Virtue & Vice

Virtue & Vice

Before every human being lie two possible paths he or she can follow: the path of divine guidance and the path of disobedience to Allah. Allah made these two paths clear and then allowed us freely to choose either obedience to Him and His Mercy or, alternatively, disobedience to Him and His punishment. Allah – blessed and exalted is He! – only gave us this choice for a limited period in our life in this world. He has not given is any choice regarding any of the events of this world, He only gave us a choice with respect to the path we may take: that of obedience or disobedience.

In this book Shaykh Muhammad Mitwalli ash-Sha’rawi deals with obedience and disobedience, virtue and vice; and it shows these two paths, one of which leads to paradise and the other to punishment by Allah in Hellfire. He first deals with aspects of virtue in one’s dealings with others and with Allah’s creatures, and then obeying Allah’s commands and then with aspects of vice in one’s dealings and in one’s character. Shaykh ash-Sha’rawi discusses with his usual eloquence the theoretical and practical aspects of both paths.

About The Author

haykh Muhammad Mitwalli Al-Sha’rawi was born in a middle class family in the village of Taqadus in Egypt. Educated at the famous Al Azhar University where Scholars where scholars such contributed Shaykh Ahmad Yusuf Nagati , Shaykh Ahmad ‘Imara, Shaykh Ibrahim Hamarash, Shaykh Muhammad Mustafa al-Maraghi. 

Shaykh al-Sha’rawi mentions other non-Azharites whose knowledge he benefited from including Imam Hassan al-Banna who had a unique mythology of lecturing. 

Shaykh al-Sha’rawi started his Azharite teaching work in Tanta’s institute of religious studies. He was then transferred to equivalent institutes in al-Zaqaziq, Alexandria and King Abdulaziz al-Saud university in Makkah.

He retired from the Azharite career in 1976. In the same year he was appointed by president Sadat as a minister of Waqf. He stayed in that position for two years.

In 1980 he started his famous Friday lessons on the Egyptian television. His speeches in Qur’an interpretation (Tafsir) attracted a massive audience that is probably unparalleled by any contemporary Azharite.