A Message for Our Time — Page 28
28 I slaamnl ter ior Publ strengthen their mutual relations and to develop unity amongst the community members. Hence, through their mosques, Muslims are able to forge greater ties of kinship and to establish an atmosphere of brotherhood and mutual sympathy. The third pivotal objective for any mosque is to be a means of introducing non-Muslims to the teachings of Islam and to ful- fil the rights of the wider society. It is to provide a platform and venue from which Muslims can join together to serve their local community and to help all members of society, regardless of creed, caste or colour. Chapter 4, verse 37 of the Holy Quran, states: And worship Allah and associate naught with Him, and show kindness to parents, and to kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and to the neighbour who is a kinsman and the neighbour who is a stranger, and the companion by your side, and the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess. Surely, Allah loves not the arrogant and the boastful. In this verse, the Holy Quran instructs Muslims to show kindness and compassion to a whole range of people. It calls on them to serve their parents, family members, other relatives and also vul- nerable members of society. It also places great emphasis on fulfill- ing the rights of one’s neighbours. Neighbours are not just peo- ple who live in a person’s immediate vicinity; rather, the scope of neighbours in Islam is extremely far-reaching and includes those who live near, as well as those who live at a distance. It includes a person’s colleagues, his travel companions, and much more besides these. Therefore, in essence, all of the people of this city