Can We All Be Superheroes?

For those of us who are superhero fans, there is a unifying characteristic that attracted us to our favorite childhood crime fighting heroes: connecting to their journey and plight in some way. These heroes’ stories portray many of mankind’s struggles, hopes, fears and dreams. Some heroes look at the human nature, such as The Hulk, in his examination of the war within each person’s soul; Wonder Woman, in her reflection on the inherent strength of womanhood; and Batman, in his celebration of the possibility of human accomplishment and his reflection on the darker side of human nature and our ability to overcome it. Generally in all cases our favorite crime fighting heroes seem even more heroic to us because they are often detested and disregarded children who become the masters of extraordinary powers, prevail over their personal oppressors and accomplish either domestic or microcosmic triumphs. They bring back from this adventure the means and motivation that become the catalyst for the regeneration of their society. Furthermore, at each of their core is belief. They believe in the service of good without the expectation of remuneration, fame or reward. They are merciful towards all; importantly, this includes their oppressors and archenemies. Often you will see they have a strong reluctance to kill or wield weapons of mass destruction.

What can we as Muslims take from this?

It is necessary for Muslims to take on the character traits of God the Exalted so that they show mercy to one another. One of God’s names is Ar-Rahim (the merciful). If we desire for God’s mercy, then we should be merciful to others. Mercy is shown to the ignorant by teaching them beneficial knowledge, to the oppressed by standing by their side, to the poor by giving them assistance, to the old and young by showing them kindness and compassion, to the sinful by making du’a for them, to the animal by showing it empathy, and to the environment by preserving it.³ The closest people to God are the ones who show mercy. I deem the ultimate real life ‘superhero’, the gift of God to humanity, The Messenger of God ﷺ. The most amazing example of Mercy this world has ever seen. It is narrated, “the Merciful – Blessed and Most High – shows mercy to those who are merciful to others. Be merciful to those on earth, and He in heaven shall be merciful to you." ² This is one of the most important hadiths in the Islamic tradition. This is because the central characteristic of this religion is mercy, and the Prophet ﷺwas, “only sent as a mercy to the worlds” (21:107).

So we do not have to have an array of powers or prophethood to save the world but we should take an opportunity to evaluate our humanistic ideals. What can we do in our everyday lives to contribute? We can remember that those who are merciful through showing compassion to those on earth, such as humans, animals, and even inanimate objects are shown mercy from their Creator. Either we take advantage of opportunities for good or we neglect them. If we habitually neglect them we will eventually no longer see them, resulting in our ‘heart vision’ (responsible for us seeing these opportunities) weakening our ability to see.“It is not their eyes that are blinded. Rather, the hearts that are in their breasts” (22:46). It is this blindness of the heart that causes us to miss the opportunities to do good when in fact they are endless. It is imperative for our Ummah to be the change we want to see in the world; remember it’s the small things collectively that make a big difference. Therefore, I challenge everyone to seek out opportunities to give back instead of waiting for them to come to you. There are opportunities for us to be ‘superheroes’ every day and here are a few real-life superhero examples:

• NS: a resident physician who personally fed a 96 year old blind patient her favorite food from a local restaurant because she wasn’t eating hospital food;
• SS: who insisted he carry his family members heavy luggage, despite having a bad back;
• KS: who constantly offers her food to the man who cleans her office, while making it a point to always ask about his day or weekend;
• SR: who took the food from her office holiday party to a local shelter instead of allowing them to throw it away

Finally, here are some steps to help you with your ‘superhero’ game!

Think of what it means to be a ‘superhero’ to you: Evaluate where in life God has placed you. Don’t be afraid to rise to the occasion. Your super heroism doesn’t need to be a grand gesture such as stopping street crime with your Tae Kwon Do skills to make a real difference. Therefore, evaluate your idea of what it means to give back and then find the opportunities to do so.

Seek combat training: One of the main purposes of our lives is to be a source of service and comfort to others. So although a great Tae Kwon Do program will most definitely help, start with reflecting on yourself. Think about what it means to serve and be merciful to others and you will start to see the ways in which you can help others. Superman didn’t just sit around designing his cape and magically become Superman!

Equip yourself with the best ‘gadgets’: You do not need an arsenal of ‘gadgets’ to help you. Give back from within your means. Simply smiling at someone is a form of giving and reward. The possibilities are endless but remember your best ‘gadgets’ for giving are those that you already have.

Remember that you must know when to keep your identity a secret or not: “To be charitable in public is good, but to give alms in private is better. It will atone some of your sins. Allah has knowledge of what you do” (2:271). Although the best form of giving back is in private, there are times when one can do so publicly. In the case of doing it publicly, one needs to be aware of their intentions. The benefit of doing it publicly is it can inspire others to do good works.

Work in groups if and when possible: Surround yourself with people who have the will to serve people. If they aren’t readily available in your life, then rise to the occasion yourself and convince others to become ‘superheroes’. “Help one another in acts of peity and righteousness. And do not assist each other in acts of sin and transgression. And fear God; indeed God is severe in punishment” (5:2).

Time for your superhero patrol: My parting words of wisdom to you, as most appropriately said by Margaret Mead, before you begin your superhero mission: Never believe that a small group of thoughtful, caring people can’t change the world; it is the only thing that ever has. Godspeed!

References:
1. Modern Mythology. Retrieved from http://witnessing101.hubpages.com
2. Dr. Umar F. Abd-Allah. Mercy: The Stamp of Creation, (Chicago: Nawawi Foundation), http://www.nawawi.org/downloads/article1.pdf
3. Al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz. Mukhtar al-Hadith al-Sharif – Selection of Noble Prophetic Traditions. Translated by Sidi Amjad Tarsin.