The Holy Quran, Chapter 49, Verse 13 reads: “O mankind! We created you from a single pair of male and female. And, made you into nations and tribes that you may get to know one another (Not despise one another). Surely the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is the most righteous.”
Too often people of a nation or religious group are content in staying narrowly focused; they see their religion as the best and only religion that matters; they get very little exposure to people of other cultures and religions. This narrow focus can lead people to think that their thinking and lives are very different from other people around the world.
Different religions call God by different names: They may call God Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, etc. These are only words to give a name to “The Mystery”. The human being is reflective and speculative; the human being does not only want to understand what they experience in everyday life with their senses: They also want to understand the unseen mysteries of life. The human being reflects on the questions: “What created me and all that I see? Where did I come from? Where am I going when I die?”
Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) came with the message that you can’t totally identify “God”. However, the functioning of creation and what you see in everyday reality points to God’s existence. Though you can’t see God, you should show God respect by living the best life possible and by having love and concern for all creation.
Each one of us has a short time on this earth. Life is consistent; all who are born will die, regardless of wealth, race, or religion. Most people die while doing something else; even in their last moments of life they’re not sure they’re experiencing death. Why waste time debating about which human being received the greatest truth/narrative about life and its mysteries. I believe no narrative explains it all – that’s Life.
The Prophets and the People of God are sent to us as reminders of the better nature that is within us all; the voice from within that speaks to us through what we call our conscience. After these Prophets and People of God die, we establish religious theologies and religious schools of thought based on the simple message they brought.
The truth is, human beings have more similarities than differences. We have similar motivations: We all strive to obtain food, clothing and shelter for our survival. We all want our family members to get a good education and to be safe from harm. We all have the same emotions: We feel fear, anger, happiness, compassion, and love. We all cry, smile and laugh in the same language. Most of our “differences” are created and maintained through our “thinking”; in our perception of other races, cultures and religions.
The most important foundation for having a peaceful world and positive growth for all humanity
is in the spirit and thinking of our leaders. It is not the physical attributes of our leaders that is important; it is not their height, weight, or color that will determine the type of world we will have in the future. It is in our leaders’ spirit and thinking that will determine the kind of world our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will inherit. We have the opportunity to begin the process that will bring into being for the first time in history a world of protected peace and safety for all, the word in Arabic to describe this state is ‘Islam’; not Islam as a religious theology, but Islam as a state of being….
The Holy Quran, Chapter 4, Verse 135 reads: “O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor; for God can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts) lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily God is well-acquainted with all that ye do.”
America gives us a unique opportunity; it is a nation that protects the freedom and rights of the human family. The Declaration of Independence in the second sentence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” And, we say in our Pledge of Allegiance: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We should be unified against anyone who seeks to do harm to members of the Human Family. We must stand together to oppose all rationalizations that attempt to deny members of the Human Family their rights…. Those rights include the right to obtain survival needs, such as food, clothing, shelter and the right to love.
Prophet Mohammed said: “Do you know what is better than charity, fasting, and prayer? It is keeping peace and good relations between people, because quarrels and bad feelings destroy mankind.”
In my lifetime, I’ve been hurt by people of my Race and other Races. On the quest to improve my life, I have been helped by people of all races and religions. The simple “truth” is that the doing of good or bad is not restricted to any one people; the potential for good or bad is within all human beings. My life was “transformed”: I went from being racially focused to having a “universal” outlook; from seeing people that were not Black as different or the “enemy” to seeing all people as belonging to one race – the Human Race. It has taken a lifetime, but this is what I’ve learned.
