Islam in Focus | CHAPTER - 4 | 193
(175-205)

Among the substantial elements of this structure are sincere love for one’s fellow human beings, mercy for the young, respect for the elders, comfort and consolation for the distressed, visiting the sick, relieving the grieved, genuine feelings of brotherhood and social solidarity; respect for the rights of other people to life, property, and honor; mutual responsibility between the individual and society it is a common thing to come across Prophetic statements like these:

Whoever relieves a human being from a grief of this world, God will relieve him from a grief on the Day of Judgement Anyone who has no mercy on the juniors and respect for the seniors is not one of us Muslims None of you is a true believer in Islam until and unless he loves for his fellow man what he loves for his own self Whoever invites others to good is like the doer of good and will be rewarded accordingly, and whoever instigates evil is like the doer of evil and will be punished accordingly In the Qur’an, on the other hand, one finds numerous Divine instructions like these:

O you who believe! Mind God as He should be minded, and die not except in a state of Islam. And hold fast, all together, by the Rope of God, and be not divided among yourselves. And remember with gratitude God’s favor on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in Love, so that by His Grace you have become brethren; and you were on the brink of the Pit of Fire and He saved you from it. Thus does God make His Signs clear to you that you may be guided. Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. They are the ones to attain felicity (3:102-104) O you who believe! Fulfill all obligations... and help you one another in righteousness and piety, but help you not one another in sin and rancor. Mind God; for God is strict in punishment (5:1-3) In addition to what has already been said, the social patterns of Islam could be seen, once more, in the last sermon of Prophet Muhammad during the course of pilgrimage.

Addressing the tens of thousands of pilgrims, he said among other things:

O people! Listen to my words, for I know not whether another year will be vouchsafe to me after this to find myself amongst you at this place Your lives and properties are sacred and inviolable amongst one another until you appear before the Lord, as this day of this month is sacred for all. And remember that you shall have to appear before your Lord Who shall demand from you an account of all your actions O people! You have rights over your wives and your wives have rights over you.

Treat your wives with love and kindness. Verily you have taken them as the trust of God, and have make their persons lawful unto you by the words of God. Keep always faithful to the trust reposed in you, and avoid sins Henceforth, the vengeance of blood practiced in the days of ignorance and paganism is prohibited and all blood feud abolished And your slaves! See that you feed them with such food as you eat yourselves, and clothe them with the stuff you wear; and if they commit a fault which you are not inclined to forgive, then part from them, for they are the servants of the Lord, and are not to be harshly treated O people! Listen to my words and understand the same.

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