Holy Qur’aan Speaks: Islam teaches brotherhood of humanity

06 Dec, 2015 - 00:12 0 Views
Holy Qur’aan Speaks: Islam teaches brotherhood  of humanity Worship in Islam

The Sunday Mail

SINCE God is the absolute and the sole Master of men and the universe; He is the Sovereign Lord, the Sustainer and Nourisher, the Merciful, whose Mercy encompasses all beings.
And since He has given each man human dignity and honour, and breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that, united in Him and through Him, and apart from their other human attributes, men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, tribe, colour or race.
Every human being is thereby related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honourable and pleasant service to the most Compassionate Lord of the universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere, the Islamic confession of the Oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brotherhood of mankind.
The Holy Qur’aan declares: “O mankind! Indeed we have created you as male and female; and have placed you in groups and tribes so that you may have mutual recognition. Indeed the most honourable of you, in the sight of the Almighty is he who is most God-conscious!” (Ch 49 : v 13)
Hence no one group, race or tribe can claim to be superior over the other. Such ethnic, linguistical and other differences are the workings of The Almighty, merely for purposes of mutual recognition and were never meant to be a source of supremacy for one over the other. Essentially, as highlighted earlier, human kind is one. We are all meant to realise that kindness, compassion, genuine feeling, and so forth must be exercised towards each other as we are all of the same species of creation – literally we all experience the same emotions and feelings as each other.
The Holy Qur’aan very clearly states: “O You who Believe! Be firm in justice, standing as witnesses for God. Let not the detestation for people, move you not to be equitable. Be equitable (just), that is nearer to God fearing.” (Ch 5 : v 8).
Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state. Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances – regardless of where such a person is resident / domiciled; whether he is at peace or at war; and so forth. When we speak of human rights in Islam we really mean that these rights have been granted by God Almighty; they have not been granted by any ruler or by any legislative assembly. The rights granted by the “earthly” rulers or the legislative assemblies, can also be withdrawn in the same manner in which they are conferred or even be selectively applied to suit ulterior agendas, and so forth. In fact they themselves can even openly violate those rights as and when they like! But since in Islam human rights have been conferred by God Almighty, no legislative assembly in the world or any government on earth has the right or authority to make any amendment or change in the rights conferred by Him. No one has the right to cancel them or withdraw them. Nor are they merely some basic human rights which are conferred on paper for the sake of show and exhibition and denied in actual life when the show is over. Nor are they like philosophical concepts which have no sanctions behind them. The charter and the proclamations and the resolutions of worldly bodies/organisations cannot be compared with the rights sanctioned by God; because the former cannot be applicable to entire humanity while the latter is applicable. Every human is required to uphold and enforce them. If they fail to enforce them and start denying the rights that have been guaranteed by God or make amendments and changes in them, or practically violate them while paying lip service to them, the verdict of the Holy Qur’aan is clear and undoubtful: “Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are oppressors.” (Ch 5 : v 45)
Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. And if anyone violates this sanctity of human blood by killing a soul without justification, The Almighty equates it to the killing of entire mankind: “Whosoever slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, will be as if he had slain mankind altogether.” (Ch 5 : v 32)
It is not permissible to oppress or take undue advantage of the weak, underprivileged, women, children, the old, the sick or the wounded. Women’s honour and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry person must be fed, the naked clothed and the wounded or diseased treated medically, irrespective of whether they belong to the one’s own community or not.
Lastly, it is to be made clear that Islam tries to achieve the above mentioned rights and many others, not only by providing certain legal safeguards but mainly by inviting mankind to transcend the lower level of animal life to be able to go beyond the mere ties fostered by the kinship of blood, racial superiority, linguistic arrogance, and economic privileges.
For further information on Islam or a free copy of the Holy Qur’aan, please contact:
Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic Scholars, Publications Department
P.O. Box W93, Waterfalls, Harare
Tel: 04-614078 / 614004, Fax : 04-614003
e-mail: [email protected].

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