Kindness and Compassion Rank Supreme

Hazrat Aisha (rd) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said "God is Kind and likes kindness in all things."

[Bukhari & Muslim]

Explanation : Kindness is the sweetest and ineffaceable dimension of a believer's personality and should dominate a Muslim's way of life. Among all those aspects of human personality that can really make a society loving, harmonious, and strong, kindness and compassion rank supreme.

If one truly believes in Islam as a whole, one must believe that the needs of the Ummah supersede his or her own needs. Our enormous energies and talents deserve not to be wasted away in corporate offices, but rather in the service of the greater good of humanity.

Becoming doctors, engineers, or accountants is certainly not inherently wrong- but we must realize that building the character of a nation, that curing them of spiritual diseases, is much harder and requires ten times more resources than building the infrastructure of a nation. Obviously, as long as the bulk of all individual energies are being used to secure personal careers, Muslims on a whole will never tap into their potential to bring reform and prosperity.

If one believes the state of affairs of the Ummah to be pathetic today, we must believe ourselves individually to be pathetic as well. Islam, though, is not meant to be taken up as a hobby, but as a life calling – and until we forgo our individualistic dreams and build grander dreams for the Ummah, one cannot have high expectations for the future. This is the fundamental mistake made by Muslims today, and in reality, it is this mistake which threatens ruin and destruction on the Muslim community.

In every walk of our lives, in everything we do, at every level of our social interaction, whether with Muslims, non-Muslims, male, female, young or old, our manners are our best asset. It is no wonder that the Prophet (s) said: "I was sent to to consummate Akhlaq." [Muatta of Imam Malik]