Compassion can improve our behaviour

Compassion can improve our behaviour

The writer, Al-Hajj Khalil Champsi (Toronto, Canada) is a professional engineer, PMP certified, and a community volunteer.

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ne’s behaviour can have an impact in all the aspects Social and Environmental surroundings. 

God addresses his Servant in beautiful manner in the Holy Quran, Sura Al-Furqan verse 63 of men’s responsibility and all aspects of life including social and environment and this can be only done by being humble and seeking a peaceful co-existence in our communities. 

[ 25:63] And the servants of the Beneficent Allah are they who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: Peace.

One student at As-Sadiq Islamic School, Vaughan -Canada applied the above verse in her ‘Save the planet project’ in expressing herself in her drawing to seek means to minimize industrial pollution being discharged into the environment and improve in the quality of air.

There are many challenges faced by the past generations, but as an observation there has been an exponential multi-dimensional challenges to the social and environmental aspect around the Globe affecting every community.

Every region has its own challenges some have impacted aspects of lifestyles and these changes are evident during the past 80 years after the Second world war specially due to accelerated Industrial and recent Digital revolution and the  demographic shifts among different ethnic groups.

The family structures have dis-integrated and become deficient and one can see homeless people inthe so-called Homes in North America. Similarly in many Asian and African countries when a large family who used to leave under one Big tent, the pegs have been destroyed due to social and environmental pressures: this has resulted into Seniors living on their own or being cared by the communities e g. Senior homes especially for widows are now in demand in many big Cities thus following the precedence set in Europe and North America aging populations.

The developed economies consumption has gone unchecked and suck in all the world resources and the developing countries are left to fend for themselves. One area of manmade degradation is uncontrolled tourism which does not care for the local fragile environment. The breaches and coral reefs which were pristine are now populated with waste products and plastics which is causing significant damage to the environment impacting local people’s sustainable livelihood.

In the name of tourism, invasion of foreign culture and some of it negative influences are one the cause of moral delays and malaise in the communities.

God has send one hundred twenty thousand messengers to guide mankind towards all aspects of life to betterment one’s, spirituality, humanity, socially, economically and conserve and protect one’s environment. The last of his messengers holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) is mentioned as the mercy to the world in the Holy Quran,Sura Anbiya the verse 107:

[ 21:107] And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds.

It is stated in the Quran that prophets of Allah were sent to every people in every age, then as a culmination the Holy Prophet was sent to mankind as a mercy unto the worlds with a universal message. In verse 81 of Sura Ale Imran ,God tells us ,all the prophets of Allah have accepted the Holy Prophet as their supreme leader, therefore he is the only leader their followers should also obey and follow. Keeping this fact in view the Holy Prophet has been introduced to all human beings till eternity as the mercy unto the worlds to whom the final book of Allah, the Quran, was revealed and who was entrusted with the perfected and completed religion of Allah to be the law and guidance for all mankind for ever.

Aqa Mahdi Puya says: By presenting the Holy Prophet as the mercy unto the worlds it has been clearly asserted that he is the first and the foremost in the order of creation who was selected to convey the mercy of Allah to every created being. The entire existence of the Holy Prophet is the first and the continuous manifestation of the rububiyat of the rabbul alamin. The whole process of creation implies the circular process of descension and ascension of the person of the Holy Prophet for the purpose of universal blessings.

In Sura Ale-Imran of the Holy Quran,verse 159,God explained his mercy and Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) dealing with the people around him in a gentle manner.

[3:159] Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust.

As an individual the Holy Prophet was always inclined to mildness. He never first withdrew his hand out of another man’s palm. He never struck any one in his life. He was the sweetest and most agreeable in conversation. Those who saw him were suddenly filled with reverence; those who came near him loved him. He was generous and considerate even to his enemies, both open and hidden. He was sent by Allah as the “mercy unto the worlds”. 

In this day and age ,the harsh language whether it is verbal or written can be avoid especially in social media planforms which can be easily mis-construed and created misunderstandings amongst families and communities.

A very good example can be seen by Imam Zainul Abideen(as) responsible social behaviour in the conversation below:

Once a troublemaker met Imam Ali bin Husayn Zayn al Abidin (as) and assaulted him with a barrage of insults and abuses for no reason at all. The Imam (as) said: “If what you say is true, may Allah forgive me; and if you are lying, then Allah may forgive you.

As we are in the months of spirituality and especially the Holy month of Ramadan, a community forum and family get-together can be used to further brain storm by utilizing correct resources and following footsteps of our Ahlubayt in formulate solutions to various challenges in different part of the worlds.

Based on above templates provided, by adopting the Divine teachings many of our social issues such as digital and generational divides and environmental challenges such as waste, deforestation, greenhouse effect and manmade damages can be slowed down and mended for a better tomorrow. 

More from this Author:

Sincerity and Knowledge of Imam Hujjat (ATF)

The straight path

What is the meaning of Education? – Part 2

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