Islam_in_Focus_text

over his passions, disciplines his desires and resists all evil
temptations. By this course, he is in a position to reassure
himself, to restore his dignity and integrity and to attain free-
dom from the captivity of evil. Once he obtains all these, he
has established inner peace, which is the source of perma-
nent peace with God and, consequently, with the entire uni-
verse.
Now, someone may be tempted to raise the objection: If
this is the case with the Islamic institution of Fasting, and if
this is the picture of Islam in this aspect, why are Muslims
not living in a utopia? To such an objection we can only say
that Muslims have lived in and enjoyed a utopia in a certain
epoch of their hisiory. The realization of that utopia was a
phenomenon of a unique achievement in the history of man,
We say unique, because no religion or social system other
than Islam has ever been able to realize its ideals in reality.
The utopia of other religions and social systems has always
remained in the category of theories or wishful thinking and
dreams-sometimes clear, sometimes vague, sometimes near,
most of the time far. But the utopia of Islam was realized
and put into practice and production at full capacity. In a human
and practical sense this means that the utopia of Islam
can be reestablished once again right here on this earth, and
that n is raised on solid foundations and practicable principles.
The rea^on why the Islamic utopia is not being esta-
blished nowadays is manifold and easily explicable. But to