Love for others what you love for yourself

A true meaning of selflessness

“None of you will (truly) believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself” — Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

The saying above is equivalent to the Golden rule that we all know: “treat others the way you want to be treated”. But there is a much deeper, almost profound, meaning to the saying. I feel that when we hear these sayings we understand them at a basic level which makes them seem easy to do.

However here’s where it gets hard. Consider all the things you take for granted and can’t live without (water, food, clothes, shelter, security, healthcare, medicine, family, education, etc.). Add on all the things that you love (phone, car, success, money, large house, etc.) And now consider the over 7 billion people on this planet. To fully understand and implement the saying above, you have to love everything you have and love, for every single person in the world. And not only that, but you have to actively try, as best you can, to provide the things you have and love to everyone else on this planet.

Much harder to do, right?

But no one is expecting you to save the world. You just do your part, to the best of your abilities and with the resources you have.