoiding evil deeds.

8. The existence of these four virtues indicates the inward state of man’s soul, which is make up of the faculties of intellect, desire and anger, remain sound, moderate and mutually harmonious.

9. CONCEPT OF MEAN • According to al-Ghazzali, every act produces an effect on the soul and the state of the soul will also influence one’s action. Based from this idea al-Ghazzali asserts that action of man is related to his inwards self. To relate this man’s character, he says that good character consists of four virtues namely wisdom (hikmah), courage (shaja`ah), justice (`adl) and temperance (`iffah).

10. For example: • A sound faculty of intellect is that which can distinguish between true and false in statement, between right and wrong in beliefs and between good and evil in actions. From this state, the virtue of wisdom is generated in the soul.

11. The sound faculty of anger obeys the dictates of reason and Shari`ah in its arousal and appeasement. From this state the virtue of courage appears.

12. The sound faculty of desire yields to reason and Shari`ah. In this way the virtue of temperance is achieved. • If the faculties of desire, anger and intellect ofthe soul are sound, the virtue of justice appears.

13. If they are at their opposite extremes seven vices may appear: • Stupidity and wickedness as opposed to wisdom. • Rashness and cowardice as opposed to courage • Greed and annihilation of desire as opposed to temperance • Injustice as opposed to justice.

14. The sound state of the faculty of anger, desire and intellect, determines the limit within which they should remain, i.e. within the mean or wast. • Indeed each faculty of the soul has two extremes, namely excess and deficiency.

15. Extreme – blameworthy (radhilah) • Mean-praiseworthy (fadilah) • Deficiency - blameworthy (radhilah) • Deviation from the mean to one or the other extreme generates vice.

16. If the faculty of anger is at the extreme of excess, the vice of rashness (tahawwur) exists in the soul. • If it is at the extreme of deficiency, the vice of cowardice (jubn) appears. If it is at the mean state, there appears courage.

17. If the faculty desire is at the extreme of excess, it begets greed (sharah). If it is at the extreme of deficiency, preoccupation with useless activities, extravagance, envy, flattery are produced in the soul. • If it is at the state of mean, temperance is achieved.

18. The virtue of justice has no two extreme; it has only the opposite, i.e. injustice. Should the virtue of justice fail to control the faculties of anger, intellect and desire, the vice of injustice exists in the soul. • If it works well, the virtue of justice is achieved.

19. In short, the concept of mean is very important principle or guideline for Muslims to understand, practice and internalize in their daily life so as to achieve happiness in this world and the hereafter.

20. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CONCEPT OF MEAN • The aim of every Muslim is to achieve happiness. As stated earlier, man’s soul is of angelic in nature. Not only that it inclines to the spiritual realm it also indisposes to the attachment of the worldly glittering.

21. In al-Qur’an, Allah says, translated as: “But only he (will prosper) who comes to God with the sound heart (free from the attachment of the world).” (Refer to Surah al-Shu`ara’, 26: 89).

22. The concept of mean in a simple term refers to a standard or general principle which is ascertained by reason and Shari`ah. The reason for the observance of mean, as inferred from Surah al-Shu`ara, verse 89, is to free the soul. In other words, the soul can be freed by preserving the middle way.

23. For example, the miser busies himself with saving wealth while the extravagant man occupies himself with spending it. In either case, the soul is attached to wealth. In order to free the soul from this attachment of wealth, a man should be freed from both qualities of spending and saving. But this is impossible!

24. What the man should do is to strike a balance between the actions of spending and saving. The soul of man keeping to the mean in spending is, in a sense, free from both extreme qualities, just like tepid water, not too hot or too cold.

25. Another analogy is that man, who is inside the ring of desires but wants to resemble the angels, who are outside the ring. The man cannot hope to get out of the ring, however, if he applies the concept of wast, he will be as remote as possible from desire. He therefore, achieves the greatest possible resemblance to the angels.

26. On the whole, mean is the state in which the faculties of the soul remain in order that good character may be achieved. Good character can be achieved if the state of the soul remains in the state of justice. Since the state of one’s soul is reflected in one’s action, justice within one’s soul will also be reflected in one’s action.

27. Another significance of the concept of mean is to acquire wisdom, as expressed by al-Qur’an. Wisdom is the highest of all virtues. In Surah al-Baqarah, 2:269, translated as: “Whoever is granted wisdom he is indeed is given a great good.” • To acquire wisdom in one’s soul shows that the person is a virtuous man and he will receive great abundance, as being promised by God, inferred from the above verse.

28. Al-Ghazzali further explains that the four root virtues form good character. Referring to Surah al-Hujurat, verse 15, he explains that belief in God and His Messengers affirms the concept of tawhid. Strive with their wealth and their lives, indicates temperance, since this striving is only possible when the faculties of desire and anger remain under control. Strive with their lives indicates courage, since this striving is only possible when the faculty of anger remain under control.

29. In another verse: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the companions are praised for being `hardest of heart against the unbelievers’ but compassionate among them….” (Surah al-Fath, 48:29). From this verse there is a place for firmness and another for compassion. This indicates the virtue of justice. • These four virtues need to be acquired by everyone for they are useful for the development of good character.