DAILYREFLECTION
We decreed upon the Children of Israel that... whoever saves one, it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.
A man lay in the middle of the floor of a packed New York train. People glanced at him and went back to their phones, and you could almost hear what they'd decided: drunk, high, homeless.
One passenger finally went over. A woman nearby said he was breathing and not to worry. He didn't respond to a nudge. When he was turned over, there was blood and a gash on his forehead. He had hit his head and fallen unconscious.
The passenger held him and kept talking to him until he began to mutter. Someone passed over a bottle of water, and after a few sips he came back. By then, a few others had gathered to help.
Allah set one life against all of humanity in this verse. It was decreed for the Children of Israel, and the Qur'an keeps it in front of us as the measure of what one person is worth.
Most people on that train weren't cruel. They ride past more need every day than anyone can carry, and a city slowly wears the heart down until a person on the floor becomes part of the scenery.
The habit that breaks that is small enough for any commute, school run or grocery line: when someone is down, go look before you decide who they are.
First step: the next time you see someone who seems unwell, stuck or lost today, be the first to ask, "Are you okay?"
Reflect on this: Who have I walked past because I'd already decided who they were?