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Newsletter for February 2012
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Service to humanity, according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah
A Friday Sermon by Owais Jafrey, Seattle, WA
Every dimension
of our beloved Prophet SAW’s personality and every moment of his
life mirror his passion for service to the humanity. Prophet SAW
taught us that service to fellow human beings is directly
related with the worship and obedience of Allah SWT.
And such a service is a means to seek Allah’s pleasure.
The Holy Qur’an mentions piety and the fulfillment of rights,
which we owe to others as Allah’s worship. It means that the
strength of our relationship with Allah SWT runs parallel with
the strength of our relationship with fellow human beings and
the rest of His creation. The lack of concern and relationship
with humanity weakens our relationship with Allah SWT as a
consequence. To be able to serve others, one has to inculcate in
him the values of humility, morality, ethics, love, care,
tolerance, patience, sacrifice, forgiveness and selflessness.
Prophet SAW has set examples of his compassion toward the
orphans, widows, weak, needy, poor, and the under-privileged.
Not to speak of the pre-Islamic Arab society, but in the rest of
the world too, the values of sympathy, cooperation, brotherhood
were almost non-existent. Corruption, exploitation, oppression,
slavery, and insensitivity toward the pain and sufferings of
others were the order of the day. Verse 47 of Surah Yaasin
mentions the attitude of unbelievers in these words:
“…and when [the
disbelievers] are told, ‘Give to others out of what Allah has
provided for you, ‘the disbelievers say to the believers, ‘why
should we feed those whom Allah could feed if He wanted?”
Verse 17-20 of
Surah Al-Fajr also throws light on the moral degradation
of the then Arab society. These verses also apply to those who
share the same characteristics with them. The verses read: “…You
people do not honor orphans, you do not urge one another to feed
the poor, you consume inheritance greedily, and you love wealth
with a passion.”
Religious
leaders of the then prevailing Faiths had made religion a means
to maintain their power and authority, and to fulfill their
greed for wealth. They had been misusing and abusing religion
for selfish ends. Verse 34 of Surah Tawbah reads:
“Believers, many rabbis and monks wrongfully consume people’s possessions and turn people away from Allah’s path. [Prophet], tell those who hoard gold and silver instead of giving in Allah’s cause that they will have a grievous punishment. ”
The Holy Qur’an
also mentions the promise taken from the people of the Book
which asserts that the worship of Allah SWT goes hand in hand
with the service to humanity. Verse 83 of Surah Baqarah
says:
“Remember when
We took a pledge from the Children of Israel: “Worship none but
Allah; be good to your parents and kinsfolk, to orphans and the
poor; speak good words to all people; keep up the prayer and pay
the prescribed alms. The all but a few of you turned away and
paid no heed.”
As mentioned in
Sahi Bukhari, Prophet SAW while inviting people to
worship One Allah, also preached to spend in the path of Allah
by extending a helping hand towards the destitute and less
fortunate. He taught us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked,
deal fairly with the prisoners, emancipate the slaves, and
attend and look after the sick. He SAW laid emphasis on the
equality of all members of the society irrespective of tribal
consideration, social status based on material wealth and cast
or creed. Prophet SAW’s teachings are comprehensive in nature
and encompass all aspects of individual, social, spiritual and
physical life. Success
and happiness in life can be achieved through following the
guidelines provided by him. Islam regards service to humanity as
equal to worshipping Allah SWT. Verse 177 of Surah Al-Baqarah
reads:
“Goodness does
not consist in turning your face towards East of West. The truly
good are those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, in the
angels, the Scripture, and the prophets; who give away some of
their wealth, however much they cherish it, to their relatives,
to orphans, the needy, travelers, and beggars, and to liberate
those in bondage; those who keep up the prayer and pay the
prescribed alms; who keep pledges whenever they make them; who
are steadfast in misfortune, adversity, and times of danger.
These are the ones who are true, and it is they who are aware of
Allah.”
Prophet SAW has
advised us to thank Allah SWT for His blessings.
Whatever we have is given by Allah. More often we take
these blessings for granted.
We should know that our health, strong limbs, gifts of
eyes to see, ears to listen, tongue to taste, power to speak,
brain to think and plan, and material resources to lead a
comfortable life, are not the result of our own doing and
choice. Did we do something to deserve these gifts? Absolutely
not! These gifts are from Allah SWT for free. That is why we
should be grateful to Allah SWT for these irreplaceable
bounties. There are two ways to be grateful and both constitute
a part of our Faith. One is to submit to His commands, bow down
and prostrate before Him in all humility to express our
gratitude. The other way is to do good and be kind to those, who
are not as fortunate and resourceful as we are. If we are
insensitive to their suffering and deprivation, then Allah SWT
mentions such a condition thus in verses 8-20 in Surah Al-Balad:
“Did We not
give him eyes, a tongue, lips, and point out to him the two ways
of [good and evil]? Yet he has not attempted the steep path.
What will explain to you what the steep path is? It is to free
the slave, to feed at a time of hunger an orphaned relative, or
a poor person in distress, and to be one of those who believe
and urge one another to steadfastness and compassion. Those who
do this will be on the right side, but those who disbelieve in
Our revelations will be on the left-hand side, and the Fire will
close in on them.”
According to
our beloved Prophet SAW, love to mankind leads to Allah’s love.
Prophet SAW has cited the importance of kindness to fellow human
beings in the following tradition tradition reported in Bukhari
and Muslim. The Prophet SAW said that on the Day of
Resurrection, Allah SWT will address the people in these words:
“O son of Adam,
I fell sick and you did not visit Me. The man will reply: “O
Lord, how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the
worlds? Allah will say: “Did you not know that My so-and so
servant was sick and you did not visit him? Did you not know
that had you visited him you would have found Me with him?” O
son of Adam, “I was hungry and you did not feed Me.” The man
will submit: “O Lord, how should I have fed You when You are the
Lord of the worlds? Allah will say: “Did you not know that My
so-and-so servant was hungry and you didn’t feed him? Did you
not know that if you had fed him, you would surely have found
that (the reward for doing so) with Me?” O son of Adam, “I was
thirsty and you did not give Me a drink. The man will submit: “O
Lord, how should I have given You to drink when You are the Lord
of the worlds? Allah will say: My so-and-so servant was thirsty;
you did not quench his thirst. Had you given him a drink, you
would have surely found the reward with Me.
This tradition
makes it clear that the secret of seeking Allah SWT’s pleasure
is through pleasing fellow human beings. Their pleasure can be
achieved by providing them relief, assistance and help and
serving them in their hour of need. May Allah SWT enable us to
be proactive in the service of our families, relatives,
neighbors, communities and the humanity at large!
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