THE MANNERS AND CRITERIA OF DELIVERING SERVICE - I
Osman Nûri Topbaş
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The external part of religion is perceived and taught by the intellect, while the internal part is perceived and taught by the heart. Love and affection foster strong roots in the education and leadership of people, as love and affection can subjugate people.
A teacher who emanates love will strengthen the pupil's attachment and the interest he feels towards his teacher. If the teacher approaches the pupil with affection he will encourage the pupil to open not only his intellect, but also his heart. The effect of the teaching will grow in its appropriate form, corresponding with the collocutor's spiritual inclinations. This is why affection is of such great importance when performing a good deed. It is affection and compassion that makes man submit. Thus, the real conquerors are those who conquer the heart.
Rulers who are egotistical and devoid of affection or love force people to submit; they cannot willing take the hearts of their subjects. Thus, in the end they must fail. This is also true for parents in the education of their children.
Egoism and arrogance should be replaced with love and affection. Only in this way can the flowers of the tree of compassion blossom. Those who reach maturity in an atmosphere of love and honest behavior will search out the needy in order to help when they have grown; they feel the suffering of the less fortunate in their hearts.
One of the attributes of God is All-Forgiving. That is why a man of service should have the ability to forgive. This is the natural outcome of loving God. If one can see creation through the eye of the Creator one will be forgiving. It is the heart that writes the decree of forgiveness. Those who are seek the divine spirit emanate the fragrance of forgiveness from their hearts. We are supposed to forgive so that we may be forgiven. One who does not forgive is paving the way for his own destruction.
In addition, a man of service should not search out the short-comings of other people, but rather he should help to cover them up. The Prophet says :
"God will cover the failures of he who covers his friend's failures on the Day of Judgment. He who reveals his Muslim brother's failureswill have his revealed …" (Ibn Maja, Hudud, 5).
"He who disparages his fellow believer with failure performs the same failure before death." (Dhirmizi, Kiyama, 53).
5. Acting by Consultation
The taking of consel before acting is a divine rule and was an important practice of the Prophet. God brings the taking of consel to our attention in the Qur'an, addressing the Prophet:
"… And take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place your trust in God; surely God loves those who trust." (Ali Imran 3: 159).
The Qur'an declares that believers should consult with one another in important matters:
"… And their rule is to take counsel among themselves…" (Shura 42: 38).
The Prophet used to consult with the companions in matters that he thought were important. He used to prefer to take consultation so that he could set an example for his people, although he had been confirmed by revelation. Thus, he consulted the companions about where and how they would face the enemy in the Battle of Badr and Handak. He preferred to face the enemy outside Madina, following the argument of the companions during the Battle of Uhud, even though he thought otherwise.
Man cannot exclude his feelings in his thoughts and decisions. Actions that follow consultation ensure that the service will bear fruit.
However, those to be consulted should possess certain qualities, such as wisdom, knowledge, devotion, and the ability to co-operate. It is a general rule that many heads are better than one . The Prophet, therefore, says in this regard:
"… He who consults, does not go wrong; he who spares, does not grow poor." (Haithami, Majma' al-Zawaid, II, 280).
A decision that has been reached by consultation should be put into practice. Insincere consultation will bear no fruit; rather it brings harm. Consultation should be done with people of ability and those consulted should be able to freely express their opinions, enabling the correct decision to be found. If the ones consulted are not experts in their field, well-directed decisions cannot be reached. That is to say, a lawyer should not be consulted in a medical matter.
A man of service should prefer the joy of those who do service alongside him to his own. Those who insist on doing all the good deeds themselves soon tire and their attitudes change. They soon begin to look down on those around them. They are soon enslaved by selfish feelings, wanting to upgrade their position to one of leadership. But a mature man of service should regard himself as the last man in the caravan of service.
6. Knowing the Characteristics of Those Being Served
Being knowledge of the characteristics of the person or persons who are being served is a prerequisite for the completion of a well-directed service. A Muslim should share in the Prophet's attribute of foresight or intelligence, and those should use his intellect. He should know how to treat people. For instance, the delicate method in which Jafar al-Sadiq spoke about Islam to King Najashi of Ethiopia is an object lesson, displaying the foresight and intelligence that a Muslim should acquire. When Najashi, who was a Christian, asked Jafar to read a passage from the Qur'an, Jafar chose a passage praising Jesus and Mary, not a passage concerned with disbelievers. Najashi was touched by the passage Jafar read, and drew a line on the floor and said:
"-Your religion and ours seem as close as the two sides of this line!" And before long he came to accept Islam.
The characteristics of the one being served must be known if the correct man of service is to be appointed. The Prophet did not appoint militarily talented companions as envoys, and neither did he appoint members of Ashab al-Suffa, people of learning, as chiefs of staff. He used to take into account the many different characteristics of the people that were to be served when he chose a person for a mission.
It is worth noting several points regarding the service of education here.
Education is the most difficult type of service. An uneducated soul always leads one towards evil inclinations. God has created man with moral and immoral inclinations. The reflections of these two inclinations can be observed in man from childhood. Man's happiness comes through the restraint of the immoral and through the strengthening of the moral. This is something that can be realized through education, yet, it is a difficult task. Educating a man who is submissive to his lower-self is more difficult than training a wild animal.
Education is a vocation that was practiced by the prophets. One who takes up this vocation needs to have strong emotions and senses, as he needs to deal with his students according to their feelings and emotions. This is similar to what a doctor must do when he diagnoses an illness. It should be born in mind that it is only those whose problems have been solved that can attach themselves to you.
Much as humans have different talents, they also possess different weaknesses. Therefore, the educator should approach people as delicately as a psychologist. A word or action that may be beneficial for one person may be harmful to another. Therefore, we must identify the characterstics of the people whom we are educating.
An educator must know the talents and characterstics of his pupils as well as he knows the rosary he counts; he should work for their growth in accordance with their skills. For example, one who has an inclination for poetry should be directed to experience the profundity of human soul. And one who has an inclination for administration should be directed to learn how administration is done, and the necessity of acting justly and tenderheartedly as well as finding the right man for the right job. Other vocational talents should be treated in the same way. However, these talents, that are necessary for the society, are to be developed differently.
Educational services should be planned in accordance with a sensitive balance between the body and the soul, the mind and the heart. If only the mind is emphasised, profit making and worldly gains become one's target, and the soul's improvement is neglected. A man who develops in such a way will finally be enslaved by wealth, fame, and selfish desires. One's natural inclinations may be directed to the right path only when intellectually and emotionally educated. Knowledge that is not absorbed by the heart does not turn into wisdom. Knowledge without wisdom may lead to destruction. One who does not possess spiritual feelings or virtue is doomed to be conquered by his lower self, an entity that continuously seeks out evil.
May God let us duly serve all of creation and all of humanity, especially the community of believers , and the religion of Islam with all our love and enthusiasm!
Amen!..
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