On Being Human by Osman Latiff

Dehumanisation stigmatises others with a “spoiled identity”. The elderly, infirm and mentally challenged can each become targets of Otherness since they can be viewed as socially inadequate and inept. The Othered group is devalued, depersonalised and susceptible to discrimination. Though what is seen as having lesser social status is sometimes relative to demographics and culture, the disabled, insane, elderly, and unattractive or disfigured often comprise of society’s neglected and Othered.

A society is a complex mesh, a myriad of people with distinct life experiences and shaped by different circumstances. In a society where health, status and privilege are the main factors denoting success, those who do not enjoy these traits fall by the way side. That is, those who are not healthy, who are poor and socially marginalised can often bear the brunt of other’s unjust treatment, whether explicit or implicit. Many of the Prophet’s companions belonged to this latter group.

One such companion, Julaybīb was so named due to his small growth, Julaybīb a derivative of the word jalbab (very small grown). Dwarf-like in appearance, Julaybīb was also described as damim, which is ugly and hideous in his physical appearance. What made Julaybīb even more the outcast is that his familial roots were unknown. For a society which prided itself on lineage and social status, Julaybīb’s lack of position, information about his lineage, his parents or tribe was a grave disability. And this was made worse with his physical appearance. Ostracised and feared, Julaybīb spent much of his time alone and isolated from others. The Prophet (peace be upon him), however, demonstrated remarkable care for his companion and taught a model of learning which offset the entrenching of an Othering of those deemed as different and/or as a social outcast. The Prophetic model stressed upon genuine comradeship with all, despite differences in physical appearance or social positioning. It stressed upon the development of a broad(er) insight into the needs of the ostracised.

The following narration is exemplary for the way it juxtaposes the frames of worthiness and unworthiness. The Prophet (peace be upon him) showed that true leadership looks beyond group loyalties and cliques, but instead positions man in light of his or her internal qualities.

Since the Prophet (peace be upon him) enquired about Julaybīb, even though others did not, shows how open acknowledgement of others tilts the imbalance that Othering can create.

Julaybīb’s story fits well into a discourse on Othering, dehumanisation, compassion and Prophetic character – a neat way to complement a relaying of the Islamic message. Often the Muslim finds himself conveying the spirit of Islamic compassion and the way Islam promotes a remarkable sense of togetherness with the human spirit. The Muslim must not forget the undercurrents of life which tug at every human being and how the Qur’ānic narrative interweaves instructions and intellectual reasoning with an appeal to heart and emotions. We should be mindful of the epidemic of loneliness in our societies. It may very well be that the person with whom you are communicating values the communication time more than the content of your communication, or values a non-judgmental exchange void of abuse, mockery or intimidation and thus remains in your company. The Prophet’s words, spoken about an individual who was not well-regarded and was known only for his obscurity and oddness, offset the tendencies to Otherise and dehumanise the socially isolated: “This man is from me, and I am from him”. What ensues in the narration is something further remarkable in that Julaybīb was physically held by the Prophet (peace be upon him)

reflecting an actualising of his closeness, the narrator mentioned “Julaybīb had no pillow on that day except the arms of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Is anyone missing amongst you? They said: So and so and so. He again said: Is there anyone missing amongst you? They said: So and so and so. He then said: Is there anyone missing amongst you? They said: No. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: But I am missing Julaybib. They (his Companions) searched him amongst those who had been killed and they found him by the side of seven (dead bodies) whom he had killed and he had been killed (by the opponents). Allāh’s Apostle (peace be upon him) came there and stood (by his side) and said: He killed seven (persons). Then (his opponents) killed him. He is mine and I am his. He then placed him upon his hands and there was no one else to lift but Allāh’s Apostle (peace be upon him). Then the grave was dug for him and he was placed in the grave and no mention is made of a bath.”46

We see how the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought Julaybīb back into the conversation when others had excluded him:

“Yā Umm Fulān! (O mother of so and so)”

It is narrated on the authority of Anas (Allāh be pleased with him) that a woman, somewhat mentally defected, said, “O Messenger of Allāh! I have a need that I want you to meet. He responded, “Yā Umm Fulān (O mother of so and so), choose the way you like to walk in so that I may know your need and meet it.” He walked with her in some route until she had her need fulfilled.47

This narration is profound in many ways and provides us with much to think about in relation to our dealing with others, such as men and women we might encounter who have suffered with some mental illness or who know others who have. The woman who came and approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) came with a request that the Prophet (peace be upon him) tend to one of her needs. What stands out at the beginning is the way the Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed that woman. There is something ennobling in the Prophet’s opening address. He addressed her, “Yā umm fulān”. What this seems to connote is a positioning of the woman in a frame of worthiness and respectability. The woman was already someone important, someone to be dependent on, valued and who had already gained importance. She was a mother and a mother before she might have been considered less or different because of her mental disability. Addressing others with titles of respect is an essential feature of politeness and etiquette in conversation.

Using words such as “sir”, “madam” or “ma’am”, or to politely ask the addressee their name, and to call them by their name followed by “if I may” opens up an air of politeness and respect between you. This allows us to humanise one another and personalise our interaction.

Even if the conversation at times becomes impassioned on either side, repeated use of “sir” or “madam” or “ma’am” can help to calm any tension because it asserts that respect and dignity stand at the footing of any human encounter.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked the women to choose which way she liked to walk. Again to offset any sense of Othering of the mentally challenged, the Prophet (peace be upon him) accorded the woman a power of choice, granted her an opportunity to make her own decision about going where she felt most comfortable. It is this spirit of understanding and compassion that should prevail between us. Dehumanisation is moral disengagement and this can quite easily take place when we create our own in-groups of the healthy bodied, mentally fit, intelligent, and beautiful. Oftenly, the perceived “lesser” groups, such as the disabled, crippled and deformed are devalued in our societies and are prejudiced against due to the negative evaluation or judgment ascribed to them based on their group membership.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us a remarkable lesson about what true disability means in a metaphysical sense namely, judgement belongs solely to Allāh. Once, when arranging to visit a blind man in Medina, he told his companions that the man instead was not in fact altogether blind: “Jabir bin ‘Abd-Allāh (Allāh be pleased with him) said, the Prophet (peace be upon him)

said, “Take us to the man with vision who lives in Banū Wāqif so that we can visit him.’ And that man was blind.”48

The tradition is insightful for what it reveals of the way the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not recognise the man through his disability, but instead inverted our understanding of what the disability means in the first place. The vision referred to is the man’s accurate spiritual vision; his spiritual eyes were unclouded though his physical eyes were blind.

Though the man was indeed blind, he was not to be castigated as such or looked down upon because of it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) showed that not only are differences we observe in this life temporal in relation to how things will fare in the next life, but that there is a more profound way by which we can recognise and make sense of our differences. Allāh in the Qur’ān says:

“Have they, then, never journeyed about the earth, letting their hearts gain wisdom, and causing their ears to hear? Yet, verily, it is not their eyes that have become blind – but blind have become the hearts that are in their chests!” (22:46)

Abdullah ibn Mas´ud (Allāh be pleased with him) was once ridiculed by others because of the thinness of his shin. The Prophet (peace be upon him) reminded them that they ought not to measure physical appearance merely by the standard of the present world:

Umm Mūsa said, “I heard ‘Alī (Allāh be pleased with him) say that the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas´ud to climb a tree and bring him something from it. His Companions looked at ‘Abdullāh’s shin and laughed at its thinness. The Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Why are you laughing? ‘Abdullāh ‘s foot is heavier in the balance than the mountain of Uḥud.’”49

Humans speak different languages of emotion. These emotions can be simultaneously felt, exhibited and witnessed. How these different strands manifest themselves are relative to time and place and in turn make each experience entirely unique. It is not, however, the displays that are altogether unique, but the emotions of the giver and recipient that are entirely bound up by distinctive experiences, senses, fears, hopes and anticipation.

In the time of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him), a bedouin named Zāhir bin Hizām (Allāh be pleased with him) would bring gifts for the Prophet (peace be upon him)

from the desert where he resided to the city of Madinah where the Prophet (peace be upon him) resided. The interchange of people and space between desert and city is greatly reflective of the way a spirit of belonging, compassion and community is embraced irrespective of small differences between us. Zāhir could not compete with the gifts of the city dwellers who would bring clothing and food for the Prophet (peace be upon him). He instead would oftentimes bring small inexpensive presents like food items such as cottage cheese or butter - gifts from his home in the desert. Zāhir held a deep-seated place in the collective memory of the inhabitants of Madinah and most importantly, in the heart and mind of the Prophet (peace be upon him). As he was leaving, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also gave him presents, and told him: “Zahir represents us living in the desert and we represent him living in the city.” Although he, like Julaybīb, was perceived physically an unattractive man, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) loved him dearly and taught others, as he did when noticing the deceased body of Julaybīb, that each man has his place and such a construct of ‘place’ is not identified solely through the ‘self’ lens, but through a profound cognisance of true worth found in and through another. Any boundaries of Self and Other come to coalesce in the desert dwellers and city folk.

Once, while Zāhir was trading, the Prophet (peace be upon him) hid himself behind him and covered his eyes with his blessed hands. Zāhir recognized the Prophet (peace be upon him)

from his beautiful scent and the softness of his skin. Thereupon the Prophet, in a moment of merriment asked, “Who is going to buy this slave?” Zāhir replied: “O Messenger of Allah, then I would be cheap merchandise!” The Prophet replied: “But with Allah you are not a cheap merchandise. With Allāh you are precious.”50

Zāhir, irrespective of his physical appearance, of his poverty, of his peculiarities, was a man of worth and inner beauty like the others. He too was comforted and embraced by the Prophet (peace be upon him), who taught us through this desert dweller, that no-one in his immediate or distant societies should ever be devalued and prejudiced against.

The attitude of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a testament to the fact that true worth and human greatness transcends smaller physical and geographical differences between people. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his companions what they thought of an individual who was passing before them. They said, such a person was privileged; he was from the noble class of people; if he spoke, people would listen to him; if he sought marriage, he would easily marry and if he interceded on behalf of someone, it would be readily accepted of him. A man from the poor inhabitants of Medina then passed through and the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the same question: “What do you think of such a person?” They said that if such a person addressed the community none would listen to him; if he sought marriage no-one would marry him and if he interceded on behalf of someone, it would not be accepted of him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “This (poor) person is better than such a large number of the first type as to fill the earth.”51

The narration emphasises that we cannot judge an individual based purely on what is perceived of them from their appearance. In our world, there are those who might relish in their successes and those successes will be outwardly shown. However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) showed in this narration that a person’s external condition or social position does not equal success, and a man’s true worth is not based on the extent to which he or she is recognised or held in high esteem by others. It might well be that the one held in low esteem (or even belittled and disparaged by others) is the one who lives by a higher value system, or is the most humble, grateful, and therefore more honoured with Allāh. Allāh mentions that after Prophet Yūsuf’s betrayal by his brothers he was found in the well they cast him in and sold for a worthless amount, as revealed in the following verse:

12:20 - and then sold him for a small price, for a few pieces of silver: so little did they value him.

The travellers looked upon Prophet Yūsuf’s external, perhaps dishevelled state, his clothing perhaps soaked in water and dirt and clearly not realising the true worth of his very being he was sold for an insignificant amount. In drawing a lesson from this, sometimes we might turn away immediately upon seeing someone who does not conform to our social standards though we might not be aware of his or her true worth.

In R. Loydell’s poem ‘Tramp’, the poet describes the attitudes and perceptions of a wealthy family towards a homeless man. The man is peculiar in his behaviours and not in keeping with the family’s social expectations. For that reason, the man is ostracised and Othered. It is not on account of his character or personality that the family stay away from him, but only on account of his appearance. The poet describes:

“Our uneven stares dissuade approach.

We fear him, his matted hair, patched coat, grey look from sleeping out.

We mutter amongst ourselves and hope he keeps away.

No place for him in our heaven, there it’s clean and empty.” Distance between the ‘tramp’ and the family is extended. There is no place for bridging and belonging between them since the man does not belong in their ‘heaven’. The Muslim must always remember that he or she is not the gatekeeper of heaven. Allāh brings into His Mercy whoever He chooses and such choosing is not dependent on social status, wealth, demographics or physical appearance. Islam instead is a call to the hearts of mankind. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his companions:

“May I tell you of the people of Paradise? Every weak and poor obscure person whom the people look down upon but his oath is fulfilled by Allah when he takes an oath to do something. And may I inform you of the people of the Hell-Fire? They are all those violent, arrogant and stubborn people.”52

In our relationships, we must show the beauty of Islamic compassion, humility and concern and consider the Prophet’s instruction to embody a “general mercy” for all. ‘Umar’s admonition to Abū ‘Ubayda ibn al- Jarrāḥ is instructive here for what it relays of purity of heart in relation to social presence – and particularly among a new community. When Abū ‘Ubayda rebuked ‘Umar for his lack of concern for his clothing, hoping ‘Umar would have presented himself in a more fitting manner and particularly in light of the occasion (his first entry into Jerusalem), ‘Umar replied: “Allāh honoured us with Islam. If we now seek honour in anything Allāh had not honoured us with, He will disgrace us.”53

Clothing and dressing well is important, but is not an indicator of our worth. In a world of insecurities and competitive grandiosities, the Muslim should be mindful of his own self-image and never judge others on account of their image. Each person is valuable in and of themselves as the children of Ādam and Islam holds each human in an esteemed position, worthy of hearing the call of a most liberating message.

In 2012, a team of Media Ethics students at DePaul University took a video of a homeless man from Chicago named Ron (Ronald) Davis. The video, uploaded in 2013, quickly went viral and has since been viewed by millions. Ron Davis died on November 30th 2019. It is important for us to consider Ronald’s words; simple yet so powerful. He spoke in heart-wrenching detail how he was often mocked by passers-by on the street, ignored and insulted as he panhandled. People would often say to him, “Get a job, bum!” and he would often reply, “Wait a minute, I’m not a bum. I’m a human being.” Holding back tears, Ron explained “No matter what people think of me, I know I’m a human first.”54 Ronald knew he was homeless, but he also knew he was human, and also knew that it was his right to be afforded his humanity, to be respected, even if others were unable to or did not feel the need to help him financially. Ronald knew and felt at the very core of his being that humans deserve dignity. Ronald was not a nobody. We must, as Muslims, do our part to reflect a higher ideal wherein each person we communicate with is given the most heartfelt attention.

It was the Prophet’s nature to make people feel relaxed and special in his company, so much so that each attendee in his gatherings would think he was the most important person in that gathering. We need to remember that everyone has come from somewhere. The individual who meets you has come from somewhere. Perhaps his or her mind upon encountering you is thinking about a myriad of things, an illness, a stress, a heartache, a fear and/or a genuine concern. The words the Muslim uses and his demeanour, should reflect an air of positivity, genuine care and concern for the individual’s welfare.