We live in a time where the proverbial buck stops everywhere but at our front door. Finger pointing, grandstanding, and self-righteous accusations can be detected from the top of the political arena, to inside the corporate world, to the religious community and finally inside the family circle. Personal responsibility has been cast aside and traded in for a collective condemnation of an ambiguous culprit.

I am reminded of a time in Islamic history, a time of enlightenment and growth during the second caliphate of Umar bin Al-Khattab. There is a famous incident that highlights the greatness of those who lived in this time:, a story about a camel shepherd. As the story goes a man came and threw a rock at one of the camels and the camel immediately died. The shepherd became enraged and without thinking retaliated with his own rock, killing the man. Keeping with Islamic tradition the family of the deceased demanded justice (a life for a life). The shepherd pleaded to the caliph Umar, “Oh commander of the faithful, I am a stranger amongst these people. I came only to find work. If you execute me now my family will not know what has become of me. Allow me a month to return to my people, settle my affairs, and then I shall return and accept my fate.” Umar asked, “Who among you can vouch that this man is good for his word, and shall return?” One of those present raised his hand and said, “I shall vouch for him, oh commander of the faithful.” And so the shepherd left and agreed to return one month later to the mosque during the morning prayer.

The month passed and the people assembled for prayer. After the prayer the man was nowhere to be found. The caliph called for the one who has vouched for him, “Where is the shepherd he asked?” The man said, “Oh commander of the faithful, I know nothing of him.” “Why then did you vouch for him?” He answered, “Oh commander of the faithful, I feared that generation of Muslims would come after me and say compassion died amongst the Muslims because of me.” As they stood the shepherd came riding in a cloud of dust, “I am here I am here!” Umar asked, “What delayed you?” The shepherd said, “My family tied me up so I would not come to my death. It took me time to escape and reach you.” He asked, “Why then did you return? No one here knows you, you could have saved yourself.” He said, “Oh commander of the faithful, I feared that generations of Muslims would come after me and say trust died amongst the Muslims because of me.” Upon hearing this Umar’s eyes filled with tears and the family of the deceased said, “We forgive him so that generations of Muslims will not come after us and say forgiveness died amongst the Muslims.”

Our actions reach far beyond our immediate situation. Has the religious community as a whole lost sight of our own personal responsibility towards humanity? We must abandon our compulsion of playing the blame game and come together in a forum of mutual respect and understanding. After all future generations are watching closely.

– Summar Othman

Interfaith Scholar 2009-2010

Published in the March 2010 Issue of the Interfaith Review