Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26
Every community consists of people from varying backgrounds, mindsets, and cultures. A community can only become upright and prosperous when everybody is committed to sharing their skillset and expertise with others, in an effort to better the Ummah at large.
Co-operation in goodness
The Qur’ānic discourse instructs us, as a community, to navigate in a co-operative fashion, helping one another to thrive in our own distinctive elements:
وَتَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقْوَىٰ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْعُدْوَٰنِ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ
“And co-operate in righteousness and piety, and do not co-operate in sin and transgression. And be mindful of Allah.” [1]
History is filled with remarkable examples of people who significantly contributed to the development of their communities, as a result of the skills and expertise they offered to others.
The Jewish Rabbi
Amongst those exemplars was Abdullah ibn Salām, a Jewish rabbi who converted to Islam when the Prophet (ﷺ) migrated to Madinah.
Abdullah ibn Salām, unlike other Sahabah, had successfully acquired proficiency in the Torah, as well as the Qur’ān, given his experience as a rabbi, pre-Islam. This skillset enabled him to play an integral role in effectively addressing the adherents of the Torah. [2]
Similarly, we all possess diverse talents and skills that we can use for the betterment of our worldly life and the Hereafter.
Action plan
Here are a few practical steps we can take to contribute towards bringing out the best in others:
- Help others recognise their strengths and skills;
- Deliver workshops in local community centres with the aim of offering our skillset to others.
Coming up
While we make an effort to offer our expertise to those around us, let’s remember to give the next article a read, which will be on showing gratitude.
Ask yourself the question, would you like to be more grateful? Perhaps tomorrow’s piece will help with that.
Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] al-Qur’ān, 5:2
[2] Siyār A’lām al-Nubalā: Sahaba
