HUMAN VALUES THROUGH ISLAM

HUMAN VALUES THROUGH ISLAM Serving Mankind A LL the teachings of Islam are based on two principles—the worship of God and the service to mankind. Without putting both principles into practice, there can be no true fulfillment of one’s religious duties. Islam inculcates the spirit of love and respect for all human beings. On the one hand, by serving human beings they please God and on the other, they achieve spiritual progress. According to a Hadith, you should be merciful to people on earth and God Almighty will be merciful to you. In this way Islam links personal salvation to serving others. God’s reward in the Hereafter can be earned only if one has striven to alleviate the sufferings of mankind. The following incident brings out the concept of service to others in a very profound way. During the British monarchy, one of the British Emperors disguised himself as an ordinary person to inspect his military establishments. During an interaction when one military officer admonished him in a very stern and harsh manner, the disguised king asked, “Do you know who I am?” Taken aback at such a question and doubting himself the officer said, “Are you a military officer just as I am?” The king replied, “I am of a greater position than that”. The officer said, “Then you must be a Captain.” Again to this the king replied, “I am greater than that.” “Are you a colonel?” asked the officer. “No, I am greater than that”, was the reply. The officer said, “Then you must be a General”. “No, I am even greater than a general”, said the king. Then the officer who was by now in total shock said, “Then you must be the Emperor”. He said, “Yes, I am the king”. The officer handed his gun to the king and said, “You may shoot me for my crime, I have failed to recognize my king”. The king said, “No, you are a good military officer but I have an advice for you. Whenever you interact with any common man think of him as your king and of yourself as an ordinary soldier then you will treat every individual in the best manner and will consider the common man’s affairs as the affairs of the king”. A person who treats every human interaction as an interaction with God will not commit any excess in his behaviour.