Home > Sample essays > We Cannot Despair: Love and Humanity, Humanity is What Matters – Albert Einstein

Essay: We Cannot Despair: Love and Humanity, Humanity is What Matters – Albert Einstein

Essay details and download:

  • Subject area(s): Sample essays
  • Reading time: 11 minutes
  • Price: Free download
  • Published: 1 April 2019*
  • Last Modified: 23 July 2024
  • File format: Text
  • Words: 3,105 (approx)
  • Number of pages: 13 (approx)

Text preview of this essay:

This page of the essay has 3,105 words.



We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings. – Albert Einstein

Man is born with a heart of empathy which reacts in accordance to the feelings of fellow humans. Empathy, love, affection and care are the innate qualities which make a human. These qualities define man. The development or annihilation of these qualities completely depends on man himself. From time to time, philosophers and religious scholars have tried to chastise people to increase these essential qualities in themselves. Humanity is one such aspect which has been stressed upon in all parts of the world. "Service to Mankind is service to God" is the proverb highly prevalent all over the world. Serving and treating fellow human beings with courtesy and act of grace is an essential part of a good moral conduct. All religions in the world share and abide with this concept.

Humanity is what you say to someone when you think no one's watching. Humanity is what you feel when you watch another person suffering and decide to either do nothing or do something. Humanity is the adequacy to reach out and hut someone. Humanity is being affable for your family, your friends, your fellows and your adequacy to do something in this world to your society.

Islam has put much emphasis on serving humans, but providing merely food and hut to fellow humans cannot be considered as a service to Allah ta’ala on the whole. It is atrocious to think that we are serving humanity as a whole by simply outlay a huge amount in charity.

Every human being is a problem in search of a solution. – Ashley Montagu

Humanity is the ability to trust, the adequacy to connect, the adequacy to touch. To be human means we can move, create, love, share and laugh. One example to implant the adequacy to serve mankind in humans is about the Good Benefactor who has helped a sick man and did not even care to reveal his identity to the people.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. – Dalai Lama

Service to Allah (SWT) is being obedient to Him in a way that He expects humans to be. The first stage of this obedience is our acceptance of Tawhid. Once we give our acceptance of the oneness of Allah (SWT), we are expected to obey Him in a way that He has prescribed to us. This is the stage where man fulfills all the compulsory acts like prayers, charity, a journey to sacred place, etc. It is the stage where man develops the bond between himself and Allah (SWT) directly.

The third stage is serving the family and relations: fulfilling the rights of his dependents and of people closely related to him. Here again, man attains further closeness to Allah (SWT) through his family, by pleasing them.

No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished? – Lee Iacocca

Then the fourth stage, which is about service to human beings. Man attains closeness to Allah (SWT) by serving his fellow beings.

But the main question is, in what way should the fellow beings be served, so that the service could be termed as service to Allah (SWT) as a whole? Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari in his book, The Perfect Man, says: "Serving people is fine and we should serve them. But if we provide them with food and clothes alone, we would be treating them like animals, especially if we suppose no higher values exist for them. If service is confined to this, what would be the difference between Abu Dhar and Mu'awiya?" Definitely, mere provision of food and shelter does not fulfill the purpose. There has to be an additional form of service. Every Muslim is expected to render his duties towards the society in which he lives. We need to help our fellow human beings in rearing and growing their essential qualities which define them as humans. Man is different from all the creatures of both the worlds and so are his duties and obligations towards his Creator. Surely, service to this special creature has to be by helping him understand and render his obligations towards his Creator.

Man is born with the essential adequacy of learning and understanding. He is capable of multiplying his knowledge through understanding and analyzing what he has learnt. Man is not pre-programmed to obey and pray to Allah (SWT). He does so by his own free will. This makes him different from the rest of creatures, and therefore heaven and hell are made to reward and punish him accordingly. The method of serving man is by grooming and molding him in accordance to the tenets of Islam. This helps man to distinguish himself and highlight his superiority towards other creatures. Education and awareness are the two ways that can be implemented to help man understand himself.

We find in Islamic history the best examples of love and empathy for fellow human beings. Sometimes we find the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) serving the needy and weak; sometimes we see Imam Ali (peace be upon him) sitting with the sick and the poor, attending to their needs affectionately; and sometimes we see other members from our holy Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) giving the same service to needy ones. Islam has laid great stress on helping the poor and needy ones. But we know that man's needs are not confined to just material aspects of life; rather, he seeks to fulfill higher needs as well, like guidance and seeking knowledge. Hence we find that along with material needs, the Holy Prophet and Ahlul Bayt have quenched humanity's spiritual thirst as well. Man is a creature who always longs for company, love and empathy.

If Islam had given the world nothing but this one simple clarion message, "Read!" (Noble Qur'an, 96:1) – and that too at the dawn of the Seventh Century – the entire world would still be in its debt forever. But the tragedy is that Non-Muslims don't know and Muslims won't tell." – Dr. Pasha

Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) served mankind by educating the people, he had more than 6,000 students studying under him from all over the world. They did not just learn about Islam, but were taught various subjects including mathematics, astronomy and science. This after all ended the Dark Age in Europe.

We can fulfill our obligation of serving mankind by educating the people, laying more emphasis on Islamic education, arranging educational and awareness campaigns about Islam, helping the people – especially the youth – understand the true meaning behind the message brought by Holy Prophet and protected by Ahlul Bayt, even at the cost of their lives. We must encourage them to spread this knowledge among fellow beings and others as well.

A Muslim's obligation does not end just here. It is our duty to act as true representatives of Islam and behave in accordance to the Islamic tenets. We are expected to treat our fellow beings with love and honesty, to abide by them and always be available to them whenever they are in need, whatever may be the kind of their need. We should always be helping for others.

Some callow people object that, "If Islam is a true religion of God, then why doesn't it help mankind and promote peace and love?" Islam states that service to humanity is a part of faith. Muslims should be actively arrayed in social welfare and educational needs, not only for fellow Muslims, but also for all the communities where they abide in and also for the country whose countryman they are.

You are the best community that has been raised for mankind. You enjoin good and forbid evil and you believe in Allah. [Aal-e-Imran, 3:110]

In this verse, Muslims have been enjoined by Allah (SWT) to serve mankind and promote goodness. If they fail to achieve this, then they can’t state that they are the "best community". After all, a faith which is bloodless to the suffering of other human beings and is not animated to serve the cause of humanity cannot be described as a good faith. But Islam teaches that Muslims must be always ready to serve mankind and have love and kindness for all of Allah's creation.

And serve Allah and do not associate anything with Him and be good to the parents and to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the neighbor of (your) kin and the alien neighbor, and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom your right hands possess; surely Allah does not love him who is proud, boastful; [An-Nisa, 4:36]

In this verse, Allah (SWT) very beautifully guides the Muslims to discharge their duties towards all sections of society. We should display kindness to everyone whether they are kind to us or not. In this way by following this teaching we can create peace, love, kindness and adaptation in the society.

Noble Qur'an expressly declares that the human race is one family. All of us are the children of Adam and Eve, whether our skin is white or black. At various places it says: "All human beings are a single nation" (2:213). "All human beings are naught but a single nation and yet they disagree" (10:19). "And verily this your nation (human beings) is a single nation" (21:92) and (23:52).

Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), emphasized love, sympathy and kindness towards all mankind, he said "Whosoever is not thankful to the people, then he is not thankful to Allah." (At-Tirmidhi) In another beautiful saying, Holy Prophet has said: "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." (Bukhari)

Altogether, Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), emphasized love and kindness for all of Allah's creation, he said "A Muslim who plants a tree or sows a field, from which man, birds and animals can eat, is committing an act of charity." (Muslim)

Kind treatment to Allah's creatures is very much liked by Allah (SWT). Even animals and birds are included in this category. Kind treatment with them makes a person eligible to the Mercy of Allah (SWT). When asked by the Muslims to afflicts the fairway (as reported in Sahih Muslim), Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny, replied: "I have not been sent to curse people, but as a mercy to all mankind."

The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice. – Mohandas K. Gandhi

The importance of prayers in the service of humanity and in inviting people to the path of Allah cannot be over emphasized. The Promised Messiah (A.S) Always emphasized the importance of prayers in achieving success in our enterprises.

The idea of the unity of humanity is Prophet Muhammad’s unique  contribution to human civilization, and it came as a natural subsequence to the foundation of his teachings: the Unity of God. The root cause appears to be favoritism, which accordingly results in subjugation and inequalities. Islam correct  these destructive instability in society by enjoining freedom and justice for all. This is because Islam effectively cultivates in its followers a strong spiritual desire to serve humanity. May be the most important teaching that upholds the concept of the oneness of humanity is that there is one law by which all people are to be judged: the law of personal deeds. God addresses entire humanity and asks them to be awake of Him, to be acquainted of His affectation. The simplicities of global crises clearly make them across the scope of this essay, but I hope to show how Islam addresses the origin of these social problems. These important principles, repeated often yet even more frequently disregarded, are powerful when applied with Islam’s practical approbations, as Prophet Muhammad’s antagonistic alchemy of society proved.

Being a Muslim we should have firm belief in Allah that He will always assist from the calamity. From Quran we can find many verses in which Muslims are advised to ask for relief through request. It is very natural that a person deliberately or undeliberately does some deeds which are not permitted in religion. So we should always ask Allah for guidance and forgiveness as we are advised to do so in Quran. The life is full of hardships, calamities, twists and turns. Being humans we commit good and bad deeds. It is very natural that a person deliberately or undeliberately does some deeds which are not allowed in religion. So we should always ask Allah for advice and forgiveness as we are advised to do so in Quran. The life is full of hardships, calamities, twists and turns.

It is the way to benevolence in the cause of Allah. It is a sign of sincere dependence on Allah and keeping away from disability and laziness. The supplicant must be a sincere believer. He should also not forget to make a sadaqah before his supplication. He should be resolute in his supplication, supplicate at the times when invocations are most likely answered and select the requests that are authentically reported from the Prophet. Request is the dearest thing to Allah. It is an easy to make act of worship and it can be done at all places and times.

He should be abandoned in his supplication, conjure at the times when invocations are most likely answered and select the requests that are authentically reported from the Prophet. The supplicant must be a sincere believer. He should also not forget to make a sadaqah before his supplication.

Plants and animals, rocks and minerals, rain and wind, stars and planets all naturally fulfill the purpose for which they were designed. By doing so, they worship and serve God. Everything in nature, by acting according to its design, serves God's will. In a sense, the whole universe is Muslim because it surrenders to the admirable purpose. Islam is a monotheistic religion like Judaism and Christianity, and like those religions, it teaches that God created the whole universe and everything in it. God is the master designer who puts order and purpose in his creation, and he rules over it with empathy and mercy. Everything in creation depends upon God, the adherent, for its existence. The very name of the religion, Islam, means abandonment or obedience to God, and the Muslim is one who submits or abandonments to God and recognizes Muhammad as God's prophet. All created things fulfill their amortized purpose by serving God. The purpose of all creation, including humans, is to love and serve God.

Islam has a claim upon the attention of every thinker, not only because it is the most civilizing and the greatest spiritual force of the world, but also because it offers a solution to the most bothering problems which placed in front mankind today. Brutality, which has become humanity’s ideal in modern times, can never bring about peace and trust among the nations of the world.

In actual, the meaning of serving humanity in Islam is that  one should  knowing about the rules and regulations which Islam made on humanity and on its serving that how to serve humanity  in terms of Islamic conditions. Serving humanity is not a very difficult task, it could be easily done by any of our individual but the main aspect is that How an individual came to know about its perspective? The ans. Is One should know the correct meaning of serving humanity in Islam. Here, the humanity means the whole world, the people of whole destiny, every individual which take breath on this earth. In today’s Era, Most of the tribes, In the name of Islam, serving humanity in a wrong manner and taking full advantage to use humanity for their own personal purposes, that’s not what our Islam teaches to us. Remember, Islam is a religion of peace and prosperity.

The condition of advancement could begin to care for if human beings remember their origins. God reminds people of a forgotten reality: their earthly origins.  All human beings have One God, their Creator, one father – Adam and one mother, Eve. Someone else willed their existence and prepared the earth and sun in perfect balance to make life possible. If humans recognized this, they would obey the One they owe their existence to. Human beings did not appear on this earth by their own will. Rather, someone else willed that human beings inhabit earth.  If people were to recall this simple fact, they would proceed in the right direction.  The One who willed human existence has perfect knowledge of humanity and their strengths and their weaknesses.

Human beings would not divide themselves into casts and classes. Siblings would stop fighting and taking each other’s life.  Siblings would realize their common Creator and be conscious of Him, and give their ancestry, their due rights. Human beings would not let race, skin color, or national origin determine aberration. If people were to realize this, racism, ethnic superiority, and exploitation would end.  Just like human beings have come into existence by the will of the One, human beings also trace back to the same parents.  

Islamic ethics considers the family to be the natural basis and bench mark of adage society. Women would not have to go through centuries of oppression, and their humanity would not have been denied for centuries.  Unfavorably, when human beings tried to correct one wrong, they fell into another one. Men and women are not engaged in an eternal battle of genders; rather, they have been created to accession and accomplish each other. God lays out the social fabric of human society, which lies in the family. If human beings were to realize that another soul was created from the original single an existence to be its mate and to spread both men and women all through the world, they would respect women more. They forgot that a soul was created for a soul, that a woman makes a man accomplish.  God could have created multiple families instead of Adam and Eve in the beginning, although He chose to create Adam and Eve, and spread humanity from their seed.

The Holy Quran says:

“Be Competitive In Doing Goods.” (2:149)

About this essay:

If you use part of this page in your own work, you need to provide a citation, as follows:

Essay Sauce, We Cannot Despair: Love and Humanity, Humanity is What Matters – Albert Einstein. Available from:<https://www.essaysauce.com/sample-essays/2016-3-7-1457374289/> [Accessed 07-05-26].

These Sample essays have been submitted to us by students in order to help you with your studies.

* This essay may have been previously published on EssaySauce.com and/or Essay.uk.com at an earlier date than indicated.