Christian and Islamic Texts Challenging the ‘Hostile Environment’
A Response to ‘Destitution, Discrimination, Distrust’
The report ‘Destitution, Discrimination, Distrust’ was produced recently (last week at time of writing) by my colleagues in the Joint Public Issues Team. It features, as one might expect, supporting Biblical texts. Knowing that Islam too has a concern for those who are poor and victims of injustice I am sharing the following matching Islamic texts (in the Qur’an and hadiths).
On ignoring those who are in need and what the religious response should be
If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? James 2:15–16
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, who said that the Messenger of Allah said: Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection: O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me. It was related by Muslim.
{This is a hadith qudsi, a traditional saying ascribed to Muhammad featuring words attributed to God, though not appearing in the Qur’an.}
Discrimination and equality
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor does a black have any superiority over a white except by piety and good action. Muhammad’s farewell sermon
Trust and Fairness
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” John 7:24
Indeed God commands you to deliver the trusts to their [rightful] owners, and, when you judge between people, to judge with fairness. Qur’an 4:58
The biblical text above is supported in the report by the apostle Paul’s comment: For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. Ephesians 2.14
A very similar appeal is made in the Qur’an:
Hold fast, all together, to God’s cord, and do not be divided [into sects]. And remember Allah’s blessing upon you when you were enemies, then He brought your hearts together, so you became brothers with His blessing. Qur’an 3.103
