A Message for Our Time — Page 62
62 I slaamnl ter ior Publ besmirch the pure name of Islam. In the very first chapter of the Holy Quran, Allah the Almighty has proclaimed that He is the ‘Lord of All the Worlds’, Who provides for and sustains all mankind. This means that God is the Provider and Sustainer of all peo- ple, irrespective of their faith or beliefs. Due to the grace and benevolence of God Almighty, even those who deny His exist- ence or have no religion are reaping the blessings and fruits of this world. Accordingly, where the Quran declares Allah the Almighty to be the ‘Lord of all the worlds’ it also proclaims Him to be the Gracious and the Merciful. Similarly, in the Holy Quran, Allah the Almighty has proclaimed the Founder of Islam, the Holy Prophet Muhammad sas, as ‘a mercy for all mankind’. Without a shadow of a doubt, at every moment of his life, the Prophet of Islam sas manifested immense love and respect for all people. His pure and noble heart was filled with compassion and, at all times, he sought the betterment of mankind and strived to alleviate the suffering of others. He taught his followers to respect and value all humanity. For example, on one occasion, the Holy Prophet Muhammad sas was sitting down, but immediately stood up as a mark of respect when he observed a funeral procession pass by. Upon this, one of his companions mentioned that the deceased was a Jewish person and not a Muslim. Hearing this, the Prophet of Islam sas asked, ‘Was he not a human?’ This reflected the love in his heart for all humanity. It also manifests how he guided his followers towards treating the peo- ple of all religions and beliefs with compassion and being sensi- tive and respectful to their feelings and needs. Furthermore, many people question whether Islam advocates freedom of religion. To