Islam As It Is
Islamic Society
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well, and be like a close companion to them all the
days of his life.
If this could be the general attitude, no one would
ever think it permissible to shed so much as a drop
of another Muslim’s blood, no matter how great the
wrong he had suffered at his hands. As for laying
hands on another Muslim’s property, this would be
sedulously avoided. In this way Muslim honour
would remain inviolate, for each would guard the
honour of his neighbour as if it were his very own.
A society in which everyone is just in his behaviour
towards others, and unfailingly wishes others well,
is bound to be one of exceptional unity. The more
pervasive the atmosphere of mutual goodwill, the
higher the degree of unification. If we think of the
members of a Muslim society as being the bricks
which make up a massive building, we see how
each separate brick, being inextricably linked to the
other bricks, gives strength to those others and to
the entire building. Each brick may be a separate
entity, but the connection between it and the
others—always close and never in conflict—is one
of interdependence and harmony. It is the function
