Self-worth… with people…and with Allah…

No matter how insignificant a person is in the eyes of his peers, he is important enough in the sight of Allah that He created him with such care from even before birth.  The society judges a person for wealth, power, success in career, physical attraction and other worldly traits.  But a person who has none of this or has lost everything may still be the dearest to Allah, the angels and the believers who are rightly guided!  In Islam, the worth of an individual is solely based on taqwa – God consciousness that produces righteousness and piety.  A peasant or a bankrupt businessman may be superior to a CEO of the most successful organization on earth – if he excels in taqwa!  Allah makes this point clear in the Quran, (its translation reads) “O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has the most taqwa (piety).  Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-aware.”  [Surah Hujurat 49:13]