Dear Believers!
The human being is the most valuable creature on earth. The value of human beings do not lie in their outward appearance, wealth and possessions, or fortune and fame. They are endowed with reason, to which the revelation is addressed. They have the will that can distinguish good from evil and right from wrong. They have the heart that should be filled with pleasant feelings like love, compassion, and mercy. If they equip their minds, wills, and hearts with the virtues of faith, worship, and morality, they will increase their value and become kaamil (perfect) human beings.
Dear Muslims!
Humanity learned about their dignity and their true value from our Prophet (saw). He (saw) would never judge anyone by their outward appearance, wealth and possessions, and position and power. He (saw) would value everyone and treat them with love, respect, compassion and mercy simply because they were human beings. The Messenger of Allah (saw) would not categorize people as having disabilities or not. He (saw) would never ostracize anyone because of their disabilities. He (saw) would pay close attention to the Companions who had different disabilities, and always supported them. He (saw) would try to integrate them into society by giving them important tasks according to their knowledge and skills. For example, he (saw) left ‘Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum, who was visually impaired, as his deputy in Madinah. He (saw) appointed the young Companion Mu’adh ibn Jabal, who was orthopedically handicapped, as governor.
Dear Believers!
Disability, according to our religion, is not about not being able to see, not being able to speak or not being able to walk. Not being able to see the truth is the real disability. Not being able to see the reality is the real disability. Not telling the truth is the real disability. The real disability is the deprivation of faith from one’s soul, of Islam from one’s heart, and of good morals from one’s words and deeds. It is about not using one’s resources for the sake of Allah (swt) and for the good of humanity. It is about sacrificing sincerity for hypocrisy. In short, the real disability is the loss of one’s own value by one’s own hands. The Holy Qur’an describes people with real disabilities as follows:
“…They have hearts they do not understand with, eyes they do not see with, and ears they do not hear with…” 1
[1] A‘râf, 7/179.
Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Human Beings Are Valuable In Their Essence” (PDF)