Break the Shells of Selfishness to Become Boundless

Height and stature do make a reason for weight of man but it hardly earns any social importance. Real veneration depends mostly on man’s ideals and objectives. The more the ideals of man are lofty the more respect he earns. Same is the case of the communities. Their ideologies and ideals become the meter for their esteem and worth in the comity of the nations. Imagine what the Arabs in Arab peninsula were before the advent of Islam? Not worth of any consideration. Two super powers, one on the North and the other on South East had hardly ever attached any attention to the nomadic life in the deserts of the peninsula. None of the both super powers of the time even ever thought the Arab Bedouin useful in keeping them in their imperial clutches. Why? They did not have any majestic ideals. But just after the same Bedouins emerged to be the torch holders of Divine Guidance and transmitters of a holy message they started to be seriously noticed and the powers around them were alarmed. It was marvel of the ideology which changed them in an organized and civilized community.

Islam changed their world view and mindset. Direction of their thinking was diverted from narrowness of earthliness to the amplitude of Akherah. They were makers and not the breakers. They lived a vibrant, dynamic and energetic life to make this earth a peaceful and flourishing place but not for themselves but for entire mankind. They did added and enjoy the beauties of this world but were not enchanted by its charms. They kept their eyes on the pleasures of their Lord and success in the life Hereafter.

Illustriousness of their ideology lifted them materially from the rage to the riches and spiritually and morally they rose from the dregs to the flowering position. Those whom no one was ready to take as followers became the guides and leaders. The more they became free from greed of materialistic resources and less in worries of the worldliness and concerned about their life Hereafter, the more the doors of the honor and abundances they found opened on them. As the revelation of Truths of the Quran started went open for them they became the beacons of knowledge and wisdom. Their giving honor to the matter of Allah, the Most Exalted, brought unprecedented honor and grace for them.

Before the radiance of the Divine Guidance reached them, they were disbanded people with no sense of an organized and disciplined life. But as their hearts and souls became radiant with the Guidance they were torch bearer of a great civilization and inventers of an exemplary culture. They conquered and became dominant in a major part of the civilized communities of that time around them and proved how elevated they are in their skill of administration and rule. With the Belief in their hearts they held the material world in their tight fist, not letting it cast its shadows on their hearts and pollute their minds, they excellently managed the world. Only bottom part of their ark, that indispensible to keep in the worldly waters, they advanced ahead without damping their cloaks in materialism.

Message of Islam spread around three continents and Muslim Ummah expanded with the pass of time. But then the horrendous times of the decline came and Muslim Ummah came in the eclipse. It happened after it came under the sway of secularism. Glows of knowledge, wisdom and even their religiosity could not be saved from getting declined after the priorities changed and the worldliness overcame the morality and Faith. The stains of secularism grew with the time and with the bodies souls were also seasoned with the blends of earthliness.

An ultimate result of materialism is suffering the loss lofty objectives of life. It added the missing of the common interests and grew covetous egocentricity. Awe-inspiring aims and objectives were the common asset of all and a source of making the Muslims firmly joined with each other. Loss of the common objectives became the loss of unity. The solid structure of unity scattered and the Muslims were no more than either the loosely spread seeds in a barren land or small heaps of the brickbats. Epidemic of racism and communalism and even sectarianism in the name of religion and political partisanship in the name of democracy broke out in their ranks and the situation became as the Quran says:
“They have broken their religion among them into sects, each group rejoicing in what is with it.” (Al-Mu’minun: 53)

Every group is concerned about its own survival. Instead of showing any solitude towards entire Ummah, thoughtfulness is centered on only particular groups. The interests of all such groups are clashing with each other. There is no shortfall of wealth in the Muslim Ummah. But the moral evils of avariciousness, stinginess and selfishness have beaten all the positive and virtuous feelings. Corruption has polluted the natures with the ugly practices of plundering and hoarding has got acceptence.

Generosity and sacrifice for others, as an important part of Islamic morality, remain the collective behavior pattern only when glorious ideals exist and belief remains a motive behind the acts. Akherah is the major part of the belief. When the belief of Akherah starts fading the love for earthly things rapidly grows to fill the vacuum. A state of meanness, causing the death of sympathies with needy people of the community develops.

In surah Al-Ma’un, one of the last surahs of the Quran, it is told that the reason behind the trend of repulsing the orphans harshly, not urging the feeding of the poor, nature of showiness and withholding the kindnesses of very little things is denying the Day of Reckoning and Recompense. Belief raises the believers so high that they start preferring their brothers in Faith over their own selves.

If the spirit of living with magnificent ideals is regained and fading Faith gets its life again, Islam has enough remedial and preventive measures in its scheme to settle the issues of selfishness and miserliness. What Islam requires is evident from only three Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, going to be referred below. He highly appreciated the noble trait of Ash’aryun (the tribe of Abu Musa Ash’ari, one of the prominent companions of the Holy Prophet, SAW). When they felt scarcity of food for their families in Madinah, they used to collect whatever they had with them in a big piece of cloth. Then they used to distribute it equally among them. (Agreed upon)

The Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him, is reported to have said:
“The food available for one person is sufficient for the two and provision for the two is enough for four and what is there for four persons is ample for eight people.” (Muslim)

Very interestingly nepotism is recommended not even in supplications. Ali ibn Abi Talib, be Allah pleased with him, relates that “The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, once passed by me when I was invoking for Allah’s blessing for me with the words: O Allah! Shower your blessings upon me.” The Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, gave a stroke at my back with his hand and said: “Generalize your supplication and not keep it limited to yourself. Because in the invocations in general sense and praying specifically for one’s own person, there is a difference as it is between the heavens and the earth.” (Delmi)

With the lowered aims and objectives this height of the character cannot be touched. Getting shrunk and shortened in the ‘selves’ leaves no room for loftiness of the objectives. Islam wants us to break the shell of our ‘selves’ around us and become enormously boundless.