Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 258
258 Cathay. ” He has further said: “A word of wisdom is the lost property of a Muslim. He should seize it wherever he finds it. ” With regard to servants, the Prophet has said; “They are your brothers, and you should treat them as such. Provide them with the kind of food that you eat and the kind of clothes that you wear, and if you set them a hard task, join them in it to help them complete it. ” He has directed that when food is prepared, the person who helped prepare it should be invited to partake of it. The wages of a labourer must be paid to him “before the sweat dries upon his body. ” The Prophet was very insistent upon kindness toward animals. On one occasion he noticed a dove flying around agitatedly, and discovered that somebody had caught its young. He was very annoyed and asked the person to restore the young to the mother immediately. When he saw a donkey that had been branded on the face, he said that this was a cruel practice. If branding be necessary, the Prophet pointed out, it must be done on the leg, where the muscles are not so sensitive. No animal, he added, should be beaten on the face, as the face is a most sensitive part of the body. Perhaps the most comprehensive directive within the domain of social values is: “Help one another in righteousness and virtue; but help not one