It is our duty to speak out against what is wrong

FRIDAY, APR. 13: When someone says to you, “Mind our own business”, what does that exactly mean? The other day, right on Church Street, a young woman slapped her baby.

The baby must have been about 18 months old. The child screamed and cried heart-wrenchingly.

My instincts immediately caused me to say to the young woman that no one deserved to be slapped in the face, no matter what pressure one may be under.

Of course, the woman retaliated with a barrage of insults, one of which advised me to mind my own business.

Well, without wanting to antagonize the situation any further, I retorted that when she slapped her child in my presence, the issue immediately became my business.

I advised the woman for the sake of both her and her child to seek counseling on how to handle whatever she is going through, particularly anger management. 

She of course, scoffed and walked off with the baby still hollering.

I thought, what should I do; should I intervene by calling Child and Family Services; should I try to seek to find out if I could talk to the woman’s family so that they may try to reach out and help her and save this poor child from future abuse; or should I just as the woman advised ‘mind my own business’.

There is a fine line in deciding what is one’s business and what is not.

I feel when matters occur that involve abuse of innocent persons such as children, seniors and the handicapped, we as a society must speak for them — it’s like we must be the voice for the voiceless.

Abuse

It is our civic duty, I believe, to get involved. Not by confronting the person during the conflict, but to seek professional opinion as soon as possible during or after the incident has occurred.

My opinion is that silence condones, and I do not in any way condone injustice and abuse of others.

I, we, must speak out against it.

Allah (swt) says in the Noble Quran Sura 3: 110:

Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. 

This ayat means to me that it is our duty to speak out against what is wrong, as well as we must encourage what is right.

There is an ayat that goes further and says that we must uphold right at all times and abhor what is wrong even if we have to testify against our own selves or those we love.

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah as witnesses to fair dealings and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, that is next to piety. Fear Allah, indeed Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do. (5:8)

You see, we don’t mind each others business to be nosey or malicious, but rather we should do it out of love and concern.

The following ayat sums up beautifully what Allah reminds mankind: Sura 9:71

And the faithful men, and the faithful women are friends one to another: They command that which is just, and they forbid that which is evil; and they are constant at prayer, and pay their appointed alms; and they obey God, and his apostle: Unto these will God be Merciful; for He [is] Mighty [and] Wise.