Julaybīb
Among the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a man called Julaybīb. Even his name was a little unkind: it means ‘small and shabby’. He was poor, short and, the reports say, not handsome. He had no well-known family to speak for him. Some people in Medina kept their distance.
The Prophet did not. He went himself to one of the respected families of the Anṣār and asked for their daughter's hand on Julaybīb's behalf. The parents hesitated. It was their daughter who answered from behind a curtain: would they refuse what God's Messenger asked? She accepted, and they married.
Some time later, after a military expedition, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked his companions who was missing. They named several men. He said: “But I am missing Julaybīb.” They searched, and found him among the fallen. The Prophet stood over him and said: “He is from me, and I am from him.” He said it twice more. Then he carried Julaybīb in his own arms until a grave was dug, and laid him in it himself (Muslim 2472).
No one in Medina had thought to honour Julaybīb. The Prophet's words have been repeated for fourteen centuries.
What each faith says
Judaism
“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dung-hill, to make them sit with princes, and inherit the throne of glory”
1 Samuel 2:8 · JPS 1917
Hannah's song says God raises the poor “to make them sit with princes”. In Hebrew, the word for honour, kavod, also means weight: honour is what gives a person substance. The same word is used for God's glory.
The rabbis asked: who is honoured? And they answered: the one who honours others (Pirkei Avot 4:1). Honour, in this teaching, is received by giving it away.
Christianity
“If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”
John 12:26 · WEB
Jesus (peace be upon him) promised that the Father would honour anyone who serves him. In the Gospels, honour repeatedly goes to the overlooked: a widow who gave two tiny coins, a Samaritan, children brought to be blessed.
Paul tells Christians to “outdo one another in showing honour” (Romans 12:10). The highest honour, for Christians, is to be called a child of God.
Islam
“O people, We created you from a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another. The most honoured of you in God's sight is the most mindful of Him.”
Qur'an 49:13 · our rendering
al-Muʿizz comes from the verse “You honour whom You will and humble whom You will” (3:26), and is always said with al-Mudhill. Its root is ʿ-z-z, the root of al-ʿAzīz, the Almighty. The Qur'an says honour belongs to God, His Messenger and the believers (63:8), and whoever seeks honour should seek it from God (35:10).
And it sets out God's measure plainly: not family, wealth, race or nation.
Same and different
All three faiths say that true honour comes from God and that He honours the lowly whom people overlook. Judaism teaches that the honoured person is the one who honours others; Christianity promises honour to those who serve; Islam says honour belongs to God and that His only measure is God-consciousness, not birth or wealth. Islam alone makes this a Name, always paired with its opposite. All three warn against chasing honour from people.
A moment to reflect
- Who in your life deserves honour and has never received it?
- Is there a difference between being respected and being honoured?
- What would you want to be honoured for, if no one else ever knew?
Watch
ITV News: the Queen presents the George Cross to the NHS at Windsor: the ‘In us’ rung.
Frans de Waal at TED on what alpha status really means in chimpanzees: the ‘In nature’ rung.
The Nobel Prize on how laureates are chosen: the ‘At our best’ rung.
Do it together
Make your own honours list: each person nominates someone local who has never been thanked publicly, with one sentence on why. Read the list aloud at a gathering and send each person a card.
Go deeper
- GOV.UK: George Cross awarded to the NHS · article
- Nobel Prize: nomination and selection · article
- Qur'an 49:13 on Quran.com · scripture
- Pirkei Avot 4 on Sefaria · scripture
Sources (5)
- George Cross awarded to the NHS, announced July 2021, presented 2022: GOV.UK / The Royal Family
- Chimpanzee alpha status depends on coalitions (Arnhem): de Waal, Chimpanzee Politics, 1982
- Nobel Prize not awarded posthumously; Moniz 1949 for leucotomy: Nobel Foundation
- Julaybīb: ‘He is from me and I am from him’: Sahih Muslim 2472
- ‘Who is honoured? The one who honours others’: Pirkei Avot 4:1