In life in general, or in this work that we have been calling Working for Allah, nothing and no one should get in the way of our doing our duty: Not our friends, not our relatives, not even our own children or parents or spouses.
The Qur'an is as clear on this subject as it can be.
And the Hadith too is quite graphic in its detail in treating this subject.
And the point of it all is that if we let any of these things get in our way and stop us from doing our duty to God, to God's Messenger, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, to the Ummat of Islam, to humanity at large and to God Almighty's creation in all forms and shapes, then we should be prepared for the worst punishment from Allah.
Islam is honoring our word and our commitment. And Islam means being a reliable, dependable, trustworthy and predictable person in all our dealings with each other.
If we cannot meet those minimum requirements of human decency, we have no business sullying the name of Islam mouthing all kinds of high-sounding cliches and platitudes.
The words of one such Hadith are:
Lawu Anna Fatimata Binta Muhammadin Saraqat,
La-Qata'tu Yadahaa.
Paraphrase:
"If my own daughter Fatima had committed that crime,
she would have received the same punishment as anyone else."
I have always maintained that the fundamental qualities of being a good human being -- honesty, integrity, truthfulness, trustworthiness and such -- precede any claim, commitment or pretension we may have to Islam.
That is why Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, himself was stamped by the whole world with the Twin Title of Truthful and Trustworthy way before the angel ever approached him with the Wahy or God's Message.
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