Kama binadamu, tunaweza kufanya mambo mengi. Tunaweza kuonyesha upendo wa ajabu kwa wenzetu, kudhihirisha wema na urafiki, huruma na shauku ya kusaidia. Binadamu hushuhudia upendo wa mama, malezi ya mzazi, dhabihu ya hiari, na kwa kuyapamba mahusiano yao, binadamu anaweza kulea hisia za joto, ulinzi na nia njema. Lakini kama binadamu anavyoweza kuwa mwema, vivyo hivyo anaweza kutenda ukatili usiowazika. Linapokuja suala la upande wa giza wa uwezo wa binadamu, mojawapo ya mambo yanayoleta uharibifu mkubwa zaidi ni kuwadhalilisha wengine kwa kuwanyima utu wao. Kumdhalilisha mtu ni kuamua kwamba hana, wala hastahili, haki na stahiki za msingi tunazojipa sisi wenyewe na yeyote tunayemthamini. Ni kumfanya awe chini ya binadamu, asiyestahili, mgeni, na kwa sababu hiyo, kumfanya awe wa kutupwa kabisa.

As humans, we are capable of a lot. We are able to display dizzying acts of love towards one another, to exemplify kindness and friendship, mercy and compassion. Humans are witness to motherly love, to parental care, to voluntary sacrifice, and in beautifying their relationships humans can foster feelings of warmth, protection and goodwill. But just as the human is capable of such goodness so too can he inflict unimaginable cruelty. When it comes to the dark side of human potential, one of the most devastating things we can do is to dehumanise others. To dehumanise someone is to decide they do not have, nor do they deserve, the basic rights and dues we give to ourselves and anybody we favour. It is to render them sub-human, unworthy, alien and as a result, completely expendable.

Yule tunayemdhalilisha, sasa tunamhesabu kuwa Mwingine. Mwingine huundwa na sehemu zisizokamilika, si binadamu wa kutosha na hivyo hafai mahali pa kukaa duniani, duniani kwetu. Kwa aliyedhalilishwa, kanuni za maadili hazitumiki tena, na vizuizi vyovyote vya kimaadili dhidi ya unyanyasaji, mateso au mauaji huvunjwa kwa urahisi. Udhalilishaji ni kufuta; ni kupotosha sura ya mwingine na kumpachika sifa zote ambazo mtu angeona ni za kuchukiza kuwa nazo ndani yake mwenyewe.

The one we dehumanise, we now count as the Other. The Other consists of incomplete parts, insufficiently human and thus inadequate for a place in the world, our world. For the dehumanised, principles of morality no longer apply and any moral restraints against abuse, torture or killing are readily overcome. Dehumanisation is effacing, it is to contort another’s image and ascribe to it all the qualities one would find repugnant to have within oneselves.

Chuki zote, na kile kilicho cha kuchukiza na kisicho na huruma, mara nyingi hunasibishwa na yule Mwingine. Nafsi hujihisi salama kwa kujua kwamba yeye si kama yule Mwingine. Yule Mwingine aliyefanywa asiye binadamu ni mtu asiye na akili timamu, mkatili na tishio. Katika michoro ya kiakili, yule Mwingine aliyefanywa asiye binadamu hupakwa kwa viboko vipana na brashi pana. Hakuna utambulisho, hakuna mistari midogo, hakuna tofauti ndogo, hakuna rangi za kati wala mipaka hafifu. Aliyefanywa asiye binadamu anaogopwa, anatiliwa shaka na kuwekwa katika jumla moja. Katika miito ya kuhamasisha dhidi ya Mwingine, picha na simulizi za jinsi Mwingine alivyo mgeni, mshenzi na asiye na utu huimarishwa.

All hatred, and that which is vile and callous is often imputed upon that Other. The self feels secure knowing he is not like that Other. The dehumanised Other is irrational, savage and threatening. On mental canvases the dehumanised Other is painted with broad strokes and wide brushes. There are no identifications, no fine lines, no nuances, no greys and no subtle outlines. The dehumanised is feared, mistrusted and generalised. In rallying calls against the Other, images and narratives of how alien, barbaric and inhuman the Other is are propped up.

Mawazo haya kisha hurudiwa mfululizo na bila kukoma hadi kuamini kitu tofauti kuhusu huyo Mwingine kunakuwa hakufai. Yeyote anayemhurumia Mwingine afadhali awe pamoja na huyo Mwingine, badala ya pamoja nasi ('sisi').

These ideas are then repeated continuously and relentlessly until believing anything different about that Other becomes incongruous. Any sympathisers with the Other are better placed with that Other, rather than with ‘us’.

Kulingana na mtazamo wa Kiislamu, mwanadamu anaweza kuhamasishwa kufanya matendo ya ajabu ya wema, lakini pia anaweza kuzama katika uovu wa kimaadili na kusaliti dhamiri yake bora ya nafsi.

According to the Islamic paradigm, man can be inspired to perform wondrous displays of kindness, but so too can he sink into moral depravity and betray his own better sense of self.

Qur'ani katika Surat al-Shams (91) inatuvuta makini kwa mambo mawili yanayopingana yaliyomo katika hali ya mwanadamu:

The Qur’an in Surah al-Shams (91) draws our attention to the dichotomies which exist within the human condition:

91:7 - Na nafsi na jinsi Alivyoiumba 91:8 - na akaiongoza [kujua] uovu wake na uchamungu wake! 91:9 - Aliyeitakasa nafsi yake amefaulu 91:10 - na aliyeitia dosari amekhasirika.

91:7 - by the soul and how He formed it 91:8 - and inspired it [to know] its own rebellion and piety! 91:9 - The one who purifies his soul succeeds 91:10 - and the one who corrupts it fails.

Muislamu lazima daima akumbuke kwamba katika kila mwingiliano anaoufanya na mtu mwingine, moyo wake unaweza kupata kuimarika kwa imani, au hatari ya hila ya nia iliyopotoka na kiburi. Si kusudi la Muislamu kutupa nukuu, ukweli, aya na Hadithi na kuzitamka kama zoezi la usemi au ufasaha. Kusudi si kujihisi amejitayarisha kiakili kwa seti ya majibu yaliyokaririwa ili kuyatoa chini ya shinikizo. Muislamu si mshiriki katika vita vya akili, wala hayuko katika shindano, wala si mshindani wa 'kupata umaarufu', 'mionekano' na 'kupendwa'. Muislamu hapaswi kuhukumiwa kwa umahiri wa uhutubu. Muislamu anapaswa kukumbuka kwamba hasimami mbele ya mashine ya kiotomatiki, bali mbele ya binadamu mwenzake, kama yeye tu.

The Muslim must always remember that in every interaction one has with another person, the heart can either find a replenishing of belief or the insidious risk of a corrupted intention and pride. It is not the purpose of the Muslim to throw out quotes, facts, verses and traditions and speak them as if it is an exercise in rhetoric or eloquence. The purpose is not to feel armed with a set of mentally prepared responses to be regurgitated under pressure. The Muslim is not a participant in a battle of wits, nor are they in a contest, or competitor for ‘hits’, ‘views’ and ‘likes’. The Muslim is not to be judged for oratory prowess. The Muslim is to remember that he or she does not stand before an automated machine, but a human being, just like him.

Kila binadamu amejumuisha hisia zisizohesabika, hisia za mwili, uzoefu wa maisha, matumaini, ndoto, maslahi, matarajio, majukumu na imani zile zile ambazo kila mtu mwingine anazo. Hakuna binadamu anayeishi katika nafasi tupu, isiyo na maelezo muhimu; kama Muislamu, yeye pia amepitia njia nyingi, amebadilika kwa umri, mazingira na uzoefu, na kwa qadari ya Allāh1 sasa anasimama mbele ya Muislamu katika tukio jingine la maana la maisha. Ikiwa Muislamu anatumaini kwa dhati kwamba mkutano wake na mtu huyo utaleta mabadiliko, lazima uanze kwa Muislamu kumwona mtu huyo kuwa ni mtu changamano mwenye sehemu nyingi, binadamu kama wewe.

Every human is made up of the same myriad of emotions, senses, life experiences, hopes, dreams, interests, anticipations, responsibilities and beliefs as anyone else. No human exists in an empty space, void of important details but has, like the Muslim, traversed many paths, transitioned in age, landscape and experience and by the decree of Allāh1 now stands before the Muslim on what is another meaningful life encounter. If the Muslim genuinely hopes their interaction with the person will be transformative, it must begin with the Muslim seeing the individual as a complex person made up of many parts, a human, just like you.

Kwa hiyo, Mwislamu anahitaji kuwasilisha ujumbe wa Uislamu huku akizingatia kwa kina jinsi binadamu alivyo tata. Ni mawasiliano kati ya kiini cha ndani cha Mwislamu na mtu anayemwendea ndiyo ya msingi zaidi. Katika kumbukumbu za mwandishi wa Kiingereza na mchambuzi wa kisiasa Harry Leslie Smith, anaeleza utaratibu wake wa asubuhi na mapema wa kushuka chini ndani ya nyumba yake na kujiandalia kikombe cha kahawa. Katika kuchemsha na kukoroga kahawa hiyo, anawasilisha kumbukumbu ya kutamani nyumbani iliyochochewa na "mlio" wa kijiko chake kinapogonga kikombe. Kinachoweza kuonekana cha kawaida kwa kweli ni cha kipekee, wakati wa ukubwa wa uzoefu unaounda hisia zinazohusiana na nafasi, mahali na maisha ya mzee huyu wa miaka 95. Katika "mlio" wa kijiko kinachogonga kikombe, Smith anarejeshwa katika siku za utoto wake alipokuwa mvulana mdogo amesimama barabarani mjini London.

The Muslim therefore needs to convey the message of Islam with close consideration of how complex the human being is. It is the communicationbetween the inner core of the Muslim and their addressee which is most fundamental. In the memoirs of the English writer and political commentator Harry Leslie Smith, he describes his early morning routine of going downstairs in his home and preparing himself a cup of coffee. In his brewing and stirring of the coffee, he conveys a nostalgic memory stimulated by the “clinking” of his spoon with his cup. What might seem mundane is in fact exceptional, a moment of experiential magnitude that shapes the sentiments connected to space, place and life of this 95-year-old elderly gentleman. In the “clinking” of the spoon with the cup, Smith is taken back to his childhood days as a young boy standing on a London street.

Mara kijiko kinapogusa kikombe, ni sauti ya kwato za farasi kwenye barabara iliyotandikwa mawe ndiyo inayomkumbusha Smith, na kumbukumbu yake inaamshwa ili akumbuke wazazi wake wakitafuta chakula kwenye takataka za nje. Sauti hii moja ina uwezo wa kuamsha kumbukumbu ya mbali kiasi hicho, inayorudi nyuma takriban miongo minane, jambo la ajabu sana.2 Jambo hili linatukumbusha kwamba mwanadamu ni mchanganyiko wa nyuzi nyingi zenye mafungamano tata, ambazo zinaweza kuchochewa na kitu chochote kimoja wakati wowote. Mwanadamu, kama mfano wa Smith unavyodhihirisha, si ganda rahisi, bali ni kiumbe chenye tabaka nyingi, kilichoundwa na nafsi yenye fahamu, hisia za kuona, kusikia, kunusa, kuonja na kugusa, roho, na moyo unaohisi na kuelewa. Tabia ya Kiislamu ni kutambua asili ya mwanadamu katika ukamilifu wake wote.

As the spoon meets the cup, it is the “clinking” of the hooves of horses on a cobblestoned road that Smith remembers, and his memory is alerted to a recollection of his parents rummaging through outdoor litter in search of food. This single sound is able to awaken such a distant memory, spanning back eight or so decades is incredibly powerful.2 The latter alerts us to the reality that man is a composite of so many intricate strands that can be provoked by any one thing at any one instance. Man, as the example of Smith illustrates, is not a simple shell, but a multi-layered creation made up of a conscious self, senses of see, hear, smell, taste and touch, a spirit, and a heart that feels and understands. Islamic character is to recognise the nature of man in all his entirety.