Day 21
To Slay or to Save
“if anyone slays a human being—unless it be for murder or for spreading corruption on earth—it shall be as though he had slain all humanity; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saves the lives of all humanity…yet, behold, notwithstanding all this, many of them go on committing all manner of excesses on earth.” (Surah An-Nisa, 5:32)
I was moved by Wazina’s post yesterday, particularly her writing about why activism is integral to her life and the ways Islam urges us to strive for justice and upliftment of humanity. I’ve been reading about the victims of the Sikh temple shooting and about the shooter. Yesterday I mentioned to someone that I wished the shooter was still alive so that he would have to give an accounting of his actions to the survivors. “Don’t you think God is holding him accountable?” came the reply. I was a bit stunned because I do believe in the ultimate justice that is the sole province of Allah. Quran tells us that everyone will get the justice we deserve. What I came up against in that conversation was my human desire for justice to look a certain way. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believe in restorative justice. I think about how important Truth & Reconciliation Commissions have been in the healing process of some communities around the world. For me, a key component of earthly justice looks like having to look those you have harmed and/or the loved ones of those you have harmed in the face, honestly, and account for yourself. I know it doesn’t always happen that way but I lament that those who remain after the shooting in Wisconsin will not have the opportunity.
The Quran says that to slay one person, it’s as if you’ve slain all of humanity. That is incredibly profound. In our weeping, in our sorrow over the Wisconsin shooting, and all the too-many instances of murder, what’s happening in Syria, in Nigeria, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Mali, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in America, in…we weep and we sorrow for all of us. A moment of pause please…
II.
We take responsibility for ourselves. The word “slay” hold many levels of meaning. In addition to the obvious physical death, we can talk about slaying the spirit. Speech is a powerful tool for hastening such death. I had a friend in college who used to routinely, jokingly, refer to me as “bitch” and every time I heard it, it took the fun out of a simple conversation. For me, the damage we do with words, even where culturally sanctioned to insult and demean each other (for example, think of all the reality shows which some viewers then feel fine about making fun of participants, think of “playing the dozens”, think of the conversation around reclaiming words like “nigga” or “bitch” or…). I know lots of people use insults as terms of endearment. I understand the arguments but hear I endeavor to cleave to Islam’s urge against backbiting. What an image—imagine yourself biting someone’s back for your own amusement. At what quiet cost do we wither one another? Ya Allah, may our speech and the intention behind our speech be pleasing to you, and increase us in nearness to one another and to You. Amin.
Our hearts are big enough to break many times, and then to mend, with scar tissue to make them bigger.
III.
The Quran also says that save one life, it’s as if you’ve saved all of humanity. We could discuss the many levels of meaning in the word “save”. I would like to suggest that this notion includes them all, the myriad ways we lift each other up in body and spirit. I can say that Wazina is one of the most generous people I know, for example. The flower someone stopped on the sidewalk to give me, the jokes we tell to elicit healing laughter, the food we cook for others, the many ways a helping hand can look, a loving hand. Ultimately, love is the sovereign truth that saves. May we endeavor to be servants of the Source of Love, Ya Wadud (the Loving). Amin.
