Serve the Creator through His Creation
When Angel Jibrael (peace be upon him) came down with the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad (peace and salutations be upon him), he was trembling with fear. At this stage, he returned with the inspiration to his wife Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) and his heart was beating severely. The prophet said, “I fear something may happen to me” and he requested Khadija (R.A), “Cover me up”. After Khadija (R.A) saw signs of fear and worriedness on the Prophet`s face, she tried to soothe him and reassured him saying:
“Never, be happy! Allah will never disgrace you. You unite uterine relations; you always talk the truth; you bear the burden of the weak; you help the poor and destitute. You entertain the guests and endure hardships in the path of truthfulness.”
These were the noble traits of the Prophet (PBUH). He always helped others and encouraged the believers to be helpful to the rest of humanity regardless of their race, colour, ethnicity, background or faith. There are many people who are unfortunate and less privileged than us within and outside of this country. The wealth in our hands does not belong to us but it is a trust from Allah. The Almighty has called us “the best of nations” because we have raised up “for the benefit and service of mankind”. Islam emphasises the importance of expressing our solidarity with the less fortunate and assisting them in any manner possible. The Prophet has said, “every man will be in the shade of his charity on the Day of Resurrection” and that “Charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire”.Once a man saw a dog panting due to excessive thirst. He thus descended a well, filled his shoe with water, caught hold of the show with his teeth, came out and watered the dog. Prophet Muhammad explains, “Allah valued his action [of kindness] and forgave him”. The companions asked, “Is there a reward for us even in serving animals?” He (peace be upon him) replied, “yes, there is a reward for serving every animate”.
The following prophetic narrations will indicate the importance and avenues of expressing our concern for humanity:
Sa`d ibn Ubādah (R.A) once asked, “O Messenger of Allah, my mother has passed away. Shall I give charity on her behalf?” He (peace and salutations be upon him) replied, “Yes.” “What is the best charity?” asked Sa`d. He (peace and salutations be upon him) replied, “To provide water to drink.” So he dug a well in the name of his mother.
Whoever digs a well, no free soul of a jinn, a human, or a bird will drink from it but God will reward him until the day of Judgement and whoever builds a mosque for Allah the size of the ground nest of a sandgrouse or even smaller, Allah will construct for him a palace in paradise. [Hadith]
There are seven deeds that their reward is continuous for a person even after he dies while he is in his grave: he who taught knowledge to others, caused a river to flow, dug a well, planted a palm tree, built a masjid, a copy of the Qur`an that he leaves as a legacy, or left behind a child that asks forgiveness on his behalf after his death” [Hadith]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “I and the caretaker of an orphan will be like this is in Paradise”. He (peace be upon him) then illustrated this by joining the index and middle finger.
“He who fulfils the needs of widows and the poor is like one who strives in the path of Allah, like one who continuously worships God by night and continuously fasts by day. [Hadith]
By serving the creation, we will hopefully reach The Creator.
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Posted in Uncategorised on 23rd Jan 2016 by Our Imam | 2205 Views
