By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Accra, March 21, GNA – Alhaji Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih, Head (Ameer) of the Missionary in Charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana, has encouraged Muslims to embrace the virtues of compassion to help strengthen communities and unite the nation.
He said the life of the Holy Prophet was the perfect embodiment of compassion, adding: “These virtues extended to all humanities and all living beings.”
Alhaji Salih said this on Saturday in a sermon to mark this year’s Eid-Ul-Fitr at Ashongman in Accra.
“The word ‘compassion’ literally refers to a deep awareness of another person’s pain, and with this, you identify with the person’s pain and together, work out with a sincere desire the ways and means to ease that suffering,” he said.
Alhaji Salih said the Holy Qur’an presented compassion not as an optional virtue but as a fundamental requirement of faith.
All of humanity and the Ghanaian community were fast losing their sense of compassion, he said, calling for urgent action to address that.
“Growing economic hardships have led to the instinct to preserve one’s self from harm, danger, or destruction,” he said.
“Rising cost of living and economic pressure have pushed people into a survival mindset.”
“Each caring only for their personal needs and the needs of their immediate relations.”
Alhaji Salih said there were street children everywhere and utter neglect of people living with disability, but the Ghanaian compassion values and empathy were diminishing.
“Aggressiveness, disrespect for diverging views, mockery of people’s woes, and celebration of others’ failures have become the order of the day,” he added.
He indicated that the message of compassion was not confined to Muslims but a universal call to every citizen, leader, and institutions as a whole.
“To our Christian brothers and sisters and people of other faiths, we share common values of love, kindness, and service,” he said.
“Let us work together to build a society rooted in these principles.”
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe