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“Global Responsibilites, Personal Sacrifice”
By R. David Coolidge
Friday Prayer Service (Salat al-Jumah), Dartmouth College,
2.8.08
So, you come to Friday prayer (Salat al-Jumah), but what do you leave
with? Is your faith stronger than when you walked in the door? Are you more
motivated to do something positive, or leave something behind, for the sake of
God? Is your identity as a Muslim reaffirmed? What, exactly, do you get out of
the Friday prayer, other than sheer obedience to the divine command, which is
something, to be sure. The Qur’an states, “O you who believe, when the call to
prayer is given on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of God and leave aside
trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.” (Qur’an, chapter 62, verse
9). If your experience is lacking, I ask your forgiveness. I am doing my best,
and I want these moments to be beneficial for all of us.
Perhaps a problem is that you feel like you have heard it all before. Yes, I
know I am supposed to pray 5 times a day. Yes, I know I am not supposed to do
what is forbidden (haram). Yes, I know that God is real, and the Day
of Judgement is real, and I should live a good life. Perhaps hearing about
these things gets old.
Many people are focused on the problems of here and now, and want to know how
Islam is relevant to major burning issues of the day. How does my being Muslim
relate to the suffering of human beings throughout sub-Saharan Africa, for
example? They have lack of food, health care, education, political stability,
and so on. What does Islam say in regards to such realities?
Others are frightened by the possibility of global warming, the decline of
biodiversity, and the destruction of natural places around the globe. Where are
the Muslims in the fight against such tragedies? How does Islam relate to these
concerns?
Others might be concerned about the state of American politics. They are
worried about what the next four years might bring from the executive branch,
and hope that the situation will be one that uplifts the country, and does not
drag it down? What does Islam have to do with all of this, these things that
really effect my life?
Well, the short answer is this: at every moment, God is asking us to rise out
of our own selfishness, and walk the path towards giving His creation it’s
rights. For each of us individuals, the question is not, “What does Islam say
about global warming?” but rather, “What am I going to do about it?” Islam is a
religion of personal responsibility, of sacrifice of the self for the greater
good. And I am telling you now that there is nothing harder in this world than
sacrificing the self, and yet nothing more noble.
When we realize that what is really at stake is our own personal contribution
to the betterment of the world, then we are immediately beset by our own
selfishness. We could make a difference, but do we? In the case of the
suffering of human beings in Sub-Saharan Africa, at the very least I should
give of my time to pray for their relief, yet even better to give some of my
hard-earned money to help them, or in the best case, to devote years of my life
to studying the problems or working there, on the ground, helping people, one
on one.
When it comes to global environmental degradation, at the very least, I must
make a personal commitment to live an environmentally responsible life, or in
the best case, devote myself full-time to solving the world’s ecological
problems. And so it is with each major human issue. None of us will be able to
solve every problem, and we must choose where to put our energies. To devote
oneself to those who are suffering in Africa means to ignore those who are
suffering in Asia. To devote oneself to the cause of global warming might lead
one to neglect the concerns of local people who are struggling. Everything is a
trade off, and we simply hope that we leave this world having done more good
than evil.
So, when we leave this sacred time and place, let us each think, “What am I
going to contribute? How am I going to be faithful to the immense
responsibilities that God has given me?” Yes, we have to pray and fast and
treat our families right, but that is not all it means to be a Muslim. There is
a world out there in need, and it is up to each of us to play our small role
for the sake of the greater good. The Qur’an gives us a sterling example of
those who, “feed, for the love of God, the indigent, the orphan, and the
captive, (saying), ‘We feed you for the sake of God alone, no reward to do we
desire from you nor thanks.’” (Qur’an, chapter 76, verses 8-9)
This selfless standard is hard to achieve, but the greater the effort the
greater the reward.
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