Helping others: a fundamental principle of the Deen

One of the central tenets of Islam is to help others.
While some perceive Islam as a belief that encourages violence rather than positive contributions to society, the Qur’an and Hadith highlight how helping other human beings is a fundamental aspect of Islam.
The main goal of Muslims is to worship God, but this is done not only through rituals such as prayer and fasting, but also through dealing with other people, and in general, the goal is for our whole life to be a form of worship.

Before Prophet Muhammad began to receive the Revelation, he spent a great deal of time meditating in a cave outside of Mecca.
One of the topics he reflected on was how some members of his society, such as women, orphans, and people without tribal protection, were treated.
This is one of the reasons why there are many Hadiths that emphasize the importance of helping others.

One particular hadith underlining this message comes from the collection of An-Nawawi:Abu Hurairah conveyed that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

Whoever relieves a believer of an affliction of this world, Allah will relieve his affliction on the Day of Resurrection.
Whoever helps a needy person, Allah will help him in this life and in the Hereafter.
Whoever covers the faults of a Muslim, Allah will cover his own in this life and in the next.
Allah always helps His slave, if he helps his brother.
Whoever walks a path seeking knowledge in it, Allah will provide him with a path to Paradise.
When a group of people gather in a house consecrated to Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it, the Sakina immediately descends upon them, Mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them to those who are close to Him.
Whoever is not inclined towards good deeds will be of no use to his lineage.
(Muslim)

We can clearly understand that helping others is connected to a believer’s worship of God.
In other words, Hadith connects responsibility to people with other acts of worship, such as reading the Qur’an and seeking knowledge.
In addition, there is a clear reward for one person who helps another, both in this world and in the next.
This is important for Muslims, since every person will be asked by God on the Day of Judgment about all his works, not just the rites of worship.
It is clear from the above hadith that helping others is part of the Deen, part of religion.

We can also highlight the verse in the Qur’an in which Allah says:

Virtue does not consist in turning one’s face towards the East or the West; the one who has virtue is the one who believes in Allah, in the Last Day, in the angels, in the Books and in the Prophets, the one who gives of his wealth, despite the attachment he feels for it, to relatives, orphans, needy, children of the road, beggars and to free slaves; the one who establishes salat and gives zakat; the one who is faithful to the commitments when he makes them; the patient in adversity and misfortune and in the hardest moments of struggle.
Those are the truthful and those are the fearful.
(The Cow, 2:177)

From this ayah, and others like it, we see that helping others, having a good relationship with people, helping them in difficulty, not cheating or fulfilling contracts is all part of the Deen.
As we have said, we will be asked about all our actions, not just prayer or fasting.

Finally, we can observe this other ayah:

And seek help in virtue and in the fear (of Allah), not in disobedience or transgression.
(The Table Served, 5:2)

The Muslim should help others in that which leads to righteousness and that which is good, but he should avoid engaging in that which leads to indecency or evil action.

Messages like this sometimes go unnoticed or we don’t give them enough importance.
However, this idea is articulated in numerous hadiths and Qur’anic verses.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is considered by Muslims to be the best example and his life was dedicated to helping others, even if it meant sacrifice on his part.