Islam is a universal religion
and the Holy Qur’an teaches us that our Creator, ALLAH, is One and that we,
human beings, are a single species, a single family, in spite of superficial
differences like colour, nationality, race, etc.
In fact, every institution in Islam, including Fasting, is geared towards not
only a theoretical understanding, but to a practical implementation of the
unification of mankind under the umbrella of One God. In today’s talk, emphasis
will be placed on the Islamic teachings concerning the spirit of brotherhood
that should permeate the hearts and limbs of every individual; for, as mentioned
before, Fasting is one of the means used by ALLAH, Most High, to make us really
transform this ideological concept into a real, tangible, practical and
spiritual expression in our daily lives.
Firstly, we learn from the Holy Qur’an that Prophets were sent to every nation
on earth and they were all given the message: O ye messengers, eat of the good
things and do good. Surely I am Knower of what you do. And surely this your
community is one community, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me. But
they became divided into sects, each party rejoicing in that which was with them
(23:51-53).
As a result of this splintering of the human race into disparate groups, the
last Prophet of God, Muhammad (pbuh), was sent as a mercy unto all the nations
in order to unite mankind under the banner of One God. The following verses of
the Holy Qur’an reveal the message of unity, that which every Muslim is duty
bound to fulfil to the best of his ability.
The Holy Qur’an says: Mankind is a single nation (2:213) and further informs us:
O mankind, surely We have created you from a male and a female, and made you
tribes and families that you may know each other. Surely the noblest of you with
ALLAH is the most dutiful of you. Surely ALLAH is Knowing, Aware (49:13).
As a result, we are commanded: And hold ye fast, all of you, to the rope of
ALLAH and break not loose from it (3:103).
The Hadith is replete with teachings, exhortations and commands on these
all-important topics of brotherhood, unity, and love for all mankind. I shall
quote a few sayings of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Firstly, as regards the
universal brotherhood of man, our Holy Prophet teaches and instructs us:
"Mankind is a fold, every member of which shall be a keeper or shepherd unto
every other, and be accountable for the welfare of the entire fold.
O Lord: Lord of my life and of everything in the Universe! I affirm that all
human beings are brothers unto one another.
All creatures of God form the family of God; and he is the best loved of God who
loves best His creatures.
Respect the ways of God, and be affectionate to the family of God" (Bases of
Islamic Culture, pp. 16-17).
As regards unity, the Holy Prophet says: "You will find all believers in God as
firm and united together in ties of love and kindness as the limbs of a body. If
one part of it gets pain, all other parts feel afflicted in sympathy."
If we human beings, believers in God, claim to love God, how then can we
demonstrate the sincerity of our profession? The Holy Prophet tells us:
"Whoever loves another for the sake of God, in reality has expressed his love
for God.
God says: If you wish to receive graciousness from Me, show graciousness to
those whom I have created.
Treat kindly the dwellers of the earth and God will treat you kindly.
He who, for the sake of God, has loved another human being, that person verily
has extolled the glory of God" (Bases of Islamic Culture, pp. 20-21).
The Companions (rta) of our Holy Prophet (pbuh) imbibed these teachings of his
and to what extent they practised them I leave you to judge as you listen to
this incident from the earliest days of Islam as narrated by one of the Muslim
soldiers:
"During the battle of Yarmuk I went out in search of my cousin, who was on the
battlefront. I took some water with me, knowing it would do him good. I found
him in the very thick of the fighting. Alas, he was dying. I ran forward to give
the little water I had. But, as I did so, another badly wounded soldier beside
him gave a sigh, and my cousin turned his face and pointed to take the water to
the other man first. I took the water to the other person whom I recognised as
Hisham-bin-Abilas. But I had hardly reached him when we heard another groaning
person nearby. Hisham also pointed to the man, that I should give the water to
him instead. However, before I arrived, this third man had died. Hastily I ran
back to Hisham but he was also dead. Hurriedly I made my way over to my cousin.
Alas, he, too, had passed away. (All of us came from ALLAH and we will all
return to Him.)" (Muslim Stories for Children)
If it be objected that this shows love only between Muslims, then what about the
famous example of Salah-ud-Din (Saladin), another celebrated son of Islam whom
everyone has heard of and who lived centuries after the death of our Holy
Prophet (pbuh)? It is related that during the Crusades, one of his greatest
enemies, the English king, Richard the Lion Hearted, was ill. He sent him pears
and peaches to eat and snow from the mountain to cool his drinks. Salah-ud-Din
knew the verse of the Holy Qur’an, which says: We feed you for ALLAH’s pleasure
only – we desire from you neither reward nor thanks (76:9).
This lofty behaviour does not come easily. It has to be cherished and nurtured
in the family at home, and more so, in the larger and more important family –
the Jamaat. The Jamaat is a microcosm of the world community, for the same
principles that are needed to make us live a proper Muslim life internationally
are the very ones that we need to inculcate if we are to build a united,
cohesive, God-fearing jamaat instead of a disparate and motley group of
individuals, each with his own agenda – principles like those of tolerance and
understanding, patience and perseverance, gentleness and kindness, sympathy and
empathy, sensitivity and refinement.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the 14th Century Mujaddid of Islam, in his own
coherent, lucid, inspired, inspiring and heart-penetrating style has given us
certain guidelines for living a successful life in a jamaat as well as in the
world community that comprises both Muslims and non-Muslims. In his book Kishti
Nuh (The Ark of Noah), he advises us to put God first in our lives and for His
sake to be kind and merciful to humanity, for all are God’s creatures. He says:
"Do not oppress with your tongue, or hands or in any other way. Always work for
the good of mankind. Never unduly assert yourselves with pride over others, even
those who are placed under you. Never use abusive language to anyone, even
though he may abuse you. Be humble in spirit, kind and gentle, and forgiving,
sympathetic towards all and wishing them well…. Immediately compose all your
differences and make peace among yourselves: forgive the transgressions of your
brothers for indeed he is evil who is not willing to make peace with his
brother…. In fact, if you really desire that God in heaven be pleased with you,
then hasten to become one amongst yourselves as though you were brothers (and
sisters) born of the same mother" (pp. 5-8).
In his Malfuzat, he gives us insight in how to acquire sensitivity and
tolerance, understanding and tenderness and the divine attributes that are
required for lifting ourselves from the stage of selfishness and crudity to that
of social and spiritual sophistication. He writes:
"The truth is that everybody (in a jamaat) is not at the same level of
development. ALLAH, Most High, has Himself described the various classes of
believers thus:
(i) So of them is he who wrongs himself;
(ii) And of them is he who takes a middle course,
(iii) And of them is he who is foremost in deeds of goodness by ALLAH’s
permission. That is the great grace (35:32)."
Secondly, it is also a fact that the Companions (rta) themselves also made slow
and gradual advancement both in their faith and in their actions. It is recorded
that when our Holy Prophet (pbuh) went to Madinah he asked a Companion for a
piece of land on which to build a masjid, whereupon the Companion made an excuse
and said: "I need it for my own use."
What a grievous sin that was – that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) should request a
piece of land to build a masjid and this person, a disciple to boot, should put
his personal needs above those of the religion! But it was that same Companion
who later on willingly suffered martyrdom for the sake of ALLAH.
Progress always takes place by slow degrees. A person does something this year
and in the next year he adds to it. However, if there exists any kind of evil
thinking in our hearts, then we will be acting like someone to whom there comes
for help a sick person who is beset by all kinds of illnesses, and after giving
him medicine for a day or two we turn him out without paying the full attention
that he deserves and so no cure is effected.
Our job is to make du‘a [prayer] for others night and day with humility, and to
supplicate ALLAH for their welfare. It is not fitting for a preacher to take
offence at the slightest thing and show repugnance to people. At this stage
these people are deserving of mercy and ALLAH, Most High, is making preparations
for their reformation. Moreover, everyone is not at the same spiritual level.
Amongst the Companions (rta) there were some who were close to the status of
prophethood and many at a lower level than that – just as one finds pearls in
the sea and corals, too, and shells and other things like gold and various kinds
of creatures. The same obtains in a jamaat.
Jamaat members should make du‘a if they see a fault in a brother. If they do not
do so and instead talk about it and circulate it, then they will be committing a
sin. What shortcoming is so great that it cannot be expunged? Therefore we
should always help our brother by making du‘a for him.
Furthermore, we should not speak ill of, nor backbite our fellow jamaat members.
The Holy Qur’an instructs us thus: O you who believe, avoid most of suspicion,
for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin; and spy not nor let some of you
backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You
abhor it! And keep your duty to ALLAH, surely ALLAH is Oft-returning (to mercy),
Merciful (49:12).
When our Holy Prophet (pbuh) was asked what constituted backbiting, he replied
thus: "You talk about your brother which he dislikes…if what you say about him
is true, still you would be backbiting him, and if what you say about him is not
true, you will be slandering him" (Muslim).
We should realise that in a jamaat there are people of varying temperaments and
conditions. Some resemble people who are now recovering from a strong bout of
illness, whilst others have acquired a bit of strength. Therefore, if weakness
is discerned in someone, then he should be given good advice in private. If he
does not heed it, then you should make du‘a for him, and if these two devices do
not work, then he should be left to the will of ALLAH, Most High.
One should not therefore be quick to take offence at the faults of others, for
we should remember that among the ranks of the qutbs and abdals there were many
who had previously committed wrong deeds like fornication and theft. Therefore,
we must not be too hasty to abandon a brother, for if a person’s child is guilty
of wrongdoing, he tries all methods available to reform him. The same treatment
should be accorded a brother in faith.
The Holy Quran has not taught us to spread or publish abroad the defects of
others. On the contrary, it exhorts us thus: Exhort one another to patience, and
exhort one another to marhamah (mercy) (90:17).
By marhamah is meant that if one observes a blemish in someone, then offer him
good advice and make du‘a for him. Du‘a has a very powerful effect and it is
regrettable that a person should observe the fault of a brother and talk of it a
hundred times without even once making du‘a for him. One should speak of the
fault of another only after he has wept in supplication for him for at least
forty days.
How eloquently the poet Sa‘di spoke when he observed that ALLAH, Most High, Who
knows everything, conceals our shortcomings from public view but our neighbours
who know nothing make a big hue and cry over our alleged defects. One of the
names of ALLAH is As-Sattar – the One Who covers and hides the weaknesses of His
servants - and we should therefore inculcate that quality of His in accordance
with the dictum of the Holy Prophet – "Colour yourselves with the Divine colours."
It is not our intention that you should become a protector or conniver of
faults, but what is discouraged is that you should publish the defects of your
brothers and malign them in any way, for our Holy Prophet (pbuh) has mentioned
this as a sin.
Shaikh Sa‘di had two students – one who was very brilliant in his exposition of
deep spiritual truths and insights, whilst the other was of an envious
disposition. The former complained to the shaikh that whenever he made a
commentary on any subject, his colleague would burn with envy. The shaikh
replied that one student had chosen the road to Hell by his envy, whilst the
other had done the same by ill-speaking his brother.
In short, there can never be a jamaat unless there exist mutual mercy,
compassion, du‘a and the habits of concealing the faults of others.
We hope and pray that these lessons will have been learnt or reinforced during
the past month of Ramadhan and that their application will now become automatic
in our daily lives as we plan and pray and anticipate the next month of Ramadhan.
In sha ALLAH.
This page was printed from the 'Official Website of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman
Isha'at-e-Islam Lahore (Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam)'