The news in Asia times has narrated some incidents surrounding this ‘phobia’. China a place where more than one fifths of the world’s population resides, constitutes a fair sample of what the world is going through. It clearly suggests the following things:
1. The people are mostly becoming materialistic divorcing the spiritual side of humansWhat is the ideology of Islam? How does it answer these questions? How can it transform the present turmoil of societies? Is it something doable?
2. They are unclear of why they are here for?
3. Superstitions are still there in their hearts
4. Atheism, although is increasing very rapidly, still doesn’t provide the ideal of satisfaction and happiness
5. This voluptuous and promiscuous attitudes inculcate frustration in people all around the world (another indicator is the rate of suicides in the East Asian countries)
6. There are no foundations on which to build up the moralities and values of system (sometimes this has given people faith in their old traditions and cultures and they have been able to give economic boost to their countries like Japan and China. But still they cannot provide the true foundations of aspirations for a society)
In this scenario I feel that we Muslims have greatly forgotten our obligation of providing the world with answers to these questions of ideal, purpose and justice. Many have been persevering but like one professor (Tarrun Khanna) said “it is not enough”. [He said it in the perspective of revolution in entrepreneurial spirit of Pakistan. In response on being told of the efforts of ‘akhuwat foundation’ and some other Pakistani entrepreneurs]
According to my opinion these are some questions that need immediate answers. The works of following authors can provide the answers in detail:
1. The Holy Quran & Sunnah of Prophet (Sallallahu alayehe wasalam)
2. The alchemy of happiness (Imam Ghazali)
3. The reconstruction of religious thought in Islam (Lectures of Allama Iqbal)
4. Quran and Modern Knowledge (Dr. Muhammad Rafi-ud-din)
5. Mahazarat e Shariat (Dr. Mehmud Ahmad Ghazai)
These are the writers as far as I know. But I wanted to write here what my own thoughts and reflections say about these questions and this “vacuum” that needs to be filled. So, here it goes:
1. We are created by one creator Allah (Subhanawatalla) [Nothing surpasses Him in any of the ma’roof qualities]
2. The highest intellect and understanding of this universe was revealed to the prophet (Sallallahu alayehe wasalam) and no one can better judge and do justice except for Muhammad (Sallallahu alayehe wasalam)
3. The purpose of this very small life given to us is to spend it in trying to persevere in the cause of Allah (that explicitly means that the decision of right and wrong, virtue and wickedness lies with the decision of Quran and nothing surpasses it)
4. It also means that people are not slaves of any ideal, concept or action apart from what Allah has revealed
5. This ideal of Allah divorces meaning of worldly endeavors of materialistic desires
6. The true satisfaction lies in the following of natural law, the law of Allah
7. The moralities and values that humans are to follow are not mere dogmas but are the foundations of the spiritual well being of people, they cannot be associated with human wishes and they cannot be evil or wicked in any form for other humans (This well being of soul, values and moralities cannot be attained by any other source)
8. The true happiness is when people realize the purpose that Allah has bestowed upon them and this ‘happiness’ is attained by following Allah’s commandments
9. The commandments are distributed in four elements two of Zahir (Outerself) and two of Batin (Innerself). (‘Ibadat (worship), Mu’amalaat (dealings) , Muhlikat (), Munajjiyat) [The details can be read in ‘Alchemy of Happiness by Imam Ghazali]
10. All the miseries that have befallen humans today can be solved by following the commandments of Allah and this ‘vacuum’ can only be filled with His love and affection that surpasses every other joy and bliss.
“The day that neither wealth nor sons will be of any benefit except for he who comes to Allah with a pure heart.” (Al-Quran, 26:89)The above were my mere scribbles. I would love to hear your thoughts about this and to know more resources that can help in “filling the vacuum”. And please share about what you feel about “happiness” and “contentment” with regards to modern zeitgeist.
10 comments:
i don't wish to disagree for the sake of that... Is the word or anything near to ideology to be found in any of the books? I'd prefer word World-view or God-view (for which germans have a word). Abdal Hakim Murad writes:
"There are many Muslims who are happy to describe Islam as an ideology. One suspects that they have not troubled to look the term up, and locate its totalitarian and positivistic undercurrents. It is impossible to deny that certain formulations of Islam in the twentieth century resembled European ideologies, with their obsession with the latest certainties of science, their regimented cellular structure, their utopianism, and their implicit but primary self-definition as advocates of communalism rather than of metaphysical responsibility. The emergence of ‘ideological Islam’ was, particularly in the mid-twentieth century, entirely predictable. Everything at that time was ideology. Spirituality seemed to have ended, and postmodernism was not yet a twinkle in a Parisian eye. In fact, the British historian John Gray goes so far as to describe the process which Washington describes as the ‘war on terror’ as an internal Western argument which has nothing to do with traditional Islam. As he puts it: ‘The ideologues of political Islam are western voices, no less than Marx or Hayek. The struggle with radical Islam is yet another western family quarrel.’"
it's enlightening words of abdul hakim murad. I really respect them. But to me ideology, world-view, or God-view whatever you call it meant the essence of religion Islam. although the terminologies interfere a lot when talking about Islam in an exotic language but i think that yolk doesn't change no matter what you use. and believe me 9.999 % doesn't care about them. to them what matters are the behaviors and dealings and morals. If we are to touch the 60.3 % of people in Pakistan who live on less than a dollar per day we have to take the essence of Islam in a language that they understand and that is of good morals and truth in its very bare form. (for the sake of an example) We cannot confuse them in just mere terminologies. These matter only in higher intellects. While we need to adopt deen, that affects the masses. but unfortunately we are falling behind in that.
I don't think 60.3% will be able to access English of this level. So our audience really is well-read educated class, who know more than us about "idols of modern ideologies" - as Seyyed Hossein Nasr puts it.
PS: Yar khawaja bhi blogging karta hai? If so, where? Do you not have regular blog reading or blogger friends? Send them emails regularly to read your blog, and i will take them to mine :D
Mein tou blogging kar kar k thak gaya hoon, no feedback... nothing... Btw, i joined a blogging zine: http://thinkinglifeandyou.blogspot.com/
Their audience is global as well and i don't think they look for pure religious topics you and me are obsessed with. However, using academic sources to critic modernity will open eyes! Dr Asad Zaman's lectures, papers, newspaper articles and other resources come handy a lot! You want to join it? Typically posts there are very short.
Yeah sure! i will join it. Khawaja blogging nhi krta. usko man ne kaha tu tha.
Or yar jahan tk feedback k taluq hy woh to mjhe b nhi milta. :))
hum jesey logon ko log "paghal" kehtay hn. or hmaray likhe hoay ko "crap" kehtay hn.
Log woh parhtey han jo "intersting" ho or jis writing man koi "hook" ho. Ye topic jo insaan ko dunya ki be sabati ka ehsas dilaen or maut yad karaein.
sadly true! but it's an honor to be called a madman these days...
it is worth reading,clears many question and arises some.
I would like to add one more point to add to your list.
Belief in God, Iqbal says, is birth right of every human being. and this belief frees the believer from every superstition and fear." Illustrated biography of Iqbal by Khurram Ali Shafique.
And I really like your initiative.
@Noor
Jazak Allah! for the feedback.
Would love to continually hear feedback. So that we can contribute what we can right now.
yep, I pray for the same.
Regards.
Correction: Sorry, not belief in God but God Himself is birth right of human being.
Post a Comment