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continued...
"I swear by God that you shall not enter paradise until you
believe. And you shall not believe until you love each other." (Al
Bukhari)
He said that one way to demonstrate love for one another is to
exchange greetings and gifts. He also encouraged people to
respect one another. He cautioned that if three where sitting
together, two of them were not to whisper words to each other, as
this would cause sadness and curiosity to the third person. He
spoke of the value of friendship and told that if a person
abandoned his friend for more than a year it would be as if he had
shed his blood.
He promoted the virtue of forgiveness and said that the worst
people were those who did not accept the apologies of their
friends and did not forgive them when they made mistakes. The
Prophet believed one could not underestimate the value and
importance of friendship and he claimed that supporting a friend
in difficult times was better than dedicating an entire month for
God’s worshipping inside the Prophet’s Mosque.
The Prophet was a wise man who offered words to live by and
through his actions demonstrated how to live. When asked who
were God’s most beloved people, the Prophet said God’s most
beloved people are those who are most useful to God’s creatures.
We are all God’s creatures and we must serve one another. The
positive effects of love on a human’s health have been
scientifically proven. The human body’s immune system is
weakened by depression, grief, anxiety and nervousness while
sentiments of love, hope, calmness and optimism support its
health.
It seems only natural that the body’s spirit is strengthened and
unified by love and when we live in love and friendship we are
following the Prophet’s way, which is good. In the Quran God
said that to avoid suffering and pain is to believe that there is only
one God and that God is Allah: {Save those who believe and
perform righteous deeds and remember God frequently and
vindicate themselves after they have been wronged} (Ash
Shuara’ 26: 227) Belief in God strengthens you, while disbelief
weakens you.
The Prophet believed in God, his belief was so strong that he
devoted his life to God yet he was also an ordinary man. While
his extraordinary commitment to God may seem to set him apart
from us, it also offers us a route to follow, a life to model that can
bring us closer to God and ensure the entire mankind happiness.
Dr. Muhammad Ratib AnNabulsi is a Muslim Syrian preacher and
writer. He has written a number of Islamic book. He delivers a number
of lessons, orations, symposiums and chat programs broadcasted on the
Syrian, Arab, and Islamic radios and Televisions.
Verily, God sets forth parables for you, and He directs
admonition towards you in order that hearts will be
quickened. Surely, the hearts are dead until God quickens
them. Justice has signs and portents. As for its signs, they
are shyness, generosity, humility, and gentleness. As for its
portents, they are embodied in mercy. He has [likewise]
made for every affair a gate, and He has made that gate
accessible by providing a key. The gate of justice is a deep
consideration of consequences, and its key is
otherworldliness. Consideration of consequences
ultimately involves remembering death and preparing for it
by freely parting from one's wealth. Otherworldliness
involves dealing justly with everyone and being satisfied
with what suffices. If one is not satisfied with what suffices
him, no abundance will every enrich him.
Much of this discussion has focused on distributive justice.
However, the Qur'an also places great emphasis on
commutative justice. God commands us, Do not be moved
by partiality to discriminate in meting out divinely
legislated punishments. [Quran 24:2] The Prophet
Muhammad mentioned that one of the reasons behind the
ruination of a nation is a lack of commutative justice.In this
context, he mentioned that if his very daughter were to
steal, he would not hesitate to punish her to the full extent
of the law.
In summary, this brief discussion should make it clear to
any Muslim that peace and justice are comprehensive
concepts with deep implications and we have to be people
committed to peace and justice. We must clearly illustrate
to the world that our religion is indeed the religion of
peace. However, our striving for peace must never allow us
to be unjust, nor should it allow us to passively accept
injustices. We must take a stand for justice, as we are
ordered in the Qur'an, Be you upright supporters of
justice... [4:135] However, that stand must go far beyond
slogans, such as the one mentioned at the beginning of this
article, and move into the realm of positive action; action
inspired by the Qur'an and the words and deeds of our
illustrious Prophet.
Imam Zaid Shakir is an American Islamic scholar and
writer who is a cofounder with Hamza Yusuf and Hatem
Bazian, chairman of the board, and a senior faculty
member of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California.
A MUNA Youth Publication