HUMAN VALUES THROUGH ISLAM

In this incident there is a principle for living a God oriented life. When God created man and asked the angels to bow down before man all the angels obeyed God’s command but Satan refused to do so. The angels considered the issue as a matter of God’s command but Satan considered it as a personal issue between man and himself. To understand the above more clearly the following Hadith is very important. On doomsday, God says to a person, “I” was ill, but you did not come to nurse Me.” The man will reply, “God, You being the Lord of the universe, how can You be ill? God will answer, “Such and such servant of Mine was ill. Had you gone there, you would have found Me there with him.” Then God says to another person, “I was hungry but you did not feed Me.” The person will reply, “God, You are the Lord of the worlds, how could You go hungry?” God says, “Such and such of My servants came to you, but you did not feed him. Had you done so, you would have found Me with him.” Then God says to yet another man, “I was thirsty, and you did not give Me water to drink. ”That person will also say, “God, You are the Lord of the worlds, how could You be thirsty?” God says, “Such and such servant of Mine came to you, but you did not give him water to drink. Had you offered him water, you would have found Me there with him.” In this Hadith the teaching is that you consider every interaction with others as an interaction with God. The words used in the Hadith are symbolic otherwise this Hadith guides us towards the character of a believer. A person who treats every human interaction as an interaction with God then such a person will not commit any excess in his behaviour. The Islamic principle highlighted here is that if a person wants to find God, he shall first have to make himself deserving of this by serving others. This paves his way to spiritual progress. Only those who have elevated themselves spiritually will find God. This culture of mercy and compassion approved by God is not limited to human beings, but extends also to the animal world. We must be equally sympathetic to animals. The Hadith gives us many guidelines laid down by God on how to care for all of God’s creatures and treat them with kindness. Cruelty to animals risks being deprived of God’s mercy. God's reward in the Hereafter can be earned only if one has striven to alleviate the sufferings of mankind.