THE DUTY OF MUSLIMS TO MANKIND
A Neglected Responsibility
THE mission of Muslims is dawah or the communication of the Word of God. It is in its performance that they will be held deserving of being raised in the Hereafter as the followers of the Prophet of Islam. This is expressed in the following verse of the Quran:
O Messenger, deliver whatever has been sent down to you by your Lord. If you do not do so, you will not have conveyed His message. (THE QURAN 5: 67)
Although this verse is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, his followers are included in it. The first thing that this verse tells us is to convey the divine revelations to the people. This is the task which God wants Muslims to perform. According to the Quran, God has made the Muslims a middle nation, so that they may act as witnesses over mankind, and the messenger may be a witness for them. (THE QURAN 2: 143). This status of Muslims has been explained thus in a hadith: “You are God’s witnesses on this earth.”
It is a known fact that when a person is appointed to any position of responsibility, his future depends on how well or badly he carries out the duties which that post entails. If he satisfactorily performs the duty for which he has been appointed, he will be held deserving of all kinds of rewards. But if he neglects his duty, no other work done, even if it is on a larger scale, will make him deserving on any honour in the eyes of his Creator. In this matter, Muslims must pay heed to this warning which was given to the previous people of the Book, when they stopped conveying God’s message to mankind:
God made a covenant with those who were given the Book to make it known to people and not conceal it. But they cast it behind their backs and bartered it for a paltry price: what an evil bargain they made!
Those who exult in their misdeeds and love to be praised for what they have not done should not suppose that they are secure from punishment; they shall suffer a grievous punishment. (THE QURAN 3: 187-188)
A sect which is the bearer of the Divine Book becomes valueless in the eyes of God when it fails to convey the Divine revelation to the people. Engaging in other activities at the cost of preaching God’s word and wrongly designating other activities as dawah work is adding insult to injury. No such group can ever be held deserving of any credit for carrying out the Divine task.
Dawah work — the solution to all problems.
Muslims face many problems but they do not need to devote their energies to solving those problems (THE QURAN 5: 67). God has given them a master-key, and that is, dawah work, which can solve all their problems. For instance, man needs a number of things in his life, but, rather than pay attention to them separately, he sets about making money, because he knows that if he can make money all his needs will be fulfilled on their own. The same is true of spreading God’s word. All the problems which Muslims face in this life have a common solution — in the form of calling people to God. This is what the message of Haj is.
Mind at Peace
Spirituality is the result of a peaceful mind. And, living with a mind at peace lies within your own domain. No one can interfere with it. Your mind is your own exclusive property.
Do not allow anyone to rule your mind – by remote control as it were. This is the only practical formula for the attainment of spirituality
