The writer Hurace Leaf from the
Islamic Magazine which is issued in English says: "Nothing is
there in the world which can convince me that any religion in the
world calls for promoting equality among the people though some
of them assume or pretend the pursuit of this
equality.
I have paid a lot of visits
to many churches and temples and witnessed the immense
differences between the interior and the exterior of such houses
of worship and my belief of course, was at the time being,
that the Islamic mosques were inevitably the same but my surprise
was beyond measure when I highly felt equality at its peak
between the Moslems during the "Fitr" Eid (festival) on my visit
to "Walking Mosque" in London because there I found mixed people
of various ranks and positions gathered together like brothers –
all unified to establish the Eid of Al-Fitr prayer and I haven't
seen such a scene like that before for there you can see a
poor man standing beside a great man of authority or a famous
Egyptian businessman or a politician from the Arab homeland
greeting one another or shaking hands with him fraternally,
without the least feeling of difference between them.
Nobody is there who looks down on
his brother Moslem however high his social rank or prestige is.
Really speaking, all feel equal to one another and no one would
object to standing next to the poor one in the process of
performing the prayer.
There you don't also find someone
of high rank trying to trespass in between the crowded prayer
performers for finding a splendid place for himself in the
mosque. All are equal in Allah's Sight. There is no distinction
at all in Islam. The hadith of the Messenger of Allah goes as
such: " People are equal like the teeth of a comb."
But the prayer does not represent
a phenomenon of the many phenomena of equality only, but rather
directly represents an invitation to equality because it
inculcates in the prayer performer and the whole society of
performers feelings of equality tangible sensations of equality
among the people.
In fact, it is not fair enough to
consider equality as being achieved for the mere standing of the
rich one next to the poor one reluctantly while in prayer or the
ruler beside the convicted one discontentedly or that the
powerful man beside the weak one grumblingly … because equality
is a deep inner feeling in man which pushes him towards
eradicating the difference between the wealthy man and the poor
one. between the governor and the governed…between the strong one
and the weak one…and as such… the rich won't feel arrogant and
superior. nor the poor feel they are scorned and downcast ..nor
the ruler feels his being authoritative and domineering …nor the
governed feel depressed and suppressed, nor the powerful as being
victorious and a winner…nor the weak as being helpless and
compelled …but all, unanimously, will feel unified by harmony,
understanding, brotherhood and consent which gather them together
under the cover of mercy and contain them within the overwhelming
spirit of obedience when their hearts meet together with their
classes well arranged in organized long an straight lines in
their congregational prayers.
In this way, the active Islamic
movement managed to overcome the class struggle phenomenon and
what explodes therewith in the heart of society of seditions,
vexations and revolutions…
So, his zeal was devoted to
sucking the causes of grudges and seditions when the embers of
class struggle have flown up reaching a serious point to grow in
its place: friendliness, mercy and harmony amongst the various
communities of society…His endeavor has been concentrated on
liquidating the upsurge of contradictions which remained manifest
in the class struggle.
After that the roles will start
distributing anew on the basis of sound integration so that each
sector would fulfill its function whereof each group would take
its right in a way that the young and the elderly really feel
they are walking together side by side on an equal footing with
one another on the way of production with the aim of achieving
the greatest goals of Islam in life.
Building on the foregoing, and in
the light of these reformative changes, there will be no space
for injustice, deprivation of rights, nor grift or oppression in
the whole society. Based on all this, every individual, will get
to know his real value and holiness among his work-mates as long
as doing his best in the service of Islam hoping meantime to make
his efforts flow into the welfare and prosperity of the whole
society.
The result of such reforms will
create a positive atmosphere within which the laborer will not
feel that he is inferior before his master or boss or other
fellow workers '' 'nor the servant feels lazy before his master
nor the poor fellow feels deprived before the rich one… or
perhaps, these people feel they have done a favor to those ones
because the basic distinction in Islam among individuals is
"piety" and the degree of such nearness to Allah (Glory be to
Him) "O Mankind! We have created you from a male and a female and
you into nations and tribes that you may know one another."
Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer)
who has At-Taqwa (i.e. he is one of the Al-Muttaqin (the Pious)
Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, Well-Acquainted (with all things)."
(Al-Hujurat:13)
And in our glamorous history,
there are excellent examples which visualize for us some scenes
of equality under the shade of Islam.
Allah's Messenger (Peace of Allah
and blessings be upon him and his progeny) says: "Allah, the
Blessed and the Glorified has removed by Islam the stubborn zeal
of the pre-Islamic era and its pride in their forefathers. O
people! You are but from Adam and Adam is from the earth, and the
most honorable of you is the most pious"!
History tells us that Imam
Al-Ridha (P.B.U.H.) has held a feast to which he invited, a
number not to be sneezed at, of Sudanese loyalties and others,
where one of his companions said: "May I be sacrificed to you!
You had better isolate a special tray of food for them, to which
the Imam answered: " Allah, may He be blessed and glorified, is
but One and the mother is One, too and the reward lies in
deeds."
Imam As-Sadiq (P.B.U.H.) said:
"When Imam Ali (P.B.U.H.) sat up on the pulpit, thanked and
praised Allah, he then said: " I have no intention to take from
your spoils one dirham as long as I am staying as a ruler in
Yathrib.
"Would you believe yourselves that
I would deprive you of your due rights or do you wrong?"
"Don't you see me depriving myself and giving you your rights?"
He said. At this, his brother Aqeel stood up and said to him: "
Allah! I wonder if you mean regarding me as equal in rank as a
negro?" He (P.B.U.H.) said: "There is nobody here speaking except
you and… what is your favor upon him except perhaps for a deed of
your previous charity or an act of piety.
"History narrates to us, too that
Sawadah bin Qais said to the Prophet (P.B.U. H.) during the days
of his illness: "O Allah's Messenger! You. when you left At-Taif,
I welcomed you while you were mounting on your lame camel with a
thin long stick in your hand wanting to aim at the camel but
unfortunately the stick hit my abdomen O Messenger of Allah! The
Prophet, on hearing that story, ordered him to avenge himself and
said: "Uncover your belly, O Messenger of Allah:" I seek refuge
with Allah at the position of likewise punishment for fear of
Allah on Doomsday.
At this point, the Messenger of
Allah said to Sawada bin Qais: "O Sawadah bin Qais! Would you
punish or pardon? He, then said: "But I pardon O Messenger of
Allah!"
The Messenger of Allah said: "O
Allah! Pardon Sawada bin Qais as much as he pardoned your Prophet
Muhammad. "We can hardly imagine the extent of the Islamic
ability in imposing the principle of equality on all the
conflicting tribes and the opposing classes unless we get to be
acquainted with the image of the ignorant people whom Islam has
produced out of them a nation at the peak of advancement,
progress and civilization.
There has been no allusion to the
existence of equality to have been known before the light of
Islam came into sight whether among the people of the Arab
Peninsula or among the peoples of Casri and Caesar; so,
there emerged the class distinction, tribal and kinship
differentiations as well as the varied colors which have
constituted a prominent and distinguished phenomenon and
prevalent features by which man's honor and personality in
life were measured until the emergence of the brilliant dawn of
the Quran which came to abolish and replace what was
customary during the pre-Islamic period and to determine the
unification of the whole of mankind on the solid basis of man's
being created of one human self: "O mankind! Be dutiful to your
Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him
Adam, He created his wife (Hawaa) (Eve) and from them both He
created many men and women and fear Allah from Whom you demand
(your mutual rights) and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs
(kinship). Surely Allah, is ever an AII-Watcher over
you."(An-Nisa: 1).
In the light of this truth Islam
started the widest process of change that history has ever
witnessed where, out of injustice it coined equality and of
hostility, love and out of class struggle peace and integrity and
the spread of the principles of immortal equality in all fields
with regard to: equality of duty and of right and between
all classes and equality of penal judgment, equality of humanity
– that no difference is there between man and woman, between the
master and the slave because all in the view of Islam are equal
like the teeth of a comb…and that all are of Adam and Adam is of
this same earth."
It seems that this bold, decisive
attitude of such strong and active message has made the wealthy
masters and owners of interests defiantly stand, like stubborn
and abhorrent enemies, against the voice of right and truth, to
that degree of ugliness, abomination and cruelty that there has
been no match for hostilities in the world.
In this noble verse of the holy
Quran there you find a highly valuable and civilized indication
which uncovers to us that the principle of equality in Islam has
exceeded all the sectarian barriers and the differences that
often arise among religions and as such the basic equality with
him is humanistic before it has been Islamic.
So, where can we place the systems
of the contemporary century and the laws of the modern age if
compared with the humanity of the Islamic legislation and the
mercy of Islam?!
Right from here, and through this
immensely deteriorated and corrupted reality, we got to feel the
urgent necessity of returning to the prayer hoping meantime
to discover the causes of our loss, severance and dispersion in
addition to our being far aloof from the spirit of Islam so that
we can cure our wounds and get our remnants together and finally
get back to our senses, get ourselves guided and see our way in
life together with renovating our heritage and restoring
the brilliance of our faces because this fake colorful mask
has blinded our eyes from seeing the truth, the sense of
good and beauty.
It is inevitable for us to get
back to the prayer to give a rebirth to the human spirit under
the shade of love, cooperation and equality but the prayer did
not spread in our society the feelings of equality as long as no
one of us perform the prayer except the poor people, laborers and
the needy.
If we want the prayer of Islam to
achieve the message of equality for the nation, it necessitates
that all should get together like a full bunch of colorful
flowers in the……. of faith and prayer to get together in the
House of Allah - the rich and the poor - officials - bosses -
servants - workers and educated people, …..only in this way can
we see in our atmospheres: perfumes and odorous smells to
fill our world with the purity of brotherhood and the mercy of
equality - for there is no assembly in the world like Islam which
can be as wonderfully successful as Islam in familiarizing such
human contradictory gatherings together in one long line or queue
whose basis is equality, so if you place the conflicts which
arise among the states of the peoples of the east and the states
of the peoples of the west for any settlement, they can't get a
long - term of peaceful existence together except inevitably
resorting to Islam for the sake of uprooting the causes of their
conflict as a final solution".
Sun -
22 Jamadilawal 1446H -
