Live up to the Covenant with God

Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Holy Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) said that the example of Muslims and that of the Jews and the Christians (in living up to the covenant with God) was like that of a person who engaged some people to work till the evening on specific wages. Those people worked till noon and said that they would work no more nor would take any wages for the work they had done. The employer asked them to complete the work and take their full wages, but they did not agree and left the work. Then the employer engaged another party on the condition to give them full wages if they completed the work. But they too worked only till the afternoon and refused to work any longer and take any wages for the work they had done. The employer told them that only a small part of the work was left undone which they should complete and take their full wages but they did not agree and left the work. Then the employer engaged a third party which worked for the rest of the day, completed the work and got full day’s wages. That was the example of Muslims who accepted the light.

(Bukhari)

The hadith establishes the superiority of the Muslim Ummah over the Jews and the Christians. The other two nations deprived themselves of the Mercy of God and lost the object of their life. As a result they were relieved of the responsibility of the leadership of all mankind. The metaphor of an employer for God and the implied metaphor of the employees for the successive nations are apt and reasonable. The Jews and later the Christians shook themselves off the responsibility of guidance and reformation of mankind. While the Muslims proved themselves fortunate enough by agreeing to carry out this task.

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