Filling the ideological vacuum

I just read the news here about China’s doomsday phobia about 21st December, 2012. It clearly illustrates the hollowness of character, aim and goal of these people towards life. First let us talk about this so called phobia. To me it all seems the modern superstition that has no logical or spiritual basis. Strengthened by the failures of Nostradamus, these are mere tales to which some, who have nothing to believe in, ascribe their faith.
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 humans
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]

What is the ideology of Islam? How does it answer these questions? How can it transform the present turmoil of societies? Is it something doable?
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.

Clash of civilizations

I heard the term "Clash of civilizations" nearly three years ago. I read some literature in Urdu that always quoted the book “The Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel P. Huntington. I wanted to read its claims myself but couldn’t muster up the courage to delve into this difficult to digest knowledge spread in the book in words Greek to me. Recently, I went to my mamun’s (uncle) and found that book and borrowed it from him.
I was astonished to read just up to the third chapter. Somehow I felt that it exposed my ignorance about the matter it was cited for in various books. It just blew the castles that I had built in my mind about various claims that were written in reference from this book.
I just wanted to share some of the things here because I believe me, and many others are ignorant of.

Huntington deliberately makes his arguments about the foundations on which the term "Globalization" or "Universal Civilization" are promulgated worldwide. And the lowly individuals like me take it as a serious threat to the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and signs of Allah. But after reading the book and reading the thoughts on the broader spectrum of sentiment. I think we are not going down like this because Alhamdolillah (Praise be to Allah) the foundations of our civilization are still afresh in our society and they just need an injection of novelty and it will again be restored to its most evolved and prestigious form ever InshaAllah (Be what Allah wills)

He points in the third chapter of the book named "A Universal Civilization? Modernization and Westernization" that the concept of a Universal Civilization based on the fact that Western civilization would take on the world and integrate into ‘one world’ is baseless as

What Westerners herald as benign global integration, such as proliferation of worldwide media, non Westerners denounce as nefarious Western imperialism. To the extent that non Westerners see the world as one, they see it as a threat.

Then he analysis some important factors like religion, language, moral values, communication networks, corporatocracy etc. and concludes that Western civilization cannot be in anyway entitled the Universal Civilization.
Another important thing to be noted in this chapter was his honesty in accepting and delivering the true picture of the rise of West he says:

The cause of this unique and dramatic development included the social structure and class relations of the West, the rise of cities and commerce, the relative dispersion f power in Western societies between estates and monarchs and secular and religious authorities, the emerging sense of national consciousness among Western peoples, and the development of state bureaucracies. The immediate source of Western expansion, however, was technological: the invention of the means of ocean navigation for reaching distant peoples.” In large measure,” as Geoffery Parker has observed, “the rise of the West’ depended upon the exercise of force, upon the fact that the military balance between the Europeans and their adversaries overseas was steadily tilting in favor of the former; . . . the key to the Westerners’ success in creating the first truly global empires between 1500 and 1750 depended upon precisely those improvements in the ability to wage war which have been termed ‘the military revolution.’” The expansion of the West was also facilitated by the superiority in organization, discipline, and training of its troops and subsequently by the superior weapons, transport, logistics, and medical services resulting from its leadership in the Industrial Revolution. The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion, but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do.

After reading this i would also like you to please read the whole of the address of Dr. Muhammad Allama Iqbal on Allahabad. There you will see Iqbal's point of view on the rise of West which resembles that of Huntington. (on the surface only but still. . . )

There are some things about Muslims which he had written bluntly without grasping the essence of Islam but again for this it’s we Muslims who are to blame for not “adopting” our own civilization, and foremost the commandments of Allah.
I will keep on posting striking things which I find in this book. In the hope that we remember the 2nd revelation on Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) which commanded him like this:

1. O thou wrapped up (in the mantle)!
2. Arise and deliver thy warning!
3. And thy Lord do thou magnify!
4. And thy garments keep free from stain!
5. And all abomination shun!
6. Nor expect, in giving, any increase (for thyself)!
7. But, for thy Lord's (Cause), be patient and constant!
Surah Al muddathir: 1-5

Three Kinds of people!

During my Eid celebrations I understood with an epiphany that there are three kinds of people in this world.

1. People who take from this world and give nothing back to it
2. People who give as much as they take from this world
3. People who only give to this world without taking much
I think that prophets lie in this third category because their sole purpose is to establish word of Allah on earth and for this very reason they spend their whole lives. Also in this category are people like Abdul Sattar Edhi who spend their whole lives giving without taking much.
Next are those people who are philanthropist and virtuous ones who care for other beings and spend from their earnings for others, they give their time to others and they try to be virtuous. But they keep a balance in what they give and what they keep. These are the people who are members of societies like Edhi center and Akhuwat foundation.
The people of the third category are the greedy ones who only try to fill their pockets from the riches of this world and fail to share with others. These are the ones who are tormented in nightmares and satisfaction/happiness eludes them.
It is the Aura of Muhammad's (p.b.u.h) religion (deen) that after Muhammad (p.b.u.h) no other Prophet is going to come. And Allah has put the responsibility of dawah (preaching)of His word on the followers of Islam - that is Muhammad's (p.b.u.h) religion.
So, it is plausible to say that after Muhammad (p.b.u.h) it's Muslims who have to just give to this world without taking much from it. It is for this reason Allah has again and again told us in the Holy Quran about the malignant nature of dunya (world's gains). He has warned us not to indulge in it so to forget about akhira (Day of Judgment) and the life after death.

In this context i believe we have to think and we have to ponder over our actions that what are we doing and why we are doing things we are doing.
May Allah forgive us and guide us to the straight path.