Service to the people
Service to the people means doing good to humanity without personal gain.
This is such a great act that many religions perform, but in Islam, this act has been given great importance and its great virtue has been described.
The Holy Quran and the Hadiths of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) have advised helping others, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and fulfilling the needs of the needy.
However, service to the people is not just about financial assistance, but also smiling at someone, helping someone in their difficulty, supporting the helpless, forgiving someone's debt, forgiving someone's mistake and embracing them. All such acts that are related to the servants are included in service to the people.
A good Muslim, a good citizen is one who is useful to others, regardless of their religion or their grievances with others, helping them is the best way to serve humanity.
For example, there is an incident of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) that once he was traveling somewhere, he saw an old woman carrying a bundle of firewood on her head.
He went ahead and took the bundle from her and said: "I will deliver it to your house."
She was very happy and started walking with him, talking to him, but she kept criticizing the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) all the way.
He listened to her criticism with great patience. When he returned to her house with that load of firewood, his son asked his mother: "Do you know the man who helped you?"
She said: "I don't know him, but he is a very good person. He has helped me a lot."
The boy said: "The one you consider a great enemy is the same man!"
Hearing this, the woman immediately came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: "I kept on abusing you all along the way, but you, far from abusing me, treated me with such love and helped me!"
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Our religion teaches us that whoever deserves help should be helped."
Hearing this, she said: "Indeed, your religion is worthy of being accepted." And then she became a Muslim.
From this incident, it can be understood that *service to the people is actually service to the religion.*
Especially in today's era, when selfishness has become common, the importance of service to the people increases even more.
If every individual starts helping others within his scope, then our society can become an ideal society.
The incident of Mr. Dhul-Qarnayn is the best example of service to the people.
Mr. Zulqarnain, while returning from building the "Sid Sikandri" (Alexandria Dam), passed through a settlement.
He saw some strange things in this settlement. He saw that the people of this settlement had built the graves of their elders at the doors of their houses.
When he asked the people there the reason, they told him:
"We have built graves at our doors so that whenever we leave or enter the house, we remember that we too have to come here one day."
The second thing he noticed was that people sleep early in the evening and wake up before sunrise in the morning.
When he asked the reason for this, he told him:
"That is why we sleep early so that we can wake up early in the morning, that way we stay healthy."
The third thing he noticed was that there was no poor person in his settlement.
When asked the reason for this, he said:
"We distribute the livelihood we earn among the people, keeping it for our own needs. That is why no one feels their poverty."
And the fourth special thing that he saw was that they had no coat, court or judge.
He was very surprised. When he asked the reason, he told him:
"There is no dispute here among us, and if there is ever a discussion or debate with someone, we resolve it together."
Seeing this, Mr. Dhul-Qarnain praised these people a lot.
Indeed, if every individual considers these things as his responsibility and takes care of them, no one's rights can be violated, and a perfect society can be created.
Praise be to Allah! Allah has given us such a religion that not only connects the servants to His Lord, but also wants to connect the servants to the servants, that is, it teaches the servants of God to serve the servants.
Islam is not just a set of acts of worship, but a complete code of life that emphasizes the importance of serving others.
The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said:
"The best of people are those who benefit others."
Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) said:
"There are two types of people among you: either your brothers in religion or your equals in humanity."
The meaning is clear that serving others is not limited to Muslims, but every human being is worthy of it.
Imam Mas'oom (peace be upon him) says:
"Being kind to people and treating them with good manners is half of faith."
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) says:
"Even if your neighbour is a Jew, a Christian, or a non-believer, treat him with good manners.
Not everyone possesses the passion for serving others. For this, it is essential to improve our morals. It is obvious that if our morals are good, we can earn respect and a place among other nations.
However, in this era, morality has become just a word. When we fail to behave kindly with our own family members—especially with blood relatives—it shows a lack of true ethical character. We are often unable to express the love and moral conduct that is necessary with our real brothers, sisters, and parents.
To preserve these relationships, even if it requires us to endure some personal loss, it is vital to do so. Only then can peace and harmony be maintained at home, and love and affection continue among relatives. Indeed, it is through such acts of virtue that Allah, the Almighty, blesses us with sustenance.
Today, everyone seems to be suffering from various problems. The root cause is this: while Islam teaches kindness and good conduct toward all of humanity, people today avoid such behavior even within their own homes—toward their own brothers, nephews, and close relatives. Serving parents has started to feel like a burden to children. As a result, the blessings in our sustenance have disappeared, and people appear confused and distressed.
Islam made service to others a necessity so that people may be inspired by the morals of Muslims and enter the fold of Islam. This can be understood from an incident involving the Master of the Universe (Imam Ali a.s.):
Once, the Master of the Universe was on a journey. Along the way, he met a Jew, and they walked together for some distance. Upon reaching a point where their paths diverged, the Jew turned onto his path and continued walking. After going a little further, he noticed that Imam Ali (a.s.) was still walking with him.
Surprised, the Jew stopped and said,
"Perhaps you have forgotten your path. Your route was in the opposite direction."
Imam Ali (a.s.) replied,
"I have not forgotten my path; rather, I am practicing the teachings of my religion."
The Jew asked,
"How so?"
Imam Ali (a.s.) explained,
"Our religion teaches us that if someone is your travel companion, it is his right that when he parts ways with you, you accompany him a short distance further. So, I am simply fulfilling that obligation."
Hearing this, the Jew said,
"Indeed, your religion is very beautiful."
He was so moved by Imam Ali’s character and words that he accepted Islam.
Imam Reza’s (a.s.) Care for Humanity
Similarly, our Eighth Imam (Imam Reza a.s.) showed great care for the servants of Allah. Whenever he sat down to eat, he would place an empty bowl beside him. From every dish, he would take a little and put it into that bowl. Afterward, he would instruct a servant to distribute the food among the poor.
He used to say,
"Allah knows that not everyone can afford to free a slave. But by feeding the poor in this way, one can find a means to enter Paradise."
The Story of Ghaffari
A man named Ghaffari once borrowed some money but was unable to repay it on time. The creditor kept demanding the money, troubling him frequently. Distressed, Ghaffari decided to seek help from Imam Reza (a.s.).
He met the Imam, explained his situation, and the Imam (a.s.) took him to his house. Ghaffari was fasting, so Imam Reza first served him iftar (the meal to break his fast) and then said,
"Lift this pillow and take whatever is beneath it."
He found a bag under the pillow, took it, and went home. When he opened it, he discovered some dinars and a note. Upon reading the note, he found the following written on it:
"Give 28 dinars to the lender, and keep the rest for your needs."
When he counted the dinars, there were exactly 48.
The Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) did not merely command us to follow the teachings of Allah; they themselves practiced each one. Through their actions, they showed us that if we truly desire the pleasure and approval of Allah, we must follow the principles He has established. Only then can we achieve true success.
May Allah, the Almighty, grant us all the ability to walk in the footsteps of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.). Ameen.
And our final call is: "All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds."
