Chapter 41

ALTRUISM

Altruismisagentlefeaturethatelevatesmanandcontributesinper-
fecting the personality, sobriety, and self-sacrifice for the sake of the
rightandgood.Islamhastendedtothisqualityandpraiseditspeople.
TheholyQuranpraisedagroupofMuslimswhopreferredtheirbroth-
erstothemselves.ExegesistsreportthatsevenMuslimwarriorswhohad
been wounded in the battle of Uhud were harshly thirsty. A Muslim
fetchedthem somewater that wassufficient forone person only. The
firstman,towhomthewaterwasoffered,refusedtodrinksincehesug-
gestedofferingittotheother.Theotherpreferred thethird,andsoon.
Asthe manreachedthe lastone, hefound himdead. Hereturned the
other and found him dead and so on, until all of the wounded were
dead..
IslamhassuppliedMuslimswithsuchamagnificentspirit,andcopied
thehightraitsintheirsoulsandmadesuchanotablehumanperfection
all over history.
The ever most expressive, genuine, and influential picture of the
IslamicaltruismwasthatoftheProphet’shousehold.Awholesurawas
revealedforexpressingthisaltruism.ItisthesuraofInsan–orAddahr-.
Unanimously,theexegesists–oftheholyQuran-relatedthattheProphet
(s),withsomeofhiscompanions,visitedal-Hassanandal-Hussein,who
were sick. They suggested that Imam Ali, their father, should vow a
three-dayfastingiftheywouldrecovertheirhealth.TheImam,aswellas
theirmotherFatimatheveracious andFuddatheirbondwomanimple-
mented that suggestion. When al-Hassan and al-Husseinwere healed,
thegroupfasted.TheImamhadnofoodatthattime;therefore,hehadto
borrowthreemeasuresofbarley. Inthefirstday,Fatimathe veracious
milledandbakedone ofthesemeasures. Inthe verytime*of breaking
thefast,apoormanknockedtheirdoorforameal.Theimamgavehim
his share.The other entirelypursued the imamand gave their shares.