Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 259
Individual Peace 259 that of a brick. Without improving the quality of the brick, the quality of the building cannot be improved. Serving Others The emphasis in Islam is on being able to draw pleasure from being of service to others rather than vice versa. The following part of a verse of the Holy Quran delivers this message: You are the best of the people by virtue of being of service to and raised for the benefit of mankind; you enjoin good, and forbid evil and believe in Allah. 3 This indicates that a Muslim is not given precedence over others arbitrarily. Just to be a Muslim would not automatically imply that he or she is better than others. One has to earn this title by being of service to others so that the flow of favours is from that one to the others. Defining the meaning of khair , which means both better and best, the Holy Prophet sa once said: The upper hand is better than the lower hand: the upper hand gives and spends, the lower hand begs and receives. 4 In the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet sa this aspect is so highly emphasised that some Companions of the Holy Prophet sa set new and lofty standards in this area of human excellence.