As Muslims tear each other apart in sectarian and political conflicts across the world the question may seem strange, misplaced or even foolish.
Yet it remains indisputably true that love is the very essence of Islamic society. A Muslim community without love is as a fabric without a weft - merely a set of disparate threads unrelated to each other.
To many Muslims in today's world this will seem to be an extraordinary assertion. And they will demand to see the evidence, as they rightly should of all claims made about Islam. Fortunately the evidence in this case is provided in a wonderful little book written by the scholar Dr. Salahuddin Al-Munajjed in 1969.
I had the privilege of briefly meeting Dr. Munajjed in 1991 when I was invited to the home of his son - Zaher Al-Munajjed - who had been a classmate of mine at Harvard Business School in the early 80's. It was during this visit that Zaher handed me a copy of his father's book: المجتمع الإسلامي - في ظل العدالة translated the title means: Islamic Society - In the Shade of Justice.
I did not know Arabic at the time so the book languished on a shelf for a quarter of a century before I stumbled upon it again. By this time I had learned classical Arabic and even earned an MA degree in the subject.
And as I started to read it for the first time I began fully to appreciate the scholarship of Dr. Munajjed. This is a scholarship the world no longer, or at least very rarely, sees. Its qualities are merit, excellence and a self deprecating modesty which suggests that the scholar really does not know much more than you do.
As I read Chapter 12 of this wonderful book entitled "Love permeates Islamic Society" I felt that its contents needed to be shared with a broader non Arab audience. And what follows is my translation of this chapter. I have tried to do justice to Dr. Munajjed's text but I know that I have fallen short. In the scheme of things this does not matter. What matters is that the meaning be clear.
First some notes:
1. Translations of all the Ahaadith are mine so there is room for error. And if anyone sees an error I will be indebted to them to point it out to me so that it can be corrected.
2. Translations of all Quranic verses are from Marmaduke Pickthall's "The Meaning of the Glorious Quran". I believe this remains one of the most eloquent translations of the Quran in English. It captures, however fleetingly, the soaring grandeur of the original in Arabic which, over the centuries, has 'moved men to tears and ecstasy'.
3.The word for love in Arabic is - مَحَبّة - mohabbat. This is the verbal noun or infinitive of the verb - حَبّ، يحبّ - to love.
4. Verses from the Quran are in Green and sayings of the Prophet in Blue.
And now, this is Chapter 12 of Dr. Munajjed's book:
Love Permeates Islamic Society
This (Islamic) society is based on eternal love. And Islam defines the extent of this love in a Hadith of the Prophet
لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه
Not one of you will enter into belief until what he loves for himself is what he loves for his brother (Bukhari, Muslim and Nisai)
And another:
إن أفضل الإيمان أن تحب للناس ما تحب لنفسك، وتكره لهم ما تكره لنفسك
The best (form) of belief is that you love for people what you love for yourself and that you hate for them what you hate for yourself.(Ahmed)
So Islam has made loving for others what you love for yourself a condition of belief
And it goes further as in this Hadith
لا تدخلوا الجنة حتى تؤمنوا. ولا تؤمنوا حتى تحابّوا
You (plural) will not enter Heaven until you believe. And you will not believe until you love each other (Muslim)
So loving each other in Islam is made a precondition to a place in Heaven.
And it is this love that drives Muslims to prefer their brothers (in Islam) over themselves.
وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ
And they prefer (others) over themselves even if they are poor and needy (themselves)" (Al-Hashr 9) )
It is to preserve and protect this love between Muslims that Islam has tried its best to condemn and forbid whatever may threaten it:
No tyranny
So it does not permit tyrants to rule Muslims and it is incumbent on them to remove such leaders. Because there is no room in Islam for tyranny whose existence in society is disruptive of the love that Muslims must have for each other. The Prophet says:
إن الناس إذا رأوا الظالم فلم يأخذوا على يده أوشق أن يعمهم الله تعالى بعقاب
If people see a tyrant and do not take him to task then it is likely that Allah will punish them all (Abu Dawood and Tirmizi)
And similarly there is no place for tyrants in the broader Islamic society. The Prophet says:
المسلم أخو المسلم لا يظلمه ولا يسلمه، أو يثمله
A Muslim is a Muslim's brother. He will not wrong him, or surrender him (to his enemy) or hurt him (Bukhari and Muslim)
And he said:
لينصر الرجل أخاه ظالما أو مظلوما. إن كان ظالما فلينهه، فإنه له نصر، وإن كان مظلوما فالينصره
A man must help his brother when he is oppressed or is oppressing others. If he oppresses others, he should be stopped. And this constitutes help for him. If he is being oppressed then he should be helped. (Bukhari and Muslim)
And further:
من مشى مع ظالم سعى إلى النار
He who walks with a tyrant makes his way to the fire (Bukhari and Muslim)
No assault
Islam does not permit a Muslim to assault, molest or violate another Muslim in any way, or to speak ill of him, or to slander him. According to a Hadith:
سئل الرسول: أي الإسلام أفضل؟ قال المسلم من سلم الناسُ من لسانه ويده.
The Prophet was asked: Which Islam is the best? He said: The Muslim is one whose tongue and hand do no harm to the people (literally from whose tongue and hand people are safe) (Bukhari and Muslim)
And he said:
سباب المسلم فسوق، وقتاله كفر
Abusing a Muslim is immoral and fighting with him disbelief (Bukhari and Muslim)
Similarly the Quran warns against libel and slander:
وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا اكْتَسَبُوا فَقَدِ احْتَمَلُوا بُهْتَانًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
And those who falsely torment (malign) believing men and women will bear (the consequences) of committing a clear sin and slander (Quran 33:58)
Conduct Unbecoming
Islam condemns any conduct which disrupts social cohesion by damaging the love which holds society together. And so it looks askance at Muslims spying on each other.
No spying
The Prophet says:
لا تؤذوا الملسلين ولا تتبعوا عوراتهم
Do not torment Muslims and do not spy into their private lives (Ibn Majah
And he says:
من اطلع في بيت قوم بغير إذنهم فقد حل لهم أن يفقأوا عينه
Whoever looks into someone’s house without their permission gives them the right to pluck out his eye (Bukhari and Muslim)
In the same vein The Quran makes succinct use of the imperative:
وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا
Do not spy (on each other) (Al-Hujaraat 12)
No slander
The same ayat goes on to condemn in the strongest terms slander and especially what it calls ‘gheebat’ - saying uncomplimentary things about people when they are not present.
وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ
Do not backbite. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of a dead brother? You would abhor it. (So abhor backbiting in the same way) (Al-Hujaraat 12).
Similarly Islam condemns what in Arabic is called ‘namima’ (نميمة). This word, which has no precise equivalent in English, means ‘to listen to what one hears from an individual or a group of people and then relate it to another individual or group with the express intention to sow enmity between them’. Here is what the Prophet said about namima:
شرار عباد الله المشّاؤن بالنميمة، المفرّقون بين الأحبة
The most mischievous of Allah’s creatures are those who circulate namima to create dissension between a people united in love. (Musnad Ahmed)
And in the same context the Prophet says:
لا يدخل الجنة قتّاتٌ
The ‘Qattat’ will never enter Paradise. (Bukhari and Muslim)
‘Qattat’ is someone who eavesdrops into a conversation and then relates it to others.
The Prophet himself would forbid his companions to come to him with stories of other people:
لا يُبلّغُني أحدٌ من أصحابي عن أحادٍ شيئا. فإني أحبُّ أن أخرُجَ إليكم وأنا سليم الصدر
None of my companions should tell me anything about another. I prefer that, when I come out to meet you, I do so with an untainted heart. (Abu Dawood and Tirmizi)
No suspicion
Islam also condemns thinking ill or being suspicious of other people. The Quran puts it like this:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ
O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime (Hujuraat 12)
No hate and envy
Islam condemns hate and envy and conflict. The Prophet in this Hadith which uses the imperative form of the verbs mentioned makes this clear:
لا تباغضوا، ولا تحاسدوا، ولا تدابروا، وكونوا عباد الله إخوانا
Do not hate each other, or envy each other, or plot against each other but (instead) become brothers in the worship of Allah. (Bukhari and Muslim)
And the Quran puts it just as forcefully:
وَلَا تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ ۖ وَاصْبِرُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
And dispute not one with another lest ye falter and your strength depart from you; but be steadfast! Lo! Allah is with the steadfast. (Al-Anfaal 46)
No estrangement
Separation and estrangement from loved ones is strongly condemed:
لا يحلُّ لمسلمٍ أن يهجرَ أخاه فوق ثلاث
It is not permissible for a Muslim that he should let more than 3 days go by without meeting his brother (Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawood)
No egotism
Islam denounces egotism and selfishness:
In a telling Hadith the Prophet likens the selfish egotist to an animal:
جاء أعرابيٌّ فأناخَ راحلته، ثمَّ عقلها، ثم دخل المسجد فصلّى خلف النبيّ، ثم أتى راحلته فأطلقها، ثم ركب ثم نادى: اللهم ارحمني ومحمدا ولا تُشركْ في رحمتنا أحادا. فقال رسول الله: أتقولونَ هو أضل أو بعيره.
A bedouin arrived (at the Prophet’s masjid) and tied his camel at the entrance of the masjid. He prayed behind the Prophet and after the payer went out, untied his camel, and as he got ready to ride away he said loudly: Oh Allah! Surround me and Mohammad with your Mercy and do not include anyone else in Your Mercy. After he left the, Prophet turned to his companions and asked: Tell me who is more misguided: This bedouin or his camel? (Bukhari, Muslim and others)
No Hypocrisy
And Islam decries switching of loyalties, treachery and hypocrisy:
مُّذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَا إِلَىٰ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ وَلَا إِلَىٰ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ
Swaying between this (and that), (belonging) neither to these nor to those. (An-Nisaa 143)
In the same context the Prophet says:
إن شر الناس ذو الوجهين الذي يأتي هؤلاء بوجه وهؤلاء بوجه
The worst of people is the two faced person, who shows one face when he is with a group of people and another face when he is with another group. (Bukhari, Muslim and others)
And the Prophet does not mince his words in describing a hypocrite (المنافق)
آية المنافق ثلاث: إذا حدّث كذب، وإذا وعدَ أخلف، وإذا اؤتمن خان
There are three characteristics (signs) of a hypocrite: When he speaks he lies. And when he makes a promise he breaks it. And when given a trust he betrays it (Bukhari and Muslim)
No arrogance
The Prophet says:
لا يدخل الجنة أحدٌ في قلبه مثقالُ حبّة خردل من كبرياء
He who has in his heart the equivalent of a mustard seed of arrogance will never enter Paradise (Muslim and Tirmizi)
No ridicule
And Islam prohibits people from ridiculing each other. The Quran says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِّن نِّسَاءٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ ۖ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ
Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they (are), nor let women (deride) women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. (Al-Hujuraat 11)
No hate
Islam strongly discourages people from hating each other. The Prophet says:
بحسب امرىءٍ من الشرّ أن يحقر أخاه المسلم
It suffices a Muslim in evil that he should hate another Muslim brother. (Muslim)
No fraud
And it condemns fraud in trade and dealings with others:
The Prophet says:
من غشّنا فليس منّا
He who defrauds us is not from among us (Muslims) (Bukhari and Muslim)
And similarly any practices that impinge on the rights of trading partners are prohibited including coercion to buy or sell, collusion to set prices, or deceit in the value or quality of goods sold or bought.
No tribalism (baradari)
Islam also strongly forbids tribalism (العصبية) because it causes estrangement and creates hatred in the wider society. This is what the Prophet had to say:
ليس منا من دعا إلى عصبية
He who calls to (enourages or supports) tribalism is not from among us (Abu Dawood)
In another Hadith he characterizes tribalism as:
أن يعين المرءُ قومَه على ظلم
That one supports his tribe even if they do wrong
In general then Islam orders its followers to distance themselves from anything which weakens the love between members of society. And calls them toward embracing the highest ethics, morality and conduct which strengthen the bonds of love between society.
Indeed the Prophet describes those who refuse to embrace these high ethics (مكارم الأخلاق) as ‘bankrupt’:
قال رسول الله: أتدرون ما المفلس؟ قالوا: المفلس فينا من لا درهمَ له ولا متاع. فقال: إن المفلس من أمّتي من يأتي يومَ القيامة بصلاة وصيام وزكاة، ويأتي قد شتم هذا، وقذف هذا، وأكل مال هذا، وسفك دم هذا، وضرب هذا
The Prophet said: Do you know what bankrupt is? They replied: The bankrupt among us is one who does not have a Dirham to his name or anything else. He (the Prophet) replied: Indeed the bankrupt of my Ummah is he who comes to the Day of Reckoning (satisfied) that he has completed his prayers, and his fasting and paid his zakat. He comes and he has slandered this person, and reviled this, and cheated this, and spilt the blood of this, and physically beaten this… (Muslim and Tirmizi)
And Islam urges people to always help the believer and never to let him down. The Prophet says:
ما من امرىءٍ يخذل امرءاً في موضع تُنْتَهكُ فيه حرمته، ويُنتَقصُ فيه من عرْضه إلا خذله الله في موطن تجب فيه نُصرتُه
He who betrays someone in a place where the latter is at risk then Allah will betray the betrayer at a place where he would have needed Allah’s help (Abu Dawood)
And in the path of ensuring that this love between members of the society endures the Quran always instructs its followers to suppress their anger and to be forgiving towards anyone who errs:
وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِّثْلُهَا ۖ فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ
The recompense of an ill-deed is an ill the like thereof. But whosoever pardoneth and amendeth, his wage is the affair of Allah. Lo! He loveth not wrong-doers. (Ash-Shura 40)
And it says:
وَأَن تَعْفُوا أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ وَلَا تَنسَوُا الْفَضْلَ بَيْنَكُمْ
To forgo is nearer to piety. And forget not kindness among yourselves.(Al-Baqara 237)
And:
وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Let them forgive and show indulgence. Yearn ye not that Allah may forgive you? Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
Then Allah addresses His Prophet directly and commands:
فَاصْفَحِ الصَّفْحَ الْجَمِيلَ
So forgive, (O Muhammad), with a gracious forgiveness. (Al-Hijr 85)
And further commands him:
ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ
Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend. (Fussilat 34)
And in a Hadith the Prophet addresses his companions:
ألا أنبئكم بما يشرّف البنيان ويرفع درجات؟ قالوا: نعم يا رسول الله. قال: تحلم على من جهل غليك، وتعفو عمن ظلمك، وتعطي من حرمك، وتصلُ من قطعك.
Shall I inform you of that which will enoble the character and raise (you) manyfold? They say: Yes, Messenger of Allah. And he says: Treat with kindness he who ignores you. And forgive he who wrongs you. And give to he who denies you. And seek to befriend he who severs his links with you. (Bukhari and Muslim)
...End of Chapter 12 of Dr. Munajjed's book…
Nadeem M Qureshi
31 August 2014
