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BBC: Thought of the Day
By Hamza Yusuf
Over two thousand years ago a wise Greek wrote, "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." As these September days return to us, they bring with them painful memories. September 11th, etched infamously in our hearts, will continue to serve as an unexampled testimony to the horrors man is capable of inflicting on his fellow man. Some will say last September was a harbinger of what is to come, but hope reminds us that our past need not be our future.
Centuries ago in Arabia, a proud and provincial people were trapped in cycles of vengeful violence. Gloriously, for a time, they were freed from those cycles when they accepted the truth that just laws -- not unruly passions -- should guide men. The Quran taught them: "If a man is slain unjustly, his heir shall be entitled to retribution. But let him not carry his just right to excess, for his victims are sure to be assisted and avenged." Once again, we find ourselves in cycles of excessive vengeance as our leaders plan more carnage in their absurd dreams of eliminating evil from the world. In describing this futile pursuit, R.D. Lange wrote: "If all of the good people kill all of the evil people none will be left to celebrate..."
If we are to make purposeful the senseless deaths of last year due to zealous hatred, and those that ensued in hateful retaliation, it is by hating less ourselves, by understanding more others, by listening intently to the pain of people still suffering under the yoke of unjust tyrannies, much like those not long removed from the West with horrible bloodshed and regicidal terror. Our leaders serve no one by arming their despots, training their tyrants, and using them to fight wars by proxy in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Our leaders certainly do us no service by then punishing mercilessly entire nations for the impudent violence of a few against their perceived malefactors. We must never punish an entire nation for the acts of undemocratically elected tyrants or their minions, for in doing so we insure the continuance of cycles of hatred and vengeance.
Indeed, the world has seen enough of death and destruction. Let us instead bring life and hope to so many suffering souls, who in their hearts, in spite of so much betrayal, look to the West with hope and expectation. Let the pain of these September days fall on our hearts drop by drop until a growing wisdom prevails, and the despair of few fails to infect the hopes of many. Over two hundred years ago, America declared her independence to the world by holding certain truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Let us recall that these universal truths have yet to be evident for all people. In recognizing that the work of the past is incomplete, we can commit our future work to what others so selflessly started, in the hopes that one day, liberty and justice might be realized, not for some, but for all.
For more articles by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Visit :
http://www.zaytuna.org/articles.asp
By Hamza Yusuf
Over two thousand years ago a wise Greek wrote, "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." As these September days return to us, they bring with them painful memories. September 11th, etched infamously in our hearts, will continue to serve as an unexampled testimony to the horrors man is capable of inflicting on his fellow man. Some will say last September was a harbinger of what is to come, but hope reminds us that our past need not be our future.
Centuries ago in Arabia, a proud and provincial people were trapped in cycles of vengeful violence. Gloriously, for a time, they were freed from those cycles when they accepted the truth that just laws -- not unruly passions -- should guide men. The Quran taught them: "If a man is slain unjustly, his heir shall be entitled to retribution. But let him not carry his just right to excess, for his victims are sure to be assisted and avenged." Once again, we find ourselves in cycles of excessive vengeance as our leaders plan more carnage in their absurd dreams of eliminating evil from the world. In describing this futile pursuit, R.D. Lange wrote: "If all of the good people kill all of the evil people none will be left to celebrate..."
If we are to make purposeful the senseless deaths of last year due to zealous hatred, and those that ensued in hateful retaliation, it is by hating less ourselves, by understanding more others, by listening intently to the pain of people still suffering under the yoke of unjust tyrannies, much like those not long removed from the West with horrible bloodshed and regicidal terror. Our leaders serve no one by arming their despots, training their tyrants, and using them to fight wars by proxy in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Our leaders certainly do us no service by then punishing mercilessly entire nations for the impudent violence of a few against their perceived malefactors. We must never punish an entire nation for the acts of undemocratically elected tyrants or their minions, for in doing so we insure the continuance of cycles of hatred and vengeance.
Indeed, the world has seen enough of death and destruction. Let us instead bring life and hope to so many suffering souls, who in their hearts, in spite of so much betrayal, look to the West with hope and expectation. Let the pain of these September days fall on our hearts drop by drop until a growing wisdom prevails, and the despair of few fails to infect the hopes of many. Over two hundred years ago, America declared her independence to the world by holding certain truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Let us recall that these universal truths have yet to be evident for all people. In recognizing that the work of the past is incomplete, we can commit our future work to what others so selflessly started, in the hopes that one day, liberty and justice might be realized, not for some, but for all.
For more articles by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Visit :
http://www.zaytuna.org/articles.asp
