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ABOUT THE MAGAZINE
Spirit of Islam is a monthly magazine which is now in its sixth year
of publication. The aim of this journal is to present Islam in the
contemporary idiom, while at the same time the contents are
of universal appeal and of interest to a wider circle of spiritual
seekers. It is our desire to help Muslims rediscover Islam, focusing
on its message of peace and spirituality as derived from the Quran
and the teachings of the Prophet, and in general we strive towards
religious understanding for bringing about greater harmony.
Another purpose of this magazine is to assist its readers to deal
with life’s challenges, deriving positivity even from negative
occurrences, gaining in spirituality and developing themselves
intellectually so that they may contribute constructively to society.
The magazine’s regular readers will appreciate that the entire
thrust of its articles is directed to the individual—a collection of
intellectually prepared individuals being the sole foundation on
which a peaceful and harmonious society can be built.
As the subtitle indicates, Spirit of Islam is working towards
enlightening people on the subject of global peace and regularly
addresses relevant contemporary issues. The articles on peace
based on the teachings of the Prophet of Islam offer us an
ideology of peace—principles which lay down how peace may be
established between conflicting groups, controversies resolved and
conflicts defused. We believe that violence begins in the mind
and so an effective ideology of peace needs to be presented to
counter its influence.
We hope and pray that God helps us in this noble endeavour
and grants us His special blessings!
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 Muslims . 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.
THE PROPHET OF WISDOM
A CERTAIN journalist of my acquaintance has met all kinds of
people during the decade he has worked in his profession. I put
a question to him: “You have met many people. Whom did you
find possessing 100% clarity of thought?” He pondered over this, then
he replied: “I have not found anyone who has cent per cent clarity of
thought.”
I said, “Clarity of thought is always the result of wisdom. When there is
no wisdom there is no clarity of thought. It is, in fact, because of lack
of wisdom that people do not think clearly.” Then I asked him, “What
is wisdom?” When he could not give a clear answer, I gave him this
definition:
“Wisdom is the ability to discover the relevant by sorting out
the irrelevant.”
If you consult the dictionary, you will find that there is no agreed upon
definition of wisdom. People define wisdom differently. All available
definitions of wisdom are vague and unspecific. For example, the Oxford dictionary defines wisdom as the quality of being wise, but
the principle by adopting which, one can become a wise person, is not
made clear in the dictionary.
Wisdom is accepted as the greatest quality of any human being.
According to the Quran, the Prophet of Islam was the Prophet of
‘Hikmah’, that is, the Prophet of wisdom. There are several thousand
of the Prophet’s sayings recorded in the books of Hadith, but I failed
to find any specific academic definition in the printed Hadith literature.
Then I applied a practical method: if the Prophet of Islam was a prophet
of wisdom, then we must find wisdom in his planning and activities. The
American writer Dr. Michael Hart declared in his book, The 100, “Out of
all the hundred super achievers in history, Muhammad tops the list.”
He was a supremely successful person in the whole of human history. It
is more than certain that he achieved such success by applying wisdom
in his mission, as he was a wise person, as is
declared by the Quran itself. Then I studied
the activities of the Prophet and, from this
angle, he does emerge as the most successful
person in human history.
I analyzed all the known activities of the
Prophet that led him to such heights of
success. I discovered that, in all of his planning,
he exercised the formula of patience (sabr).
He always adopted the formula of patience
that is given thus in the Quran: Walrujza fahjur
(
in other words: avoid the unwanted aspect of things and plan on the
basis of the available opportunities.
For example, let us take his planning when he was at Makkah, the
site of the sacred Kabah which was built by Prophet Abraham about
four thousand years ago. In the first quarter of the 7th century, when
the Prophet started his mission in ancient Makkah, the Kabah was
dominated by unbelievers.
The Prophet of Islam never reacted to this situation. He studied the
situation and found that this assembly was a potential audience for his
message. By addressing this gathering he was able to spread his mission
all over Arabia. He applied wisdom to the situation and engaged in wise
planning. He ignored the presence of religious practices which were
opposite to his mission of monotheism and availed of the opportunity
to further his mission.
There are many such cases of planning in the life of the Prophet. By
studying these events, I discovered the academic definition of wisdom:
“Wisdom is the ability to discover the relevant by sorting out the
irrelevant.”
Such wisdom is applicable under all circumstances and, by adopting it,
the followers of the Prophet can achieve super success in all situations
including the modern international scene.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
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FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Dr. Farida Khanam has been a professor at the Department of Islamic Studies at
Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. A Study of World's Major Religions, A Simple Guide
to Sufism are two of the books amongst many others, of which she is the author. She
has also translated many books on Islam authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
Currently, the chairperson of Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPS International),
an organization founded by her father Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, she is a regular
contributor of articles to journals, newspapers and magazines. Dr. Khanam has
edited Maulana’s English translation of the Quran and has also translated his
Urdu commentary of the Quran into English. Under Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Peace Foundation, along with the CPS team, she has designed a series of courses on
peace-building, countering extremism and conflict resolution.
SPIRITUAL ROLE OF WOMEN
STUDIES show that women have been specially gifted by nature
with such qualities as fit them for the role of bringing about
peace and harmony in society in times of conflict. These qualities
are gentleness, selflessness, compassion, mildness and, above all, a
spiritual approach to life. A study of history tells us that women have
always played this role, albeit mostly on the home front.
It is a matter of common knowledge that women have always
contributed greatly to normalizing conditions at home by relieving
tensions and resolving conflicts. The softness of their approach to
problems and their marked capacity for pacifying are clearly attributes
which will eliminate stress.
When we look at Islamic history, the first instance we find of such
positive feminine influence is that of Khadija, the wife of the Prophet.
When the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation from the
angel in the cave of Hira, it was a totally new experience for him, and
he trembled in fear of what he had seen and heard. He immediately
set off for his home after the disappearance of the angel. When he
had regained his composure, he related the incident to Khadija. She
did her best to assure him that no harm would come to him as he
always spoke the truth, helped the poor and those in distress, and
invariably treated others with respect. With these reassuring words, she successfully calmed him down, employing all her natural gifts of
gentleness, sympathy, understanding, and, above all, selfless love.
After the Prophet of Islam left this world, great differences arose among
Muslims in many matters. During his lifetime, all such issues had been
referred to him for a solution. But after the demise of the Prophet, it
was now left to his wife Aisha, who had been under his training for
many years, to play the very positive role of guide and mentor. Having
become fully imbued with the spirit of Islam, she used to give guidance
to both male and female Companions of the Prophet. In this way, she
successfully resolved such differences.
However, in those days there was no platform from which her example
could benefit the general public, nor was there the media—such as we
have nowadays—to cover such roles and place them on record. In most
of the cultures in ancient and medieval societies, women remained
indoors and played their role within the confines of their own homes.
That is why we know so little about the contribution of women in this
arena.
Women have always
contributed greatly
to normalizing
conditions at home
by relieving tensions
and resolving
conflicts.
The most prominent name of a woman within
the Sufi tradition is that of Rabia Basri (
family in Basra, Iraq. She devoted her life to
worshipping God and serving others. She
lived a life of extreme asceticism, and a large
number of disciples gathered around her. Her
mystical sayings have become proverbial.
The spiritual role of women has never been
properly realized because of the failure to
institutionalize their role in society.
In Rabia Basri’s times, Muslim society was rent with great religious
differences. But her strong spiritual personality exerted such a powerful
influence that people eventually forgot their doctrinal differences and
rallied around her. She laid emphasis on pure divine love, which alone
could minimize all these differences.
The Prophet of Islam said: “Men and women are two equal halves of a
single unit.”
Teachings to this effect in the Quran and Hadith ushered in a new age
of gender equality. With this new-found freedom, women were able to
play a great role in society, particularly women who belonged to royal
families. They were highly educated by the standards of their times, and, in royal circles, with greater social exposure, they had better
opportunities to exert their influence.
One such woman was Maryam Makani, the mother of Akbar, the Mughal
emperor of India. Once, Mullah Abdun Nabi, Akbar’s teacher, insulted
the emperor before the entire court. Akbar was enraged and wanted
to punish him. This could have meant even the death sentence for the
offender. But Akbar’s mother intervened and successfully managed to
calm him down. She told him that his pardon would go down in history;
that history would remember that ‘an emperor, having all the power at
his disposal, forgave an offender’.
Such incidents abound in history, but because the central figures were
usually either a mother, like Maryam Makani, or a daughter or wife of
an emperor—women who were already famous because of their royal
kinship—people failed to perceive how their
roles could go beyond this framework and
become applicable to general situations in
society.
The spiritual role of
women has never
been properly
realized because
of the failure to
institutionalize their
role in society.
Both biological and historical studies show
that women have been specially gifted with
qualities required for the establishment
of social harmony. In the Muslim case,
this potential of women has never been
properly realized because of the failure to
institutionalize their role in Muslim society.
Had Muslim women been trained to perform this task, they would have
been able to play this role far more effectively, and on a far greater
scale. The need of the hour today is to institutionalize this role and give
proper training to women so that this capability with which women
have been so abundantly endowed by nature may be fully harnessed.
Once this feminine potential has been realized, the world will definitely
be a better place for all to live in.
Dr. Farida Khanam
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MAN AND GOD
Living with Conviction
ANTHROPOLOGY is a discipline which deals with the study of
man. It has studied man in detail since ancient times. Of the
many things these studies reveal, one important thing is that
the concept of God is interwoven very deeply in human nature. Every
man and woman is born with the concept of God. Consciously or
unconsciously one is compelled to lead one's life with this concept.
Studies show that God is a necessity for man. Man being an explanation
seeking being, he wants to explain his existence and the world around
him but, owing to his limitations he feels himself helpless. This feeling
of helplessness can be overcome only by accepting a limitless Being
like God. Experience shows that every person lives a life of unfulfilled
desires. It is God alone who provides hope for their fulfilment. Man,
owing to his peculiar nature, wants to lead his life in conviction. And
there is no other source of this conviction save that of God.
Man requires a goal for his activities in
order that he may continue his journey with
satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment.
Study shows that all the human beings
believe in God in one way or the other. Even
the apparent atheists, when faced with some
crisis, call out to God instinctively. In this
matter there is no known exception of any
person.
Every human being
is born with the
concept of God.
Consciously or
unconsciously he is
compelled to lead his
life with this concept.
Now the question arises as to why then these
believers in God do not find the result which is expected from such
belief. Why even the believers in God are deprived of divine inspiration?
They do not enjoy peace of mind. Even those who have put up boards
in their homes and offices with such wordings as: “We trust in God” are
deprived of God’s blessing, which should have come to them because
of trusting in God in the real sense. These believers in God feel that
they have not been able to establish communion with God. Despite
belief in God, people’s lives are bereft of divine blessings.
The reason is that people usually associate themselves with some or
the other non-God. Although they utter such words as ‘they believe in
God’ but in practice they have associated themselves with some or the
other non-god. At times some living or dead human being is given the pedestal of divinity (godhead), while some believe in the concepts of
nature worship. Some, under the influence of humanism have accorded
the seat of God to man, what is called ‘transfer of seat from God to
Man’ in the jargon of humanism, and yet others have discovered the
law of nature as an alternative to God. Some believe in the monistic
concept of God, according to which God is a vague spirit, rather than a
Being with whom contact may be established.
The solution to this problem is that everyone should re-examine
this entire matter. If a person is serious, he will certainly reach the
conclusion that he has to discover the system of thought in which he
may find the concept of God in its pure form. This is the problem facing
all of human kind. Every person believes, ideologically, in one god or
the other. But so far as the result of such belief is concerned, it is not
forthcoming. Every person, from his own
personal experience can understand that this
problem is not one of lack of belief but it is
one of lack of result of belief in God. This is a
universal truth which anyone can understand
from their own personal experience.
Man, owing to his
peculiar nature,
wants to lead his
life in conviction.
And there is no
other source of this
conviction save that
of God.
A number of scholars have carried out
research regarding this issue and have tried
to find the answer. One of these being a
highly educated Bengali scholar, Dr. Nishikant
Chattopadhyaye. He related his findings at
great length in one of his lectures delivered
in Hyderabad (Deccan) in 1904. This lecture has now been published in
the form of a booklet. That is, in this matter, the actual problem is that
all the religions revealed before the 7th century AD., gave the concept
of one God but in later times their original text could not be preserved
by their followers. In every religion the concept of God became subject
to human interpolations. Hence the original teaching regarding the
concept of God could not be preserved.
Islam came to the world in the first quarter of the seventh century.
Although Islam too was a religion like other religions, the distinctive
feature of Islam is that its original text , the Quran was fully preserved.
According to the Quran, the sacred book of God, God is one. He alone
is the Creator and the Lord of man and the universe. He is sustainer of
the entire universe. God is a living being. He sees and hears. At every
moment and at every place it is possible for man to contact God directly,
without the need for any intermediary. God Almighty can compensate for all shortcomings in man. God will come to man’s rescue in both
pre-death and post-death period. God is a limitless source of solace
and peace. God in every matter provides guidance to man through His
prophets.
God being the Creator and sustainer of man knows man's constitution
in the full sense. He is aware of human requirements to the full extent.
That is why God alone can understand the needs of human beings and
He alone can provide for all his needs. This One God alone can be the
God of man. All other supposed beings do not have the capability of
fulfilling the human requirement.
Man in every age has been inherently desirous of a concept of God.
Religions in every age have furnished man with knowledge about God
in response to the urge of his nature. Since in ancient times the method
of writing and copying manuscripts was far from flawless, religious
books could not be preserved in their original or pristine form. Finally
in the beginning of the 7th century the Quran was revealed. Owing to
the meticulous arrangements made for its preservation, it became
possible that the Quran remained fully preserved in its original form.
Easy translations in several languages are available for people to go
through the Quran which has answers to many questions which arise
in the minds regarding our life on earth and the concept of God and
His creation plan.
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.
PEACE IN AFGHANISTAN
Bogor conference: Terrorism, suicide attacks violate Islamic
principles, say Muslim scholars
Bogor, Indonesia: Muslim scholars from three countries issued
an edict on Saturday saying that violent extremism and terrorism,
including suicide attacks, are against Islamic principles, in an effort to
convince the Taliban to end their violence. Seventy prominent scholars
from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia issued the fatwa, or edict,
at a conference in Indonesia on ways to achieve peace and stability in
Afghanistan.
Taliban warning
The Taliban urged Islamic clerics to boycott the Bogor conference and
warned Afghan clerics, “Do not afford an opportunity to the invading
infidels in Afghanistan to misuse your name and participation in
this conference as means of attaining their malicious objective.”
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who opened the one-day
meeting, stressed Indonesia’s commitment to helping build peace in
the country. Mr. Widodo said the conference was part of Indonesia’s
efforts to encourage the role of Islamic clerics, or ulema, in promoting
peace in Afghanistan.
“Through the voice of ulema, mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan
and Indonesia, presumably the spirit of brotherhood for peace in
Afghanistan can be strengthened,” Mr. Widodo said.
The Indonesian leader said: “Ulema are the agents of peace ... they
have the power to form the face of peaceful people.” In a declaration,
the scholars said Islam was a religion of peace and denounced all kinds
of violent extremism and terrorism.
“We reaffirm that violence and terrorism cannot and should not be
associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group,
as violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestation,
including violence against civilians and suicide attacks, are against the
holy principles of Islam,” the declaration said.
The conference at the presidential palace in Bogor, a West Java town
on the outskirts of Jakarta, was organized by the Indonesian Ulema
Council.
From media reports Sat, May 12 2018. http://www.thehindu.com/news/
international/
ISLAM AND POLITICS
Will of Society
IN making an assessment of Islam in relation to politics, one crucial
point must be taken into consideration, about politics being only
a relative and not the real part of Islam. This difference between
a real and a relative feature is what is essential and relevant in all
circumstances and at all times, whereas the relative feature is required
only in relation to particular sets of circumstances. Wherever such
circumstances do not exist, relative features lose their relevance and
therefore their desirability. This difference between the real and relative
is illustrated by the Quranic injunction to perform the Hajj pilgrimage:
“Pilgrimage to the House of God is a duty to God for all who can make
the journey.” (
The wording of the command to perform Hajj shows that it is not
obligatory for all believers in an absolute sense. It is obligatory rather
for those who have the means and the resources, and who are in
good health to reach the place of pilgrimage.
This injunction does not imply that those
who do not have the means should make
superhuman efforts to find the wherewithal
for the journey, so that they may perform this
ritual worship. The injunction only means that
those who have the means should perform
the pilgrimage and those who do not will not
only be exempted, but will not even be held
accountable for having failed to do so.
In making an
assessment of
Islam in relation to
politics, one crucial
point must be taken
into consideration,
politics being only a
relative and not the
real part of Islam.
The same is true of politics. That is, if a group
of Muslims find themselves in a position
to establish the political system of Islam
by peaceful methods, and without any violence, then the Shariah
will require them to do exactly that. But for those who do not find
themselves in such a position, it is not their bounden duty to establish
an Islamic political system, nor are they required to set in motion
political initiatives calculated to create opportunities to do so.
That is why the Quran at no point gives the following command: “O
Muslims, establish the political system of Islam.” On the contrary, the
Quran makes such clear statements about government and politics as
prove that they are relative and not the real parts of Islam. For instance,
addressing the believers the Quran says:
God has promised those among you who believe and do good works
that He will grant them power in the land as He granted to those before
them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He
has chosen for them. He will cause their state of fear to be replaced by
a sense of security. Let them worship Me and associate no other with
Me. Whoever still chooses to deny the truth is truly rebellious. (
From this it is abundantly clear that political power is a gift from God
and is far from being a matter of a goal to be attained by human efforts.
That is, it is not the Islamic way to launch movements with the aim of
achieving political ascendancy. On the contrary, the objective of the
Islamic struggle is to inculcate in people the Islamic character and the
true spirit of Islam. And then, if, in any given society, a large number of
people were to become imbued with this true spirit, a time might come
when God in His wisdom bestows them with political authority.
Similarly, the Quran says for the benefit of the believers: "God will
surely help him who helps His cause—God is indeed Powerful and
Mighty. They are those who, if We established them in the land, would
say their prayers regularly and pay the alms tax, enjoin good and forbid
evil.” (
From the following verse also, we learn from God’s injunction to the
Prophet that the matter of political power rests entirely in the hands of
God: “Say, Lord, Sovereign of all sovereignty, You bestow sovereignty
on whom You will, and take it away from whom You please.” (
That is why political power cannot be the goal to which believers direct
their efforts. The first and foremost duty of the believers is for all of
them, as individuals and without exception, to fulfil their personal
obligations to the utmost extent. Afterwards, if circumstances are
conducive, and they receive political power purely by the grace of
God, the responsibility of moral governance will fall upon them, as is
mentioned in the above-quoted verse.
It must be conceded that the establishment of an Islamic state is the
responsibility not of individuals but of the society to which they belong.
In Islam there are certain injunctions of an individual and personal
nature, such as ritual fasting, which depend solely upon the will of
the individual for their accomplishment. But the establishment of a
political system on the basis of Islam depends upon the will of society
as a whole. Only if there is a Muslim society possessed of the collective
will to accept and institute Islamic government, can a political system
based on Islam with all its social caveats, be established.
THE CAUSE OF DISSATISFACTION
Homesickness
IN the present world, every person lives to a great extent with a
sense of dissatisfaction. It is true of almost every person that he
lives with the feeling of loss and not with the feeling of gain. This
condition is so common that there are very few exceptions to it.
The real reason for this dissatisfaction is ‘homesickness’. As is well
known, when man was born, he was settled in Paradise. It was, as
if Paradise was the home of man. But later on, man was cast out of
Paradise and sent to the planet earth. In this respect all those who are
existing here on earth are living here as refugees. This is the real cause
of people’s dissatisfaction. Unconsciously,
every human being has become homesick.
No human pleasure has been successful in
removing this feeling.
The real cause
of people’s
dissatisfaction is
that every human
being has become
homesick. Homesick
for his original home,
Paradise.
The solution to this issue is just one and that
is, to make man aware of the creation plan
of God. The divine message should be given
to all people that they are here on earth only
on a temporary basis and if they endeavour
to do good deeds, they will make themselves
eligible to receive the blessings of Paradise
again.
When anyone travels to his home town, he has to face different kinds
of difficulties on the journey, but he has the satisfaction of knowing
that after a few hours, he will eventually reach his destination. If people
were to become aware of the creation plan of God, they too would
come to look upon themselves as travelers with just few hours to go
to complete the journey. Hope and the feeling of success in the future
will make the problems of the present insignificant. This is the only way
to relieve people of their feelings of dissatisfaction and tension. In this
situation, there can be no other effective plan.
DESTINY AND FREEWILL
Balanced
IS man’s life predestined or determined by his freewill? Is man free
to choose his path or is he helpless? The answer to this question is
that in one sense, man is free, but in another sense he is helpless.
It is a matter of fifty-fifty or equal share. In our daily lives, each one
of us goes about doing things with freedom. But, along with this, we
repeatedly feel that there are powers beyond our control which cannot
be ignored or else, we will be unable to do our work.
What are these two seemingly opposite factors? One is our individual
personalities and the other is the conditions and circumstances within
which we act. These conditions or circumstances can be called an
‘infrastructure’ which is established by nature. As far as our own selves
are concerned, we are totally free. We have the freedom to think and
speak as we please, to direct our lives in whichever direction we want.
In this sense, we are completely free.
But as far as the ‘infrastructure’ within which we operate is concerned,
we do not have the power to change it or to plan our course of action
by ignoring it. For instance, if you walk, it is something that you choose
to do. But to walk, you need the earth beneath
your feet. You need gravity below you. You
need atmospheric pressure above you. These
things are part of the external ‘infrastructure’,
without which you cannot walk. The same is
true for everything in the context of which we
do our actions.
Man lies between two
different and distinct
considerations—in
one sense, he is
free, and in another,
he is helpless and
compelled.
Similarly, our birth—place, family, conditions,
gender—are predetermined for us. We have
no choice in these matters.
This state of affairs tells us that in this world, man lies between two
different and distinct considerations—in one sense, he is free, and in
another, he is helpless and compelled. In terms of using his will, he is
completely free. But he is helpless in the sense that he cannot use his
free will without the infrastructure that has been established by the
Creator. The right position in this matter is one of balance—a middleposition
between freedom, compulsion and predetermined aspects.
The debate about freewill and predetermination is an ancient one.
Ancient philosophers and others who came after them have written much about this. But someone who reads all that they have written is
likely to get very confused. Man seeks a clear answer on this issue, but
he does not find it in the enormous corpus of writings on this subject.
This is because, ordinarily, people veer to one or the other side of the
issue. They either think that it is total freedom that prevails or that we
are totally predetermined.
This one-sided thinking approach is not
proper. If a writer argues for total freedom,
the reader is left thinking that he has ignored
the element of predetermination. If the writer
says that everything in life is preordained, the
reader feels he has ignored man’s freewill.
And this leads to total confusion in the
reader’s mind.
Life is evenly
balanced between
both freewill and
divine will, between
freedom and fate.
As has been suggested here, life is evenly
balanced between both freewill and divine
will, between freedom and fate. If you reflect on both aspects, your
confusion will end and you will arrive at a definitive answer to this
question.
THE RIGHT RESPONSE
Positive Thinking
Isra Mohammed is a Sudanese 15 year old Muslim girl living in Newcastle,
England. She was insulted by her classmates in the school because she
is a ‘Muslim and therefore a terrorist’. She did not answer to their insult
but met the Director of the school and requested permission to give a
presentation in the school about Islam. The Director accepted her request
and called all the 1900 students of the school to attend her presentation.
The presentation was admired by all. Not only that, the Director gave
permission and allowed Isra to visit all the schools in the neighbourhood
and share her presentation. Here is her presentation.
Isra Mohammed: ‘My name is Isra Mohammed, I am a Muslim
and I am not a terrorist’, Kenton School assembly - 2015
I want you to have a look at the picture behind me. What are your
thoughts? Keep those thoughts in mind. Hopefully by the end, you’ll
alter them, or change them.
So if you all don’t know, I am Muslim and I am
proud.
But after the events that took place in Paris,
France, on November 13th, there is a lot of
negativity in the media about Islam.
Islam is a beautiful
religion, just like
many others. It is a
religion of peace and
mercy.
So, in Google, if you type in Muslim + Islam
or Muslim + woman, these are some negative
pictures that come up.
People think that Muslim women or Muslim
girls have no rights, or have no freedom. But we do. Look at me for
example. I’m Muslim. I’m a girl. But I don’t wear a headscarf. I have the
right and freedom to wear one, my Mum wants me to wear it, but she’s
given me the right and freedom of [ ] I feel comfortable enough.
So what is Islam and what do we actually believe in?
Islam is a beautiful religion, just like many others. It is a religion of
peace and mercy. As a woman, I used the word [assalam alaikum] every
day of my life. It’s a wish for the other person to be blessed with peace.
This is what it means to be Muslim.
In Islam, we live by the five pillars.
The first one, is that there is one God. The second one; the commitment
to prayer, the third one, fasting in Ramadan, the fourth one, charity
and giving back and the pilgrimage to Mecca, which you must do at
least once in your lifetime
In this picture, the small dots are actually people. They are all Muslim.
They are there worshipping God. This is what Islam is actually about.
Coming together as one.
In Islam, even a smile is charity.
People link us to
terrorism, but we are
not terrorists. They
have hijacked our
religion and used it
against us.
But what is happening today. These are some
negative headlines that come up online, and
this is the latest one that came up this week.
I want you to know that these headlines are
actually false. None of them are actually true.
And this upsets us because the people behind
them are usually ISIS. If you don’t know who
ISIS is, it’s a terrorist organization, that cause
nothing but harm and terror to the world, just
like what happened in France.
lost.
But ISIS have one goal. They want countries like ours to reject Muslims.
They’ll be happy and ecstatic to hear, that since the events that took
place in Paris, France, Muslims have already been threatened and
attacked in the UK, America, Australia and all around the world.
This evil organization have in their minds—if they can get Muslims [to
appear as] the enemy of the West, then Muslims in France, the UK,
America and Australia will have nowhere to turn but to ISIS.
So if you are someone with a Facebook account, a Twitter account,
an Instagram account, or any form of social media, which I’m sure
everyone here has, and you are throwing out masses of hate, you are
helping ISIS. You are supporting ISIS. This is what they want.
So think about it—do you want to be the person helping a terrorist
organization?
People think ISIS only kills non-Muslims. But they don’t. They also kill
Muslims. Most of ISIS’s victims are Muslims, like what’s happening in
Syria right now.
Therefore, ISIS is not Muslim and is not the face of Islam. In Islam we
believe, whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if they’ve killed all of
humanity. That’s why all Muslims stand together against ISIS.
Therefore terrorism has no religion and terrorism is not the face of
Islam.
I have people coming to me at school, this week, and last week telling
me that because I am a Muslim, I am a terrorist. And this is something
I go through every day of my life. And it’s become worse since what
happened in France.
But how is this affecting Muslims around the world?
If you haven’t heard, on November 15th, a man pushed a Muslim woman
into an oncoming underground train, in London. Why? Because she
was wearing a headscarf and she was a Muslim.
Imagine being that woman, and having to
wake up every day and walk out your door,
knowing you’ll be attacked and threatened for
doing what you believe.
People also have this idea that refugees and
immigrants are stealing their jobs. But they
are not.
In Islam we believe,
whoever kills an
innocent person, it is
as if they've killed all
of humanity.
Take my dad as an example. He is a doctor.
And he is Muslim. And he is successful. He
saves lives every day. He could have saved
one of your relatives.
People always think—that refugees from Syria, I’ve seen this on
Facebook, ‘Oh close the borders, they are ISIS, they are coming to
destroy our country.’
As a matter of fact, ISIS took over their country, ISIS killed their loved
ones. ISIS destroyed their homes.
So how would you feel if it was you? Sitting at home, bombs going off,
people dying.
There’s children, who are coming to the UK, with no families.
So how would you feel, if it was you, in my situation?
I have a seven-year-old sister. She came home from school last Monday,
crying. When I asked why, she said to me, ‘People are blaming me in
school for the Paris attacks’. She said, “I don’t want to go back”.
I have a brother in year seven, he got bullied last week. People were
telling him, ‘Your religion is killing people.’
This is something I have to go through every day.
People link us to terrorism, but we are not terrorists. They have hijacked
our religion and used it against us.
I was in Tesco’s just last week. I walked in, the guy goes, ‘These are the
people we want out of our country. These are the people you don’t
want around.’
So imagine if that was you. Coming into my country and I’m treating
you this way. How would you feel?
So what can we do about it?
We can learn about each other’s religions and cultures. We can stop
making assumptions. We can be fair to one another.
And remember, when you tell somebody you’re a terrorist because of
your religion—it’s a hate crime. And you have to report it once you’ve
viewed it.
My name is Isra Mohammed, I am a Muslim and I am not a terrorist.
NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GOD
True Gratitude
MOST fathers dote on their children. They take great pleasure
in bestowing material gifts to their children. Nowadays it is
common to see some affluent fathers gifting their sons with
cars. And on the car’s windshield or bumper would be some artwork or
sticker with the message Gift from Dad.
This is no simple matter. In reality it is a
message of ungratefulness. Taking a favour
and blessing which is in reality given by God
and attributing it not to God but to one’s own
endeavours is a case of refuting God. And a
failure to acknowledge God’s benevolence is
the greatest sin in this world.
A true believer
considers everything
as belonging to
God alone and
regards everything
that he receives
as a gift from God.
He acknowledges
God by attributing
everything to Him.
The Quran states that, when the Prophet
Solomon received a worldly blessing he
immediately said: Haza min fazli rabbi, which
means, “This is by the grace of my Lord.” (
40) In other words, the Prophet acknowledged
the apparently material blessing as a Gift from
God. This is the only correct way of true faith.
A true believer considers everything as belonging to God alone and
regards everything that he receives as a gift from God. He acknowledges
God by attributing everything to Him.
Whatever people get in this world appears to be as a result of their
own efforts. But this is only a superficial aspect of the matter. The fact
is that every single thing is a blessing from God. It is a test of man for
him to remove the veils that cover reality and discover the truth. For
every blessing that he gets, he may say, ‘This is a gift from God given
directly to me by God.’
Gratitude is the religious term for such acknowledgement. Only those
who acknowledge God are truly grateful to Him.
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
HAPPINESS ONLY IN THE HEREAFTER
CHARLIE CHAPLIN was a British film star. He was born in 1889.
And he died in 1977 at the age of 88. He was a comedian and
filmmaker and became a worldwide icon as his comic film
persona “The Tramp”. He entertained thousands across the world with
his hilarious shows. But Charlie Chaplin himself was unhappy from the
inside. Despite all the fame and wealth and material comforts, he could
not find happiness in his life.
It is said that once a man visited a psychiatrist. He said to the doctor
that, “I am very depressed. Can you give me such advice so that I can
be happy?” Doctor advised the patient to watch a Charlie Chaplin show.
The visitor said that he himself was Charlie Chaplin. “I make others
laugh but my heart cries from the inside.”
Charlie Chaplin was a comedian, but when the time of death approached,
psychologically he had become a tragedian. The man who laughed for
others, commented on his condition in these words:
“I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.”
This is the story of every person in this world. People laugh superficially,
but they do not get any joy from the inside. People tell stories of their
apparent successes, but from inside, they live in a defeatist mentality.
The fact is that there is no happiness or comfort reserved for anyone
in the present world. Happiness and comfort are only in the Hereafter
for God-conscious people. The Creator has created the present world
for action. Here only action to achieve happiness is possible and not
happiness per se.
THE CONCEPT OF THE CALIPHATE
Successors on Earth
THE Quran tells us that when God made man, a dialogue took place
between God and the angels. In the course of this dialogue, God
explained the purpose of creating man, saying: “I am putting a
successor on earth.” (
The dictionary meaning of the word khilafat (or caliphate in English)
is ‘to come after’. Khalifa (or, in English, caliph) is someone who takes
the place of someone else, or, in other words, ‘successor’. This is the
literal meaning of the word khalifa. But it is generally in politics that a
person becomes the successor of someone else. That is why the word
khalifa began to be used solely for political rulers, both for one who
became a ruler through succession as well as someone who acquired
this position without succession.
Until the Day of
Judgment, man has
freedom to spend his
life in this world, in
the sphere that is in
his control. He is free
to use this freedom
in whatever way he
wants—properly or
otherwise.
The word khalifa in the above-quoted Quranic
verse is used in this second sense. This means
God settled man on earth as a creature
possessing free-will. The earth was given to
man’s charge for a temporary period. In line
with the system of nature, although man is
running the affairs of the world just as angels
are running the affairs of other parts of the
universe, it is only in a limited sense that the
world is in man’s control. Until the Day of
Judgment, man has freedom to spend his life
in this world, in the sphere that is in his control.
He is free to use this freedom in whatever way
he wants—properly or otherwise.
An important principle to bear in mind while seeking to understand
the Quran is that one part of the Quran explains another part. In the
light of this principle, it is clear from several verses of the Quran what
appointing man as khalifa means. One of these verses (
“Then We made you their successors in the land, so that We might
observe how you would conduct yourselves.”
God has created man as an intelligent being. In terms of his abilities,
the first man ever was as complete as the 21st century man. The place
where man was settled—planet earth—had everything in it for man’s
needs. However, these were mostly present only in potential form.
It was man’s task to convert the potential into the actual. The whole
of human history is a reflection of this journey; this journeying from
potential to actual.
The most appropriate word for this journey is ‘civilization’. Man’s entire
history, from Adam till the Day of Judgment, is but another name for
this civilizational journey. The Creator has made the earth as the abode
of civilization. It was man’s task to develop this ‘potential civilization’
into ‘actual civilization’. Khalifa is the name of the creature who would
play this role—irrespective of whether he is religious or secular.
The word ‘civilization’ is generally employed to refer to material
progress. A conventional understanding of the term ‘civilization’ is that
it refers to a stage of high social, cultural and scientific progress. But
this is a limited understanding of the term. To fully understand what
‘civilization’ means, one must see it in the context of God’s creation
plan. The builders of civilization do not create anything on their
own. Rather, they progress along the journey of civilization using the
natural resources that the Creator has created. The human builders
of civilization are, as it were, workers of the Creator. They are giving
practical shape to God’s creation plan.
Although man is
running the affairs
of the world just as
angels are running
the affairs of other
parts of the universe,
it is only in a limited
sense that the world
is in man’s control.
In reality, this journey of civilization is a journey
of divine civilization. It is taking man to that
stage where he can have a high experience of
praise for God and gratitude to Him, where he
can reach the higher stages of God-realization.
But because this work is happening while
keeping human freedom intact, people have
not been able to understand its significance.
To properly understand this journey of
civilization, it is necessary to set apart the
evils produced as a result of human freedom
and then see how God is managing human history. To meaningfully
understand human history, it is most important to keep apart the
human element and look at the working of the divine element in history.
A Survey
God has bestowed man with freedom. Man has been granted this
freedom so that he can discover things himself and cultivate a selfdeveloped
personality.
Man sometimes uses this freedom properly. At other times, he misuses
it. But the All-powerful God is managing history and taking it towards
the stage that is its real stage—the completion of the realization of
God.
Since the beginning of human history, God sent a series of messengers
to the world to tell people of His creation plan. They tried to keep
the journey of human civilization progressing in the right direction.
But a study of history reveals that people
did not prove to be responsible in using the
freedom that they had been granted. Soon,
history in general deviated from the path
of monotheism and began travelling on the
path of polytheism. This was because people
found that they did not see the God that the
prophets told them about, while they could
see the things made by God abounded all
around them. Because of this, people left the
invisible God and began considering visible
objects their deities. They began considering
every object that appeared to them to be
great as gods or partners of God. This is how
‘nature worship’, emerged.
To properly
understand
the journey of
civilization, it is
necessary to set
apart the evils
produced as a result
of human freedom
and then see how
God is managing
human history.
Nature worship spread far and wide. One reason for this was kings
in ancient times found nature worship to be convenient to them, and
so they patronised it. They employed this form of worship to claim
a mandate for their rule. In this way, in ancient times polytheism
acquired the status of official religion throughout the world. As a result
of this nexus between nature worship and political power, polytheism
acquired dominance all across the world.
Monarchy
In ancient times—and this continued for thousands of years—much
of the world was under monarchy. Monarchical rule would very soon
turn into personality cult. And personality cults gradually acquired the
form of idol worship. This is why in ancient times monarchical rule
finally turned into religion based rule. For instance, the Egyptian ruler
at the time of Moses, the Quran (
supreme Lord”.
The system of monarchical rule emerged as the greatest evil in ancient
times. It was the gravest misuse of human freedom. This system was ended at the political level through the democratic revolution.
In the Hereafter, the wrongs of the monarchical system of rule will
become clearly manifest. A part of the Hadith report refers to this in
these words: “God, the Exalted and Glorious, on the Day of Judgment
would say: ‘I am the Lord; where are the lords of the earth?’” (Sahih
Muslim)
Three Periods of the Caliphate
In the Quran, the word ‘khilafat’ is not used in the sense of ‘Islamic
Caliphate’. According to the Quran (
fi al-arz’ who, in different ages, were given the role of ruler, irrespective
of whether, in terms of belief, they were
religious or non-religious. Throughout history
those who received the opportunity to play
the role of ruler (khilafat-e-arzi), can be classed
into three groups:
The rulers who used religion as the basis of
their rule: It lasted from ancient times to the
7th century CE.
The rule of monotheists: This was the age of
Muslim Sultans. It lasted from around the 8th
century to the 18th century.
The rule of secular people: This period began
in the 19th century, and continues today.
The journey of
civilization is a
journey of divine
civilization. It is
taking man to that
stage where he
can have a high
experience of praise
for God and gratitude
to Him, where he
can reach the higher
stages of Godrealization.
In the first period people did not enjoy
religious freedom. It was an age of religious
persecution and coercion. During such an age people lost their right to
think freely. And so, the process of intellectual development came to a
complete halt. It was impossible for intellectual progress to continue.
God wanted man to discover the laws hidden in nature so that he
could discover the Creator of these laws, and so that such means be
developed that the task of inviting people to God could be carried out
more effectively. This process had been completely blocked in the age of
persecution and coercion. God sent a large number of prophets to the
world to tell people that by misusing their freedom they were placing a
hurdle in His plan. However, the peaceful efforts of the prophets to call
people to God were ineffective in preventing man from continuing on
the course he had adopted.
After this, God did not put an end to human freedom but decided to
take away the despotic role of rulers. The Quran refers to this Divine
decision thus: “Fight them until there is no more [religious] persecution,
and religion belongs wholly to God.” (
is referring to the end of religious persecution and coercion and the
opening of the door to God's blessings upon man.
As is well known, the Prophet of Islam and his Companions did precisely
this. They transformed the entire political map of ancient times.
The role that Muslims played in this period was not of establishing any
political system. In actual fact, it is not the aim of the Muslim ummah to
establish any particular system. The task that
was accomplished in the Muslim period had
two major aspects to it: to usher in the age of
freedom in the world, and to initiate the task
of the scientific study of nature.
God wanted man to
discover the laws
hidden in nature
so that he could
discover the Creator
of these laws, and
so that such means
be developed that
the task of inviting
people to God could
be carried out more
effectively.
The Quran (
their affairs by mutual consultation”. This
reference is not in a limited sense. It conveys
news of a global revolution. It means that God
wants that the age of monarchy be ended
and that the age of democracy take its place,
so that people can think freely, that their
potentials can unfold, that they can discover
the secrets of nature, and bring in the age of
the divine civilization, which is referred to in
the Quran (
the trees on earth were pens, and the sea [were] ink, with seven [more]
seas added to it, the words of God would not be exhausted: for, truly,
God is Almighty and Wise.”
The Age of Democracy
The age of democracy is another name for the age of freedom. In line
with God’s creation plan, it was essential for an environment of freedom
to remain on earth. The role that is required for man to play is possible
only in an environment of freedom. This age of democracy started in
the Muslim period. It advanced further, in the form of a process, till it
culminated in the form of the French Revolution of 1789.
Democracy is a great stage in human history. It was in this age that for
the first time freedom and peace became a choice for people. Prior to
this, people could enjoy freedom and peace only if they were granted to them as a gift by their rulers. But now it no longer remained something
that could be had only if it were given as a gift by someone else. Instead,
it became an absolute right of everyone. It was not possible for any
individual or group to snatch this right away from others.
Many people today complain that they are deprived of the opportunity
to live and work in an atmosphere of freedom and peace. Such people
are simply unaware of the secret of life. If you want to enjoy the
blessings of freedom and peace that we have been bestowed with in
this age, you must know that you should set such a goal for yourself
that can be achieved without having to resort to violent confrontation
with anyone. If you devise a goal for yourself
that will disturb someone else’s life, you will
be left to complaining and protesting against
others. But if you devise a purpose for yourself
that will not, in any way, become a problem
for others, you can carry on with your work
for the rest of your life, and you will have no
complaints against others.
God has bestowed
man with freedom.
Man has been
granted this freedom
so that he can
discover things
himself and cultivate
a self-developed
personality.
This secret is referred to in the Quran (
thus: “Reconciliation is best”. This indicates
that the aim that you set for yourself should
not lead to you entering into confrontation
or conflict with others. In this way, you will
find that everything in this world is favourable for you. It will become
possible, then, for you to achieve your purpose, while being safe from
developing the psyche of complaints against others. On the other
hand, if you speak the language of complaint, it only means that you
have chosen a wrong aim for yourself. It is a problem of a wrong aim,
not one of other people’s oppression or enmity.
Another major development that occurred in the Muslim period was
that nature was removed from the pedestal of an object of worship
and was made an object of study and investigation. This happened in
stages, till it finally reached the age of the scientific revolution. The
scientific revolution fulfilled this prediction in the Quran (
shall show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves, until
it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth.”
The democratic revolution and the scientific revolution in modern
times are fully favourable to Islam. The modern age is completely in
Islam’s favour. This phase started in the period of Muslim political rule,
but its culmination happened in the third period of history, the age of
the rule of secular people.
New Role of the Muslim Ummah
Indicating a principle of nature, the Quran says:
Say, “Lord, sovereign of all sovereignty. You bestow sovereignty on
whom you will and take it away from whom You please; You exalt
whoever You will and abase whoever You will. All that is good lies in
Your hands. You have the power to will anything” (
This means khilafat-e-arzi or political rule is not the monopoly of
any group. It is a role that God, in accordance with His Plan, gives
sometimes to one group, and sometimes to another. When a particular
group receives political rule, it must find out for what purpose this role
has been given to it. And when political rule is snatched from it, then,
too, it should know why this post has been taken away from it. Lack of
awareness of this will deprive the group of God’s help. Consequently, it
will be unsuccessful in every way.
The conditions of
this new age show us
that the role of the
Muslim ummah has
now changed. And
this role is just one:
global dawah.
The Muslim empire was established in the 8th
century CE. This was a sign that the role of
khilafat-e arzi had now been given to Muslims.
This role was to end the system of kingship of
the ancient type. This task was accomplished
through Muslims on a global scale. For
centuries, in whichever land Muslims entered,
they put an end to the centuries-old system
of political dictatorship. But then a time came
when Muslim Sultanates began to decline.
The early 19th century announced the end of
Muslim political dominance. Across the world,
one Muslim Sultanate after another began crumbling before Western
powers and started coming under their domination. Following this,
Muslims made many efforts—on a massive scale—to restore their
political glory. But despite many struggles over a period of 200 years,
they completely failed in this regard.
This is no ordinary matter. It was, in fact, an announcement of the
change in the Muslims’ role. In the 18th century, the Muslims’ political
role had ended. The role that was now required of them was another
one—to use modern opportunities to communicate the religion of God
at the global level. In the modern period, God had according to His
plan given Western powers the opportunity to discover new means
and resources, and make them available for common use. Through the
Western powers those things came into being for the first time that
were necessary for engaging in dawah at the global level—for instance, religious freedom, openness, global travel and communications, the
printing press and much more.
These new conditions were an indication that the role of the Muslim
ummah (community) had now changed. This new role of the Muslim
ummah was predicted in a Hadith in the following words: “There shall
not remain on the face of earth any house, big or small, in which the
word of God will not have reached.” Muslims’ role now was to use
modern opportunities to convey the universal message of Islam to the
whole of humankind. But strangely, almost the whole of the Muslim
ummah remained unaware of this fundamental reality. They did not
understand this change in their role. Instead they sought to regain
their lost political glory by fighting against their supposed enemies.
This action was against the divine plan. That is why it did not receive
God’s help, and failed miserably and completely.
Change of Role
The 19th and 20th centuries have taken the Muslim ummah into a new
age. The conditions of this new age show us that the role of the Muslim
ummah has now changed. And this role is just one: global dawah.
However, Muslim leaders remained completely unaware of today’s
age. As a result, they could not even tell the Muslim ummah about
their new role. A major tragedy of the Muslim ummah in this age is its
unawareness of the role that it should play at this time. That is why the
whole ummah seems to have no knowledge of
the direction in which it should head.
The democratic
revolution and the
scientific revolution
in modern times are
fully favourable to
Islam. The modern
age is completely in
Islam’s favour.
This age is a period of the degeneration of the
ummah. In this age, almost all Muslim leaders,
through their rhetoric and writings, fed to the
degenerated psyche that Muslims had come
to develop. But this was definitely against
God’s creation plan. In the 19th and 20th
centuries, Muslims witnessed many efforts
and struggles—but these were based on a
self-created communal role that Muslims saw
for themselves, and not for the role that God
wanted. Because of this, the ummah remained bereft of God’s help in all
of this. The aims that the Muslims devised in this period for themselves
were all communal aims, devised in line with the degenerate mindset
that they had developed. Therefore, they failed to achieve what they
wanted.
Another failure that the Muslims have had to face was that the whole
Muslim ummah developed a negative psyche. Despair, negative
thinking, complaint, protest-mentality, hot-temperedness, violence,
considering the rest of the world as enemies, imagining conspiracies
lurking everywhere, gun culture, and, finally, an extreme manifestation
of a sense of failure—suicide-bombing: this is the general image of
the Muslim ummah in the 21st century. Because of this, the whole
community has come to be embroiled in a violent psyche—some of its
members are engaged in active violence, while others are engaged in
passive violence.
This is a situation of general destruction. There is only one way for the
ummah to come out of this destruction—and that is for it to completely
stop negative thinking and to replace this completely with positive
thinking. It must be prepared to, once again, carry on with its actual
mission—that is, the mission of inviting people to God. No excuse that
seeks to avoid this mission is acceptable.
Dawah Efforts
In the past, Muslims established political empires. Today, many Muslims
still dream of reviving these empires. But this is an anachronism.
Muslims should understand God’s plan for human history and chalk
out their aims accordingly. The fact is that the age of building political
empires has gone. But there is now another, bigger opportunity for
Muslims that is fully available to them—and that is, to work at the
global level for peaceful dissemination of the divine message.
In the past, deadly wars were fought to establish political empires,
resulting in much loss of life. But today to establish a ‘dawah empire’,
to invite people across the whole world to God, there is no need for war
at all. In the new conditions, it has become fully possible to engage in
dawah globally in a peaceful manner.
RUNNING WITHOUT A DESTINATION
Race for Materialism
EVERYONE seems to be talking non-stop, doing this and that, being
busy with all sorts of things, chasing different dreams. They are
all driven with the purpose of fulfilling unlimited desires. They
want to acquire all sorts of comforts for themselves and their children.
This is a mad race of materialism. But what is the end result of all this?
Everyone feels that their hopes have not been met, that their desires
still remain unfulfilled. And so, people are living in terrible despair,
bitterness, tension and frustration. They feel they have been deprived
of, or denied, what they wanted. Nobody at all seems content. This is
how their days and nights pass—in this sorry predicament—till one
day, the little world of their dreams comes crashing down when death
sweeps them away.
People are busy with
things that belong to
this temporary world,
instead of preparing
themselves for the
eternal life after
death.
People are busy with things that belong to
this temporary world, instead of preparing
themselves for the eternal life after death.
The life of this world is a test, and hence it is
God’s responsibility to provide every one of
us with the things that we need to undergo
this test. But as far as life after death is
concerned, God has not taken responsibility
for it. Our life after death depends entirely on
our actions in this world. We will reap there as
we have sown here, on earth. Yet, strangely,
people are preoccupied doing everything possible for their life in this
world but have completely forgotten the life that will come after death.
In this world, if you face a shortage of something today, you can make
efforts and acquire what you need tomorrow. But in the life after death,
you will not have the chance of engaging in any actions to make up for
any shortage on account of your deeds while on earth.
THE RATIONAL BASIS OF RITUALS
True Form with Spirit
WHAT is ritual? Ritual is a religious ceremony carried out in
a prescribed order. They are a part of every religion. In
their absence, religion becomes an abstract philosophy.
Philosophy with rituals is religion and religion without rituals is
philosophy.
Rituals are not simply a set of rites; in fact, they are the outer expression
of the inner content of religion. Religion begins as an inner spirit
but this spirit must always have an external manifestation. It is this
externalization of the inner spirit which is called ritual.
Ritual without spirit is a diluted form of religion—like a nutshell without
a kernel. True, the shell does also have some value, but the kernel is
the most important part. To cite another example, you can say that
rituals are important, but they are like a body which becomes lifeless
when there is no spirit.
Rituals are not
simply a set of rites;
in fact, they are the
outer expression of
the inner content of
religion.
There are two levels of religion. One is that
in which spirit and rituals, or form, both have
their distinct values. That is the ideal version
of religion. The other level is that in which
religion is characterized by rituals, without
there being apparently any inner spirit.
Sometimes religion is in its ideal form, that is,
ritual and spirit go hand in hand. But this ideal
state cannot be maintained at all times. There
can be aberrations in the state of religion.
Sometimes it happens that form or rituals are
present but the spirit is absent, at least, temporarily.
Religion in this latter state is at a minimum level. But this minimum
state is not worthless. It also has its value and, indeed, has a very
important role to play. It maintains the consciousness of religion and
keeps one mindful of it.
This minimum role of rituals can be described as a reminder of spirit
through routine. When you observe them at their prescribed times, it
reminds you that rituals should be performed keeping in mind their
inner content, that is, spirit.
Rituals are apparently a mere form but this is
not so, for form symbolizes the inner spirit.
If the inner spirit has real value, then rituals
have symbolic value and both are equally
important.
The role of rituals
can be described as
a reminder of spirit
through routine.
When you observe
the rituals at their
prescribed times,
it reminds you that
rituals should be
performed keeping
in mind their inner
content, that is,
spirit.
Rituals, the external aspect of the inner spirit,
help maintain the inner spirit. Without them
the spirit would be reduced to an abstract
idea. In such a situation, ritual, or form,
serves the role of a compulsory or a regular
reminder.
There is a scientific relationship between the
inner spirit and external rituals. The spirit,
when externalized, is not an entirely detached
phenomenon. It is very much attached to inner
consciousness. Without inner consciousness,
no one can perform external rituals. Both are complementary to each
other.
It is difficult to understand the inner spirit without external form or
external form without inner consciousness. Religion always begins
from consciousness. This consciousness gradually, or sometimes even
suddenly, expresses itself in the form of rituals. So, rituals stem from
consciousness. Consciousness is the real source of rituals.
An important role that ritual plays is to give a religion an identity—
without which religion would remain an abstract idea.
UNITY
God and in Nature
IT is generally said that in present times, the world has assumed
the form of a global village. But this is only half the truth. Modern
technology and communications have, of course, greatly reduced
distances across the world. But the closeness thus produced is of a
purely physical nature. Modern technology may have bridged certain
gaps, bringing the external world closer together, but the task of
bringing unity into the internal world has yet to be accomplished.
Spiritual Unity
What is spiritual unity? Let us take a very simple example. When you
live in a crowded settlement, the walls all around give you a sense of
limitation. You experience the friction of living in close contact with
others and you suffer from mental tension. Later, when you emerge
from that dense human settlement into open, natural surroundings
you immediately feel that your tension has evaporated and you have
once again become serene. The feeling of
separateness is replaced by an all-pervasive
feeling of unity. You immediately become part
of a world where there are no boundaries. A
sense of universality prevails.
Although, physically,
all human beings
appear to be
different, spiritually
they are one. It is
as if spiritual unity
between human
beings already exists,
it does not have to be
externally imposed.
We have all had this experience at one time
or another. It shows us what spiritual unity
is. It is, in fact, the raising of one’s existence
to a higher plane. The moment you achieve
this, you feel you are emerging from a limited
world to become a citizen of an unlimited
world. Disunity now disappears, giving way to
unity all around.
Although, physically, all human beings appear
to be different, spiritually they are one. It is as if spiritual unity between
human beings already exists, it does not have to be externally imposed.
We have only to make people aware of its existence. Once the outer,
artificial veils are removed, what remains will be pure spirituality.
In reality, the various sets of circumstances that confront man in this
world lead to drawing of different veils over man’s natural propensities.
For instance, the veil of material greed produces self-centeredness;
the veil of jealousy causes him to see himself as being separate from others; the veil of prejudice causes him to discriminate between human
beings.
These veils, in fact, tend to block man’s natural urge towards spiritual
unity. What is required is to remove these artificial veils in order that
the true, inner reality be brought into focus.
The aim of all religions, basically, is to encourage this spiritual unity
within man and between man and man. No religion is at variance with
another so far as this goal is concerned. The language in which this is
set forth may vary from one religion to another, but, without doubt,
the main concern of all religions is to produce spiritual unity within and
between all human beings. Without spiritual unity, there is little hope
of creating peace and harmony throughout the world. And where there
is no peace and harmony, the dream of human progress will forever
remain elusive.
Now, what is Islam’s contribution to spiritual unity? The subject is too
vast for more than just a few basic points to
be briefly touched on.
God, or the Ultimate
Reality of this
universe is only
one, called God in
Islam. It is implicit
in the concept of the
oneness of Godhead
that differences and
multiplicity would
appear to exist in
reality, yet there is an
underlying unity.
The Unity of God
The most important factor in Islam’s
contribution is its concept of monotheism—
of there being only one God (
to Islam, God, or the Ultimate Reality of this
universe is only one, called God in Islam. It
is implicit in the concept of the oneness of
Godhead that differences and multiplicity
would appear to exist in reality, yet there is
an underlying unity.
In this way the concept of divine unity
engenders spiritual unity. All human beings
are one, because they are the creation of one
God. All human beings are God’s family. God is indeed the greatest
reality of the universe. And when it is acknowledged that there is only
one greatest reality, it is but natural that all other creation should
acquire the character of unity.
The Unity of Nature
The Quran states that “There is no altering the creation of God.” (
According to the Prophet of Islam “Every child is born with an upright
nature” (Sahih aI-Bukhari). We learn from this that unity is found among all human beings at the level of nature and creation. Nature forms the
common constituent in the creation of human beings, just as the atom
forms the common constituent in all the varied objects of nature in the
physical world. That is to say that the same unity which exists in the
external world at the physical level, has existed among human beings
at the spiritual level from the outset.
But man tends at times to be oblivious of his own nature. This is no less
true in the sphere of unity. Today people are unaware of their spiritual
potential. In such a situation, the easiest way to bring about spiritual
unity is to make men aware of that potential. The moment they became
aware of it, spiritual unity will come into existence of its own accord.
The Unity of Humankind
The Quran says, “O men, have fear of your Lord, who created you from
a single soul. From that soul He created its mate, and through them, He
scattered the earth with countless men and women.” (
This shows that men and women have been created from the same
substance. Their being physically one, of necessity, demands their
spiritual oneness.
When it is
acknowledged that
there is only One
Greatest Reality, it is
but natural that all
other creation should
acquire the character
of unity.
Making a similar point, the Prophet
Muhammad said that all human beings are
brothers (Abu Dawud). This gives rise to the
concept of a common brotherhood, and
without doubt, it is this sense of brotherhood
which generates the strongest feeling of
oneness and togetherness among different
people.
That is to say that when all human beings in
this world are virtually blood brothers, they
must, as this concept necessarily demands,
live as brothers in spirit too. Any other way of living is a deviation from
reality.
In 1893, Swami Vivekananda went to Chicago to participate in the
Parliament of Religions. As the Encyclopedia Britannica puts it, his was
a ‘sensational appearance.’ On that occasion all the speakers at the
conference followed the common practice of addressing the audience
as “Ladies and gentlemen.” But when Swami Vivekananda took the
stage, he addressed the assembly as “Sisters and brothers of America.”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the hall resounded with a long burst of applause. Of all the delegates at the conference,
Swamiji received the greatest ovation.
The reason for this was the form of address, “Ladies and gentlemen”
produces a sense of alienation and strangeness, whereas the phrase
“Sisters and brothers” introduces a note of closeness and familiarity. By
using this phrase, Swami Vivekananda touched a chord in the hearts of
those of different creeds and colours. Their natural feeling of unity was
awakened, and then what ensued fulfilled the best of expectations. All
of a sudden, the gaps between them were bridged. They all began to
feel themselves what they really were, and for that moment, physical
divisions disappeared and were replaced by a rare spiritual unity.
AFTER DEATH
Life Hereafter
MOST people want to live long, till a ripe old age. Yet, everyone
has to die some day or the other. We all dream of doing many
things but death stops us in our tracks and carries us away.
Why does this happen? Why is it that we want to live long, but yet
death arrives, suddenly and without our permission, and blots out all
our dreams? Every person asks this question and has tried to find an
answer to it. We all want to know why we have to die. We all seek
answers to existential questions about life and death.
We can get some clues about the answers to these questions from
modern scientific discoveries about DNA. Every person has a certain
DNA. Your DNA is a complete encyclopedia of your personality. It
contains information about many things, big and small, related to your
personality. If you decode this DNA, you will find that it is much bigger
than the most voluminous encyclopedia.
Yet, intriguingly, the DNA does not contain information about one
major aspect of our personality. If you study someone’s DNA, you can
get an idea of everything about him except for one thing. And this one
thing is when precisely this person will die.
This, then, is nature’s announcement to the
effect that man is an eternal creature, a
creature that will never die. Man has eternal
life. Death does not put an end to him.
Among all living
beings, it is only man
who has a conception
of 'tomorrow'.
Among all living beings, it is only man who has
a conception of ‘tomorrow’. Animals live only
in the present moment, in ‘today’. No animal
has a conception of ‘tomorrow’. Because they
have a limited or lower-level consciousness,
animals are born in ‘today’ and they also die in the same state. But man
is an exceptional creature in this regard. He is the only creature who
has an understanding of ‘tomorrow’.
To properly appreciate the import of this point, bear in mind that
human beings have unlimited ambitions, and that they die with many
of their ambitions remaining unfulfilled. In this sense, every man is a
case of unfulfilled desires. In the whole of the cosmos, man is the only
such creature. No other creature suffers from this painful dilemma.
This fact tells us that there must certainly be an answer to this dilemma.
Human desires and ambitions ought to be fulfilled, just as is the case
with all other creatures. This indicates that there is a world that will
come after this present one, a world where human beings will find
complete fulfilment of their wishes and hopes.
There is another important aspect of this issue—and that is, the desire
for justice is inherent in, or intrinsic to, human nature. By nature,
human beings want to be treated justly. They desire justice in this
world. They want good people to be fully rewarded for their goodness
and evil doers to be suitably punished. This is a basic demand of human
nature. This demand, too, requires that there should be another world
after this one, where justice finally prevails, because it is not possible
in this world.
If you keep this in mind, the concept of the Hereafter will become
absolutely real and clear to you. With belief in the Hereafter you get a
complete answer to every question. Everything falls into place.
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 AD. It is a book that brings glad
tidings to humankind, 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
It is God who provides livestock for you, some for riding and some for
your food: you have other benefits in them too. You can reach any
destination you wish on them: they carry you by land, as ships carry
you on the sea. He shows you His signs; which then of the signs of God
will you deny? (
Man needs many things for the upkeep of his existence and the
development of human civilization, such as food, mounts, different
types of industries, means of transportation etc. All these things
exist in plenty in the present world. God has created the physical
world in such a way that it is subservient and capable of being used by
man for meeting his requirements.
All these things are, so to say, signs from God. Though this declaration
is in indirect language, it is in man’s interest to understand it, because
when God resorts to direct communication, it will mark the end of the
period allowed for the performance of good or bad deeds and not the
beginning.
Have they not travelled in the land to see the fate of those who went
before them? They were more numerous and mightier and left greater
traces of their power on the earth; yet all that they accomplished was
of no avail to them. (
When messengers came to them with clear signs, they revelled in
whatever knowledge they had, and so they were engulfed by the very
punishment they mocked: but when they saw Our punishment, they
said, ‘We believe in God—the One God—and we reject the partners we
used to associate with Him,’ but believing after seeing Our punishment did not benefit them at all: this is the law of God to deal with His
creatures, and thus the disbelievers were the losers. (
Knowledge is of two kinds. One is that which enables human beings to
make worldly progress. The other is that which shows the path leading
to success in the Hereafter. Those who possess worldly knowledge
immediately receive the substantial benefits of this knowledge in
the shape of worldly progress. Whereas the result of the knowledge
of the Hereafter is not immediately visible in a tangible form. That is
why the possessor of this knowledge comes to be degraded by worldly
people.
This difference creates a superiority complex in those who are in
possession of worldly knowledge. So, when prophets appeared among
such people, they considered themselves superior and the prophets
inferior. They even went to the extent of ridiculing the prophets. But
God caused them to be destroyed in spite of all their powers and
superior development. Now their remains are to be found either in
the form of ruins lying above or interred deep in the earth. In this way,
God Almighty has set a historical example for human beings—that the
secret of permanent success lies in the knowledge of the Hereafter and
not in worldly knowledge.
The prophets were initially rejected by their communities. The
prophets had all the force of argument on their side, but these
communities were not prepared to accept their credo. Finally, God
made them aware of the reality in the language of punishment. Only
then did they bow down before the truth. But this was of no avail,
because only that admission of truth is desirable and useful which is
arrived at on the basis of arguments. Any such admission which is
made after seeing the divine punishment is worthless.
ASK MAULANA
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan answers your questions on society and
spirituality.
Some people talk about a world without borders, what is your opinion
about this?
A world without borders is one in which people should be able to live
anywhere, work anywhere and contribute anywhere—for the world is
one.
All thinking people have a beautiful dream—that of living in a world
without borders. But for all these people, this only remains a dream, as
no one has ever been able to actualize it. As far as I am concerned I can
say that I have made it a reality. I always actually live in a world without
borders. In my experience, the concept of a world without borders is
quite an achievable target.
In a single sentence, I can say that a world without physical borders
may not be achievable, but a world without psychological borders is
quite attainable for anyone who so desires it. There is no need for
external permission for this purpose: every individual can enter into
this state—by his own decision.
In one of your articles you have presented spirituality as a solution
to eradicate corruption. My question is, how to inculcate spirituality
among people?
Basically I feel it is a part of education, both formal and informal.
Education means the training of the mind, with special emphasis
on inculcating high values. To spread spiritual values in society, we
need value-based education, especially during schooling, which is a
preparatory period of life, and if we want to build a spiritual society, we
must adopt a spirituality-oriented form of education.
Kindly explain how exactly spirituality will stop a person from being
corrupt?
One aspect of spirituality is that it makes one evaluate actions in terms
of their results—a major factor in having a sense of responsibility. One
who is a spiritually developed person is able to see things in terms of
value. He is able to differentiate between right and wrong. There is a
saying: ‘A wise man is one who knows the relative value of things.’ The
spiritually developed person is a wise person and a wise person is one who has a predictable character. All these qualities stem from spiritual
training. It is the responsibility of reformers, therefore, to train people
to become duty conscious by enhancing their thinking capacity—for the
duty-conscious person can never involve himself in any such negative
activity as corruption.
There is much discussion about the necessity for social reform but
this has not come about. What is the reason for this?
Though Himalayan efforts have been made with regard to bringing
about social reform, they have proved infructuous. In my opinion
this is so because the starting point is not the right one. The starting
point must be to bring about change in the individual. The mind of
the individual must be addressed in order to revolutionize his thinking.
This is the right and only way to carry out social reform. Other methods
have proved ineffective.
When we are living in a society we face many unpleasant experiences
from people we deal with. How to love all human beings in spite of
such negative experiences?
The rationale behind the ‘love all’ formula is that you should consider
every person as a benefactor irrespective of the type of experience
you have with them. It is lack of awareness of this fact that makes you
unable to adopt this love-all culture. For example, a person who was in
need of some help approached his relative requesting him to come to
his assistance. This relative instead of extending his help gave advice
about the importance of self-help. Though hurt and disappointed the
person returned vowing to himself to never ask for help and worked
hard to make himself self-sufficient. Later in life whenever he thought
about his relative, he felt he had actually been his benefactor and
found that he did not have any negative feelings for him in his heart.
In fact, he looked at him as his benefactor. The above is an example of
an individual.
Let us understand this in terms of love for all humanity. We are living in
a civilization. Civilization is an advanced stage of refinement in ethical
and material matters resulting from continuous effort on the part of
all humankind. It has taken thousands of years of the joint efforts of
humanity to bring civilization into existence. The whole of humanity
was involved in this process. The discovery of this reality about history
gives rise to the culture of ‘love for all’, while unawareness of this leads
to hate culture. The truth is that in this world the most realistic principle
is that of ‘love for all’. We cannot afford the opposite of this.
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 )
