HEALING THE WOUNDS
Of September 11, 2001
Muslims are told in the Quran "Let a party of
believers rise which enjoins what is good and forbids what is wrong". We are
also told to cooperate with others in goodness, but not in wrong doing". Those
who don't are doomed. "By the token of time, mankind is in a state of loss
except for those who believe and do righteous deeds and join together in the
mutual teaching of truth and perseverance. "(Surah Al-ASR).
Spirituality is nothing but the awareness of the presence of
God within our spirit. When we recognize this and then express it in our
positive actions through our prayer or social work, we become instruments of
God. We then see through His eyes, hear through His ears, work with His hands
and speak in His tongue. When we take one step toward Him, He takes giant leaps
toward us. When we walk toward Him, He runs toward us to the extent that the
children of God in His image merge in His cause.
We go to the house of worship be it a mosque, church, or
temple not just to get the attention of its owner, but also to pray to Him that
He will have mercy on us and guide us through our journey on this planet. In
return, He expects us to carry His message to the whole of mankind.
Thus taking care of fellow human beings and all other
creations of God becomes our collective responsibility whether we like it or
not. The suffering of human beings whether homelessness or poverty is nothing
but a test from Him of how we patiently persevere and how we do our best to
relieve those who are suffering.
The social obligation of believers includes taking care of
those who have not, irrespective of their faith. There are 20 million Americans
below the poverty level. 40% of our children are also at the poverty level.
The responsibility of the people of faith includes
establishment of shelters, halfway houses for runaway teenagers, rehabilitation
for drug addicts, combating violence on the streets, and fighting discrimination
and racism. We cannot leave this to the city, state, or Federal Government only.
The responsibility of those who leave houses of worship after
their prayer is to go on the street and introduce love within families, within
neighborhoods, within the community, and among the religions.
As we enter the next millennium, we must remember the work
of Jesus and all of the prophets before and after him toward humanity.
We must forget and forgive our differences and give some gifts to our fellow
human beings and Mother Earth.
Our talk of peace for the next millennium should be followed
by peaceful actions such as human rights for all, gender equality, the right to
earn a living and basic needs, and the end of hostility based on religion,
language and ethnicity.
We must develop programs to implement these goals in our
community, joining with others in the same cause. We must do all for the love of
the same God whom we like to visit once a week.
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