This term is not commonly used nor acted upon. In actual fact it is something perceived to be as restricting freedom and backwards. It’s an act of a bygone era that is attached to enslavement and oppression. Indeed it is rare nowadays to observe someone doing this action as it is something not taught at school or at home. Bosses, teachers, managers and people of authority in their appraisal of other colleagues will not use the term obedient, to describe their positive characteristic of following orders and being effective team members. Actually this term is intimately associated with dogs!
The definition of obedience is the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person. If one was to imagine scenarios of where this can take place, schools, office, military and more obviously at home with the parents would be your best bet. However in reality this act is done based only on financial or material incentive, otherwise you would be considered a fool to continue to act like this. So if Alan Sugar was bossing you around and you were not getting paid, your act of “obedience” would be futile.
The lack of the concept of obedience in this society has manifested in many ways. For example, the high school student being disrespectful to his female teacher, by not listening to her as well as making lewd jokes. The son that swears at his parents and goes terrorizes his elderly neighbours. The younger brother being rude and argumentative with his older siblings. The citizen not listening to the police officer and in turn not listening to the government. The manifestation of disobedience as a trait in this society is rife.
When a team leader is appointed or nominated, there is always someone trying to trigger off a leadership change (read David Milliband’s article in The Guardian), this is because they are after their own progression and benefit. Being obedient is a sign of weakness and insignificant trait that will never allow one to climb the ladder of victory.
Why am I writing about this? The reason being is that it is one of the fundamental traits a mu’min (believer) must possess to be on the right path. Islam means submission to Allah (swt). Thus having to obey each and every law prescribed on to us by our Lord is a cardinal duty. Any signs of disobeying can be cause of abject misery in the hereafter. One might think just doing the Five Daily Prayers, observing fast, paying Zakat and going Hajj once in a lifetime is sufficient, but actually this concept goes much, much further than that.
The ever presenting test of obeying your parents in matters which you might find trivial is a common pitfall for many of us. Delaying what they have requested or ignoring their plea on issues which will affect you in the future (i.e studies, marriage etc). Not sitting with them in your spare time as they get older and you get burdened with modern day life responsibilities. Having less time to reflect as to how to keep your parents happy and content in their later years.
Other areas are when there is a task at hand and there is a group of you to deal with it. Once an ameer has been designated, we would be obliged to follow his instructions no matter how irrational we might think it might be. Disobeying him or ridiculing his commands would be tantamount to disobeying Allah (swt). In married life, it is well known and undisputed that the husband is in charge of the family and the household. With this lie heavy responsibilities that which requires everyone in the family to help him with and follow suit.
Ramadhan should be a time where this feature of obedience should be polished and reinvigorated. Bettering your relationship with your parents, obeying your boss through sincerity, giving more importance to what your ustadh says, listening to a brother who is in charge of the task and lastly being more submissive to Allah (swt)’s commands through actively seeking out knowledge about your life’s circumstances.
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (saw) and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourself, refer it to Allah (swt) and his Messenger (saw), if you believe in Allah (swt) and The Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination. [TMQ Surah 4 verse 59.]
