Muslims 4 Humanity By Selma Cook Humanity! What a blazing fiery history we have! Even the two sons of Adam (peace be upon him) disagreed and one killed the other. The tides of good and evil have ebbed and flowed across time. Sometimes good dominates, and humanity knows peace and has the chance to develop itself; and at other times evil presides, and there is death, suffering, pain, anguish, and depression. You and I are like small boats cast adrift on the ocean of humanity's whims, shortsighted decisions, lustful desires, and petty concerns. So 2006, here we are, but what has changed? Has humanity become more evil or have we just developed our skills and techniques of oppression and tyranny? Have we mastered the art of deception enough to camouflage ugliness and evil and call it beauty, freedom-dare we say-democracy; or have we simply given up spreading goodness so that evil, in all its forms, has the chance to multiply and take over humanity like a cancerous cell? The Guantanamo of today is not much different from the dungeons of medieval kings and the torture chambers of the Inquisition. Hunger and homelessness bear their costs regardless of who or where you are. Humanity's pain is felt in all the epochs of history, we just call it by different names. And war is not new to humanity. Skim through some history books to know that humanity has always aligned itself into groups-each vying for precedence and favor. Ultimately, one group will prevail at the cost of the other, and so the cycle turns. But humanity was somehow nobler in times gone by, despite the essential ugliness of war. It took more bravery and courage to fight a foe face to face, sword to sword, than it takes to drop one massive bomb to destroy a huge chunk of humanity in one hit, or to scatter cluster bombs from a safe altitude high above the clouds. Perhaps humanity's greed has surpassed its courage and nobility. This is the human condition. We're all a part of it and all connected-just like we've been handcuffed together and told to reach a certain destination. Surely we realize that if we are left to ourselves we will destroy ourselves. But our Creator is Merciful. He allowed us this playing field (the world) so we could discover ourselves and realize and appreciate truth above falsehood and virtue above vice. And He, the Almighty, sent us from the very beginning of time, Prophets, Messengers, and other pious examples to follow-the gate-keepers of piety and virtue-to show us the way around the obstacles we place about ourselves and through the mess our (collective) hands have made. All what's left for us to do is follow the Prophets, and thereby obey the Creator, Whose light shines in the hearts of humanity; perhaps very dimly in some, but it shines. You'll see it on faces that are weary but calm, thwart with danger and pain, but steadfast, confronting the devil himself, but resilient and trusting in Allah to the end. You'll see these stars amidst the darkness of humanity, like white-tipped waves curling and tipping onto the shore of life only to recoil and rise again to fall upon another distant shore. Wherever it touches it will leave a trace of good: a smile on an orphan's face, an approving nod from an old person, or a grateful look from a prisoner set free. Humanity is like one huge body, and each part affects the others-for better or for worse-and we who strive to follow Islam and live by its principles and attain its goals of peace and harmony in humanity, have a vital role to play. For Islam is not meant to be hoarded like a miser's treasure upon a shelf. Islam is meant to be spread and carried on every breeze and wing to the four corners of the world to have the effect of turning everything it touches into gold-into something serene, innately good and pure, explicitly strong and whole, and with an unfathomable ability to overcome. We, the carriers of this light, must spread the message of Islam, of peace, through the words we send forth, the gentle deeds, the wise look, the humble silence, the forthright answer, and the mighty will. Humanity's dilemma will continue until the end of time. It is promised and we live within its history for such a short time and one day we'll leave it to the coming generations who will pick up from where we left off. What we'll carry to our graves are the secret intentions of the hearts, the words and deeds that continue to affect humanity long after we have gone: the food given to a hungry child, a gentle word and some hope to the homeless, the down and out, prayers and plans for the unjustly imprisoned, and the voice of right that steadily and unceasingly echoes throughout time and carries our voices as witnesses to humanity that our lives were not in vain. More... http://www.islamonline.net/English/Youth/Muslims4Humanity/2006/08/01....