The Teachings of Islam
Do As You Would be Done By
~ 93 ~
DO AS YOU WOULD BE DONE BY
Why is it that supplications made to God often go
unheeded? The reason is that people ask God for
that which they themselves are not prepared to give
to others. They ask God for protection against
oppression, but they are the first to inflict it on
others when they have the chance. They ask God to
safeguard their lives and property, yet are quick to
kill and seize someone else’s property if they can.
They ask God for an honourable life, yet are quite
happy to humiliate others. They ask God to protect
them from enemy plots, yet they plot the
destruction of anybody with whom they disagree.
One must be sincere in whatever one is praying for.
One’s supplication should emanate from one’s
innermost being. It should not just be empty words.
When one is sincere, one’s life becomes devoid of
contradictions. No difference remains between what
one prays for and what one practices. If one really
detests cruelty and objects to others indulging in it,
then one will never resort to it oneself. If one stoops
to persecuting others, then one cannot be sincere
when one protests about being persecuted. The
prayer of a person who does not put words into
