To Empathize

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏
وَعَنْ حُسَيْنٍ الْمُعَلِّمِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ لا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى يُحِبَّ لأَخِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِهِ ‏”‏‏.‏

Narrated Anas:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “None of you will have faith till he wishes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for himself.” (HR. Bukhari)

This was the topic of last Friday Prayer’s sermon, reminding how essential it is to every Muslim to empathize with his/her brothers/sisters in Islam.

This fundamental virtue that should be one of the characteristics of every member of this religion is what people generally understand as the Golden Rule; in positive directive form may appear as ‘One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.’

Empathy is a very fundamental yet powerful concept that when exercised will give birth to the feeling of peace in one’s heart as well as in others’; which is the very lexical translation of the word Islam: peacefulness.

Empathy involves paying serious attention to others’ feelings as one would do his/hers. It also involves not being negatively presumptuous (su’udzon) of others’ deeds and trying to find the good reason behind the action (husnudzon).

The preacher then went on by citing the hadith on 5 rights that a Muslim has over another.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنِ الأَوْزَاعِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ “‏ حَقُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ خَمْسٌ رَدُّ السَّلاَمِ، وَعِيَادَةُ الْمَرِيضِ، وَاتِّبَاعُ الْجَنَائِزِ، وَإِجَابَةُ الدَّعْوَةِ، وَتَشْمِيتُ الْعَاطِسِ ‏”‏‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ‏.‏ وَرَوَاهُ سَلاَمَةُ عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “The rights of a Muslim on the Muslims are five: to respond to the salaam, visiting the sick, to follow the funeral processions, to accept an invitation, and to reply to those who sneeze. (see Hadith 1239)

The topic is then finalized by an emphasis on how a Muslim should treat other Muslims, and even other people from other religions, starting from his feelings; that is to forgive every person who might have offended him/her, before sleeping every night.

This virtue is, of course, one of the most essential and fundamental values/exercises in the religion of Islam as it perfectly depicts what it means to be a peaceful person, to be a real Muslim.

Personally, I perceive that while this topic is relatively well-known among the Muslims, it is also one of the most easily forgotten. As various Muslim organisations with diverse views on various issues are emerging, it is getting easier to see the difference between one organization to another. What very unfortunate is that these subtle differences are growing into organizational exclusiveness, where each organization would claim the truth only for itself and not for the others, giving ways to antipathy and hatred, and forgetting the fundamental virtue above.

But O Muslims, let’s not be.

Let us return to the benevolent teachings and principles of this religion. Being empathetic and having good faith in one another, and thus becoming a real Muslim; a real peaceful person.

Allahu’alam.

 

References:

http://sunnah.com/bukhari/2/6

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule

http://sunnah.com/bukhari/23/4