Mystic Mantra: Generosity of spirit

Once Abdullah bin Amr, one of Prophet Muhammad’s companion, arranged a meal and asked his family: “Have you given some to our neighbour, the Jew? Because Angel Gabriel continued to recommend me about treating the neighbours kindly and politely so much so that I thought he would order me to make them as my heirs.”

Exhibiting generosity of spirit, magnanimous behaviour, humane compassion, equanimity and sharing sympathetic joy with neighbours and more importantly, with the people of other religions, is greatly valued in Islam. Prophet Muhammad advocated the same catholicity of heart and laid down similar instructions of what his predecessors like Moses and Jesus said regarding love for neighbours. He would often exhort: “When you make broth, add more water and give some to your neighbour.”

The injunction to love one’s fellow human beings echoes throughout all religious scriptures and spiritual mandates. It becomes patently clear with a close look at all religious confessions and different interpretations of faith in God. But the only thing that leaves us in the lurch, distressed and deeply pained is the widespread phenomenon of grave violation of this universal spiritual symbiosis perpetrated by extremists. Problems grow exponentially when we fail to take cognisance of their nefarious intentions and, eventually, fall prey to their divisive designs.

It is deplorable to see the adherents of “faiths” — which are all about loving others — come at odds with each other on trivial issues. While Jesus Christ enjoined: “Love thy neighbour as thyself”, Prophet Muhammad said: “None of you will be a true believer until he loves for his neighbour, what he loves for himself.” And again: “If you truly love your creator, love your fellow-beings first”.

Both the Muslim and Christian exhortations for loving one’s neighbours, regardless of faith and creed, go much in the same way as the Bhagvad Gita instructs: “a man should not have hatred for any living creature. Let him be friendly and compassionate to all.” These injunctions can clearly be seen in full synergy with the Biblical words uttered by Jesus: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you.”

Quran, the final revelation of God according to Islam, endorses the same spiritual standpoint: “And the servants of the gracious God are those who walk on the earth in a dignified manner, and when the ignorant addresses them, they say, ‘Peace’”. In this Quranic verse, Muslims are ordained, just as Christians in the Bible and Hindus in the Bhagvad Gita, to say words of peace even to people who hate, abuse, badmouth or harm them in any way.

Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Islamic scholar and English-Arabic-Urdu writer. He is associated with New Age Islam Foundation and can be contacted at grdehlavi@gmail.com