If someone wishes to take your shirt, let him have your cloak as well
One of the well-known wise admonitions of ʿĪsā ʿalayhi al-salām is: “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well” (Gospel of Matthew 5:40). In the same sense is another of his counsels: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Gospel of Matthew 5:39).
This is an extraordinary teaching, full of wisdom and insight. However, it has not been properly understood. People have taken it to mean that if someone snatches your shirt, you should run after him and give him your cloak as well, or if someone strikes your cheek, you should immediately present the other for another blow.
Taken in that way, this amounts to an instruction to passivity, and so it has been subjected to severe criticism. Even among Christians there is no practice upon it: the most devout Christian, if harmed, will certainly retaliate, and indeed often act aggressively. The history of wars in Christendom testifies to this lack of practice.
Muslims too have criticised this teaching of the New Testament, and often mocked it, citing it to show that Islam is the true religion, since it contains no such unnatural and unreasonable teaching.
It is evident, however, that such a method of comparison is un-Islamic. All Prophets are God’s Prophets, their teachings are founded upon revelation, and the Qurʾān repeatedly urges us to follow the Prophets, ʿalayhim al-salām.
It is with regret that we must say this wise saying of ʿĪsā ʿalayhi al-salām has not been understood. His intent is this: God has granted human beings opportunities and means, and has commanded them, within those opportunities and means, to worship and obey Him. It may be that some means are taken away from them, or they are deprived of certain opportunities. Nevertheless, they still retain enough means and opportunities to remain steadfast in the worship of their Lord. If they are sincere in worship, they will calmly employ their reason, God will guide them, they will discover new opportunities, hold firmly to the rope of their Master, persist on the path of worship, and in the end, success will be theirs.
If someone by force seizes your shirt, and you cannot take it back, nor do you have access to worldly centres of power, then you should not neglect your duties by sinking into complaints and laments. For then the real work of yours will be harmed. Instead, think: if the shirt is gone, I still have a cloak; and if that too goes, I will yet retain something else. Thus, with heart and mind, engage in your duties.
The oppressive powers of this world always seek to snatch something from the oppressed. They have two aims: first, to count this as their victory and boast of it; second, to take delight in the helplessness of the oppressed. But if the teaching of ʿĪsā ʿalayhi al-salām is acted upon, both designs of the oppressor are frustrated. The oppressed thereby demonstrate that they are not powerless. If one thing is lost, it does not matter; by using intelligence they can find many substitutes, and then with all their strength and resources they continue fulfilling their duties. In this way, the oppressor’s supposed victory turns to dust, while the oppressed live with self-respect and dignity.
Firʿawn, by his power, deprived Banū Isrāʾīl of many opportunities, even banning their communal worship. But Mūsā ʿalayhi al-salām delivered his people from this deprivation and taught them that the worship of the Lord is the most precious thing, and no one can take it away. Therefore, make prayer spaces in your homes and there, both individually and collectively, worship God.
Even today, if at times the freedom of public worship is curtailed, Muslims can still worship in mosques. When going to markets, they should choose locations near a mosque, and if that is difficult, go at times when it is not prayer-time.
And if while buying and selling, prayer-time approaches and there is risk of missing the prayer, then divide the transaction into two or more parts. In this way, by using reason, one will realise that many opportunities still remain.
If you are travelling, divide the journey into stages. Try that if Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr cannot be performed separately, then combine them; and if Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ cannot be performed separately, then combine them. But never allow prayer to lapse, even if it lengthens the journey. In ancient times, people endured very long travels; today, how much mercy God has shown, that time is saved. If a one-day journey takes one and a half days due to prayer, do not grieve. Can you not make even this sacrifice for your Master?
At this point, I must raise an even more pressing matter. You complain so bitterly when a little difficulty arises due to restrictions on public worship, yet over ninety percent of the population neglects prayer altogether, despite mosques and homes being available in abundance. In every village and in every quarter of the cities there are numerous mosques, and for the most part they remain empty because people do not pray. Is the sin of this defiance also upon governments? Why then do we not engage in calling and reforming these Muslims, who, despite all opportunities, deliberately abandon the worship of God?
Remember: it is God’s sunnah that when His servants do not make use of the opportunities He has granted, He continues to constrict those opportunities until humiliation is imposed upon them. But if His servants do utilise them, He grants them yet more. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to repent of our sins, to not be negligent in worship however difficult the circumstances, and to work seriously on how to instil a yearning for prayer among those who abandon it. If, under these conditions, the number of those who pray increases, then truly we are successful and honoured in the sight of our Lord.
May God make us among those who use their reason, who hold firmly in their hearts the greatness of prayer and worship, and who, no matter the circumstances, never miss prayer on time. Āmīn.
Disclaimer: This article was translated by AI. Original post: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/7078
