Are you saying that we should only feel sympathy for the suffering of our fellow Muslims or the opposite--that we should sympathize with everyone? But so many non-Muslims are fighting and killing Muslims. How can we sympathize with such people?
Answer
Hello Umm Mustafa,
Assalamu alaikum..
Thank you for your question.
Ours is a very complex world and often we find ourselves in a quandary as to how we can make sense of many of the things happening around us. But as Muslims, we have our Book of Guidance Allah the All-Merciful has given us through His prophet, Muhammad, peace be on him. So we need to make our choices, as well as our judgments and decisions in the light of the Guidance contained in the Book of Allah (SWT) and in the Example of the Prophet.
The first point to note in the present context is that Allah is the Creator of every human whether black, white or yellow; Jewish, Christian or Muslim; and all humans share basically the same biological characteristics and similar conditions of life; and are equal before God. As Muslims we are commanded to show mercy to all living beings, all humans in need and to all suffering humanity. When a calamity strikes and people die or rendered homeless, it is our duty as Muslims to offer them whatever help we can, as we are their brothers in humanity. And every calamity is a test for us as to how we react to it, and how we submit to the Ultimate Power behind everything that happens.
No discrimination based on race, color, language or nationality is tolerated by Islam as Allah Almighty has declared in the Holy Qur’an:
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” (49: 13)
So being selective in our sympathies is out of question for a Muslim.
So I wish to bring to public notice the general practice of most people in being selective in their sympathy towards human suffering, on the basis of race, color or other considerations; i.e a practice Islam does not approve.
I shall explain my point with a couple of examples:
We saw the extraordinary outpourings of sympathy all over the world towards the victims of Sept 11 attacks, when about 3000 people died. And we did not see anything like that towards the people massacred or towards the women raped and killed in Bosnia, for instance. Eight thousand people were killed by Serbs in Srebrenica alone, under the very eye of Dutch peace-keepers. You may read the chilling story of it by David Rhode of The Christian Science Monitor, here: http://www.csmonitor.com/atcsmonitor/specials/bosnia/p-bosniaindex.html
Mr Rhode won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, in this connection.
Again, according to a recent study by scientists, a 100,000 Iraqis have died so far in Bush’s “Pre-emptive war”; and this compared to the death toll of the September 11 tragedy, (only 3000), is a holocaust 33 times more terrible. And yet, look at the sympathy levels: So far we haven’t heard so much as a peep in the press or from U.S. officials about the terrible tragedy that the loss of life in Iraq represents. Maybe it is because these killings were by American hands, that no sympathy is seen expressed towards them. And what is more saddening is that this is not just the policy of the administration; this is an attitude cultivated by most of the Christian leaders who preach the Love of Jesus. The same people who reportedly rush to wipe the tears of the orphan turn away from the dismembered children of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine. This is ugly and immoral. And so it goes without saying that the same attitude cannot be tolerated among Muslims too.
It is this kind of unjust discrimination that I call ‘selective sympathy’.
Sympathy is always for the victims, or for those who suffer, and not for those who inflict suffering on others. If you have sympathy for the oppressors or murderers, it only means that you are a party to the atrocities they commit. So, Muslim or Non-Muslim, no reasonable person can support the aggressor or oppressor.
Hope I have answered your question.
Name
Maryam
- Australia
Profession
Question
Dear Prof..
I follow your work in this website and would like to thank you for all your effort. Regarding this topic of selective sympathy, don't you think that this has a lot to do with the concepts of racism and xenophobia, both of which Islam is against?
Answer
Hello Maryam,
Assalamu alaikum..
Thank you for your question; and may Allah Almighty bless you and reward you for the good words you have written about our efforts in the website.
The answer to your question is: Yes, it is because of racism and xenophobia that most people do not give sympathy where it is due. {Please refer to my answer to Umm Mustafa}.
Many people are narrow-minded in that they look the other way when people of a different color are brutally tortured or killed; and when one of themselves is in trouble they quote all the Geneva Conventions and other international rules which they have been consistently flouting. This is sheer xenophobia or hard-hearted racism of the first water.
And there is no doubt about the fact that Islam strongly disapproves of this kind of callousness and jingoism. But the fact remains that even in this age of Information Revolution, Islam is most terribly misunderstood.
Hope I have answered your question.
Name
Isabelle
-
Profession
Question
I see a lot of Muslims in the West who are not even prepared to put any effort into the society they are living in. They don't donate their blood to victims of accidents who are not Muslim. What is your opinion about this kind of behavior?
Answer
Hello Isabelle,
Peace be with you!
Thank you for your question..
Unfortunately there is a lot of misunderstanding about Islam prevailing in our societies not only among Non-Muslims but also among Muslims themselves.
Besides there are many cultural factors that prevent many people of different cultural backgrounds from interacting freely with those in the country.
Islam teaches that all humans are equal before God and are therefore brothers and sisters. It is the duty of a Muslim to help others in their distress, irrespective of their race, religion or color. The Prophet Muhammad, (peace be on him) has said:
“Whoever does not show mercy will not get mercy (from God).” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Also he has said “Whoever meets the needs of his brother, God will meet his needs.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Thus it is clear that in the event of an accident or a disaster, Muslims should come forward to do all the necessary help and service and this is required of them, not only as a social obligation but also as a religious duty.
Often Muslims in many places are illiterate or ignorant owing to various historical reasons. And you know many Muslims now living in the west may have come from other countries and have brought with them all the misunderstandings and prejudices from their native lands. Lack of proper education and awareness may be other reasons for the kind of experience you have described.
Hope I have answered your question.
Name
Shakira
- South Africa
Profession
Banker
Question
Are we to sympathise with muslims who hold foreigners hostage on national tv and blow their heads off? I will defend them if I have to but when I'm not sure why they do it, I can't really? Wassalaam..
Answer
Hello Shakira,
Assalamu alaikum
Thank you for your question.
We are not to support aggression or terrorism of any one anywhere. And holding of innocent persons as hostages in retaliation for the atrocities committed by others have no justification whatsoever.
The word ‘sympathy’ is usually used for the feeling of compassion you feel for the victims of an accident, a misfortune, a natural calamity or a man-made calamity.
It can also be used in the sense of a feeling of loyalty or allegiance. In that sense, one can be in sympathy with a tyrant or a thug who terrorizes people. But it is not in that sense I use the word here as is evident from the title: Human Suffering and Selective Sympathy.
My point, as explained in my previous answers is: People do not express compassion or commiseration with all those who actually deserve our help and support in their distress; but they tend to select those of their own race, color or ideology before they come forward to console or lend a word of support. This I think is a basically anti-human attitude that should be discouraged.
I hope I have answered your question.
Name
zaki
- Malaysia
Profession
student
Question
Can you englighten me what make our symphaty to be selective upon different races or religion?
Answer
Hello Zaki,
Assalamu alaikum,
Thank you for your question.
Islam teaches all the important moral principles necessary for us to lead a good life here on earth. Also we are given practical guidelines as to how to avoid the kind of pitfalls into which most humans fall. For example, being unjust to others for the sake of getting some benefit for ourselves or for our own relatives is a usual practice.
But Allah Almighty teaches us in the Holy Qur’an that we must always uphold justice:
” O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for God can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily God is well- acquainted with all that ye do.” (4: 135)
This means that we are not to follow our own selfish interests and cravings, but must always do justice even when it means that we have to oppose the interests of our own kith and kin. Because justice is one of the noblest values upheld by Islam.
It is obvious that when we follow our own interests and strive for immediate material benefits, we become narrow-minded. Then we try to satisfy our own personal desires, or the interests of our race or group. If we do not follow the Guidance of Allah the Merciful, then we follow the motives instigated by narrow self interests which always stand against the wide interests of humanity.
I hope I have answered your question.
Name
John
- South Africa
Profession
Question
Why does God allow suffering in this world? Some people are saying that people DESERVE the suffering they are in. I think that is a bit cruel to say. Do all those innocent children and people who died in the tsunami deserve it?
Answer
Hello John,
Peace be with you!
Thank you for your very interesting question.
It is true that no event in the universe takes place without the knowledge of God, as He is All-Knowing. And He is the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe and everything in it; and so it is a reasonable question why He allows all the deaths and sufferings of the world.
The Holy Qur’an is the True Word of God and Muslims always look in the Guidance contained in the Qur’an for answers to all the questions that we as humans face.
From the Qur’anic point of view, man is appointed as God’s khalifah (=vicegerent or ambassador) on earth. One important implication of this appointment is that man is a free being; and another is that he is given a number of faculties to discharge his mission of khilafah or vicegerency. You can see that his faculties such as his power for intelligent planning and execution would have been useless if he had not been given freedom. And also human life in this world is intended as a test. Those who pass this test get the reward, and those who fail the test get the penalty. And it is clear that freedom is a necessary condition for any test.
The Qur’an makes it clear that God has created everything on the face of the earth for man, and man has to make use of these blessings in the proper way for his own welfare on earth. And God has sent down His Guidance for man; so that man does not misuse the blessings.
But as man is free, he chooses what immediately serves his carnal interests; and consequently he faces their natural consequences. This is one of the reasons for many of the disasters and calamities that man has to face in this world.Because he misuses his freedom for his selfishness. But God is there watching all this, and why doesn’t He prevent such things as the deaths of children in the tsunami as you have asked?
The deaths and sufferings of the world would have been a sort of an indictment on God, IF God had not made available a fitting compensation for such losses: You see this life of ours in the world is not the end of the road. We have another world before us after our death; and that is an Eternal World, compared to which the life of this world is like the batting of an eyelid. In that world, all the wrongs of this world will be set right; and any suffering here is more than compensated for.
The justice of God demands that good people must not suffer needlessly, and bad people must not go scot-free for all the atrocities they commit. That is why there is the Hereafter. This world is an imperfect world, a very temporary fleeting world, where our life passes off like a dream or a nightmare, as it were. But God more than makes amends for our losses and sufferings in the other world.
And also, it is worth stating here that the disasters and calamities serve as a reminder to us about the great Test we are actually undergoing.
I hope I have answered your question.
Name
Yaseen
- Bangladesh
Profession
Teacher
Question
Assalamu alaikum dear Scholar,
Is it as a test that Allah SWT sends earthquakes and other disasters or as a punishment? Please make it clear..
Answer
Hello Yaseen,
Assalamu alaikum,
Thank you very much for your question.
[Please refer to the answer I have given above to John.]
In fact Allah SWT sends calamities like earthquakes and other disasters as a warning to erring man and as a punishment for his misdeeds, according to Islamic point of view. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“And We sent not the signs except to warn.” (17: 59)
And again,
“Say: He has power to send torment on you from above or from under your feet, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, and make you to taste the violence of one another.” (6: 65)
It is clear that the torments here suggest such calamities as hurricanes, earthquakes and tidal waves. So all these are the signs Allah Almighty has mentioned in His Qur’an, so that man is reminded of His roots as well as his destination. He understands that his life in this world is not for ever, and he cannot go on leading a purposeless life here. And necessarily he has to turn to God, Who is our only Refuge always.
These verses also are worth quoting in this context:
“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.” (42: 30)
And,
“Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself.” (4: 79)
I hope I have answered your question.
Name
Abdi
- United States
Profession
student
Question
My question: Why is that only the jews are remmembered to what happen to them...but there are alot of people that sufered the most why isn't there a day for the colonizing of africa.. The slave trade and the people of Palestine?
Thank you..
Answer
Dear Abdi,
Assalamu alaikum,
Thank you for your question.
Indeed the Holocaust Memorial Day is celebrated all over the world, as it was one of the biggest ever disasters faced by humans. But you have raised a most pertinent question, why there is no day to remember other atrocities like the ongoing Holocaust of Palestine, where the perpetrators of the Holocaust are the heirs of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. And also think of the continuing holocausts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Israelis imagine that the holocaust suffered by the Jews at the hands of the Nazis was the only holocaust in history; they make it out to be so. All the western countries are united in toeing the line set by the Israelis, because they wish to compensate by this for the atrocities their forefathers had been committing on the Jews.
All this points to the grievous injustice done by the so-called "civilized world" to the poor and suffering millions of the Afro-Asian countries.
And it is possible, if the Muslim world unite to hold one particular day to remember the Sufferings of the Palestinians and others at the hands of the new Nazis.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Saeed
- United States
Profession
store owner
Question
Dear scholar,
I am an African-American revert of 15 years and I agree with you 100%. I have seen in the past this selective sympathy in our ummah, far to many times.
More emphasis on Palestine, (and may Allah give them victory),but ignoring Bosnia, Sudan, and many others. But when they are confronted about theese issues, they get upset. It seems like a lot of our ummah is as racist or more racist than the non-muslim. How do we solve this problem.
Answer
Dear Saeed,
Assalamu alaikum
Thank you for your question.
I agree with you when you say that there are many Muslims who are "racists". And it is necessary on our part to try to cure them of this "disease of racism" in them, by giving them the proper lessons in the tenets of Islam. We must make concerted efforts to teach them the basics of Islam - such as belief in One God means, One humanity.
May Allah Almighty guide us and help us all!
Name
Wan
- United States
Profession
student
Question
Salam..
Recently, a christian friend of mine lost his grandma, and another christian friend lost her grandpa. But the thing is, both of them said that their grandparents died in "peace".. as in they looked really calm and happy as
they pass away. As much as I want to believe that this is not possible at all (because they are among the nonbelievers who are goin to hell), I've seen on TV that such things does happen where good do-ers who are christians who is said to have died in "peace". What does this mean? What does the Qu'ran say about this? Also, how do I react to such tragedies? Do i pray for their
grandparents? I mean, lol, I dont want to do that but I mean, how else would you show ur sympathy? Please answer.
Thank you! Salam..
Answer
Hello Wan,
Peace be with you!
Thank you for your question.
We cannot know what exactly is the condition of the soul when a person dies. Only God can know this. We standing outside can say that such and such a person died peacefully, because he died a natural death on the bed.
But does this mean that all the hundreds of thousands who died in the tsunami were all terrible sinners? What about the little children?
So, we cannot be certain about the destiny of a particular soul at the time of its death. We can arrive at our own conclusions based on our knowledge of a particular person that he is likely to be in heaven etc. But we may be mistaken.
And as for praying: We can always pray for others. And whether that prayer will be accepted or not depends on God. That is all.
I have I have answered your question.
Name
Aliah
- United States
Profession
Student
Question
Assalamualikum,
I am currently working on an extensive research project about Islam and terrorism and how the West understands Islam. I do not know where to start because there is so much information to be studied and researched. Since the title of this dialogue is about human suffering, this question could be relavent.
I thank you for your time, and jazakumulahukhairan..
Answer
Hello Aliah,
Assalamu alaikum.
Thank you for your question.
You may start your research by studying the history of Orientalism.
It is the Orientalists of Europe who propagated all kinds of horrible things about Islam in the first place. But among them there were a few who did good work too. You may start by studying how the misinformation about Islam began; and also about the early encounters between Muslims and Christians.
