Glorifying the Dead

Glorifying the Dead

1985 6 June 18 Glorifying the Dead (365) When Moses preached the word of God in Pharaoh’s court the nobles refused to accept his message. Then a “believing man” among them stood up and tried to put his people right. His whole address is given in the chapter of the Qur’an which bears his name – “the Believer.” One sentence of his speech, which was delivered in the most benevolent and earnest tone, read like this:

“Long before this, Joseph came unto you with clear signs, but you never ceased to doubt them; and when he died you said: ‘God will never send another prophet after him.’ Thus God leaves in error the doubting transgressor” (40:34).

What he said was quite true. While Joseph had been alive the people of Israel doubted the truth of his prophethood. It was only when he died that people acknowledged his worth. Their acknowledgement, however, only brought them to the sad conclusion that now God would not send another prophet like him.

The same was the case with the people of Mecca. They were proud to think of Abraham as their forefather and used to revel in his greatness. But when his successor – Mohammad, who was made a prophet in answer to Abraham’s prayer – came amongst them, they thought nothing of him and did all they could to discredit him.

This is always the way with people. They always eulogize their dead, even to the extent of concocting tales about them which make them seem far greater than they actually were. As for the living, they refuse to admit their greatness; even when told true stories about them, they scoff in disbelief. They exaggerate the greatness of those who have passed away beyond all proportion. But they are not ready to accept even the honest worth of their contemporaries.

To acknowledge the worth of the living is a sign of vitality and dynamism in a people. To show undue veneration of the dead and total disregard for the worth of the living, on the other hand shows that a people have collapsed into the depths of spiritual and intellectual inertia.

The most pleasing of actions to God is that which is done continuously though it be little. (Hadith)