Back In 1983, during my years as a student, I was once hitchhiking from Durban to Transvaal. I tried for about four hours without much luck. As evening drew near I realised that if I didn’t get a lift soon, I’d be spending the night on the roadside.
I pulled on my ‘topie’ (mosque hat) and was not surprised when five minutes later a car pulled over to give me a lift. With my ‘topie’ on, I knew that I wouldn’t have a problem hitching a lift with a Muslim passer-by. The sense of belonging that washed through me at that moment was overwhelming.
Here I was, a young man at the prime of my life belonging to such a united; caring and loving community. My heart swelled with pride -MY religion MY community.
Twenty years later (2003), I was driving along the busy N2 between Phoenix and Newlands with my family when my car broke down. We decided to push it to the nearest garage. The kids and I got out to push the car while my wife took the wheel.
I was dressed in my ‘kurtha’ and ‘topie’ while my young daughters were wearing their traditional Indian Muslim attire. It was quite blatant for any passerby to see that we were unmistakably a stranded, innocent Muslim family.
After what must have been half an hour with about 2km having gone by and not a single Muslim brother having stopped, a non-Muslim teenager saved the day.
It was a sad day for me, not because I had been stranded but because I realised that we were no longer the united; caring and sharing community that we once were… We were no longer an ‘Ummah”. There must have been hundreds of Muslims that passed us that night, they must have seen my little girls with their scarves pushing the car.
“Perhaps it was just a coincidence that not a single Muslim brother stopped to assist me that night,” I thought to myself, but when it happened repeatedly I accepted the stark reality of it all and began to wonder what had happened to that loving community that I was once so proud of.
Similarly, Muslims are no longer caring in other aspects of their lives… the elderly are left to fend for themselves; families dispute over trivial matters like inheritance; neighbors no longer communicate and it comes right up to our personal happiness…, divorce is spiraling out of control.
A year back, two Muslim; teenage orphans were left homeless after being evicted from the house they had been renting in. Ironically it was an Islamic organisation that had them removed after purchasing the land and wanting to develop it for Islamic purposes. Despite their plight being brought to public attention through a local newspaper, no one came forward to assist them.
Loving; caring and sharing are the basis of Islam. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam has said,:
“You shall not enter paradise so long as you do not affirm belief in all those things which are the articles of faith and you will not believe (in these articles of faith) so long as you do not love one another.” Muslim 1812
Yes! Loving one another comes before the five pillars of Islam. Verses of the Qur’aan also makes mention to the importance of loving and caring:
“Sees thou one who denies the judgement to come? Then such is the one who repulses the orphan, and encourages not the feeding of the indigent. So woe to the worshipers who (want but) to be seen but refuse (to supply] even neighbourly needs.” Sura Ma-aun 107:4
From the above verse you can deduce for yourself which is of greater importance, one’s prayer or helping one’s needy neighbour.
The note to the above verse (107:4) is as follows: “Hypocrites make a great show of hollow acts of goodness, devotion and charity but they fail if you test them by little acts of neighbourly help or charity…”.
Muslim brotherhood (‘Ummah’) is a vital aspect of Islam because in a broader outlook it protects and upholds all that is good. Maintaining a healthy ‘Ummah’ is therefore the social responsibility of all Muslims.
“The unbelievers are protectors of one another, and unless you do this (protect one another) there would be tumult and oppression on earth and great mischief.”8:73
The problem isn’t with the Bushes and the Blairs of the world but instead it is amongst us. We have stopped caring for our Muslim brothers and sisters and this has resulted in us facing worldwide problems.
There are many deeds that foster love between us and many acts that sow discord in the community. Greeting; embracing: kissing; sharing of gifts are all acts encouraged by Our Rasool Sallallahu Alayhe wasallam. He said that these deeds bring people closer together and bonds the community.
Hate; envy, suspicion, mockery, slandering and competing with one another are some of the deeds that he said, will lead to the social decay of our communities.
Let us not get caught up in our daily lives and turn a blind eye to the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters. Let us, as Muslims unite and stand side by side as was taught to us by our leader, Muhammed Mustafa Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam.
Author: Mohammed Hassan Gaffoor Contact him on WhatsApp 0849101486
April 2007