BIRR -2 "Comprehensive Ethics of Goodness, Truth and Piety"
Birr and Ebrar: Comprehensive Goodness, Righteousness, and Piety in the Quran
One of the most fundamental ethical concepts in the Quran summarizing human obligations towards Allah and society is the word "birr" (البرّ). The word "birr" encompasses a broad range of meanings, including goodness, benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and obedience. It signifies a state of goodness that includes not only individual worship but also social justice, self-sacrifice, and heartfelt sincerity. Those who embrace and reflect this virtue in their lives are described in the Quran as "ebrar" (الأبرار). This article will detail the linguistic origins, contextual scope, and relationship with divine manifestations of the Quranic concepts of "birr" and "ebrar."
1. Etymology and Semantic Depth of the Concept of Birr
The word "birr" is derived from the Arabic root ب ر ر (b-r-r). This root signifies meanings such as "expansiveness," "openness," "rectitude," "reliability," and "truthfulness." The word "barr," from the same root, means dry land (continent) and is the opposite of "bahr" (sea). This opposition indicates that the concept of "birr" symbolizes a stable, firm, and unshakeable character. Metaphorically, the word is used to mean all kinds of moral expansiveness and widespread goodness. Therefore, birr is not only about visible actions but also about inner orientation, consistency, and loyalty.
2. "Birr" in the Quran: Meaning, Scope, and Practice
The Quran presents "birr" not merely as a concept limited to formal religiosity, but as a comprehensive moral ideal defined within the triangle of belief, conduct, and intention.
a. Bakara 177: Definition of Birr
"It is not birr that you turn your faces towards the East and West. But birr is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakat; [and who] fulfills their promise when they promise; and [who] is patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous." (Bakara 2/177)
This verse reveals that birr is not a collection of rituals but a combination of character traits. From faith to social awareness, from worship to loyalty in word and patience, a series of principles are included in the scope of birr.
b. Al-i Imran 92: Sacrifice to Attain Birr
"You will never attain birr until you spend from that which you love." (Al-i Imran 3/92)
This verse presents birr as a goal, a journey, a process of moral development. Birr is not only about being morally right; it is about a person transcending their self, loves, and interests to make sacrifices for others.
c. Bakara 189: Birr Against Formalism
"It is not birr that you enter houses from their backs; but birr is [in] one who fears Allah." (Bakara 2/189)
This verse emphasizes piety and moral consciousness over formal practices, indicating that birr is related to inner intention, not outward appearance.
3. "Al-Barr" as a Name of Allah
"Al-Barr" is one of Allah's beautiful names, meaning "the Most Kind, the Widely Beneficent, the One with boundless grace towards His servants":
"Indeed, we used to supplicate to Him before. Indeed, He is the Most Kind (Al-Barr), the Most Merciful." (Tur 52/28)
This attribute expresses Allah's boundless generosity in goodness. Allah treats even sinners not in kind, but with mercy, multiplying rewards for good deeds. In this context, a person possessing birr signifies the manifestation of a divine attribute on earth.
4. Birr Ethics in Prophets
The Quran describes prophets such as Isa (Jesus) and Yahya (John the Baptist) with the concept of "birr." This shows that birr includes not only goodness towards Allah but also goodness and obedience towards people—especially parents.
"And he was birr to his parents, and he was not a defiant rebel." (Maryam 19/14 – Yahya)
"And made me birr to my mother, and He did not make me an arrogant rebel." (Maryam 19/32 – Isa)
5. Birr and Sidq: Moral Hierarchy
The following hadith of Prophet Muhammad explains how birr plays a fundamental role in character building:
"Truthfulness (sidq) leads to birr; and birr leads to Paradise." (Bukhari, Adab, 69)
In this context, sidq is a path to birr; and birr is the gate to Paradise. As long as a person is truthful in their words and intentions, the ethics of birr take shape in their life. This aligns perfectly with the Quran's definitions of "the truthful" (sadiqin) and "the ebrar."
6. Ebrar (الأبرار): The Embodiment of Birr
"Ebrar" is the plural of birr and means "those who do much good, the righteous and pure." In the Quran, the people of Paradise are described as ebrar.
"Indeed, the ebrar will be in bliss." (Infitar 82/13)
"The ebrar will be on adorned couches, looking on. You will recognize in their faces the radiance of bliss." (Mutaffifin 83/22–26)
a. Contrast with Fujjar
In the Quran, ebrar are often mentioned in contrast to "fujjar" (those who openly commit sins):
Ebrar: Those who possess inherent and continuous goodness.
Fujjar: Those who have made sin a habit.
This contrast shows that ebrar are not just "good in actions" but individuals who have internalized goodness as a character trait.
7. Scribes (Ebrar): Value Through the Pen
The phrase "written by the ebrar" in Surah Abasa verses 13–16:
"In honored sheets, exalted, purified, by the hands of scribes (ebrar), noble and dutiful." (Abasa 80/13–16)
This verse points to the process of writing with a pen from the early period of the Quran. In the revelation process that began with the verse "Allama bil-qalam" (He taught by the pen) (Alak 96/4), the description of scribes as ebrar indicates that knowledge, writing, and revelation can only be preserved by pure, trustworthy hands.
Conclusion
Birr in the Quran is not merely worship or a moral act; it is heartfelt loyalty, a state of character. It is a natural manifestation of piety (taqwa). Being sincere, self-sacrificing, truthful, and heartfelt towards both Allah and creation constitutes the essence of "birr."
Ebrar, on the other hand, are those who have internalized this virtue, have been promised Paradise, and have transformed righteousness and goodness into their personalities. The Quran not only teaches us these concepts but also advises us to be with the ebrar, follow their path, and die with them (Al-i Imran 193).
In conclusion, birr is not merely a virtue; it is a consciousness, a journey, a process of building. And those who walk this path are the ebrar: Allah's ambassadors of goodness on earth.
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