Compassion and love comes from your faith, but your faith is lacking until you show the same love for others as you show yourself, worshippers are told in this week’s sermon.
It stresses the importance of brotherhood and how essential it is for the fabric of the community.
“The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body – when any limb of it aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever,” says a Hadith by the Prophet Mohammed.
He linked true faith to feelings of good towards others.
“None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself,” the Prophet said.
When you achieve Allah’s love through good deeds and worship, Allah will reflect that love in other people’s hearts towards him.
Prophet Mohammed said: “When Allah loves a slave, calls out Jibril [the archangel] and says, ‘I love so-and-so, so love him’. Then Jibril loves him.
“After that he [Jibril] announces to the inhabitants of Heaven that Allah loves so-and-so, so love him, and the inhabitants of the Heavens [the angels] also love him and then make people on Earth love him.”
Islam recommends exchanging greetings and gifts for affection to grow.
The Quran warns against mocking one another and gossiping.
A verse says: “O ye who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they [are], not let women [deride] women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Bad is the name of lewdness after faith. And who so turneth not in repentance, such are evil-doers.”
The sermon says such acts include mocking others on social media and sharing videos that ridicule others.
hdajani@thenational.ae
