Many interesting stories and wisdom can be taken from the Koran and hadith. One of them is the following story.
One day, in Mecca, a blind man, Abdullah bin Ummi Maktum, came to the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam . At that time, the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam was calling on the nobles of the land of Mecca/Quraish to convert to Islam. His hope was that with the entry of these dignitaries, his followers would be attracted.
Umi Maktum's son said, " O Messenger of Allah, read the Qur'an to me, teach me what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala taught you ."
Umi Maktum's son said this over and over again, even though he didn't know that the Prophet was calling on the nobles. This made the Prophet feel annoyed and sour and turned away from him. This incident led to the revelation of the letter 'Abasa (80), which was basically a warning to the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam , not to turn his back on anyone in need.
“ He (Muhammad) frowned and turned away . ” (QS Abasa: 1)
The lesson from this story is that we should not be deceived by someone's appearance, wealth and social status. As Tukul often says, ' Don't judge the book by its cover,' or ' underestimate' , we may often ridicule someone because of their appearance and social status. In social life, we are often dazzled and deceived by appearances. However, what is often hidden is something that is very valuable.
The 49th letter of Al Hujurat warns us not to humiliate other people because perhaps being humiliated is better than being humiliated. And in the letter it is also clearly stated that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala indeed created humans with different conditions, but these differences do not determine the superiority and glory of a person or a people in the view of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala , but rather their piety. We can see this from the following verse,
" O you who believe, do not let men insult (other) men, for it may be that the people who are insulted are better than the people who humiliate, and do not let women insult (other) women, because it could be that the woman who is humiliated is better than the woman who humiliates her. Don't insult your neighbors and don't call them names (which are not good). The worst calling is (calling) that is bad (ungodly) after believing. And whoever does not repent, then those are the wrongdoers….O people! Indeed, We created you from a man and a woman, then We made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other. Indeed, the noblest among you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most pious." (QS Al Hujuraat: 11 and 13)
Differences are not meant to bring each other down and humiliate each other. Differences are intended so that humans can learn and help each other. Especially when it comes to differences in appearance alone. We cannot see a person's spiritual depth just from their appearance.
May we be kept away from degrading and humiliating other people. Amen .
Author: Dr. Gancar C. Premananto*
*Coordinator of the Master of Management Study Program, FEB, Universitas Airlangga , Surabaya
Source: https://puasmuslim.net/dont-judges-a-book-by-its-cover-1/
