J
Javed Iqbal Kaleem
Guest
Recently I was reading Urdu translation of a Romanian Author's
autobiography of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Mr. Consten Virgil has
very painstakingly researched and collected the life history of
Prophet Muhammad SAW and even visited Saudi Arabia to see the places
where he lived. The book is so absorbing that you cannot put it down
once you start reading it. Mr Virgil now lives in France. Its name in
Urdue is 'Akse Seerat' and is published by 'Sayyarah Digest".
The aspect of Islam that has impressed him most is that it is not
just a collection of rituals but offers actual solutions to day to day
problems of its followers. He says there is no other religious book in
the world that emphasizes feeding the hungry, as Islam. More than 600
times it has been emphasized in Quran to feed the needy. It even lays
down a fixed portion of income of every individual for the destitute.
Read Surah Mominoon:
' Wa fi amwalehum haqqum Maaloom. Lissaaile walmahroom. '
That is " in their wealth is a definite share for the asker and
the ones who are needy."
I realized that if Islam had not laid so much emphasis on spending
money for the poor, many poor and destitute would have slept hungry on
our streets, like in India. But many good people go to some
restaurants and pay them in advance for providing lunch or dinner to
any one who asks. They pay for 5,10 or 20 people as per their
capacity. The hungry do not even know who has paid for their food. One
capitalist in Lahore undertook to feed all the patients and attendents
of a large government hospital. The total cost was 40 Million
Rupees.
There are many institutions in Karachi who provide food to patients,
and to their attendants. And the food is as good like a two or three
star restaurant. One of my friends recently went to one such
institution (Alamgir Trust) and he saw many goats and sheep being
slaughtered. He asked how many goats are slaughtered daily? He was
told that generally they slaughter 100 goats daily and distribute the
mutton in the needy. Whoever gets his desired fulfilled, he gives a
lamb or goat in thanksgiving. Besides there are hundreds of free
hospitals and orphanage where orphans are housed and feed and even
educated. Holy prophet Muhammad was himself an orphan and he
has set a personal example of nice treatment of orphans. A slave Zaid
was living him and when his parents came to know that he was alive,
they came to Prophet Muhammad to take him back. They offered a
handsome amount for this purpose. Prophet Muhammad said: "Ask your
son! if he wants to go with you, you can take him without paying me
anything. But if he wants to stay, I am not kind of a man who would
force him to go with you. " When they asked, Zaid said he would like
to stay with Muhammad SAW. Finding his son happy, they went back
contented. The same Zaid has been quoted to say " I lived with holy
prophet for 10 years, but not even once he asked why I did not do a
work assigned to me nor he ever asked why I did a thing, which I
should not have done One day a companion asked "How many times should
I forgive my slave?". Holy prophet waited for a while than said: " 70
times ! I am not saying 70 times in life time, but 70 times daily".
This shows the love and affection that a Muslim is expected to mete
out to his brother slave.
One day a companion was beating a slave, he heard someone saying :
" Allah has more power over you than you have on your slave!". He
stopped and saw who was it who was saying this. He saw that it was
holy prophet of Islam. He has made it obligatory to feed the slaves
the same food one eats and clothe them well. A Muslim is required to
call his slave " My son " rather than "My slave".
So whichever aspect of life you see, our beloved prophet has
given us best instructions. And he has made it clear that in order to
gain salvation we will have to abide by the rules enacted by Allah
SWT. So brothers and sisters, make sure you do what you proclaim. That
is a Muslim is judged by his actions and not by mere proclamation!..
Javed Iqbal Kaleem
autobiography of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Mr. Consten Virgil has
very painstakingly researched and collected the life history of
Prophet Muhammad SAW and even visited Saudi Arabia to see the places
where he lived. The book is so absorbing that you cannot put it down
once you start reading it. Mr Virgil now lives in France. Its name in
Urdue is 'Akse Seerat' and is published by 'Sayyarah Digest".
The aspect of Islam that has impressed him most is that it is not
just a collection of rituals but offers actual solutions to day to day
problems of its followers. He says there is no other religious book in
the world that emphasizes feeding the hungry, as Islam. More than 600
times it has been emphasized in Quran to feed the needy. It even lays
down a fixed portion of income of every individual for the destitute.
Read Surah Mominoon:
' Wa fi amwalehum haqqum Maaloom. Lissaaile walmahroom. '
That is " in their wealth is a definite share for the asker and
the ones who are needy."
I realized that if Islam had not laid so much emphasis on spending
money for the poor, many poor and destitute would have slept hungry on
our streets, like in India. But many good people go to some
restaurants and pay them in advance for providing lunch or dinner to
any one who asks. They pay for 5,10 or 20 people as per their
capacity. The hungry do not even know who has paid for their food. One
capitalist in Lahore undertook to feed all the patients and attendents
of a large government hospital. The total cost was 40 Million
Rupees.
There are many institutions in Karachi who provide food to patients,
and to their attendants. And the food is as good like a two or three
star restaurant. One of my friends recently went to one such
institution (Alamgir Trust) and he saw many goats and sheep being
slaughtered. He asked how many goats are slaughtered daily? He was
told that generally they slaughter 100 goats daily and distribute the
mutton in the needy. Whoever gets his desired fulfilled, he gives a
lamb or goat in thanksgiving. Besides there are hundreds of free
hospitals and orphanage where orphans are housed and feed and even
educated. Holy prophet Muhammad was himself an orphan and he
has set a personal example of nice treatment of orphans. A slave Zaid
was living him and when his parents came to know that he was alive,
they came to Prophet Muhammad to take him back. They offered a
handsome amount for this purpose. Prophet Muhammad said: "Ask your
son! if he wants to go with you, you can take him without paying me
anything. But if he wants to stay, I am not kind of a man who would
force him to go with you. " When they asked, Zaid said he would like
to stay with Muhammad SAW. Finding his son happy, they went back
contented. The same Zaid has been quoted to say " I lived with holy
prophet for 10 years, but not even once he asked why I did not do a
work assigned to me nor he ever asked why I did a thing, which I
should not have done One day a companion asked "How many times should
I forgive my slave?". Holy prophet waited for a while than said: " 70
times ! I am not saying 70 times in life time, but 70 times daily".
This shows the love and affection that a Muslim is expected to mete
out to his brother slave.
One day a companion was beating a slave, he heard someone saying :
" Allah has more power over you than you have on your slave!". He
stopped and saw who was it who was saying this. He saw that it was
holy prophet of Islam. He has made it obligatory to feed the slaves
the same food one eats and clothe them well. A Muslim is required to
call his slave " My son " rather than "My slave".
So whichever aspect of life you see, our beloved prophet has
given us best instructions. And he has made it clear that in order to
gain salvation we will have to abide by the rules enacted by Allah
SWT. So brothers and sisters, make sure you do what you proclaim. That
is a Muslim is judged by his actions and not by mere proclamation!..
Javed Iqbal Kaleem