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

CULTURE OF COMPASSION But when the Prophet of Islam arrived, he transformed this moral outlook. Instead of advocating equal retaliation, he taught a higher ethic. He said: “Treat well the one who mistreats you.” (Mu’jam Ibn al-Arabi, Hadith No. 1507) Another hadith expresses this principle more fully: “Do not be one who says: ‘If people treat us well, we will do the same; and if they wrong us, we will retaliate.’ Rather, prepare yourselves to treat others well if they are good to you, and even if they are not—do not act unjustly.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2007) One of the Prophet’s enduring traditions was to elevate people’s awareness—to raise their sense of ethics and uplift their behaviour in all aspects of life. To elevate the human standard—intellectually, morally, and spiritually—is one of the most important missions. It benefits both the individual and the society as a whole. This work of raising moral and human awareness is a prophetic tradition—and reviving it is an act of reviving the legacy of the Prophet. SEVERING TIES In Islam, cutting off relationships and ceasing communication is considered forbidden. Numerous hadiths on this subject are recorded in the major collections. Both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim include the following narration: