Islam As It Is
Islamic Society
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the prevailing atmosphere is not one in which
people beg and make demands on one another. It is
one in which there is emphasis on working for a
living and not looking to others for the fulfillment
of one’s needs.
Abu Qatadah, one of the Prophet’s Companions,
tells of how the Prophet stood up in their midst and
said: “Struggle for God’s cause and faith in Him are
the most excellent of actions.” One of his listeners
stood up and asked: “O Messenger of God! If I am
slain in God’s path, will my sins be forgiven?” The
Prophet assured him that they would, if he was
slain in the path of God, provided that he had
remained steadfast and fought solely for the sake of
God, and that he had been pressing forward and
not retreating. After some time, the Prophet asked
the questioner to repeat his question. When he had
done so, the Prophet gave him the same answer, but
added that if he were in debt to anyone, this debt
would not be forgiven, “for this is what the angel
Gabriel has told me.”
This shows how careful everyone in an Islamic
society must be, neither to appropriate anything
