Refugees & Helping Others

Human history is full of migrations from country to country and continent to continent going right back to when our ancestors left Africa. It is a basic human instinct to flee war, famine & oppression and do the best we can to give our children a better life.

Islam stresses the importance of providing protection to refugees and the stories of the prophets show the important role migration and seeking refuge has played such as Ibrahim's migration to Canaan, Musa's migration to Midyan, the Sahabas migration to Abyssinia & Muhammad's migration to Medina. In reference to the Children of Israel, the Qur'an says:

"And We made the downtrodden people, inheritors of lands in both east and west" (7:137)

In Surat al-Nisa it describes people who did not emigrate from a land where they were forced to take part in evil. So the angels ask them:

"Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to move yourselves away?" (4:97)

Here we see that it is not just a right to seek asylum but when you are being forced to take part in evil actions it is a duty.

The duty to give asylum is also made clear in Quran and hadith, for example during the war with the Mushrikeen the Qur'an says if any seek protection the Muslims must

"Convey him to a place of safety." (9:6)

Muslims are urged to treat all those who take refuge with us as guests and brothers as it was with the Ansar of Medina who opened their homes to the Muhajireen fleeing Mecca. The prophet said:

"Whoever fulfils the needs of his brother, God will fulfil his needs and whoever brings his brother out of discomfort, God will bring him out of discomfort" (Bukhari)

The providing of sanctuary is a sacred right in Islam and the prophet said:

"The protection granted by any Muslim is to be respected by all other Muslims." (Bukhari)

The Qur'an also relates what the Christian King of Abysinnia said when leaders of Quraysh came to arrest & punish those refugees who had fled to Abysinnia. He said:

"No by God they shall not be betrayed - a people who have sought my protection and made my country their home!"

In Surat al-Hashr the Qur'an describes how the refugees from Mecca were treated by their hosts in Medina saying that they:

"Show their affection to such as came to them for refuge, and entertain no desire in their hearts for things given to them, but give them preference over themselves." (59:9)

The present refugee crisis has thrown up both the best and worst traits of human nature and I am not pointing fingers nor casting blame on any people or country. I only want to remind us all that showing compassion and empathy to others is not only amongst the best & most noble characteristics of humanity, but it is an essential quality without which we will lose our own humanity.

We are one human race. Regardless of religion, belief, race, nation - we all share our humanity. We live in a time when the world has shrunk. We can no longer live isolated from each other. Today, more than ever, we must learn to live together - or we will perish together. We must learn to accept our differences. We must show love and empathy for one another. As the Qur'an says:

"He made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another" (49:13)

So different peoples would get to know each other and learn from each other, not so that nations & races would fight each other.

Racism and bigotry is an evil that has no place in our lives. All races are equal in God's sight. The only characteristic that makes someone superior to another is good character & righteousness and this is something that only God is the judge of. The prophet said in his farewell sermon:

"O people, verily, your Lord is one and your father Adam is one. There is no favouritism of an Arab over a foreigner, nor a foreigner over an Arab, and neither red skin over black skin, nor black skin over red skin, except through righteousness." (Musnad Ahmad)

Boasting about lineage, ancestors & nation is forbidden in Islam, for such people are held in contempt by God and likened to the Scarab beetle that rolls dung. The prophet said:

"There are certainly people who brag about their past ancestors. Verily, they are more contemptible to God than the beetle that rolls dung with its nose. Verily, God has removed from you the pride of the time of ignorance with its boasting about ancestors.  The people are all the children of Adam, and Adam was created from dust. (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)

Likewise, tribalism (al-asabiyyah) is forbidden in Islam, which is the fanatical adherence to ethnic loyalty and nationalism. The prophet said:

"He is not one of us who calls to tribalism. He is not one of us who fights for the sake of tribalism. He is not one of us who dies following the way of tribalism." (Sunan Abu Dawud)

What makes us different is not racial traits but behaviour, our character and morality, not the colour of our skin or where we were born. These things are superficial. But what lies in the heart and soul is what truly matters. Each human being is unique. Each human being is an individual and every soul is as valuable to God as any other soul. We came from dust, and we will return to dust. No man or woman is better than another except in behaviour and the way they treat others.

The Prophet said:

"Love for your brother that which you love for yourself."

This is a reflection of what Jesus said:

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them."

Which in turn reflects the commandment in Mosaic law:

“Whatever is hurtful to you, do not do to any other person.”

This idea is found in Hinduism and Buddhism in the idea of Karma. Indeed this is regarded as a universal Golden Rule:

"Treat others the way you wish to be treated."

We are all interconnected. What we do to others affects our own selves. Either harming our soul or benefiting it.

If I may end with a wonderful quote from Albert Einstein:

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us; the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”