What Is So Special About Man If I Gives No Benefit To Others

What Is So Special About Man If He Gives No Benefit To Others

If we study, analyze and appraise the physical aspects of mankind, we will find there is absolutely nothing special about it. Instead there are two negative aspects about the physique of man.

First: Weakness

What we mean by weakness here is the weakness of the body. The body has no resistance or resilience. It is easily exposed to a lot of diseases. It is easily attacked by fever, headaches, toothaches and ailments of the eyes. This also includes diseases that are more serious like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart attack and others.

Besides that, the resilience or resistance of the physical body itself is also very weak compared to the resilience of the soul. If it knocks against something, it is easily wounded or swollen and causes pain. If it falls or collides against a hard or a strong object, it is easily sprained, broken, crushed and smashed. If energy is used, the body gets easily tired and exhausted. If care is not taken, this too can lead to illness. In fact, even if the body experiences pleasure, it is also subjected to negative effects or to certain side effects. As an example, after consuming too much food, the body becomes heavy and this can lead to various illnesses. After having sexual relationship with the wife, especially when it is frequent, the body becomes exhausted, weak and listless. If the body sleeps too late at night, the eyes become sleepy in the day. Added to that, the body also feels tired.

That is how weak man is. His physical resilience is always being challenged. His physical resilience is always being tried. This outside challenge and encroachment has its side effects on the body. His soul is also pressured resulting in high emotions. He becomes easily angered, easily aggrieved, loathsome, sated and others.

If this negative spiritual characteristic is not controlled by Islamic teachings and by the struggle against lust or the nafs (mujahadah), it will hurt other people. This will give rise to crises and quarrels amongst the people in society. Unity, love and care and harmony will be destroyed.

Secondly: Excretion

Whatever is excreted from the body of man is dirty and disgusting. Let us study this fact.

Excretion of the body that is sweat or perspiration has a revolting smell and is disgusting to people.

Excretion of the ears either earwax or pus is foul smelling and nauseating.

Excretion of the nose that is mucus or snot is disgusting and nauseating and no one likes it, not even the person concerned.

Saliva, which is discharged through the mouth, is foul smelling especially that which is discharged during sleep. At times, it is also defiling (najis) from the Islamic viewpoint.

Tears, although not foul smelling, is still regarded with disgust and is very much disliked.

Urine and stool, excreted via the urinary tract and the anus are not only extremely foul smelling, dirty and revolting but also defiling (najis) from the Islamic viewpoint. They are the excretion of man, which are most loathsome. Their smell hurt peoples' noses. Cleansing the body of these excretions is obligatory. Otherwise, acts of devotion will not be accepted by Allah. They pollute and dirty the air, they threaten health and can disturb the peace.

What we have said are about disgusting things that come naturally and cannot be avoided by man. They are part of the body's natural functions.

We have not yet touched on things that are disgusting and loathsome and which at the same time degrade and cause difficulty to man like sores, diabetic gangrene, shingles, ulcerated sores, cancerous abscesses and boils that exudes pus which are smelly, dirty and revolting and which cause pain and weaken the body. With these diseases, man lose their worth and value. At times, because of these diseases, those whom we love like our wives and children can suddenly loathe us and abandon us.

If man do not have any good or any specialty in other areas other than the disgusting things that have been said before this, then what is so special about mankind? What then is the meaning of the lives of man or their existence in this world. Man will only face hardship and will cause difficulty to others. Man will have no worth and value. Such men are like garbage of society and in fact are much lower than garbage itself. Useless garbage can at least be swept and thrown away or collected or heaped and burnt. Its ashes can be used as fertilizer. But man, no matter how useless, cannot be thrown away or burnt. Such a man is truly a living corpse who does nothing else but disturbs and jeopardizes the lives of other people.

Because of this, through the blessings of Allah and His love for mankind, and because Allah wants to honor and upgrade the status of mankind who are His servants, He sent His Prophets and His Apostles whom He gave guidance and revelation. The last of the Prophets was Sayidina Muhammad SAW. To him, Allah gave the Quran as a guide and revelation so that mankind can become useful. Besides being His servants who are subservient to Him, man is also Allah's vicegerent to develop, advance and administer the world so that it becomes a safe and happy place for him. In the Hereafter, there are greater and more special rewards and that is paradise which is unlike and incomparable to anything we know and which Allah awards as His bounty to mankind. This is a blessing to men who has done good while on earth in accordance to the wishes of Allah.

Because of this, mankind should take the chance by following the guidance of Allah. Man should aggrandize Allah, love Him, fear Him, purify Him, be humble to Him, be shameful, be thankful, be hopeful to Him and man should rely on Him. Accept whatever He destines and be patient with trials and tribulations from Him by doing the act of prayers, fasting, the haj, reciting the Quran, contemplating in the remembrance of Him (zikr), purifying Him (tasbih), praising Him (tahmid), holifying Him (taqdis), struggle against our nafs or lust (mujahadah) and struggle in the way of Allah (jihad).

These are the ways mankind as created servants can relate to his Creator. Then, as His vicegerent, develop the earth, advance and administer it in accordance to the systems and rules from Allah, for this earth belongs to Him. We should not do as we like or in accordance to our whims and fancies so that the world is not damaged. And do service to mankind to instill love and care, unity cooperation, harmony, security, peace, and happiness together. All this can be done through power and authority, administration, knowledge, effort and energy, influence, money, wealth and others. Whatever we do, we should follow the guidance of Allah so that He will accept, bless and award us His mercy. At all times, fear Allah in whatever we do so that hopefully no negative effects will ensue that will destroy man himself.

Whosoever amongst mankind who can do all this is regarded as one who fears Allah (taqwa). He is honored and forgiven by Allah. Such a man, who do service to other men by all his good deeds has actually redeemed all his weaknesses and shortcomings that are part of his being. He has attained a high status in the eyes of Allah and mankind for although he is beset with weaknesses, he has succeeded to become a useful person. In the Hereafter, he qualifies for Allah's forgiveness and His paradise.

Meanwhile, if man is not nurtured by Islamic upbringing and education, he loses his fear of Allah, he forgets life in the Hereafter and through his physical body, he dares to commit all forms of transgressions whether openly or otherwise.

His hands are used for stealing, robbing, giving and taking bribes, hitting and killing people. His legs step towards places of evil and vices, like nightclubs, discos, prostitute dens, gambling houses and places where people revel and where there are free mixing of the sexes. His tongue is used to revile and slander, insult, libel, lie, swear, scold and to utter lewd words. His eyes are used to look at women who are not his kin and family, obscene pictures and to see the weaknesses of other people to be disseminated everywhere. His ears are used to eavesdrop on people's secrets so it can be made public. His brain is constantly used to think of how to commit evil and to plan the destruction of God's earth. After we have studied and analyzed humankind, we find that man's body or physique is nothing special. In fact, it produces nothing but filth. Because of this, man is forced to conceal his natural dirt by frequently cleaning his body with soap and shampoo, and to beautify it with powder, lipstick and perfumes. It is further decorated with expensive and beautiful clothing to attract people's attention so that people will approach and mix with them. Otherwise, people will run away because the smell of sweat and perspiration alone is enough to repel them.

In fact, forgive me for saying this, but to perform the innate physical relationship between husband and wife, if both parties do not beautify themselves and rub themselves with perfume and powder, the desire to conduct such relationship can wane or can die immediately. Domestic crisis may result.

Also, in order to attain health, so that the body is always active and energetic, man needs to exercise and jog frequently. Food and drinks must be taken care of and unhealthy places must be avoided. That is the truth of the nature of man and no one can escape or avoid it. If man realize this truth, that they cannot avoid the weaknesses and shortcomings that we have said, no matter who he is, whether he is a king or one who has power, knowledge and wealth, man will always be conscious of himself, always shameful, humble and modest. They will not be proud or snobbish, let alone to oppress or tyrannize other people.