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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.
FACEBOOK: A STUDY CLUB
MANY new communication opportunities have arisen in recent
times. One of them is social media. Social media is a method
of electronic communication. It serves as a means of social
communication through which a person builds a community on the
Internet, through which they can exchange information, ideas and
personal messages, etc. with each other. Some of the prominent social
media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Facebook is a popular social media platform. It was launched in the
United States in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg (b. 1984) along with his
friends. Initially, the aim was to provide an opportunity for faculty and
students from the university and the school to interact with each other.
It was opened to the public in 2006.
Facebook is, in fact, a study club. On Facebook, a person can establish
a relationship with another person as a friend. He can discuss and
receive notifications of other people’s activities. In addition to these, he
can join a group based on his preferences and interests, which include
individuals from school, workplace, and other fields. It is like a great platform to avail the intellect and experiences
of others. Without doubt, it is a resource that
can be used to great advantage. Nowadays,
Facebook is being used extensively as it is
virtually free.
However, people who do not have a fine taste
use it more for destructive purposes than for
constructive purposes. They use it to spread
complaints and baseless or unverified news.
Thus, it has become practically useless for
them.
For that matter, everything in this world could
be used to develop oneself positively or can
be used to spread negativity. One should
make responsible choices as these choices will decide whether one will
succeed or fail in life.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Follow Maulana at http://www.speakingtree.in (The Times of India)
FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Prof. Farida Khanam is an author, editor, translator, public speaker and former
professor of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Among her books are
‘A Simple Guide to Sufism’ and ‘A Study of World’s Major Religions’. She has translated
into English many books authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Currently the
chairperson of CPS International, she is a regular contributor of articles to various
publications. Prof. Khanam has edited Maulana’s English translation of the Quran
and has also translated his Urdu commentary of the Quran into English. She can be
reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
THE BEAUTIFUL NAMES OF GOD
EVER since the pandemic has happened, quite a few acquaintances
have called me to find out which name of God should they recite
often to protect themselves from Coronavirus. This led me to
think about the prevalent culture of chanting the names of God or
verses from the Quran as solutions to problems. I present here the
spirit behind calling upon God by His names.
Calling upon God is a great form of worship. According to a Hadith
(record of the sayings and deeds of the Prophet), calling upon God or
supplication is the kernel of worship. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi)
It is an act of very personal nature. Everyone has to pray for themselves,
just as everyone has to perform their own worship. According to
chapter Prostration of the Quran, this is one of the virtues of a believer:
they forsake their beds calling upon their Lord in fear and hope. (
The general concept regarding the names of God is that they are some
mysterious words. It is believed that some miraculous effect is hidden
in these words and our task is only to remember and recite them
repeatedly. And then mysteriously we will receive miraculous benefits.
This is what people think of divine names.
This is not the right understanding. The names of God are in no way
mysterious words. They represent a known and meaningful reality. It is
a blessing which can be fully explained rationally.
God’s names, known as Asma-e-Husna in Arabic, are the known doors
of God’s mercy. These doors have been opened, as we learn from the Quran, so that man may discover them and passing through them may
reach the mercy of God in this world. Asma-e-Husna are like the gates
of the divine mercy. They are the means of connecting us to God. They
are a God-given key to God-realization which awaken our hearts and
minds and take us from darkness to light.
It is very important to understand the spirit behind calling out to God
with His names. It is a fact that a human being is a truth-seeking being
by nature. Very soon there awakens within him a feeling that some
superior being must exist who will grant him the light of guidance. At
that moment he calls out, “O God of guidance, grant me guidance by
Your special mercy.”
In this present world, man repeatedly faces
such situations in which he feels himself
helpless. At that time, under the influence
of his latent feelings, he wants to call upon
a superior being. Then of the best names he
finds a divine name of the Superior Being
such as relates to that particular situation in
which he finds himself and with that in mind,
he calls out, “O God, You alone are my helper,
help me in all ways possible.”
Take another situation where one fears some
danger, then one may call upon God in these
words: Al Wali, which means a protecting
friend. Thus, a person would call out thus:
“O Protecting Friend, protect me from what I
fear.”
One should discover
the attributes of God
and call upon Him
with the attribute.
Such calling will instil
the faith and trust
in the person calling
out to God that God
is all powerful and
the owner of the
attribute which he is
in need of.
One should discover the attributes of God and call upon Him with the
attribute which will invoke God’s mercy for the situation he is in. Such
calling will instil the faith and trust in the person calling out to God that
God is all powerful and the owner of the attribute which he is in need
of. It is not about chanting, it is about understanding and discovering
the attribute and beseeching God to help us in a particular situation.
Prof. Farida Khanam
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THE EXPLANATION OF MEANINGFULNESS OF THE UNIVERSE
Belief in God-ordained Universe
AMONG many aspects of the debate over the existence of God,
one relates to the meaningfulness of the universe. Belief in God
is not only the explanation of the existence of the universe,
but belief in God also makes the universe completely meaningful.
Disbelief in God means that this universe will have a meaningless end,
while believing in God means that the universe will eventually reach a
meaningful end.
The concept of justice and injustice is innate in man. Man is born with
a desire to be rewarded for living his life according to the principles of
justice, and to be punished for adopting the method of injustice. This
natural urge can find fulfillment if we believe that the universe has been
created by God. There is no answer to the fulfillment of this natural
requirement in the theory that denies the Creator of the universe.
Every human being is born with an ocean of desires within him. In
today’s world, fulfillment of these desires is not possible. In the theory
of ‘universe without God’, man is destined to have a tragic end and his
natural desires will never be fulfilled. But in the theory of ‘universe with
God’, there is a possibility that man will find the perfect satisfaction of
his desires in the post-death stage of life.
The Consciousness of Time
The study of human psychology shows that man is a time-conscious
creature. His sense of time is divided into the present and the future.
However, it is a fact that every man gets to live only in the present.
Every man, without exception, dies in despair of an unfulfilled future.
He utilizes his present for a better future, but in his limited lifespan, he
fails to achieve the better future and leaves this world in despair.
An Internet search to find out the names of great people who became
depressed in their last years and died in a state of depression leads to
quite a lengthy list. One can go to the search engine and see this list
under the title ‘Risk factor Depression’. Thus, man’s natural urge can be
fulfilled in the theory of universe with God, but there is no answer to
this question in the theory of universe without God.
The Principle of Pairs
A study of the universe reveals that everything here has been created in
pairs—pair of negative electric particles with positive electric particles,
male and female in the fruit of the tree, male and female in the animals,
and man and woman in humans. This is a universal law. Everything
here complements itself with its partner.
In this sense, human life must have a pair, that is, a perfect life after
death must be the pair of an imperfect life before death. Human life
has its complementary pair in the theory of the universe with God. In
the theory of universe without God, this complementary element does
not exist.
The Failure of Idealism
All philosophers and thinkers have considered
the present world to be eternal. Their idea
was that in this present world, they would
one day create the world they cherish. The
concepts of Ideal Society, Ideal State, and
Ideal System were born from this idealism. All
such thinkers remained enamoured by these
concepts till their very end.
For people, the culmination of civilization
was realization of this human dream. After
the industrial feats, people thought that they
would finally reach the destination where
they could build their paradise in this present
world. However, this idea proved to be
completely false.
In the theory of the
universe without
God, man is destined
that his natural
desires will never
be fulfilled, but in
the theory of the
universe with God,
man could find the
perfect satisfaction
of his desires in the
post-death stage of
life.
End of the World
After studying the laws of nature, the founder of modern science,
Sir Isaac Newton (d. 1727) predicted in 1704 that the present world
would end in 2060. (The Times of India, June 18, 2007) Based upon pure
observations, scientist all over the world are now stating that as a result
of global warming, the end of the world has become certain. Further
evolution of civilization is not possible here at all.
Alvin Toffler’s book, Future Shock, was first published in 1970. Alvin
Toffler had predicted that the world is moving from an industrial to
a super-industrial age. The next era of civilization will be the era of
complete automation. The push-button culture will progress to the point that everything will start happening automatically. But the
problem of global warming arrived with the message of end of history,
instead of culmination of history.
This predicament of human history is
undoubtedly the biggest question of today.
A satisfactory explanation can be found only
in the theory of universe with God. From the
point of view of ‘universe without God’, a
satisfactory explanation for this question is
entirely impossible.
The certain
annihilation of
the world human
inhabits today is
undoubtedly the
biggest question of
today. A satisfactory
explanation can
be found only in
the theory of the
universe with God.
Such examples clearly prove that there
is a great void in the theory of universe
without God. If this theory is followed, a
very meaningful universe seems to end in an
extremely meaningless end.
The theory of universe with God is completely
devoid of this flaw. Believing in this theory means a meaningful
culmination of the meaningful universe. This fact is a strong proof for
the theory of universe with God; it completely satisfies demands of
both reason as well as logic.
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.
POLITICAL INTERPRETATION OF ISLAM
LIFE is a collection of various parts or aspects. These are separate
from each other but yet are interlinked. They can also be ranked
or placed at different levels. Because of this feature there is a
chance of different explanation and description depending on a person’s
perspective. For instance, some thinkers have given an economical
interpretation of history. This is because in their understanding of life,
the economic factor dominates everything else. On the same lines some
Muslim scholars have projected Islam in such a way that every aspect
of it seemed to acquire a political hue, thereby creating an impression
that the goal of Islam is to establish political power. This is far from the
truth.
Political power is a
test paper from God.
Political power is
given to someone to
see how he behaves
after gaining power.
The religion of Islam has various parts or
aspects or dimensions and there are different
ways of explaining and describing them.
Highlighting only one aspect is erroneous.
For instance, if someone were to say that the
main goal of a student who is admitted to a
prestigious university is to get elected for an
administrative post in the student committee
will be sneered at and not a single person will
accept this as the goal of a student. These
activities are just one aspect of one’s term in the college and only few
will have this opportunity. But every student will have the opportunity to study and learn and they will benefit from other activities even if
they are not directly involved in them.
According to the Quran, granting of political power is a matter of putting
man to the test, just as wealth is a means of testing a person. Wealth
and riches are tests for human beings, which is why wealth keeps
changing hands, because God has to test every human being. If wealth
is permanently given to a single individual or group, then other people
cannot be tested. Putting wealth in someone’s possession permanently
is contrary to God’s creation plan.
Same is true of political power. Political power is also a test paper.
Political power is given to someone to see how he behaves after gaining
power. Precisely for this reason, political power does not rest in the
hands of one individual or a group, but rather
it keeps circulating among different people.
This principle is explained in these words in
the Quran: ‘We bring these days to men by
turns.’ (
The Prophet’s life
abounds with such
examples that
unequivocally show
what his mission was.
The Prophet would go
to any length in order
to make people hear
God’s message.
The study of the Quran shows that the real
purpose of the Prophet’s mission was to
prepare people of such lofty and noble
character who would be considered worthy
of being settled in the eternal Paradise of
the Hereafter. The purpose of the teaching
of the prophets was not to create a world for
people in this world, where they could have
a ‘paradise’ to live in before the Hereafter and the Day of Accounting.
This political dominance, according to the Quran, is granted only by
God. He bestows it upon whoever He wishes, and withholds it from
whoever He wishes. 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.’(
The Mission of the Prophet of Islam
It is narrated in the books of Hadith (sayings and deeds of the Prophet)
that one day, while the angel Gabriel was sitting next to the Prophet of
God, another angel presented himself before the Prophet. He informed
the Prophet that he had come at the behest of God. God had sent him
to ask the Prophet a question. The question was whether the Prophet desired to become a Prophet king or a humble servant and a prophet of
God Almighty. The Prophet immediately replied: I want to be a humble
servant and a prophet.
This Hadith shows the mission of the Prophet. Taking a clue from the
timely guidance of the angel Gabriel, the Prophet Muhammad chose
a life of service to God and calling people to God over political rule
and leadership. This aspect seems to be the most prominent in his life.
Reading his biography also shows that the mission of the Prophet was
dawah (calling people to God).
On another occasion, the people of Quraysh threatened the Prophet’s
uncle Abu Talib of dire consequences if the Prophet did not stop his
mission of calling people to God. Abu Talib called his nephew and said,
“O my nephew! The people of your tribe came to me and said such
and such things. Now have mercy on me and on yourself. And do not
burden me in this matter beyond my means.”
On hearing this, the Prophet thought that
now his uncle would also desert him. He
feared that his uncle would withdraw his
support, and that his uncle had become
too overburdened trying to support him. It
was a critical moment. Despite the fear and
apprehensions, the Prophet replied with
full conviction, “Uncle! By God! Even if these
people place the sun in my right hand and
the moon in my left hand, I cannot stop this
mission until God makes this religion prevail,
or I will perish in this way.” After that his eyes
moistened, and he cried.
In perceiving and
understanding
something and
forming an opinion
about it, our
perspectives play
a very important
role. When we read
something, we
never read it as it is.
Rather, we read it
through the prism of
our perspective.
The Prophet’s life abounds with such
examples that unequivocally show what his
mission was. The Prophet would go to any length in order to make
people hear God’s message.
After giving adequate proofs and logic for something, one can never be
sure that it will be accepted as valid. Something that appears white to
everyone else may appear as black to someone, and no matter what
proofs you provide, one may refuse to budge from their position. It
happens because in perceiving and understanding something and
forming an opinion about it, our perspectives play a very important
role. When we read something, we never read it as it is. Rather, we read it through the prism of our perspective. This is why two people who
have very different mentalities or mindsets do not see the same thing
in an identical way or form the same opinion about it.
Keeping the above in mind, it is pertinent to know the result which
has ensued from the erroneous political interpretation of Islam. Those
who consider this as the goal of Islam divide the people as ‘the rulers
and the ruled’. This fosters a very different attitude as compared to
those who consider the goal of Islam as preparing an individual to be a
spiritual person, a person eligible for God’s Paradise.
For the spiritually-oriented, the world is a place to work towards helping
oneself and others develop spirituality, which means conveying the
message of God peacefully. This attitude inculcates in a person good
character, gives him a peaceful mission of being a true well-wisher for
others, makes him tolerant and patient in the
face of provocation and when others do not
reciprocate in a positive way. Such spiritually inclined people have neither any economic
interests behind their well-wishing nor any
personal agendas behind their mission of
peace and spirituality.
Wisdom demands
that people should
compare the results
of looking at the
Islamic teachings as
it is given by God and
His prophets, and
at the results of the
teachings presented
through the prism of
their own perspective
or mindset.
The other mindset of looking at the world as a
political arena and seeking the establishment
of one’s political power fosters a character
that treats everyone as one’s rival. In such
cases, self-interest will dominate behind
every plan and dealing with others. This
mindset further creates a complaint culture
against the government leading to protests,
demonstrations and riots. This leads to
mayhem in the society. Lack of trust, accusations, false propaganda,
and fake news further add fuel to the fire.
Wisdom demands that people compare the result of following Islamic
teachings as laid down by God and His prophets, and the result of
following the ideas presented through the prism of a person’s own
mindset. Those who take the latter as their guide must think for
themselves about the futile actions they are engaged in since past
several years.
To truly comprehend anything and to form a correct opinion about
it, one needs a proper mindset. If that is absent, then, no matter how
obvious a thing may be, one will fail to understand it properly.
ISLAMIC LITERATURE AN ANALYSIS
Finding the Cause of Muslims' Deviation
ISLAM is a religion whose original text is completely preserved. This
text (Quran and Sunnah) is the only source to know the teachings
of Islam. Islam possesses historical authenticity. In the subsequent
generations after the advent of Islam, thousands of books were
produced in the Arabic language as interpretation of the Islamic texts.
Gradually, the corpus of these books, consciously or unconsciously,
assumed the status of original source of Islam. Now these are the books
being taught in madrasas (religious seminaries), academic institutions
and are found on library shelves. These are the most talked about
books everywhere to the extent that the Quran and Sunnah (model set
by the Prophet) have been practically relegated to a secondary place.
The literature produced after them has assumed, unannounced, the
status of primary reference.
Present-day Muslims do not take ideological guidance from the
revealed religion. They have effectively adopted the explanations of
Muslim scholars as their source of guidance. The current situation of
Muslims is a confirmation of the saying of the Prophet of Islam: “One
of the signs of the coming of Doomsday is that evil people will be
exalted, virtuous people will be degraded, and there will be prevalence
of muthannath among people, and there would be no one to counter
it.” The Prophet was asked, “What is muthannath?” He answered, “All
the books with the exception of God’s Book.” (Hadith al-Mustadrak ala
al-Sahihain)
In this Hadith, the state of decline of the Muslim community has been
described. When a nation suffers decline, its condition follows the
pattern of other nations that have already suffered degeneration. The
community, as a whole, only follows external forms. These people
fail to see deeper meaning and realities, but they are sure to observe
superficialities. Due to this distorted temperament, worldly-oriented
people take centre-stage among them, and people whose orientation
and thinking are towards the Hereafter fail to command attention. Those
who feed this distorted public taste stand out and gain popularity, and
those who, due to their seriousness, do not make allowance for the
popular temperament, lose their popularity.
At this time, such people emerge who, although spiritually void, are
elevated to positions of glory through their magnificent religious garb.
Their eloquent words, artificial style and fiery rhetoric appeal to the masses. Such people, in fact, are ‘mischievous’, but due to the distorted
taste of the public, receive the status of ‘pious people’. These are the
people whose speeches and writings are alluded to as muthannath in
the above Hadith.
The books except the Book of God which are mentioned in the Hadith
under discussion are not the books in common use. These books were
written in the later period of Muslim history to serve as commentary
on and explanation of the religion of God. In other words, these books
were produced in the period after ‘the one that has been unanimously
agreed upon as the best period’.
The books written in later times can be of two types—one that offers
true explanation of the Book of God after a thorough and deep reading
of the Book; second that are written by making allowances for the
distorted tastes of people in their phase of degeneration. The books
that are referred to as muthannath belong to this second category. In
the later period of Muslim history, this literature was produced when
Muslims had ceased to exist as an ideological group. Therefore, one
common flaw of their literature is that it depicts community-based
mindset of the Muslims, not the true principles of Islam.
In later times, Muslims began to ignore
their duty of conveying God’s message to
others and started treating them as political
subjects. It resulted into omission of the
chapter on dawah or ‘calling people to God’
in the literature that was produced in those
times.
Present-day
Muslims do not take
ideological guidance
from the
revealed religion.
They have effectively
adopted the
explanations of
Muslim scholars
as their source of
guidance.
When Muslims established a political empire,
a general political mindset developed among
them. The idea of fighting (war) in the name
of jihad became predominant among Muslims
as a result of this political mindset. Armed
warfare became a part of religious belief for
them, whereas it was adopted under the law
of necessity in the time of the Prophet of Islam.
The political domination that Muslims enjoyed in the later period
produced a psychology of pride in them. They began considering
themselves superior to others. This mentality caused them to use
the terminologies of Dar ul-Islam (Abode of Islam) for the land they
ruled, and Dar ul-Kufr (Abode of Disbelief) for the land ruled by other
religious communities, though according to the Quran the whole world was equally Dar ul-Insan (Abode of Humankind). The definitions of
Dar ul-Islam and Dar ul-Kufr constitute an innovation devised in later
times. This attitude led Islam to be looked upon as only a collection of
commandments and statutes.
Study of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) gained the pride of place among
Muslim scholars, and the study of Quran and Sunnah (model set by
the Prophet) was done in the light of fiqh. In the age of decline and
degeneration, the importance of the religious spirit is forgotten, and
emphasis is laid on the externals or the form of religion. The result of
this difference is that all academic discussions and debates on religion
centre on technical and legal aspects. It paves the way for greater evil—
emergence of many religious sects. As a result, a unified community is
broken into a community of various different sects.
Events show that the Muslim community was
beset by all these evils in the later period. The
underlying cause of these evils is muthannath
as mentioned in the above Hadith, which is
the literature that was produced when the
community was in its age of decline. The
ideological problems facing present Muslims
emanate directly from this situation.
When Muslims
established a
political empire,
a general political
mindset developed
among them. The
idea of fighting (war)
in the name of jihad
became predominant
among Muslims as a
result of this political
mindset.
Now there is only one solution to this
problem: the books that Muslims themselves
have produced in Arabic language after the
period which is unanimously agreed upon as
the best in Muslim history should be accorded
the status of classical literature. This is the
time to study the Quran and Sunnah with an
open mind, and then such literature should be prepared which would
address the modern mind. The literature produced in later times would
always enjoy its historical status, but so far as the source of religion is
concerned, it will always be the Quran and Sunnah.
An educated Muslim once said: ‘The Quran should be re-revealed today.’
This is a wrong statement. What is really required is an explanation of
the Quran in contemporary idiom. The teachings of the Quran have to
be reapplied in the present circumstances.
In order to address the modern mind, new explanatory literature
is required that would take into account the modern conditions. All
the teachings of the Quran are eternal, but the style and idiom of
its various passages take into account the people to whom it was revealed in seventh century Arabia. The idiom used to express an
idea undergoes changes in every age. Now it is required to explain the
eternal teachings of the Quran in a contemporary idiom so that they
become comprehensible for today’s people and situations.
Today, the dawah mission of Islam needs an
explanatory literature which is according to
the spirit of the age. Only such a literature
can address the modern mind and restore
people’s confidence in Islam as a religion that
possesses reliable guidance for the present
day just as people in ancient times were able
to find guidance from it.
In order to address
the modern mind,
new explanatory
literature is required
that would take into
account the modern
conditions. Now it is
required to explain
the eternal teachings
of the Quran in a
contemporary idiom
so that it becomes
comprehensible for
today’s people and
situations.
The explanatory literature that is required
for Islam in modern times needs to have
these features: the first being that for its
arguments, it should be reason-based. The
traditional style is not useful today. The
second feature is that it should have universal
approach. The old-fashioned sectarian
approach is not acceptable to people today.
The third feature is that this literature should
be completely peaceful. Any literature that
directly or indirectly advocates an ideology
of violence cannot be acceptable to presentday societies. An enviable position will be granted in the Hereafter to
that group who performs the duty of calling people to God in the 21st
century in accordance with these requirements. CPS International,
founded by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, has been working for the past
two decades to fulfill this pressing need.
HOMESCHOOLING
A Hub of Intellectual Activities
THERE is a story of a family from Hyderabad. It was a religious
family in the traditional sense. However, it was not religion that
was the topic of discussion in their home. All of their discussions
centred around complaints, as is the case in most homes. It was then
that the head of the family was advised by a senior religious cleric to
immediately get rid of the complaining mindset, and make his home
a homeschool. Homeschooling is the practice of educating children at
home. He was advised to learn English along with his wife and children,
and read books on positive thinking with them.
They assiduously followed what they were
told to do. A few days later, he described his
situation over the phone. He said everyone’s
life in his house had become meaningful.
Everyone in the family, parents as well as
children, was beginning to understand
their role. This was not the case before. An
experience in this regard was that he wanted
to read an Urdu book in English, and so he
asked his children to translate it. The subject
of the book was the creation plan of God.
The children translated the book with total
devotion and earnestness. This is how the
father got the English translation, and the kids
learned God’s creation plan. His wife said that
she had not come across any home where children understood their
role. She also said that parents always complain that their children do
not listen to them. But with this new beginning, there is a new trend
that helped children to understand their positive role.
The atmosphere
of home should be
free of negative
talk. Instead, topics
related to positive
thinking and Godrealization should be
discussed. Children
should be taught
about the role they
play in a household.
Now the atmosphere of negative talk and complaining in their house has
become a thing of the past. Instead, topics related to positive thinking
and God-realization are being discussed. Thus, the atmosphere of the
home has changed completely. The children have adjusted to the new
environment. In this way their knowledge has increased, and they have
developed constructive and positive thinking. This example exemplifies
an extension of this verse of the Quran:
“Set aside for your people some houses in the city and turn them into
places of worship, and be constant in prayer!” (
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MESSENGER OF GOD
Never Losing Sight of Inner Spirit
A VERSE from the Quran concerning the relationship with the
Prophet of Islam is as follows: Say, ‘If you love God, follow me
and God will love you and forgive you your sins. God is most
forgiving, and most merciful.’ (
In this verse of the Quran, following the Prophet means making the
Prophet one’s guide. This verse shows that whoever wants to follow
the path of God, it is necessary for him to seek guidance for himself
from the exemplary model of the Prophet. The traveller on the path of
God-realization cannot afford to remain aloof from the guidance of His
Messenger.
The case of the Prophet, on one hand, is that
he was a seeker of God. Then God guided him
to His way. He showed the Prophet through
revelation what the authentic way to follow
the path of God is. This example of the
Prophet has been recorded in various books
of Hadith (compilation of the sayings and
deeds of the Prophet). This model is the only
authentic guide for the seeker on the path of
God-realization till the Day of Judgement.
Following the Prophet
is as much required
in the present age
as it was required
in the previous
times. It is necessary
to discover the
reapplication of the
model of the Prophet
according to the new
circumstances so
that one can follow
the Messenger with
true spirit.
A human being learns divine wisdom through
study of Hadith and Sunnah (model set by
the Prophet). When a person practises this
wisdom, he becomes deserving of God’s
mercy. He begins to receive God’s help at every
stage. He walks on the path of God without
straying until he reaches the final destination,
which is another name for Paradise.
Following the footsteps of the Prophet is as much required in the
present age as it was required in the previous times. However, it is
necessary for the follower of the Prophet to discover the reapplication
of the model of the Prophet according to his changed circumstances so
that he can follow the Messenger with true spirit. It is not difficult for a
sincere seeker to rediscover this kind of reapplication.
FAULTFINDING EULOGIZING
Reviving a Community
MUSLIM writers and speakers today know only of two cultures:
fault-finding or slandering and eulogizing. They have a knack
for extolling and eulogizing their great leaders, whether they
are alive or dead; and then for others all they have is slandering or faultfinding. This culture is so common among Muslims today that there is
hardly any exception. However, neither their eulogies nor slandering is
based on any solid arguments. They know only the language of praise
for those whom they consider their own, and the language of criticism
for those whom they don’t consider their own.
This phenomenon is a manifestation of the
decline of a community. When a community
is in its heyday, it tests a person on the
basis of merit. It forms a non-partisan and
unprejudiced opinion about everyone on the
basis of merit, whether one is from its own
circle or someone outside its circle. But when a
community reaches a state of decline, then its
condition is such that it divides human beings
into its own and others. The community has
only good words about its own people, and
critical words about others.
Those who plan a
group-based political
or social revolution
in a degenerate
community are
utterly ignorant of
the laws of nature.
Such reformers
themselves need
reform. They are
unfit to become
reformers of the
community.
When it becomes customary in any community
to judge human beings on merit, it should be
understood to be alive and thriving, and when
the writers and speakers of a community
begin to speak the language of verbal praise and verbal slander, that
community should be considered to be declining and stagnant. When
this state of decline sets in, there is only one thing left to do: individual based reform. When the community is alive, group-based reform can
be useful, but when the community is in its state of degeneration, one
should look for individuals and focus on reforming individuals. There
is no other way to get positive results. Those who plan a group-based
political or social revolution in a degenerate community are, of course,
utterly ignorant of the laws of nature. Such reformers themselves need
reform. They are unfit to become reformers of the community.
EDUCATION ANCIENT AND MODERN
A Paradigm Shift
IN ancient times, it was a norm to acquire knowledge for the sake of
knowledge. In ancient times, the relationship between knowledge
and education was less about earning livelihood, and more about
life. In ancient agrarian society, earning livelihood was more through
physical labour, and less through mental labour. This situation linked
knowledge to knowledge itself rather than to livelihood. However, in
modern times the situation has changed.
In ancient times, education was not about preparing oneself, but the
main purpose of education in modern times is to prepare oneself for
the demands of the times, so that man can continue his journey in the
race of progress. In ancient times, education was practically a static
discipline. Nowadays, education is a creative activity. In ancient times,
education was confined to a limited number of people. In ancient
times, the scope of education was limited to society and tribe, that is,
to maintain the tradition of one’s own society or tribe. In modern times,
education has become relevant to all walks of life. In ancient times,
education did not aim at discovering new things, so that they could
be used in the evolution of civilization. Education is a revolutionary
process today.
In modern times, the impact of education has spread all over the
world. The purpose of modern education is to develop the capacity of
science and technology in man, to make him creatively active, so that
he can impart something to the world. In ancient times, education was
based on speculation, in which social values and manners were passed
on to children through fictional stories. The modern age is the age of
education based on scientific experiments. Instead of these fictional
stories and examples, the emphasis is on education based on real
events and experiences.
The importance of knowledge and education has become fundamental
for the development of any field in the present age. The reason for this
importance of education is the advancement of science and technology
in the present times. The development of technology has completely
changed the old traditional era. In ancient times, for example, mules,
horses and camels were naturally present in large numbers in the
forest. Man would catch them and use them for riding and carrying
loads. But today rides means machine rides, and machine rides cannot
be made without knowledge, nor can they be used without it.
In modern times, as a result of scientific research all branches of
knowledge have been rewritten. For example, in ancient times it was
thought that the stars in the sky were as big as they appeared with
the naked eye. But in recent times, far-reaching studies have shown
that the stars in the sky are much larger, and they are more numerous
than they appear. In this way, a lot of information has been obtained in
present times. Knowledge is required to know the world in the light of
this new information. Today, the ignorant man is not just an illiterate
man, but he is also ignorant of the real world.
The purpose of
education should be
to equip man with
the need of the hour;
to enable man to
build life according
to today's conditions.
Being aware of the
changing times is
also important to
understand religion
in terms of changing
times.
Education needs to be updated in the present
times, namely to adapt the knowledge
according to the demands of the times. The
purpose of education should be to equip man
with the need of the hour; to enable man
to build life according to today’s conditions.
Being aware of the changing times is also
important not only for the ordinary affairs of
life but also to understand religion in terms of
changing times. This fact has been narrated
in a Hadith. It was narrated by the Companion
of the Prophet Abu Dhar al-Ghafari in the
following words: It is necessary for the
believer to be aware of his time.
SUBMISSION TO GOD
Islamic Perspective
EVERYTHING in the universe submits itself to the will of God.
Therefore, submission to God is the true religion for both man
and the universe. Everything or being in the universe, including
man, must strictly obey the commands of God without any deviation
or alteration.
Indeed, the central characteristic of all followers of the Islamic faith is
their belief in the one God. The word Islam literally means ‘surrender’
or ‘submission’ and those who follow the religion of Islam are called
Muslims. A Muslim then is one who surrenders or submits completely
to the Will of God. Submission to God, however, is not a passive but a
positive act of bringing one’s likes and dislikes, attitudes and behaviour
into harmony with God’s Will. Correct belief and action together are
absolutely vital. One is worthless without the other. Furthermore, a
true Muslim believes that submission and obedience to the Will of God
is the only way in which an individual can ever
achieve real peace of mind. The knowledge
he needs to have of the Will of God must
inevitably be derived from the Quran, the last
of the divine books revealed by God to His
Final Prophet Muhammad.
The fear of
accountability to
God is the secret of
all good. A believer
should bear in mind
that one day he will
die and shall have to
give an account of
himself to God.
Following Islam also means living in harmony
with nature. And this in turn means that at
all times man must unfailingly do as God
desires. Moreover, he should lead his life
acknowledging the greatness of his Creator
and showing appreciation of His favours.
He should focus all his attention on God alone, who is the Creator
of everything on this Earth and in the universe. He should entirely
subordinate his intention and thinking to the Will of God.
Doing as God enjoins creates harmony, earns God’s favour and banishes
evil. It follows, therefore, that a society of those individuals who follow
the teachings of the Quran and the teachings of God’s last Messenger
will be free of social ills. The fear of accountability to God is the secret
of all good. A believer should bear in mind that one day he will die and
shall have to give an account of himself to God. There can be no better
rein upon an individual’s actions than the thought that God will one day
call upon him to give an account of his deeds.
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
CALLING UPON GOD WITH HIS GREATEST NAME
THE following teaching of the Prophet calls for an understanding
of what is meant by calling upon God with His greatest name,
which in Arabic is referred to as Ism-e-Azam. One of the
Companions of the Prophet reported that once the Prophet of Islam
heard someone saying: “O God, I beseech You. All praise is for You. You
are the object of worship, You have no partner. You have done great
favours to man. You have created the Earth and the heavens without
any model. Greatness and honour are Yours.” On hearing this, the
Prophet of Islam said: “You have called God with Ism-e-Azam. When He
is called out in this way, He will certainly answer your call; and when He
is asked for anything in this way, He grants it.” (Musnad Ahmad)
Generally, people think Ism-e-Azam refers to a special name of God’s.
From the above Hadith we can understand that it is not one particular
name. There are many names of God which reflect various divine
attributes. This shows that Ism-e-Azam cannot be a particular name. Had
it been a specific name, the above prayer of the Prophet’s Companion
would have also referred to that name. But there are several names
of God in this prayer. In spite of this clear indication, considering Ism-e-Azam to be a particular name of God, and
making every effort to find that name, is
without doubt a futile exercise.
Ism-e-Azam is not
just one great name,
but is rather a great
state or feeling. Isme-Azam relates in fact
to spiritual or divine
feelings. Calling upon
God with such words
as are full of feelings
is calling upon God
with Ism-e-Azam.
The truth is that Ism-e-Azam is not just one
great name, but is rather a great state or
feeling. In the above prayer the Companion
did not repeat some words by rote, but rather
in a great state of emotion, some particular
words fell from his lips, and this is what is
meant by calling upon God with Ism-e-Azam.
Ism-e-Azam relates in fact to spiritual or divine
feelings. Calling upon God with such words
as are full of feelings is calling upon God with
Ism-e-Azam.
THE HISTORY OF KNOWLEDGE
A Pointer to World’s End
IT is generally regarded that the early phase of philosophy began
in ancient Greece. Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato
(4th century BC) believed that matter was eternal, that is, matter
has always existed and will remain so forever. Later, many great
minds were born who achieved high renown in the field of philosophy.
However, all of them regarded matter to be eternal in one form or
another. But by the time scientific progress reached the first half of the
20th century this material concept of matter lost favour. New scientific
developments could best be described in the words of the English
physicist and astronomer, Sir James Jeans (1877-1946) as, “the stream
of knowledge is heading towards a non-mechanical reality; the universe
begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine.”
(The Mysterious Universe)
Under the material interpretation, the doctrine was developed that held
there was no need to believe in the existence of an all-powerful creator
like that of God. The existence of God that was hitherto accepted as
an intellectual or theoretical need was redundant. This need was now
being fulfilled by the eternity of matter itself. This implied that matter
had created itself and the existence of everything else was the result of
the physical and chemical activities of matter.
In the first quarter of the twentieth century, the Big Bang theory was
formulated and its development over the following years has made it
the currently accepted model of how the universe began. According to
this theory, the universe as we know it today began from an extremely
dense, small and hot point of energy some 13.8 billion years ago.
Matter, space and time all began when that point―a primeval superatom―suddenly expanded violently and exponentially in an event
known as the Big Bang inflating to the cosmos that we know today.
The Big Bang put an end to the ancient material interpretation of the
universe. Now, from a purely academic or scientific point of view, it
became possible to believe that there is a Creator of this universe
and it is He who is controlling it and it is He who is responsible for its
exceptionally purposeful functioning.
Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) is regarded as the founder of modern
science. In the years after Newton, there have been many discoveries
in science that have both vindicated and rejected his work. One of these
is the second law of thermodynamics also known as the law of entropy.
Entropy is a measure of disorder in the universe and according to the
law of entropy, the net entropy of any system will always increase with
time. According to this law, it is not possible that the universe could
have existed without a beginning and that the universe is not endless
but is heading towards a collapse. The universe had a beginning in the
Big Bang and it has a limited age, after the completion of which it will
come to an end.The law of entropy proves that there is
a continuous natural flow of heat from
warmer to colder bodies, and that this flow
cannot be reversed without the addition of
a power source. Energy is the ability to do
work and entropy is a measure of energy
that is unavailable to do work. As entropy
in the universe continues to increase, heat
will continue to spread until the system has
reached maximum equilibrium. The universe
is headed for a time when the temperature
will be universally uniform and there will be
no more useful energy. This will be the heat
death of the universe. There will be no more physical and chemical
processes and life itself will cease to exist.
Under the material
interpretation of the
universe, the doctrine
was developed that
held there was no
need to believe in the
existence of an allpowerful creator like
that of God.
For the last several thousand years, philosophers, thinkers and
scientists have dreamed of bringing into existence a technologically
advanced heavenly civilization. But, by the beginning of the 21st century
the situation had changed radically, and this dream was shattered.
According to the latest developments in the world, there is no further
possibility of a realization of this dream.
Over thousands of years man had dreamed of building a better life
for himself in this world. It is this human desire which resulted in the
civilization we now live in. The journey of civilization began with the
discovery of the wheel. After a long process, civilization made rapid
progress following the industrial revolution and man was able to travel
with great speed over land and sea and then out into space.
Alvin Toffler published his book Future Shock in 1970. In this book the
writer argues that human civilization was undergoing an enormous
structural revolution going from an industrial society to a superindustrial society. This would be the final stage of man’s civilizational
journey where all of man’s material dreams would be fulfilled. Here,
man would find all the material comforts he desired. However, very soon the phenomenon of global warning emerged and this dream of a
near perfect civilization came to an end.
All the material progress of civilization came about through industrial
and technological developments following scientific discoveries. This
progress was possible through mechanization. Earlier man’s life was
based on the produce of nature. The industry
of nature bestowed man with its products
without creating any problems. But the human
technological industry required a continuous
supply of fuel to keep its machines turning
resulting in the new problem of carbon
emission. In the beginning this problem did
not appear to be serious, however, with the
advent of the 21st century it has assumed
extremely serious proportions.
The industry of
nature bestowed
man with its products
without creating any
problems. But the
human technological
industry required a
continuous supply
of fuel to keep its
machines turning
resulting in the new
problem of carbon
emission.
In ancient times, man would travel on horses
and camels provided by nature. These
horses and camels did not create any issues
for man. They were the products of the
pollution-free industry of nature. In contrast,
the cars and aeroplanes of modern times
have been manufactured in the factories of
human civilization. These factories unavoidably generate atmospheric
pollution as a by-product. This continuing pollution has now increased
to dangerous levels from where a return to normalcy is not possible.
Now, the next stage of history for humankind is only one; that is,
moving on from this present world onto the next eternal world.
ASKING FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE
Know Your Limitations
ONE day a washerman set out for the riverbank along with his
donkeys. The local residents told him that they would let his
donkeys pass through their area on one condition, i.e. they
should not bray, because they did not like the noise they made.
The washerman replied, “I could have fulfilled your condition if you had
asked me to stop my donkeys from kicking anyone, but it is not in my
power to stop my donkeys from braying.”
This story aptly illustrates the issue of
communal riots. The root cause of most of
the riots that occur in India is that whenever
one community’s procession passes through
a neighbourhood populated by another
community, the latter makes the condition
that the procession must go on its way without
any provocative slogans being raised. But
this is a condition which can seldom be met.
There are always certain participants who
feel compelled to raise provocative slogans
which in turn, incite the other community to
retaliate, generally by stone-throwing. This
starts off a chain reaction of hand-to-hand
fighting and sometimes even shooting. The
result is the kind of large-scale riot, which
brings in its wake death and destruction for
the entire locality.
So far as the spoken
words are concerned,
we must show
patience, for the
damage done by the
spoken word is purely
psychological. But
so far as actions are
concerned, we should
apply restraints, for
actions are largely
aimed at physical
harm.
There is no doubt about it that leading processions through the streets
is a shallow business. It is only shallow people who participate in such
activity. Serious, educated people seldom join in. In other words, a
procession is much the same as a string of donkeys, except that it is
made up of human beings. To demand that such people should refrain
from raising slogans is totally unrealistic. This is because they are
constitutionally incapable of maintaining discreet silence.
The crowd that is gathered in a procession or any such public enterprise
possesses some distinct characteristics. Gustave Le Bon has studied
notable features of crowd in his scholarly work Crowd: Study of the
Popular Mind. He writes: A crowd is not merely impulsive and mobile.
Like a savage, it is not prepared to admit that anything can come
between its desire and the realization of its desire.
We must understand the difference between what is practicable and
what is not. We should learn to demand only what is practicable.
What is the point of demanding something, which has been proven
impracticable?
So far as the spoken words are concerned, we must show patience (
for the damage done by the spoken word is purely psychological. But
so far as actions are concerned, we should apply restraint, for actions
are largely aimed at physical harm. Whenever slogan-raising is likely to
become an issue, we should ask the administration only to ensure that
the participants in a procession do not engage in any violent activities.
If we could but adopt this policy, we would have found a way of putting
an end to communal riots forever. Demand the possible in this world,
and you will meet with success. Why expect the impossible?
THE CHRISTIAN MODEL
A Model worth Emulating
CHAPTER 61 (Ranks―Al-Saff) of the Quran presents to the believers
the Christian example as a model worthy of emulation. This can
be understood with reference to two events from the history of
Christianity.
The first incident took place during the early centuries after Jesus
Christ. In this period, the followers of Christ were subjected to
severe persecution and oppression, but they did not adopt a method
of retaliation. Instead, they followed the teaching of Jesus Christ
elucidated as, “Love thy enemy”. This meant that even when faced with
enmity from others, whilst saving yourself from negativity, continuing
to convey God’s message to people in a unilaterally peaceful manner.
The second Christian model is their response
after the defeat in the Crusades. This was a
change in their field of action, after failure
in the fields of battle. When they found their
efforts in the field of armed Crusades were in
vain, they chose the method of diversion―
redirection to a different course. They
abandoned the fields of battle and diverted
their efforts towards the peaceful fields of
scientific research.
It is quite strange
that the readers of
the Quran did not
follow the advice
given in the Quran.
The readers of the
Quran were required
to adopt the model
of the Christians
as envisioned and
instructed to them in
the Quran.
It is quite strange that the readers of the
Quran did not follow the advice given in
Chapter 61. The readers of the Quran were
required to adopt the model of the Christians
as envisioned and instructed to them in
the Quran. It was this same peaceful model that was adopted by the
Prophet of Islam on the occasion of Hudaybiyah Peace Treaty. But
Muslims as a community remained ignorant of this model and failed
to adopt it. Here are two examples of this failure from Muslim history.
The first example is from the times of colonial rule. During this period
the colonial powers of Europe destroyed the Muslim empires ending
their political domination. Following this, Muslims fell victim to negative
reaction. They harboured feelings of revenge, hatred, and resentment.
Some Muslims even took to violence.
Whereas, according to the Christian model as mentioned in the Quran,
Muslims should have adopted the peaceful method. They should have
abandoned the battlefield of violence and adopted the peaceful field
of dawah (conveying the message of God). They held these colonial
powers as their enemies and engaged in violent confrontation against
them. Instead they should have considered these powers as their madu
(one to whom the divine message is to be conveyed) and peacefully
conveyed the divine message to them. Had they done so, without
doubt the prediction of the Quran with respect to the Christians would
have come true for them as well. “We supported the believers against
their opponents and they triumphed over them.” (
The second model set by the Christians
ensued after the Crusades. After their defeat
in the Crusades, the Christians had devoted
themselves to the peaceful field of scientific
research and for the first time in the world,
the laws of nature were uncovered bringing
modern civilization into existence. As a result,
all of humankind benefited in countless ways.
Modern technology
and communication
have rendered the
propagation of Islam
possible at a global
level. There are
innumerable such
developments that
are totally in favour
of Islam and they
have all been the
products of Western
civilization.
Muslims failed completely in following this
second example also. In the Christian model
related in the Quran, there was a message
for the Muslims that if their efforts in
confronting the Western powers was proving
futile, they should have revised their policy.
It is this revision which is referred to in the
Quran as, “Turning to God in repentance,
every one of you.” (
would require Muslims to turn away from the field of confrontation
and devote themselves completely in constructive activities. However,
Muslims in their extreme hatred for the West failed to comprehend this
constructive thinking.
Had Muslims shed their negativity and developed positive thinking,
they would have discerned that the accomplishments of the Christian
nations were precisely in their favour. The resulting modern civilization
that has come into existence has opened the doors to the service of
religion and dissemination of the divine message of Islam. The Prophet
of Islam had predicted that in times to come, God would make secular
people play a supporting role in favour of His religion. These feats of the
Western Christian nations must be acknowledged as such a supporting function. At this time, Muslims ought to have put a complete end to
their policy of hatred and violence against the West. Then, a fresh
positive mindset would have developed in them and they would have
realized the great supporting work done in their favour by the West.
One aspect of this support has been mentioned in the Quran in these
words: We shall show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves,
until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth. (
in this verse refers to the scientific truths that have come to human
knowledge through efforts of the West. These scientific discoveries are
immensely beneficial to Islam and Islamic dawah in a number of ways.
In some respects, the Islamic revolution that came about in the
seventh century was the beginning of a new process in history. This
process continued through many phases. The revolutions brought
about in Europe following the Renaissance was the culmination of
this historic process. For instance, intellectual openness of thought,
religious freedom, irrelevance of the method of violence, replacement
of monarchy with democracy, the age of the printing press, etc.
These developments, introduced in the world through Western
civilization, were all beneficial to Islam. Through them it became
possible to provide purely rational arguments to prove the veracity
of Islam. Modern technology and communication have rendered the
propagation of Islam possible at a global level. There are innumerable
such developments that are totally in favour of Islam and they have all
been the products of Western civilization.
Conclusion
The history of the Muslim ummah is now in the 21st century. Now, the
time has come for the entire Muslim community to change its mindset
and ‘turn all together towards God in repentance’ as mentioned in
the Quran. They must change their internal approach. This is the only
solution to the problems of the Muslim ummah. There is no other
possible or desirable solution. The circumstances produced over the
last few centuries have resulted in a negative mindset amongst all
the Muslims of the world. As a result, Muslims have forgotten their
position, that they are dayees of God’s religion, while the position of all
other peoples is that of madu.
In reality, the relation between Muslims and others is that of dayee and
madu. But owing to the negative mentality of Muslims, this relationship
turned into one of rivalry and enmity. The most urgent task to be done
today is to improve the relationship between Muslims and others.
A new mindset must be inculcated among Muslims as a group that they
are the dayees and all the others are madus. It is only in this realization
that Muslims will find success both in this world as well as in the
Hereafter.
FAITH AND GUIDANCE
Man’s Permanent Need
A verse from the Quran, chapter Victory, Al-Fath (
He is the One who has sent His Messenger with guidance and
the true religion, so that He may have it prevail over all [other]
religions. God suffices as a witness!
THE style of this verse indicates that the event referred to here is
not some human affair, rather it is an outcome of a definite and
certain decision of God. God has determined that it should be
so. This divine decision is related to the ending of prophethood with
the Prophet Muhammad. Because the message of the Final Prophet
will remain valid till the Day of Judgement, this decision’s purpose and
function too must necessarily remain till the end of time. The verse does
not talk about the mission of the Prophet or of the Muslim community;
it is about a decision of God that is sure to transpire in human history.
The second aspect of this verse refers to God’s guidance―guidance
sent by God through revelation. It is God’s decision that His revealed
guidance should remain fully preserved in every way—in its Arabic text,
its language, its style of writing, its accent, and so on. The Quran was
revealed in the seventh century CE. History testifies that the Quran has
remained fully intact, in every sense, right till today. With the invention
of the printing press and modern means of information storage and
communications, the preservation of the Quran in its pristine form is
now forever assured.
The ‘prevailing of religion’ indicated in the above verse refers to
the triumph of the faith, and not of anything else. It does not refer
to political power or the establishment of a social system. It means
that the message of Islam as presented in the original sources will
always retain its ideological dominance. This dominance will be based
on account of the evidence that testifies to its veracity and not as
any political or social system. To retain the ideological dominance of
Islam is an extremely difficult and historic plan. This is because it must
be achieved in such a way that human freedom remains whilst the
ideological dominance of the religion of Islam continues to prevail. This
sort of intricate plan is not possible with human effort. The fulfillment
of the plan must be done whilst managing history in such a way that
human freedom remains unscathed.
For this purpose, God adopted a certain method. He arranged that
whenever some people developed their own edition of Truth, such
causes and conditions would appear in history that would put an end
to it. In this way, the veracity of the Truth would remain intact. History
tells us that from the emergence of Islam until now there have been
three major occasions when people invented their own edition of the
Truth. But later, in line with historical processes, such conditions were
produced that destroyed these alternatives through evidence. In this
way, the ideological veracity of the Truth remained intact in history.
The first such example from history was the phenomenon of nature
worship. In the language of religion, this is referred to as shirk. Nature
worship means to believe that there are divine attributes within natural
phenomena and accordingly, to worship these things. In ancient
times, this worship of natural phenomena remained in existence for
thousands of years.
After the advent of the Prophet Muhammad,
God arranged for such revolutionary
developments to occur in history the result of
which ushered in the Age of Science. Through
modern science, an objective exploration of
the phenomena of nature was undertaken,
which showed that there is no divinity at
all in nature. It was now understood that
nature is just a created thing and has no
divine attributes. In this way, the fact that
God’s religion is indeed the religion of Truth
remained authenticated.
The message of
Islam as presented
in the original
sources will always
retain its ideological
dominance. This
dominance will be
based on account
of the evidence
that testifies to its
veracity and not as
any political or social
system.
The second instance of an alternative to the
revealed religion emerged in earlier times in
the form of ‘personality cults’. The political
expression of personality cults came about
in the system of monarchy. It was believed
that the kings possessed some form of mystical supremacy over other
people. As a result, the king was given the status of a deity. Monarchy
or the political personality cult continued in history over thousands of
years. In the age of monarchy, the focus of human thinking revolved
around the king. It was generally accepted that the ‘religion of the king’
must be the religion of all his subjects.
During the age of monarchy, the mainstay of the economy was
agriculture. Considered the owner of all the land in his kingdom, the king was the sole controller of the economy. The king became one who
could give to whoever he wished, and he could grab from whomever
he wanted. In effect, the king enjoyed the status that should have been
of God alone. The king was the ruler and everyone else were the ruled.
In this way, the king had become a political alternative to God. But this
state of affairs was not what God willed. And so, a new process was set
in motion in history that began in the seventh century CE. At this time,
a system of tribal chieftainship existed in Arabia which was surrounded
by two mighty empires―the Sassanid Empire and the Byzantine
Empire. According to the Bible, these two empires were like mighty
political peaks. Through the Prophet and his Companions, these peaks
were destroyed and a new political process began in history which
continued its journey through the centuries, finally arriving in Europe.
The culmination of this process occurred in 1789, in the form of the
French Revolution.
Following this revolution, a new age dawned in the world―the Age of
Democracy. Democracy demolished the idea of monarchy and ushered
in the rule of the people, whose slogan was a ‘government of the
people, by the people, for the people’.
This democratic revolution destroyed the old system of dynastic
monarchy, first in Europe and then elsewhere in the world. In this way,
the ‘religion of the king’ also ended and at the ideological level the
religion of God, deen in Arabic, was re-established in the world. This reestablishment was not in the sense of political power or governmental
system. It was at the level of intellectual exposition of the religion of
Truth.
These developments did not happen by mere chance. Rather, it was
actually the result of a grand divine operation in history. Democracy
was not just a political ideology. Rather, an important aspect of it was
that it had put an end to the concept of political divinity on the basis of
which kings of the past had established their claims to greatness and
power. After the democratic revolution, political power was reduced to
mere administration. Its position as a divine institution had come to an
end.
In this matter, the third example is of Humanism. Humanism is a
modern philosophy that can be summed up as the ‘worship of man’.
This is the last alternative to the deen of Truth and it emerged in the
second half of the 20th century, soon acquiring widespread popularity.
Similar is the case of Existentialism―the ideology founded by French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre who died in 1946. Existentialism is in
essence a philosophic edition of Humanism.
Humanism is a non-religious philosophy that has no place for God.
It is a philosophical outlook or system of thought attaching prime
importance to human, rather than to divine or supernatural matters.
Many modern-day philosophers became proponents of the ideology of
Humanism: for example, the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach
(d. 1872), who claimed that ‘God is nothing other than man himself’.
Another such thinker was the American philosopher William James
(d. 1910). English philosopher Julian Huxley (d. 1975) has written a
book in support of Humanism, titled Religion Without Revelation. In this
book, Humanism has been described as the
‘transfer of seat from God to man’.
A general introduction to Humanism can be
understood from the book, Humanism: A Very
Short Introduction, by Stephen Law, 2011.
Humanism gained widespread popularity in
the second half of the 20th century. People
believed they now had an alternative to
divinity. Non-religious advocates of Humanism
declared ‘man to be the measure of all things’.
However, at this very same time another
powerful phenomenon emerged that
effectively demonstrated that the concept of
Humanism was a failure. This phenomenon
is commonly referred to as ‘Global Warming’.
Global temperatures began rising at an
alarming speed, posing a grave threat to the
very possibility of human life on Earth. Global
warming began to throw life in the world into
complete chaos.
Global warming
is actually an
announcement
of the death of
the philosophy of
Humanism. In this
philosophy, man was
believed to occupy
the central position
in the whole universe.
If man truly had
this exalted status
in the universe, he
should put an end
to the impending
destruction of the
world’s life-support
system.
Global warming is the heating of
Earth’s climate system to levels that have become harmful to life on
Earth. Technological developments in the modern world led to rapid
industrialization. These factories of the world that run by the burning of
fossil fuels, pump harmful gases into the atmosphere known as carbon
emissions. The Earth’s atmosphere is now dangerously polluted with
these carbon emissions.
Global warming and the resultant climate change now pose a great
many insoluble problems for humankind. As a result, there is an
unprecedented and rapid melting of Arctic ice shelves, mountain
glaciers, polar ice caps and icebergs causing a rise in sea levels. This
is leading to significant ecological damage including the extinction of
many plant and animal species. The entire life-support system on Earth
is now being rapidly destroyed. Scientists now tell us that Earth will
soon become completely uninhabitable for man.
For all this to have happened is no minor matter. It is actually an
announcement of the death of the philosophy of Humanism. In the
philosophy of Humanism, man was believed to occupy the central
position in the whole universe. To accept this status for man it was
necessary to hold man himself as the font of all power and the master
of his own destiny. If man truly had this exalted status in the universe,
he should put an end to the impending destruction of the world’s life support system that is taking place through global warming. Instead,
man’s failure in halting global warming has
put an end to the philosophy of Humanism
completely.
It is God’s will, that
whenever man
framed alternative
plans against the
creation plan of God,
such causes would
emerge in history
that would prove
these alternatives
ideologically and
rationally unreliable.
When the phenomenon of global warming
came to the fore, governments and scientists
from around the world were actively
concerned. Many meetings and conferences
were held to discuss the issue. The United
Nations Climate Change conferences are
held every year to assess progress made
in arresting global warming. An enormous
amount of research has been undertaken on
the subject. But in terms of practical results,
all this has proven to be a total failure. The
threat of global warming continues to rise.
Today, it has reached extremely dangerous levels, and efforts of man
to try to stop it are proving to be completely ineffective.
This phenomenon of global warming forebodes destruction of all life
on Earth. It is actually a total negation of the ideology of Humanism. The
truth is that global warming has nullified the philosophy of Humanism,
in just the same way that science had nullified nature worship and
democracy had demolished monarchy earlier.
Summary
In the seventh century CE, the Quran had announced that the guidance
sent by God is the authentic guidance. God had decreed that the
guidance that He had sent through the Prophet Muhammad (the
Quran) would remain fully preserved forever. History testifies that with
regard to this guidance, God’s decision was completely fulfilled.
The second issue discussed in this article is that the creation plan of
God will prevail. It is God’s will, that whenever man framed alternative
plans against the creation plan of God, such causes would emerge in
history that would prove these alternatives ideologically and rationally
unreliable. History has repeatedly witnessed the expression of this
decision of God. Now, in the 21st century, with all the results of misuse
of God-given freedom clearly before us, man is left with no other choice
but to submit to God’s guidance and creation plan which was revealed
through the Prophet Muhammad.
THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Plan the Best Use of Your Resources
DELIVERING a speech at a public function in New Delhi, Admiral
S.N. Kohli, former Navy chief said, “Success is wholly a thing of
the mind. When one has the will, one will find ways and means
to achieve one’s goals, but in its absence one will simply say: It’s just not
possible." The principle so aptly mentioned by Admiral Kohli applies to
individuals and nations alike. Success comes to those who, firstly, have
the determination to achieve their ends and who, secondly, put the
resources at their disposal to the best use. In the process much care,
intelligence, ingenuity and farsightedness are vital. Conversely, failure
often results not so much from a lack of resources as from available
resources having been under-exploited or wrongly used.
Failure often results
not so much from
a lack of resources
as from available
resources having
been under-exploited
or wrongly used.
Take the case of the villager who decided
to build himself a brick house in his village.
Unmindful of the fact that his resources were
severely limited, he dug the foundations of his
modest dwelling so deep that people began
to wonder if it was a house he was building
or a fortress. Friends began to express their
doubts about his ability to complete it, and
unluckily for him, they proved to be right. So
much building material had been used in the
base that there was little left for construction
above ground level. With great difficulty, he managed to build the
walls, but then there was nothing left to roof them over with. Finally,
he managed somehow or the other to provide a roof for just one room
so that he could start living in it, but the rest of the rooms remained
forever open to the sky. Had he not squandered precious materials in
the foundation, he would have had enough material to complete his
house. As it was, his bad planning had left him almost without a roof
over his head.
Success comes to those who have the determination to achieve their
goals and put the resources they have at their disposal to the best
possible use.
ON PRIDE AND ARROGANCE
A Deathblow to Spirituality
ANDREW MURRAY, the South African writer, teacher and pastor
(d. 1917), has brought about the spiritual benefits of humility
quite beautifully in these words: “Pride must die in you, or
nothing of Heaven can live in you.”
The most sinful attitude that man can adopt before God is one of pride.
Other sins may be forgivable, but for pride there is no forgiveness.
Pride, whether overt or covert, is at the root of many of the wrongs and
injustices perpetrated by man. It is pride, which prevents the wrongdoer
from acknowledging his guilt: to do so, would detract from his personal
status. He forgets that in denying, or ignoring
what is true, he places himself above truth. It
is folly to do so, for truth rides high, far and
above everything and everyone else in this
world. There is no mortal creature who can
take precedence over it.
The most sinful
attitude that man
can adopt before
God is one of pride.
Other sins may be
forgivable, but for
pride there is no
forgiveness.
It is only the individual who lives out his life
in consonance with the true nature of things
who will receive God’s blessings. Mr Murray
again puts is aptly: “Humility is nothing but the
disappearance of self in the vision that God is
all.” To attain to this state of blessedness, he
must realize that truth transcends all, and that he should bow before it.
But those who are puffed up with a sense of their own importance are
seldom capable of doing so. Instead of bowing before truth, they want
truth to bow before them. Instead of living in harmony with reality,
they demand that reality should harmonize with their wishes. This is as
unrealistic as it is egoistic, for things can never happen in this way in
this world. The perpetually proud man—without his ever realizing it—is
doomed to moral bankruptcy and can never find favour in the eyes of
God.
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 CE 610 and 632. 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
Say, ‘If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your spouses
and your tribe, and the worldly goods which you have acquired , and
the commerce which you fear will decline, and the homes you love are
dearer to you than God and His Messenger and the struggle for His
cause, then wait until God fulfills His decree. God does not guide the
disobedient people.” (
For human being, their families, their wealth and their economic
interests have the greatest value. They consider these things the most
important. They prefer these things to all other things and sacrifice
their all for them. This sort of life is of the worldly type, and whatever
the worldly person receives, he receives only in this world. There is
nothing for him in the eternal life after death. As opposed to this, the
other type of life is that in which a man gives the greatest importance
to God, His Prophet and to efforts for the cause of God and, for the
sake of these things, he is ready to leave everything else. It is the latter
which is the God-worshipping life and for God’s worshippers, the doors
of Paradise will remain eternally open in the Hereafter.
The first sort of life is based on worldly connections and worldly interests.
The second is based on Faith. Whatever a man chooses to adopt as the
basis of his life, it is always at the cost of having to leave all other things
for its sake; he has to develop relations with some people and break
off relations with others. Certain losses are absolutely unbearable to
him and at the risk of his life and at the cost of the greater part of
his wealth, he tries to avert them, but as regards certain other losses,
he is not perturbed by their occurrence. Those who invest their all in worldly affairs, achieve worldly success. Similarly, the Hereafter will be
the achievement of those who sacrifice everything else for its sake.
Giving up a materially advantageous thing in favour of something
apparently less advantageous is a serious matter. It is such a grave
matter that a man’s belief or disbelief comes to be determined on
that basis. Just as in this world of God, open infidels are not destined
to succeed, similarly there is no possibility of success for those who
make tall claims of faith, but when faced with a critical situation, give
preference to the world-oriented way. If such claimants of faith have
any misconceptions about themselves, they will come to know of their
fate at the time God pronounces His verdict.
ASK MAULANA
Your Questions Answered
The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad)
The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above
saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of
curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society
by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their
knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of
knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding
answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished
with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey
Nowadays it has been observed that most people suffer from tension
(stress). People consult psychiatrists for this problem. I have recently
had an experience in this regard. A person who was suffering from
tension went to a psychiatrist. After spending a considerable sum,
the advice he got from the psychiatrist was that he should worship
according to his religion. The patient said, “But I already worship!”
What is the solution to this problem? Please explain it in the light of
the Quran.
The usual approach of the psychiatrists is to guide the patient towards
a technique that will relieve tension. According to my assessment of
the matter, this theory is wrong in itself. Tension or mental stress is a
product of the system of nature. It necessarily follows that what is a
product of the system of nature cannot be eliminated by any means.
Thus, the solution lies in accepting what is inherent in nature, not trying
to eliminate it.
It is stated in the Quran that God created man into a life of toil and
hardship (
from hardships. The same has been proved by scientific research.
The Russian psychologist Anton Nemilov rightly wrote in his book The
Biological Tragedy of Woman that:
Human life is unthinkable without tragedies, without the tragic element.
The more highly developed and nearer to perfection man is, the greater
are the possibilities for tragic conflicts. (pp.
When toil is an essential part of human life according to the law of
nature itself, we must accept it as such. We should not deny it. When
it rains in the rainy season, it creates many problems for human populations, but no one thinks to stop the rain. Rather, everyone thinks
about how to protect oneself despite the rain.
This is the way we deal with the problem of tension. We cannot end
the tension. However, if we consider tension as an inerasable reality,
we can definitely protect ourselves from becoming its prey. This is the
natural solution to this problem. The fact is that the only successful
formula for a tension-free life is to accept the tension as an essential
part of human life.
Are mental abilities God-gifted or acquired by one’s efforts? Is the
human brain limited or unlimited? Can a person store all knowledge
in his mind? What exactly is the human brain? Please enlighten me
about the function and capabilities of the human brain in the light of
your study.
The human brain is still a mysterious reality. Despite 5,000 years of
research, little is known about the human brain. In my experience and
study, the human brain is a treasure trove of infinite potential. This
mental capacity is bestowed almost equally to every human being.
But research shows that the capacity of the human brain remains
latent. Knowledge and experience awaken this ability. In the present
age, the ideology of brainstorming shows that the greatest stimulus
in awakening the latent potentialities of the brain is ‘mental shock’,
provided it is not so severe as to crush a person’s personality.
However, in the light of my experience, acknowledgement and gratitude
are the greatest source of mental development. A person should look at
the facts with an open mind and accept them without any reservation.
There are very few people in the world who reach the stage of high
mental development. The biggest reason for this is that people usually
spend their lives with a closed and prejudiced mind. Due this, they do
not understand any concept other than those that are familiar to them,
and therefore they fail to adopt it.
On page 27 of Al-Risala December 2001 (Urdu monthly), you write
that God has created the present world for the purpose of test. If we
consider this sentence, we have to believe that God is not the Knower
of the unseen, nor does He know what is in anyone’s heart. Because
the advantage of the test is that what we did not know before becomes
known after the test.
It is not the purpose of the test that God Himself should know the
outcome of the test. The purpose of the test is selection. This test is
not in relation to God, but in relation to man himself. Namely, human beings, good and bad, should be separated from each other. In other
words, the purpose of the test is to make something that is a theoretical
reality a known and visible event.
I suffer from a problem that has made me very sad. The problem is that
I suffer from hair loss. In spite of medication, my hairs continue to fall
and they do not grow back. Is the Lord of the universe not able to stop
hair fall? Why is it that God bestowed beautiful hair to someone and
made someone bald?
Your feelings are worthwhile indeed. The answer to what you have
written about hair is that the present world is a place of testing.
Everything here serves the purpose of test. Whatever one gets, or what
is taken from one, or not granted at all, is all part of the test. In the
same way, the growth of good hair on the scalp, hair fall or hair turning
white is also a test. In order to pass this test, one must attribute all
these conditions to be from God. He should not behave proudly if he
receives something, nor should he become dejected and disappointed
if something is not given to him.
You should treat the hair loss condition, but do not get frustrated under
any circumstances. Rather, pray to God: O God, I am pleased with your
decision, so decide for me good compensation. Give me Paradise in the
Hereafter where there will be no sickness and no deprivation.
Man should not ask for himself any trouble in the world, but if
any trouble befalls him, then he should adopt the method of perfect
patience. This is the way of the believer and this is the price of
Paradise.
O God! I seek from you a tongue that
speaks truth and a heart which is pure
and clean.
—Prophet Muhammad
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 )
