پایگاه اطلاع رسانی آیت الله ابراهیم امینی قدس سره

52) HUMANENESS AND CHILDREN

HUMANENESS AND CHILDREN

All are Gods creations. All humans are the off springs of the same first parents—Adam and Eve (Hawwa). In fact all men belong to the same large family. Allah has created them and He likes them. He has assured sustenance to everyone. . Allah only has endowed them with all their necessities in the world. He has given them control over the manipulation and use of these things. He has given them wisdom and strength to gainfully utilize the things around them to their advantage. Allah has provided them the opportunities to raise their spirits to reach perfection in piety and earn rewards in the Hereafter. He provided the means of guidance in the forms of Prophets from time to time. He has ordained (Mansoos) the Imams and then there are the religious guides, the Mujtahids and Marjahs. All this because Allah loves men and He is extremely Munificent. He wants men to be kind to one another and strive for the general welfare. He wants men to assist each other both in fair weather and during calamitous conditions. Those who have welfare of other human beings in their thoughts and actions are the chosen people of Allah. They shall have plenty of rewards in the Hereafter. Islam, a gregarious Faith, has given particular emphasis to the need for service to humanity.

The Prophet of Islam has said:

“All men eat the food provided by Allah. Therefore from men the dearest to Allah are those who give sustenance to other men and please some families.”[164]

Imam Ja’far Sadiq says:

“Allah says that people eat the food given by Me. Such of those men are dear to me who are kind to the other humans and strive hard to help them in the time of need.”[165]

Someone asked the Prophet: “Who is the dearest to Allah among men?” The Prophet replied: “One who is most beneficial to other fellow-men.”[166]

The Prophet of Islam has said:

“After the Faith, the wisest act for a person is the love and care of the other human beings, be they good or otherwise.”[167]

“One who is not concerned with the good of the Muslims is not a Muslim.”[168]

Imam Ja’far Sadiq says:

“Allah’s preferred men are those who are approached by men in need of help. These preferred men of Allah will be in the Care of Allah on the Day of Judgement.”[169]

The Prophet of Islam said:

“Allah is Kind on His men and likes those men who are kind to their fellow men.”[170]

There are hundreds of such traditions of the Prophet and the Imams that are spread over many compendiums of the sayings of these Infallible Persons. .

The Prophet has seen the Islamic society as a single unit and has asked the followers of the Faith to work for the common good. Islam is a Gregarious Faith and considers the welfare of individuals as the welfare of the society. It fights against all kinds of selfishness. A true Muslim can never be selfish and will never overlook the rights of others in the society.

Friendship for other human beings is a superior quality and it is imbued in the nature of every individual. But with proper training this quality can be made manifest. Sometimes it may happen that this wonderful quality might totally disappear from the nature of some individuals. This is like other inherent instincts in all human being which start manifesting during early childhood in their rudiments and if they are not properly nourished, they might become dormant or totally recede into the recesses of the individual’s mind. It is the responsibility of the parents to make their children friendly to human beings and generous. If the parents themselves are generous to others and the children see the shades of generosity in their words and actions, they can naturally follow suit.

The responsible and informed parents sometimes describe the plight of the needy people, the poor, the handicapped and old, in the presence of their children. If possible they take out the children to meet these people. They tell the children that these are the deprived people and are in need of support and help. They provide help to such people in the presence of the children to set a good example for them to emulate when they grow up and are capable of helping others. The parents sometimes describe to the children the unfair tyranny heaped by some people on hapless persons and also the pathetic condition of the unfortunate sufferers. They also talk to their children about the unfortunate orphans who don’t have parents to look after them and they deserve full support from others in the society. They take their children to the orphanage to meet these kids and sometimes invite some of them to their home. All this goes a long way in making the children realize their responsibility to help and assist the needy in the society.


[164] Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 74, Page 317.
[165] Ibid., Vol. 73, Page 337.
[166] Ibid., Vol. 74, Page 239.
[167] Ibid., Vol. 74, Page 392.
[168] Ibid., Vol. 74, Page 347.
[169] Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 74, Page 318.
[170] Ibid., Vol. 74, Page 339.