"Verily, the most honorable among you, in the sight of God, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, God is All-knowing, All-Aware” (The Holy Quran - 49:14).
Source/Credit: Stafford County Sun
By Shehla Ahmad | January 20, 2013
"We shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall without any fear in their hearts, assured of the inalienable right to human dignity, a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world."
Last month when I read this quote again, I appreciated Nelson Mandela from the core of my heart for the message he gave to his nation and the world. It of course reminded me of what Martin Luther King Jr. did for our nation, which is rightly remembered and celebrated each year.
He said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”.
If we dwell deep into the subject, it becomes clear that this message of human equality and in-discrimination gets so much respect because it is based on human nature. Free human conscience doesn’t tolerate anything less than that.
This message, however, is not new. Islam is a religion which is in line with human nature. No wonder Qur’an and Holy Prophet of Islam Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had given a very strong and clear direction on the subject of racial equality 1,500 years ago.
The Qur’an is unequivocal in declaring universal brotherhood and says, “O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female; and We have made you into tribes and sub-tribes that you may recognize one another. Verily, the most honorable among you, in the sight of God, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, God is All-knowing, All-Aware” (49:14).
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also laid emphasis on human equality as he said, “God does not look upon your bodies and your outward appearance but He looks at your hearts.” During his farewell sermon, he said, “All of you are equal. All men, whatever nation ! or tribe they belong to, and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal…….an Arab possesses no superiority over the non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab over an Arab.”
This teaching of equality given 1,500 years ago is not something merely academic rather it is manifested five times a day, when at each prayer in a mosque, men of different colors, race, rich and poor, all of them stand shoulder to shoulder on the same prayer rug and no one enjoys any preferential place in His house.
“Love for all, hatred for none” is a similar message based on the Qur’an and is the motto of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. This motto if practiced requires all people of the world to embrace equality not for fear of laws but from the core of their hearts and then will all discriminations die.
Shehla Ahmad, Stafford County
Read original post here: Love for all, hatred for none
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