This month’s topic I will be discussing is worshipping Allah and serving mankind. In these days, the result of this lockdown has meant that our way of life has changed. Now the Government is looking at ways to ease the lockdown, as it has created a gigantic financial strain on the Country and they want people to try and go out for their jobs, if they are unable to do them at home. Likewise, trying to get the children to school to help again with the home life and the ability to go back to work. But the lockdown has also had a positive effect in bringing the family together, in turning mankind to Allah for worship and serving mankind and helping out others.
The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has guided us:
None of you is a true believer unless he likes for others that which he likes for himself (Bukhari)
This saying of the Holy Prophet beautifully sums up what we try to instil in everyone, that they should always be ready to serve mankind. In fact the whole purpose of creating our charity ‘Humanity First’ was to serve humanity for the sake of Allah.
It doesn’t matter what nationality, religion or colour the person is, if he is in need, then for Allah’s sake, we want to try to help him. It has been very pleasing to see us being thankful to the NHS (National Health Service) for their hard and brave work and for members to help those who are in need, whether it is helping with their shopping, medicine or making food for the staff of the NHS or the homeless.
The Holy Qur’an relates:
And worship Allah and associate naught with Him, and show kindness to parents, and to kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and to the neighbour who is a kinsman and the neighbour who is a stranger, and the companion by your side, and the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess. Surely, Allah loves not the arrogant and the boastful.
Holy Qur’an chapter 4, verse 37
This verse of the Holy Qur’an urges the believers that the most important thing is to always worship Allah be thankful for everything He is giving us and then show kindness to those around them, beginning with those closest to us and then those who are not so close.
Everything that we do, must be for Allah’s sake, that whenever we do something we get a reward – cause & effect – every action there is a reaction. But when we do it for Allah’s sake, then there is a double reward:
1) The result of the action and 2) a reward from Allah.
So for a believer, he should strive to do everything for Allah’s sake. This then helps us to find true inner peace as everything centres around the worship of Allah, once we have developed a strong love for Allah, then naturally, we will follow His guidance and seek His pleasure. Our whole focus changes – instead of doing things to please ourselves we instead do things to please Allah. With that worship of Allah, we should then also love all of Allah’s creatures and be ready to serve them. Beginning with our parents, and then family and then the close family and friends etc.
Why would we do that, why try to serve humanity? Some people do so as they find joy and happiness in giving. They see someone in need and respond to help them, so they find a reward for serving others, even if the person they help doesn’t show gratitude. But for a believer, then they will get the same joy and happiness through serving others, but they also will find peace in the knowledge that they have pleased Allah.
The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
Whoever possesses three qualities tastes through them the sweetness of faith:
- that he should love Allah and His messenger above all else;
- that he should love someone solely for the sake of Allah
- That he should abhor reverting to disbelief, after Allah has rescued him from it, as he would abhor being thrown into the fire
Allah has told us that we should show respect, kindness and love to those who are close to us, by doing that then we will also show respect, kindness and love to everyone that we meet. The first people mentioned in the verse of the Holy Qur’an that I read are our parents.
They are the ones who raised us and developed us to who we are today. It is a debt that you will never be able to repay, especially to your mother since she was the one who looked after you when you were too weak to look after yourself. No matter what you did, she would always forgive you and help and support you.
This is why the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
May his nose be rubbed in dust (3 times), anyone who found his parents, one or both, approaching old age and did not enter Paradise through serving them
Again the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
Paradise lies under the feet of your mother
The next people mentioned in the verse are the kindred. The first again must be the nearest, your own family. They are the ones who see you every day and they should also be shown get love, respect and kindness.
The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
The best among you are those who are good to their families and I am the best of those who are good to their families
Again the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
The most perfect of believers in respect of their faith are those whose behaviour is most excellent and the best of you are those who behave best towards their wives
A happy home is the one where there is love and respect. Every marriage is a partnership, and for it to be successful, both partners need to work hard at the marriage. That means a lot of ‘give and take’, overlooking one another’s faults and supporting each other.
The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
Let no Muslim man entertain any feelings of hate against a Muslim woman. Should he dislike one quality in her, he would find another which is pleasing
It is very sound advice; we should always try to look for the best in people. It is very easy to criticise and pick holes in people, but what does it achieve? By looking for good in people, then we can also do some self-examination and make sure that we also have that good in ourselves.
We all want the best for our children, but again the best thing that we can do for them is to develop Taqwa (Righteousness) in them. The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
Respect your children and give them good moral training
If we give them a good moral training then, Insha’Allah (God willing) even when they are not with us they will always be well behaved. Again the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
He who has no compassion for our little ones, does not respect the elders, does not enjoin what is good and does not forbid evil, is not of us
It is our love for Allah that makes us want to be good to everyone. There are many ways which we can help serve others for Allah’s sake. This should be our constant goal in life.
Stay safe and alert. May Allah enable us to be always striving to worship Him and be constantly occupied in the service of humanity for His sake only, Amen