Saturday, April 01, 2006

A Bad Penny

This Friday, at Rugby, after the prayers we were all sitting and whilst talking going through the contributions people had made towards the Masjid. The money was being counted and we were just looking to ensure that all the coins were 'real' and not tokens or foreign policy.

We found a couple of tokens last week and foreign money, and this week I thought there may be an odd coin that would turn up. However, this week we saw a penny that looked as though it had been everything someone could pit it through; the coin was worn our, eroded and shabby, the edges were not round but chunks were cut out from it and it was filthy and dirty.

One of the members sitting there picked up the coin and was amused, we could tell from the look on his face that he was trying to determine whether the coin was genuine or not and whether it would be accepted. Whilst he was doing this another member took the coin and said that the penny was a penny and the bank wouldn't really look at the apparent condition it was in and would accept it as it still held the value of a penny.

Point

Our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has taught us this same lesson in regards to our Deen and religion. He states in a Hadith:

"Indeed Allah does not look towards your appearance nor your body, but instead he looks towards your heart and actions".
[Saheeh al-Bukhari]

The value of a believer is known through his heart and actions, no matter what his appearance is. Just as the bank would accept the penny coin so will Allah accept His servants through the value of their hearts.

It made me realise that no matter how a Muslim may look, no matter what his race or colour, regardless of his language or background, the true value of a believer is in his heart because he holds the Kalimah within, he holds the love of Allah and of His Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.

After realising this, we should remember that we are brothers and sisters in Islam and that Allah has made us different so that we can recognise one another and appreciate one another. It is though His wisdom that He has made some people rich and some people poor, some people happy some people poor, some people educated and others uneducated; one reason is so that we can all aid one another, the poor will work for money while the rich will need them for their services. etc.

May Allah give us the ability to realise that the true value of a person is recognised from his actions and his heart, and that appearance is only for recognition. Aameen.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aameen,
Jazak'Allah Khair for that post.

Wasalaam

Comicsans said...

You have a great talent of making the right point understandable. Very interesting and a perceptual article. Jazakh Allah. May we all learn the good and practise it. Ameen

Anonymous said...

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

Jazakallahu khair, so true... ameen to the duas.

Duas

Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah

Zain said...

As Salaamu Alaykum,

Jazakallah for the comments.

Please do remember me in your Duas.

Wasalaam

Zain said...

As Salaamu Alaykum,

Jazakallah for the comment. Alhumdulillah, as you said, it is truly amazing as to how Islam educates and teaches us the manner of living in a multi-cultural society. In fact, it even teaches us the etiquettes of living in a multi-faith Society.

Once a non-Muslim came to Hadhrat Salam Farsi Radhi Allahu Anhu and mocked him by saying, look at your religion it teaches you how to relieve yourself. Hadhrat Salman Radhi Allahu Anhu replied that our religion teaches us everythin, even relieving ourselves.

Alhumdulillah a complete religion... a way of life.

Please remember me in your Duas.

Wasalaam