30 – Cold and Hot
If you ask someone to tell the first thing that comes into his mind when he hears the word “cold”, his answer will usually be “hot”. One of these two opposites, “hot” (hare) is mentioned 4 times with all its derivatives while; the word “cold” (berd) is also mentioned 4 times. Below, two verses are given as an example;
81- …and clothes for protection against the hot.
16. The Honey-Bees, 81
69- We said “O fire, be cold and safe for Abraham.”
21. The Prophets, 69
| The word | Number of occurrence |
| Hot | 4 |
| Cold | 4 |
29 – Hope and Fear
The Quran mentions that “hope” (raghben) and “fear” (reheben) should co exist in praying ritual. Keeping these two conflicting feelings in balance will save us from despair, on one hand and from being spoiled and arrogant on the other. These two words, used in conjunction and present two divergent feelings, are mentioned 8 times each, in the Quran. Below is an example;
90- …These were men who vied in good deeds with one another, and prayed to Us with hope and fear…
21. The Prophets, 90
| The word | Number of occurrence |
| Hope | 8 |
| Fear | 8 |
28 – Righteousness and Reward
Leave a CommentThe word “birr”, which means righteousness and all its derivatives, are mentioned 20 times the Quran. God informs us that we shall reap what we have sown in the next world. None of our good deeds will be left unrewarded. All the derivatives of the word “reward” (sewab) good deeds are used in equal numbers, i.e. 20 times. Below are two verses in which these words are used;
2- …but help one another in righteousness and piety…
5. The Feast, 2
195- …and the best of rewards is with God.
3. The Family of Imran 195
| The word | Number of occurrence |
| Righteousness | 20 |
| Reward | 20 |
Jesus in the Glorious Qur’an – Miracles of Jesus (Isa Alaihissalam)(Peace be upon Him)
Filed under: Articles | Tags: Christ, Christianity, Christians, Eesu, Isa, Islam, Jesus, Maryam, Miracles, Nazareth, Quran, Virgin Mary
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Jesus in the Glorious Qur’an
IntroductionThe Qur’an tells us a lot of wonderful things about Jesus. As a result, believers in the Qur’an love Jesus, honour him, and believe in him. In fact, no Muslim can be a Muslim unless he or she believes in Jesus, on whom be peace. The Qur’an says that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he spoke while he was still only a baby, that he healed the blind and the leper by God’s leave, and that he raised the dead by God’s leave. What then is the significance of these miracles? First, the virgin birth. God demonstrates his power to create in every way. God created everyone we know from a man and a woman. But how about Adam, on whom be peace? God created him from neither a man nor a woman. And Eve from only a man, but not a woman. And, finally, to complete the picture, God created Jesus from a woman, but not a man. What about the other miracles? These were to show that Jesus was not acting on his own behalf, but that he was backed by God. The Qur’an specifies that these miracles were performed by God’s leave. This may be compared to the Book of Acts in the Bible, chapter 2, verse 22, where it says that the miracles were done by God to show that he approved of Jesus. Also, note that Jesus himself is recorded in the Gospel of John to have said, “I can do nothing of my own authority” (5:30). The miracles, therefore, were done not by his own authority, but by God’s authority. What did Jesus teach? The Qur’an tells us that Jesus came to teach the same basic message which was taught by previous prophets from God—that we must shun every false god and worship only the one true God. Jesus taught that he is the servant and messenger of that one true God, the God of Abraham. These Quranic teachings can be compared with the Bible ( Mark 10:18; Matthew 26:39; John 14:28, 17:3, and 20:17) where Jesus teaches that the one he worshipped is the only true God. See also Matthew 12:18; Acts 3:13, and 4:27 where we find that his disciples knew him as Servant of God. The Qur’an tells us that some of the Israelites rejected Jesus, and conspired to kill him, but Allah (God) rescued Jesus and raised him to Himself. Allah will cause Jesus to descend again, at which time Jesus will confirm his true teachings and everyone will believe in him as he is and as the Qur’an teaches about him. Jesus is the Messiah. He is a word from Allah, and a spirit from Him. He is honoured in this world and in the hereafter, and he is one of those brought nearest to Allah. Jesus was a man who spoke the truth which he heard from God. This can be compared with the Gospel According to John where Jesus says to the Israelites: “You are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God” (John 8:40).
The Virgin Birth of JesusMuslims believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. When the angels announced to Mary (peace be upon her) about Allah’s promise that she will have a son, she was surprised, since she was a virgin. “How can this be?” she thought. She was reminded that it is easy for Allah to create whatever he wills.
It is not difficult for Allah to do anything he wants. He can create a child with both human parents or only one. No miracle is beyond His power. After all, He had created Adam (peace be upon him) from neither a man nor a woman. He created the rest of us from both man and woman. What is so hard if Allah decides to create a human being from a woman only? He only commands “Be!” and it occurs. Some people think that since Jesus, peace be upon him, had no human father then God must be his father. The Qur’an rejects this view. The position of Jesus with Allah is comparable to the position of Adam with Allah. Just because Adam had no human parent does not mean we should call him the Son of God.
According to the Qur’an, everyone except Allah are His servants.
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Quranic Evidence for Resurrection in the Hereafter
Filed under: Articles | Tags: Hereafter, Qayamat, Quran, Resurrection
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..So the unbelievers say: This is a strange thing. What! When we die and become dust (shall we be resurrected?). That is a return far from our understanding! (50:2-3) |
By: Siraj Islam Mufti, Ph.D
IslamiCity* -
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According to the Islamic worldview man is a representative (Khalifah) of God on the earth. In order to fulfill this tremendous responsibility, man has been endowed with appropriate faculties and a great potential, along with the subjugation of nature for him. But all this is bestowed as a trust (Amanah) such that he is responsible for its proper utilization and, at the end, will be held accountable for it, and answerable to Allah, his Creator and Lord.
As such, a major and recurring theme of the Quran is the human resurrection in the eternity of the Hereafter. The essentiality of this concept cannot be overemphasized. It is on the answerability in the Hereafter that the Islamic system centers all human actions. A Muslim’s foremost duty is to uphold the ‘truth’, work for that which is ‘good’ and eliminate that which is ‘wrong.’ In order to achieve this, the center of all his activities should be God and his every motion should be directed towards seeking guidance from Him. And he should be convinced that he will be rewarded for his actions, some of these rewards are in this world, but the most complete reward is given only in the Hereafter.
Thus the concept of the Hereafter is a very logical phenomenon. As well as essential to direct and reform humankind for its own good, proceeding in accord with the good for human society, and in harmony with the rest of nature. If this sense of answerability in the Hereafter is lost from someone, his life becomes devoid of the moral basis of actions, as well as a search for the ultimate good and righteousness; and so also, the hope and certainty that the ultimate justice will be rendered by the Lord Almighty. Because of this, a person who does not believe in the Hereafter cannot be considered Muslim (submitting to the will of God).
In this article we will dwell on some verses of the Quran from chapter 50, Surah Oaf. This surah belongs to the early Makkan period – a period that was wholly devoted to expounding the basic Islamic postulates. Accordingly, the whole surah carries severe warnings – such that it would awaken a person from his deep slumber, and he should become vigilant, and duly cognizant of his responsibility and his conduct in life. In view of its importance, the Prophet Mohammad used to recite this surah often in his Friday khutbah (sermon).
It deals with aspects of eschatology Ð the coming future when this life is done, telling of the agony of death and giving examples of terrifying scenes from the Hell, thus pointing to the inevitability of the Hereafter and of the human accountability there. Consider, for example, the following verse from this Surah. “Throw, throw into Hell every contumacious Rejecter (of Allah)! Ð Who forbade what was good, transgressed all bounds, cast doubts and suspicion; who set up another god beside Allah: throw him into a severe penalty.’ His companion will say: ‘Our Lord! I did not make him transgress, but was (himself) far astray.’ He will say: ‘Dispute not with each other in My Presence: I had already in advance sent you Warning. The Word changes not before Me, and I do not the least injustice to My Servants” (50:24-29).
Then, reflect on a contrasting scene from the Heaven: “And the Garden will be brought nigh to the Righteous Ð no more a thing distant. (A voice will say:) ‘This is what was promised for you Ð for everyone who turned (to Allah) in sincere repentance, who kept (His Law), who feared (Allah) Most Gracious unseen, and brought a heart turned in devotion (to Him): Enter you therein in Peace and Security; This is a day of Eternal Life!’ There will be for them therein all that they wish Ð and more besides in Our Presence” (50: 31-35).
Such scenes of the Hell and Heaven are repeatedly and variously described in the Quran in order that the conscience of a man becomes alive and the lesson becomes ingrained in his psyche, imbuing his senses with sensitivity, molding his mind and his soul; and correspondingly his actions, towards righteousness, such that he constantly works for success in the eternity of the Hereafter.
In addition to the above, other evidence in support of its claim of resurrection is presented. Since the Quranic examples are taken from the immediate environment of man, a most common example is the human observation of nature. Man observes that the once dry land with the rain gives rise to vegetation that grows, which in due course of time becomes dry stubble and to all intents and purposes is dead; but with the next rain it becomes alive again. Such will be the human resurrection, it says. For an example from this Surah: “And We sent down from the sky rain charged with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and grain for harvests; and tall (and stately) palm trees with shoots of fruit stalks, piled one over another Ð as sustenance for (Allah’s) Servants Ð and We give (new) life therewith to land that is dead: thus will be the resurrection” (50:9-11).
A quite logical argument is also made: That since God created humans in the first place, he could recreate them; resurrection cannot be more difficult than the original creation. For example, Ayah 15 of this Surah: “Were We then weary with the first Creation, that they should be in confused doubt about a new Creation.”
With reference to this specific Surah it may be said, that it came at a time when the Prophet had just started his mission, and the people were perplexed and amazed at the concept of resurrection and accountability; and would argue, that it is an impossibility and something that the intellect would not accept. Their question was, how it could be possible that when humans are dead, their particles scattered through the earth, and then after thousands of years they will be brought back?
Thus the surah starts as follows: “Qaf; By the glorious Quran. But they wonder that there has come to them a Warner from among them. So the unbelievers say: ‘This is a strange thing. What! When we die and become dust (shall we be resurrected?). That is a return far from our understanding!” (50:1-3).
That a Warner came from among them is a reasonable and natural phenomenon and should not be a cause for alarm because he would share in whatever is happening to them, would go through emotions like them, and thus would understand them. And speaking their language, communicate with them and guide them effectively and would be able to tell them whatever changes are needed Ð in order to remove the excesses they commit, and reform their conduct so that they should not suffer from its bad consequences.
Actually, this wondering was not only regarding the mission of the Prophet, but also it emphasized the question of life after death and human responsibility in the Hereafter. The answer to the question of life after death is provided in the next verse. “We already know how much of them the earth takes away: With us is record well guarded” (50:4).
We will deal with an explanation of this verse in the remainder of this article.
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Modern discoveries have shown that the DNA from plant and animal remains that have been naturally preserved in rocks, from millions of years ago, could be living, and, therefore, could be subjected to genetic manipulation. For a better common understanding, I often quote the characterization from the movie ‘Jurassic Park.’ It shows that dinosaurs of the Jurassic era Ð 135,000,000 to 180,000,000 years ago, were recreated through genetic manipulation of their DNA from cells carried by mosquitoes that fed on them.
Therefore, when the human body succumbs to the natural course of weathering and decays, and is no more than mere dust, then from some remnant cells – even if there is one viable cell from among billions of body cells, then, at least theoretically, it would be possible to recreate a human being from it. This, because each of the body cells carries the same information, and, as further explained below, all of this information is available in each of these cells. Thus the Creator Lord, Allah who knows all about how much of our bodies will decay, and what will be left of us, tells in the Quran: “We already know how much of them the earth takes away.”
The storehouse of information in the cells is DNA, variously composed into genes, which are carried by the chromosomes. There are 23 sets of chromosomes in each human body cell; one of these sets comes from the mother, the other from the father. These sets get separated and divided in the formation of sperm and egg cells, which during reproduction reunite to form a fertilized egg. The fertilized cell then keeps on multiplying during growth, and as the cells multiply and develop into specialized body organs, they get differentiated from each other; the genes whose function is required in a particular cell of an organ get turned on, while those whose function is not required, are turned off in that specific organ. And such is the case in all other organs. But since they started from the same fertilized cell, all of the original information is still there, and available in each and every one of the body cells.
Recently a publicly funded Human Genome Project Consortium in association with a private company, Celera Genomics announced that, after 10 years of arduous research, they were able to determine the sequence of the entire 3 billion letters, or base pair units of DNA in the 23 human chromosome sets. And, that this genetic information was contained in approximately 34,000 genes.
Now, after the gene analysis is done, the information gathered is saved, and stored as libraries in computers so that could be utilized for numerous future uses Ð from correcting genetic disorders to effecting desired changes, etc. If humans could make use of their God-given intelligence and come up with such information for their use, what about the One who created them? Thus he tells us in the Quran: “With us is a record well guarded.” Thus even if, supposing our bodies were completely decayed with no viable DNA left, resurrection would still be possible. Because, our blueprints are already there, well preserved with our Creator Lord, and whenever He wants it, He will recreate us.
The beauty of the Quran is that it is the only word authentic word of Allah, and is available to us for all times, intact in its original form, and to the exclusion of any human addition. It is from the Eternal One who created us and the whole universe, is All Wise, has Absolute Knowledge and is Free from All Limitations. Therefore, as our knowledge increases, we come to better understand many a phenomena described in the Quran, that were not understood or were fuzzy at the time of its revelation 1,400 years ago. Many examples of this could be quoted that would require much more than the limited scope of this article, but much could be gleaned from the writings of current Islamic scholars. A good reference to start with is the study by a French surgeon, Maurice Bucaille, in a book named “The Bible, The Quran and Sciences” and a recent article entitled, “Do You Know This Book?“
Worth mentioning is Bucaille’s great surprise that “the Quran most definitely did not contain a single proposition at variance with the most firmly established modern knowledge, nor did it contain any of the ideas current at the time on the subjects it describes. Furthermore, however, a large number of facts are mentioned in the Quran which were not discovered until modern times. É Modern man’s findings concerning the absence of scientific errors are therefore in complete agreement with the ‘Muslim exegetes’ conception of the Quran as a book of revelation. It is a consideration which implies that God could not express an erroneous idea.”
Siraj Islam Mufti, Ph.D. is a researcher and free-lance journalist
10 things every Muslim can do to make a difference
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Through these ten points several aspects of Islam are being served and we can feel that we are doing something in an organized fashion to help promote a healthy and constructive way of life |
By: IslamiCity
IslamiCity* -
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Doesn’t it seem like there’s just too much that needs to be done and it is beyond me to do anything about this?
There is extreme poverty and hunger all around the world, (There are about 1 billion people who are living on less then $1 per day and about 2.8 billion people who live on less then $2 per day). A large part of the Muslim world is suffering under these conditions of poverty along with the pain and agony of war; the kings and dictators are plundering our lands; there is systematic and rampant misinformation about Islam that is consistently being propagated; our children are succumbing to a life of materialism and the nothingness of pop culture; some of our families have no interest in understanding and practicing Islam; the Islamic Center, Schools and Organizations need funds; a large part of the world and specifically the Muslim world is deprived of the process of acquiring knowledge…
Have you ever felt like the problems are just too great to solve? Have you ever blocked it out of your mind because if you really thought about it, you would become depressed? If so, then you’re not alone. Of course, there are some people who will make one specific issue their focus and they’ll work to help in that direction. For example, someone might make the support of the local Islamic Center his or her cause. Someone may make it their lifetime objective to share the message of Islam with humanity. Another person may adopt the mission to support and establish Islamic Schools and yet someone else may take on the task of providing relief to war and disaster victims. But most of us don’t have time to do justice to those types of goals like we should.
But the alternative, sitting at home and watching TV is hardly worth our time when there are real people out there who need us, and a cause that we must support.
As Muslims we constantly need to understand the real meaning of submitting our selves to the will of God and practice the essence of humanity taught to us by the one who was sent to us as a mercy to the worlds, our beloved Prophet Muhammad 
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So in view of all the variables that affect most of our lives in the modern world, following is a list of ten easy things that every Muslim family can do so that we can contribute to the betterment of our selves, the Muslim community and humanity at large. Please click here to see “10 things every Muslim can do to make a difference“
Once you go through the list you can add your own things to do to this list.
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#1 Sponsor an Orphan. Before anything else, there are hungry children everywhere who have needs right now. There are several reputable programs that offer orphan sponsorship at very low monthly cost. We know that we can afford to do it. Supporting an orphan can make us close to the Prophet in Paradise. Click here for Orphan Sponsorship
#2 Go to the Mosque at least once a week for Salat. Even if someone can not go to the local Mosque for the Friday prayers because of their job, then we can at least go for one Maghrib (evening prayer) once a week or for Zuhr (noon prayer) on the weekend. Whatever time is suitable we can at least take timeout for this once a week Ð with our family. This will help us and our family make the Mosque a center for activity and our children will develop ties to the community. If we don’t like the way the Mosque is operated, we have an opportunity to make it better by getting involved. If someone lives in a remote area that does not have a Mosque, then pray together at home with all the family members.
#3 Send your children to an Islamic School. If your children go to public school, and there is no Islamic school nearby, then make sure they either get into some Sunday school program, or, if the local Islamic Center doesn’t run it right, then pool together with some like-minded families and run your own program at somebody’s house every Saturday or Sunday and conduct it the way you think it should be done. This is the minimum requirement for not losing our children to materialism and other social ills.
#4 Buy at least one book, audio or video produced by a Muslim company or author per month. Have you ever wished that there were better items for you and your family’s pleasure? Unfortunately, there is not enough support for writers and artists. People who write or produce for the Muslim market have a very difficult time sustaining them selves. That must change if you want to see wonderful products for ourselves and our children. Just buy one product per month. Collectively, this can encourage our creative and talented brothers and sisters to do more. Visit IslamiCity Bazar.
#5 If you see new Muslims at the Islamic Center, then become a host family to them. The convert experience is basically one of isolation and loneliness. You’d be surprised to know that most converts are often ignored by the people in the Islamic Centers. Beyond a few pleasantries and handshakes, they are usually never made to feel welcome or accepted. They are often cut off from their non-Muslim friends and relatives so they are doubly vulnerable. A new convert should be invited into various people’s home for dinner as often as possible and especially on Islamic holidays. Get together with others and make sure you all put the new convert on your guest list for any sort of gathering.
#6 Keep three extra Quran translations and some literature in your home at all times. You never know when you’ll find someone interested who wants to know more. Besides, our children may only understand English. Encourage the children to read the translation and discuss the Quran with them. Quran and Quran study materials.
# 7 Invite your neighbors to your home for dinner. Most of the time we are so involved with our circle of friends, family and co-workers we forget the people who are living right next to us. To be good to your neighbor is an important example shown to us by Prophet Muhammad. So invite your neighbors to your house and get to know them and let them know you.
#8 Make a big deal out of the family meal. The concept of a family meal is a dying trend. The dinner table is not only a place of sustenance and family business but also a place for the teaching and passing on of our values. Manners and rules are subtly absorbed over the table. Family mealtime should communicate and sustain ideals that children will draw on throughout their lives.
#9 Establish an Islamic culture in the home. Make sure you and your family have cultural-type items in your home in abundance that are associated with Islam or Islamic culture. Everyone in your home should have prayer beads, prayer rugs, kufis, Hijabs, (even if they’re worn only for prayer), gowns, posters, wall plaques, stickers, logo-shirts, Islamic screen-savers on the computer, and so on. You want to establish an identity in your home.
#10 Be a good example. Face it: human beings learn and form opinions primarily through modeling. In fact, we can’t avoid being an example and model to our family, children, friends, co-workers, neighbors and even strangers, whether good or bad. Being a good example, then, is probably our most important job.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. These are just some things that can be done, with minimal trouble and fuss, by each and every Muslim family. Through these ten points several aspects of Islam are being served and we can feel that we are doing something in an organized fashion to help promote a healthy and constructive way of life, at the same time we can fulfill our responsibility to our Creator. Give it a try and see how easy these things really are.
If you have other ideas about the things one should do to create harmony with God, within your self, your family, your neighborhood and humanity at large, please click here to share them with others.
Islam Saved My Soul
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Islam gave me a sense of personal responsibility that chemical-dependent Western psychiatry did not. |
By: Christopher P. Nelson
Pacific News Service* -
I am a 26-year-old Irish American who converted from Christianity to Islam in order to save myself.
Although I never had a problem taking the Prophet Jesus as a role model for a way of life, I needed more specific guidance with day-to-day behavior — my own was out of control. After studying Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism, I concluded that the example of the Prophet Muhammad served as a blueprint for a comprehensive spiritual life.
And that saves me. Literally.
Let me explain. When I turned 14 I was put in a psychiatric ward for my out-of-control behavior. I felt high and acted on any impulse as though it were a fabulous idea. I would try to kiss girls I just met, as if we had been going out for a long time. Not a good idea.
Then the pendulum would swing from high and energetic to low and depressed. I found no pleasure in anything. I wanted to sleep all the time, and, far worse, I wanted to die. I slit my wrists several times.
First I was diagnosed with “paranoid-schizophrenia,” a label psychiatrists give you when they’re not sure what your problem is. Later I found out I was bipolar. “Bi” means two, and “polar” means extreme. Trying to have any kind of relationship, a job — a regular life — while shuttling back and forth between two extreme moods has been the biggest struggle of my life.
Many of those who knew me treated my episodes as immature misbehavior and blamed me instead of my illness for my antics. I remember getting fired from a pizza shop job in less than a week for my manic behavior. I would talk a-mile-a-minute, like Robin William on stage, while I rang up customers.
If that sounds funny or even romantic, that’s not how it feels. Mania might be fun, but the ensuing depression is pure hell. It sneaks up on you like the devil, insidiously. I remember staring at something innocuous, like a coffee table, and suddenly being overwhelmed by the conviction that life is meaningless.
Western medicine may help, but it does not cure me.
Medication was mandatory at the adolescent psychiatric ward in San Jose. We had seven group therapy sessions a day, chores, wretched meals, and then medication time. As the shrinks mixed and matched my meds I felt as if I were wading through thick oatmeal.
Eventually, outside the mental institution I found something that finally helped me with being bipolar: Islam.
I’d always felt, deep down, that my illness had something to do with my soul. Western medicine — drugs and therapy — could, therefore, never cure me. How could it when it does not even recognize that I have a soul? Islam, on the other hand, taught me how to purify my soul from disease through a science called Sufism, a holistic system of diet, belief, law and social structure. Islam gave me a sense of personal responsibility that chemical-dependent Western psychiatry did not.
I found the emphasis on reciting certain invocations to God most helpful. In order to protect themselves from demonic elements that can do harm, followers of Islam recite prayers. The discipline and the act of praying helped me deal with my mania directly.
When that mania comes around, I feel like I’m surrounded by a dozen cops, all hurling accusations and insults at me. So I pray. I listen to and believe in the words that I utter. I grow lucid and peaceful and calm, and then — click — I am.
Reciting prayers, though, may not be for people who just want to deal with mental distress. And I’m not at all suggesting that people go off their medications just yet. There are prerequisites to the effectiveness of the practice, such as the belief in what one recites. And it’s about more than just prayer: a strict life is a must. Avoidance of pork and intoxicants, as well as a supportive, mosque-based community are crucial parts of being Muslim.
Dealing with mental illness is a lifelong struggle, but now I feel that I am finally in control. I have a soul. And Islam teaches me how to purify it.
Christopher Patrick Nelson, 26, writes for Silicon Valley De-Bug, a PNS publication by young workers, writers and artists in Silicon Valley.
The Spirit of Islam
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The ‘Spirit of Islam’ is a chapter taken from Muhammad Asad`s book, Islam at the Crossroads, 1969 |
By: Muhammad Asad
IslamiCity* –
ONE of the slogans most characteristic of the present age is ‘the conquest of space.’ Means of communication have been developed which are far beyond the dreams of former generations; and these new means have set in motion a far more rapid and extensive transfer of goods than ever before within the history of mankind. The result of this development is an economic inter-dependence of nations. No single nation or group can today afford to remain aloof from the rest of the world. Economic development has ceased to be local. Its character has become world-wide. It ignores, at least in its tendency, political boundaries and geographical distances. It carries with itself- and possibly this is even more important than the purely material side of the problem -the ever-increasing necessity of a transfer not only of merchandise but also of thoughts and cultural values. But while those two forces, the economic and the cultural, often go hand in hand, there is a difference in their dynamic rules. The elementary laws of economics require that the exchange of goods between nations be mutual; this means that no nation can act as buyer only while another nation is always seller in the long run, each of them must play both parts simultaneously, giving to, and taking from, each other, be it directly or through the medium of other actors in the play of economic forces. But in the cultural field this iron rule of exchange is not a necessity, at least not always a visible one, that is to say, the transfer of ideas and cultural influences is not necessarily based on the principle of give and take. It lies in human nature that nations and civilizations, which are politically and economically more virile, exert a strong fascination on the weaker or less active communities and influence them in the intellectual and social spheres without being influenced themselves.
Such is the situation today with regard to the relations between the Western and the Muslim worlds.
From the viewpoint of the historical observer the strong, one-sided influence which Western civilization at present exerts on the Muslim world is not at all surprising, because it is the outcome of a long historic process for which there are several analogies elsewhere. But while the historian may be satisfied, for us the problem remains unsettled. For us who are not mere interested spectators, but very real actors in this drama; for us who regard ourselves as the followers of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) the problem in reality begins here. We believe that Islam, unlike other religions, is not only a spiritual attitude of mind, adjustable to different cultural settings, but a self-sufficing orbit of culture and a social system of clearly defined features. When, as is the case today, a foreign civilization extends its radiations into our midst and causes certain changes in our own cultural organism, we are bound to make it clear to ourselves whether that foreign influence runs in the direction of our own cultural possibilities or against them; whether it acts as an invigorating serum in the body of Islamic culture, or as a poison.
An answer to this question can be found through analysis only. We have to discover the motive forces of both civilizations – the Islamic and that of the modern West -and then to investigate how far a co-operation is possible between them. And as Islamic civilization is essentially a religious one, we must, first of all, try to define the general role of religion in human life.
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What we call the ‘religious attitude’ is the natural outcome of man’s intellectual and biological constitution. Man is unable to explain to himself the mystery of life, the mystery of birth and death, the mystery of infinity and eternity. His reasoning stops before impregnable walls. He can, therefore, do two things only. The one is, to give up all attempts at understanding life as a totality. In this case, man will rely upon the evidence of external experiences alone and will limit his conclusions to their sphere. Thus he will be able to understand single fragments of life, which may increase in number and clarity as rapidly or as slowly as human knowledge of Nature increases, but will, nonetheless, always remain only fragments -the grasp of the totality itself remaining beyond the methodical equipment of human reason. This is the way the natural sciences go. The other possibility – which may well exist side by side with the scientific one -is the way of religion. It leads man, by means of an inner, mostly intuitive, experience, to the acceptance of a unitary explanation of life, generally on the assumption that there exists a supreme Creative Power which governs the Universe according to some pre-conceived plan above and beyond human understanding. As has just been said, this conception does not necessarily preclude man from an investigation of such facts and fragments of life as offer themselves for external observation; there is no inherent antagonism between the external (scientific) and internal (religious) perception. But the latter is, in fact, the only speculative possibility to conceive all life as a unity of essence and motive power; in short, as a well-balanced, harmonious totality. The term ‘harmonious’, though so terribly misused, is very important in this connection, because it implies a corresponding attitude in man himself. The religious man knows that whatever happens to him and within him can never be the result of a blind play of forces without consciousness and purpose; he believes it to be the outcome of God’s conscious will alone, and, therefore, organically integrated with a universal plan. In this way man is enabled to solve the bitter antagonism between the human Self and the objective world of facts and appearances which is called Nature. The human being, with all the intricate mechanism of his soul, with all his desires and fears, his feelings and his speculative uncertainties, sees himself faced by a Nature in which bounty and cruelty, danger and security are mixed in a wondrous, inexplicable way and apparently work on lines entirely different from the methods and the structure of the human mind. Never has purely intellectual philosophy or experimental science been able to solve this conflict. This exactly is the point where religion steps in.
In the light of religious perception and experience, the human, self-conscious Self and the mute, seemingly irresponsible Nature are brought into a relation of spiritual harmony; because both, the individual consciousness of man and the Nature that surrounds him and is within him, are nothing but co-ordinate, if different, manifestations of one and the same Creative Will. The immense benefit which religion thus confers upon man is the realization that he is, and never can cease to be, a well-planned unit in the eternal movement of Creation: a definite part in the infinite organism of universal destiny. The psychological consequence of this conception is a deep feeling of spiritual security -that balance between hopes and fears which distinguishes the positively religious man, whatever his religion, from the irreligious.
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This fundamental position is common to all great religions, whatever their specific doctrines be; and equally common to all of them is the moral appeal to man to surrender himself to the manifest Will of God. But Islam, and Islam alone, goes beyond this theoretical explanation and exhortation. It not only teaches us that all life is essentially a unity – because it proceeds from the Divine Oneness – but it shows us also the practical way how everyone of us can reproduce, within the limits of his individual, earthly life, the unity of Idea and Action both in his existence and in his consciousness. To attain that supreme goal of life, man is, in Islam, not compelled to renounce the world; no austerities are required to open a secret door to spiritual purification; no pressure is exerted upon the mind to believe incomprehensible dogmas in order that salvation be secured. Such things are utterly foreign to Islam: for it is neither a mystical doctrine nor a philosophy. It is simply a program of life according to the rules of Nature which God has decreed upon His creation; and its supreme achievement is the complete coordination of the spiritual and the material aspects of human life. In the teachings of Islam, both these aspects are not only ‘reconciled’ to each other in the sense of leaving no inherent conflict between the bodily and the moral existence of man, but the fact of their coexistence and actual inseparability is insisted upon as the natural basis of life.
This, I think, is the reason for the peculiar form of the Islamic prayer in which spiritual concentration and certain bodily movements are coordinated with each other. Inimical critics of Islam often select this way of praying as a proof of their allegation that Islam is a religion of formalism and outwardness. And, in fact, people of other religions, who are accustomed to neatly separate the ’spiritual’ from the ‘bodily’ almost in the same way as the dairyman separates the cream from the milk, cannot easily understand that in the un-skimmed milk of Islam both these ingredients, though distinct in their respective constitutions, harmoniously live and express themselves together. In other words, the Islamic prayer consists of mental concentration and bodily movements because human life itself is of such a composition, and because we are supposed to approach God through the sum-total of all the faculties He has bestowed upon us.
A further illustration of this attitude can be seen in the institution of the tawaf the ceremony of walking round the Ka’bah in Makka. As it is an indispensable obligation for everyone who enters the Holy City to go seven times round the Ka’bah, and as the observance of this injunction is one of the three most essential points of the pilgrimage, we have the right to ask ourselves: What is the meaning of this? Is it necessary to express devotion in such a formal way?
The answer is quite obvious. If we move in a circle around some object we thereby establish that object as the central point of our action. The Ka’bah, towards which every Muslim turns his face in prayer, symbolizes the Oneness of God. The bodily movement of the pilgrims in the tawaf symbolizes the activity of human life. Consequently, the tawaf implies that not only our devotional thoughts but also our practical life, our actions and endeavors, must have the idea of God and His Oneness for their center-in accordance with the words of the Holy Qur’an:
‘I have not created Jinn and Man but that they should worship Me’ [Qur'an 51: 56]
Thus, the conception of ‘worship’ in Islam is different from that in any other religion. Here it is not restricted to the purely devotional practices, for example, prayers or fasting, but extends over the whole of man’s practical life as well. If the object of our life as a whole is to be the worship of God, we necessarily must regard this life, in the totality of all its aspects, as one complex moral responsibility. Thus, all our actions even the seemingly trivial ones, must be performed as acts of worship; that is, performed consciously as constituting apart of God’s universal plan. Such a state of things is, for the man of average capability, a distant ideal; but is it not the purpose of religion to bring ideals into real existence?
The position of Islam in this respect is unmistakable. It teaches us, firstly, that the permanent worship of God in all the manifold actions of human life is the very meaning of this life; and, secondly, that the achievement of this purpose remains impossible so long as we divide our life into two parts, the spiritual and the material: they must be bound together, in our consciousness and our action, into one harmoniousentity. Our notion of God’s Oneness must be reflected in our own striving towards a co-ordination and unification of the various aspects of our life.
A logical consequence of this attitude is a further difference between Islam and all other known religious systems. It is to be found in the fact that Islam, as a teaching, undertakes to define not only the metaphysical relations between man and his Creator but also -and with scarcely less insistence -the earthly relations between the individual and his social surroundings. The worldly life is not regarded as a mere empty shell, as a meaningless shadow of the Hereafter that is to come, but as a self-contained, positive entity. God Himself is a Unity not only in essence but also in purpose; and therefore, His creation is a Unity, possibly in essence, but certainly in purpose.
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Ceiling of Cordoba Mosque from the 10th century seems to shine down on a time when the learning of the Islamic East first came to the West, paving the way for the Renaissance. |
Perfection – The Islamic Ideal:
Worship of God in the wide sense just explained constitutes, according to Islam, the meaning of human life. And it is this conception alone that shows us the possibility of man’s reaching perfection within his individual, earthly life. Of all religious systems, Islam alone declares that individual perfection is possible in our earthly existence. Islam does not postpone this fulfillment until after a suppression of the so-called ‘bodily’ desires, as the Christian teaching does; nor does Islam promise a continuous chain of rebirths on a progressively higher plane, as is the case with Hinduism; nor does Islam agree with Buddhism, according to which perfection and salvation can only be obtained through an annihilation of the individual Self and its emotional links with the world. NO: Islam is emphatic in the assertion that man can reach perfection in the earthly, individual life and by making full use of all the worldly possibilities of his life.
To avoid misunderstandings, the term ‘perfection’ will have to be defined in the sense it is used here. As long as we have to do with human, biologically limited beings, we cannot possibly consider the idea of ‘absolute’ perfection, because everything absolute belongs to the realm of Divine attributes alone. Human perfection, in its true psychological and moral sense, must necessarily have a relative and purely individual bearing. It does not imply the possession of all imaginable good qualities, nor even the progressive acquisition of new qualities from outside, but solely the development of the already existing, positive qualities of the individual in such a way as to rouse his innate but otherwise dormant powers. Owing to the natural variety of the life-phenomena, the inborn qualities of man differ in each individual case. It would be absurd, therefore, to suppose that all human beings should, or even could, strive towards one and the same ‘type’ of perfection -just as it would be absurd to expect a perfect race-horse and a perfect heavy draught horse to possess exactly the same qualities. Both may be individually perfect and satisfactory, but they will be different, because their original characters are different. With human beings the case is similar. If perfection were to be standardized in a certain ‘type’ -as Christianity does in the type of the ascetic saint – men would have to give up, or change, or suppress, their individual differentiation. But this would clearly violate the divine law of individual variety which dominates all life on this earth. Therefore Islam, which is not a religion of repression, allows to man a very wide margin in his personal and social existence, so that the various qualities, temperaments and psychological inclinations of different individuals should find their way to positive development according to their individual predisposition. Thus a man may be an ascetic, or he may enjoy the full measure of his sensual possibilities within the lawful limits; he may be a nomad roaming through the deserts, without food for tomorrow, or a rich merchant surrounded by his goods. As long as he sincerely and consciously submits to the laws decreed by God, he is free to shape his personal life to whatever form his nature directs him. His duty is to make the best of himself so that he might honor the life-gift which His Creator has bestowed upon him; and to help his fellow-beings, by means of his own development, in their spiritual, social and material endeavors. But the form of his individual life is in no way fixed by a standard. He is free to make his choice from among all the limitless lawful possibilities open to him.
The basis of this ‘liberalism’ in Islam, is to be found in the conception that man ’s original nature is essentially good. Contrary to the Christian idea that man is born sinful, or the teachings of Hinduism, that he is originally low and impure and must painfully stagger through along chain of transmigrations towards the ultimate goal of Perfection, the Islamic teaching contends that man is born pure and – in the sense explained above – potentially perfect. It is said in the Holy Qur’an:
‘Surely We created man in the best structure.’
But in the same breath the verse continues:
‘…and afterwards We reduced him to the lowest of low: with the exception of those who have faith and do good works.’ (Qur’an 95:4-5)
In this verse is expressed the doctrine that man is originally good and pure; and, furthermore, that disbelief in God and lack of good actions may destroy his original perfection. On the other hand, man may retain, or regain, that original, individual perfection if he consciously realizes God’s Oneness and submits to His laws. Thus, according to Islam, evil is never essential or even original; it is an acquisition of man’s later life, and is due to a misuse of the innate, positive qualities with which God has endowed every human being. Those qualities are, as has been said before, different in every individual, but always potentially perfect in themselves; and their full development is possible within the period of man’s individual life on earth. We take it for granted that the life after death, owing to its entirely changed conditions of feeling and perception, will confer upon us other, quite new, qualities and faculties which will make a still further progress of the human soul possible; but this concerns our future life alone. In this earthly life also, the Islamic teaching definitely asserts, we-every-one of us -can reach a full measure of perfection by developing the positive, already existing traits of which our individualities are composed.
Of all religions, Islam alone makes it possible for man to enjoy the full range of his earthly life without for a moment losing its spiritual orientation. How entirely different is this from the Christian conception! According to the Christian dogma, mankind stumbles under a hereditary sin committed by Adam and Eve, and consequently the whole life is looked upon -in dogmatic theory at least – as a gloomy vale of sorrows. It is the battlefield of two opposing forces: the evil, represented by Satan, and the good, represented by Jesus Christ. Satan tries, by means of bodily temptations, to bar the progress of the human soul towards the light eternal; the soul belongs to Christ, while the body is the playground of satanic influences. One could express it differently: the world of Matter is essentially satanic, while the world of Spirit is divine and good. Everything in human nature that is material, or ‘carnal’, as Christian theology prefers to call it, is a direct result of Adam’s succumbing to the advice of the hellish Prince of Darkness and Matter. Therefore, to obtain salvation, man must turn his heart away from this world of the flesh towards the future, spiritual world, where the ’sin of mankind’ is redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Even if this dogma is not – and never was – obeyed in practice, the very existence of such a teaching tends to produce a permanent feeling of bad conscience in the religiously inclined man. He is tossed about between the peremptory call to neglect the world and the natural urge of his heart to live and to enjoy this life. The very idea of an unavoidable, because inherited, sin, and of its mystical – to the average intellect incomprehensible – redemption through the suffering of Jesus on the cross, erects a barrier between man’s spiritual longing and his legitimate desire to live.
In Islam, we know nothing of Original Sin; we regard it as incongruent with the idea of God’s justice; God does not make the child responsible for the doings of his father: and how could He have made all those numberless generations of mankind responsible for a sin of disobedience committed by a remote ancestor? It is no doubt possible to construct philosophical explanations of this strange assumption, but for the unsophisticated intellect it will always remain as artificial and as unsatisfactory as the conception of Trinity itself. And as there is no hereditary sin, there is also no universal redemption of mankind in the teachings of Islam. Redemption and damnation are individual. Every Muslim is his own redeemer; he bears all possibilities of spiritual success and failure within his heart. It is said in the Qur’an of the human personality:
‘In its favour is that which it has earned and against it is that which it has become guilty of.’ [Qur'an, 2: 286]
Another verse says:
‘Nothing shall be reckoned to man but that which he has striven for.’ [Qur'an, 53: 39]
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But if Islam does not share the gloomy aspect of life as expressed in Christianity, it teaches us, nonetheless, not to attribute to earthly life that exaggerated value which modern Western civilization attributes to it. While the Christian outlook implies that earthly life is a bad business, the modern West – as distinct from Christianity – adores life in exactly the same way as the glutton adores his food: he devours it, but has no respect for it. Islam on the other hand, looks upon earthly life with calm and respect. It does not worship it, but regards it as an organic stage on our way to a higher existence. But just because it is a stage and a necessary stage, too, man has no right to despise or even to underrate the value of his earthly life. Our travel through this world is a necessary positive part in God’s plan. Human life, therefore, is of tremendous value; but we must never forget that it is a purely instrumental value. In Islam there is no room for the materialistic optimism of the modern West which says: ‘My Kingdom is of this world alone.’ – nor for the life – contempt of the Christian saying: ‘My Kingdom is not of this world.’ Islam goes the middle way. The Qur’an teaches us to pray:
‘Our Lord, give us the good in this world and the good in the Hereafter.’ [Qur'an 2:201]
Thus, the full appreciation of this world and its goods is in no way a handicap for our spiritual endeavors. Material prosperity is desirable, though not a goal in itself. The goal of all our practical activities always ought to be the creation and the maintenance of such personal and social conditions as might be helpful for the development of moral stamina in men. In accordance with this principle, Islam leads man towards a consciousness of moral responsibility in everything he does, whether great or small. The well-known injunction of the Gospels: ‘Give Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and give God that which belongs to God’ – has no room in the theological structure of Islam, because Islam does not admit the existence of a conflict between the moral and the socio-economic requirements of our existence. In everything there can be only one choice: the choice between Right and Wrong – and nothing in – between. Hence the intense insistence on action as an indispensable element of morality.
Every individual Muslim has to regard himself as personally responsible for all happenings around him, and to .strive for the establishment of Right and the abolition of Wrong at every time and in every direction. A sanction for this attitude is to be found in the verse of the Qur’an:
‘You are the best community that has been sent forth to mankind: You enjoin the Right and forbid the Wrong; and you have faith in God.’ [Qur'an 3:110]
This is the moral justification of the healthy activism of Islam, a justification of the early Islamic conquests. It has meant, as it means today, the construction of a worldly frame for the best possible spiritual development of man. For, according to the teachings of Islam, moral knowledge automatically forces moral responsibility upon man. A mere Platonic discernment between Right and Wrong, without the urge to promote Right and to destroy Wrong, is a gross immorality in itself. In Islam, morality lives and dies with the human endeavor to establish its victory upon earth
The Spirit of Islam
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The ‘Spirit of Islam’ is a chapter taken from Muhammad Asad`s book, Islam at the Crossroads, 1969 |
By: Muhammad Asad
IslamiCity* –
ONE of the slogans most characteristic of the present age is ‘the conquest of space.’ Means of communication have been developed which are far beyond the dreams of former generations; and these new means have set in motion a far more rapid and extensive transfer of goods than ever before within the history of mankind. The result of this development is an economic inter-dependence of nations. No single nation or group can today afford to remain aloof from the rest of the world. Economic development has ceased to be local. Its character has become world-wide. It ignores, at least in its tendency, political boundaries and geographical distances. It carries with itself- and possibly this is even more important than the purely material side of the problem -the ever-increasing necessity of a transfer not only of merchandise but also of thoughts and cultural values. But while those two forces, the economic and the cultural, often go hand in hand, there is a difference in their dynamic rules. The elementary laws of economics require that the exchange of goods between nations be mutual; this means that no nation can act as buyer only while another nation is always seller in the long run, each of them must play both parts simultaneously, giving to, and taking from, each other, be it directly or through the medium of other actors in the play of economic forces. But in the cultural field this iron rule of exchange is not a necessity, at least not always a visible one, that is to say, the transfer of ideas and cultural influences is not necessarily based on the principle of give and take. It lies in human nature that nations and civilizations, which are politically and economically more virile, exert a strong fascination on the weaker or less active communities and influence them in the intellectual and social spheres without being influenced themselves.
Such is the situation today with regard to the relations between the Western and the Muslim worlds.
From the viewpoint of the historical observer the strong, one-sided influence which Western civilization at present exerts on the Muslim world is not at all surprising, because it is the outcome of a long historic process for which there are several analogies elsewhere. But while the historian may be satisfied, for us the problem remains unsettled. For us who are not mere interested spectators, but very real actors in this drama; for us who regard ourselves as the followers of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) the problem in reality begins here. We believe that Islam, unlike other religions, is not only a spiritual attitude of mind, adjustable to different cultural settings, but a self-sufficing orbit of culture and a social system of clearly defined features. When, as is the case today, a foreign civilization extends its radiations into our midst and causes certain changes in our own cultural organism, we are bound to make it clear to ourselves whether that foreign influence runs in the direction of our own cultural possibilities or against them; whether it acts as an invigorating serum in the body of Islamic culture, or as a poison.
An answer to this question can be found through analysis only. We have to discover the motive forces of both civilizations – the Islamic and that of the modern West -and then to investigate how far a co-operation is possible between them. And as Islamic civilization is essentially a religious one, we must, first of all, try to define the general role of religion in human life.
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What we call the ‘religious attitude’ is the natural outcome of man’s intellectual and biological constitution. Man is unable to explain to himself the mystery of life, the mystery of birth and death, the mystery of infinity and eternity. His reasoning stops before impregnable walls. He can, therefore, do two things only. The one is, to give up all attempts at understanding life as a totality. In this case, man will rely upon the evidence of external experiences alone and will limit his conclusions to their sphere. Thus he will be able to understand single fragments of life, which may increase in number and clarity as rapidly or as slowly as human knowledge of Nature increases, but will, nonetheless, always remain only fragments -the grasp of the totality itself remaining beyond the methodical equipment of human reason. This is the way the natural sciences go. The other possibility – which may well exist side by side with the scientific one -is the way of religion. It leads man, by means of an inner, mostly intuitive, experience, to the acceptance of a unitary explanation of life, generally on the assumption that there exists a supreme Creative Power which governs the Universe according to some pre-conceived plan above and beyond human understanding. As has just been said, this conception does not necessarily preclude man from an investigation of such facts and fragments of life as offer themselves for external observation; there is no inherent antagonism between the external (scientific) and internal (religious) perception. But the latter is, in fact, the only speculative possibility to conceive all life as a unity of essence and motive power; in short, as a well-balanced, harmonious totality. The term ‘harmonious’, though so terribly misused, is very important in this connection, because it implies a corresponding attitude in man himself. The religious man knows that whatever happens to him and within him can never be the result of a blind play of forces without consciousness and purpose; he believes it to be the outcome of God’s conscious will alone, and, therefore, organically integrated with a universal plan. In this way man is enabled to solve the bitter antagonism between the human Self and the objective world of facts and appearances which is called Nature. The human being, with all the intricate mechanism of his soul, with all his desires and fears, his feelings and his speculative uncertainties, sees himself faced by a Nature in which bounty and cruelty, danger and security are mixed in a wondrous, inexplicable way and apparently work on lines entirely different from the methods and the structure of the human mind. Never has purely intellectual philosophy or experimental science been able to solve this conflict. This exactly is the point where religion steps in.
In the light of religious perception and experience, the human, self-conscious Self and the mute, seemingly irresponsible Nature are brought into a relation of spiritual harmony; because both, the individual consciousness of man and the Nature that surrounds him and is within him, are nothing but co-ordinate, if different, manifestations of one and the same Creative Will. The immense benefit which religion thus confers upon man is the realization that he is, and never can cease to be, a well-planned unit in the eternal movement of Creation: a definite part in the infinite organism of universal destiny. The psychological consequence of this conception is a deep feeling of spiritual security -that balance between hopes and fears which distinguishes the positively religious man, whatever his religion, from the irreligious.
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This fundamental position is common to all great religions, whatever their specific doctrines be; and equally common to all of them is the moral appeal to man to surrender himself to the manifest Will of God. But Islam, and Islam alone, goes beyond this theoretical explanation and exhortation. It not only teaches us that all life is essentially a unity – because it proceeds from the Divine Oneness – but it shows us also the practical way how everyone of us can reproduce, within the limits of his individual, earthly life, the unity of Idea and Action both in his existence and in his consciousness. To attain that supreme goal of life, man is, in Islam, not compelled to renounce the world; no austerities are required to open a secret door to spiritual purification; no pressure is exerted upon the mind to believe incomprehensible dogmas in order that salvation be secured. Such things are utterly foreign to Islam: for it is neither a mystical doctrine nor a philosophy. It is simply a program of life according to the rules of Nature which God has decreed upon His creation; and its supreme achievement is the complete coordination of the spiritual and the material aspects of human life. In the teachings of Islam, both these aspects are not only ‘reconciled’ to each other in the sense of leaving no inherent conflict between the bodily and the moral existence of man, but the fact of their coexistence and actual inseparability is insisted upon as the natural basis of life.
This, I think, is the reason for the peculiar form of the Islamic prayer in which spiritual concentration and certain bodily movements are coordinated with each other. Inimical critics of Islam often select this way of praying as a proof of their allegation that Islam is a religion of formalism and outwardness. And, in fact, people of other religions, who are accustomed to neatly separate the ’spiritual’ from the ‘bodily’ almost in the same way as the dairyman separates the cream from the milk, cannot easily understand that in the un-skimmed milk of Islam both these ingredients, though distinct in their respective constitutions, harmoniously live and express themselves together. In other words, the Islamic prayer consists of mental concentration and bodily movements because human life itself is of such a composition, and because we are supposed to approach God through the sum-total of all the faculties He has bestowed upon us.
A further illustration of this attitude can be seen in the institution of the tawaf the ceremony of walking round the Ka’bah in Makka. As it is an indispensable obligation for everyone who enters the Holy City to go seven times round the Ka’bah, and as the observance of this injunction is one of the three most essential points of the pilgrimage, we have the right to ask ourselves: What is the meaning of this? Is it necessary to express devotion in such a formal way?
The answer is quite obvious. If we move in a circle around some object we thereby establish that object as the central point of our action. The Ka’bah, towards which every Muslim turns his face in prayer, symbolizes the Oneness of God. The bodily movement of the pilgrims in the tawaf symbolizes the activity of human life. Consequently, the tawaf implies that not only our devotional thoughts but also our practical life, our actions and endeavors, must have the idea of God and His Oneness for their center-in accordance with the words of the Holy Qur’an:
‘I have not created Jinn and Man but that they should worship Me’ [Qur'an 51: 56]
Thus, the conception of ‘worship’ in Islam is different from that in any other religion. Here it is not restricted to the purely devotional practices, for example, prayers or fasting, but extends over the whole of man’s practical life as well. If the object of our life as a whole is to be the worship of God, we necessarily must regard this life, in the totality of all its aspects, as one complex moral responsibility. Thus, all our actions even the seemingly trivial ones, must be performed as acts of worship; that is, performed consciously as constituting apart of God’s universal plan. Such a state of things is, for the man of average capability, a distant ideal; but is it not the purpose of religion to bring ideals into real existence?
The position of Islam in this respect is unmistakable. It teaches us, firstly, that the permanent worship of God in all the manifold actions of human life is the very meaning of this life; and, secondly, that the achievement of this purpose remains impossible so long as we divide our life into two parts, the spiritual and the material: they must be bound together, in our consciousness and our action, into one harmoniousentity. Our notion of God’s Oneness must be reflected in our own striving towards a co-ordination and unification of the various aspects of our life.
A logical consequence of this attitude is a further difference between Islam and all other known religious systems. It is to be found in the fact that Islam, as a teaching, undertakes to define not only the metaphysical relations between man and his Creator but also -and with scarcely less insistence -the earthly relations between the individual and his social surroundings. The worldly life is not regarded as a mere empty shell, as a meaningless shadow of the Hereafter that is to come, but as a self-contained, positive entity. God Himself is a Unity not only in essence but also in purpose; and therefore, His creation is a Unity, possibly in essence, but certainly in purpose.
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Ceiling of Cordoba Mosque from the 10th century seems to shine down on a time when the learning of the Islamic East first came to the West, paving the way for the Renaissance. |
Perfection – The Islamic Ideal:
Worship of God in the wide sense just explained constitutes, according to Islam, the meaning of human life. And it is this conception alone that shows us the possibility of man’s reaching perfection within his individual, earthly life. Of all religious systems, Islam alone declares that individual perfection is possible in our earthly existence. Islam does not postpone this fulfillment until after a suppression of the so-called ‘bodily’ desires, as the Christian teaching does; nor does Islam promise a continuous chain of rebirths on a progressively higher plane, as is the case with Hinduism; nor does Islam agree with Buddhism, according to which perfection and salvation can only be obtained through an annihilation of the individual Self and its emotional links with the world. NO: Islam is emphatic in the assertion that man can reach perfection in the earthly, individual life and by making full use of all the worldly possibilities of his life.
To avoid misunderstandings, the term ‘perfection’ will have to be defined in the sense it is used here. As long as we have to do with human, biologically limited beings, we cannot possibly consider the idea of ‘absolute’ perfection, because everything absolute belongs to the realm of Divine attributes alone. Human perfection, in its true psychological and moral sense, must necessarily have a relative and purely individual bearing. It does not imply the possession of all imaginable good qualities, nor even the progressive acquisition of new qualities from outside, but solely the development of the already existing, positive qualities of the individual in such a way as to rouse his innate but otherwise dormant powers. Owing to the natural variety of the life-phenomena, the inborn qualities of man differ in each individual case. It would be absurd, therefore, to suppose that all human beings should, or even could, strive towards one and the same ‘type’ of perfection -just as it would be absurd to expect a perfect race-horse and a perfect heavy draught horse to possess exactly the same qualities. Both may be individually perfect and satisfactory, but they will be different, because their original characters are different. With human beings the case is similar. If perfection were to be standardized in a certain ‘type’ -as Christianity does in the type of the ascetic saint – men would have to give up, or change, or suppress, their individual differentiation. But this would clearly violate the divine law of individual variety which dominates all life on this earth. Therefore Islam, which is not a religion of repression, allows to man a very wide margin in his personal and social existence, so that the various qualities, temperaments and psychological inclinations of different individuals should find their way to positive development according to their individual predisposition. Thus a man may be an ascetic, or he may enjoy the full measure of his sensual possibilities within the lawful limits; he may be a nomad roaming through the deserts, without food for tomorrow, or a rich merchant surrounded by his goods. As long as he sincerely and consciously submits to the laws decreed by God, he is free to shape his personal life to whatever form his nature directs him. His duty is to make the best of himself so that he might honor the life-gift which His Creator has bestowed upon him; and to help his fellow-beings, by means of his own development, in their spiritual, social and material endeavors. But the form of his individual life is in no way fixed by a standard. He is free to make his choice from among all the limitless lawful possibilities open to him.
The basis of this ‘liberalism’ in Islam, is to be found in the conception that man ’s original nature is essentially good. Contrary to the Christian idea that man is born sinful, or the teachings of Hinduism, that he is originally low and impure and must painfully stagger through along chain of transmigrations towards the ultimate goal of Perfection, the Islamic teaching contends that man is born pure and – in the sense explained above – potentially perfect. It is said in the Holy Qur’an:
‘Surely We created man in the best structure.’
But in the same breath the verse continues:
‘…and afterwards We reduced him to the lowest of low: with the exception of those who have faith and do good works.’ (Qur’an 95:4-5)
In this verse is expressed the doctrine that man is originally good and pure; and, furthermore, that disbelief in God and lack of good actions may destroy his original perfection. On the other hand, man may retain, or regain, that original, individual perfection if he consciously realizes God’s Oneness and submits to His laws. Thus, according to Islam, evil is never essential or even original; it is an acquisition of man’s later life, and is due to a misuse of the innate, positive qualities with which God has endowed every human being. Those qualities are, as has been said before, different in every individual, but always potentially perfect in themselves; and their full development is possible within the period of man’s individual life on earth. We take it for granted that the life after death, owing to its entirely changed conditions of feeling and perception, will confer upon us other, quite new, qualities and faculties which will make a still further progress of the human soul possible; but this concerns our future life alone. In this earthly life also, the Islamic teaching definitely asserts, we-every-one of us -can reach a full measure of perfection by developing the positive, already existing traits of which our individualities are composed.
Of all religions, Islam alone makes it possible for man to enjoy the full range of his earthly life without for a moment losing its spiritual orientation. How entirely different is this from the Christian conception! According to the Christian dogma, mankind stumbles under a hereditary sin committed by Adam and Eve, and consequently the whole life is looked upon -in dogmatic theory at least – as a gloomy vale of sorrows. It is the battlefield of two opposing forces: the evil, represented by Satan, and the good, represented by Jesus Christ. Satan tries, by means of bodily temptations, to bar the progress of the human soul towards the light eternal; the soul belongs to Christ, while the body is the playground of satanic influences. One could express it differently: the world of Matter is essentially satanic, while the world of Spirit is divine and good. Everything in human nature that is material, or ‘carnal’, as Christian theology prefers to call it, is a direct result of Adam’s succumbing to the advice of the hellish Prince of Darkness and Matter. Therefore, to obtain salvation, man must turn his heart away from this world of the flesh towards the future, spiritual world, where the ’sin of mankind’ is redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Even if this dogma is not – and never was – obeyed in practice, the very existence of such a teaching tends to produce a permanent feeling of bad conscience in the religiously inclined man. He is tossed about between the peremptory call to neglect the world and the natural urge of his heart to live and to enjoy this life. The very idea of an unavoidable, because inherited, sin, and of its mystical – to the average intellect incomprehensible – redemption through the suffering of Jesus on the cross, erects a barrier between man’s spiritual longing and his legitimate desire to live.
In Islam, we know nothing of Original Sin; we regard it as incongruent with the idea of God’s justice; God does not make the child responsible for the doings of his father: and how could He have made all those numberless generations of mankind responsible for a sin of disobedience committed by a remote ancestor? It is no doubt possible to construct philosophical explanations of this strange assumption, but for the unsophisticated intellect it will always remain as artificial and as unsatisfactory as the conception of Trinity itself. And as there is no hereditary sin, there is also no universal redemption of mankind in the teachings of Islam. Redemption and damnation are individual. Every Muslim is his own redeemer; he bears all possibilities of spiritual success and failure within his heart. It is said in the Qur’an of the human personality:
‘In its favour is that which it has earned and against it is that which it has become guilty of.’ [Qur'an, 2: 286]
Another verse says:
‘Nothing shall be reckoned to man but that which he has striven for.’ [Qur'an, 53: 39]
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But if Islam does not share the gloomy aspect of life as expressed in Christianity, it teaches us, nonetheless, not to attribute to earthly life that exaggerated value which modern Western civilization attributes to it. While the Christian outlook implies that earthly life is a bad business, the modern West – as distinct from Christianity – adores life in exactly the same way as the glutton adores his food: he devours it, but has no respect for it. Islam on the other hand, looks upon earthly life with calm and respect. It does not worship it, but regards it as an organic stage on our way to a higher existence. But just because it is a stage and a necessary stage, too, man has no right to despise or even to underrate the value of his earthly life. Our travel through this world is a necessary positive part in God’s plan. Human life, therefore, is of tremendous value; but we must never forget that it is a purely instrumental value. In Islam there is no room for the materialistic optimism of the modern West which says: ‘My Kingdom is of this world alone.’ – nor for the life – contempt of the Christian saying: ‘My Kingdom is not of this world.’ Islam goes the middle way. The Qur’an teaches us to pray:
‘Our Lord, give us the good in this world and the good in the Hereafter.’ [Qur'an 2:201]
Thus, the full appreciation of this world and its goods is in no way a handicap for our spiritual endeavors. Material prosperity is desirable, though not a goal in itself. The goal of all our practical activities always ought to be the creation and the maintenance of such personal and social conditions as might be helpful for the development of moral stamina in men. In accordance with this principle, Islam leads man towards a consciousness of moral responsibility in everything he does, whether great or small. The well-known injunction of the Gospels: ‘Give Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and give God that which belongs to God’ – has no room in the theological structure of Islam, because Islam does not admit the existence of a conflict between the moral and the socio-economic requirements of our existence. In everything there can be only one choice: the choice between Right and Wrong – and nothing in – between. Hence the intense insistence on action as an indispensable element of morality.
Every individual Muslim has to regard himself as personally responsible for all happenings around him, and to .strive for the establishment of Right and the abolition of Wrong at every time and in every direction. A sanction for this attitude is to be found in the verse of the Qur’an:
‘You are the best community that has been sent forth to mankind: You enjoin the Right and forbid the Wrong; and you have faith in God.’ [Qur'an 3:110]
This is the moral justification of the healthy activism of Islam, a justification of the early Islamic conquests. It has meant, as it means today, the construction of a worldly frame for the best possible spiritual development of man. For, according to the teachings of Islam, moral knowledge automatically forces moral responsibility upon man. A mere Platonic discernment between Right and Wrong, without the urge to promote Right and to destroy Wrong, is a gross immorality in itself. In Islam, morality lives and dies with the human endeavor to establish its victory upon earth
Principles of Success
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To choose the easiest option means that you should evaluate your options and choose the most feasible. |
By: IslamiCity
IslamiCity* -
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Source: rbstudios.com |
According to the Quran, Prophet Muhammad 
was the most excellent example for all of humanity. Even non-Muslim historians recognize him to be one of the most successful personalities in history.
In 1946 Reverend R Bosworth-Smith in “Mohammed & Mohammedanism.” wrote about the Prophet:
“Head of the state as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but, he was pope without the pope’s claims, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue. If ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by a right divine It was Mohammad, for he had all the power without instruments and without its support. He cared not for dressing of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life.”
In 1978 Michael Hart in his book ” The 100 Most Influential Persons In History”, selected Prophet Muhammad as the most influential person in history and had this to say about his choice:
“My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the secular and religious level… It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history.”
The Prophet’s words and actions show us the way to achieve success, not just in this world but in the hereafter as well.
In short, the Prophet of Islam was a positive thinker in the full sense of the word. All his activities were result-oriented. He refrained from all negative elements of behavior that are counter-productive to achievement such as hate, envy, arrogance, greed, etc.
All the actions of the Prophet were solely based on a pure intention to please God.
By studying the life of the Prophet we can identify some of the principles of success.
The First Principle:
Take the easier path. This principle is well explained in a saying of A’ishah. She said:
Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always opted for the easier choice. (Bukhari)
To choose the easiest option means that you should evaluate your options and choose the most feasible. One who begins from this starting point will surely reach his goal.
The Second Principle:
See advantage in disadvantage. In the early days of Makkah, there were many problems and difficulties. At that time, a guiding verse in the Quran was revealed. It said:
With every hardship there is ease, with every hardship there is ease. (94:5-6).
This means that if there are some problems, there are also opportunities at the same time. The way to success is to overcome the problems and avail the opportunities.
The Third Principle:
Change the place of action. This principle is derived from the Hijrah. The Hijrah was not just a migration from Makkah to Madinah, it was a journey to find a more suitable place to put Islam into action.
Physical migration and perseverance is an important element in establishing Justice and Peace. This also planted the roots of intellectual migration from the subjugated minds to an awakened spirit.
The Fourth Principle:
Make a friend out of an enemy. The Prophet of Islam was repeatedly subjected to practices of antagonism by the unbelievers. At that time, the Qur’an enjoined upon him the return of good for evil. And then, as the Quran added:
You will see your direst enemy has become your closest friend. (41:34)
It means that a good deed in return of a bad deed has a conquering effect over your enemies. And the life of the Prophet is a historical proof of this principle.
The greatest example of amnesty was shown by the Prophet after the blood-less conquest of Makkah. All enemies of Islam were granted pardon including Hinda, the wife of Abu Soofyaan who had disemboweled the martyred body of Hamza, the Prophet’s uncle. In spite of her detestable mutilation of Hamza’s body, the Prophet forgave her.
The Fifth Principle:
Education is central to success. After the battle of Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers were taken as prisoners of war. They were educated people. The Prophet announced that if any one of them would teach ten Muslim children how to read and write he would be freed. This was the first school in the history of Islam in which all of the students were Muslims, and all of the teachers were from the enemy rank.
The Sixth Principle:
Don’t be a dichotomous thinker. In the famous battle of Mutah, Khalid Ibn Walid decided to withdraw Muslim forces from the battlefield because he discovered that they were disproportionately outnumbered by the enemy. When they reached Madinah, some of the Muslims received them by the word ‘O deserters!’ The Prophet said: ‘No, they are men of advancement’.
Those Madinan people were thinking dichotomously, either fighting or retreating. The Prophet said that there is also a third option, and that is to avoid war and find time to strengthen yourself. Now history tells us that the Muslims, after three years of preparation, advanced again towards the Roman border and this time they won a resounding victory.
The Seventh Principle:
Do not engage in unnecessary confrontation. This principle is derived from the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. At that time, the unbelievers were determined to engage Muslims in fighting, because they were in an advantageous position. But the Prophet , by accepting their conditions unilaterally, entered into a pact. It was a ten-year peace treaty. Until then, the meeting ground between Muslims and non-Muslims had been on the battlefield. Now the area of conflict became that of ideological debate. Within two years, Islam emerged as victorious because of the simple reason of its ideological superiority.
The Eighth Principle:
Gradualism instead of radicalism. This principle is well-established by a Hadith quoted in Bukhari. A’ishah says that the first verses of the Qur’an were related mostly to Heaven and Hell. After some time when faith had taken hold in peoples hearts, God revealed specific commands to desist from unjust and self-deprecating social practices that were prevalent in the Arabian dark ages. This is a clear proof that for social changes, Islam advocates the evolutionary method, rather than the revolutionary method.
The Ninth Principle:
Be pragmatic in controversial matters. During the writing of the Hudaybiyyah treaty, the Prophet dictated these words: ‘This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.’ The Qurayshan delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet promptly ordered the words to be changed to ‘Muhammad, son of Abdullah’. This simple change placated the Qurayshan delegate.
These are just some of the principles by which the Prophet of Islam conducted his life. His achievements have been recognized by historians as the supreme success. We would be wise to live by following his example.
You have indeed in the Messenger of God a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in God and the Final Day .. (Quran 33:21)
Adapted from the “Principles of Success in the Light of Sirah” by Wahiduddin Khan – Renaissance Islamic Journal
