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The main purpose for the establishment of Islamic educational institutions is to offer a God (Allah)-centered curriculum with the mission to develop godly (virtuous, honest, compassionate and responsible) students who will be able to contribute significantly to moral, spiritual and physical welfare of humanity in general, and bring back the past glory and fame of the ummah (Muslim community) in particular. The aim of this paper is to describe godliness from the view point of the Qur’an and the Hadith or Sunnah (Prophetic traditions or the narrations of sayings, doings or silent approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him – PBUH). This paper is divided into three sub-topics, namely meaning and significance of godliness, characteristics of a godly person, and the means to attain godliness. Godliness or devotion (submission and obedience) to Allah is the sole reason for the creation of mankind and Jinns, “I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me – liya‘budun;” (Qur’an, 51:56) but also everything else (the entire universe). Also it is because of godliness that the Prophets (peace be upon them) were sent to mankind, “Not an apostle did We send before thee without this inspiration sent by Us to him: that there is no god but I; therefore, worship and serve Me – fa‘budun.” (Qur’an, 21:25). Here it is clear that there is a higher purpose to the creation of mankind and the Jinns, namely ‘ibadatu’llah, devotion to Allah. It means recognition of Allah and subsequent submission or humility and obedience to Him.
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In-Text Citation: (Sulaiman, 2021)
To Cite this Article: Sulaiman, K. U. (2021). The Mission to Develop Godly Individuals: An Islamic Perspective. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(8), 799-818.
Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)
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