THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY: Islam’s Ethical and Spiritual Outlook

Islam presents a broader concept of humanity—one that extends beyond just humans, encompassing all of creation. RESPECT FOR ALL Jabir ibn Abdullah, a Companion of the Prophet of Islam, narrates that once, a funeral procession passed through a street in Madinah. Upon seeing it, the Prophet of Islam stood up, and we all stood up with him. Then, we said, “O Messenger of God, this is the funeral of a Jew.” The Prophet replied, “When you see a funeral, stand up” (Sahih alBukhari, Hadith No. 1311). In another narration, Sahal ibn Hunaif and Qays ibn Sa›d were sitting in Qadisiyyah when a funeral passed by them. Both stood up, and when they were told that this was the funeral of a non-Muslim, they replied, “When a funeral passed in front of the Prophet of Islam, he stood up. We asked, ‘O Messenger of God, this is the funeral of a Jew,’ and you replied, ‘Is he not a human being?’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1312). This highlights an important principle of Islam: that every person, in every circumstance, is worthy of respect, even if they are a non-Muslim or belong to an enemy group. Regardless of other aspects, they should be seen as human beings and treated with respect and honour at all times. Human beings are a distinguished creation of God. In the words of the Quran, they were created in “the best of