Care & Compassion Towards All Creation
Anas bin Malik (ra) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “None of you (truly) have faith till he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself.” [Sahih Al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
Have you heard your grandmothers and grandfathers saying: If you wish for something good to happen, wish it "To all, and to us as well? This is the training of Islam, which saves people from being selfish and egotistic, and from not caring about others. You must wish for not just your own person, instead for your whole community, your whole nation, perhaps for all of mankind. This is the fundamental teaching that Islam has given. It is a principal that will save all of humanity. It is Islam that teaches humanity to wish and do goodness for everyone just as one wishes and does for oneself. Not only for you, but also for your brother.
Allah Almighty has not created man in one mold. You see that people differ from one another in their appearance, or their intellect or their skills. Some among them are weak and some are strong. Some are rich, others are poor. Some are clever, others are not so sharp. Some are educated, others never went to school. Some are good, some lean towards badness. Is it possible for them all to be the same? Islam is such a magnificent order and system, in which the strong are obliged to protect the weak. Clever ones must look after less clever ones. The rich must take care of the poor. Clever ones must look after not so clever ones. Educated ones must teach those, who do not know. Good ones have a duty to improve those on a bad way. Can there be a more noble, a more ideal religion or moral disposition? What does humanity want? The realization of these goals, yes.
By helping people, Allah will help you. Most lovely to Allah is someone helping others. It is an honour for everyone. We must intend everyday to help others, not to help ourselves, and then Allah will help us. And His help is enough. If every person on earth gathered to help you, they couldn't do what He can. He gives pleasure, safety and satisfaction. You can't buy it. This is only for sincere servants. You must ask for power from Allah Almighty’s Power Oceans so that you can be able to help His servants.
Abu Yazid Bistami, may God bless him, said that we find Islam built on two fundamental, simple things. One of them is respect, most high respect, towards our Lord. The second is to care for, to be compassionate towards His servants and towards His creatures in general. You must be Compassionate, to every creature.
The Prophet (saws) said, "Even if you need to kill, do that kindly (ihsan), also." When you kill a sheep, a cow, a camel, a chicken, kill it kindly, God so orders, but people have lost that now. Even if you kill some harmful insect or animal, you must use something that doesn't give it too much pain. You must kill it instantly, and, therefore, it is prohibited to burn people or animals or insects. God prohibits it because only He may burn. No one may use fire to burn people - but now people are intending to burn the whole world and everyone in it, all nations. If you are obliged to kill some harmful thing, don't burn it. Fire is only for cooking and for heat - that is all.
You must be compassionate. You must not even step on an ant without reason, because it also has life and when it sees you approaching to kill it, it runs away. It feels death and its pain. Therefore, it runs. It also glorifies its Lord. Therefore, you can't kill it if it has not harmed you. You can't kill it. If you kill it, you must bear the responsibility. Thus, Islam came with endless compassion for creatures, for everyone. Compassion is the correct word to describe Islam through the statements of the Friends of God (awliya).
Yesterday I heard about something which shows the mentality of people for sports, for football. They injure so many people and leave them on the ground. Then they come and say, "You must play again. We want to watch." What mercy is in their hearts, those people? What is this? This is an example only, but more and more dangerous things are now going to happen because mercy has gone out of hearts. Every day you may take newspapers and look at what people are becoming - like robots, no more mercy, their hearts becoming rocks, never feeling. Islam fights against such things. Therefore its Prophet (saws) came with mercy and as a mercy. Islam brought respect and mercy. We have lost both of them. In the Divine Presence, one life from among the children of Adam is more precious than the whole world, but we are making it less than a fly's.