People of Two Kinds

People of Two Kinds

1988 7 July 24-25 People of Two Kinds (603) In order to give a healthy response to any statement, one has to be able to see it in the correct light. To do this, sincerity of approach is essential. No matter whether we are listening to the word of God or to some statement made by an ordinary mortal, we must, if we are to do it justice, give it the serious thoughts which it deserves.

In this world, man is constantly being put to the test, so that God may know which of his creatures are made of the right metal. In any given situation, they are free to make right or wrong responses, but they must remember that within the divine scheme of things, they will then be categorized accordingly. The contrast between the two classes of people which emerge – differentiated by their right or wrong responses – is well illustrated by two examples which have come down to us from the earliest period of Islamic history.

The first example shows how the Jews responded to the revelation of the following verse of the Quran “Who will grant unto God a goodly loan; it will be returned to him many times over. ...“ (57:11) Although there are many instances in the Quran of the Muslim being exhorted to spend for the cause of God, the Jews saw fit to come to the Prophet and say, “Mohammad, has your Lord become poor that he is asking His servants to grant Him a loan?” The scornful way in which this question was asked clearly showed that they had taken the verse out of its context and willfully misinterpreted it. Their reason for doing so was that they were unable to face up to the responsibilities which the Messenger’s teaching sought to lay upon them; in order to evade this issue, they endeavoured to find fault with his teaching, thereby demonstrating that it was not worth following.

There were others, however, who offered a positive response to this verse of the Quran in that they set about living up to the responsibilities laid down for them in the holy scriptures. They regarded it, indeed, as a challenge which they were obliged to meet in their day-to-day living. In this they were in splendid contrast to the first-mentioned group.

Abd Allah ibn Masud relates that when this verse was revealed, Abu Dahdah of the Ansars (Medinan converts) enquired of the Prophet: “Does God require a loan from us?” When the Prophet replied in the affirmative, Abu Dahdah asked him to give him his hand. The Prophet then extended his hand to him and Abu Dahdah pledged to give his orchard, which had six hundred date palms as a loan to his Lord.

He then went there, and called out to his wife and children to leave the orchard, as he had pledged it as a loan to his Lord. His wife merely said, “You have made a good deal, Abu Dahdah” then she left the orchard taking her children and her belongings with her.

It was the same verse of the Quran which was repeated both to the Jews and to Abu Dahdah, yet how different were their reactions. The former was perverse, while the latter was healthy.

In order to give a healthy response to any statement, one has to be able to see it in the correct light. To do this, sincerity of approach is essential. No matter whether we are listening to the word of God or to some statement made by an ordinary mortal, we must, if we are to do it justice, give it the serious thoughts which it deserves.