Love all and God will love you.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) advised, "Make it a habit to greet one another with Assalam, o Alaikum," which means "Peace and blessing be upon you." The other person responds, "Walakum Assalam," meaning "Peace and blessings be upon you, too." What a beautiful greeting.
A hadith (a compilation of what the Prophet Muhammad did and said) says, "None of you will have faith until you love for your brother what you love for yourself."
Islam envisions a peaceful world and demands the observance of values to bring peace and justice to all. It is not a religion of mere rituals but one whose goal is to lead a well-balanced life in peace and harmony. To attain peace of mind, body and soul, one has to submit to the will of God. Once that is done, the journey is easy and straight.
Arabic is a very rich language. The word "Insan" is used for human being, and the root word is "Nisa," which means one who forgets. We humans are forgetful. We need to be reminded again and again of our origin. We not only forget what our relationship is to each other, but we keep forgetting how to thank Allah (God) day and night for all the bounties He has bestowed upon us. God created the universe, and then He created Adam and Eve. Adam is our father of the forefathers. We are a big family on this Earth. We are sisters and brothers. So we must love each other like a family.
The Quran 49:13 says, "O, Mankind, we have created you from a male and a female and made you in nations and tribes so you may recognize each other, not to despise each other. "
Belonging to a different race, or being a different color or nationality does not change our ancestry. We are still a big family. The language of love has no borders or limitations. It is a universal language. It wins hearts and souls. A man asked a pious person, "I have 10 kids. How do I divide my love among them?" The person smiled and said, "You don't divide your love, you multiply it."
In this time and age, we need to multiply our love for humanity, as there is too much arrogance, hate and anger. Arrogance triggers hate, which triggers anger and boils down to hurt and violence. A heart filled with love is a source of peace and tranquillity. Love begets love. It is contagious. A simple smile sends a signal of calmness and sobriety.
Communities and neighborhoods flourish when we love and care for one another. When we are loving, caring and kind to fellow humans, it gives true happiness, and a blissful peace prevails. Whatever we do, we must do it for the love of God, as our reward is with God.
Love is just a word. It may remain an empty word if it is not translated into actions, since actions speak louder than words. Suppose a mom calls her son and asks him to bring her a glass of water. The boy comes, gives her a big hug, kisses her on the cheek, sits next to her and says, "Mom, go, get your own water." What kind of love is it? Caring and loving asks sacrifice.
Peace and justice go hand in hand. Real peace is attained when justice prevails. Justice means to maintain the balance and to give everyone and everything its proper due.
To ensure peace and justice, we must be aware of the rights and duties not only to each other, but from man to the community, referring to human rights, and the rights of animals, plants and other creations, as well as the rights and duties between Allah and man.
Islam is such a complete religion that it covers all aspects of life in detail and in depth with genuine reasoning and explanations.
Human rights, rights of security, protection of life and property, freedom of enterprise, and freedom of speech and _expression are some of the rights enjoyed in Islam. Interpersonal relations should be based on love and affection as between parents and children, husband and wife, neighbors, co-workers and so on.
It is in the Quran that Allah puts love in the hearts of a couple when they join hands in marriage. It is also mentioned in the Quran to treat your parents with love and affection when they reach old age.
Islam is a thorough theology and addresses all aspects of life. To get to know each other is the first step to love each other. So let us make a pledge to wipe out hate with the immense power of love.
Shagufta Hasan, M.D., is a member of the executive board of the Muslim Educational Trust. She can be reached at 503-531-7905. All submissions become the property of The Oregonian and will not be returned; submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise used in any medium. Views expressed in "Religion Today" columns do not represent the views of The Oregonian. Readers may respond by writing a letter to the editor or "My Turn" column for the "Your Opinion" page. Send responses to: Metro West, The Oregonian, 10100 S.W. Park Way, Portland, OR 97202; email: west@news.oregonian.com