WHY RESPECT ALL HUMAN BEINGS
God-oriented living means that one looks at all human beings with respect and honour, whether they belong to one’s religion or community.
As mentioned earlier in this book, it is said that the Prophet of Islam was once seated at a place in Madinah when a funeral procession was passing by. The Prophet stood up in deference to it. One of his Companions said, “O! Prophet, it is the funeral of a Jew.” The Prophet replied, “Was he not a human being?” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1312)
From this incident, one can conclude that a basic principle of the God-oriented way of life is that one should look at every person with respect and honour, no matter what their religion or community. Such respect and honour derive from all humans having the same Source—the One God.
When you look at a person, and your eyes are focused on your differences, what sets you apart from him, you might want to maintain a distance from him. You might imagine that you and he have little or no commonality. However, on the other hand, if you look at him as a fellow human being and focus on his good points, you might be led to discover him as a unique masterpiece of God’s creation and realize that he and you share much in common. His existence might remind you of one or more of the attributes of God. In such a situation, you might forget the apparent differences between you and him, and you might be lost in the beauty of the Divine creativity that he reflects.
In the mirror of creation, you will find God. In the form of a fellow human being, no matter what their religion, ethnicity, or social class, you can discover a fellow being who, just like yourself, has been created by the One God and who, therefore, is just as worthy of respect as you think you are. His relationship with God is equal to your relationship with God.
When a devotee of God respects a person, it could be said to be an expression of the sublime feelings aroused in him related to God as the Creator. The expression of these feelings has no limit. Such feelings find expression in all kinds of human beings, not just those who are related to themselves or belong to the same religion or community. This is why one must respect all human beings, regardless of background, religion or community. One must respect all creatures since they are all from the One God.
