FROM MAULANAS DESK
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in
Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual
scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic
learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life
has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has
received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace
International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan
Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies.
He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the
world’ and is recognized as one of its most influential
Muslims1
. His books have been translated into sixteen
languages and are part of university curricula in six
countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace
and Spirituality based in New Delhi.
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
SELF STRUGGLE
SOME highly educated Muslims have initiated a concept called
‘Institutionalizing Constitutional Rights’ with the aim of developing
the Muslim community. This involves making recommendations,
such as the formation of institutions by the government for the
development of Muslims.
These words sound beautiful, but they are not workable in reality.
Development is a goal that can be achieved only through self-struggle.
It cannot be had through the help of any government.
In this matter the basic principle is that if a community wants
development, it would have to stand up on merit and not expect to
make progress through favours. Whenever one receives favours, the
spirit of incentive is diminished. Progress can be attained only in an
environment of competition and challenge, and not through favours
granted.
Progress can be
attained only in
an environment of
competition and
challenge, and not
through favours
granted
Muslim leaders should advise Muslim masses to enter the educational
mainstream—they should take admission in good educational institutions and pursue serious study. There is no other choice in this
matter. Here the principle of ‘compete or perish’, alone works.
This scheme of things for development
appears arduous, however it is so only for the
initial generations. When a community faces
such competitive situations, the people who
begin this journey might face hardships, but
their struggle would be for the greater good.
Very soon, such a community would progress
and the maxim ‘compete or perish’ would
turn into ‘compete and succeed’.
Reasoning Ability
Reason cannot be created but it can
certainly be developed. Everyone has
a two-fold duty of developing their
reasoning ability and using it in life.
Reason is a powerful potential of the
human mind and we are duty bound
to turn this potential into actuality.
THE MIRACLE OF NOT GETTING AGITATED
Balanced Reaction
IF you react to something by getting worked up, agitated and
angry, the result will be negative. If you happen to face something
very difficult—say for example somebody’s harsh words—and,
not allowing yourself to lose your balance, you reply without getting
provoked, the result will be nothing short of miraculous. The outcome
will be completely favourable. This is because if you react by getting
angry, it will provoke the ego of the person you are reacting to. He
will unnecessarily become your enemy. In contrast, if you reply in a
balanced manner, it awakens the other person’s conscience, and then
you will be able to relate with each other in a natural way. Every person,
you must remember, is your friend—real or
potential. It is your behaviour that leads to
this friendship remaining intact or turning the
other person into an enemy.
Consider in this regard a historical example.
In the 13th century CE, the Mongols attacked
the Abbasid Sultanate. From Samarkand in
the East to Aleppo in the West, they captured a
vast stretch of the territory that formed a part
of the Muslim Sultanate. But a few years later,
something miraculous happened—the majority of the Mongol tribes
accepted Islam. Once enemies of Islam, they became its followers.
The noted historian Thomas Walker Arnold (1864-1930) researched
this subject. In a chapter titled ‘Spread of Islam Among the Mongols’ in
his well-known book The Preaching of Islam, he writes:
Tuqluq Timur Khan (1347-1363) is said to have owed his conversion to a
holy man from Bukhara, by the name Shaykh Jamal al-Din. This Shaykh,
in company with a number of travellers, had unwittingly trespassed
on the game-preserves of the prince, who ordered them to be bound
hand and foot and brought before him. In reply to his angry question
how they had dared interfere with his hunting, the Shaykh pleaded that
they were strangers and were quite unaware that they were trespassing
on forbidden ground. Learning that they were Persians, the prince said
that a dog was worth more than a Persian. “Yes,” replied the Shaykh, “if
we had not the true faith, we should indeed be worse than the dogs.”
If you reply in a
balanced manner, it
awakens the other
person’s conscience,
and then you will
be able to relate
with each other in a
natural way.
Dedication
Dedicate yourself totally for the attainment of a
goal. If any thought comes to your mind as may
distract you from the goal, fight it.
ESTABLISHING OR UPHOLDING DEEN
Reformation of the Individual
God has ordained for you the same religion (deen)
which He enjoined on Noah, and which We have
revealed to you, and which We enjoined upon
Abraham and Moses and Jesus, so that you should
remain steadfast in religion (aqim ud deen) and not
become divided in it… (
MANY present day scholars have interpreted
this verse of the Quran in a manner that is not only incorrect
in principle but has also turned the Muslim mind towards
violence and terrorism. The bloodshed and destruction undertaken in
the name of Islam or Islamic Jihad that the world is witness to today is
a direct or indirect result of the incorrect and political interpretation.
Such an interpretation deviates from all the original and authentic
interpretations of this verse within the Islamic knowledge database.
These scholars have presented an interpretation of the verse that
implies that the goal of Islam is the establishment of the rule of God
and that it is the responsiblity of the (ummah) followers of Islam to work
towards the establishment and enforcement
of the (Shariah) law of God on land. In order
to understand the error of this interpretation,
we present here an academic analysis of the
verse in question.
The beliefs and
fundamental
principles taught
by the different
prophets was
identical, but there
were considerable
differences in terms
of the laws (Shariah)
and practical
commandments
In this verse of the Quran, what is meant by
deen and what is the meaning of aqim ud
deen? Pondering about this matter, one of
the first things that comes to mind is that
the word deen—like many other words—has
several different meanings and connotations.
For example deen as ‘judgement’ as in (
deen as ‘law’ (
deen as ‘religion’ (
It would not be right to say that the meaning of aqim ud deen in this
verse is to ‘establish the deen in all its meanings’. Saying so, would be
against the rules of grammar. It is an accepted principle of grammar
that if a word that has several different meanings is used in a sentence,
then only that singular meaning of the word is implied as is inferred from the context. Additionally, taking aqim ud deen as ‘to establish the
deen in all its meanings’ would be unreasonable as with all the other
meanings, ‘to establish the day of judgement’ would also be implied;
whereas establishing the day of judgement is a matter solely in the
domain of God, with man having absolutely nothing to do with it.
Now, consider the context of this verse of the Quran and the implied
meaning of the word deen as evident from the context. An obvious
inference from this verse is that it is a commandment about the
establishment of the very same deen that was revealed not only to the
Prophet of Islam but also to the other prophets before him. The verse
commands us to follow and practise this same singular and unique deen.
Now, as far as the beliefs and fundamental
principles taught by the different prophets are
concerned, their deen was identical, but there
were considerable differences in terms of
the details of the laws (Shariah) and practical
commandments that they taught.
Religion will not
be corrupted if the
right commandment
is taken from the
Quranic verses
relevant to it.
Hence, this Quranic verse can only indicate
that portion of deen that was common to the
teachings of all the prophets. It cannot include
all the laws (Shariah) that were revealed to the
Prophet of Islam. The Quran has clearly stated
that the laws (Shariah) revealed to the various prophets were different
from each other (
the different prophets can be followed, which excludes their Shariah
and methodology and in which there is no disparity.
All the commentators and interpreters of the Quran have explained
this verse as noted above without exception. There is no Quranic
scholar who has interpreted this verse of aqim ud deen to mean
‘establish the Shariah together with all its religious laws’. Instead, all
the commentators agree that it means to uphold—excluding their
Shariah—all those fundamental and universal aspects of deen that is
common to all the prophets.
As an example, here is presented an extract from the Arabic commentary
Al-Jami li Ahkam al-Quran by Imam Abu Abdullah Al-Qurtubi (died 1273
CE):
It [aqim ud deen] means the oneness of God and obedience to
Him, and faith in His prophets, His books and the Last Day, and
all those things on the basis of which one becomes a Muslim.
Here is not meant the Shariahs that are given in accordance with the conditions and interests of [different] followers or
ummahs, because these have always remained different. God
has proclaimed a different Shariah and method for each one.
Thus, this verse says, O Muhammad, We have given you and
Noah the same religion. Those principles of the religion in
which there is no difference of Shariah laws. And those are, the
oneness of God, and salaath (prayer), Zakath, fasting, seeking the
nearness of God through good deeds; honesty the honouring of
promises, fulfilling your commitments, kindness, compassion;
to know that associating others with God and killing of human
beings, adultery are prohibited; hurting or harming others, ill
treating animals, indulging in evil and corruption are forbidden.
All of these principles are what is meant by the common deen.
There is no disparity amongst these principles between the
prophets, how many ever they may be.
It is thus understood by the context of the Quranic verse and from
the interpretation of all the commentators and interpreters, that aqim
ud deen does not mean the ‘establishment on earth of the complete
religion together with its Shariah and laws’,
but it means that it is desired of every Muslim
to steadfastly remain on those principles of
deen that can be held onto in an individual
capacity. In reality, this verse of the Quran
is addressed to the individual and not to the
system or society. The establishment of a
society is an organisational matter and the
commands and injunctions relating to this
have been mentioned in other verses of the
Quran and in the Hadith, and it is from these
sources that we should seek guidance. As regards the verse in question
quoted in the beginning of this article, it seeks the devotion of the
individual and only this is the understanding to be gleaned from it.
If a commandment is
derived from a verse
that does not clearly
and completely
present it, there will
only be delusion and
degeneration.
This issue is also related to the matter of identifying which
commandment is to be inferred from which verse. For instance, from
the verses of salath, the commandments of salath is to be inferred and
not those regarding Haj or Jihad. Similarly, from the verses related to
the personal responsibilities of the individual, it would not be proper
to construe the commandments related to the societal responsibilities
of the ummah.
Religion will not be corrupted if the right commandment is taken from
the Quranic verses relevant to it. All the requirements and guidelines
for its followers will be clear and practical. On the other hand if a
commandment is derived from a verse that does not clearly and
completely present it, there will only be delusion and degeneration.
As an example, consider the verse, ‘Believers, be strict in upholding
justice…’(
responsibility of a Muslim. It means, ‘O Muslims, in your personal lives
remain firm on the path of justice, however
much it may affect you.’ Now if the societal
and political commandment to establish a
judicial system is taken from this verse then
its message will be completely reversed. A
Muslim, instead of taking personal guidance
from the verse will direct his efforts towards
the political rulers and administrators. He will
have no personal concern or consideration
to be just and conscientious in his dealings;
instead he will take to the streets rallying towards the establishment
of the Islamic flag of justice in the whole world. His resolve will be to
fight against all those political forces that will be an obstacle in the
establishment of the system of Islamic justice in the world. Personal
introspection will not move him, instead he will launch a culture of
violence against others.
God’s law is based
on the principle
of ‘responsibility
according to
capacity’.
In this way, there will begin an irreligious movement in the name of
religion with loud and powerful campaigns, but the very essence on
the basis of which it began will be missing—that is a religion that is
desirable to God.
There is another important aspect of this matter. The verse in question
regarding aqim ud deen is from Chapter 42, Al-Shura of the Quran. It
is a fact that this Chapter was revealed in Makkah at a time when a
large portion of the Quran had not yet been revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad. Besides those parts of the Quran that were related to the
Shariah and the laws had not yet been given to the believers.
The period of revelation of this verse of aqim ud deen establishes without
any doubt that the word deen in the verse cannot be taken to mean
‘the complete deen’, as at this time, it had not yet been fully revealed.
It is obvious that one cannot be asked to establish a commandment
that has not been revealed. For instance, there is a commandment in
the Makkan chapters of the Quran to ‘establish prayer’. This verse at the time of its revelation cannot be taken to mean the ‘establishment
of the congregational prayers five times a day’, as at that time the
commandment of five daily prayers had not been given to the believers.
Similarly, in the verse of aqim ud deen, we cannot derive a meaning for
political or societal injunctions as this verse is a Makkan verse and such
commands had not yet been revealed in Makkah.
A believer speaks
the truth in every
situation; whether
it be in his favour or
against him. He lives
amongst others as
one who fears the
punishment of hell
and longs for entry
into Paradise.
This verse of Chapter Al-Shura mentions other prophets relating that
they were also given this injunction of ‘establishing the deen’. But it
is a fact that besides Prophet Moses, the other prophets were not
given any political or constitutional commandments; not even in their
later years. In such a situation a commandment to these prophets to
‘establish and enforce the complete deen’ on earth is even more so
incomprehensible. God’s law is based on the principle of ‘responsibility
according to capacity’. For the believers in the Makkan period and for
the majority of the prophets, the establishment of the ‘complete deen’
was beyond their capacity. Hence it was not possible that at such a
time they should be charged with such a responsibility.
Deliberating on this verse, we can understand that aqim ud deen in
reality is the command to uphold a personal deen or religion. Such a
religion that any individual can abide by it at
every place and under any circumstance. This
injunction that appears in the plural form in
the Chapter Al-Shura also appears at another
place in the singular form as: ‘Devote yourself
single-mindedly to the deen’. (
This verse implies that you should imbibe in
mind and heart, the truth that has been made
manifest through revelations from God. That
such a person’s thoughts now turn toward
this truth so that it becomes a focus of all his
endeavours.
With this discovery, his complete personality
will now submit to God, the Lord of the universe. He becomes devoted
to God, worshipping Him alone. He becomes immersed in the praise
and glory of God. All his emotions of fear and love will be focussed on
God.
This verse means that the one who imbibes it will have a relationship
with God that becomes so strong that his character and conduct
are moulded in accordance with God's will. His speech glorifies the
Almighty. His behaviour takes on the colour of a true worshipper. He begins to live amongst people as one in whom God-consciousness and
the accountability of the Hereafter is ever present.
Such a person’s life is free of all hypocrisy. His character is shaped by
higher principles rather than personal gain or considerations. He deals
justly with others. His heart is completely free of malice, jealousy and
vengeance. He speaks the truth in every situation; whether it be in his
favour or against him. He lives amongst others as one who fears the
punishment of Hell and longs for entry into Paradise.
He is one who acknowledges others and does not wrong them. His
heart is full of modesty, not pride. He desires goodness towards all and
bears no ill feelings toward others. He upholds his commitments to
others and fulfils his promises. He does not slander or pick faults and
always speaks in a just and truthful manner.
His acceptance of the truth lifts him above all material considerations
taking him into a spiritual world. He is always conscious of God. He
desires only the mercy of the Almighty. He longs for Paradise. He
associates with others only to seek their help in the path towards God.
He develops a vision that is capable of discerning the hidden realities
in the apparent and obvious. In the scenes of nature and creation, he
comprehends the power and majesty of the Creator. Everything in
the world and the universe becomes an exposition of the awesome
attributes of the Almighty. His insight and
judgement are so refined that the entire
universe becomes a canvas of God realization.
He finds an increase in faith and Godconsciousness
in everything.
The truth is
that making the
reformation of the
individual as the
goal results in the
reformation of
society as a whole.
The soul of all
reformation is the
reformation of the
individual soul.
To summarize, this verse does not ask for
the establishment of deen on earth, but for
the establishment of deen on oneself. It
calls for personal introspection and not the
introspection of others. It requires a personal
submission to the injunctions of God; not
using violence to force others in the name of
making them submit to God. It desires that
man shed his own tears in the remembrance
of God, not the blood of others. Aqim ud deen means to fill our lives with
the discovery of God; not fill the world with hatred and violence in the
name of establishing the law of God on land. Aqim ud deen requires the
development of a divine personality in our own selves; not filling the world with conflict and enmity in the name of establishing the order of
God’s law.
This verse demands the observance of deen or adherence to deen, not
the enforcement of deen or the establishment of deen. Its goal is the
introspection of the individual not the scrutiny of others. It is a struggle
to be undertaken in the mind and personality of a believer, not a public
demonstration in the fields of politics and governance.
The target of the Islamic mission is the individual, not the society. This
does not mean that Islam does not have any commands or guidance
for society. The truth is that making the reformation of the individual
as the goal results in the reformation of society as a whole. The soul
of all reformation is the reformation of the individual soul. Instead,
if society is targeted whilst ignoring the individual then there will be
neither a reformation of society nor a reformation of the individual.
....God does not change the condition of a people's lot, unless they
change what is in their hearts...(THE QURAN 13: 11)
Learning Spirit
Opportunities for learning are abundant in every
circumstance. But a person has to have an open mind to
benefit from this. The world is virtually a global university
for learning, and requires no formal admission. The only
qualification required to benefit from this university is the
willingness or readiness to receive impressions or ideas.
People tend to accept anything that goes in their favour and
get offended if something is said against them. This is the
greatest obstacle to learning. A person having the learning
spirit is free from prejudice and receptive to new arguments
and ideas making it possible to learn from anyone. The
learning spirit is the greatest source of intellectual and
personality development. But the condition for making use of
it for oneself is that whenever a person tells something one
should always give a positive response.
WAYS OF SELFCORRECTION
Fear of Accountability
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
When the earth is shaken with its violent shaking, when the earth
shakes off her burdens, when man asks, ‘What is happening to her?’;
on that Day it will narrate its account, for your Lord has so directed
it. On that Day people will come forward in separate groups to be
shown their deeds: whoever has done the smallest bit of good will
see it; while whoever has done the smallest particle of evil will see
it.(
THESE are the verses of Chapter Al-Zalzalah (The Earthquake) of the
Quran. The earthquake on Doomsday will be the announcement
of the end of the testing period for man. This would mean that
the freedom which was theirs on account of their being on trial, has
now been snatched away from them. Now the time has come when
human beings will be recompensed for their deeds. Today, God’s world
is silent, but when conditions change, everything found here will start
talking. The inventions of the present day
have proved that lifeless or inanimate things
also have the capacity to ‘talk.’ A performance
in a studio is fully reproduced by a video film
and records. Similarly, the present world is,
so to say, a big ‘studio’ of God. Whatever a
man does or says or even thinks, everything
is being recorded at every moment. And
when the time comes, this world will repeat
everybody’s story in such a way that not a
thing, great or small, will be left out. There is
a story relating to this chapter in which there
is a great lesson.
Whatever a man
does or says or
even thinks, is being
recorded at every
moment. And when
the time comes, this
world will repeat
everybody’s story in
such a way that not a
thing, great or small,
will be left out.
It is said that once a man came to the Prophet
and after some discussion, he accepted the
Prophet’s faith. Then the Prophet said to him: “Stay with Ali ibn Abu
Talib [one of the Prophet’s Companions] for your further training.”
A few days later, the Prophet asked Ali ibn Abu Talib about the man
who had come to him. He replied that he had stayed with him for a
while and then he had gone away, and that now he had no knowledge
of his whereabouts.
The Prophet announced, “Anyone who meets this man, bring him to
me.” After a few days the Prophet was able to meet him again. The
Prophet said to him, “I asked you to stay with Ali ibn Abu Talib for your
further training. Then why did you leave Ali?” He replied, “You asked me
to take training from him and I did so and then I went away.”
Replying to a further question, he said that Ali had taught him chapter
Al Zalzalah of the Quran, which says: “Whoever has done the smallest
bit of good will see it; while whoever has done the smallest bit of evil
will see it.” (
Quoting these verses of the Quran, the man said that from these verses,
he had found the complete message; so there was no need to stay on
any longer with Ali. The Prophet asked: “How did you find the complete
message in these verses?” He replied: “These
verses tell us that man is accountable to God
and every deed of man, big or small, will be
evaluated by God. Then he will be rewarded
for good deeds and will be punished for
bad deeds. Now I always keep this in mind.
I always do what is right and I always refrain
from what is wrong."
On Judgement Day,
whoever has done
the smallest bit of
good will see it; while
whoever has done
the smallest bit of
evil will see it.
This story explains very beautifully how the
Quran develops a self-correcting mechanism
in each human being. The Quran wants
everyone to be on their guard all the time. This concept is bound to
make everyone conduct themselves properly. It is the basis of character
building system.
This concept inculcates a very strong incentive to always behave well
and to refrain from bad behaviour in every aspect of life. This incentive
works not only in public life but in private life as well.
Idle Mind
When one has no work to occupy oneself,
one falls prey to morbid brooding.
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
Path Towards Intellectual Development
EVELYN BEATRICE HALL (1868-1956) was an English writer. In her
book, ‘The Friends of Voltaire’, Hall wrote, “I disapprove of what
you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it”. Though
Hall said this as an illustration of Voltaire’s beliefs, this quotation is
often misattributed to Voltaire himself.
The concept of freedom of opinion was born in the era of democracy.
But now, it is a universal norm which has a general acceptance world
over.
Before the advent of this concept, the world had not seen significant
development in any field. Science and technology for instance were
in a primitive state. The ushering in of this concept led to an era of
technological and industrial revolution, which culminated in the
present-day modern civilization.
Freedom of opinion is another name for collective thinking. In earlier
times, thinking was the monopoly of a privileged few and the art of
thinking was in its premature stages. Due to this monopoly, the art of
thinking did not progress. But when thinking
gained freedom, an era of advancement and
innovation began. This was because every
individual could now share one’s ideas with
others without any reservation. Any person
could engage in an open discussion with any
other individual, without any kind of fear.
Lending a patient
audience to a
dissenting opinion
is equivalent to
enriching one’s own
thought process.
This habit inculcates
broad-mindedness
and boosts creativity.
As a result of this openness, for the first time
in history, dissent became an undeniable
right of every individual; exchange of ideas
began in a free manner and eventually it led
to a “thought explosion” in the world. Such
a culture was ushered in the world where
everyone began to say freely what one had to say and others began to
listen to it without any bias.
The thought revolution was perhaps the biggest revolution in history
which significantly changed our world and raised it to a different level
of development.
In earlier times, the world stood for intellectual intolerance, the world
today stands for intellectual tolerance. The biggest advantage of this development is that one person dispassionately listens to what
the other person has to say because he knows that listening is not
tantamount to acceptance.
Lending a patient audience to a dissenting
opinion is equivalent to enriching one’s
own thought process. This habit inculcates
broadmindedness and boosts creativity.
In the sense of intellectual development, it
makes man, a superman! His mind becomes
like a flowing river which never gets stagnant
because of influx of fresh thoughts. Such a
mind constantly renews its thinking process
and keeps on developing! It may become
old physically but it never succumbs to the
process of ageing in the intellectual sense—
the thoughts always remain young and fresh!
It may seem difficult
to listen to a
dissenting opinion
when one is not
in agreement with
it. But one who
can develop this
intellectual skill shall
certainly, emerge as
an intellectual giant.
It may seem difficult to listen to a dissenting opinion when one is not in
agreement with it. But one who can develop this intellectual skill shall
certainly, after going through this process, emerge as an intellectual
giant!
Team Work
Team work requires sacrifice. Be patient
with one another, put other's needs
before your own, think of the good of
others rather than what you desire.
SPEAKING OF GOD TODAY
Man’s Greatest Need
THE sun, one of God’s creations, is an eternal reality. Vital to all
forms of life, its importance has never been underestimated nor
will it ever be in future. Then God who is the Creator of sun and
all other objects, is, of necessity, deserving of a far higher degree of
recognition, without the slightest diminution in His importance. God’s
relevance to man and the universe is eternal in nature.
Nature is a creation of God, and as such is a divine mirror. It serves,
therefore, as a reflection of divine attributes. In ancient times, man’s
knowledge of nature was very limited. It was, therefore, not possible
for the common man to have profound conception of God. In modern
times, the position is quite different. The known facts about natural
phenomena have increased exponentially,
and with the spread of education man has far
greater access to them than was ever hitherto
possible. That is why today the possibility
of the intellectual realization of God has
greatly increased. A philosopher once aptly
summed up this changed state of affairs with
the observation: “a smattering of knowledge
turns people away from God: much of it
brings them back to Him.”
It is the same point which was expressed
1400 years ago in the form of a prophecy in
the Quran:
“We will show them Our signs in the universe
and within themselves, until it becomes clear
to them that this is the truth.” (
This prediction has been entirely fulfilled in modern times. It has
been demonstrated by the scientific revolution of the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries. The discovery of facts today by scientific research
is akin to removing the veil of ignorance which prevented mankind
from seeing the face of God. This has been expressed by a scientist in
these words:
“Nature and science speak about God.”
The world discovered by science is so unique that it cannot be explained
without the acceptance of God. In former times, people used to ask, “If God created the universe, who created God?” But questions such
as these have now become meaningless, because they are irrelevant.
In view of the new scientific findings it has become possible for us to
assert that, in this world, the option is not between the universe with
God and the universe without God. The real option is between the
universe with God, and no universe at all.
As we cannot refute the existence of the universe, we cannot refute
the existence of God as well. It has to be conceded that the concept of
God is linked with the universe exactly as the concept of an engineer is
linked with the concept of a great machine. If we believe in the existence
of the machine, we shall inevitably have to believe in the engineer who
created it. Exactly the same applies in the metaphysical sense, to God
and the universe.
God is a reality, albeit invisible. He does not come under our direct
observation and experience. Hence His existence can be proved only
by inferential or indirect argument. For direct argument in this case is
not possible.
In ancient times it was held that the subject of God was a matter of
dogma, pertaining only to accepted creeds. Therefore it was a topic
neither for academic debate nor for logical,
scientific analysis. In modern times, however,
the situation has totally changed. Scientific
discoveries have shown that the atom is not a
material entity at all but as waves of electrons,
waves which were invisible. We could not
observe the electrons themselves, but only
their indirect effects.
The world discovered
by science is so
unique that it cannot
be explained without
the acceptance of
God.
Advances in human knowledge of the material
world brought about a number of changes,
one of these being a revision of the principles of the science of logic. In
the age of Newton, only direct argument was held to be valid in logic.
But in the new age ushered in by Einstein, it came to be established that
indirect argument or inferential argument was logically as acceptable
as direct argument.
The objections raised by atheists to the holding of religious beliefs
seemed to carry any weight only so long as human knowledge was
confined to the level of the macro-world. But when human knowledge,
making a great leap forward, made its entry into the micro-world,
atheistic suppositions were totally demolished. It was because, unlike
the macro-world, the micro-world was quite unobservable. Now a whole range of realities had come within the scope of man’s knowledge which
were neither observable nor measurable. Therefore, the only kind of
argument which was applicable to them was the indirect argument.
As a result of this academic revolution, the science of logic witnessed a
great change. With the admission that indirect or inferential argument
was logically as valid as direct argument, it became possible for the
concept of God to be proved by exactly the same kind of reasoning as
is applied in the various branches of science.
One of the ineluctable features of this world is its uncertainty. That
is why every individual, young or old, rich or poor, finds oneself
helpless at one time or another in the face of the circumstantial and
environmental factors which are pitted against him. This uncertainty
has not decreased, but has rather increased in the wake of modern
revolutions. That is why the unrest found in the peoples of ancient
times is greatly on the rise today. It is significant too that, as compared
with the past, the number of suicides is greatly on the increase.
To be able to stand fast in this world, every person requires a concept
which, at all times and in all places, will be an unending source of hope
and confidence to him. Such an eternal concept cannot be other than
that of God. Indeed, since ancient time, the only solution for man has
been to have faith in an all-powerful Supreme Being. Throughout the
ages this has served as a fountainhead of courage and strength for
millions of human beings, and will remain so for people in all ages.
The real option is
between the universe
with God, and no
universe at all. As
we cannot refute
the existence of the
universe, we cannot
refute the existence
of God as well.
The greatest and most basic social
requirement of mankind is peace. This is vital
for any kind of human progress, for without
peace no viable social structures can gain in
place. So far as human beings are concerned
they all appear to be equal. And it is a fact that
peace is the most difficult to establish among
equals. For the establishment of peace in
society, therefore, an Agent is required who
has a status immeasurably superior to that of
human beings—in effect, a supreme being.
A Being of this kind—a grand regulator of
human affairs—can only be God. The only factor, indeed, that can be
effective in ensuring peace between human beings is the universal
acknowledgement of the concept of a Superior God—a God who is held
to be great by all and to whom all surrender in equal measure. As the
old adage has it.
Nature is a creation
of God, and as such
is a divine mirror. It
serves, therefore, as
a reflection of divine
attributes.
The importance of God is as great for the
individual as it is for the whole of society. No
part of our individual or social life is complete
without God. Undoubtedly the concept of
God is as relevant today as it was in ancient
time, for God is man’s greatest asset.
HOW TO BE HAPPY
Intellectual Satisfaction \
EVERYONE wants to be happy. But no one seems to obtain the
sort of happiness one wants. The ideal happiness that people
look for eludes them. In this regard, Islam adopts a natural
principle. The Quran expresses this in the following words: “Surely in
the remembrance of God hearts can find comfort.” (
In other words, the Quran distinguishes between two things—physical
pleasure, on the one hand, and intellectual satisfaction, on the other.
In accordance with God’s Creation Plan, physical pleasures can be had
in their perfect sense only in Paradise. In this world, in contrast, what
can be had is intellectual satisfaction, which every human being is
capable of.
Intellectual satisfaction means discovering the appropriate explanation
for every situation. For instance, you are heading to the railway station
to catch a train, and when you get there, you
discover that the train is two hours late. If you
do not know the reason for the delay, you will
be anxious. But if you get to know the reason,
you will be set at ease and be at peace and
will calmly wait for the train to arrive.
With regard to
physical pleasures,
remain content
with what you have
received while
leaving what you
have not received to
the Hereafter.
The Creator has made this world in order to
test us and for rewarding us in the Hereafter.
That is why in this world, no one can obtain
physical pleasures in the fullest sense. But it is
possible that by finding out the reason for the
situations one is faced with, one can obtain
intellectual satisfaction or peace of mind. This, according to Islam, is
the principle for happiness.
With regard to physical pleasures, remain content with what you have
received while leaving what you have not received to the Hereafter.
In this way, your mind will be freed, and, comprehending the reasons
for the situations that you are faced with in the right way, you will
obtain peace of mind. According to God’s Creation Plan, this alone is a
practicable method to obtain happiness.
FROM THE SPIRITUAL TREE
There is a tree beside my house. I call
it the 'Spiritual Tree'. I derive spiritual
inspiration from it. A tree is an evergrowing
being that was initially a seed
possessing the potential of becoming a
full-grown tree. A seed takes food from the
universe around it and then grows into a
tree. The same is true with spirituality,
the desire for which is intrinsic to, and an
integral part of, the very nature of, every
human being. To realize this spirituality,
Man must derive spiritual food from the
universe around him. A tree converts
carbon-dioxide into oxygen; a spiritual person is one who can take positive lessons
from negative situations. From this perspective, a tree is an embodiment of a
spiritual personality. —Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
PURIFICATION THROUGH ILLNESS
ACCORDING to a Hadith in the Sahih al-Bukhari, once, a man fell
sick and the Prophet went to visit him. When he got there, the
Prophet said: “Don’t worry, God willing, it will be a means of
purification.”
Now, this does not mean that when someone falls sick, his sins are
washed away through some mysterious process and that he is
automatically purified. Rather, it is something known that happens
with a believer. If you are not sick and your body is in good health, you
develop, consciously or otherwise, a feeling of pride and a sense of
self-sufficiency. In such a situation, feelings of helplessness are absent
and a person can be insensitive.
In contrast to this, when a believer falls sick, he discovers his
helplessness. It cultivates the virtues of kindness and compassion in
him, and he experiences what it means to be a servant of God.
In this way, illness serves to distance the believer from other things
and takes him closer to God. He turns his attention to God. He begins
to remember God. He prays to God and beseeches Him. Sickness
becomes a means for him to come near to God.
On the face of it, illness is an undesirable
thing. But if you have a proper way of looking
at it your bodily illness will become a means
for your spiritual health.
When a believer falls
sick, he discovers
his helplessness. It
cultivates the virtues
of kindness and
compassion in him,
and he experiences
what it means to be a
servant of God.
In this world, what is of real significance is
intellectual awakening. An awakened mind
alone is capable of drawing lessons from
every event. And the biggest trigger for
awakening the mind is just one—and that is,
difficult conditions.
REVERSE PUBLICITY
Focus on Results
ABDULLAH & Co. Ltd. was a cigarette company that was started in
London in 1902. One of its cigarette brands was called Abdulla,
and it was very popular. How it became so famous is a very
interesting story. Once, some people associated with the company
met the famous British writer George Bernard Shaw (died 1950) and
requested him to write something about their cigarette. Shaw replied
saying that he was against smoking. And so, how, he asked, could he
heed their request? The men said to him to write precisely that! Shaw
got angry. In his anger, he picked up a piece of paper and on it he
wrote:
Don’t smoke, even Abdulla.
The company folks published these words of Shaw in the newspaper!
When people read this, it led to a soaring in the popularity and sales
of Abdulla cigarettes! People started flocking to shops selling the
cigarette, so much that for a time it became the largest-selling brand,
raking in for the company huge profits.
The lesson one can draw from this is that
if the result of what you say will turn out to
be just the opposite of what you intend, it is
better that you stay quiet. Sometimes, you
can attain your goal in a much better way by
remaining silent than by speaking. The main
thing is to achieve your goal, rather than to
speak.
Just as it is necessary
sometimes to speak,
it is also sometimes
necessary to remain
silent. It is a test
of one’s wisdom
to know when one
should speak and
when one should not.
In this world, just as it is necessary sometimes
to speak, it is also sometimes necessary to
remain silent. It is a test of one’s wisdom to
know when one should speak and when one should not. One should
gauge the situation, and, accordingly, should act, keeping in mind the
consequences. Only that action is proper that produces the proper
results.
Negativity
Negativity is to follow impulse rather than truth.
HARMONIOUS MARRIED LIFE
Blessing in Disguise
A believing man should not be displeased with a believing woman;
if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with
another. (Sahih Muslim)
THIS Hadith attributed to the Prophet and contained in the Sahih
Muslim provides comprehensive advice with regard to marital
relations. It says that a believing man should not be displeased
with a believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, she
would have another characteristic that he would like.
It is a fact of life that nobody, possesses every conceivable virtue. This
is how nature is: you may have some wonderful qualities, but you
may lack some other good qualities. But it is a very common human
tendency to see and focus more on what we think are the negative
qualities in others. Very often, we ignore or are blind to their positive
qualities. This is a devastating way to think, though. It is a sure recipe
for ruining our relationships. If instead of
thinking this way we focus on the positive
qualities in others and ignore their negative
qualities, our relations with them would
automatically become harmonious. If this is
applied to marital relations, every husband
would come to think of his wife as the best
possible life-partner, and vice versa.
It is the fault of
our own thinking
that we consider
somebody inferior
and somebody else
superior. If people
realize this, their lives
will become filled
with gratitude.
God has not made anyone inferior or
superior. The fact is that every one is unique
as regards their creation. It is the fault of our
own thinking that we consider somebody
inferior and somebody else superior. If people realize this, their lives
will become filled with gratitude. No longer will they complain or feel
deprived. And they will be able to lead more meaningful lives.
Caution And Patience
In prosperity caution in adversity patience.
THE TRUE SPIRIT OF ISLAM
Mankind as One Family
ACCORDING to a news report in The Times of India on July 12,
2016 at least three youths from Kerala are suspected to have
joined the Islamic State (IS). In a voice message to his family,
one of the youths said that they had reached ‘Dar al-Islam’ from ‘Dar
al-Kufr’, meaning that they gone to the land of Islam from the land of
disbelievers.
The terms ‘Dar al-Kufr’ (Land of Disbelievers) and ‘Dar al-Islam’ (Land
of Islam) are not Islamic terms: both are bidah, or innovation. These
terms were invented in the later history of Islam by certain jurists. The
Prophet of Islam and his Companions never used such phrases to refer
to people or places.
This kind of terminology promotes the ‘we and they’ concept, which
leads to hatred and other evils. Islam believes in the human family
concept. Islam is a peaceful mission, one that cannot afford to foster a
separatist thinking in its followers.
If a person reads the Quran from the beginning to the end, he will find
that it repeatedly uses this form of address: ‘O people’ or ‘O mankind’.
According to this, the whole world is ‘Dar al-Insan’ or the land of human
beings. When the Prophet of Islam was in Madinah, nearly half of the
population of the city consisted of Jews. Once when he was in Madinah,
the Prophet stood up in respect of a Jew’s funeral procession. When
one of his Companions indicated to him that
the person was a Jew and not a Muslim, the
Prophet replied: “Was he not a human being?”
Islam is a peaceful
mission, one that
cannot afford to
foster a separatist
thinking in its
followers.
The Prophet of Islam began his mission in 610
CE in Makkah. At that time, the overwhelming
majority of the citizens there were polytheists.
Thus the Makkah of that time, according
to the above terminology, was a ‘land of
disbelievers’, however, the Prophet never
referred to ancient Makkah as ‘Dar al-Kufr’.
When the Prophet migrated to Madinah, the majority of its inhabitants
embraced Islam, making the city a ‘land of Islam’. But the Prophet
never called Madinah ‘Dar al-Islam’. Such terms are undoubtedly an
innovation in Islam. According to a tradition of the Prophet, ‘One who
innovates something in our religion which is not part of it, then that will
be rejected.’ (Bukhari)
If the world is considered ‘Dar al-Insan’, Land of human beings then
there will be normal relations between all people. On the contrary, if we
use the words ‘Dar al-Kufr’ or ‘Dar al-Islam’, then separatist tendencies
will find place: people would consider a particular area as theirs and
an area that does not belong to them as that of others. This will breed
separatism and intolerance, which may sometimes even culminate into
violence.
Islam is a mission of Tawhid (Monotheism). It is the duty of Muslims to
peacefully convey to people the message of God. Such a mission can be
successful only in an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood. The cause
of this mission can be furthered only when there is social harmony,
and peace. Social disharmony can only
serve to jeopardize the mission of conveying
the message. This is why it is obligatory
for Muslims to unilaterally maintain social
harmony at all costs.
According to Islam,
a person should
consider one’s
country of birth as
one’s homeland.
To call a country ‘Dar al-Kufr’ and to settle
in another country believing that it is ‘Dar
al-Islam’ is quite against the spirit of Islam.
According to Islam, a person should consider
one’s country of birth as one’s homeland. One
should have love in one’s heart for the land where one was born and
raised. Also, one must be friendly in one’s behaviour towards all the
people. This is the true spirit of Islam.
Do Not Lose Heart
Every evening is followed by a new
morning. The world is full of potentials
and possibilities. If you lose one
opportunity, you can gain another. If you
miss one door, another opens for you. If
a certain plan fails, one can always make
new plans and move on.
TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE
We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is
a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. Peace is
deeply linked with the entirety of human life. Peace is
a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion
for both—man and the universe. It is the master-key
that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a
favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour.
Without peace, no positive action—small or big—is possible.
RADICALIZATION OF MUSLIM YOUTH
PRESENT-DAY Muslim militancy derives neither from the Quran
nor the Sunnah. It is basically a product of the Muslim media—
although this has come about unintentionally. The Muslim media
since its inception to this day have been a vehicle for the launching
of protests. And it is this protesting nature of the Muslim media that
has formed the mindset of present-day Muslims. Muslim militancy and
suicide bombing are mainly the consequence of this Muslim media.
The printing press was popularized in the Muslim world in the eighteenth
century. Napoleon Bonaparte of France (1769–1821) was the first to
introduce the printing press to Egypt when he
invaded the country in 1798. That is to say,
the printing press was brought to the Muslim
world by the European colonial powers. It was
a coincidence that the printing press came to
the Muslim world at a time when they were
witnessing colonial expansion in their lands.
Every day there was news of western powers
encroaching upon the Muslim world, in one
way or another. For example, in 1771 the
Russian fleet totally destroyed the Ottoman
Navy in the Mediterranean Sea during the
Russo-Turkish War (1768-74). Sultan Tipu of
Mysore was killed fighting the British army in 1799. The Mughal dynasty
of India faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the British East India
Company in 1857. The Italo-Turkish war between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy led to the capture by Italy of the Ottoman
province of Tripolitania in 1912. Such events were bound to lead to
repercussions in the Muslim community, which was further reflected
in the Muslim press.
The Muslim world has been beset by such incidents from the eighteenth
century right up to this day, and these events have been reported with
exaggeration in the Muslim press.
In this way, the Muslim press has developed into a kind of protesting
journalism. Now the electronic media is being used by Muslims towards
the same end.
It is media of this kind that has created the Muslim mindset of the
present day. The kind of thinking that characterizes Muslims in our
times is not based on Islamic teachings, but stems rather from the
Muslim media which invariably speaks the language of protests and
complaints.
Muslims today have
coined a new term,
Islamophobia. This
means that the
West has wrongly
come to regard
Islam as danger
to non-Muslims.
This term would be
better termed as
‘Muslimophobia’.
It is this pattern adopted by the Muslim
media which has made Muslims negative. The
Muslim community has therefore become an
angry one and it is now directing its anger
at other communities. When they saw that
their gun culture was not producing the
required results, they began, on account
of their increasing anger, to indulge in
suicide bombing in order to destabilize their
supposed enemies.
The Muslim militancy of the present age is
based neither on reason nor on any teaching
of Islam. It is entirely the upshot of the
Muslim community’s anger, disillusionment
and negative thinking.
It is said that the greatest menace of present times is the radicalization
of Muslim youths. But the question is: What is the source of this
radicalization? The Quran and the Sunnah are certainly not the
ideological sources of this radicalization. The source of this culture is
the use by Muslims of internet or social media as an extended form
of Muslim media. Muslims have easy access to the international
network—the internet, and are using it on a vast scale. Thus they have
filled their websites on the internet with information showing Muslims
as an imperilled community. This outreach of the social media is there
in everyone’s pocket in the form of mobile phones.
It is this website or internet culture that has basically contributed to the
radicalization of today’s Muslim youth. To save young Muslims from this
negative culture, an extensive campaign is required to awaken Muslim
minds in such a way that they may analyze information on websites on
their own and develop the ability to differentiate between truth and
falsehood.
This kind of violence cannot be eliminated through counter violence,
because any counter-violence will only further aggravate the Muslims’
anger. It is only due to this aggravated anger that they have taken to
suicide bombing.
In the modern age, almost the entire Muslim community has started
to lodge protests and complaints. Because of this mindset of theirs,
Muslims have become receptive to negativity and not to positivity.
Under the influence of this mindset Muslims tend to treat positive
news with suspicion. All they know is that others are their enemies;
they are unable to view people as creations of God. They only look at
the negative aspect of events and fail to take account of their positive
aspects.
Muslims today have coined a new term, that is, Islamophobia. This
means that the West has wrongly come to regard Islam as danger to
non-Muslims. This, however, is not actually
the case. This term would be more apt with
a slight change, it should be termed as
‘Muslimophobia’.
Muslims have adopted the culture of violence
in the name of Islam. In this sense the West
is right to consider Muslims to be dangerous.
Yet Islam, in itself is a universal message
to mankind. But the present Muslims, due
to their wrong interpretation of their own
religion, have misrepresented Islam as a
religion of violence.
Muslims have
adopted the culture
of violence in the
name of Islam. In
this sense the West
is right to consider
Muslims to be
dangerous.
Muslimophobia addresses Muslims rather than anyone else. It is telling
Muslims to abandon the wrong interpretation of Islam and shun the
gun and bomb culture, so that people may be saved from developing
misunderstandings about Islam. In this way, people will be able to have
a positive understanding of the religion of Islam.
In view of the present situation, the question is, where is the silver
lining? In the modern age Muslim reformers should focus on the Muslim youth. In his early, formative years, a person is relatively free
from conditioning and is thus in a position to view things objectively
and examine events in an unbiased manner. Our efforts should begin
by trying to inculcate positive thinking in Muslims while they are still
very young.
The new generation of Muslims is our hope, especially those who are
availing of modern education. Modern education is helping in their
deconditioning. They are able to see the world
in a more objective way and are developing
the ability to understand things in a more
realistic manner. It is these Muslim youths
who are our hope for the future.
Muslim reformers
should focus on the
Muslim youth. Our
efforts should begin
by trying to inculcate
positive thinking in
Muslims while they
are still very young.
The Muslim militancy of the present age is
based neither on reason nor on any teaching
of Islam. It is entirely the upshot of the
Muslim community’s anger, disillusionment
and negative thinking.
Right Goal
A person who sets the right goal
for himself and does continuous
effort for this goal will surely
reach his destination.
THE GREATEST JOY
Eternal Happiness
“God will say to the people of Paradise, ‘O people of Paradise!’ They
will say, ‘Labbayk, O our Lord, , and all the good is in Your Hands!’
God will say, ‘Are you satisfied?’ They will say, ‘Why shouldn’t we
be satisfied, O our Lord, as You have given us what You have not
given to any of Your created beings?’ God will say, ‘Shall I not give
you something better than that?’ They will say, ‘O our Lord! What
else could be better than this?’ He will say, ‘I bestow My Pleasure on
you and will never be angry with you ever after.’ – Prophet of Islam
(Sahih Bukhari)
PARADISE is, undoubtedly, the collection of all blessings. It is the
place where every desire and aspiration of human beings will
be completely fulfilled. Those who are blessed with entry into
Paradise will find that they have obtained all their joys in their true
sense. But still, they will be faced with an
apprehension that since they have received
admission into Paradise as a gift from God
and they are not its creators, if God so wills,
He can take away this blessing from them.
When God Himself
declares that He is
eternally pleased
with those who have
been admitted into
Paradise, it would
mean that Paradise
has become their
eternal home and
that it will never be
taken away from
them.
The above-cited Hadith is the answer to this
doubt. When God Himself declares that He is
eternally pleased with those who have been
admitted into Paradise, it would mean that
Paradise has now become their eternal home
and that it will never be taken away from
them.
Undoubtedly, this will be the greatest joy that
the inhabitants of Paradise will experience.
Failure
Failure is a blessing, it makes one
more sincere and mature.
WHO IS IN LOSS
Importance of Time
Time is a witness, that man is surely in a state of loss, except for
those who believe and do good deeds and exhort one another to
hold fast to the Truth, and who exhort one another to steadfastness.
(THE QURAN 103: 1-3)
AL-ASR (The Time) is the one hundred and third chapter of the
Quran. In this chapter the Quran refers to time. What is time?
Time is a passing phenomenon; it is always in a state of travel,
from present to future, from morning to evening, from today to
tomorrow. Time is beyond our control, we can never stop time.
In making this reference, the Quran gives a very important lesson, one
which is important for all. This lesson is: take time as an opportunity.
Avail of time before it passes away forever. If we miss the train of time,
we will never be able to catch it again.
Al-Razi, one of the commentators of the Quran, says: “I was pondering
over the meaning of this Quranic verse while I was in Baghdad. Why
does the Quran say that time is a witness for man? Then I heard the
voice of an ice vendor. He was calling out to people, ‘O people, purchase
my goods before they melt away and vanish.’ The phenomenon of
ice successfully explains this Quranic verse.Everyone’s life is like a melting block of ice.
Everyone is constantly losing time. When we
rise in the morning, we have lost the night,
to which we cannot return again. As evening
nears we have lost the day. By these verses,
the Quran warns every human being to avail
of time. We should avail of the opportunities
of the day that we will not get during the
night, and avail of the opportunities of the
night that we will not get during the day.
Take time as an
opportunity. Avail of
time before it passes
away forever. If we
miss the train of
time, we will never be
able to catch it again.
In other words, with these verses the Quran tells us the importance of
time management. Time management is a must for all of us. We have a
very short time here on this earth. In only a few years’ time, we will face
death. We should undertake a serious planning of our time in order
to avail properly of our pre-death period. We have only two options
before us, either to avail of the time wisely or face failure forever.
THE ETHICS OF A BELIEVER
Unilateral Good Character
IT has been narrated on the authority of Anas ibn Malik that at the
moment when the Prophet was wounded at the Battle of Uhud, he
uttered these words: “How will those people attain salvation who
inflict pain on their Prophet?” In response to this, God revealed the
following verse: “You have no say in this affair.” (
This Hadith teaches us about the ethics of a believer, or of one who
calls others to God. A believer must adopt unilateral ethics. That is, he
must not complain about the actions of others. He must completely rise
above complaint and protest and be free from the psyche of reaction.
A believer is a well wisher of mankind in the truest sense of the word.
It is this spirit of well-wishing that produces in the believer the virtues
that make him a completely non-complaining
person. This quality of unilateral ethics
is indispensable for him. If he lacks this
character, he can never engage in the work of
calling people to God.
It is God’s desire that
through His message,
people are made
aware of the realities
of life so that they
are in no position to
say in the Hereafter
that they were
unaware.
The believer does his work for God’s sake. He
rests his hope for reward in God alone. No
matter how others might behave, the believer
relates every experience to God. If he falls prey
to a psyche of reaction and begins to quarrel
and clash with others, his efforts would not
be desirable to God. It is God’s desire that
through His message, people are made aware of the realities of life
so that they are in no position to say in the Hereafter that they were
unaware of the truth. The purpose of the unilateral ethics of a believer
is that others should no longer have any excuse for turning away from
the Truth and that in the Hereafter, the manner in which man is dealt
with would be a perfectly legitimate one in every respect.
THE BEST STORY
Prophetic Method
IN chapter twelve, the Quran narrates a story, which it calls ‘the best
of stories’. It is about the Prophet Joseph, who lived in Palestine
with his father and stepbrothers. When Joseph was in his teens, his
stepbrothers became jealous of him. They contrived to throw him into
a dry well situated in a forest. But God came to his rescue—a caravan
spotted him in the well and pulled him out. Later, he was sold as a
slave in an Egyptian market. That was how he travelled from Palestine
to Egypt.
Luckily his master was a courtier of the Egyptian king. As for his
religion, the king was a polytheist, while Joseph, who belonged to the
family of Abraham, was a believer in the oneness of God. After some
years, when Joseph reached the age of maturity, he came in contact
with the King. The King, greatly impressed by his personality and
wisdom, offered him a high office in his government. In present terms,
this was the equivalent of being the Minister
for Agriculture. According to the Biblical
narration, the Egyptian king said: “You shall
be over my house, and all my people shall be
ruled according to your word; only in regard
to the throne will I be greater than you.”
(Genesis 42: 40)
Do not stand against
the rulers and
confront them in
the political field.
Accept their position
and avail of the
opportunities that
arise in other nonpolitical
spheres.
Joseph accepted this offer and successfully
managed the agricultural affairs of the land
at a time when there was a severe drought
in Egypt and the surrounding areas. People
became so happy that they accepted him
as their hero. After narrating this story, the
Quran says: “God does not waste the reward of those who do good,
who are righteous and steadfast.” (
What qualities did Joseph possess which elevated him to this high
status? After reading his story, as given in the Quran, we can summarize
these qualities:
Joseph’s stepbrothers hatched an evil plot against him which was
intended to cause his death. But Joseph did not harbour any hatred or
feelings of revenge towards them. Instead, he forgave them and gave
them a warm welcome in Egypt as mentioned in the Quran.
When in Egypt, he never created any problems for his master or the
king. The King of Egypt did not enforce his religion on others. Prophet
Joseph did not clash with the polytheists in Egypt at that time. Following
the principle of avoidance of conflict, he availed of the opportunity
given to him by the Egyptian ruler. He accepted the political position of
the king and worked under him governing the ministry of agriculture
for a long period, serving the people of his country and of the other
countries around the area.
Each prophet in the Quran has a different lesson for mankind. The ‘deen’
(religion) that the prophets are given are the same. But they are given
different situations due to which they react
giving us different lessons. The Quran says:
‘Follow the ways of the previous prophets.’
The lesson from Prophet Joseph’s example
however is: Do not stand against the rulers
and confront them in the political field. Accept
their position and avail of the opportunities
that arise in other non-political spheres.
You will surely find
excellent examples
for emulation in
Prophet Joseph’s
personal, social and
political life.
The Quran refers to this story of Joseph as
‘the best story’. Why does the Quran refer to
this story as ‘the best story’? In Chapter Joseph (Yusuf), you will not
find any reference to any joyous moments of Prophet Joseph’s life that
might make his story ‘the best story’. However, you will surely find
excellent examples for emulation in Prophet Joseph’s personal, social
and political life. In this respect, Chapter Joseph in the Quran can be
considered as ‘the best story’ in terms of the methodology and not just
as a story.
A Believer
A believer is one who is not beguiled by the
outward splendour of worldly things.
AN ATTRIBUTE OF A PERSON OF FAITH
God-consciousness
The example of a believer is that of a fresh green plant, the leaves
of which move in whichever direction the wind blows them, and
when the wind becomes still, it stands upright. Such is the similitude
of the believer: he constantly faces difficult and testing situations.
While the example of one who does not believe is that of a pine tree,
which remains unmoved and static until God cuts it down when He
wills. – Prophet of Islam (Sahih Bukhari)
USING the simile of a plant, this Hadith talks about a particular
characteristic of a person of faith—that of humility or modesty.
A person with deep faith, would definitely also be a humble
person. Faith and humility can never be separated from each other.
A person of faith is not proud and arrogant like a dried-up stick. Rather,
he is flexible, like a soft plant. If he does something wrong, he admits
his mistake at once. In his dealings with others, he is always gentle. If
he develops differences with someone, he is at once ready to reconcile
on a unilateral basis. In the event of a dispute
with another person, he willingly agrees to
hand over his rights to the other in order
that the issue does not escalate and go out
of hand.
A person of faith
is not proud and
arrogant like a
driedup stick. Rather,
he is flexible, like a
soft plant.
If a person behaves arrogantly with others, it
is because he considers the issue as involving
a person just like himself—a fellow human
being. This is what makes him arrogant in his
behaviour. But the matter is very different in
the case of a person of faith, who sees every issue as involving God. This
puts an end to any arrogance in him. You can think you are bigger than
another human being, but the fact is that no human being is bigger or
more powerful than God. On account of this difference, when it comes
to two human beings, one of them might appear to be smaller and the
other bigger. But when it comes to an issue about God and man, all
human beings, without exception, have exactly the same status. In this
case, God alone is greatest and all mankind being His creation has to
be modest and humble before the Creator.
SUCCESS VERSUS EXPERIENCE
Take Failure as Experience
ONE common instance of the dichotomy in people’s thinking is
their placing of success and failure at opposite poles. Generally
speaking, people think that they have either won or they have
lost out in life. They do not consider any other alternative.
But if life’s eventualities were looked at through the eyes of wisdom, we
would find that the dichotomy of success versus failure is not realistic.
The more realistic and wiser categorization of meaningful events
in human life is mentioned in the title of this article, that is, ‘success
versus experience’.
From the viewpoint of the common man, success means achieving
his target, while failure means, having lacked the ability or the drive
to do so. But this is not the whole story. What should happen—and
very often does happen—is when a man fails to achieve his target, his
failure should trigger a very powerful thinking process which examines
the whole situation afresh and then his own nature should thrust him
into making every effort to turn his failure into success.
Once this train of thought has been set in motion, consciously or
unconsciously, he should accept the possibility of having a second
chance. Once he begins to see the matter in a new light, he will come
to the conclusion that if he has failed to capitalize on the first chance,
it just doesn’t matter, a second chance still awaits him. He will realize
that, by careful re-planning, he can avail of that second chance.
One notable example of this is the course adopted by the sixteenth
US president, Abraham Lincoln. When he entered politics, he took part
in the presidential elections. Then, for a variety of reasons, he lost in
the different elections no less than eight times. Yet he didn’t lose hope
and finally won the elections at the ninth attempt, becoming America’s
sixteenth president.
The fact is that you should not take defeat as something final. You
should take defeat as experience. By doing so, you will be stimulated to
reappraise the situation and come up with fresh solutions. In the light
of past experiences, you will be able to do better planning and will seek
opportunities to avail of a second chance. Finally, by better planning,
you will be able to convert your defeat into success.
Never take defeat as an ultimate disaster. Take defeat as experience
and then you will never become the victim of frustration.
ON THE DOORSTEP OF DEATH
Every Moment
MAN thinks that he is living a life, but the truth is that every one
stands on the door of death. When the time of death is not
established, every moment is a moment of death. Every step
of man is a step towards death. For every one, life is only an experience
of today, not of tomorrow; today is the day for living and tomorrow, the
day of death.
Death is a journey from a known world into an unknown world.
Every day man undergoes various types of small and large journeys,
domestic and international, by land, sea and by air. All these journeys
are undertaken from a known place to a known destination. Man has
been so accustomed to such type of journeys that he does not take
them seriously.
When the time
of death is not
established, every
moment is a moment
of death. Every step
of man is a step
towards death.
But the journey of death is very much
different. The journey of death takes one
from a known place towards an unknown
destination. Without doubt this is a crucial
matter for everyone. But due to his
conditioning, man does not appreciate the
seriousness of this matter. He is so used to
the journeys of the world that he is unable to
consciously comprehend the magnitude of
the journey of death. Death, to him sounds
like some obscure information and not a soon
upcoming event.
Man always thinks on the basis of his conditioning and mind-set. This
is the reason for man’s insensitivity towards death. To fully appreciate
the seriousness of matter, man needs to come out of the shackles of his
conditioning and then address the issue of death with a clear unbiased
mind. Only then will it be possible for him to understand the reality
of death, which is without doubt the most crucial issue that confronts
him.
Belief in God
Belief in God compels man to steadfastly
adopt a proper attitude in all situations,
privately as well as publicly.
THE WORD OF GOD
From The Scriptures
The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its
revelation to the Prophet of Islam between 610 and 632 A.D. It is a book
that brings glad tidings to mankind, along with divine admonition, and
stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and
intellectual level.
Translated from Arabic and commentary by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
We made a covenant with Adam before you, but he forgot, and We
found him lacking in constancy. When We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate
yourselves before Adam,’ they all prostrated themselves, except for
Satan, who refused, We said, ‘Adam, [Satan] is an enemy to you and
to your wife. Let him not turn you both out of Paradise and thus make
you come to grief. (
To adhere steadfastly to God’s commandments, unwavering
determination is essential. If a man is influenced by irrelevant factors,
he will undoubtedly deviate from the path of God. In order to remain
steadfastly on the path of God, it is not enough to know what His
commandment is; it is also absolutely necessary to have the will to
resist all that goes against His commandment, and not to let himself be
influenced by it.
When God ordered that all should kneel down before Adam, the angels
immediately dropped to their knees. But Satan did not do so. The
reason for this difference in behaviour was that the angels treated this
matter as pertaining to God, whereas Satan, on the contrary, saw it as
the affair of a mere mortal. When an issue concerns God, man has no
option but to bow to His wishes. But when it is treated as relating to
a human being, the person in question will appraise the human being
before him. If the latter is comparatively stronger, he will kneel down;
otherwise he will refuse to kneel down, even if such an action be the
demand of truth and justice.
‘Here you shall not go hungry or be naked, you shall not thirst, nor
feel the sun’s heat.’ But Satan whispered evil to him, saying, ‘Adam,
shall I lead you to the tree of immortality and to a kingdom that never
declines?’ They both ate the fruit of this tree, and so they became conscious of their nakedness and began to cover themselves with
the leaves of the Garden. Thus Adam disobeyed his Lord and fell into
error. Then his Lord had mercy on him, accepted his repentance and
guided him. (
God kept Adam, with his spouse, in Paradise, where he was freely and
amply provided with all the necessities of life—food, clothing, water
and shelter. Adam was not required to do anything in return for these
blessings, unlike in the present world where man has to earn all these
things by his own hard labour.
In Paradise, the fruit of a certain tree was prohibited for Adam. But
Satan came and described to him the eternal advantages of this fruit.
Adam, influenced by what he said, ate it, then immediately felt that
he was naked. This was symbolic of the fact that God had instantly
withdrawn the guarantee of providing him with sustenance without
his having to earn it by his own labour. Thereafter, on his supplication
and repentance, he was pardoned. However, he was removed from a
world where God’s bounty had been freely given and sent to a world
where he had to earn his living by the sweat of his brow. Such was the
beginning of human existence on this earth.
God said, ‘Go down, both of you, from here, as enemies to one another.’
If there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My
guidance will not lose his way, nor will he come to grief, but whoever
turns away from My reminder, will lead a straitened existence and on
the Day of Judgement We shall raise him up blind and he will ask, ‘Lord,
why have You raised me up blind, while I possessed sight before?’ God
will say, ‘Just as Our signs came to you and you ignored them, so will
you on this Day be ignored.’ Thus We shall reward the transgressor
who denies the signs of his Lord. But the suffering of the life to come
is more terrible and more lasting. (
God settled Satan as well as Adam on the earth and gave due warning
in the very beginning that clashes of interest between the two would go
on till Doomsday. Satan would make every possible effort to mislead
mankind, therefore, people should make it a point to treat him as their
greatest enemy and try to stay far away from his inducements.
To give further guidance to man, God periodically sent him His
messengers, or prophets, who instructed him in the reality of life in
a language which was clearly intelligible to him. Now, the success or
failure of man depends on his own acceptance or rejection of the
Prophet’s guidance. One who accepts this guidance will once again be
ushered into the comfortable life of Paradise, whereas the life of one who fails to accept it will be a very severe one, from which he will never
be able to escape.
Those who turn away from God’s guidance will be reduced in the
Hereafter to blindness, being deprived of both the eyes. The reason
for this is such people are given eyes in the world in order to be able
to see and recognize God’s signs. But they live in such a manner that,
when they encounter God’s signs, they fail to recognize them. Thus,
they prove that, in spite of having eyes, they are really blind. So God
will ask on that Day, what use it had been to give eyes to those who
were determined to be blind.
Good Speech
Most of our activities are
related to speech in one way or
another. Each one of us ought
to cultivate the art of speaking
that is positive and which
creates a healthy atmosphere
in the family, society and the
nation. Good speech is the basis
of nation building.
ASK MAULANA
Your Questions Answered
The issue of terrorism engaged in by self-styled
Islamic groups seems to be becoming even more
serious. Almost every day now there is a terrorist
attack by such groups somewhere. Given this:
What makes you continue to be hopeful—about
peace, including and especially among Muslims
and between Muslims and others?
My hopes are based on nature. I believe that
radicalized Muslims are misguided. Muslims’
case is that they consider their violent acts as Islam. This thinking of
theirs is based on a ‘jihadi’ interpretation of Islam. In comparison to
this, I present an interpretation of Islam based on dawah. Thousands of
Muslims all over the world have corrected and reformed their thinking
after reading my writings, because they found them in accordance with
their inner nature. This phenomenon has created hope in me in that I
believe that others too can similarly be changed along peaceful lines.
I continually make an effort to change the minds of people. From past
experience, I can say that when people’s minds are addressed they
abandon violence in favour of peace.
You continue to write on these issues with great passion. What drives
you?
In 1967, I had started my mission of peace in New Delhi. At that time,
a Delhi-based Muslim magazine wrote an article critical of me, bearing
the title ‘A Lonely Voice’. However, in the past 40 years my way of thinking
has been adopted by thousands of people in India as well as abroad;
these people have become part of my peace mission. This positive
experience is my driving force. I am certain that a person can deny
everything else, but he cannot deny his own nature. Thus those who,
after reading my writings, discover the truth cannot afford to deny it
any more. This fact has been proved true in the past and with God’s
help it will be proved correct in the future on a greater scale.
At your age and given how serious the situation today is, someone else
might have given up all hope for a better, more peaceful world. He
might have turned cynical and bitter. He might have lost all interest
in these issues. He might have felt that trying to transform others and
the world is pointless. But not you! What continues to inspire you to be so engaged in seeking to promote peace and to counter extremism,
including and, especially among Muslims?
My confidence is based on a verse of the Quran which says that a
believer always has an option of one of the two benefits: the good of
the Hereafter or the good of both the present world and the Hereafter
(
and that of the Hereafter. In such a situation, I do not need to fall prey
to frustration. I am hopeful of the good of the Hereafter because my
mission is based on the Quran and Sunnah. As far as the good of this
world is concerned, I am hopeful of it because many people have left
their violent ways and have come to the path of peace after becoming
familiar with the ideas laid down in the literature of Centre for Peace
and Spirituality (CPS).
Do you think the problems that many Muslims today face is at least
partly a result of their thinking about people of other faiths in such a
demeaning manner?
The problems Muslims are facing today are a result of their own wrong
planning, a planning that goes against nature.
The world in which we live is governed by a law, which may be called the
divine law or the law of nature. Right planning is to plan in accordance
with the law of nature. On the contrary, wrong planning is when one’s
planning is based on one’s desires and does not take into consideration
the law of nature.
For example, in the present age western nations have achieved
dominance. Muslims considered this a threat for themselves and
began to fight against these nations. They continued this struggle at
the cost of great sacrifice to themselves. Everyone is aware that this
step by Muslims yielded no result at all. The reason is that it was based
on wrong planning.
The Quran states a law of international life in these words: ‘Lord
Sovereign of all sovereignty. You bestow sovereignty on whom You
will and take it away from whom You please.’ (
Muslim empires, such as the Mughal and Ottoman empires, came to
an end. This happened according to the international law mentioned
in this Quranic verse. Muslims should have accepted it and re-planned
the affairs of their community. Had Muslims done this, Muslim history
of recent times would have surely been different.
There is great wisdom behind the above Quranic law regarding
international life. That is, it helps in maintaining and continuing the
process of development. Muslims, in their long period of rule, could
not take the world beyond the agricultural age. When the European
countries gained dominance, they helped the world enter the industrial
age. It was now time for Muslims to understand new changes and draw
benefit from them. However, because of their unawareness Muslims
began to fight, leading to total failure.
Love All
Love is the greatest human virtue.
Where there is love, everything
is in harmony, and where there
is hate, all that is good remains
in jeopardy. The fact is that
difference is part of nature. It
has rightly been said: "Nature
abhors uniformity. This being
so, differences will arise between
individuals and groups. The only
solution is to adopt "Love all"
formula.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (1925-2021) was an Islamic scholar, spiritual guide, and an Ambassador of Peace. He authored over 200 books and recorded thousands of lectures giving the rational interpretation of Islamic concepts, prophetic wisdom, and the spiritual meaning of the Quran in the contemporary style. His English translation, The Quran, is widely appreciated as simple, clear and in contemporary style. He founded Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPS) International in 2001 to re-engineer minds towards God-oriented living and present Islam as it is, based on the principles of peace, spirituality, and co-existence. Maulana breathed his last on 21 April, 2021 in New Delhi, India. His legacy is being carried forward through the CPS International Network.
What God most earnestly desires from human beings is worship. The Quran says: “I have not created jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” ( 51:56 )
