Islam As It Is
Islamic Society
~ 152 ~
compassionate towards his fellowmen. He will
forgive others for the excesses they commit against
him, hoping that in this way he will earn God’s
forgiveness for his own excesses. He will be
generous to others in the hope that God will be
generous to him. He will give to others more than
he receives from them, for he hopes that, in return
for even the most paltry of his good deeds, great
rewards will be bestowed upon him by God.
In an Islamic society, the individual should be more
conscious of his responsibilities than of his rights;
when there is cause for disagreement, or he has a
grudge against someone, he should be ready to
acknowledge his own errors whenever he himself is
in the wrong. Abu Hurayrah tells of how one of the
Prophet’s creditors, a Bedouin, demanded
repayment of his debt in the most uncouth manner.
The Prophet’s companions, who happened to be
present at the time, took offence at the way the man
had expressed himself and made to strike him. But
the Prophet restrained them, saying, “Leave him
alone, for one who is in the right can say whatever
he pleases”. Thus, taking the blame for the
Bedouin’s behaviour upon his own shoulder, he set
