DOUBLE STANDARDS
Islam is a complete way of life. Unfortunately, many of us concentrate exclusively on the acts of worship like fasting, Salaah, reading Qur’aan, etc. while forgetting that Islam also includes other important aspects like how we deal with others.
Thus, we end up practicing on parts of Islam and neglecting others.
BANI ISRAEEL
The Qur’aan makes mention of this policy of selectively following Islam among the previous Muslim nation; the Israelites. They were prohibited from shedding one another’s blood and driving out one another from their homes.
Yet, the different Israelite tribes sided with opposing Arab factions and ended up fighting one another. When the time came for Israelite prisoners of war to be ransomed, the very Jews who had fought them paid their ransom, claiming that Jewish law commanded the paying of ransom.
They thus followed part of their religious teachings and violated other parts according to their whim and fancy.
OURSELVES
We need to take stock of how much of this double standards we have in our lives. Are we staunch in practicing on parts of Islam while flagrantly violating others?
We might be punctual with Salaah and fasting in Ramadaan, which is excellent, while doing others down in one way or another by way of example.
REMEDY
What’s the remedy for this illness? The Qur’aan asks us to think about being on the receiving end of a wrong. This should prevent one from doing it.
The Qur’aan gives the example of orphans, urging the guardians to treat them well. Then the Qur’aan tells the guardians to think about how they would feel if they had to die and leave behind orphan children. What concern would afflict the dead parent, worrying about his orphan children and how people are going to treat them?
When the temptation to do others down strikes, put yourself in the shoes of the one who is going to be wronged, and think about how we would feel had the same been done to us.
Double Standards
