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Where Is The Love?
By Amina Cisse Muhammad
25/09/2001
Note: The writing of this article was begun on September 6th, and completed after the tragedies of Tuesday, September 11th.
Of course, who am I, but I've said it before and I'll say it again. I firmly believe that the crux of all of our problems as Muslims - across the world - lies in our failure to live by Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) saying, "A Muslim is not a true Believer until he wants for his brother [sister] what he wants for himself."
You cannot convince me (and, of course, who am I?) that if we were striving to treat others as we would be treated ourselves that a significant proportion of the world's problems would not be resolved (or, in fact, never would have developed).
Allah knows I am not free of guilt myself in this matter (just ask those who know me best - I'm sure they could share a tale or two). I only pray that Allah strengthens my efforts to practice what I preach.
Sometimes, I feel so saddened when I watch how Muslims interact with one another - well, actually, how human beings interact with one another, period.
Little things - like in the grocery store when someone walks down the aisle between you and the groceries on the shelf but doesn't bother to say, "Excuse me" (was it just my parents that taught me, down South over 30 years ago, to do that?).
And then there are the far bigger things - like Israel's arrogant occupation of Palestine and its brutal slaughter of Palestinian civilians; like the disregard and contempt of the international community for the poor, innocent Iraqi children that are suffering needlessly because of sanctions against their country's government. And the tediously long conflict between India and Pakistan over disputed Kashmir that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Or the civil wars that have raged for years in countries like Algeria, Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Macedonia, Kosova, Indonesia, Columbia. Or the cruel and inhumane oppression carried out by dictatorial governments in countries like Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Iraq that has not yet led to an eruption of civil war.
And then there are the in-between insensitivities and lack of empathy and compassion that lead to employer/employee conflicts, landlord/tenant disputes, neighborly squabbles, marital and family strife and divorce, and eventually unrivaled rates of violent crime.
All in all, the little things add up. A lack of simple courtesy and manners (with which we would say, "Excuse me" or hold the door open for someone who is approaching, or offer to help an elderly person carrying heavy groceries) can eventually lead to the cold-heartedness, the impersonality, the being "so wrapped up in ourselves" that plagues the world today. Didn't Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also say that the best thing that parents can give their children is good manners?
And don't let me forget the greed. Greed for power, greed for wealth. Just plain old greed that causes us to forget that simple rule of reciprocity that characterizes all of the world's major religions.
Some call it the Golden Rule. And the Committee For The Golden Rule, a group formed to promote its practice, says on its website that "it is often regarded as the most concise and general principle of ethics."
In Islam, we know it as a saying of Prophet Muhammad (SAW): "Do unto all men as you would wish to have done unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourselves."
The Christian Scripture reads, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12, King James version of the New Testament).
And the Jewish Scripture reads, "What is hurtful to yourself, do not do to your fellow man. That which is hurtful to thee, do not to thy neighbor" (Hillel).
In Hinduism, we find, "Treat others as thou wouldst thyself be treated. Do nothing to thy neighbor which, hereafter, thou wouldst not have thy neighbor do to thee" (Mahabharata).
In Buddhism, it is believed, "Hurt not others with that which pains yourself" (Chammapada).
And:
Confucianism: "What you do not yourself desire, do not put before others" (Analects 15:23).
Zoroastrianism: "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others" (Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29).
Jainism: "A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated" (Sutrakritanga 1:11:33).*
So with all of these "jewels of wisdom" embodying religious scriptures, how, just how is it that there is so much hate in the world today?
How, just how, did the events of September 11, 2001 - events that are changing the course of history - take place?
Many fingers are being pointed, much blame is being placed - there are many theories, many hind thoughts being proposed as answers to that question.
But, when you really think about it, no matter what happened on that fateful day - the repercussions of which will ring forth for many days, weeks and years to come - it all really boils down to the fact that each and every one of us is failing to follow a simple rule of reciprocity that most people on the face of this earth profess to believe: "Treat others as we would ourselves be treated."
To me, it's actually quite a simple matter. I can't quite understand why it is so hard for us as human beings to consider, under any given circumstance, how we would like to be treated and then treat all others accordingly.
It's about being able to put our own desires on a back burner and think about someone else's needs first sometimes. Being "selfless" so we can relate to someone else sometimes.
Getting rid of our nafs (egos) - those veils that cover our eyes and hearts, and separate us from Allah. Doing this is, as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, is the greatest
jihad (struggle) that any of us can take on.
If only we had the vision to see the benefits that humanity would reap if we could all follow a simple rule. If only we truly believed Allah's promises of reward for the performance of good deeds - for enjoining good and forbidding evil; for showing kindness and mercy towards others; for wanting for others what we want for ourselves.
I just can't quite understand why it is so hard for us as human beings to do this.
But, then, I have been called naďve before. And again, who am I to say?
"A man who is all wrapped up in himself makes a pretty small package" (John Ruskin).
Where, oh where, is the love?
Sources:
* The above information regarding the golden rule as taught by the world's religions was taken from the Committee For The Golden Rule's website.
Committee for the Golden Rule. "Treat Others As You Would Like To Be Treated."
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