Important Moral Values to Develop Future Generation

Moral values are the commendable principles or ideology that one follows to differentiate the right from the wrong. These ideology or qualities are considered valuable in building up the character of an individual. Moral values are something that teaches every human good qualities, including honesty, integrity, openness, kindness, helpfulness, compassion, justice, equality, love, respect for others, hard-work, co-operation, forgiveness, courage, truthfulness, and so on. Actually, it is the standards of good and evil, which direct an individual’s behavior and choices. As we grow older, we learn about moral values through the mixing in family, school, society, friend, media and social net. It’s very important to create honest, credible, equality, and just society; and ensure happiness, peace and success of life here and hereafter. Moral values are a pioneer; that every child learns from their homes and every student should learn from school, college, and university. What is wrong and what is right is something that we see and learn from our parents, from our teacher, and our own experiences. Few moral values for children and student may include: honesty, respect, compassion, kindness, gratitude, hard work, sharing, cooperation, responsibility, generosity, determination, discipline, punctuality, and so on. Today’s competitive world, unethical activities like dishonesty, telling lies for your benefit, hurting others, and other worse things should be avoided. A person with better values is motivated and finds all possible ways to spread good vibes in and around them.

Moral values empower us to stand as unique creatures. These values are the basis for almost every religion. Since childhood, we were taught about being kind to others, empowering good habits at home and school. The most important and essential phase of any child’s life is education. Education not only develops child’s physical and social well-being but also grooms psychological and behavioral aspects. The goal of education is not merely to get students literate, rather get them good scores, and ultimately get them a well-paid job. Through education in schools, we mold a child to learn discipline, other qualities of a ideal student and teach them moral values. Now, in 21st century, we should extend the domain of education to something more. Let’s teach our children, how to make wise choices, we should teach them family values, society values, nature’s value, other creative values, believe to Almighty, and the most vital of their own value. The first step to become a moral and responsible citizen of a nation begins with one’s character. Character is not something which can be made overnight, it requires time, patience, sacrifice and good example. To commence with moral education, it is important to understand what it implies.

Moral education is directly and indirectly related to our actions towards others and our society. By including moral education into our educational institutions and our lifestyle or even in our everyday activities like playing games, watching TV, participate social media; we can add much worth to our world. Moral education will definitely affect students along with it will have a remarkable effect on the future world. Our youth and upcoming generations will be mindful of the consequences and results of their action. When their moral consciousness will awake, they will be nature-oriented and not profit-oriented. They can guide their actions to the direction which could make the world a happier and peaceful place to live in. Their concern will not only be with the human community but will also include non-humans such as animals, plants, land, water, and everything present on the Earth. Our future generation wants a better place to be on, which should be free from discriminations, climate change, inequality, unjust, illiteracy, animal suffering and exploitation of nature, etc.

All this can be possible only when we create responsible citizens by including moral education and moral values in our current education institutions. We need to instruct our young ones on learning virtues like honesty, respect, responsibility, compassion, forgiveness, caring, cooperation, fairness, courage, loyalty, self control, work ethic, perseverance, integrity, humility, forgiveness, compassion, thankfulness, cleanliness, kindness, open-mindedness, flexibleness, trustworthiness, balance, empathy, patience, generosity, acceptance, equality, justice, believe, etc. We can start the teaching from our homes because parents our child’s first teacher. Finally a citizen may embrace moral values from society and government, religion, or self. A person without good values is considered to hold a disagreeable character, and the society will start judging the person according to his/her behavior. Moral values even happen to be applied in our workplace; people look for individuals with ethical values. In every organization, a defined ethical code of conduct is expected to be followed by the employees for fundamental societal moral values.

Degradation of moral values among the younger generation is an emerging issue. Today, the moral values of the community or society we live in are rather distorted. These moral principles which are the products of selfish passions and the greed of people yield then to selfishness, arrogance, mockery, discourtesy, lying, dishonesty, hypocrisy, and cruelty. Today, some people even believe that, they may improve their living standards by cheating, lying, deceiving others. The factors affecting this degradation could be, influence of nuclear families and materialistic way of life, breakdown of parental control of children in the families, influence of peer groups, gender bias, attraction of change or so call modernization, influence of mass media, lacking of learning positive atmosphere at school/college/university, lacking of co-curricular activities based on moral values, dirty politics, desire of self-exhibition, lack of academic syllabus related to human values, blind following of western (some) bad-culture, lacking moral values, etc. However, these are not the values that Allah has determined for the human beings He created. The Qur’an orders people to be dignified, modest, trustworthy, kind, faithful, discipline, helpful, truthful, just, mature and responsive. On that account, duty of a believer is to apply these superior principles as describe in Holly book Quran that Allah or God has verdict to us. Today believers live in a miscreant community where these heavenly ethics have been inaccessible.

The Quran informs us about the true characteristics of Allah SWT as “He the God, the One, no god except He, Knower of the Unseen and the Witnessed, He the Almighty, the Merciful. He the God, the One, no god except He, the King, the Holy, the Peace, the Believer, the Safeguard, the Mighty, the Violent, the Arrogant. Glory the God over what they partner. He the God, the Creator, the Evolver, the Designer, to Him the names, the good. It glorifies to Him what in the Heavens and the Earths, and He the Mighty, the Wise.” (Quran, 59:22-24). Allah also declared, Say! “He the God One. The God the Absolute. Not He births and not He born. And not he is to Him enough, anyone.” (Quran, 112: 1-4). Believers examine the signs of Allah in both external and internal worlds, and thus begin to understand the great art and power of Allah. Allah SWT said, Say! “He the One who created you, and made to you the hearing and the sights and the intellect, little what you thank.” Say! “He the One who spreads you in the Earth and to Him you will be gathered.” (Quran, 67:23-24).

To fear Allah is the beginning of all. The more one fears Allah, the more superior does one become in the presence of Allah. The Qur’an gives the examples of the prophets, with whom the believers can compare themselves so that they may understand that they really can increase their fear of Allah. Allah wants people to fear Him to the greatest possible extent. Allah SWT said in Quran, “So fear Allah as much as you can; listen and obey and spend in charity for the benefit of your own soul. Those saved from the covetousness of their own souls, are the ones that achieve prosperity.” (Quran, 64:16). Allah SWT also said in Quran, “O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared and die not except in a state of Islam.” (Quran, 3:102). Nothing in the universe is accidental. Allah SWT said in Quran, “Not a leaf falls but with His knowledge.” (Quran, 6:59). It is Allah Who creates and directs all the events; how they will begin and how they will end. It is again Allah Who determines every movement of every star in the universe, every state of every living thing on Earth, the way one will live, what one will say, what one will encounter, as expressed in the verses in Holly Quran, “Verily, I have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation)” (Quran, 54:49). Allah SWT also said in Quran, “No misfortune befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees, before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.” (Quran, 57:22). The believers should be aware of this great reality.

Since, Allah is the only decision-maker, every happening is in favor of the believers: everything has been planned for the benefit of religion and for the believers' life in the hereafter. Believers can refer to their past experience to see that there is a good for them at the end of every event. For that reason, believers put their entire trust in Allah. He is the one and only Protector. Allah said to us, Say, ‘Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our Protector: and in Allah let the believers put their trust.’ (Quran, 9:51). Allah SWT also said, “If Allah helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allah (alone) let believers put their trust.” (Quran, 3:160). Allah SWT told His Prophet to declare that, ‘Say! This, my path, I call to the God. Over sight, I and one who follows me, and Glory the God, and not I from the partnering.’ (Quran 12: 108). Allah SWT said to human kind that, ‘Already comes to you Messenger from yourselves, mighty over him what you fall, anxious over you, with the believers compassionate, merciful. But if they turn away, but Say! My account the God, no god except He, over Him I trust, and He Lord of the Throne, the Great.’ (Quran 9: 128-129). Allah SWT assured us, ‘He strengthens, the God, those who believe with the sayings, the strong, in the life of the World and in the Hereafter, and He makes astray, the God, the wrongdoers. And He does, the God, what He wishes.’ (Quran 14: 27).

So, we should read and understand the meaning of Quran again and again with open mind and for Hidaiath from Allah SWT as He declared; Quran is the book of Hidaiath (ref Quran 2:2). InshaAllah definitely Allah will show us the light (nur) and right way as we need to follow and make learning of Quran as life style for our success here and hereafter; and that is known as deen islam and straight way to reach Allah SWT. Allah declared in Holly Quran in several times is that, ‘I make easy to understand the Quran, but are anybody is ready to accept it?’ (Quran 54: 17, 22, 32, 40). Quran is the only source of ahsanul or the best hadith as Allah said in Quran (ref Quran 39:23). Allah warn us by saying in Quran as, ‘with which hadith after it (Quran) will they believe?’ (Quran 77:50). Other than Quran, all man-made and fabricated so called hadith known as Lawhal or false hadith as Allah described in Quran (ref Quran, 31: 6). Allah SWT said, ‘The God the One who sends down the Book (Quran) with the Truth and the Balance. And what, it will make you understand, maybe the Hour close?’ Allah warn us by declaring as, ‘Verily, those who conceal what Allah has sent down of the Book (Quran), and purchase a small gain therewith (of worldly things), they eat into their bellies nothing but fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor purify them, and theirs will be a painful torment.’ (Quran 2:174). So, we should not hide any message from Quran and we should not earn by selling Quran or make Islam/Quran as earning source or profession.

Allah define the successful men and women separately in Holy Quran as ‘Surely the Muslim men and the Muslim women, and the believing men and the believing women, and the devout men and the devout women, and the truthful men and the truthful women, and the patient men and the patient women, and the humble men and the humble women, and the givers of truth men and the givers of truth women, and the fasting men and the fasting women, and the men guarding their chastity and the women guarding, and the men remembering the God much and the women remembering, prepares the God to them forgiveness and reward great. And not is to a believing man and not a believing woman, when decides the God and His Messengers a command, that it be to them the choice from their command. And one, he disobeys the God and His Messengers, but has strayed a straying clear.’ (Quran 33: 35-36). Allah SWT warn us, ‘O you! Those who believe! Fear the God, and say saying straight. He will right to you your deeds and He will forgive to you your crimes. And one, he obeys the God and His Messengers, but has achieved an achievement great.’ (Quran 33:70-71). Allah also declared that ‘To His punishing, the God, the hypocrite men and the hypocrite women and the partnering men and the partnering women. And He Turns, the God, over the believing men and the believing women. And is the God Forgiving, Merciful.’ (Quran 33:73).

As we stated at the beginning, Allah created the universe to show the signs of His Creation. However, the unbelievers cannot understand this fact since they do not have the ability to “see” this divine purpose. As the Qur’an expresses it “They have eyes with which they do not see.” (Quran, 7:179). With their materialistic vision, they do not have the wisdom and comprehension to grasp this important reality. Believers are quite different from this “blind” category, because they realize and accept that the whole universe is created by Allah with a certain aim and wisdom. This belief is the first step of faith. As faith and wisdom increase in parallel with each other, they will begin to be able to identify every detail of Allah’s Creation. Seeing the signs of Allah and not being “blind” like the unbelievers, require a high degree of concentration. In the Qur'an, the believers are called to observe and notice the signs of Allah around them and this is only possible by being careful: “See you the seed that you sow in the ground?Is it you that cause it to grow, or are We the Cause?” (Quran, 56:63-64) “See you the water which you drink? Do ye bring it down (in rain) from the cloud or do We?” (Quran, 56:68-69) And Allah states in another verse that the blind could not be held equal to the seeing and asks "Will you then consider not?" (Quran, 6:50).

Believers, are the ones who direct their minds better to perceive Allah, and who try in better ways to serve His religion. They free their minds from any vain thoughts, and whenever they become aware of the appeal of Satan, they rescue themselves, just as is described in the Qur’an; “Verily, those who are the pious, when an evil thought comes to them from Satan, they remember Allah, and (indeed) they then see (aright)”.(Quran, 7:201) Therefore, the believers should be careful to keep their minds free of useless thoughts, and never lose the thread of what is happening around them, they should always be on their guard. Allah SWT said, admonishes the unbelievers in the following verse: ‘The death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to (Allah), the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will tell you the things that you did.” (Quran, 62:8). Death is not a “disaster” which should be forgotten, but an important lesson that teaches people the real meaning of life. It should therefore be the subject of profound thought. The believers ponder deeply on that great reality with sincerity and wisdom. Why do all people live for a period of time and then die? All created beings are mortal, and this shows that they are powerless and unable servants of Allah. Allah is the only owner of life; all creatures have come to life by Allah’s Decree and will ultimately die by Allah’s Decree. On this the Qur’an declares: “All that is on earth will perish: But will abide (Forever) the Face of your Lord,- full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.” (Quran, 55: 26-27).

Successful men and women have two distinct qualities as he/she is a believer and he/she always remain busy with righteousness or good-deed in this earth. Allah SWT said in Holly Quran as, ‘And inform those who believe and do the righteousness, surely to them gardens flowing from beneath them the rivers, all of what they sustained from them, from fruits, sustenance, they will say “This what we sustained from before,” and brought with it similitudes, and to them in them spouses pure, and they in them living perpetually.’(Quran 2:25). Allah define righteousness or good-deed or benevolence in Holly Quran as ‘Not the righteousness that you turn your faces direction of the Setting and the Rising. And but surely the righteousness, one who believes with the God and the Day, the Later, and the Angels, and the Book (Quran), and the Prophets, and brings the wealth over His love, with the close ones, and the orphans, and the poor, and on the path, and the askers, and in the captivity, and makes constant the prayer and brings the purity. And the completers with their promises when they promise, and the patient in the wars and the bad times, and during the war. Those, they truthful, and those, they the pious.’ (Quran 2:177). Allah asked question to all of us as ‘How can you reject with the God, and you were dead, but gave you life? Then He will give you death, then He will give you life, then to Him you will return.’ (Quran 2:28).

Allah said to His Prophet as, ‘And follow what He inspires to you and wait till He commands, the God. And He better of the judges.’ (Quran 10: 109). Allah said to His Prophet as, ‘Surely I, I send down to you the Book (Quran) with the truth, to your judging between the Mankind with what shows you the God. And don’t you be to the betrayers a disputer. And ask forgiveness of the God, surely the God is Forgiving, Merciful.’ (Quran 4: 105-106). Allah SWT also said, ‘And has come down over you in the Book, that when you hear signs of the God, they reject with them and they mock with them, but don’t you sit with them till they vainglory in story other than it. Surely you then their example. Surely the God will gather the hypocrites and the rejecters in Hell altogether.’ (Quran 4: 140). The Holly Quran is the book of Wisdom. (ref Quran 10: 1, 12: 1). The Almighty Allah SWT Teach the Quran. (ref Quran 55: 1-2). Allah said to His Prophet is that, ‘And We send down over you the Book clarifying to everything, and Guidance and Mercy and Information to the Muslims.’ (Quran 16: 89).

Once, follower of Prophet SA asked Aisha (RA) about the character of Prophet Mohammad SA. Aisha (RA) replied, you didn’t read holly Quran? that's the actual life and character of Prophet Mohammad SA. Following Quran is the true and pure following of Prophet SA. Allah SWT told His Prophet SA as, ‘And follow that which is inspired in you from your Lord (Quran). Verily, Allah is Well Acquainted with what you do. And put your trust in Allah, and Sufficient is Allah as a Wakeel (Trustee)’ (Quran 33: 2-3). Allah SWT also said to Her Prophet Mohammad SA as, ‘Follow what sent down to you from your Lord and don’t you follow from other than Him, protectors. Little what you remember.’ (Quran 7: 3). ‘But make constant your face to the Way True. Origination of the God which Originated the Mankind over Him. Don’t you change to creation of the God. That the Way, the Constant, and but surely most of the Mankind, not they know. Be turning to Him and fear Him and make constant the prayer, and don’t you be from the partnering, from those who separate their Way and they are sects, each society with what by them rejoicing.’ (Quran 30: 30-32). Order of Allah SWT to Prophet Mohammad SA is that, ‘O you! the Messenger! deliver what sent down to you from your Lord, and if not you do, but not you deliver His Messages, and the God, He will stop you from the Mankind. Surely the God, not He guides the people, the rejecting.’ (Quran 5: 67). Allah said to whole mankind as, ‘And obey the God and obey the Messengers and be warned! But if you turn back, but know surely what over Our Messengers, the Delivering, the Clear.’ (Quran 5: 92). Today, as Prophet Mohammad SA is not present among us; but what Prophet has followed, the Holly book Quran is and will be present on earth up to Kiamah or day of Dom. So, if anybody follows Quran sincerely and exclusively, he/she will be successful here and hereafter definitely.

Allah order to His Prophet as, ‘Surely those who separate their Way and they are sects, not you from them in a thing. Surely what their command to the God, then He will inform them with what they are, they doing.’ (Quran 6: 159). Allah order us as. ‘And hold with rope of the God altogether, and don’t you separate. And remember favor of the God over you, behold! (Quran 3: 103). The most interesting message of the Holly Quran is that, ‘Surely those who believe, and those who Jews, and the Christians, and the Old Religious followers, one who believes with the God and the Day, the Later, and does righteousness, but to them their reward with their Lord and no fear over them and not they, they grieve.’ (Quran 2: 62). Again, Allah SWT said in Quran that, ‘And one, he seeks other than the Submission, a Way, but not will He accept from him, and he in the Hereafter from the losers.’ (Quran 3: 85). So, we must surrender to Almighty Allah SWT absolutely and we must follow the book Quran solely.

We should try to do everything as per order of Quran. Such as: We should feed the poor (Q22:36), We should not backbite (Q49:12), We should keep our oaths (Q5:89), We should honor our treaties (Q9:4), We should restrain our anger (Q3:134), We should think good of others (Q24:12), We should be good to guests (Q51:24-27), We should turn away from ill speech (Q23:3), We should walk in a humble manner (Q25:63), We should respond to evil with good (Q41:34), We should speak nicely, even to the ignorant (Q25:63), We should make room for others at gatherings (Q58:11), We should accept, If enemy wants peace (Q8:61) and We should return a greeting in a better manner (Q4:86). Again, we should not do anything, which is not permitted in Holly book Quran. Such as: We should not insult (Q49:11), We should not waste (Q17:26), We should not take bribes (Q27:36), We should not spread gossip (Q24:15), We should not harm believers (Q33:58), We should not be impolite to parents (Q17:23), We should not make fun of others (Q49:11), We should not say what we don't do (Q62:2), We should keep our trusts and promises (023:8), We should not insult others' false gods (Q6:108), We should not deceive people in trade (Q6:152), We should not take items without right (Q3:162), We should not ask unnecessary questions (Q5:101), We should neither be miser nor be wasteful (Q25:67), We should not call others with bad names (Q49:11), We should not claim ourselves to be pure (Q53:32), We should not ask for repayment for favors (Q76:9), and We should not remind others of the favors you done to them (Q2:264).

Believers should be fully alert to Satan, as is commanded in the Quran as “Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his adherents that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire.” (Quran, 35:6). That is why believers are particularly warned by Allah SWT against Satan: “O you who believe! Follow not Satan’s footsteps: if any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will (but) command what is shameful and wrong: and were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, not one of you would ever have been pure: but Allah doth purify whom He pleases: and Allah is One Who hears and knows (all things).” (Quran, 24:21). As Allah says in the Quran, true believers will not be affected by the activities of Satan. But those who are weak and heedless may be easily influenced by his delusions. Never should we forget that Satan is incessantly striving to promote evil. Believers should always be on their guard and keep Allah in mind at all times. Another enemy that we should guard against is within ourselves. Allah has inspired in people both good and evil. The evil inspiration in us always works for Satan. The Quran explains the two sides of our souls as “By the soul and Him Who perfected it in proportion and inspired it to understand what is right and wrong for it. Truly he succeeds that purifies it. And he fails that corrupts it!” (Quran, 91:7-10).

The only way to attain salvation is by curbing the evil of the soul. Allah SWT said in Holly Quran, “Those saved from the covetousness of their own souls, they are the ones that achieve prosperity.” (Quran, 59:9). Allah SWT also said in Holly Quran, “And as for him who fears to stand in the presence of his Lord and forbids the soul from low desires, the Garden will be his home.” (Quran, 79:40-41). Allah SWT declared about Holly Quran that, ‘Surely I, Myself, I send down the reminder (Quran), and surely I to it to be guards.’ (Quran 15: 9). Allah SWT also declared about Holly Quran that, ‘Not they believe with it (Quran), and have passed methods of the first.’ (Quran 15: 13). Allah SWT also declared that, ‘Not He burdens, the God, a soul, except her amplitude. To her what she earns and over her what she will earn.’ Allah SWT teach us prayer/doa as, ‘Our Lord! don’t You grab us if we forget or we fault. Our Lord! And don’t You burden over us strictness like what You burdened it over those from before us. Our Lord! and don’t You burden us what not power to us with it, and pass over, over us, and forgive to us, and mercy us. You our Protector, so help us over the people, the rejecting.’ (Quran 2: 286).

Moral values are the principles of good and evil, which shows a person’s behavior and judgments. Understanding moral values is essential for making honest, credible, just, and fair decisions in our everyday life. Media and its impact on children and teens can be positive or negative. Raising next generation with proper moral values has become difficult as our new generation is modern and more. So, we need to navigate our child’s exposure to the media that could help the child derive useful moral learning. Honesty is always the best policy, and children/students must be encouraged to tell the truth regardless of whatever mistakes he/she may have committed. People with high moral values are a very essential asset to others and also the society as a whole. If each of us follows essential moral values as describe in this article, there would be peace and harmony in our personnel, family and social life. By this way, we can prepare our future generation to face the challenge in 21st century.


 

About Author
Rear Admiral
Khandakar Akhter Hossain, NUP, ndc, psc, PhD
Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Material)
Email: acnsm@navy.mil.bd

            hossaindrakhter@gmail.com

Cell: 01769702300