The Almighty Creator has endowed every living being in this earthly world with an innate instinct: the instinct for self-preservation and the protection of its own kind.
A tiny bird fearlessly dives at a predatory hawk to defend its chicks. A mother hen, disregarding her own safety, shields her young even in the face of a fox or a kite.
This unwritten law of nature has remained unchanged for millions of years.
Yet, astonishingly, human beings—regarded as the noblest of all creation—appear today to be standing in opposition to this eternal principle.
The very hands that are meant to provide security are now stained with blood; the very hearts that should offer refuge have instead become sources of fear. The steady stream of such reports in newspapers inevitably shakes our conscience.
A child dying from the beating of parents under the guise of discipline; a mother deciding to end her own life while taking her child with her because of domestic turmoil; a brother killing his own brother over a trivial dispute—are these merely isolated crimes?
No. They are manifestations of a profound moral crisis within our society.
Even more alarming is the growing neglect, humiliation, and abandonment of elderly parents. Those who devoted their entire lives to protecting and nurturing their children now, in old age, seem to have become the most unwanted members of society.
Why has humanity reached such a crisis in our social life today?
The Holy Qur'an establishes human relationships upon the foundations of mercy and love. Allah the Exalted says, "And He has placed between you affection and mercy." (Surah Ar-Rum 30:21).
Elsewhere, He warns, "Whoever kills a person unjustly, it is as though he has killed all mankind." (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:32). The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "He who does not show mercy will not be shown mercy."
Are these teachings not the timeless moral foundation of human civilization from which we are gradually drifting away?
Many may argue that the instability of today's world—wars, inflation, economic uncertainty, unemployment, and mounting family pressures—is eroding people's patience and tolerance. There is truth in that argument.
But the question remains: is adversity unique to human beings? In the wild, animals struggle every day for food, live under the constant threat of predators, and endure natural disasters.
Yet they do not abandon their instinct to protect their own kind. If human beings turn against their own species, are they not, in effect, bringing about their own destruction?
World history echoes the same warning. Wherever family bonds have weakened, violence, depression, loneliness, and crime have flourished, and such societies have ultimately declined.
It is for this very reason that many developed nations today are compelled to rebuild family-centered policies, expand mental health services, and strengthen social cohesion.
They have realized that the true foundation of a state is not towering buildings of brick and stone; rather, it is the family, and the foundation of the family is love, compassion, and affection.
This crisis of humanity cannot be resolved merely by enacting stricter laws. What is urgently needed is a revival of religious and moral education within families and individual lives, the restoration of respect for fellow human beings, greater awareness of mental health, and the cultivation of a culture of empathy and social solidarity.
Any education that prepares people only for professional success without making them humane is undoubtedly incomplete.
Therefore, guided by the eternal laws of nature, the enduring teachings of humanity, and the light of conscience, people must return to one another in compassion and understanding.
Otherwise, history may one day record that the only creature on Earth that became the greatest threat to its own kind was none other than humankind.