Love and Care : The Key To Universal Unity

LOVE AND CARE

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Each soul seeks tender care longing for protection and respect human rights shouldn’t be disregarded transgressors must face justice Compromise and understanding are pillars of good living good reasons and cooperation help endure a blessed life of togetherness Where, 0 where on earth can this be found? Where, 0 where on earth can this be seen? Mankind is crumbling down hope and trust is disarrayed by the dark forces of evil desire Everywhere we see crisis and destruction war, loss of wealth and life’s oblivion the poor and the lost gets no attention the rich, the superpowers terrorise 0 God, you’re our only hope the Ultimate Protector and Saviour You’re the Solver of life’s absolution

Contents

Notes from the Publisher
Preface
Introduction 1 -
Chapter I The Meaning of Love Amongst Mankind
Chapter 2 Levels and Type of Love and Care
Chapter 3 The Society Needs Love
Chapter 4 Why Love Can Change?
Chapter 5 What’s So Beautiful About a Secular Society?
Chapter 6 Life in a Loving and Caring Society
Chapter 7 Obstacles to the Bonds of Love and Care
Chapter 8 Good akhlaq Ensures Love and Care
Chapter 9 Prophet Muhammad SAW a Model to
Love and Care
Chapter10 ALLAH is the Greatest Love
Conclusion

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Abuya Sheikh Imam Ashaari Muhammad At-Tamimi is the founder and leader of Darul Arqam, an Islamic jemaah from Malaysia. His intention is to revive global peace and harmony which is engulfed with various sorts of crises by implanting and again nurturing love and care amongst mankind regardless of their ethnic group, religion and country.

In his struggle to restore universal unity, he gives emphasis on the effort to bring back mankind to his pure instinct that is longing for goodness and hating badness. He concretely believes that peacefulness, serenity and harmony will be revived when man has really devoted themselves to God, the Greatest Creator and live affectionately with one another.

Abuya Sheikh Imam Ashaari Muhammad At-Tamimi possesses a grand vision which is accumulated in sixty four books that he wrote, which covers the whole aspects of life, both the spiritual and physical; in this world and the Hereafter.

Through darul Arqam, he puts into reality his mind by implementing an independent living systems which portray Islam as a way of life to be exemplified by the society.

Besides being the leader to ten thousand followers and millions of sympathisers in the whole world, he is also a philosopher, economist, social planner, administrator, da’i, politician, writer and poet.

He is convinced that the Muslim Ummah will one again be revived through the struggle of love, care and subtlety, so that a model is created to mould every aspect of our lives such as in economy, politics, social, education, culture and current issues.

As an economist, Abuya Imam Ashaari Muhammad At-Tamimi has implemented an Islamic economic system based on a policy which is unique and fair throughout the Al-Arqam Group of Companies. To him, economy is the most important additional strength in the struggle to defend the poor and the destitute people, in order to uphold justice in the life of man.

In his opinion, the material development should be based on spiritual development. When the spiritual self has been nurtured, the material development will save man.

Thus, the initial step he takes is to renurture the feeling of God’s existence in man, before putting them in the various fields of work for material development. He wants to shape a generation whom with their hands would rule the world but their hearts have no greed for it.

Abuya Imam Ashaari Muhammad At-Tamimi is an international figure who actively spreads Islam and performs the community works through the whole world. Now darul Arqam has a chain of information and mubaligh centres in South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the United States of America, the Middle East, China, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Japan and India.

He is confident that the Eastern world will be the main centre of activity for the peacefulness and prosperity in the material and spiritual aspects. His leadership has been acknowledged and accepted in the Middle East, Uzbekistan Yunnan and other Asian countries. This is proven when the Cheng Ho Research Foundation in Yunnan, China, appointed him as the permanent Honorable President in 1993.

From the publisher

FOR SUCH a long time, the world is devoid of love and care which has resulted in the outbreak of several series of world wars, wars between countries and civil wars. Even within a family, an institution that should be the base to nurture love and care, ‘wars’ often occur between husbands and wives and between parents and children.

Since man has not savoured the joy of love and care for such a long time, they have become immuned, thus they do not consider this a problem. When in fact love and care which is a basic natural instinct, no matter what, must be catered for. As a result, harmony and happiness fade away day by day, whether we realise it or not.

There are those who notice this problem and want to overcome it, but they do not know the cause and how to solve it. As a result, they only cure the symptoms and not the causes to the deterioration of love and care. The bottom line is, the entire world has lost the key of how to open the door of love and care which has been closed for hundreds of years.

This book offers a clear formula towards bringing love and care into existence in every single human being regardless of ethnic group, religion and skin colour. In his sixty-fourth book, Abuya Imam Ashaari Muhammad At-Tamimi brings the ummah message to the whole mankind. Not only that, he presents to the world the model of a loving and caring society through Jamaah darul Arqam which he has founded and led for the past 26 years.

Hence this book does not attempt to present a meaningless mental exercise to hypothesise, philosophise or theorise but to present an idea (mind) that has been implemented in real life. His approach is very different from what has been practised by other leaders, writers, sociologists and psychologists who have been discussing love and care before this.

This book should be taken seriously by all levels of the society since the writer’s approach will truly touch the readers’ hearts until the truth is admitted by the readers’ spiritual instinct, except those who are prejudice and have self interests.

Preface

WHY IS THE WORLD today in this state and condition? Why are the differences and divisions of human beings into various ethnic groups, languages, nations, religions, culture, skin colour and social status, separate rather than unite the people? They are all homosapien sapiens, descendants of Adam and Eve. Why do not these people live together in harmony, know each other well, be communicative and cooperative, have a sense of belonging towards each other, be united and live like brothers and sisters? After all, their feelings and needs are similar.

Why is there a huge obstacle that hinders communication between the continents, so much so that it is totally cut-off? In fact tensions, prejudices, crises and wars exist between the continents. Why should there be an iron curtain between the countries which cuts off communication and makes it difficult for the people to visit each other? In fact the people of two neighbouring countries do not get to know each other. Instead they tend to have conflicts and problems. To the extent that they never realise they have many neighbours who are humane like them.

Why is not there a sense of being in one big family among the people in a country? Whereas they have a common leader and the country is theirs. In fact in some countries, they are people of the same race who share the same language, culture, and religion. In such a case, what has happened to their sense of belonging, which would enable them to work together? Perhaps it does not exist at all. As a result, they lead a very individualistic life, thus neglecting their own fellow countrymen.

Such a life is led by people who have lost the guidance to build a united society, to work together and to help each other. Whereas such guidance is required to develop an ideal life of togetherness and to cater for their common interest so that continents, countries and individuals are able to co-exist. Then only human society will be seen to be different from that of animals and plants. Humans are then able to live in harmony and happiness as well as to experience universal peace and security. secure or peaceful as one family. Neither can they see the beauty of staying together.

How do we save this situation? If it is not saved, the world will be ruined. Man will lose his humanity and live in hell, one that he himself creates.

I believe that there is a key that could solve this problem and reduce its complexity. It is love and care. Man, regardless of his race, language, religion and skin colour, wherever he may be and whatever status he possesses in society, is born with the instinct to love and to be loved. If he feels that he is loved by others eventhough the person is from a different race or religion, he will be touched by it. It makes him happy and he finds it easy to get along with that person.

A cruel leader if showered with love by his followers or people will become more humane and gentle. If children express their love to a violent father, he will eventually turn soft and gentle.

This is the secret. He is born with the need to be loved. This is what we call natural instinct. Love would bring continents and countries closer to each other. It would tie men to become brothers eventhough they come from different races and have different languages, culture, religion, skin colour, social status and so on.

The need to be loved and the existence of such feelings in every man’s heart is endowed by ALLAH since the day he was born. ALLAH who creates man on earth has provided these feelings of love and care in every man. Man need not learn, request or work for it. It is there in him right from the moment he was born. This is known as instinctive feeling which is a natural characteristic. Everybody, men and women have it either they are a leader or follower, parent or child, husband or wife, teacher or student regardless of their race and religion.

With this instinctive feeling, man is actually one and equal.

This need to be loved is a universal feeling. It puts mankind in one single row and there is no difference between them. If this feeling exists amongst them, they will unite and be considerate towards each other. Thus, this is how it should be because that is what every soul needs. It is the basic spiritual rights of all mankind that must be fulfilled. There is no man who does not need it. In fact, without it, man will lose his happiness.

Children will not be happy if they do not get love from their parents. Similarly, parents too will suffer if their children do not love them. Students will not be happy if they do not get love from their teachers. Likewise, teachers too would suffer if their students do not love them. Wives like to be loved by their husbands. While husbands would suffer if their wives do not love them.

Leaders too, would want to be loved. So do followers, friends and vice versa. In short, everybody needs love from someone. It makes them happy if they are loved. Otherwise, he will feel disappointed and empty. However, man today seems to be the victims of unfortunate circumstances, because they don’t get what they need most. Husbands do not get the love they want from their wives. Wives too do not get love from their husbands because both husbands and wives do not know how to shower love, although love is what they need.

This is what mankind suffers throughout the world. As a result, they become tensed, restless, emotional, frustrated and some would even commit suicide. Eventhough he is rich, highly know-ledgeable or highly ranked, he expects to be loved. Yet he himself does not know how to love others. Thus, because of that, he is not loved by others. When you hurt somebody, others will feel hurt, too. They will lose their sympathy and respect for you. Eventually, feelings of hatred and annoyance will grow and worsen. Love will then totally perish.

Such is the condition of the world today. Men would live together in a society but they are always in conflict with each other. Instead of love, hatred becomes the order of the society. Life would be empty and the people would suffer. How would we solve this problem? Where would we find a way out?

With ALLAH’s will, I will try to point out several practical steps in giving and receiving love amongst mankind, regardless of their race. It is hoped that we will be able to lead a life that is beautiful, peaceful, secured and happy. Universal unity would then ensue in this world. That is, when man from all races and all walks of life know how to give and find love. Insha- ALLAH.

O ALLAH! Please grant my small effort to save the world as you have decreed. May our life in this final era be given the chance to savour a life attained by the people during the early era.

Rewards from this effort if there be any, 0 ALLAH, do convey them to all those who have done good deeds to me. . Not to forget of course, my parents, teachers, particularly Prophet Muhammad and Sayidi sheikh Muhammad bin Abdullah as Suhaimi, baqiatullah (the Preserved One).

ABUYA ASHAARI MUHAMMAD

introduction

EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE l o v e d * and cared. We would be happy if someone loves us and we would be sad if someone hates us. That is the nature of every people’s heart, irrespective of creed or religion. This is what we call natural instinct. This natural instinct could not be removed from our heart. And no heart is devoid of this instinct. It is part and parcel of human life. It needs to be taken care of and fulfilled like the needs to eat and drink which are instinctive needs that cannot be ignored but must be satisfied. Otherwise, life would be incomplete and happiness will be gone.

To challenge our own pure instinctive needs is just like hurting ourselves. Just like someone who rejects marriage, he is actually going against his own instinctive needs. That is equivalent to hurting himself. Instead, if we care for our instinctive needs and satisfy its requirement, we have fulfilled our responsibility towards our own selves. We would then feel I Love & Care: The Key to Universal Unity satisfied, entertained and happy.

Someone who is loved by others would feel that his natural instinct has been fulfilled. This makes him calm and happy. On the other hand, if someone feels that there is no one who loves him, and he feels everybody despises and hates him, his heart and soul would experience emptiness so much so that he feels life is meaningless and is pessimistic about the future. He would suffer from dejection and humiliation. He would feel lonely and isolated in the midst of a crowd. Life seems to be meaningless, therefore he would rather die. If he does not possess iman (faith), this man would normally decide to take his own life.

Indeed, failure to fulfill one’s natural instinct would cause psychological depression, that could lead to suicide. It could also lead him to kill somebody. Unlike one who suffers from physical sickness, one would still be able to bear the agony and would persist in fighting for his life. It is a fact that we should be particularly concerned so that we would consider matters relating to human heart and soul with utmost importance. Thus, its need must be fulfilled while educating and controlling it must be given priority.

Man should not forget his responsibility to provide spiritual nutrition to his soul. Like our physical organs, soul and heart too needs care, food, control and spiritual enhancement. We should not only beautify our face and body, neglecting the heart and soul by leaving them dry and empty. As a matter of fact, even if the care of the face is not neglected, one’s heart and soul which are empty would cry foul and would create many problems.

To be loved and cared is the basic need of all human beings. In fact it is the basic right of one’s spiritual self and it gives satisfaction. If man is not given his basic physical needs such as food, shelter, clothing and others, he will suffer hardship but the hardship would not drive him crazy, make him commit suicide or kill others. Seldom has this happened that the poor suffers mental disorder, commits suicide or resort to killing others. But if the basic rights of one’s spiritual self is not fulfilled, one will be spiritually impoverished and his soul would suffer. Consequently this could lead one to suffer mental breakdown, commit suicide or kill others.

We frequently hear that children who do not get the proper attention from their parents would run away from home. Husbands who were not entertained at home would become wild. Wives who do not get their needed love become anguish and hostile. The poor who hate the rich would bear malice and would even commit theft and murder. Various kinds of societal problems would emerge if the soul is not properly managed.

If man feels he is loved, that is his need is being satisfied, then his soul is cured until he feels strong, healthy and energetic. He feels glad and is full of joy and happiness. He gains an inner strength to work, study, struggle, perform tasks and others. Indeed this would be so if the soul is strong and strengthened as the basic spiritual need is nourished. It means that love and care from others is a supplement to the soul. It strengthens the soul to motivate the physical to work. A strong soul will motivate and drives the human organs to work.

On the other hand, a man with a weak soul due to the deprivation of the basic spiritual nutrition, will be tired, listless and lonesome. He is easily disillusioned, frustrated and disappointed. He is like a balloon with insufficient air in it, lacks energy and power to float in the sky. Such would be a man who possesses weak soul. He lacks the strength that could initiate his physical parts, to be dynamic and energetic. He is like an ailing man, too weak and feeble to face problems in life.

To look into this problem realistically, let us make a comparison between a family with all its members loving each other and a family with all its members having indifferent attitudes. Would the situation in their life be different? Of course the answer will be different. The home full of love and care will be coloured with happiness, joy and. beauty. The life of each family members will be well organised and well disciplined. Everyone performs his or her responsibility spiritedly and effectively. We would feel comfortable in the company of such a home.

While in a home without love and care, the situation is apparently messy with crisis as well as with dispute and quarrel. The situation looks listless, bored and disorganised. It lacks a proper system and with each family member seems to work individually and no cooperation in building a happy family. We would be uncomfortable in such homes.

The same situation applies in the office, factory, school, village, state, nation and the entire world. Life would surely be different in a country where all the people shower love on each other to that of a country where its people hated each other.

Therefore, it is vital that we endeavour to be loved and at the same time love others. If we are children, try to get the love of our parents. If we were parents, make sure that our children love us. Only then there exist in a home where parents love their children and the children love their parents.

Again, if we are the husbands, we must make the effort so that our wives love us. If we are the wives, we must make the effort so that our husbands love us. If we are school teachers, we should attempt to get the love of our students and in return the students must attempt to love their teachers. Leaders must attempt to make their followers love them while follower! must find ways to make their leaders love them.

In a village or a country where the society is poly-ethnic, each ethnic group must attempt to get the love of other ethnic groups so that there will be national unity and peace. When there is an effort by both parties to fulfill the instinctive needs, in both directions, then everybody would taste happiness andcontentment in life. With that will emerge a sense of togetherness and an attitude to co-operate with one another. Hence, a secured society and civilization would then be established. insya-allah (God willing).

A true caring society surely would be most forgiving if there are faults and mistakes among members. Each mistake will not be exaggerated and inflated. Neither would it be a problem. Everybody would be tolerant and there will be a lot of give and take. In fact, each member would be even willing to sacrifice his personal interest for the sake of others.

Within such a society, crisis and animosity would be kept to minimum. Societal illness such as malice, suppression, backstabbing, fraud, cruelty, prejudice, quarrelsome, war and so on could be overcome or at least it would rarely occur. All these are due to the existence of love and care. This is a peaceful, prosperous and harmonious society that we have discussed and dreamed of. In the Quran, ALLAH says:

“‘A territory fair and happy, and a Lord Oft-Forgiving. ”

(Sura Saba’: 15)

This is the state of the world that could be called a paradise- that is a transitory paradise (called the Al-Jannatul Ajilah). If man succeeds in building paradise in this world, there would be an opportunity for him to strive for the real Paradise after his death. However, to strive for that Paradise is more difficult. Nevertheless, if one could not even achieve this transitory Paradise, there is no hope for him to get that real Paradise in the world Hereafter.

So, let us think and endevour to achieve this transitory paradise first. Truly, the world today is not yet a transitory paradise but it is more of a hell. Today’s world is filled with tales of war, murder, aggression, suppression, cruelty, ill-deeds, immorality and vice. Goodness is minimal, love and care is almost non-existence, whilst justice, peace, security and happiness have become oblivious. This is not called paradise.

Man’s soul suffers because it is not given its nutrition. But if only the physical poverty is being the concern while impoverishment of the soul is not solved, life will be lopsided. The physical and spiritual no longer coincide or parallel each other. On the surface they are interacting and they live together in one society, but their hearts are empty, disunited and prejudiced, habour spite, full of malice, hatred, stinginess and others. In the Holy Quran, it is stated:

“Thou wouldst think they were united, but their hearts are divided. ”

(Sura Al-Hashr: 14)

How and what must be done so that others can love us and we also love them? What is the secret so that we can make the effort to be loved and to love others? What are the motivation and hopes to strive in building this society of love and care?

Hopefully you are prepared to be with me until the end of this book so that we could explore to find the mysterious path of life, but full of success.

People work but in a condition of force; they interact and smile involuntarily, work involuntarily, obey instruction involuntarily. Eventually there emerges a society where life is full of hypocrisy as a result of a diseased heart which has infected the social life. When people work under pressure, the fruits of labour would be futile. Development and success is just empty rhetoric. Everybody thinks about their own selfinterests which are limitless until the people and society are neglected without due attention and care. This is what is happening now.

Realising this fact, let us struggle and sacrifice to redevelop a life of love and care. Let us ponder why people do not love us and why we also do not love others. Why others are angry at us and we are angry at others?

How and what must be done so that others can love us and we also can love others?

What is the secret so that we can attempt to love others and be loved? What are the motivation and hopes to strive in building this society of love and care? Hopefully you are prepared to be with me until the end of this book so that we could explore in search of the path of life that is mysterious but full of success.

Probably we would be burdened in obtaining these fruits, but prepare yourself because a patient has to be willing to be operated in order to gain the desired health.