All the teachings of Islam are based on two principles—the worship of God and the service to mankind. Without putting both principles into practice, there can be no true fulfillment of one’s religious duties.
Islam inculcates the spirit of love and respect for all human beings. On the one hand, by serving human beings they please God and on the other, they achieve spiritual progress.
According to a Hadith, you should be merciful to people on earth and God Almighty will be merciful to you. In this way Islam links personal salvation to serving others. God’s reward in the Hereafter can be earned only if one has striven to alleviate the sufferings of mankind. The following incident brings out the concept of service to others in a very profound way. During the British monarchy, one of the British Emperors disguised himself as an ordinary person to inspect his military establishments. During an interaction when one military officer admonished him in a very stern and harsh manner, the disguised king asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Taken aback at such a question and doubting himself the officer said, “Are you a military officer just as I am?” The king replied, “I am of a greater position than that”. The officer said, “Then you must be a Captain.” Again to this the king replied, “I am greater than that.” “Are you a colonel?” asked the officer. “No, I am greater than that”, was the reply. The officer said, “Then you must be a General”. “No, I am even greater than a general”, said the king. Then the officer who was by now in total shock said, “Then you must be the Emperor”. He said, “Yes, I am the king”. The officer handed his gun to the king and said, “You may shoot me for my crime, I have failed to recognize my king”. The king said, “No, you are a good military officer but I have an advice for you. Whenever you interact with any common man think of him as your king and of yourself as an ordinary soldier then you will treat every individual in the best manner and will consider the common man’s affairs as the affairs of the king”.
A person who treats every human interaction as an interaction with God will not commit any excess in his behaviour.
In this incident there is a principle for living a God oriented life. When God created man and asked the angels to bow down before man all the angels obeyed God’s command but Satan refused to do so. The angels considered the issue as a matter of God’s command but Satan considered it as a personal issue between man and himself.
To understand the above more clearly the following Hadith is very important. On doomsday, God says to a person, “I” was ill, but you did not come to nurse Me.” The man will reply, “God, You being the Lord of the universe, how can You be ill? God will answer, “Such and such servant of Mine was ill. Had you gone there, you would have found Me there with him.” Then God says to another person, “I was hungry but you did not feed Me.” The person will reply, “God, You are the Lord of the worlds, how could You go hungry?” God says, “Such and such of My servants came to you, but you did not feed him. Had you done so, you would have found Me with him.” Then God says to yet another man, “I was thirsty, and you did not give Me water to drink. ”That person will also say, “God, You are the Lord of the worlds, how could You be thirsty?” God says, “Such and such servant of Mine came to you, but you did not give him water to drink. Had you offered him water, you would have found Me there with him.”
God's reward in the Hereafter can be earned only if one has striven to alleviate the sufferings of mankind.
In this Hadith the teaching is that you consider every interaction with others as an interaction with God. The words used in the Hadith are symbolic otherwise this Hadith guides us towards the character of a believer. A person who treats every human interaction as an interaction with God then such a person will not commit any excess in his behaviour.
The Islamic principle highlighted here is that if a person wants to find God, he shall first have to make himself deserving of this by serving others. This paves his way to spiritual progress. Only those who have elevated themselves spiritually will find God.
This culture of mercy and compassion approved by God is not limited to human beings, but extends also to the animal world. We must be equally sympathetic to animals. The Hadith gives us many guidelines laid down by God on how to care for all of God’s creatures and treat them with kindness. Cruelty to animals risks being deprived of God’s mercy.
Islamic belief softens the hearts of its believers. When this penetrates people’s hearts, they will of necessity become kind and compassionate to others. They will see everyone with eyes of ‘love and compassion and feel this urge to serve others, and fulfill others’ needs. If even after adopting the beliefs of Islam, feelings of love and compassion do not well up in the heart of its adherent, he should rethink about his faith. He should ask himself—have Islamic beliefs truly found a place in my heart and mind? Can I fully practise my beliefs and succeed and mould myself entirely on the model of Islam? Umar Faruq, the second Caliph of Islam, had taken only one camel with him when he travelled on a journey from Madinah to Palestine. He realized that if he continued to ride the camel during the entire journey, it would be cruelty to the animal, and it must be given rest. Therefore, he decided to ride and walk by turns to give the camel periods of rest, until he reached his destination.
If the true spirit of Islam is inculcated in a person, he becomes so compassionate to all living beings, that even at the cost of personal comforts, he extends a helping hand to others. According to a Hadith, “By God, he is not a Muslim who eats his fill, while his neighbour goes hungry.” This shows that a Muslim is one who is concerned with others’ hunger and thirst as he is with his own; who is concerned not only with his own person but with the whole of humanity.
All the teachings of Islam are based on two principles—the worship of God and the service to mankind.
According to another Hadith, you should, “extend greetings to people, feed them and earn your place in heaven.” According to Islam, a person is worthy of heaven whose heart is eager for others’ peace and wellbeing, who is eager to share with everyone, whether it be food, clothes or medical help, etc. In short, one should share in people’s pain and suffering.
Islam is a religion of humanity. Islam considers serving others as a great act of worship. According to the teachings of Islam, it is only in serving people that we shall have a share in God’s mercy.
