Al-Qalam 
In this sacred month of Muharram, let us recommit to being voices for life, and agents of justice and compassion in a world too accustomed to cruelty, writes Imam Rashied Omar
Yesterday at sunset (Thursday), South African Muslims marked the beginning of the sacred lunar month of Muharram, ushering in the New Hijri year 1447, in accordance with the local lunar convention.
As we bid farewell to the Hijri year 1446, it is fitting that we do so by renewing our commitment to the Supreme and Highest Objective of Islam, namely that of hifz al-nafs or hifz al-hayat i.e., the preservation, reverence and sacredness of human life.
As we mark this sacred transition to the New Hijri Year 1447, we do so in the shadow of immense human suffering. The past year has witnessed a colossal loss of life, from the genocide in Gaza and the civil war in Sudan to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the recent 12-day war between Iran and Israel, alongside other war-ravaged regions across the globe.
In the face of such devastation, our hearts must not grow numb. As conscientious Muslims and responsible global citizens, we cannot afford to become desensitised to the persistent loss of innocent lives. The temptation to avert our eyes or deaden our hearts must be met with moral vigilance and spiritual resistance.
Among the most devastating of these tragedies is the unfolding genocide in Gaza. Conservative estimates now place the number of Palestinians killed at over 55,000, with thousands more still missing, presumed buried beneath the rubble. In Sudan, although accurate figures remain elusive, analysts estimate that more than 28,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of civil war in January 2023.
While the catastrophic loss of life in Gaza, Ukraine, and more recently in Iran has rightly drawn sustained global attention, the equally horrifying violence in Sudan, now raging for nearly two and a half years, has not received the public outrage or media coverage it warrants. This disparity in concern reflects a troubling moral inconsistency that we must urgently confront.
This imbalance in global attention calls for deep introspection and a renewed ethical commitment. We must do much better in the New Hijri Year 1447. One vital way to resist the creeping desensitisation to the near-daily slaughter of innocent children, women, and men is to continually remind ourselves of the profound value Islam places on the sanctity and preservation of human life. It is through this sacred remembrance that we can keep our hearts alive, our consciences alert, and our actions aligned with the highest ideals of our way of life, al-Islam.
To sustain this moral and spiritual vigilance, we must return to the guiding light of the Qur’an. Allah, the Giver and Taker of Life, reminds us in numerous verses of the supreme sanctity of human life. Among the most powerful of these proclamations is the celebrated verse 32 of Surah al-Ma’idah, chapter 5, which equates the unjust taking of a single life with the killing of all of humanity, and the saving of one life with the saving of all humankind. This verse reads:
If anyone kills a single human being without just cause
It shall be as though he had killed all of humankind;
Whereas if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he
had saved the lives of all humankind (Q5:32).
This verse not only underscores the profound value Islam places on human life but also serves as a moral compass in times of overwhelming violence and loss.
This Qur’anic verse, and others like it, did not merely inspire pious reflection, but also shaped the very foundations of Islamic legal and ethical thought Classical Muslim scholars such as Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d.1111CE), and Imam Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi (d.1388CE) were deeply moved by the moral imperative contained in verse 32 of Surah al-Ma`idah. Drawing on this and similar Qur’anic teachings, they identified the preservation of human life (hifz al-nafs or hifz al-hayat) as one of the supreme objectives (maqasid) of the Shariʿah.
As we welcome the new Hijri year 1447, let us recommit ourselves to this foundational value. Let us be voices for life, defenders of the innocent, and agents of justice and compassion in a world too accustomed to cruelty. We pray that Allah, the Giver and Taker of Life, softens our hearts, awakens our conscience, and grants us the courage to stand for life, truth, and justice. May Hijri year 1447 be a year of renewed hope, heartfelt solidarity, and meaningful peace.
