— Ryoichi Mita
— Ruwwad Center
Good Fame is liked by Islam
وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ لَّكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ (And certainly this Qur'an is a word of honor for you and your people... 43:44) The original word used in the text is dhikr which here means 'good name' or 'fame'. The verse means that the Noble Qur'an is a matter of great honour and good fame for the Holy Prophet t and his people. Imam Razi has concluded from this verse that good fame is a desirable thing, because Allah Ta ala has stated this as a matter of favor and that is why Sayyidna Ibrahim' (علیہ السلام) had supplicated:
وَاجْعَل لِّي لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ فِي الْآخِرِينَ ﴿84﴾
(And destine for me a truthful description among the next generations) (26:84)
But one must keep in mind that the good fame is praiseworthy only when it is received as an automatic result of virtuous deeds, but when virtuous deeds are done for the sake of good fame, then it becomes riya' (ostentation) which not only nullifies all the rewards of good deeds, but also renders one guilty of a major sin.
In this verse the words 'your people' have been taken by some exegetes to mean the tribe of Quraish only, thereby proving the superiority of Quraish, whereas ` Allamah Qurtubi says that, according to the correct view, these words refer to the whole Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، irrespective of color or race, and the Noble Qur'an is a matter of honor and good fame for the whole Ummah. (Qurtubi)