Muhammad the kindred to Humanity — Page 26
26 single principle. They forget what ends the principle was to secure and whether the principle when applied to any concrete instance will in fact secure those ends. To them the success of the principle becomes the main thing to achieve. . Those who thus wrangle between themselves forget that. God has endowed all kinds of things with potentiality for human good. . The Quran appropriately describes Muhammad as being primarily solicitous about us, our good and our welfare. . We find this solicitude for us running throughout his teaching. It is enjoined on us, for instance, to pray standing, but if we cannot do so, we may pray sitting, or if necessary even lying down. Nor do we have to give in charity in the course, say of a year, any specific amount of money, but only what suits our situation, so much so that if we can afford nothing, we may rest content merely with the goodness of the heart. In short, the Muslim teaching is capable of a wonderful adaptability to varying conditions of life. . The Muslim teaching as to fasting, pilgrimage, legal alms, and other such things, provides for suitable alternatives. . Charity and Jehad also have alternatives, and you could earn the pleasure of God without them as well as you could, with them. The Holy Prophet once going on Jehad said "There are people who have not joined us, but not a valley that we cross, in which they are not present with us, and not a reward that we reap in which they are not our co-sharers. ". The companions inquired how it was that without the actual privations of Jehad such people could reap the same reward as the others. The Prophet answered, "I was thinking of the maimed and the crippled, who grieve in their hearts over their inability to join Jehad, God will not withhold from them the reward of actually joining it. ”. The teaching of our Prophet provides for the spiritual requirements of all men, situated in all conditions of life. It does not inculcate just one principle and adherence to just that principle. It teaches broad principles which can be suitably adapted to varying situations and which are calculated primarily to secure salvation for man.