Islam Rediscovered

Islam RediscoveredTable of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTSTable of Contents................................................................2Preface.................................................................................91. Search for Truth............................................................16Philosophy.....................................................................19Science............................................................................23Mysticism ......................................................................262. Faith and Reason..........................................................33Natural Argument........................................................33Philosophical Argument..............................................35Spiritual Argument.......................................................37Scientific Argument......................................................383. The Concept of God.....................................................444. Religion..........................................................................55Religions Other than Islam..........................................585. Islam in Brief.................................................................65~ 2 ~

Islam RediscoveredTable of ContentsTrue Guidance...............................................................65A. Individual.................................................................66B. Society........................................................................70C. State...........................................................................716. The Creation Plan of God............................................767. Discovery of Islam........................................................89Why Islam Alone..........................................................92Prophetic Perspective...................................................95Separation of Spirit and Form.....................................96Communalization of the Religion...............................98The Veil of Interpretation...........................................101The Obsession with Historical Glory........................1058. The Man Islam Builds................................................108Internal Development ................................................108External Activities.......................................................111Intellectual Development...........................................112~ 3 ~

Islam RediscoveredTable of Contents9. The Islamic Way of Life.............................................118Iman (faith)..................................................................119Ibadah (worship) ........................................................120Akhlaq (morality).......................................................121Social Relations...........................................................12310. Islam As It Is.............................................................13111. Non-Violence and Islam..........................................143Peaceful Beginning.....................................................147Success Through the Non-violent Method...............150Political Revolt Unlawful...........................................155The Command of War in Islam.................................158The Modern Age and Non-Violence.........................163The Manifestation of Religion...................................166A Great Opportunity..................................................173Islam in the Present Age............................................175Da‘wah Activism........................................................180~ 4 ~

Islam RediscoveredTable of ContentsMuslims Displaced.....................................................183Peace and Justice.........................................................188Conclusion...................................................................18912. Islamic Fundamentalism..........................................191What is Fundamentalism?.........................................194On Islam and Jihad.....................................................197Ideological Hatred......................................................201Terrorism in the Name of Islam................................203Fundamental Principles of Islam ..............................211Islam and Politics........................................................215The Challenge of Fundamentalism...........................21913. The Shariah and Its Application.............................227The Secret of Guidance and Ignorance.....................24214. Spirituality in Islam..................................................250The Universe—a Source of Divine Inspiration........254A Personal Experience................................................255~ 5 ~

Islam RediscoveredTable of Contents15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wah.............................266Contribution of Muhaddithin (Scholars of Hadith) 268Religious Institutions..................................................269Updating......................................................................270Updating: Reapplication of Shariah..........................272Da’wah.........................................................................27516. Islam Stands the Test of History.............................27817. Prophetic Vision.......................................................285Envisioning the Future...............................................287Seeing an Advantage Amidst Disadvantages..........289Introducing Peace as the Most Powerful Weapon ..293His Words Determine the Course of History...........29918. Islamic Activism.......................................................307Unlimited Scope of Patience......................................31519. The Islamic Concept of History...............................322Creation Plan of God..................................................322~ 6 ~

Islam RediscoveredTable of ContentsThe Age of Perversion................................................325The Reasons for Perversion.......................................326The Problem of Evil....................................................32820. The Revolutionary Role of Islam ............................331Historical Revolution.................................................337Freedom of Choice......................................................339The End of the Superstitious Era...............................341Truth Unveiled............................................................34421. Islam in History........................................................346The Eradication of Fitna.............................................347The Age of Religious Freedom..................................354The Peaceful Propagation of Islam ...........................36722. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic Development..........................................................................................37823. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformation.........387Islam and Conversion................................................388~ 7 ~

Islam RediscoveredTable of ContentsConversion—A universal principle..........................395The reality of Conversion...........................................398Conversion—A healthy historical process...............39924. A Case of Discovery*................................................40725. Conclusion................................................................437~ 8 ~

Islam RediscoveredPrefacePREFACEThe theme of this book is evident from its title: IslamRediscovered: Discovering Islam from its OriginalSources. Its purpose is to present Islam as it is,drawing on its original sources rather than judgingit by the later day interpretations and commentariesor the practices of present day Muslims in differentparts of the world. A distinction is made betweenIslam as presented by the Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, and his companions(information about which is available to us in theQur’an and the sunnah) and Islam as represented bylater Muslim generations — both in theory andpractice. This is what we call the scientificapproach.We are living in the age of the media. Before theadvent of the modern media there were largenumbers of people in the world who knew nothingof Islam. With the invention of the printing pressand now the electronic media it is difficult to findtoday a single person who is unaware of it.~ 9 ~

Islam RediscoveredPrefaceBut there is a clear-cut difference. In previous agesit happened that wherever Islam spread peoplewere so impressed with it that most of themaccepted it as their religion. That is why today wefind more than one billion Muslims throughout theworld. Strangely enough the present day publicitygiven to Islam has produced only a negative effect.People are now generally allergic to Islam ratherthan being interested in it.In previous centuries when Islam was introduced,people used to say: Yes, “Mr. Islam welcome toyou!” Now when Islam is presented to them theysay: “No thank you.” Why is there this difference?The answer is very simple. In previous centuriesIslam was introduced to the people of the worldthrough its scriptures, as it is — without theslightest change in its original message. Whereas inmodern times, Islam is being introduced throughthe negative practices of certain Muslims asreported by the media.There is a further and more severe problem that ofselective reporting. According to their own criteriathe media is interested only in ‘hot’ news, although~ 10 ~

Islam RediscoveredPrefaceso much ‘soft’ news is available about the Muslimpeople. Because of their ingrained professionalism,they do not allow this ‘soft’ news to find its wayinto their columns of their broadcasts.Islam is the religion of nature. If it were to bepresented in its original form, people would turn toit quite naturally. For example, when a recentlyconverted American by the name of Gary Millerwas asked why he had converted to Islam, hereplied: “I didn’t convert to Islam I have ratherreverted to my original religion.”Unfortunately, a section of Muslims is engaged inviolent and aggressive activities, wrongfullyindeed, in the name of Islam. It is such news as,through the media, has a great impact upon thegeneral public and creates seriousmisunderstandings. People have come to take Islamas a militant religion. Since modern man is in searchof peace, he finds no appeal in a religion which, aspresented by the media, is one of hatred andviolence.This book attempts to introduce Islam as it is. Itcalls for a distinction to be made between Islam and~ 11 ~

Islam RediscoveredPrefacethe practices of Muslims. Taking a scientificattitude, you have to see Islam in the light of theIslamic scriptures and not judge it by Muslimconduct.For surely, if you want to know what democracy is,you will examine the ideology of democracy asestablished by its champions. You will not form anopinion about the democratic system merely on thebasis of observing some self-styled democraticnation. Everyone who wants to know what Islam is,should follow this scientific method while trying toform his opinion on Islam.We are living in an age of information. This is theage of the knowledge explosion. Today, everyonewants to know more and more about everything,including religion. The result is that, on the subjectof religion, people are far better informed than everbefore. But there is a difference. About otherreligions, people generally know what is enshrinedin their religious books. Whereas the case of Islam isthe opposite. Their information about Islam isderived from unauthentic sources. The reason forthis lies with the Muslims and not with anyone else.~ 12 ~

Islam RediscoveredPrefaceThe Muslims of modern times are engaged inviolence everywhere in the name of Islam. Violence,however, is not limited only to Muslims. It is foundin every community and in every group. But thereis a basic difference between the two. When theadherents of other religions engage in violence, theydo not do so in the name of their religion. But theviolence engaged in by the Muslims is being donein the name of Islam.These violent activities of the Muslims reach thepeople through the media. As modern media is a“hot news”-based industry, these violent events areflashed in the media. For this reason, people cometo regard Islam as a religion of violence. It is onlyamong Muslims that all violent activities are carriedout in the name of religion.In practice, only a tiny minority of Muslims isengaged in such violent activities. However, sinceother Muslims neither condemn these activities, nordisown them outright, it is but natural for people toattribute their violent propensities to their religion.But the scientific way of study is to distinguishIslam from the deeds of Muslims, just as the~ 13 ~

Islam RediscoveredPrefaceideology of democracy is studied by distinguishingit from the acts of democratic countries.The aim of this book is to present Islam as it isenshrined in its sacred scriptures, so that it may bebrought before the people in its true form. Theauthentic source of information about Islam is theQur’an. The Qur’an, according to Muslim belief,was revealed by God to the Arabian ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him. The secondsource of knowledge about Islam is the sunnah, i.e.,the words, deeds and sanctions of the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him. The lives ofthe companions of the Prophet provide anotherlater source. Then, there is a full stop in this matter.No other person or historical record enjoys thestatus of source of Islam.However, this book does not claim to be acomprehensive introduction to Islam. That issomething which can be had only by studying Islamdirectly through its basic scriptures, that is, theQur’an and Sunnah. This book thus presents afundamental introduction for those who want tounderstand Islam as it is. Its aim is to provide a~ 14 ~

Islam RediscoveredPrefaceproper background in the light of which the originalsources of Islam may be studied.I hope that this book will be useful for those whowant to know about the original Islam, as opposedto the “religion” represented by certain self-styledMuslim leaders introduced to us by the media.Finally, I would like to thank Anna Khanna, FaridaKhanam, Rashdan M.Radzi, Alaref Ahmad, andMaulana Anis Luqman Nadvi for their immensehelp in making this book possible.Manchester, U.K.Wahiduddin KhanJune 23, 1999~ 15 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truth1. SEARCH FOR TRUTHMan is a born seeker — a veritable truth-seekinganimal. Every human being regards himself asincomplete until he has found that supremeprinciple by which he can explain his existence inthis world and discover the purpose and meaningof his life.Everyone is a seeker. True. But few are finders.Why? Because, where seeking is instinctive, findingis the outcome of one’s own conscious effort.In the pre-Islamic period, there were certainindividuals in Arabia, called Hunafa. They were alltruth seekers. Confining themselves to solitaryplaces, they would remember God and say: “O Godif we had known how to worship You, we wouldhave worshipped you accordingly.”This was due to their urge to come to grips withreality — an urge such as is found in every humanbeing, the difference between one individual andanother being only one of degree: in some, the urgeis weak, in others it is strong.~ 16 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for TruthThen, there are some deviations. Some people takecertain material objects to be their goal in life anddo their utmost to obtain them. But there is aninternal evidence that they do so mistakenly. Beforeobtaining these material objects, they are highlyenthusiastic about them. But as soon as they havethem in their possession their enthusiasm turns tofrustration for, with experience, they invariably findthat what they have struggled for so hard, has failedto give them the desired sense of fulfillment. Allthese material things in this world are meant tofulfill only our physical needs. They have nothingto do with the purpose of our lives. This purposecan be only spiritual in nature, and not somethingmaterial.To achieve this purpose is the greatest quest in life.Everyone is motivated, consciously orunconsciously, by this demand of human nature,everyone at one time or another suffers from a senseof frustration, with or without sad experiences. Tomake one’s life meaningful, therefore one has todiscover its purpose. One should be extremelysincere and honest in this respect. Sincerity andhonesty are an assurance of engaging oneself~ 17 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthunremittingly in this pursuit, and never giving-up,until one has discovered the real purpose of humanexistence.When a man succeeds in discovering this ideal, hebecomes a person who is fit to be called a completeman, one who has succeeded in making his lifepurposeful, in the real sense of the word. Such aperson has been called in the Qur’an: Al-Nafs al-Mutmainna (89:27). This means a soul at rest, inpeace or in a state of complete satisfaction. That is, aman who wholeheartedly follows the divine way oflife and is always fully satisfied, whether or not it isin consonance with his own desires. By showingsuch total willingness to surrender his will to thewill of God, he attains that state of humanity whichis at one with the creation plan of God. Such peoplewill be rewarded with eternal paradise in the worldHereafter.This will to search for the truth is implanted ineveryone. But it depends upon every individualhimself, whether or not he pursues this naturalurge. Only through sincere pursuit will he discoverthe truth and thus make his life meaningful. For any~ 18 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthkind of negligence or apathy in this regard, there isno excuse, whatever the circumstances.PHILOSOPHYPhilosophy is the only discipline which, by its owndefinition, embodies the quest for knowledge andunderstanding of the nature and meaning of theuniverse as well as of human life.But after a long search of more than 5000 years, towhich the greatest minds of human history havebeen bent, it has failed to provide any definiteanswer to such questions.Bertrand Russell was a great thinker of the presentworld, whose life spanned almost a century. Hespent almost his entire life in reading and writingon philosophical subjects. But he failed to evolveany credible ideology. Because of this failure, one ofhis commentators remarks that “he was aphilosopher of no philosophy.” This is true not onlyof Bertrand Russell, but also of all otherphilosophers. Individually or jointly, they havefailed to produce any philosophical system which~ 19 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthmight have provided a sound answer to the humandilemma.The main concern of philosophy was to make aunified picture of the world, including human life.But the long history of philosophy shows that thisstill remains an unfulfilled dream. TheEncyclopaedia Britannica in its 27-page article onphilosophy and its history, admits that there seemsto be no possibility of philosophical unification. Thearticle concludes with this remark:In the contemporary philosophical universe,multiplicity and division still reign. (EB, Vol.14:274 [1984])Why this failure? This failure is not of a chance orintermittent nature, but seems to be a permanentfeature of the philosophical approach to reality. TheQur’an has drawn our attention to this fact, saying:They put questions to you about the Spirit.Say: “The Spirit is at the command of my Lordand of knowledge you have been given only alittle.” (17:85)~ 20 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for TruthThis means that the problem stems from man’s ownshortcomings. The philosophical explanation of theworld requires unbounded knowledge, whereasman has had only limited knowledge bestowedupon him. Due to these intellectual constraints mancannot uncover the secrets of the world on his own.So it is not the lack of research, but the blinkeredstate of the human mind, that stands as apermanent obstacle in the philosopher’s path toreality. It is this human inadequacy which explainsthe unexplainable.For example, suppose, in order to unveil reality andthe law of life, the enquirer starts from a study ofhuman settlements. After a detailed survey, hecomes to the conclusion that since society iscomposed of human beings, he had better focus onthe individual, and so he studies humanpsychology. But there he finds that, despiteextensive research in this field it has resulted innothing but intellectual chaos.He ultimately finds that no unified system emergesfrom psychology. In despair of finding any solutionto the problem, he turns to biology. His in-depth~ 21 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthstudy of biology leads him to the conclusion thatthe whole human system is based on certainchemical actions and reactions, so, for a properunderstanding of the human body he begins tostudy physics and chemistry. This study leads himto the discovery that, in the last analysis, man likeother things, is composed of atoms. So, he takes tothe study of nuclear science, only to arrive at theconclusion that the atom is composed of nothingbut incomprehensible waves of electrons.At this point man, as well as the universe, are seenas nothing but, in the words of a scientist, a maddance of electrons. A philosopher ostensibly beginshis study from a basis of knowledge, but ultimatelycomes to a point where there is nothing but theuniversal darkness of bewilderment. Thus a 5000-year journey of philosophy has brought the sorryconclusion that, due to its limitations, it is simplynot in a position to unfold the secrets of theuniverse.It is evident from the several thousand year-longhistory of philosophical inquiry that philosophy hasfailed to give any satisfactory answer to questions~ 22 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthconcerning reality. Moreover, there is a growingbody of evidence that philosophy is inherentlyincompetent for the task undertaken by it. Theneed, therefore, is to find some alternativediscipline that may help us reach our desiredintellectual goal.SCIENCEWhat is science? According to its definition “Scienceis a branch of knowledge concerned with thematerial world conducted on objective principlesinvolving the systematised observation of, andexperiment with physical phenomenon.”Science has divided the world of knowledge intotwo parts—knowledge of things and knowledge oftruths. According to this division, science hasconfined its study only to a part of the world andnot to the entire world. A scientist has rightlyremarked that “science gives us but a partialknowledge of reality.”This means that science being confined in its scopeto the physical aspect of the world, has kept itselfaloof from higher spiritual matters. No scientist has~ 23 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthever claimed that science attempts to find out theabsolute truth. All scientists humbly submit that the“search for truth” is not their target. They aresimply trying to understand how the objectiveworld functions and not why it functions. Forinstance, the chemistry of a flower may bechemically analyzed, but not its odour.Chemistry can describe how water may be turnedinto steam power, but not why a miraculous lifegivingelement such as water came to exist in ourworld. Similarly, while science is concerned withthe biological aspect of man, it is not the aim ofscience to try to discover the secret of the strangephenomena commonly known as the mind andspirit.Science has never claimed that its objective is todiscover the total truth or absolute reality. Theconcerns of science are basically descriptive, andnot teleological. Although science has failed to givea satisfactory answer to the quest for truth, it is notto be disparaged, for this has never been itsmotivation.~ 24 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for TruthMany people had pinned their hopes on scienceproviding them with the superior life they hadsought for so long. But after more than twohundred years, it has dawned upon recentgenerations that science has fallen very far short offulfilling man’s hopes and aspirations, even in thematerial sense. Now it has been generallyacknowledged that, although science has many pluspoints for human betterment, it has many minuspoints as well.Science gave us machines, but along with them italso gave us a new kind of social problem:unemployment. Science gave us comfortable motorcars but at the same time it polluted the air, makingit difficult for human beings to inhale fresh air, justas with the rise of modern industry, there came thepollution of life giving water. Production may havebeen speeded up, but at the cost of adverselyaffecting our whole social structure.If the object of science was to provide man with theanswer to his search for truth it had obviouslyfailed. If the search for truth was not within theprovince of science, there was no reason for it to~ 25 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthfigure in such discussions at all. In other words,science cannot be legitimately blamed for nothelping man to grasp the ultimate reality, for thiswas not something expected of it. Indeed the realitylies far beyond the boundaries of science.MYSTICISMWhat is mysticism? According to the EncyclopaediaBritannica, mysticism is a “quest for a hidden truthor wisdom.” The Fontana Dictionary of ModernThought, defines it thus: “Mysticism is the directexperience of the divine as real and near, blottingout all sense of time and producing intense joy.”Some people mistakenly think that mysticism is theanswer to the search for truth. In fact, mysticism, tobe more exact, is a sort of escapism. It seeks a refugerather than the truth.According to the mystics, the final state producedby mystical exercises is inner joy or spiritual bliss.The subject of the present volume is the search fortruth. So far as this subject is concerned, mysticismis quite irrelevant to it.~ 26 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truth1. The search for truth, by its very nature, is entirelyan intellectual exercise. Its findings too areintellectual in nature. It is succesful when theseeker finds rational answers to the questions heposes about the universe and his own existence.The search for truth is not a vague matter. Itbegins from the conscious mind and alsoculminates there.The case of mysticism is quite different.Mysticism, essentially based on intuition, is notreally a conscious intellectual process. As such,the mystical experience is more an act of spiritualintoxication than an effort to apprehend the truthin intellectual terms. A drug user undergoes anexperience of inner pleasure which is toovaguely and unconsciously felt to be explainedin comprehensible language. Similarly, what amystic experiences is a type of unconsciousecstasy, which does not amount to a consciouslysought after or properly assessable discovery. Onthe contrary, the search for truth is an intellectualexercise from beginning to end.~ 27 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truth2. Mysticism, as popularly conceived, makes thebasic assumption that the physical, material, andsocial needs of man act as obstacles to hisspiritual progress. Therefore, mysticism teacheshim to reduce his physical needs to the barestminimum; to renounce worldly and socialrelations; and if possible to retire to themountains or jungles. In this way, he willsupposedly be able to purify his soul. Thus, bygiving up the world and by certain exercises inself-abnegation, a mystic expects to awaken hisspirituality.The educated community, however, does notfind this concept of mysticism acceptable. Aseeker aims at a rational explanation of the worldand endeavours to discover a definite principleby which he may successfully plan his presentlife. Mysticism, on the contrary, teaches man toabandon the world itself; to depart from theworld without uncovering its mystery.Obviously such a scheme amounts only to anaggravation of the problem rather than asolution to it.~ 28 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truth3. The mystics can broadly be divided into twogroups. Those who believe in God and thosewho do not. Non-believers in God assert thatthere is a hidden treasure in the centres of oursouls. The task of the mystic is to discover thishidden treasure. But this is only a supposition.None of them has ever been able to define thishidden treasure or to explain it inunderstandable terms. Tagore has thusexpressed this claim made by the mystics:“Man has a feeling that he is truly representedin something which exceeds himself.”But this is only a subjective statementunsupported by logical proofs. That is why, inspite of its great popularity, no school of thismystical thought has so far produced anyobjective criterion by which one may rationallyascertain that the existence of such a hiddentreasure within the human soul is a reality, andnot an illusion. On the other hand, no welldefinedlaw, or step-by-step practicalprogramme, has been introduced by anyindividual or group that might help the common~ 29 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthman reach his spiritual destination consciouslyand independently.Moreover, mysticism makes the claim that thenatural quest of man is its own fulfillment. Itdoes not require any external effort to arrive atthe perceived goal. In other words, it is likeassuming that the feeling of thirst or hunger inman contains its own satisfaction. A thirsty orhungry person is not to trouble himself to searchfor water or food in the outer world.4. Those (of this school of thought) who believe inGod interpret this hidden treasure in terms ofGod. To them the inner contemplation of amystic is directed towards God.This concept too is rationally inexplicable, for,if such mystic exercises are a means todiscover God, then, there should be genuineproof that God Himself has shown this way tofind Him. But there is no evidence that thispath has been prescribed by God. On the otherhand, there is a clear indication that thiscourse separates the seeker from God’screation and leads him to a life of isolation.~ 30 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for TruthThis makes it plain that God cannot enjoinsuch a path to realization as would meannullifying the very purpose of creation.5. The mystics hold that although the mysticalexperience may be a great discovery for them, itis, however, a mysterious, and unexplainablerealization which can be felt at the sensory level,but which cannot be fully articulated. Accordingto a mystic: “It is knowledge of the mostadequate kind, only it cannot be expressed inwords.” (EB/12:786)This aspect of the mystical experience proves itto be a totally subjective discipline. Andsomething as subjective as this can, in no degree,be a scientific answer to the human search fortruth. Those who have attempted to describe themystic experience have chosen different ways ofdoing so. One is the narrative method, that is,describing their point of view in terms only ofclaims, without any supporting arguments.Another method is to make use of metaphors.That is, attempt to describe something by meansof supposed analogies. From the point of view of~ 31 ~

Islam Rediscovered1. Search for Truthscientific reasoning, both the methods areinadaquate, being quite lacking in any credibilityin rational terms, and are therefore invalid.~ 32 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and Reason2. FAITH AND REASONIt is through reason that man justifies his faith.Rational justification strengthens his convictions.Rational argument is thus an intellectual need ofevery believer. Without this he would not be able tostand firmly by his faith. It is reason whichtransforms blind faith into a matter of intellectualchoice.History shows that man has employed four kinds ofargument to find rational grounds for his faith.Each of these reflects different stages in hisintellectual development.NATURAL ARGUMENTThe first kind of argument is one based on nature.That is, on simple facts or common experiences.This has been the most commonly used sinceancient times. Some examples of this kind are foundin the Qur’an, one of which relates to the ProphetAbraham. It is stated as follows in the Qur’an:Have you not considered him (Namrud) whodisputed with Abraham about his Lord,~ 33 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and Reasonbecause God had given him the kingdom?When Abraham said: ‘My Lord is He whogives life and causes to die,’ he said: ‘I toogive life and cause death.’ Abraham said: ‘Sosurely God causes the sun to rise from theeast, then you make it rise from the west.’Thus he who disbelieved was confounded;and God does not give guidance to unjustpeople. (2:258)We find another example of the argument based onnatural reasoning in the Qur’an:Thus did We show Abraham the kingdom ofthe heavens and the earth, so that he mightbecome a firm believer. When nightovershadowed him, he saw a star. He said:‘This is my Lord’. But when it set, he said: ‘Ilove not those that set.’ Then when he saw themoon rising, he said: ‘This is my Lord.’ Butwhen it set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guideme, I shall surely be among those who goastray’. Then when he saw the sun rising, hesaid: ‘This is my Lord. This is the greatest.’But when it set, he said: ‘O my people! Surely,~ 34 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and ReasonI am done with what you associate with God.’(6:75-78)Argument of this kind may appear to besimple, but they are invested with deepermeaning. For this reason, they have beenengaged in as much in the past as today.PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENTThe second kind of argument is that firstpropounded by Greek philosophers. Based on purelogic, it was so popular in the medieval ages thatJews and Christians and Muslims all incorporated itinto their theological system. Commonly known asFirst Cause, it may be summed up as follows:The world man observes with his senses musthave been brought into being by God as theFirst Cause. Philosophers have argued thatthe observable order of causation is not selfexplanatory.It can only be accounted for bythe existence of a First Cause. This FirstCause, however, must not be consideredsimply as the first in a series of successivecauses, but rather as the First Cause in the~ 35 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and Reasonsense of being the cause for the whole seriesof observable causes.The Prime Mover or First Cause theory. Althoughobviously very sound, it has constantly been underattack from secular circles, and critics have raised avariety of objections. To begin with, they say that itis only guesswork, and not an undeniable fact.Some critics also object that the actions or free willof subatomic particles are uncaused; so, why notalso the world as a whole? Moreover, even if allthings in the world are caused, this may not be trueof the world itself, because no one knows whetherthe whole is sufficiently like its parts to warrantsuch a generalization.This is why some people think that the faith ofIslam is not based on rational grounds. They saythat Islamic belief can be proved only throughinferential argument and not through directargument. They assert that in Islam there is onlysecondary rationalism and not primaryrationalism. But modern science has demolishedthis notion, as will be shown in the last part of thischapter.~ 36 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and ReasonSPIRITUAL ARGUMENTYet another argument is that which is based onspiritual experience. Some people, who engage inspiritual exercises and have spiritual experiences,say that when they reach the deeper levels of thehuman consciousness, they find an unlimited worldwhich cannot be described in limited language.They insist that this limitless, unexplainablephenomenon is nothing but God Almighty Himself.The critics say that even if this spiritual state is asreal as is claimed by those who enter it, it is still asubjective experience; that it conveys nothing tothose who have not experienced the same spiritualstate.All the above arguments are in one way or anotherinferential in nature and not of the direct kind. Inview of this fact, the critics hold that all faiths,including Islam, have no scientific basis. Theycontend that Islamic theology is not based onprimary rationalism, but on secondary rationalism.However, these contentions appeared to be validonly by the end of the nineteenth century. The~ 37 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and Reasontwentieth century has closed the chapter on all suchdebates. Now, according to modern developmentsin science, one can safely say that religious tenetscan be proved on the same logical plane as theconcepts of science. Now there is no differencebetween the two in terms of scientific reasoning. Letus then see what modern scientific reasoning is allabout.SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENTReligion, or faith, relates to issues such as theexistence of God, something intangible andunobservable, unlike non-religious things like thesun, which has a tangible and observable existence.Therefore, it came to be held that only non-religiousmatters might be established by direct argument,while it is only direct or inferential argument whichcan be used to prove religious propositions.It was believed, therefore, that rational argumentwas possible only in non-religious matters, and sofar as religious matters were concerned, rationalargument was not applicable at all. That is to say,that it was only in non-religious areas that primary~ 38 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and Reasonrationalism was possible, while in religion onlysecondary rationalism was applicable.In the past, arguments based on Aristotlean logicused to be applied to faith. By its very nature it wasan indirect argument. Modern critics, therefore,ignored such arguments as unworthy ofconsideration. That is why religion was not thoughtworthy of being paid any attention by rationalpeople. This state of affairs presented a challengenot only to other religions but to Islam as well.About five hundred years ago, with the emergenceof science, this state of affairs did not change. Allthe scientists in the wake of the Renaissancebelieved that matter, in fact, the entire materialworld was something solid which could beobserved. Newton had even formed a theory thatlight consisted of tiny corpuscles. As such, it waspossible to apply direct argument as an explanationof material things. Similarly, even after theemergence of modern science, this state of affairsprevailed. It continued to be believed that the kindof argument which is applied to apparently tangiblethings could not be applied in the case of religion.~ 39 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and ReasonBut by the early twentieth century, specifically afterthe First World War, this mental climate changedcompletely. The ancient Greek philosophersbelieved that matter, in the last analysis, wascomposed of atoms. And the atom, though verytiny, was a piece of solid matter. But with thebreaking of the atom in the twentieth century, allthe popular scientific concepts underwent a seachange. The theories about faith and reason seemedrelevant only while science was confined to themacrocosmic level. Later, when science advanced tothe microcosmic level, it underwent a revolution,and along with it, the method of argument alsochanged.So far, science had been based on the propositionthat all the things it believed in, like the atom, couldbe directly explained. But when the atom, thesmallest part of an element, was smashed, it wasrevealed that it was not a material entity, but justanother name for unobservable waves of electrons.This discovery demonstrated how a scientist couldsee only the effect of a thing and not the thing itself.For instance, the atom, after being split, produces~ 40 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and Reasonenergy which can be converted into electricity. Thisruns along a wire in the form of a current, yet thisevent is not observable even by a scientist. Butwhen such an event produces an effect, for instance,it lights up a bulb or sets a motor in motion thiseffect comes under a scientist’s observation.Similarly, the waves from an x-ray machine, are notobservable by a scientist, but when they producethe image of a human body on a plate, then itbecomes observable.Now the question arose as to what stand a scientistmust take? Should he believe only in a tangibleeffect or the intangible thing as well, whichproduced that effect? Since the scientist was boundto believe in the tangible effect, he had no choice butto believe in its intangible cause.Here the scientist felt that direct argument could beapplied to the tangible effect, but that it was not atall possible to apply direct argument to theintangible cause. The most important of all thechanges brought about by this new development inthe world of science was that, it was admitted inscientific circles that inferential argument was as~ 41 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and Reasonvalid as direct argument. That is, if a causeconsistently gives rise to an effect, the existence ofthe intangible cause will be accepted as a provenfact, just as the existence of the tangible effect isaccepted because it is observable. In modern timesall the concepts of science held to be establishedhave been proven by this very logic.After reaching this stage of rational argument thedifference between religious argument and scientificargument ceases to exist. The problem faced earlierwas that religious realities, such as the existence ofGod, could be proved only by inference or indirectargument. For instance, the existence of God, as adesigner (cause) was presumed to exist because Hisdesign (effect) could be seen to exist. But now thesame method of indirect argument has beengenerally held to be valid in the world of science.There are numerous meaningful things in theuniverse which are brought to the knowledge ofhuman beings, for which no explanation is possible.It has simply to be accepted that there is ameaningful Cause, that is God. The truth is that,without belief in God, the universe remains as~ 42 ~

Islam Rediscovered2. Faith and Reasonunexplainable as the entire mechanism of light andmotion is without belief in electric waves.Thus, the option one has to take is not between theuniverse without God and the universe with God.Rather, the option actually is between the universewith God, or no universe at all. Since we cannot, forobvious reasons, opt for the latter proposition, weare, in fact, left with no other option except theformer, that is, the universe with God.In view of the recent advancement in scientificreasoning, a true faith has proved to be as rationalas any other scientific theory. Reason and faith arenow standing on the same ground. In fact, no onecan legitimately reject faith as something irrational,unless one is ready to reject the rationality ofscientific theories as well. For, all the modernscientific theories are accepted as proven on thebasis of the same rational criterion by which amatter of faith would be equally proved true. Afterthe river of knowledge has reached this advancedstage, there has remained no logical differencebetween the two.~ 43 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of God3. THE CONCEPT OF GODIn 1965 in Lucknow I met a university Professor, aDoctor of Philosophy, who had turned atheist. Thesubject of our conversation was the existence ofGod, during which he asked: “What criterion doyou have to prove the existence of God.” I repliedthat I had a valid criterion and that it was exactlythe same as is employed in science to prove anynatural fact. Bertrand Russell has aptly said thereare two kinds of knowledge: knowledge of thingsand knowledge of truths. So far as the “things” areconcerned it is possible to apply direct argument tothem. But inferential arguments alone can beapplied to prove “truths,” as relating to the laws ofnature. Inferential arguments are held to be valid inscience, that is, to admit the existence of some“reality” on the basis of the existence of things. Onthe basis of this reality, Bertrand Russell hasacknowledged that the “argument from design”brought forward by religious people is a validargument, according to science. The argument fromdesign sets out to prove the existence of a designerfrom the existence of design.~ 44 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of GodBy the first half of the twentieth century peopleused to debate over the existence of God. But by theend of the twentieth century this is no longerconsidered a debatable topic. Now in academiccircles the existence of God is held to be a fact.Particularly after the Big Bang theory, this matterhas been almost settled.Now we are right, scientifically, in saying that thechoice for us is not between the universe with Godand the universe without God. Rather the realchoice is between the universe with God or nouniverse at all. Since, from the scientific viewpoint,we are not in a position to opt for no universe at all,we are compelled to choose the universe with God.As regards the scientific evidence on the existenceof God, perhaps the first notable account was thatprepared by Sir James Jeans, titled The MysteriousUniverse, published in 1930. Many important bookshave subsequently come out on this topic, whichdescribe how all the fields of the science of theuniverse point to the existence of God. Here Iwould like to refer to a very valuable book on thissubject, consisting of forty articles written by~ 45 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of Godqualified western scientists. It is titled The Evidenceof God in an Expanding Universe, and is edited byJohn Clover Monsma. (First Indian edition (1968)printed by M.E. Eapen, at GLS Press, Bombay-75,Distributed in India by Pocket Books DistributingCo. II, Oak Lane, Fort, Bombay-1.)The truth is that both revealed and scientificknowledge equally prove that there is a God of thisuniverse. And that God is only one. Not believingin God is as illogical as believing in many gods. Inthis present world man is given freedom for thepurpose of being tested. Everyone is free to saywhat he wants to and to believe in anything of hisown free will. But so far as reason is concerned theonly rational concept is that of one God. Everythingelse is irrational. No valid argument exists in itsfavour.Once a group of young men in an Indian town werediscussing whether God existed or not. Even after along debate the matter could not be settled. Finally,they agreed to refer the matter to a certain piousMuslim scholar of the same town, who came there~ 46 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of Godat their invitation. He stood among the youth andsimply recited this verse from the Qur’an:“Is there any doubt about God, the Creator ofthe heavens and the earth?” (14:10)The result was miraculous. The youths were leftspeechless. They found this argument from theQur’an so convincing that they needed no furtherarguments to believe in God. How did it happenthat assertion alone was sufficient to bring them tobelief? It is because God is self-subsisting. He needsno proofs for His existence. The reason for Godbeing self-evident is twofold. Firstly, the existenceof the universe itself is a proof of the existence ofGod. Secondly, man’s existence in itself is a proof ofGod’s existence. Therefore, man believes in God,because he is bound to believe in Him. His innernature speaks for God. Hence, most often, a simpleassertion about the existence of God suffices for aman with an unbiased mentality to believe in God.One cannot afford to deny God, as that would betantamount to a denial of one’s own nature. At thesame time, in the external world man sees clearevidence of God in nature all around him, day in~ 47 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of Godand day out. God is so evident that any denial ofGod becomes artificial. That is why those whoapparently reject God, also come to believe in God,when confronted with their own utter helplessness.(31:32; 10:22)The concept of God handed down to man by theProphet is one of pure monotheism, that is, “Thereis no god but one God.” This Prophetic concept hasbeen briefly set forth in a short chapter of theQur’an:Say: He is God, the One God. The Eternal,Absolute. He does not beget nor was Hebegotten. And there is none equal to Him(Chapter 112)However, in every age all sorts of concepts havebeen prevalent. These may be divided into twocategories.One God versus many godsA Personal God versus an impersonal GodThere are again several kinds of beliefs about God.Some believe in two gods, one of good and the~ 48 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of Godother of evil. Some believe in three, as in the form ofthe trinity, a construct of the Christians. There areothers who believe in multitudes of gods, as inHinduism.Now, of these concepts which should be held rightand which wrong? The Qur’an gives us a clearassertion on this subject: There are only two formsof credible knowledge, that is, revealed knowledgeand scientific knowledge. (46:4)Let us first take revealed knowledge. When wemake a survey of revealed scriptures, the firstquestion that arises is which one of them is to beregarded as authentic? Apparently, in the world oftoday, there are many religious books which aresaid by their adherents to enshrine God’srevelations. But when these books are judged on thebasis of history, we find that none of them cansustain their credibility on purely historicalgrounds. We have no way of knowing, as a matterof historical record, precisely when and how thesebooks came into existence, what their originallanguage was, how they were preserved after theFirst Giver, how they reached later generations of~ 49 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of Godfollowers — all these questions remain unanswered.These books are thus believed by their adherents tobe holy scriptures, without their having anyhistorical proof of this.In this non-historical museum of “revealed”scriptures, the Qur’an is the only divine book whichcomes up to the standard of history in everyrespect. The Qur’an has every kind of historicalcredibility and authenticity, so that one may believein it with full confidence.This means that if an individual wants to find outthe concept of God according to revealedknowledge, he can trust only the Qur’an to be theauthentic source. It is a fact that, the Qur’an is theonly existing divine scripture which provides areliable source of learning the true concept of God.When we refer to the Qur’an on this subject, we findthat, according to revealed knowledge, there is onlyone true concept of God, and that is puremonotheism. That is, God is only one. He has nopartner, no equal. He is eternal and beyond timeand space. He alone is the Creator and Sustainer ofall things. (2:255)~ 50 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of GodSo far as the concept of three gods, or the trinity, isconcerned, it is highly illogical in every respect. It isnot proved by any revealed source. Even today it ismerely a creed of the Christian Church. In neitherthe Old Testament, or the New Testament, heldsacred by Christians, is there any clear mention ofthe concept of the trinity. In their own sacredscriptures the trinity is an alien creed.So far as reason then is concerned, the concept ofthe trinity is not rationally understandable. In termsof the trinity, God is at the same time three in oneand one in three. This is an inconceivablemathematical riddle, which none of the greatest ofmathematicians can solve. That is why when aChristian professor of an Indian university wasonce asked by a student to explain the trinity, hehad this to say:If you ask me I do not know, if you do not askme I know.The truth is that the concept of the trinity is whollyunproved so far religious scriptures are concerned.It is likewise entirely baseless judging by the criteriaof knowledge and reason. Keeping this reality in~ 51 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of Godview, it will not be wrong to say that this concept isso unfounded that, prima facie, it stands rejected.Now let us talk of scientific knowledge. Scientificknowledge provides an academic verification of thisconcept of the one God. It affirms that God cannotbe more than one, the concept of many gods notbeing understandable to a scientist.The world discovered by science is a wholly unifiedworld. All the parts of the present world are sointerlinked with each other that it is impossible toseparate them from one another. In such a worldthe concept of more than one God is quite alien. Forinstance, if the sun, the air, water, human beingsand the earth had not been governed by one and thesame Creator, a world of the present kind wouldnever have come into existence. For instance, if thesunshine reached the earth unhampered, withoutthere being the atmosphere to neutralize its harmfulrays, the sun would be a killer instead of a source oflife. If the gases in water were not in their presentproportions, no living organisms could ever havecome into being on the earth. If the size of the earthwere half or double the present size, in either case~ 52 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of Godcivilization on earth would have been well nighimpossible.There are countless things in the world. Buteverything exists in such proportions as will givethe maximum benefit to life on earth. None of thethings on this earth are out of proportion. Thisshows that there is only one God—the Creator andSustainer of this world. If there were different godsfor different things, then, this perfect balance couldnever have been possible. In ancient times peoplebelieved that there were numerous forcescontrolling the universe. Newton reduced theseforces to the following four:gravitational force, electromagnetic force, strongnuclear force, weak nuclear force.However, the extraordinary unity that scientistsfound in the world was incompatible with thenotion that it was being controlled by four forces.That is why the scientists have been trying toreduce the four forces to one. Their efforts werecrowned with success in the second half of thetwentieth century. It is now generally believed that~ 53 ~

Islam Rediscovered3. The Concept of Godthere cannot be four forces controlling nature, butonly one. This has led to the formulation of theSingle String Theory by scientists.This goes to prove that the concept called tawheed(oneness of God) in revealed knowledge is fullyborne out by scientific knowledge as well—thatthere is only one God, not many gods controllingthis world.~ 54 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. Religion4. RELIGIONLet us now come to religion. Scholars havegenerally believed that in the search for truth, themost reliable source is religion. That is why in everyage the majority of human beings have beenassociated with one religion or the other. Andtoday, this is still the case.Why is it that people take religion to be a reliablesource of truth? The reason is that the teachings ofreligion are based on a special source such as noother discipline enjoys. This special source is that ofdivine revelation. God created the universe. Heknows best its creation plan. He has full knowledgeof which path in this world leads to success andwhich path leads to failure. Therefore,God-given guidance is entirely trustworthy.After the creation of the universe, when man firstinhabited the earth, God decreed that in every ageand in every nation, there would be certainindividuals who would be raised as prophets toguide mankind to the path of God. God, Who hasabsolute knowledge, sent His guidance to man. He~ 55 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. Religiondid this by means of revelations which he bade theangels convey to the prophets in the form of divinebooks. These are the sacred books on which thereligions of the world are based.These religious books have guided man in all ages.In every era a large number of people have found inthem light for their minds and solace for theirhearts. The goal of religions has always been to giveman a proper knowledge of His Creator, so that hemay properly understand the universe and thepurpose of human life in it.Religion informs man of his beginning and hisultimate end. It enables man to lead his life in thisworld according to the creation plan of God, so thathe may be entitled to the divine rewards.About two-dozen Prophets have been mentioned inthe Qur’an by name. In a hadith, the number of theseProphets and messengers has been put at 1,24,000.However, with the exception of the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, no authentichistorical record is available of any other prophet.But, in principle, we have to believe that God’s~ 56 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. Religionprophets came to every nation and in every age,whether or not we have any record of them.A religious system generally includes beliefs,worship, ethics, social behaviour, etc. One of theimportant contributions of a religious system isthat, it provides man with a life-long centre aroundwhich his intellectual and emotional being mayrevolve.Religion offers man an ideology in which he maybelieve with all his heart and all his soul. It givesman the conviction that he is in communion withAlmighty God. On finding a religion, man feels thathe has become a co-traveller with the rest of theuniverse. He has become a member of the universalbrotherhood.Religion gives man a practicable system of life. Hefinds a course which he may properly pursue dayand night. Having found a religion, man feels as ifhe now understands the purpose of his life; heundergoes the same experience—but with greaterintensity—as a traveller does on reaching hisdestination.~ 57 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. ReligionReligion, the science of life, is an eternal source ofinspiration and guidance to man. As such it acts asa spur to spiritual and intellectual growth. Itsabsence from human life would eliminate allpossibility of man’s following a course that wouldlead him towards a total and meaningfuldevelopment of his personality.RELIGIONS OTHER THAN ISLAMThe Qur’an and the Bible both tell us that, eversince the advent of man on earth, God has sent HisProphets to convey His message to mankind.According to a hadith, from Adam to Jesus Christ,more than one hundred thousand prophets havecome to the world. Every prophet brought God’sreligion and communicated it to his people. Thisdivine scheme has continued in every age and in allplaces.All these religions brought by God’s messengerswere one and the same. Originally there was nobasic difference between one religion and the other.But it happened that none of the concerned peopleswere able to preserve the teachings of theirprophets. Either these religions survived in a~ 58 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. Religiondistorted form, or they vanished without leavingany trace. Moreover, contemporary historians failedto attach any importance to these prophets or theirteachings. For this reason few of these prophetsfound their place in the annals of history. The onlyexception is that of the final prophet, Muhammad,peace be upon him.This blackout of history was so complete that eventhe prophets of later periods of history receivedscant mention in contemporary records. Forinstance, Jesus Christ came to the world twothousand years ago, and so little is known about hislife that a western scholar was once constrained toremark: “Historically, it is quite doubtful whetherChrist ever existed at all.”Due to the paucity of reliable documentation, all theprevious religious scriptures, except that of Islam,have lost their historical credibility. By rationalstandards all other religions have assumed thestatus of a set of dogmas rather than that of achronicled event. One can believe in them only as amatter of faith and not as a fact of history. However,the position of Islam in this regard is totally~ 59 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. Religiondifferent. Muhammad, the Messenger of Islam, asacknowledged by all well-known historians of theworld, was born in the full light of history, andwhatever he said or did in his life-time has beenrecorded in considerable detail.The Qur’an, the last word of God, has beenpreserved just as it was first revealed to theMessenger of Islam. The textual originality andpurity of the Qur’an is incomparable andunquestionable. Islam, as a whole, passes thestrictest criteria of higher criticism and historicalverification. So, when one opts for Islam, one doesso as a matter of history, not simply as a matter offaith.One can safely say, therefore, that for a seeker afterthe truth, there is no whole range of options. He hasonly one choice to make. And that is the choice ofIslam: the only religion having true historicalcredibility.For instance, according to our belief, Abraham andMoses were Prophets of God. Abraham was born inIraq and Moses in Egypt. Yet the annals of therespective countries are devoid of any mention of~ 60 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. Religionthese great prophets. We find no reference in theancient history of Iraq to Abraham. Similarly,Egyptian history makes no mention of Moses.In a similar way, as testified to by the Qur’an, Jesuswas a prophet. Even Gautam Buddh is considered aprophet by his followers. But neither Jesus Christnor Gautam Buddh comes up to the strict standardsof history. For example, there are long periods ofJesus’s life about which nothing is known, and thestories of the New Testament were not written untilmore than a century after his death. Threelanguages—Syriac, Greek and Hebrew—wereprevalent during the time of Christ, yet we have noway of knowing, with certainty, about the languagein which he communicated his message to hispeople.In the times of Gautam Buddh, Pali and Sanskritwere in vogue. But there is no historical evidence asto which language he spoke. The actual wordsspoken by Gautam Buddh are not on record. Thereare some who claim to have proofs that GautamBuddh spoke in Pali, but it has not been establishedby the scholars of Buddhism.~ 61 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. ReligionThe reason is that, in ancient times, before the age ofthe press, the concept of historiography was verylimited. At that period it was only a record of kingsand generals; only events relating to victory anddefeat were considered worth recording. All otherincidents remained unrepresented and since theprophets or the reformers were not associated withevents of a political nature, the historians did notconsider their lives worthy of being immortalized.The case of the Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, was exceptional in that is was quitedifferent from that of the other prophets.Circumstances were such that he became involvedin all kinds of political events, and he and hiscompanions were able to usher in a revolutionbringing about sweeping changes in the politicaland the social order of the time. Naturally theevents of his life came to be recorded in thecontemporary history and thus he became anessential part of history. In this way, by historicalstandards, the Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, became a historical personality, in thefull sense of the word.~ 62 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. ReligionBecause of non-existent documentation, all theother religions and their founders have come to beconsidered lacking in credence. One who examinesthese religions objectively feels that he is studyingbeliefs rather than history, for the personalitiesassociated with these religions, their religiousscriptures and their teachings have beendemonstrated to be scientifically and historicallyunreliable.An Encyclopaedia of the Hindu religion, publishedunder the title Encyclopaedia of Hinduism, drew thecomment from a scholar that it would be more aptlytitled Encyclopaedia of Hindu Mythology. This is thecase with all religions. All the faiths save Islam maybe classified as mythologies rather than religions inthe scientific and historical sense.The subject matter of ancient alchemy and modernchemistry is one and the same. Yet we all know thatthere is a basic difference between the two.Alchemy was based on unproved speculations,while modern chemistry is based on facts proved bystrictly scientific methods. This same difference isfound between Islam and other religions, the latter~ 63 ~

Islam Rediscovered4. Religionbeing like ancient alchemy, whereas the former islike modern chemistry.This difference is so evident that no one can fail tonotice it. One who sincerely makes a comparativestudy of religions of both kinds will inevitablydiscover it. Hence Islam is the only choice for thosewho seek a religion with a credible historical base.~ 64 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Brief5. ISLAM IN BRIEFWhat is Islam? This is a vast subject. In this chapterwe shall give a brief account of some of its basicaspects in the light of the Qur’an and hadith.TRUE GUIDANCEThe Qur’an leads us to the true guidance. In thisconnection, we quote a passage from the Qur’an:God is He besides Whom there is no god, theEver-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom allsubsist; slumber does not overtake Him norsleep; whatever is in the heavens andwhatever is on the earth is His; who canintercede with Him but by His permission?He knows what is before men and what isbehind them, and they cannot comprehendanything out of His knowledge except whatHe wills. His knowledge encompasses theheavens and the earth, and the preservation ofthem both does not tire Him, and He is theMost High, the Great. There is no compulsionin religion; truly the right way has become~ 65 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefclearly distinct from error; therefore, whoeverdisbelieves in Satan and believes in God, shallindeed lay hold of the firmest handle, whichshall not break off. God is All-Hearing and all-Knowing.God is the guardian of those who believe. Heleads them from darkness to the light. As forthose who disbelieve, their guardians are falsegods who lead them from light to darkness;they are the inmates of the fire and in it theyshall abide forever. (2:255-257)Now, let us try to visualize the above quotedQur’anic passage, in its applied form, so that wemay have an idea of what kind of individual, whatkind of society and what kind of State wouldrespectively emerge, if Islam were consciouslyaccepted and practised in letter and spirit.A. INDIVIDUALIslam is the religion of the universe. The Qur’ansays:~ 66 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in BriefAre they seeking a religion other than God’swhen every soul in heaven and on earth have,willingly or by compulsion, bowed to Hiswill? (3:83)This means that submission to God is the only truereligion for both man and the universe. All thethings on the earth or in space are following God’scommands to the letter. The revolution of the stars,the flowing of water, the growing of trees, in short,all things following the same course which wasdetermined for them by God. Nothing is allowed todeviate from the divine path. The Qur’an says:The sun is not allowed to overtake the moon,nor does the night outpace the day. Eachswims along in its own orbit. (36:40)The same is required of all human beings. Everyoneshould strictly obey the commands of God withoutany deviation or alteration. The ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, has declared:A believer with his faith is like a horse with itstether. The movement of the horse isrestricted to the length of its tether. So is the~ 67 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefcase with the believer. His words and deedsare all restricted by the limitations set by hisfaith. (Mishkat al-Masabih, vol. 2/1226)The true Muslim leads a highly disciplined life,always adhering to the set of do’s and don’tordained by God Almighty. He is entirely pure inspeech, and even subordinates his intention andthinking to the will of God. He always feels himselfto be a servant of his Lord. The Qur’an depicts thetrue Muslim thus:And the servants of the Beneficent God arethey who walk on the earth in humbleness,and when the ignorant address them, theysay: “Peace.” And they who pass the nightstanding and prostrating themselves beforetheir Lord. And they who say: O our Lord!Ward off from us the punishment of hell, forsurely its punishment is everlasting. Surely itis an evil abode and (evil) place to stay. Andthey who, when they spend, are neitherextravagant nor parsimonious, but keep thegolden mean. And they who do not call uponany other god besides God and do not kill,~ 68 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefwhich God has forbidden, except in therequirements of justice, and (who) do notcommit fornication and he who does this shallmeet with evil; his punishment shall bedoubled on the Day of Resurrection, and heshall abide in abasement forever; unless herepents and believes and does good deeds; forthem God will change his evil deeds to goodones; and God is Forgiving, Merciful. Andwhoever repents and does good shall surelyreturn to God. And they who do not bearwitness to what is false, and when they hearwhat is profane they maintain their dignity.And they who, when reminded of the signs oftheir Lord, do not fall down thereat deaf andblind. And they who say: ‘O our Lord! Grantus in our wives and our offspring the joy ofour eyes, and make us examples to those whofear you.’ These shall be rewarded with loftyplaces in paradise because they were patient,and shall be met therein with greetings andsalutations. There they shall abide forever: ablessed dwelling and blessed resting place.Say (to the unbelievers): Little cares my Lordfor you if you do not invoke Him. But Now~ 69 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefthat you have indeed rejected (the truth), Hispunishment is bound to overtake you. (25:63-77)B. SOCIETYThe foundation of society in Islam is based onmutual well wishing. In chapter Al-Asr (The Time)the Qur’an says:By the time, verily Man is in loss, except forthose who believe and do good works andexhort one another to truth and to patience(103:1-3)How should a Muslim live in a society? The answeris given in one of the hadith: “If any one of you seesan evil in society, he must rectify it by his ownhand. And if he has no capacity to do so, he shoulddo it by his tongue. And if he is unable even todiscourage it, then, let him condemn the same in hisown heart.” (Bukhari)A society based on these principles will naturally bea place in which good will flourish as a result ofmutual reminding, and the roots of evil, if nottotally eradicated, will dry up due to public~ 70 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefdiscouragement. As the truth is openly propagatedand the virtue of patience is highly recommendedin this society, there will definitely prevail apeaceful atmosphere which is a prerequisite for thehealthy growth and development of both theindividual personality and the social system atlarge. It is only in an atmosphere of such peacefulsocial order that the rights of individuals andcommunal harmony are ensured, and the highervalues of brotherhood, cooperation and altruism aresincerely observed; and, finally, the projects ofcommon welfare, progress and prosperity aresuccessfully achieved.To sum up, when the ideals of Islam are consciouslyput into practice by its adherents, there will emergea society that will be appreciably more secure, freeof violence and naturally cooperative, progressive,prosperous, good enhancing and evil-resisting.C. STATEWhat is a state? It is an organised politicalcommunity under one government. Islam does notprescribe any particular form or structure of theState. Nevertheless, Islamic teachings seem to be so~ 71 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefcomprehensive that they embrace all essentialissues of life including the State and its relatednational or international problems as well.What is an Islamic State? A State governed byMuslims is not necessarily an Islamic state. Apartfrom its monotheistic doctrinal basis, an IslamicState would, in practice, be identified with thesumum bonum principle of ‘no-compulsion.’ Nocompulsion should be exercised, either before orafter the gaining of power. For power gainedthrough compulsion or power used for compulsionin any sphere whatsoever, particularly in religiousmatters, is strictly prohibited and condemned inIslam. That is why the coercive forms of States,though governed by Muslim dictators, have neverbeen considered ideal Islamic States by the scholarsof Islam. Islam, moreover, does not allow itsfollowers to rebel against any established State,even though it may not seem to be in accordancewith the Islamic Ideal. Compulsion on the part ofthe State should never be resisted by means ofcounter-compulsion, i.e. it has to be counteredthrough negotiation, backed up by conviction. Thisensures such stability of law and order as will~ 72 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefsubsequently help promote Islamic values, and thismay gradually prepare a firm ground for a realIslamic State to stand on.To establish an ideal Islamic State is not the maintarget of Islam, as is wrongly projected by somegroups of Muslims. An Islamic State is somethingthat may ultimately emerge from a societyconsisting of sincere, practising Muslims, and itsgovernment may take any workable form, —thisbeing neither predictable nor pre-determinable.Such a State, according to the Qur’an (24:55), is aworldly reward of God granted to His righteousservants, when He wills, and not a direct targettowards which the Muslim community muststruggle.To conclude, Islam begins when one discovers Godas the ultimate truth. This results in a spiritualtransformation which leads to new thinking andnew sentiments —indeed to the emergence of awhole new personality. A new man is born: he isquite different from what he was before. He nowbecomes a combination of spirituality, compassionand tranquillity. This is like an intellectual and~ 73 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefspiritual revolution. This inner transformation findsexpression in his external behaviour, in worship, incharacter, in social relations, etc. To produce aperson like this is the main target of Islam. All otheraspects of Islam hinge on the fact that man lives in asociety, and the greater the number of suchindividuals in a society, the greater the changesbrought about at the social level. This process leadsto what may be called the social system of Islam.This revolution among individuals and society goeson developing until, conditions being favourable, itculminates in what is termed the Islamic State. Thisprocess is mentioned in the Qur’an:God has promised to those of you who believeand do good works that He shall make themmasters in the land as He made theirancestors before them, and that He shallcertainly strengthen the religion which He hasapproved for them, and that He shall certainlychange their fears to a feeling of security andpeace. Provided they worship Me. (24:55)In a garden it is the individual tree which has thereal existence. The garden is only a collective~ 74 ~

Islam Rediscovered5. Islam in Briefmanifestation of a number of trees. This is true alsoof man. In the Islamic scheme, it is the individual—who is a real part of the body of Islam while societyand the State are only its relative part.Those individuals who have undergone spiritualtransformation are called “rabbani” in the Qur’an.Where there are “rabbani” individuals inconsiderable numbers, the “orchard,” that is,Islamic society, and the state, will come intoexistence on their own.~ 75 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of God6. THE CREATION PLAN OF GODThe Famous historian, Edward Gibbon, observed:“Human History is little more than a register of thecrimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.” Otherhistorians have also arrived at similar conclusions,for the ideal existence envisioned by philosophers isnowhere reflected in human societies. Orientalistswho have made an in-depth study of human historyhave remarked that, as regards the human failure toachieve the ideal society, Islamic history is no greatexception.Orientalists hold that, although the history of thefirst phase of Islam—known as the golden age—nodoubt presents a better picture than that of otherperiods, it too fails to measure up to the ideal.During the life of the Prophet, owing to theantagonistic activities of the hypocrites internallyand the Jews and idolaters externally, Madinah, thecity of the Prophet, could never in any significantsense be converted into an area of peace. After theProphet’s demise, and shortly after the first Caliph,Abu Bakr, had been appointed to be the leader ofthe Muslims, most of the Arab tribes revolted. It~ 76 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of Godwas only when force was used that they wereprevailed upon to re-enter the Islamic fold.Subsequently, in almost every period, unfavourabledevelopments repeatedly proved to be hindrancesto the formation of the ideal society. During thetimes of Umar, the second Caliph, a secret lobby inMadinah, working towards the extirpation of Islam,finally succeeded in having the Caliph assassinated.Afterwards the age of open opposition set in. Thethird Caliph, likewise, was publicly murdered. Thereign of Ali, the fourth Caliph, was marked by civilwar in which thousands of precious lives were lostand the Caliph himself was martyred.Given the state of affairs, thinkers and philosophershave always expressed pessimistic views abouthuman history, holding it to be an ongoing tragedy:events have shown that, in this world, the buildingof the ideal human society is well-nigh impossible.The reason for this pessimistic view of history doesnot lie in history itself, but in our flawed approachto the subject. Our criterion to study history is notthe correct one, for it has been formulated byhuman beings. The only valid criterion, in the light~ 77 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of Godof which we should study human history, is thatlaid down by our Creator. The right way tounderstand this matter is, therefore, to discover thecreation plan of the creator and then attempt tostudy history within its framework.From a study of the Qur’an, we learn that for aproper understanding of human society the centralidea is not ideal society, but it is human freedom.Man has been granted full freedom of speech andaction in this life the reason being that he has beenplaced in this world by the Almighty for thepurpose of being tested. As a prerequisite for thistest, man is at liberty to deny God, to kill prophetsand to oppose the da‘is (messengers) of truth. Givensuch a state of affairs, human freedom would haveto be withdrawn altogether in order to bring anideal society into existence. And God, in accordancewith His plan of creation, would never under anycircumstances abrogate human freedom. Theparticular nature of human existence on earth hasbeen thus explained in the Qur’an:We offered Our trust to the heavens, to theearth and to the mountains, but they refused~ 78 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of Godto accept the burden. Man undertook to bearit, but he has proved foolish and unjust. Godwill surely punish the hypocrites, men andwomen, and the unbelievers, both men andwomen; but God pardons believing men andbelieving women. God is Forgiving andMerciful. (33:72-73)‘Trust’ in the above verses refers to the freedom ofchoice with which man has been entrusted. Theearth and the heavens have neither such freedomnor any will-power of their own. They arecompelled to adhere to the laws of nature laid downby God for all eternity. But man has no suchcompulsion. He is totally free in word and deed.From other verses in the Qur’an, we learn that,according to the Creation plan of God, what is ofactual importance in this world is the building notof an ideal society but of ideal individuals (67:2).The ideal human society will, therefore, come intoexistence not in this world, but in the worldHereafter — referred to in the Qur’an as DarusSalam (the Home of Peace). The actual obstacle tothe building of the ideal society in this world is the~ 79 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of Godpresence everywhere of rebellious and insolentpeople. In the heavenly society of the Hereafter, allsuch evil-doers will be separated from good people;the heavenly society will then be comprised only ofvirtuous souls. Only in heaven then will it bepossible to create an ideal society.The error in the thinking of secular philosophersderives from their desire to construct in this presentworld the ideal society — the society which,according to God’s scheme of things, is going tobecome a reality only in the world of the Hereafter.The most formidable obstacle to the emergence ofan ideal society is human freedom, but thanks to theexigencies of God’s trial of humanity, humanfreedom is not going to be taken away. The idealsociety will thus remain a distant dream.According to the Qur’an, the truth has been fully setforth in this world. Now it is up to man to put hisfaith in it or to deny it (18:29). At another point theQur’an says:It rests with God to show the right path. Someturn aside from it, but had He pleased, He~ 80 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of Godwould have given right guidance to you all.(16:9)The Qur’an further observes; Had your Lordpleased, He would have made mankind a singlenation. But only those to whom He has shownmercy will cease to differ. To this end He hascreated them. The world of your Lord shall befulfilled: ‘I will fill Hell with jinn and men alltogether.’ (11:118,119)This freedom granted to man by his Creator is thereason why a society with uniformity in all itsaspects could never be produced in human history.If in a society there are virtuous people, there arewicked people as well. The unworthy have neverceased to create disturbance, even the societiesfounded by the prophets are no exception. That iswhy despite the existence of good individuals inthis world, a good society could never become apossibility.However, this is not a matter of evil, or even ofdeficiency. The truth is that the recurrence ofdisturbance and dissension in society is essential tothe realization of the Creation Plan itself, for good~ 81 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of Godpeople of the highest calibre are produced inunfavourable rather than in favourable situations.We learn from the Qur’an that man was born to anexistence fraught with toil and strife (90:4). TheQur’an, addressing the human race, has this to say:‘Go hence, and may your descendants be enemies toeach other’ (7:24). In this world, man has no choicebut to lead a life which is marred by trial andtribulation, opposition and enmity till the coming ofDoomsday.This human condition has not come about byaccident. This is exactly in accordance with thedivine scheme of things. God has created this worldin order to select those individuals who are capableof inhabiting heaven. These worthy inhabitants ofparadise are invariably produced under abnormalrather than normal circumstances. Human beingstherefore will continue to face unfavourablecircumstances in order that desirable people will goon being produced for such a selection.The Qur’an states: Do men think that once they say:‘We are believers,’ they will be left alone and not betried? We tested those who have gone before them.~ 82 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of GodGod knows those who are truthful and those whoare lying (29:1-3). In a similar vein the Qur’an says:Did you suppose that you would go to Paradiseuntouched by the suffering which was endured bythose before you? Affliction and adversity befellthem; and so battered were they that each apostle,and those who shared his faith, cried out: ‘Whenwill the help of God come?’ His help is ever near.(2:214)There is another verse to this effect: Did yousuppose that you would enter Paradise before Godhas known the men who fought hard and thesteadfast? (3:142). Yet again the Qur’an addressesMuslims in these words: Did you imagine that youwould be abandoned before God has had time toknow those of you who have fought valiantly andserved none but Him and His Apostle and thefaithful? God is cognizant of all your actions (9.14).The truth is that in this world what is desirable toGod is not the Ideal Society but the Ideal man. Andas we learn from the Qur’an, such an individual isproduced in conditions of ‘severe affliction,’~ 83 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of God(Qur’an, 33:11) and not in normal, peacefulcircumstances.God looks with favour upon those human beingswho, finding themselves in the midst of a jungle oftheories and ideologies, are able to discern the truthand then to persevere in their adherence to it. Hegives His approval to those human beings whosefaith remains unshaken even in the face of severeproblems and dire adversity; whose hearts, evenwhen they are subjected to all manner ofpersecution, are untainted by negative sentiments;who when threatened with calamity, do not loseheart, but undergo such a process of brainstormingas will lead to their intellectual development; whoeven when faced with such untoward events as arelikely to divert them from the Straight Path, remainstaunch in their faith in God; who feel the greattumult of the awakening of spirituality in theirhearts, bringing them closer to God.The man most desirable to God is one worthy ofinhabiting the refined and ideal world of Paradise.Such a person, the rarest of rare phenomena, isgreater than all that is great in the Universe. Such a~ 84 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of Godhuman being takes a new birth. He is born, not inpeaceful circumstances but in great strife andturmoil. He faces darkness in this world, so that hemay live in the eternal light of the Hereafter. Hetreads a thorny path in this life, so that he mayenjoy a flower-filled environment in the afterlife.Here he suffers loss, so that he may be blessed withthe joys of recovery in the Hereafter. He patientlybears the deprivation of the pleasures and comfortsof this world, so that he may be entitled to a place inthe eternal Paradise of heavenly bliss.Such a precious soul cannot come into being in avacuum. Nor can he develop in the normalatmosphere of society—no matter how closelyapproaching the ideal that society may be. It is onlyin the jungle of adversity that such a soul canemerge; there is no other possible breeding ground.What philosophers describe as social evil is atraining ground devised by the Creator to producehuman beings of great moral and spiritualcharacter. That is why, in every period of humanhistory, mankind has been faced with all manner ofconflict and dissension. The true believers, the~ 85 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of Godvirtuous and, in particular, the prophets, haveinvariably found themselves in unpropitioussituations. There is a hadith to this effect: “WhenGod loves a people, He puts them to the test.”Unfavourable circumstances are not peculiar tonon-Muslim societies; in one way or another, theyhave always been a part of Muslim societies too. Inancient times, the prophets were born amongidolaters and deniers and were subjected to severepersecution by their contemporaries. We learn fromthe Qur’an that the Prophet Moses was likewisethreatened with mental torture and physical agony,even although he had been sent to the People of theBook, that is, to the Jews. (33:69)The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,established a properly organized state in Arabia,later known as the Khilafat-e-Rashida, and ruledsuccessively by the four rightly guided Caliphs. Buteven during this ideal period of Islam, the statecontinued to suffer from a variety of severeproblems. Indeed, there is no period of the IslamicState which can be pinpointed as one in which~ 86 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of GodMuslims led their lives in a state of perfect peaceand normalcy.This is not due to any deficiency in the Islamic State,but rather to the exigencies of the “training course”established by God Himself for the moral disciplineof human beings. As mentioned above, it is not partof God’s plan that an ideal society should be formedin this world in which people will lead peacefullives. According to God’s scheme of things, what isof actual importance is the preparation andformation of individuals. This unavoidably takesplace in an atmosphere, not of peace andtranquility, but of turbulence and turmoil.In the present world, neither at the national orcommunal level, do we possess the moral andphysical resource which are essential to theconstruction of a high standard society. However,we do have the means to build the ideal character inindividuals, and this is an ongoing reality—as arequirement of God’s Creation plan, which isconcerned not with the building of a heavenlysociety, but the building of the heavenly individualwho is fit to dwell in the ideal society of paradise.~ 87 ~

Islam Rediscovered6. The Creation Plan of GodLooked at in terms of the ideal society, the historyof Islam would appear to have its darker, negativeside. But if seen in terms of the development ofindividuals, this same history would appear to havea very positive, bright side. The ideal society or theideal state may not have come into being but,throughout Islamic history, there has never beenany dearth of individuals of great moral andspiritual calibre. Indeed, the annals of history mayhave little to show in terms of ideal societies, buttheir pages have been made resplendent with thethoughts, words and deeds of ideal individuals.~ 88 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islam7. DISCOVERY OF ISLAMOnce a Muslim scholar from the UK visited India togive a lecture on: ‘Islam and the West.’ During thequestion hour, an Indian Muslim asked: ‘You havegiven us so much information about Islam and theWest, now, would you please tell us what theMuslims should do, when in the minority, incountries such as India?’ The scholar remainedsilent for a while and then replied: “It is, indeed, adifficult question. In Islam we find a model for aposition of strength. But, there is no model in Islamfor the position of modesty.” This is not just a strayremark. In fact, it illustrates the way of thinkingprevalent almost all over the Muslim world today.It clearly shows the mindset of today’s Muslims.Consciously or unconsciously, they look to theirglorious history in order to understand their statusand role in the world. Their mentality is such thatwhen they find a prominent model of strength, theynaturally conclude that what Islam stands for isworldwide Muslim political dominance. It is thisattitude which prevents them from penetrating theveil of their glorious history to seek guidancedirectly from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Had they~ 89 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islamdone so, they would certainly, have succeeded infinding role models for all human positionsincluding that of modesty. They would further haverealized that it is not the political but the ideologicalspread of Islam through peaceful da‘wah work thatthe Muslim Ummah has to struggle for everywhereand under all circumstances.Contrary to the prevalent misconception that Islamfailed to provide its followers with any model of alow-key position, an unbiased study of theProphet’s biography will reveal that up till theconquest of Makkah in the 8th A.H., 20 of the 23years of his life as a Prophet, were spent in exactlywhat is nowadays termed a state of modesty. When,chronologically, more than three-quarters of theProphetic mission portrays a picture of humility,what is it that makes one remark that there is noIslamic model for Muslim minorities in India orelsewhere? The fact is that such people are sooverwhelmed by the political glory built up duringthe later period of Muslim history, that their eyesare totally blinded to the glory of the modesty in thelife of the Prophet.~ 90 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamThis shift in later history of drawing inspirationfrom political glory instead of from the Qur’an andSunnah, has, unfortunately, blurred the generalvision of present-day Muslims to such an extent,that the original Islam has turned for them into analien religion. They proudly claim that Islam is acomplete code of life and that their Prophet had seta perfect role model for all times to come, yet due totheir own misdirected approach, they are unable tofind any model for the position of modesty which iscomparatively much more important than themodel for a position of strength, as it is popularlycalled.This state of affairs is entirely in accordance withthe prophetic prediction: “Islam began as astranger. And, finally, it will again become astranger. Let, then, the strangers be blessed”(Muslim). It would be no exaggeration to say thatthe original version of Islam has literally becometotally unfamiliar to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Islam, has thus, to be rediscovered.And to rediscover Islam, we have first of all todiscover what the factors are that have made Islama stranger in the world today. In the following~ 91 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islampages, the reader will find a thorough analysis ofthe historical and political reasons for the tragicphenomenon of the alienation of Islam as predictedin the Hadith.WHY ISLAM ALONEWe seldom hear the adherents of other religionscomplaining about their faiths beingmisunderstood. For instance Hindus, Buddhistsand Christians do not hold that their respectivereligions are badly understood. One reason isthat they do not mix their religions withcommunal politics, and do not generally try toadvance their own worldly interests in the nameof their religions — as present-day Muslims aredoing on a large scale.One who studies Islam, directly from its sacredscriptures, is astonished to find that the originalIslam is totally different from what it is nowgenerally held to be. Other religions are known topeople as they are; hence the need to rediscoverthem does not arise. The problem ofmisapprehension applies therefore exclusively toIslam. There is a great need to study Islam from its~ 92 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islamoriginal scriptures in order to re-discover it in itsoriginal form. In modern times many books havebeen published with the aim of removingmisunderstandings about Islam. One title is asfollows:‘Islam, the Most Misunderstood Religion’.But titles such as these are not in accordance withthe actual state of affairs. These books start with thepremise that non-Muslims have mistakenly come toregard Islam as a religion of intolerance andviolence and then they attempt to remove thesemisapprehensions. But the actual question to beaddressed is why there should ever have been suchmisunderstanding. It has to be conceded that it isbased not on some allegation but rather on the factthat the Muslims of today, in almost every country,repeatedly display violence and intolerancetowards others. They have adopted this course ofaction in the name of Islamic movements or IslamicJihad. Were Muslims to do so in the name of theirown communal interest and people attributed thatto Islam, this would amount to misunderstandingbased on an allegation. But when Muslims~ 93 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islamthemselves attributed their activities to Islam, itbecomes a case of proper understanding and not that ofmisunderstanding.Furthermore, the educated class of modern times isobsessed with the concept of anthropology, whichtreats religion as a social phenomenon instead of asa vehicle for revealed truth. Therefore, according totheir way of thinking, they naturally come to regardthe activities of Muslims to be Islam itself. And theirthinking is further confirmed when they find thatMuslims engage themselves in these activities in thevery name of Islam.Given this state of affairs, the real task to beperformed is to differentiate between Islam as suchand Muslims. It should be made clear that Islamand Muslims are not necessarily one and the samething, so that one must differentiate between Islamand Muslims. Islam is an ideology. One who adoptsthis ideology in full is a Muslim; otherwise he is nota Muslim. It is essential that Muslims be judged inthe light of Islamic ideals: Islam should not bejudged in the light of what Muslims do in the nameof Islam.~ 94 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamPROPHETIC PERSPECTIVEIn a hadith the Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, observed: My generation is the best one,then the second generation and then the thirdgeneration. (Sahih Muslim, 8/550)This means that Islamic virtue was at its peak in thefirst generation, and that there was a decline inrighteousness through the second and the thirdgenerations. This stage is known in the history ofIslam as the period of the Prophet's companionsand the period of Prophet's companions'companions.There is nothing mysterious about it. Degeneration,a law of nature which applies to every group, set inafter the first generation itself. By the thirdgeneration, the roots of Islam had weakened and bythe fourth generation the characteristics of the firstgeneration had been considerably diluted. Thisprocess went on until after a few centuries thatperiod commenced when, we do find individuals inconsiderable number who had imbibed the truespirit of Islam, but society on the whole was founddrastically lacking in the features of the early Islam,~ 95 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamThis is what is meant by Islam becoming" astranger," as in the above-quoted prediction of theProphet. In latter times this difference has becomeso marked that the Islam of the early days has cometo appear strange to the Muslims of today. Somebasic reasons for this transformation are outlinedbelow:SEPARATION OF SPIRIT AND FORMThe first reason for this difference lies in theseparation of the spirit from the form. In latergenerations the form remains intact but the spirit islost, rather like a fruit with its skin intact butaltogether devoid of pulp.For instance, in the first phase iman (faith) meant·realization of God, while in later times imanbecomes synonymous with the recitation of thecreed of Islam (kalimah). In the early phase ibadah(worship) meant khushu, (spiritual devotion) but inlater times it becomes synonymous with a set ofrituals. In earlier times Akhlaq (good moralcharacter) meant unconditional good character, butin later times it becomes synonymous with the kind~ 96 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islamof character, whose goodness or badness dependsupon the good or bad conduct of others.If, in the early period of Islam, a position of trustwas identified with responsibility, in the laterperiod it becomes associated with honour andprestige. In the early phase, the ideology of Islamwas highlighted, while in the later phase the historyof Islam replaced the ideology. In the first phase,Islam was an issue of duty; in the second phase, itbecame an issue of pride. In the first phase, theQuran was a book of tadabbur, (deepcontemplation), whereas in the second phase, itbecame simply a book for recitation. In the firstphase, following in the footsteps of the Prophet wasgiven the utmost importance but in later times, theProphet was glorified as a national hero, so thatMuslims might assert their own superiority overother nations. While the thinking of the firstgeneration was that they could earn paradise onlyon the basis of their personal deeds, the people ofthe later period came to hold that mere associationwith the Ummah (community) was enough to securethem paradise. People of the first generation turnedto the original texts as preserved in the Qur’an and~ 97 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamSunnah to seek guidance in every matter; whilepeople of the later generation referred to thecommentaries and interpretations producedafterwards. In the first phase self-reckoning andcriticism were appreciated, but in later timescriticism became a taboo as Muslims becamereluctant to accept their own faults, consideringthemselves above any shortcoming.Due to these differences, the religion of the firstphase of Islam became an unknown religion for thepeople of the later phase. Indeed, when they werecalled to the religion of the first phase, they found itso unfamiliar to their thinking and practices thatthey became dire opponents of such a call.However, there is no doubt that one who loses hispopularity among the people as a result of callingthem to the original Islam will have a great rewardreserved for him by God in the Hereafter.COMMUNALIZATION OF THE RELIGIONAnother reason for public alienation from the realIslam is that the faithfulls fall from the highpedestal of principled religion to the level ofcommunal religion. Then, this communal agenda is~ 98 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamIslamized, the ideals of Islam being replaced bycommunal aspirations. This is the result, in moderntimes; of Muslims being faced with many kinds ofcommunal problems, such as the usurpation of theirland, deprivation of political power, culturalinvasion, exploitation in terms of economicresources, etc. And there are many other similarcommunal problems from which present dayMuslims are suffering at the hands of theiropponents.All over the world, Muslims have launchedmovements on these scores. In some places theytake the form of protest and demands, while inothers they develop into armed conflicts. If suchactivities have any justification, it is purelycommunal. Muslims fight for their communalobjectives, but they call it Islamic jihad. Their leadersform political parties, they enter into violent conflictwith other rulers in order to gain power, but theycarry out all these activities in the name of Islam.Power play, pure and simple, is given the name ofIslamic politics. The so-called Islamic jihad is themost glaring example of engaging in non-Islamicactivities under the banner of Islam. In different~ 99 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islamparts of the world, wherever Muslims are engagedin fighting for their own communal purposes theyinevitably call their activities Islamic jihad. Theharm done by such violent jihad has multipliedthousand-fold due to the modern media’s selectivecoverage of news. Since hot news is more profitablethan soft news, examples of Muslim jihad are seizedupon by the media as grist to the mill. This hasdistorted the image of Islam to such an extent that,today, Islam and violence have becomesynonymous.A state of affairs has developed in which Muslimshave come to believe that the cause of Islam can beserved only through jihad activism, that is, armedstruggle. With this mindset, they are unable tounderstand the significance of peaceful struggle.Anyone who talks in terms of peace and tolerancefinds his integrity in question. Any attempt atmaking them understand the importance ofpeaceful struggle is seen as a conspiracy to keepthem from performing jihad as a “religious duty.” Itis thus an extremely difficult task to call Muslims topeaceful Islam. Such a mission involves the risk of~ 100 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islambeing discredited among one’s own co-religionists.In consequence, the call, goes unheeded.THE VEIL OF INTERPRETATIONOne reason for original Islam becoming alien is thatas time went by self-styled interpretations of theQur’an and Sunnat gradually placed a veil over theoriginal content of these texts. A time came whenthe original Islam was completely obscured fromview. The wrong, man-made interpretations tookthe place of revealed guidance. In later times,people mistakenly took them to be the real Islam.In the early phase of Islam people derived theirreligion directly from the Qur’an and Sunnah,therefore, their association with the original Islamremained intact. But the interpretations andexplanations of later days served only to obscurethe original teachings. The natural beauty of Islamdisappeared. The Qur’an and Sunnah now turnedinto relics instead of being instruments of guidance.Thus the religion came to be based on latter-dayinterpretations and explanations instead of on theoriginal scriptures.~ 101 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamHow did this corruption set in in the literatureproduced by the later generations? The answer isthat certain people, having a command over thelanguage, were able to acquire a superficialknowledge of the scriptures but were unable tounderstand them in depth; for this realization(ma‘arifa) is required. When one finds religion at thelevel of realization, one is endowed by God with thewisdom (hikmat) to be able to understand thedeeper meaning of the words of the scriptures. Onthe other hand those who are not blessed with thisspecial gift of wisdom, have nothing by which tounderstand Islam, except their own preconceptions.They begin to interpret religion according to theirown mindset. The result is that, although they referto the Qur’an and Sunnah, their interpretationshave little bearing on the original texts. Religiousdegeneration ensues in which they appear to followIslam but actually stray far from its spirit. They failto differentiate between God-sent religion and manmadeinterpretation. At this point, one who callspeople to the original Islam becomes an alienamong his own people. He fails to gain popularityeven among those already in the Muslim fold.~ 102 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamHowever, losing popularity in this world for thesake of God will earn him a greater reward in thelife Hereafter. For, when the image of Islam hadbeen distorted, it was he, who was ready to take allthe risks involved in the process of reviving itsoriginal form.One great loss created by these additions to theoriginal Islam was the shift in emphasis. Someimportant teachings of Islam were relegated to thebackground—for instance, concern for the largerhumanity, da’wah, patience, etc. Da‘wah is thegreatest mission of the Muslim Ummah, for,although prophethood came to an end withMuhammad (may peace be upon him), the missionof the Prophet has not yet come to an end. Themission continues through the Ummah, as a matterof religious duty. It would be no exaggeration to saythat without the performance of this duty, its verycredibility of being the Muslim Ummah wouldbecome doubtful. Strangely, indeed, da’wah foundno place in the literature of the centuries after theProphet. Neither has it been mentioned anywherein the Muslim agenda of today. The classicalcommentaries of the Qur’an (Tafsir) also fail to give~ 103 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of Islamany prominence to da‘wah as a concept. In books ofhadith too, we find chapters on all subjects exceptda’wah. The same is true of fiqh (Islamicjurisprudence) in whose texts we do not find achapter on da‘wah.According to the Qur’an, the exercise of patience(sabr) is a deed which makes man eligible for thehighest reward (8:46); the patient man will berewarded “beyond measure” (39:10). But theinterpretation that gained popularity in later timeswas that the injunction of sabr, patience, had beenabrogated and replaced by jihad (in the sense ofqital, fighting). Thus, one who studies these books,gathers the impression, that consciously orunconsciously, patience might have been importantin the past, but that nowadays it has lost itsrelevance. Now jihad (in the sense of qital) and notsabr is of the foremost importance.It follows that whenever a reformer calls Muslimsback to their duties concerning da’wah and sabr, theybecome antagonistic to such a call, because theyhave become conditioned to finding it alien to theirthinking.~ 104 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamTHE OBSESSION WITH HISTORICAL GLORYAs mentioned above, one of the major reasons forthe original Islam becoming an alien religion amongthe Muslims is that for latter day generations thebasis for the Islamic ethos became the later historyof Islam instead of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Muslimsfound their glorious history far more attractive thanthe Qur’an and Sunnah. For them they were justsets of words. Their history, on the contrary, gavethem an immense sense of pride, as it was full ofimperial grandeur and conquests. Although theycontinued to pay lip service to the Qur’an byreciting it, they were, in fact, lost in the glories ofIslamic history. Gradually they came to associatethemselves and Islam with this grand history:instead of the Qur’an and Sunnah, history becametheir chief source of inspiration.This change of the source of inspiration wroughtimmense harm. When the Qur’an and Sunnah areone’s intellectual sources it is modesty that is bredin the mind, whereas if one takes history as one’sintellectual source, pride is bound to be generated.~ 105 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamIf the Qur’an and Sunnah are taken to be the truesources of knowledge of God’s will, all mankind, inthe words of a hadith, will be regarded by thebelievers as God’s family; the whole of humanitywill become their concern: whereas, when the mindis shaped by history, Muslims see themselves asrulers, and others as subjects. If they derive Islamfrom the Qur’an and Sunnah, then all God’screation—even a blade of grass—will appear tothem as God’s signs. Whereas when history is thesource of their Islam, the forts and palaces of theirkings become signs of grandeur and glory to them.This is exactly what has happened with the latterday Muslims. Almost all the activities of Muslims inpresent times bear testimony to this fact. Thespeeches of their leaders, the books of their writers,the poetry of their poets, seem to centre on theirglorious history. Their writers and speakers providethem food for thought about historical glory ratherthan divine glory. This is the reason why in moderntimes a large number of books have been written bythe Muslims bent on the celebration of history,while perhaps not a single book has been producedon the majesty of God Almighty.~ 106 ~

Islam Rediscovered7. Discovery of IslamGiven this state of affairs, when a reformer arises tocall Muslims to the religion of the Qur’an andSunnah, his voice naturally appears strange to hishearers. For they feel that this person is calling themto a position of modesty, whereas their religion(that is, history) aims at placing them in a positionof strength. In such an atmosphere, the words of thereformer will impinge as worthless, alien andunacceptable.~ 107 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam Builds8. THE MAN ISLAM BUILDSThe man Islam aims to build is one in whom a twofoldactivity is set in motion at the same time, oneform of activity being internal and the otherexternal. The result of this twin activity is that thespiritual side of his nature develops in parallel withhis intellectual advancement, both processes goingon unhampered. On the one hand there is astrengthening of the moral fibre by which hispersonality assumes its permanent shape, and onthe other, there is a broadening of his intellectualhorizons.INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTHow does the Islamic way of life set off inneractivities in man? In this, the mainspring is theconcept of accountability. Islam brings man to therealization that God Almighty is omnipresent andomniscient so that he has the feeling that for all hiswords and deeds–even intentions, he is accountablebefore Him. And after death he will have to face thedivine court of justice, where the whole record ofhis life will be examined. And then, according to its~ 108 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam Buildsverdict, he will be sent either to eternal hell oreternal Heaven. This feeling surging within him isso powerful that it shakes the entire humanpersonality. A hadith thus admonishes theindividual: Reckon yourself before being reckonedwith. Weigh yourself before being weighed. Andprepare yourself for the Great Appearance onDoomsday. (Al-Tirmidhi)The consciousness of the presence of God activatesall of the brain cells of the individual. A hunter onceremarked: If you are walking through a jungle, andall of a sudden you notice a live tiger standing, in anearby glade your blood stream will turn into ablood storm.This is what happens when we stand in thepresence of a tiger. At every moment Islam bringsman to the realization not only of the Creator of thelion, but also of the Creator of the entire universe.One can judge when the thought of the presence ofa tiger turns man’s blood stream into a blood storm,how great a storm the thought of the presence of theCreator of the lion, that is, God Almighty, will beproduced within a believer.~ 109 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam BuildsTherefore, by his own inner compulsion, thebeliever becomes a man of character and a staunchbeliever. For him it becomes impossible to beimmoral or unjust or dishonest in his conduct to hisfellow men.This concept of the presence of God is no negativematter. This is a wholly positive reality. This isbecause God is not simply a source of power. He isalso a source of mercy. The storm brought about bythe awareness of the presence of God awakens notonly the feeling of fear, but a strong feeling of hopeas well. Similarly, the feeling of the presence of Godbecomes a perpetual incentive for the positivedevelopment of the human personality. This, inIslamic terms, is called a spiritual revolution. Inshort, belief in Islam makes accountability to Godman’s greatest permanent concern. The potential ofspirituality latent within man is activated by hisbelief to the ultimate extent; this turns him into aspiritual superman. But the feeling of the presenceof God Almighty also cuts man down to size. ‘Andman cut to size’ is the ultimate phrase in thespiritual dictionary. Such a man succeeds to theutmost degree in finding all those things that he~ 110 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam Buildsought to experience at the spiritual level. Hebecomes a man of God through and through.EXTERNAL ACTIVITIESThe Islamic man is one who, in consonance with hisspiritual development, experiences constantintellectual activity which results in the mostintense brainstorming. The intellectual awakening,or intellectual development of an Islamic man is soextensive that he becomes cerebrally activated tothe highest possible extent. What is that externalfactor which stimulates this kind of intellectualactivity in the Islamic man? It is da‘wah work.According to the Qur’an, the Prophet of Islam is thefinal Prophet. Although no Prophet is going tocome after him, the mission of the Prophet mustcontinue. The Ummah of the Prophet, charged withcarrying on this mission for posterity, is thusaddressed in the Qur’an: And thus We made you anintermediary nation so that you might bear witnessagainst the people and the Prophet might testifyagainst you. (2:143)~ 111 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam BuildsA commentator of the Qur’an has interpreted this asfollows: Muslims are intermediary between theProphet and the nations of the world (Al-Tabari). Inconformance with this, da‘wah work is obligatoryfor the Muslim Ummah. It is their essential duty toreceive the divine message of the Prophet andconvey it to the rest of humanity. It is not simply anact of annunciation. It is the most importantstruggle. Because of this the Qur’an says: Do withthem the great jihad by the help of the Qur’an(25:52).The Qur’an is a book, not a weapon. “Great jihadwith the Qur’an” means a great religiousendeavour; da’wah work is thus a great ideologicalstruggle. It is a supreme intellectual effort whichstretches to the utmost the mental capacity of thehuman being.INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTDa‘wah is a strictly non-political mission. But it is anextremely difficult task to perform, because itinvites challenges from virtually all sections ofsociety. The da‘i says: “Here is the truth with acapital T, and success in this world as well as in the~ 112 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam Buildsworld hereafter depends on the acceptance of thistruth, so man has no choice but to accept it.” Thiskind of claim is highly provocative, elicitingreactions from every ideological group—religious,materialist, secular, atheist, etc.The man with a mission throws down a challengewhich provokes a response. A challenge-responsemechanismbecomes operative which stimulatescontinuous interaction, involving questions andanswers, discussions and dialogues. It is during thisinteraction that the process of intellectualdevelopment begins.As a mission, da‘wah work by its very nature isdivine. Because of this people with a mission arebound by their code of ethics to respond in apositive manner to their audiences regardless of thelatter’s misconduct. At all costs, they must, as amatter of principle, avoid all friction. As the Qur’ansays: “Certainly, we (the Prophets) would bear withpatience your persecution of us.” (14:12)This positive behaviour on the part of peopleengaged in the da‘wah mission prevents them fromsuccumbing to hatred for and violence against the~ 113 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam Buildsother party. That again ensures that theirintellectual growth and development will go onuninterruptedly. No situation whatsoever will haltthis process of peaceful da’wah and, subsequently,the inner progress of those involved in it willcontinue ceaselessly.The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,once said: “Beware of the wisdom of mu’min (abeliever), because he sees with the light of God.”How is it that a mu'min becomes a man of wisdom,in such a superior sense? It is because his faithmakes him pious and God-fearing. In his state ofpiety, he undergoes the inner experience whichpsychologists call brainstorming. This helps activatehis potential to the full extent. The result ismiraculous: if, before, he was a man, now after thisbrainstorming, he becomes a superman.Then comes da‘wah, that is, the call to Islam.According to the Qur’an, da‘wah is the great jihad.Why is da‘wah the great jihad, or great struggle?Because it is a universal mission. It is a most serioustask. It engages one’s entire capacities throughoutone’s whole life. Every time one is faced with~ 114 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam Buildsintellectual challenges, one is bound to give a strongresponse.Thus, da‘wah becomes an extensive course of actionthrough which one’s personality develops day byday, until one reaches the highest level ofintellectual and spiritual development.Iman (faith) and da‘wah are two basic levels of Islam.If iman is a superior ideology, da‘wah is a superiorcourse of action. Iman purifies one’s mind and soul,while da‘wah imbues one’s personality with asublime probity. One who adopts Islam as auniversal mission, in both the ideological andpractical sense, is morally activated to themaximum possible extent and this course, slowlybut surely, leads him to reach the highest pinnacleof humanity.Stating the relationship between man and truereligion the Qur’an says:So you set your face towards the true faithuprightly, the upright nature with which Godhas endowed man, and let there be noalteration in God’s Creation. That is the right~ 115 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam Buildsreligion, although most men may not know it.(30:30)This means that every human being is created byGod to be capable—as a matter of his naturalconstitution—of accepting the religion of truth. TheUnity of God is a truth, arrived at intuitively, and isplain to every man of common sense, unless heperverts himself by the different prejudices whichhe receives from his environment. Islam is thus thenatural religion that a child left to itself woulddevelop. A western writer, Lady Cobbold, hasrightly described it:Islam is the religion of common sense.When this potential is realized, it results in theemergence of a new man. What kind of character ispossessed by this new man is made clear by thefollowing hadith:Nine things the Lord has commanded me:Fear of God in private and in public;Justness, whether in anger or in calmness;~ 116 ~

Islam Rediscovered8. The Man Islam BuildsModeration in both poverty and affluence;Joining hands with those who break awayfrom me;and giving to those who deprive me;and forgiving those who wrong me;and making of my silence meditation;and my words remembrance of God;and taking a lesson from my observation.(Razin)This hadith gives a complete picture of the manIslam wants to build.~ 117 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Life9. THE ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFEThe Islamic way of life, in a word, is a Godorientedlife. The greatest concern of a Muslim isGod Almighty. The focus of his whole life isAkhirah, that is, the ideal world of God. He alwaysobeys divine injunctions in every aspect of life.His life becomes a practical expression of theQur’anic verse:Take on God’s own dye. And who has a betterdye than God’s? And we are His worshippers.(2:138)‘Taking on God’s dye,’ means being of a ‘godlycharacter’ in all the personal, social and economicaffairs of one’s life. The following pages of thechapter are devoted to portraying various aspects ofthis ‘godly’ character as personified in a Muslimindividual whose words and deeds in familymatters, or with respect to earning one’s livelihoodand whose dealings with other members of society,always seem to be distinguishably ‘dyed in thedivine hue.’~ 118 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of LifeIMAN (FAITH)By accepting iman one enters the fold of Islam. ButIman is not simply a recitation of kalima (creed ofIslam). According to the Qur’an, it is ma‘arifah (5:83)that is, realization. Thus realization of truth is thedoor to Islam. When one discovers that Islam istruly God’s religion and that it is the same truth onehas been seeking all along, one undergoes a uniqueexperience of realization which is known in Islamicterminology as ma‘arifah.’Making any kind of discovery revolutionizes aperson’s life but when this discovery is of the truthwith a capital T, this intellectual revolution becomessynonymous with the emergence of a new life in theindividual.This kind of intellectual revolution is no simpleevent: it turns a man into a superman, and giveshim the greatest mission of his life. It regulates hislife in such a way that no part of it remainsunaffected. He begins to see all of humanity as hisfamily and the entire universe as his abode. Such adiscoverer becomes a maker of history rather than aproduct of history.~ 119 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of LifeThis is the stuff of iman. And it was this iman whichenabled the Prophet and his companions toproduce, as one historian remarked, “the mostmiraculous of all miracles.”IBADAH (WORSHIP)Ibadah, or worship, is not simply the observation ofa set of rituals. It is more a profound kind ofreligious experience. In fact, it is the physical andspiritual expression of the human personality on ahigher plane of consciousness.Addressing man, the Qur’an says, “Prostrateyourself in adoration and bring yourself closer(to God)” (96:19). The Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, was once asked ‘What is theessence of ibadah? He replied: “The worship of Godas though you are seeing Him. Or if you are notseeing Him, He is seeing you.”There are two kinds of ibadah, or worship, in Islam,the first kind of ibadah have been prescribed atspecified times—salat, sawm, zakat, hajj, (prayer,fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage) These forms ofdevotion are called the pillars of Islam. Then there~ 120 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Lifeare unspecified forms of ibadah, which consists ofdhikr and fikr (3:191), meaning to remember Godwith feelings of fear and love.This second form of ibadah aims at mental activationof the human soul so that he may be enabled to seeGod’s signs in everything he comes across in hisdaily life. This is the ibadah or worship, which isobligatory for every Muslim throughout his life.AKHLAQ (MORALITY)What is morality? It is to live among one’s fellowmen according to the moral teachings of Islam. Theessence of Islamic morality is thus set forth andgiven in a hadith: “Behave with others as you wouldlike them to behave towards you” (al-Bukhari). Bynature everyone knows what sort of conduct heapproves of and of what sort he disapproves. So tofollow this generally accepted moral criterion inrelation to others is essentially Islamic morality.Islam differentiates between social manners andsocial character. Social manners are based on theprinciple ‘Do as they do.’ But Islamic morality isbased on the formula of unilateral and~ 121 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Lifeunconditional positive conduct. ‘Do good to others,even if they are not doing good to you.’(al-Tabarani)The Qur’an portrays Muslims as individuals who“repel evil with good.” (28:54)Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, advised a Muslim to “do good to thosewho harm you” (al-Tirmirdhi). The ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, was the trueembodiment of the finest moral character.Addressing the Prophet, the Qur’an declares:“Surely you have a sublime character.” (68:4)So great an importance has been attached in Islamto moral character that it has been set up as acriterion by which to judge all other Islamic virtues.If one is good in relation to other human beings,that will serve as evidence that one also is good inrelation to God.The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,puts it thus:~ 122 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Life“One who is not grateful to man cannot begrateful to God either.” (Al-Bayhaqi)SOCIAL RELATIONSA. INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITYTo preserve society from instability and keep it in aperpetually reformed state, Islam has given a basiccommandment, which has been mentioned at manyplaces in the Qur’an. One such Qur’anic verse runs:“(Believers are those) who enjoin what is good andforbid what is evil.” (9:112) The same point has alsobeen repeatedly made in a number of traditionssuch as the following: “A believer ought to open thegate of good and close the door of evil.” (MusnadAhmad)This commandment has been misrepresented bycertain self-styled advocates of Islamic revolution asbeing political in nature. But this is not so. It isentirely non-political. It only indicates that everymember of society should have a strong sense of hisresponsibility towards society. No one shouldremain indifferent on seeing the perpetration of evilor injustice. He should feel the pain of others in his~ 123 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Lifeown heart. He should rise in support of the rights ofthe oppressed. When one sees someone engaged inthe calumny and slander of others, he shouldattempt to stop him from doing so. He should makethe iniquity known to other people, so that theculprit may be compelled by means of publicpressure to desist from indulging in such evil acts.Every member of society should consider theupholding of virtue to be an essential duty. Thegreatest concern of every individual should be tosee that goodness flourishes in society and that evilsare uprooted from it. Before any evil takes roots, itshould be nipped in the bud.This task of enjoining good and forbidding evil hasto be performed with the utmost gentleness andwell wishing rather than with harshness andviolence.That is why this social responsibility has beenlinked with acts of worship in Islam. For instance,with reference to prayer, the Qur’an says: “Surely,prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil.”(29:45)~ 124 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of LifeB. Family LifeA sane society, from the Islamic point of view, is butan extension of a sane family. Even human societyat large is nothing other than a single familygradually extended throughout history. That is whyIslam has greatly emphasized the significance offamily life being disciplined and well organised sothat it may play its part in maintaining socialstability.A family begins when a male and a female decideas members of society to live together under oneroof. However, Islam does not allow such a relationbetween a man and a woman, unless it is based on alegitimate marital contract which is basically meantto be a guarantee of a life-long partnership of rightsand duties, and not merely a temporaryentertainment. Hence, there is no room in Islam forwhat is known, as pre-marital or extra-maritalaffairs between the two sexes. And this is one of thereasons that we do not find in Islamic society,broken homes, illegitimate children, neglected orabandoned parents, etc.—phenomena that areprevalent in secular societies.~ 125 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of LifeThrough the institution of marriage Islam aims atbuilding a society free from anarchy, instability,indecency, violence and crime, especially in relationto youngsters. Marriage, when conducted andmaintained on the lines laid down in the Qur’anand Sunnah, provides an organised unit in the formof a ‘home.’ In that way, the succeeding generationsare brought up and nurtured physically, morallyand mentally in a healthy atmosphere and underthe supervision of loving and concerned parents.This training at home helps the children entersociety equipped with a deep sense ofresponsibility, respect for human values and otherqualities, such as sincerity, which are essential forthe better construction and development of anysocial system. A society composed of such homes ortraining units, will never suffer from the chaos anddestructive instabilities from which modernsocieties are suffering nowadays.Guidelines for a healthy, happy and meaningfulmarital life, along with the rights and duties ofparents and other members of the family, occupy aconsiderable space in both the Qur’an and Hadith. Afew references in this regard are given below:~ 126 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Life1. “Men should approach women with the sincereintention of entering into wedlock with them, notcommitting fornication.” (4:24)2. “And your Lord had commanded you to servenone but Him, and to show goodness to yourparents. If either or both of them reach old agewith you, show them no sign of impatience anddo not rebuke them, but speak to them a generousword. Treat them gently and with compassion,and say: “O my Lord! Have mercy on them asthey brought me up when I was little.’” (17:23-24)3. “No parents have ever given to their childrenany gift better than a good moral education.”(Al-Adab al-Mufrad)4. “My Lord has enjoined me to do nine things,” theProphet once said, and one of them, he stressedwas “keeping on good terms even with thoserelatives who cut off ties of kinship.” (al-Hakim)C. Legitimate LivelihoodSo many social evils can be directly attributed toeither some members of society having an~ 127 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Lifeinsufficient means of livelihood or others having anexcess of wealth. Islam urges that one earns one’slivelihood by all possible but lawful means, so thatone’s essential needs are properly met on the onehand, and one does not remain dependent onothers, on the other. According to the Qur’an andHadith, the greed for more and more, niggardliness,holding money back to centralize it in one or a fewhands, are the main roots of all criminal anddestructive tendencies in human society. That iswhy virtues such as contentment, moderation,simplicity, altruism, spending on charity andsharing one’s happiness with others are so highlyand repeatedly recommended in Islam.Conversely, vices like extravagance, selfishness,monopolistic practices, exploitation, usury and allunfair means of money-making are stronglycondemned and prohibited. How to deal with theproblems of earning a livelihood in accordance withthe Islamic way of life? The answer to this questionmay be summed up in the following points:~ 128 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Life(a) Avoidance of transgression: God Almighty hasdeclared in the Qur’an: “Eat of the good thingswe have given for your sustenance, and do nottransgress with respect to them.” (20:81)(b) Self-reliance: One should try one’s utmost to earnone’s daily bread by one’s own efforts, withoutbeing dependent on anybody else. The ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, isreported to have said repeatedly: “The best foodone has ever had is that which one has earnedwith one’s own hands.” (Abu Dawud)(c) Avoidance of niggardliness and spending in charity:When one is fortunate enough to earn even morethan it takes to meet one’s own needs, oneshould not try to be parsimonious with one’searnings. Instead, one should rather extend asupporting hand to less fortunate or evendestitute members of society. Otherwise, one’swealth will become a curse for oneself ratherthan a blessing. Hence, the Prophet Muhammad,peace be upon him, used to say in his regularprayers: “O God, give a good compensation to~ 129 ~

Islam Rediscovered9. The Islamic Way of Lifeone who spends in charity and cause destructionto one who holds his wealth back.” (Nasai)(d) Contentment: To attain inner peace and realhappiness, one has to remain content with whatone has been able to earn independently andlawfully. The Prophet Muhammad, may peacebe upon him, says in this respect: “Indeed, he hasattained eternal success and prosperity whoaccepted Islam, and God has filled his heart withcontentment towards whatever he was given.”He also said: “A little that suffices is much betterthan a surfeit that causes disturbance.” (Al-Bayhaqi)(e) Simplicity: Last, but not least, an importantIslamic principle concerning one’s livelihood issimplicity. The Prophet’s own life style was aunique example of simplicity. In one of hissayings he has even considered it one of thesigns of true faith (Ibn Majah). In another hadith,he warns his companions: “Stay away from theluxurious life. For the servants of God do notindulge in luxury.” (Musnad Ahmad)~ 130 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Is10. ISLAM AS IT ISIslam is a religion of peace in the fullest sense of theword. The Qur’an calls its way ‘the paths of peace’(5:16). It describes reconciliation as the best policy(4:128), and states that God abhors any disturbanceof the peace (2:205).The root word of Islam is ‘silm’, which means peace.So the spirit of Islam is the spirit of peace. The firstverse of the Qur’an breathes the spirit of peace. Itreads:In the name of God, the Most Merciful, theMost Compassionate.This verse is repeated in the Qur’an no less than 114times. It shows the great importance Islam attachesto such values as Mercy and Compassion. One ofGod’s names, according to the Qur’an, is as-salam,which means peace. Moreover the Qur’an statesthat the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be uponhim, was sent to the world as a mercy to mankind.(21:107)~ 131 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It IsA perusal of the Qur’an shows that most verses ofthe Qur’an (and also the Hadith) are based on peaceand kindness, either directly or indirectly. The idealsociety, according to the Qur’an is Dar as-Salam, thatis, the house of peace (10:25).The Qur’an presents the universe as a model whichis characterised by harmony and peace (36:40).When God created heaven and earth, He so orderedthings that each part might perform its functionpeacefully without clashing with any other part.The Qur’an tells us that “the sun is not allowed toovertake the moon, nor does the night outpace theday. Each in its own orbit runs.” (36:40)For billions of years, therefore, the entire universehas been fulfilling its function in total harmonywith His divine plan.These are only but a few references to show whatgreat importance Islam attaches to peace. In fact,Islam cannot afford not to be in a state of peacebecause all that Islam aims at—spiritual progress,intellectual development, character building, socialreform, educational activities, and above all~ 132 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Isda’wah—can be achieved only in an atmosphere ofpeace and harmony.According to Islam, peace is not simply an absenceof war. Peace opens doors to all kinds ofopportunities which are present in any givensituation. It is only in a peaceful situation thatplanned activities are possible. It is for this reasonthat the Qur’an says ‘reconciliation is the best’(4:128). Similarly the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, has observed: “God grants togentleness (rifq) what he does not grant to violence(unf). (Sunan Abu Dawud 4/255)Some people bracket justice with peace, but Islamdoes not subscribe to this notion. Islam believes inpeace for the sake of peace. According to Islam,justice is not the direct result of peace. Peace onlyprovides a framework within which we may worktowards justice. There are so many examples in thelife of the Prophet which prove that, Prophet neverbracketed justice with peace.He always took peaceful circumstances as anopportunity to work for justice and did not attemptto derive justice directly from peace. One such clear~ 133 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Isexample is provided by the treaty of Hudaybiyya,between the Prophet and his opponents. From thedetails of the peace treaty it is clear that no clauseregarding justice was included. Obviously theconditions of this treaty was quite against justice.But the Prophet accepted this treaty, not because itwas giving them justice, but because it was pavingthe way to work for justice.Because of the importance of peace, the Qur’an hasclearly declared that no aggressive war is permittedin Islam. Muslims can engage themselves only in adefensive, not in an offensive war, irrespective ofthe circumstances (2:190).According to Islam, peace is the rule and war isonly an exception. Even in defensive war we haveto see the result. If the result is doubtful, Muslimsshould avoid war, even in a defensive situation.Stray acts of aggression are not enough for Muslimsto rush into war. They have to assess the wholesituation and adopt a policy of avoidance when waris not certain to achieve a positive result.There are several examples of this kind in the earlyperiod of Islam. In Islamic history, one such~ 134 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Isexample is that of the battle of the trench. In thisevent there was clear-cut aggression on the part ofthe antagonists, who travelled as far as 300 milesfrom Makkah to Madinah only to attack theMuslims. But the Prophet dug a trench in order toprevent an armed confrontation and thus avoidedengaging in a defensive war.It is true that jihad is one of the most importantteachings of Islam. But jihad is not synonymouswith war. In Islam another word is used for warand fighting. This word is ‘qital.’ When the Qur’anrefers to war or fighting, it uses the word qital andnot jihad.Jihad literally means to strive or to struggle. So jihadactually means peaceful struggle, especially forda‘wah work. The Qur’an says: Do great jihad withthe help of the Qur’an. (25:52)The Qur’an is simply a book, and not a sword, “sodo great jihad with the Qur’an” means ‘do greatjihad with the ideological power of the Qur’an. Infact, jihad is only another name for peacefulactivism. And peaceful activism is the only weapon~ 135 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Isby which Islam wants to achieve all its aims andobjectives.The Qur’an has this to say of the mission of theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him: Wehave not sent you forth but as a mercy to mankind.(21:107)In the Qur’an and the Hadith, there are many suchreferences which go to prove that Islam is a religionof peace, love and human brotherhood. However, itis also a fact that in later times the image of Islamhas altered drastically. Now Islam has come to beregarded as a religion of violence rather than as areligion of peace. This transformation in the imageof Islam has not simply been produced by themedia. The responsibility for this falls on latter-dayMuslims, who have failed to maintain the originalimage of Islam.In actual fact, the mission of all the prophets rightfrom Adam to Christ was one and the same—ofestablishing the ideology of monotheism in theworld, so that man might worship one God alone.As we know, there came a large number ofprophets in ancient times, but the message of~ 136 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Ismonotheism remained at the initial stage; it couldnot culminate in revolution. This state continued uptill the time of Christ, the last but one Prophet. Thereason being that in ancient times, the system ofmonarchy was entrenched throughout the world.The kings, in order to secure their political interests,adopted the course of religious persecution. Thesekings suppressed all religious movements, whichwere different from the state religion. They wouldnip all apostasy in the bud, since they saw religionas a matter of affirming one’s loyalty to the state. Ifa person adhered to a religion other than the statereligion, he was regarded as a rebel.That is why in ancient times prophetic movementscould go no further ahead than the stage of da‘wah.No sooner would a movement based onmonotheism arise than the coercive political systemwould be activated to pull it out by its roots. Thereason for the absence of any historical record ofprophets (besides the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him) in antiquity is traceable to theintense opposition of these coercive politicalsystems. All the Prophets of ancient times,historically speaking, were like mythical beings,~ 137 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Israther than real human beings accepted as historicalfigures. The Prophet Jesus was the last link in thechain of these persecutions faced by the preachersof monotheism. Then God decreed the abolition ofthis coercive political system, even if it entailed theuse of force in order that the age of religiouspersecution might be brought to an end forever,and replaced by the age of religious freedom. Thisdivine plan was brought to completion through theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, andhis companions. This is the command given in theQur’an:Fight them until there be no persecution andreligion be wholly God’s (8:39).Therefore the Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, received special divine succour in theform of a powerful team consisting of one hundredthousand individuals. Equipped with this team theProphet waged war to end this coercive system ofreligious persecution, and it was in Arabia that itwas first of all overthrown. Then within a veryshort span of time, they advanced to abolish thecoercive system established by the Sassanid and~ 138 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It IsByzantine empires. In the wake of this Islamicaction, the coercive system was abolished forever inthe major part of the inhabited world of the time.This war waged by the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, and his companions was not awar as is commonly understood, but rather a divineoperation, which was carried out by a people whopossessed a high standard of moral character.However, this operation was certainly onlytemporary in nature. Its goal was to put an end tothe age of religious persecution and usher in the ageof religious freedom. This end was fully achievedduring the early period of Islam, the age of thepious Caliphs. Afterwards the time came to keepthe sword in its sheath and engage in da‘wah work,that is, the call to God, which was the real andpermanent goal of Islam. According to the explicitcommand of the Qur’an, the call to God is the trueand eternal mission of Islam, whereas war is onlytemporary and allowed only in exceptional cases.Here it would be pertinent to refer to a greatcompanion of the Prophet. After the period of thepious Caliphate, a group of Muslims once again~ 139 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Isengaged in war. At that time some seniorCompanions were present in Makkah and Madinah.But they did not join these wars, one prominentname being that of Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Khattab.He did not approve of these wars, therefore heremained away from them. Some of those involvedin these wars came to him and said: God hascommanded us in the Qur’an to fight against fitna(persecuation). Then why do you not join with us inthese wars? Abdullah ibn Umar replied that “thecommand of the Qur’an to fight against fitna is notwhat you hold to be fitna. Fitna meant religiouspersecution and we have already fought and put anend to this fitna (qad fa‘alna). Therefore now after theremoval of this obstacle, we have to engageourselves in peaceful da‘wah work, rather thaninitiating hostilities and creating new fitna onceagain, which is akin to creating new obstacles forpeaceful Islamic da’wah (al-Bukhari, Sahih, Kitab at-Tafsir, under al-Baqarah and al-Anfal).Abdullah ibn Umar had made an extremelypertinent point at the most appropriate time, butthis point of view was not forcefully taken up byothers. Afterwards when the Islamic sciences were~ 140 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Isdeveloped, this important point made by Abdullahibn Umar could not be highlighted, with the resultthat history took the course of wars and conquests,while in terms of the real teachings of Islam, historyshould have taken the course of da‘wah and thepropagation of Islam.It is no exaggeration to say that Islam and violenceare contradictory to each other. The concept ofIslamic violence is so obviously unfounded that,prima facie it stands rejected. The fact that violenceis not sustainable in the present world is enough toconvince one that violence as a principle is quitealien to the scheme of things in Islam. Islam claimsto be an eternal religion and such a religion cannotafford a principle in its scheme which will not besustainable in later periods of human history. Anattempt to bracket violence with Islam amounts tocasting doubts upon the very eternity of the Islamicreligion.No wonder, then, that the Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, so earnestly used to entreathis Lord in his daily prayer: “O God, you are theoriginal source of Peace; from You is all Peace, and~ 141 ~

Islam Rediscovered10. Islam As It Isto You returns all Peace. So, make us live withPeace; and let us enter paradise: the House of Peace.Blessed be You, our Lord, to whom belongs allMajesty and Honour!”~ 142 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islam11. NON-VIOLENCE AND ISLAMNon-violence should never be confused withinaction or passivity. Non-violence is action in thefull sense of the word. Rather it is more forceful anaction than that of violence. It is a fact that nonviolentactivism is more powerful and effective thanviolent activism. Non-violent activism is not limitedin its sphere. It is a course of action which may befollowed in all matters.Whenever individuals, groups or communities arefaced with a problem, one way to solve it is byresorting to violence. The better way is to attempt tosolve the problem by peaceful means, avoidingviolence and confrontation. Peaceful means maytake various forms. In fact, it is the nature of theproblem which will determine which of thesepeaceful methods is applicable to the givensituation.Islam is a religion which teaches non-violence.According to the Qur’an, God does not love fasad,violence. What is meant here by fasad is clearlyexpressed in verse 205 of the second chapter.~ 143 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamBasically, fasad is that action which results indisruption of the social system, causing huge lossesin terms of lives and property.Conversely, we can say with certainty that Godloves non-violence. He abhors violent activity beingindulged in human society, as a result of whichpeople have to pay the price with their possessionsand lives. This is supported by other statements inthe Qur’an. For instance, we are told in the Qur’anthat Peace is one of God’s names (59:23). Those whoseek to please God are assured by verse 5 of thesixteenth surah that they will be guided by Him to“the paths of peace.” Paradise, which is the finaldestination of the society of God’s choice, is referredto in the Qur’an as “the home of peace” (89:30), etc.The entire spirit of the Qur’an is in consonance withthis concept. For instance, the Qur’an attaches greatimportance to patience. In fact, patience is set aboveall other Islamic virtues with the exceptionalpromise of reward beyond measure. (39:10)Patience implies a peaceful response or reaction,whereas impatience implies a violent response. Theword sabr exactly expresses the notion of non-~ 144 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamviolence, as it is understood in modern times. Thatpatient action is non-violent action and has beenclearly expressed in the Qur’an. According to onetradition, the Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, observed: God grants to rifq (gentleness)what he does not grant to unf (violence). (AbuDawud, Sunan, 4/255)The word rifq has been used in this hadith as anantithesis to unf. These terms convey exactly what ismeant by violence and nonviolence in presenttimes. This hadith clearly indicates the superiority ofthe non-violent method.God grants to non-violence what He does not grantto violence is no simple matter. It has very wide anddeep implications. It embodies an eternal law ofnature. By the very law of nature all bad things areassociated with violence, while all good things areassociated with non-violence.Violent activities breed hatred in society, while nonviolentactivities elicit love. Violence is the way ofdestruction while non-violence is the way ofconstruction. In an atmosphere of violence, it isenmity which flourishes, while in an atmosphere of~ 145 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamnon-violence, it is friendship which flourishes. Themethod of violence gives way to negative valueswhile the method of nonviolence is marked bypositive values. The method of violence embroilspeople in problems, while the method of nonviolenceleads people to the exploiting ofopportunities. In short, violence is death, nonviolenceis life.Both the Qur’an and the Hadith have attached greatimportance to jihad. What is jihad? Jihad meansstruggle, to struggle one’s utmost. It must beappreciated at the outset that this word is used fornon-violent struggle as opposed to violent struggle.One clear proof of this is the verse of the Qur’an(25:52) which says: Perform jihad with this (i.e. thewords of the Qur’an) most strenuously.The Qur’an is not a sword or a gun. It is a book ofideology. In such a case performing jihad with theQur’an would mean an ideological struggle toconquer peoples’ hearts and minds through Islam’ssuperior philosophy.In the light of this verse of the Qur’an, jihad inactual fact is another name for peaceful activism or~ 146 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamnon-violent activism. Where qital is violent activism,jihad is non-violent activism.PEACEFUL BEGINNINGWhen the Qur’an began to be revealed, the firstverse of the revelation conveyed the injunction:‘Read!’ (Iqra) (96:1). By perusing this verse we learnabout the initiation of Islamic action. It begins fromthe point where there is hope of continuing themovement along peaceful lines, and not from thatpoint where there are chances of its being marredby violence.When the command of ‘iqra’ was revealed, therewere many options available in Makkah as startingpoints for a movement. For instance, one possiblestarting point was to launch a movement to purifythe Kabah of the 360 idols installed in it. But, bypursuing such a course, the Islamic movement atthat juncture would certainly have had to face aviolent reaction from the Quraysh. An alternativestarting point could have been an attempt to securea seat in the Dar-al-Nadwa (Makkah’s parliament).At that time almost the whole of Arabia was underthe direct or indirect influence of the Roman and~ 147 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamSasanid empires. If the freeing of Arabia from thisinfluence had been made the starting point, thiswould also have been met with an immediateviolent reaction on the part of the Quraysh.Leaving aside these options, the path followed wasthat of reading the Qur’an, an activity that could be,with certainty, continued along peaceful lines: noviolent reaction would ensue from engaging in suchan activity.The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,followed this principle throughout his life. Hispolicy was that of adopting non-violent methods inpreference to violent methods. It is this policywhich was referred to by Aishah, the Prophet’swife, in these words: Whenever the Prophet had toopt for one of two ways, he almost always opted forthe easier one. (Fath al-Bari, 6/654)What are the advantages of non-violent activismover violent activism? They are briefly stated asunder:1. According to the Qur’an there are two facultiesin every human being which are mutually~ 148 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamantipathetic. One is the ego, and the other is theconscience called respectively nafs ammara andnafs lawwama (The Qur’an, 12:53; 75:26). What theviolent method invariably does is to awaken theego which necessarily results in a breakdown ofsocial equilibrium. On the other hand, nonviolentactivism awakens the conscience. Fromthis results an awakening in people ofintrospection and self-appraisal. And accordingto the Qur’an, the miraculous outcome of this isthat “he who is your enemy will become yourdearest friend.” (41:34)2. A great advantage of the non-violent method isthat, by following it, no part of one’s time iswasted. The opportunities available in any givensituation may then be exploited to the fullestextent—as happened after the no-war pact ofHudaybiyya. This peace treaty enabled theenergies of the believers to be utilised in peacefulconstructive activities instead of being dissipatedin a futile armed encounter. One great harmdone by violent activism is the breaking of socialtraditions in the launching of militantmovements. Conversely, the great benefit that~ 149 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamaccrues from non-violent activism is that it canbe initiated and prolonged with no damage totradition.Generally speaking, attempts to improve or replaceexisting systems by violent activism arecounter-productive. One coup d’état is often thesignal for a series of coups and counter-coups. Thetruly desirable revolution is that which permitsgradual and beneficial changes. And this can beachieved only on the basis of non-violence.SUCCESS THROUGH THE NON-VIOLENTMETHODAll the great successes of the first phase of Islam aswell as the succeeding periods were achieved bynon-violent methods. Listed below are someexamples of these successes.1. Of the 23-year period of prophethood, the initial13 years were spent by the Prophet in Makkah.The Prophet fully adopted the way of pacifism ornon-violence during this time. There were manysuch issues in Makkah at that time which couldhave been the subject of clash and confrontation.~ 150 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamBut, sedulously avoiding all such issues, theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,strictly limited his sphere to peacefulpropagation of the word of God. This resulted inda‘wah work being performed in full forcethroughout this period. One of the great gainsduring these 13 years of da’wah work was theentry into the Islamic fold of men of the highestmoral calibre, who were responsible for formingthe history of Islam, for instance, Abu Bakr,Umar, Uthman and Ali, etc.2. In Makkah when the Quraysh leaders were set towage war against the Prophet, even then, insteadof opting for the way of reaction and retaliation,what the Prophet did was to secretly migrate toMadinah.Migration, by its very nature, was a clearexample of non-violent activism. This peacefulstrategy enabled the Prophet and his followers,about two hundred in number, to form apowerful centre of Islam in Madinah. Had theyadopted the path of confrontation instead ofpeaceful migration, the history of Islam might~ 151 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamhave been buried right there in Makkah shortlyafter its inception.3. After the emigration, his antagonists took theunilateral decision to wage war against him.Consequently such bloody encounters as those ofBadr and Uhud took place. Then the Prophetmade a 10-year peace treaty known in history asSulh al-Hudaybiyya, by accepting all theconditions of his opponents. This has been calleda ‘clear victory’ in the Qur’an. It is this peacetreaty, paving the way for peaceful constructiveactivities which ultimately made possible theconquest of Makkah and the whole of Arabia.4. By the end of the pious caliphate, a bloodyencounter took place between the Banu Hashimand the Banu Umayyah. This stopped theadvance of Islam for a period of ten years. Whatset this process in motion once again was thevoluntary withdrawal of Hasan ibn Ali (d. 50A.H.) from the battlefield. This was undeniably apractical form of non-violent activism. Thispeaceful move on the part of Hasan ibn Ali reopenedto Islam the locked doors of progress.~ 152 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islam5. During the last days of the Abbasid caliphateMongol tribes attacked the Muslim world andright from Samarkand to Aleppo destroyed theentire Muslim world. The history of Islam hadapparently come to a standstill. At that momentthe spirit of da’wah work was born within theMuslims. As a result, the majority of the Mongolsconverted to Islam. And that miracle took placewhich has been described by an Orientalist inthese words: “The religion of Muslims hasconquered where their arms had failed.”6. Islamic history took a crucial turn when, in theyears succeeding the pious caliphate, rot had setin the system of the government, and thecaliphate had turned into monarchy. At thatjuncture, many factors emerged which wouldhave resulted in clash and confrontation betweenthe ruler and the ruled. But, following theguidance of the Prophet, the Muslims totallyavoided political confrontation. This historybeginning with the Umayyad caliphate,continued for several centuries. This waspossible because the tabi‘un (companions of theProphet’s companions) and their succeeding~ 153 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamgenerations, consisting of traditionists, jurists,‘ulema, sufis and other great religious scholars,all scrupulously avoided any clash orconfrontation with the rulers.It was during this period that on the one handpeaceful da’wah work was started in variouscountries while on the other, disciplines of hadith,fiqh and other Islamic sciences came into existenceon a large scale after a long period of great struggle.All the precious books which adorn our libraries, allthe classical literature of Islam are the result of thesepeaceful activities.For instance, the Hadith as a source of Shari’ah issecond only to the Qur’an in Islam. These traditionsnow exist in the form of printed books. These booksare so precious that, without them, it would nothave been possible to develop Islam into a completesystem as it exists today. During the Umayyads andAbbasids, when the political system had begun todeteriorate, where were these tens of thousands oftraditions? All of them existed in the memory of thereligious scholars, whose names are mentioned inthe books as chains in the link of authorities who~ 154 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamhave handed this legacy down to us. Had theyadopted the principle of violent activism andclashed with the ‘oppressive’ rulers, they would allhave been slaughtered by them and the entirelegacy of traditions, instead of finding a place onthe pages of books, would have been buried alongwith them in the graveyards. It is by the miracle ofhavingadoptednon-violence instead of violence that the precioussources of traditions have survived in book formand, till today, adorn our libraries.POLITICAL REVOLT UNLAWFULDespite the blatant perversion in the Muslim rulersafter the pious caliphate, the Muslim ulema did notlead an insurrection against these corruptindividuals. For about a period of one thousandyears they remained detached in this matter andcontinued to engage all their efforts in non-politicalfields. This was not a matter of accident but inobedience to the express injunctions of the shariah.As we know, in the books of Hadith detailedtraditions have been set down in the chapters titledKitab al-Fitan. The Prophet Muhammad, may peace~ 155 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islambe upon him, observed in plain words that in latertimes perversions would set in in the rulers, theywould become tyrannical and unjust, but thatMuslims should not wield their swords againstthem. They should rather move to the mountainswith their goats and camels.By ‘goats and camels’ are meant the opportunitiesin non-political fields which exist, even when thepolitical institutions are corrupted. This injunctiongiven by the Prophet meant that the Muslimsshould avail of such opportunities by avoidingclash and confrontation in the political field. Inshort, by ignoring the political problem, theyshould avail of the non-political opportunities.These injunctions of the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, were so clear that the Muslimulema of later times formed a consensus to makeinsurrection against the rulers unlawful.Imam An-Nawawi, commenting upon sometraditions as set forth by Sahih Muslim (Kitab al-Imarah) observes: “You should not come intoconflict with the rulers in matters of their power.Even if you find them going against express Islamic~ 156 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islaminjunctions, you should attempt to make the truthclear to them solely through words of wisdom andadvice. So far as revolt and war against them inorder to unseat them is concerned, that is totallyunlawful according to the consensus of the ulema,even when the rulers are zalim and fasiq (tyrants andcorrupt).” (Sahih Muslim, bi sharh an-Nawawi, 12/229)This command of the Prophet, as clearly expressedabove, was based on extremely importantconsiderations. In actual fact, in the early phase ofIslam (as well as in the later phase) da’wah andreform works had to be performed, without whichthe history of Islam would not have been complete.If the ulema of the Muslim community had tried topose a threat to the political institutions, certainlyall this constructive work would have been leftundone. That is why the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, expressly prohibited any clashwith political institutions. This avoidance of strifeguaranteed that non-political constructive workwould continue to be performed without any break.In every society there are always two systems sideby side, one political and the other non-political.~ 157 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamThe latter is established through various nonpoliticalinstitutions. According to the scheme ofIslam, non-political institutions established at thesocial level have always to remain stable. In thisway there is a continuing endeavour—even whenthe political institutions have become corrupt, orkeep changing—to keep Islam firmly established atthe level of the non-political system.THE COMMAND OF WAR IN ISLAMIt is a fact that certain verses in the Qur’an conveythe command to do battle (qital) (22:39). What thespecial circumstances are which justify the issuanceof and compliance with this command we learnfrom our study of the Qur’an.1. The first point to be noted is that aggression orthe launching of an offensive by the believers isnot totally forbidden. It is permissible, but withcertain provisos. We are clearly commanded inthe Qur’an: Fight for the sake of God those thatfight against you, but do not be aggressive. (2:190)2. Only defensive war is permitted in Islam. Such awar is one in which aggression is committed by~ 158 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamsome other party so that the believers have tofight in self-defence. Initiating hostility is notpermitted for Muslims. The Qur’an says: “Theywere the first to attack you.” (9:13)Furthermore, even in the case of the offensivebeing launched by an opposing group, thebelievers are not supposed to retaliateimmediately. Rather in the beginning all effortsare to be made to avert war, and only whenavoidance has become impossible, is battle to beresorted to inevitably in defence.3. According to the Qur’an, there was one form ofwar which was time-bound strictly in relation toits purpose. This was to put an end to fitna.‘Fight against them until fitna is no more.’ (2:193)In this verse fitna signifies that coercive systemwhich had reached the extremes of religiouspersecution. In ancient times this coercivepolitical system prevailed all over the world.This absolutism had closed all the doors ofprogress, both spiritual and material. At thattime God commanded the believers to break thiscoercive system in order to usher in freedom, so~ 159 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamthat all doors of spiritual and material progressmight be opened to man.This mission was undertaken and brought to asuccessful conclusion at the internal level withinArabia during the life of the Prophet. Later, duringthe pious caliphate, the Sassanid and Byzantineempires were dismantled with special divinesuccour. Consequently, intellectual oppression atthe international level was replaced by intellectualfreedom.In this connection those traditions are worth notingwhich are enshrined in Sahih al-Bukhari. When, afterthe fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, political conflictensued between Abdullah ibn Zubayr and theUmayyads, Abdullah ibn Umar, one of theseniormost companions of the Prophet held himselfaloof from the battle. People approached him and,quoting the verse of qital-al-fitna, asked him why hewas not joining in the battle. Abdullah ibn Umarreplied that ‘fitna’ as mentioned in the Qur’an didnot refer to political infighting, but rather to thereligious coercive system, that had already been putto an end by them. (Fathul Bari, 8/60)~ 160 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamFrom this we learn that the war against fitna was awar of limited duration, temporary in nature, meantto be engaged in only until its specific purpose hadbeen served.Invoking the Qur’anic exhortation to do battleagainst fitna in order to validate acts of war whichhad quite other aims is highly improper. This versecould be cited only if the same state of affairs asexisted at the time of its revelation, were to prevailonce again.The biographers of the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, have put the number of ghazwa(battle) at more than 80. This gives the impressionthat the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be uponhim, in his 23-year prophetic career waged aboutfour battles in a year. But this impression is entirelybaseless. The truth is that the Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, in his entire prophetic life,engaged in war only on three occasions. All theother incidents described as ghazwat were in actualfact examples of avoidance of war and not instancesof involvement in battle.~ 161 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamFor instance, in the books of Seerah, the incident ofAl-Ahzab is called a ghazwa (battle), whereas thetruth is that on this occasion the armed tribes ofArabia, twelve thousand in number, reached theborders of Madinah with all intentions of wagingwar, but the Prophet and his companions dug adeep trench between them, thus successfullypreventing a battle from taking place. The same isthe case with all the other incidents called ghazwa.The opponents of the Prophet repeatedly tried toget him embroiled in war, but on all such occasions,he managed to resort to some such strategy asaverted the war, thus defusing the situation.There were only three instances of Muslims reallyentering the field of battle—Badr, Uhud andHunayn. But the events tell us that on all theseoccasions, war had become inevitable, so that theProphet was compelled to encounter the aggressorsin self-defence. Furthermore, these battles lastedonly for half a day, each beginning from noon andending with the setting of the sun. Thus it would beproper to say that the Prophet in his entire life spanhad actively engaged in war for a total of a day anda half. That is to say, the Prophet had observed the~ 162 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamprinciple of non-violence throughout his 23-yearprophetic career, except for one and a half days.The Islamic method, being based totally on theprinciple of non-violence, it is unlawful forbelievers to initiate hostilities. Except in cases whereself-defence has become inevitable, the Qur’an in nocircumstance gives permission for violence.THE MODERN AGE AND NON-VIOLENCEThe greatest problem facing Islam today is, as I seeit, that Muslims have almost totally forgotten thesunnah (Prophet’s way) of non-violence. In latertimes when the Ottoman and Mughal empiresdisintegrated and problems like that of Palestinehave had to be confronted by the faithfulls,Muslims all over the world have fallen a prey tonegative reaction on a colossal scale; they havefailed to remember that the policy of Islam is notthat of violence but of nonviolence. It is the result ofthis deviation, that despite almost a 100-years ofbloody wars, Muslims have achieved no positivegain. Rather whatever they already had has beenlost by them.~ 163 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamAccording to Imam Malik, later generations of thisummah (Muslim community) will be able to settlematters at issue in the same way that earliergenerations had done, i.e. non-violent methods.Similarly, Muslims of modern times must likewiseresort only to non-violent methods. Just as no gaincould accrue from violent methods earlier, no gaincan accrue from violent methods today.The state of affairs of Muslims in modern timesresembles that which prevailed at the time ofHudaybiyya. Today once again—only on a farlarger scale—this hamiyat al-jahiliya, prejudicesprevailing in pre-Islamic Arabia (48:28) is beingdisplayed by the other party. In the first phase ofIslam its solution lay in Muslims sedulouslyavoiding an equivalent display of prejudice, and inholding firmly kalima at-taqwa (the word of piety)they became entitled to the succour of God andwere granted a clear victory (48:26).At the time of the Hudaybiyya peace treaty, theQuraysh, who had secured the leadership of Arabia,were bent on waging war. The Kabah was in theirpossession. They had expelled the Prophet and his~ 164 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamcompanions from their home-town. They had takenpossession of Muslims’ homes and other properties,and spared no effort in disseminating negativepropaganda against Islam.Given this state of affairs, there were only twooptions before the believers. One was to attempt toput an end to tyranny and launch an outright waron the other party in the name of securing theirrights. The result of such a move would certainlyhave been further loss in terms of lives andproperty.The second option was to remain patient in the faceof immediate loss, be it political or material, and, inspite of the losses avail of whatever opportunitiesare already available. The Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, and his companions chosethis second course. The result was that the entirehistory of Arabia was revolutionized in just a fewyears time.The same state of affairs is widespread in moderntimes. Although today Muslims have suffered greatlosses, political and material, at the hands of othernations, however there still exist a great number of~ 165 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamopportunities on a far larger scale. If availed ofwisely, we can rewrite the history of Islam inmagnificent terms.THE MANIFESTATION OF RELIGIONThe modern age is regarded by Muslims as beingfraught with problems for Islam. But this is quitecontrary to the actual situation. The modern agewas in fact the age of Islam, just as the period ofrainfall is the period of farmers. But Muslims,lacking in understanding and awareness have failedto understand this; hence their failure to convertthis potential into reality.What is called izhar ad-din in the Qur’an does notrefer to something which is temporary in nature. It,in fact, refers to an eternal ideological ascendancy ofIslam. It means that in the world of ideology, such arevolution would be brought about as wouldestablish the ideological supremacy of Islamforever. God has already brought it into existencepotentially, the believers have only to tap andconvert this potential into reality.~ 166 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamThe aim of the revolution brought about by theProphet and his companions in the seventh centuryis stated to be izhar ad-din in the Qur’an:‘They desire to extinguish the light of Godwith their mouths: but God seeks only toperfect His light, however much the infidelsmay abhor it (9:32-33).Izhar in Arabic means dominance/ascendancy/supremacy. Here izhar ad-din signifies intellectualand ideological dominance, not politicaldominance. This means that in intellectual andideological respect, God’s religion assumesascendancy over all other ideologies and religionsfor all time.Granting ideological ascendancy to God’s religionwas no simple matter. It amounted to the writing ofhistory afresh. For although God’s religion hadalways been in a superior position ideologically, ithad become obscured by false and misguided ideas.The reason being that in ancient times people wereheavily under the influence of superstitiousthinking. Their arts and learning in general had allbecome fettered by superstition and idolatry. This~ 167 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamhad led to a veil being thrown over true religion,which was the only vehicle for God’s truth.God desired that through the final Prophet anintellectual revolution be brought about whichwould alter this unfavourable and artificial state ofaffairs. That human sciences themselves becomesupporters of the true religion so that according tothe established academic standard itself, thereligion of monotheism may be made an establishedreligion for the people.By izhar ad-din in this verse is meant this samedivine plan being brought into a revolution by theProphet and his companions. This revolution set anew process in human history. Its purpose was tounravel all the veils of superstition which cloudedhuman judgement, and to lay bare the scientificproofs hidden in nature, so that the truth ofmonotheism could be brought to light for allhumanity. In modern times this revolution hasreached its culmination. There were two main aimsof this izhar ad-din. One, that the system of religiouspersecution be put to an end, so that a propitiousatmosphere could be created for the performance of~ 168 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamda’wah of the true religion. In ancient times this taskcould only be performed in a very adverseatmosphere. The second purpose was to rally allarguments in support of God’s true religion, so thatall other religions might be shown to be totallylacking in the sound base of arguments. Both thesetasks have been performed on a large scale inpresent times. A brief mention of these is madehere.In ancient times the monarchical system prevailedall over the world. And individualistic system likemonarchy could be established by force alone. Thatis why a coercive system of governance wasestablished by the monarchs. They inevitablycrushed any sign of intellectual or religious freedomfound among their subjects. This state of affairsposed a permanent obstacle to the generaldevelopment of human thought or to the spreadingof any religious mission. Ultimately this coercivepolitical system was destroyed by the revolutionbrought about by the Prophet and his Companions.This abolition of oppressive systems and the freeingof peoples’ minds from superstition ushered in an~ 169 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamera of freedom and democracy. The effect of thisrevolution in human history set in motion a process.Later on western nations contributed greatlytowards this revolution in human thought. Nowthis process has culminated in the unparalleledscientific achievements of the present day. Inconsequence, it has become possible for the task ofda’wah of truth to be performed in an atmosphere offreedom, which was earlier seriously hampered bythe oppressive atmosphere.Idolatry is another name for a religion ofsuperstitions. In ancient times this shirk (idolatry)dominated the minds of the people, havingrendered the progress and development of scienceimpossible. The Prophet and his companions madegreat sacrifices to put an end to this superstitioussystem. In this way the age of science had itsbeginnings. The changes wrought by it influencedthe course of history over the centuries. (For detail,see Islam the Creator of the Modern Age by theauthor.)The scientific revolution, which was in actual fact aby-product of the Islamic revolution, gave us~ 170 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islammodern communications. The advent of this newage made it possible for the first time in humanhistory for the propagation of Islam to be carriedout on a universal scale. According to a hadith atime was to come when God’s words would enterall the homes in the world. (Musnad, Ahmad) Thiswas indirectly, a prediction of the modern age ofcommunications.One outcome of the modern scientific revolution isthat we have at our disposal a number of newarguments in support of Islamic beliefs. Prior to thisrevolution the da‘is of Islam could resort only totraditional arguments in support of the truth ofIslam. But today it has become possible to measureup Islamic realities by the highest standards ofhuman knowledge and to establish its authenticityby purely logical arguments.In ancient times the study of religion could be doneonly as something sacred and as a matter of dogma.That is why established and unestablished religionshad not academically been distinguished from oneanother. In modern times, owing to the influence ofthe scientific revolution the study of religions can be~ 171 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamdone as objectively and as critically as any othermatter which comes under scientific scrutiny.Such critical study has proved, purely academically,that by historical standards, there is only onereliable religion, and that is Islam. All otherreligions are lacking in this historical credibility.After this intellectual revolution it has becomepossible to establish the truth of Islam vis-à-visother religions purely on the basis of humanknowledge. That Islam is the only authentic versionof divine religion may be fully supported byarguments.These modern development in our times have takenIslam to the point of unopposed victory. Now theneed of the hour is for Muslims to put an endunilaterally to all violent activities against mad’unations, so that a normal relationship may beallowed to grow between da‘i and mad’u, only thenthe message of Islam can be conveyed in a normalsituation. Now, in the wake of the scientificrevolution it has become possible to begin a seriousand beneficial dialogue between Islam and non-~ 172 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamIslam, the result of which will necessary be infavour of Islam.A GREAT OPPORTUNITY1. Since direct argument cannot be applied toreligious beliefs pertaining to the unseen world,these can be supported only by indirect orinferential argument. Educated people hadtherefore come to believe that religious realitiesbelonged only to the domain of dogma, and thatthey were not academic or scientific realities. Butafter the breaking up of the atom the science oflogic has undergone a change, and it has beenaccepted that inferential argument too, in itsnature, is as valid and reliable as directargument. It has subsequently become possiblefor religious realities to be established on anacademic level, i.e. exactly on the same level asmaterial or non-religious theories. (For detail,refer to Religion and Science by the author.)2. In ancient times when man observed the world,it appeared to him that in nature there existedthings which were very different from oneanother. This observation of appearance~ 173 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamproduced the mentality of idolatry. People beganto think that in view of the great diversity ofthings in existence, their Creator too ought to bemore than one. But scientific study has shownthat this variety is only that of appearance.Otherwise, all things in nature are differentexpressions of the same matter. In this way shirk(idolatry) lost its intellectual base whilemonotheism gained the solid support of logic.3. According to a statement of the Qur’an, the signsof God lay hidden in the earth and the heavens.The study of science has made it manifest to allthat the universe is a great storehouse of divinearguments. “We will show them Our signs in allthe regions of the earth and in their own souls,until they clearly see that this is the Truth.”(41:53)4. After the new discoveries of science, many suchthings have come to the knowledge of man ashave rendered it possible to prove with newarguments those events which are of importantreligious significance. For instance, carbondatinghas made it possible to determine the~ 174 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamexact age of the mummy of Rameses II, therebyproviding scientific proof for the statement of theQur’an that the body of Pharaoh was saved byGod, so that it might become “a sign to allposterity.” (10:92)ISLAM IN THE PRESENT AGENow the question arises as to whether an Islamwhich teaches non-violence can be of relevance inthe present age, and assume a superior positiononce again in new situations.The answer is entirely in the positive. The truth isthat Islam’s being a peaceful religion shows that it isan eternal religion. Had it been a religion ofviolence, it would not have been eternal. For, inmodern times, the way of violence has been totallyrejected by contemporary thinking. Now only thatsystem is worthy of consideration and acceptancethe teachings of which are based on peace and nonviolence.Modern thinking, for example, has rejectedcommunism. One of the major reasons was thatcommunism had to be sustained by violence. And~ 175 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamunder no circumstances is violence acceptable to themodern mind. Nazism and Fascism too have beenrejected on similar grounds. Modern man,therefore, disapproves of both religious and nonreligiousextremism, because they lead manultimately to violence.But Islam is a religion of nature. It has held violenceas inadmissible from the outset. Islam has been anupholder of peace, not violence, from day one.In the past, Islam played a great role in thedevelopment of humanity, as a result of whichhuman history entered a new age of progress anddevelopment. The time has come today for Islam toplay a great constructive role, leading humanhistory once again into a new age of progress.What is called scientific or technical progress is theresult of the discovery of some of the great secretsof nature. But if nature and its mysteries havealways existed in our world, why has there beensuch a long delay in their discovery? Why could notthe scientific advancement of the last few hundredyears have been made thousands of years ago?~ 176 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamThe reason was that in ancient times religion andscience (divine knowledge and human knowledge)were linked with one another. Religious persecutionhad become an insuperable obstacle to the progressof science. Scientific enquiry was anathema to menof religion.What Islam did was separate religion (which hadbecome, in essence, a set of irrational beliefs) fromscientific research and investigation. For instance,eclipses of the sun and moon had been linked withhuman destiny. The Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, declared that eclipses hadnothing to do with the lot of human beings. Thesewere astronomical events, not events pertaining tothe fate of mankind. (Fathul Bari, 2/611)In this connection, an incident of the pollination ofdates is recorded in the books of Hadith. TheProphet of Islam observed that in worldly matterssuch as these, “you should act according to yourexperience, as you know these matters better.”(Sahih Muslim bi Sharh An-Nawawi, 15/117)This meant delinking religion and science from oneanother. In this way scientific research acquired an~ 177 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamatmosphere of freedom for its functioning. For thefirst time in human history, science (humanknowledge) could be developed freely without theintervention of religion. And advancing gradually,it culminated in the attainment of the modern age.But today, man is again facing an even greaterproblem. That is, despite the extraordinary progressmade in the field of science and technology, humanbeings are confronted with various kinds ofproblems, without there being any solution in sight.All these problems have resulted from not knowingthe limit of freedom.Modern man aspired to freedom as the highestgood, but once having reached this goal, he wasunable to set reasonable limits to freedom. Inconsequence, unrestrained freedom descended intoanarchy and lawlessness. This is the actual cause ofmany of the problems which are emerging inmodern times in western society. Now manrequires an ideology which delimits his freedom,drawing the line between desirable and undesirablefreedom. And it is only Islam which can providehim with such an ideology.~ 178 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamNow is the time for this ideology to be presented toman, who is ready and waiting to accept it. Afterthe fall of communism (1991), the world is facedwith an ideological vacuum. This vacuum can befilled by Islam alone. In the present world thedeveloped countries have become economic ormilitary superpowers, but the place is vacant for anideological superpower, and that, potentiallybelongs to Islam.There is only one obstacle in converting a greatpotential into a reality in favour of Islam. And thatis the repeated recourse to violence by Muslimmovements in modern times. Such action haspresented Islam before the world in the guise of aviolent religion. For this reason the man of todayshies away from Islam. He fails to study Islamobjectively. If this barrier could be removed andIslam once again brought before the world as a nonviolentreligion, or as a peaceful social system, thenonce again humanity would accept it, recognising itto be the voice of its own nature.Modern man is in need of a new religion or a newsystem, based on peace. It should be free from~ 179 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamsuperstitious beliefs, and should provide theanswers to deep psychological questions. Itsprinciples should not clash with scientific realities,and it should be supported by a victorious history.Today no religion but Islam can lay such positiveclaims to acceptance, for it is Islam and Islam alonewhich fulfills all these conditions. Individually,there are many men and women today who, afterhaving studied Islam, have acknowledged theseunique qualities in Islam. Some have acknowledgedthem in theory while others have gone ahead andaccepted Islam in practice.DA‘WAH ACTIVISMIslamic activism in respect of its method is based onnon-violence and in respect of its target is based onda‘wah. Da‘wah, in fact, is another name for apeaceful struggle for the propagation of Islam. Itwould be true to say that Islamic activism in fact isda‘wah activism.The task of da‘wah is no simple one. It enjoys thestatus of a key factor. If this task is fully performed,all other objectives will be automatically achieved.~ 180 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamHere are certain references from the Qur’an in thisconnection.1. Through da’wah the believers receive God’sprotection against the mischief of the opponents.(5:67)2. Through da’wah even the direst of enemy turnsinto a dearest friend. (41:34)3. Da‘wah proves Islam’s ideological superiority.And without doubt nothing is greater than thesuperiority of ideology. (10:32)4. Through da‘wah a positive mentality is inculcatedwithin the ummah. This is called ‘honest counsel’in the Qur’an. (7:68)5. The mission of da‘wah is performed by humanbeings but the conducive conditions for it areprovided by God. Just as the farming is to bedone by the farmer while the rains come fromGod. In modern times favourable conditionshave been fully provided to man. Now thebelievers’ duty is to refrain from expending theirenergies in futile activities. They must exert their~ 181 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamentire energy in da’wah work. All the best resultswill ensue from this act.6. The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be uponhim, along with about two hundred of hiscompanions left Makkah when the Makkanleaders had made it impossible for them to staythere. The Makkans had even decided to kill theProphet. But the first speech the Prophet madeon reaching Madinah had no taste of bitterness,neither did it contain any mention of vengeanceon or violence against the Quraysh.On reaching Madinah, first priority was given to thetask of entering into peace treaties with the tribes inand around Madinah, for instance with the BanuKhuza‘a, etc. According to their pact neither wouldthey fight against the Muslims nor would theMuslims fight against them. Most of the tribes inArabia joined in these truce agreements.But the Quraysh did not desist from aggression,and even engaged in certain military forays againstthe Muslims. Finally, in the sixth year of Hijrah, theProphet succeeded in making a peace treaty withthe Quraysh as well at a place called Hudaybiya,~ 182 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamalbeit on acceptance of all the conditions laid downby the Quraysh.MUSLIMS DISPLACEDIt is an incontrovertible fact that Muslims have notbeen able to join the mainstream in modern times.At all places and in every department they areleading their lives as if driven into a corner. This isundoubtedly an extremely critical problem, for ithas relegated Muslims to second class positions allover the world.To me, the greatest reason for this is the violentattitude of the Muslims. Today’s Muslims are easilyprovoked and become violent at anything which isagainst their way of thinking. It is true that not allMuslims become involved in acts of violence. Yet allMuslims would be regarded involved in this matter.This is because that section of Muslims—in fact, themajority—who are not personally involved, neitherdisown those members of their community who areengaged in violence, nor even condemn them. Insuch a case, according to the Islamic Shariah itself ifthe involved Muslims are directly responsible, theuninvolved Muslims are also indirectly responsible.~ 183 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamIt is Muslims’ religious and secular leaders who areactually responsible for this violent approach on thepart of Muslims today. In modern times whenMuslims have had to undergo the experience ofdefeat, almost all the religious and secular scholarsas well as intellectuals followed one single line, thatof awakening the spirit of jihad (in the sense of qital)among Muslims. The entire Muslim worldreverberated with such slogans as ‘jihad is our wayand Jihad is the only solution to our problems!’The entire world has witnessed a great number oflarge and small movements in violent response tothe problems faced by Muslims. If you go toPalestine, you will hear the youth singing a song, nodoubt taught to them by their elders:Let’s make war, let’s make war,For war is the way to success.In modern times, the violent approach of ourintellectuals and leaders of movements, is the solereason for the present violent mentality amongMuslims all over the world. It is as a result of thismentality that, if anyone writes a book against~ 184 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamIslam, Muslims are prepared to kill the writer. Ifany procession raises anti-Muslim slogans, Muslimsstart stoning the procession instead of killing theevil by observing silence, which, as Umar Faruqadvocated, would be the best strategy in such acase. If there is any monetary or territorialcontroversy with any nation, they immediately takeup arms against it, rather than adopt a peacefulstrategy to solve the problem.This violent mentality of Muslims is responsible forhaving alienated them from their neighbourseverywhere. Their conduct clearly shows that theyno longer cherish the ideal of universalbrotherhood. Everywhere they are looked uponwith aversion and dread. One can even see noticeson walls which say ‘Beware of Muslims’, instead of‘Beware of dogs.’ And if these words are notinscribed on walls, they are certainly inscribed onthe hearts and minds of the people. The resultingdissociation has left Muslims a backward group inmodern times. Even in advanced countries likeAmerica they remain backward as a community incomparison with other immigrant groups.~ 185 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamThe only way to alleviate the tragic plight ofMuslims is to bring them back to non-violent Islam,by helping them to understand that their violentversion of Islam is not the true one.As soon as Muslims take to the path of non-violentIslam, they will be able to become equal partnerswith other communities. They will have joined theuniversal mainstream, and will consequently beable to participate in all activities, in all institutions.People, instead of dreading them, will welcomethem in every field. They will become a part of theuniversal brotherhood. Their issues will be lookedupon with justice. Their equal partnership will becertain in all institutions ranging from the social tothe educational.Peaceful interaction will give Muslims the kind ofintellectual stimulation and variety of experiencewhich they must have if they are to tread the pathof progress. Interaction will also facilitate the task ofda’wah on a large scale. The natural result of thisvast interaction of Muslims and non-Muslims willbe that everywhere dialogue on Islam will bestarted, formally as well as informally. In modern~ 186 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamtimes, because of the extremist and violent attitudeof Muslims, serious dialogue between Islam andnon-Islam has almost come to an end. Now whenpeaceful interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims takes place in a normal atmosphere,serious dialogue will ensue on its own. Thebeginning of serious dialogue between Islam andnon-Islam is, without doubt, a very great successfrom the point of view of da’wah.The Qur’an describes Sulh al-Hudaybiyya, in theearly period of Islam as a ‘clear victory’. It was a‘clear victory’ in the sense that it established peacebetween the believers in tawhid and believers inshirk, thus making it possible for a seriousdialogue to be held between the two on religiousmatters.In modern times if Muslims abandon the path ofviolence and fully adopt the path ofnon-violence, this will be for Muslims like revivingthe sunnah of Hudaybiyya. And they will startreceiving those great benefits which Islam andMuslims had gained after the event of Hudaybiyain the first phase.~ 187 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and IslamPEACE AND JUSTICEOne great problem for Muslims is that peace doesnot necessarily guarantee them justice. This hascaused Muslims to become violent and to neglectopportunities for da’wah. In modern times Muslimswant a peace which brings them justice. Butaccording to the law of nature, this kind of peacecan never be achieved, that is why Muslims theworld over are in a state of physical and mentalunrest. Distressed in their minds, they have becomeviolent in their thinking and in their actions.The truth is that peace does not automaticallyproduce justice. Peace in actual fact simply opensup opportunities for the achievement of justice. Atthe time of Hudaybiyya the Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, had not found justice. Hehad achieved peace but only by delinking it fromjustice. The Prophet had made this peace not toextract justice but to receive the opportunities. Andgreat opportunities for da’wah action did open upwith the establishment of peace. The Prophetexploited these opportunities in full measure.Therefore, in just a few years’ time the Prophet not~ 188 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamonly ensured justice, but set Islam upon a muchmore solid footing.The Muslims of the present day have to understandthis secret of nature. Only then will it be possible forthem first to find peace, then ultimately theirdesired goal of justice.CONCLUSIONIn October 1997, I met a 36-year old European, LeonZippo Hayes, who was born in the city ofChristchurch in New Zealand. After having studiedIslam, he has changed his religion. His Islamicname is Khalilur Rahman. Passing through Muslimcountries he is going to perform Hajj by land.During the conversation he said that in moderntimes Muslims are engaged in bloody war at manyplaces, at some places with others and at otherplaces among themselves. This had led him (likemany others) to conclude that perhaps Islam was areligion of violence. Later, he studied the Qur’anwith the help of translations, and when he reachedthis verse in the Qur’an: ‘Whoever killed a humanbeing should be looked upon as though he had~ 189 ~

Islam Rediscovered11. Non-Violence and Islamkilled all mankind (5:32),’ he said that he was somoved that he could not believe that it was there inthe Qur’an.This incident is broadly indicative of the thinking ofnon-Muslims on Islam. On seeing the actions ofMuslims, people today find it hard to believe thatIslam may be a religion of peace. But if Muslimsstop engaging in violent activities and give peoplethe opportunity to appreciate Islam in its originalform, then certainly a great number of peoplewould realise as they never before had that Islamwas a peaceful religion and they would rush to it,saying that it was exactly the religion which theirsouls had been seeking all along.~ 190 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalism12. ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISMIslamic fundamentalism is a recent phenomenon.While studying it we must first of all understandthat the term ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ has not beenderived from the Islamic scriptures, nor does anygroup of Muslims approve of being given theappellation of ‘Islamic fundamentalists.’ This termis somewhat similar to that of ‘Uncle Sam’ asapplied to Americans by non-Americans.Americans do not identify themselves with thisterm.Though this term was given to Muslims by non-Muslims, the phenomenon for which the termIslamic fundamentalism is used is indeed a reality.There is a considerable number of Muslims in theworld of today whose thinking and actions add upto what is meant by the term fundamentalism.That is why a detailed study of its principles andpractices must be made in order to evaluate thisway of thinking and the movements spawned by it,which are highly active all over the world underone name or another.~ 191 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismLet us first of all find out what is commonly meantby fundamentalism. I would personally prefer tocall this phenomenon ‘Islamic extremism,’ ratherthan ‘Islamic fundamentalism,’ although thoseengaged in extremist activities would, like thefundamentalists, prefer not to be called extremists.However, what is important in this connection isthat the phenomenon of Islamic extremism can beexplained from a Quranic verse. It says: “Do nottransgress the bounds of your religion (4:17).” Onemodern form of transgression, as forbidden in theQuran, is what is now called Islamicfundamentalism.There are certain Muslims who say: “Yes, we arefundamentalists. And what is wrong with beingfundamentalists?” They take the word“fundamentalist” in its literal sense of layingemphasis on the basic teachings of Islam. Thus,attaching importance to the basic teachings of Islamis to fulfill the very demand of Islam. So whyshould anyone have any objection on this score?But herein lies a fallacy. That is, if one takesfundamentalism in its literal sense, then it should be~ 192 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismthe same basic teachings of Islam as are emphasizedin the Islamic scriptures themselves. This cannotmean that any individual may declare, throughpersonal interpretation, some self-styled teachingsto be the basic teachings or the fundamentals ofIslam, and then launch a violent movement aimedat establishing these so-called Islamic fundamentals.Unfortunately this is what these fundamentalistsare doing.Now what are the basic teachings of Islam? Theprinciple concern of Islam is monotheism.According to an Orientalist, “the central focus ofIslam is Allah. That is to believe in one God;associating all one’s feelings of love and fear withHim; and worshipping Him alone. Then adheringstrictly to justice in one’s dealings with otherhuman beings, returning good for evil, and so on.In Islam, according to a hadith, actions are judged bytheir intentions. That is why Islam lays the greatestof stress on the subjection of human beings togreater and greater degrees of purification.According to a hadith the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, observed: “Listen, there is a~ 193 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismpart made of flesh in the human body. If that ispurified and therefore in good order, the wholebody is in good order. And if rot sets in in this part,the whole body is defiled. Listen, this piece of fleshis the heart.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim).Through this symbol of the body, the example ofIslamic reform has been expressed. This means thatjust as through the reform of the heart the humanbody is reformed, similarly, if a man’s thinking andhis intentions are virtuous, in respect of his wholeexistence, he will acquire that character of virtuewhich is seen as desirable by Islamic standards.WHAT IS FUNDAMENTALISM?Fundamentalism is the laying of emphasis on strictadherence to the fundamental principles of any setof beliefs. The term was originally applied to aparticular group of Christian theologians whogained prominence in the United States in thenineteenth Century. They published a series ofbooklets between 1909 and 1915 called TheFundamentals: Testimony to the Truth. In thesebooklets they defined what they believed to be theabsolutely fundamental doctrines of Christianity.~ 194 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismThe core of these doctrines was the literal inerrancyof every word of the Bible. Those who supportedthese beliefs during the debate of the 1920s came tobe called fundamentalists.The term “fundamentalism” began to be applied toIslamic resurgence by the final quarter of thetwentieth century. However this term was not usedfor Muslims in exactly the same sense as it wasapplied to Christians. There is also some differenceof opinion on this point among scholars. However,without going into the details of this, I would like tosay that the term Islamic fundamentalism is appliedto two different kinds of movements. One is likethat of the Muslim Brotherhood (IkhwanulMuslimun) which rose to bring about a politicalrevolution. The other is the type which advocates areturn to the pristine fundamentals of the faith, forinstance, those defined by Ibn Taimiya in thefourteenth century. This latter aim is still thedriving force behind the Salafia and Wahabiyamovements.Now the aim of the second form of the Islamicfundamentalism, that of Ibn Taimya is to put an end~ 195 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismto additions and innovations (bid‘a) in religiousmatters and to replace them with the sunnah, theoriginal form of the Islamic Shariah.The aim of the other form of fundamentalism is toput an end to non-Islamic political set up andreplace that with an Islamic political set-up. Boththe forms of fundamentalism are totally differentfrom one another. The sphere of the struggle againstinnovation (bid’a) is confined only to matters ofbelief and worship.Violence does not, of necessity, accompanymovements of this nature. Furthermore, it is aimedat and concerned with the internal reform ofMuslims. Thus, in the relevant activities, there is nopossibility of coming into conflict with non-Muslims. But so far as fundamentalism of the otherkind is concerned, it has been directed from thevery outset against political rulers, and whether theinevitable confrontations have been with Muslim ornon-Muslim rulers, by its very nature such amovement has demanded the use of violence.This is where the principle of jihad has beendistorted and bent to political ends. It must be~ 196 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismstressed that the word “jihad” has nowhere beenused in the Quran to mean the waging of war. TheQuran is imbued with the spirit of peace andtolerance. Its culture is not that of war but of mercy.ON ISLAM AND JIHADAt the very beginning of the Qur’an, the firstinvocation reads: “In the name of God, the mostMerciful, the most Beneficent.” Throughout theQur’an, this verse is repeated for no less than 114times. Even one of God’s names is As-Salam (Peace).Moreover, the Qur’an states that the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, was sent tothe world as a mercy to mankind (21:107).The word ‘jihad’ has nowhere been used in theQur’an to mean war in the sense of launching anoffensive. It is used rather to mean ‘struggle.’ Theaction most consistently called for in the Qur’an isthe exercise of patience. Yet today, the ‘MuslimMujahidin’ under unfavourable conditions haveequated “God is Great” with “War is Great.”In the light of on-going conflict, we must ask whyso great a contradiction has arisen between the~ 197 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismprinciples of Islam and the practices of Muslims. Atleast one root-cause may be traced to historicalexigency.Since time immemorial, military commanders havebeen accorded positions of great eminence in theannals of history. It is a universal phenomenon thatthe hero is idolized even in peace time and becomesa model for the people. It is this placing of heroismin the militaristic context which has been thegreatest underlying factor in the undue stress laidon war in the latter phase of Islam’s history. Withthe automatic accord in Muslim society of a place ofhonour and importance to the heroes of thebattlefield, annalists’ subsequent compilations ofIslamic history have tended to read like anuninterrupted series of wars and conquests.These early chronicles having set the example,subsequent writings on Islamic history havefollowed the same pattern of emphasis onmilitarism. The Prophet’s biographies were called‘maghazi’, that is ‘The Battles Fought by theProphet,’ yet the Prophet Muhammad in fact didbattle only three times in his entire life, and the~ 198 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismperiod of his involvement in these battles did nottotal more than one and a half days. He fought, let itbe said, in self-defence, when hemmed in byaggressors, where he simply had no option. Buthistorians—flying in the face of fact—haveconverted his whole life into one of confrontationand war.We must keep it in mind that the ProphetMuhammad was born at a time when anatmosphere of militancy prevailed in the Arabsociety. But the Prophet always opted for avoidanceof conflict. For instance, in the campaign of Ahzab,the Prophet advised his Companions to dig a trenchbetween them and the enemies, thus preventing ahead-on clash.Another well-known instance of the Prophet’sdislike for hostilities is the Hudaibiyyah peacetreaty made by accepting, unilaterally, all theconditions of the enemy. In the case of the conquestof Makkah, he avoided a battle altogether bymaking a rapid entry into the city with tenthousand Muslims—a number large enough to awehis enemies into submission.~ 199 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismIn this way, on all occasions, the Prophetendeavoured to achieve his objectives by peacefulrather than by war-like means. It is, therefore,unconscionable that in later biographical writing, allthe events of his life have been arranged under theheading of ‘battles’ (ghazawat). How he managed toavert the cataclysms of war has not been dealt within any of the works which purportedly depict hislife.Ibn Khaldun, the celebrated 14th century historian,was the first to lay down definite rules for the studyand writing of history and sociology. He followedthe revolutionary course of attempting to presenthistory as a chronicle of events centering on thecommon man rather than on kings, their generalsand the battles they fought. But since war heroeswere already entrenched as the idols of society, thecaravan of writers and historians continued tofollow the same well-worn path as had beentrodden prior to Ibn Khaldun. When people havecome to regard war heroes as the greatest of men, itis but natural that it is the events of the battlefieldwhich will be given the greatest prominence in~ 200 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismworks of history. All other events will either berelegated to the background or omitted altogether.IDEOLOGICAL HATREDHatred is a crime and ideological hatred is thegreatest crime. The so-called Islamicfundamentalism, if judged by its result, is thegreatest crime of this kind against humanity. Anything can be eliminated, but what is impossible toeliminate is the hatred produced by a sacredideology: Hatred generates violence and ideologicalhatred generates unlimited violence. It can kill all ofhumanity without suffering any feelings of remorseor repentance. Hence the self-styled Islamicfundamentalism turns into an un-Islamic theory.One type of movement is that which is based onlove. Its aim is to reform human beings. Such amovement awakens in its adherents, feelings ofwell-wishing towards other human beings. Itsexponents strive peacefully to pass on the truth thatthey have discovered for the benefit of their fellowmen. Such a movement, far from causing harm tosociety, becomes a driving force towards the moraland social uplift of people in all walks of life.~ 201 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismThe other type of movement is one which is basedon hatred. The adherents of this movement considerthose who are not like-minded to be enemies. Theyhave an overriding desire to wipe them off the faceof the earth. They hold that these ‘‘enemies’’ areobstacles to their success and that it is thereforenecessary to destroy them altogether. Only then cana system of their own choice be set in place. Islamicfundamentalism—so-called— is a movement of thissecond type. As a result of this negative thinkingthey divide humanity into two camps, oneconsisting of their enemies, and the other of theirfriends. Once having made this division, they allowtheir aversion for their ‘‘enemies’’ to grow intovirulent hatred. If the incentives for the members ofthe movement based on love are well-wishing andthe goodwill of the people, the incentives for themembers of the movement based on hatred are illwilland animosity. Owing to this negative attitude,all the activities of Islamic fundamentalism take apernicious direction.To make matters worse, the hatred felt by theMuslim fundamentalists has become inseparablefrom their ideology. They hate others who think~ 202 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismdifferently from themselves because they hold themto be ideologically in error. Experience shows thatof all kinds of hatred, that based on an ideology isthe most rabid. Personal hatred, on the other hand,arises from temporary factors, and seldom takeslong to dissipate in the ordinary course of events.But there is little chance of ideological hatredabating. And its target is the obliteration of enemies.Not until this end is achieved will it ever die down.This is the reason that ideological hatred takes notime in assuming the shape of violence. When it isfound that peaceful means of persuasion areshowing no results, arms are then resorted to, sothat all enemies may be removed from its path.TERRORISM IN THE NAME OF ISLAMAt the present time, Muslim fundamentalists areresponsible for actions resulting from hatred andmarked by violence taking place in the name ofIslam. A justification of what they are engaged in ispresented in the following couplet by the famouspoet Iqbal:To every vein of falsehood every Muslim islike a surgical knife. (Shikwa Jawab-e-Shikwah).~ 203 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismConversely, however, we find a different picture inthe Quran: “When it is said to them: ‘Do not commitevil in the land,’ they reply: ‘We do nothing butgood.’ But it is they who are the evil-doers, thoughthey may not perceive it.” (2:11).They hold that the aim of Islam is to establish anideal society and an ideal state. But since, by theirlights, this task cannot be performed withoutpolitical strength, they feel justified in fightingagainst those who have captured the seats of power.Violent movements with this aim were launched ona large scale during the second half of the twentiethcentury. Their targets were either the non-Muslimrulers or the secular Muslim rulers. But despitegreat losses in terms of life, wealth and resources,these movements failed to produce any positiveresults. Their having become counter-productive isin itself a proof that their activities weredisapproved of by Islam. This is quite expresslystated in the Quran: “God does not love thetransgressors” (2:205).The fact is that the terms ‘ideal state’ and ‘idealsociety’ have a wonderful resonance, but their use~ 204 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismin the name of Islam is sheer exploitation of Islam.Verse ninety-nine of the 16th chapter is quitespecific about this. It says: “God enjoins justice,kindness and charity… and forbids indecency,wickedness and oppression.” Even morespecifically the Quran says that God loves thecharitable (2:195). And indeed idealism andperfection are highly desirable virtues in Islam, butthe direct target of Islamic idealism is not society,and not the state, but the individual. The perennialobjective of the Islamic movement is to strive tomake each single individual an ideal human being.Each individual has to be urged to become anexample of the ‘sublime character’ as projected bythe Prophet Muhammad, and described in theQuran (68:4). So far as the ideal society or the idealstate is concerned, it is in no way a direct goal ofIslam.Society and the State are not in themselvesindependent entities, each being dependent on themettle of the individuals of which they areconstituted. According to a tradition, the Prophetobserved: “As you will be, so will be your rulers”(Mishkat al-Masabih, 11/1097).~ 205 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismIf the establishment of an ideal State were the actualtarget of Islam, there should, accordingly, beexpress injunctions to this effect in the Quran andhadith. For instance, there should be verses of thistype in the Quran: “O Muslims, you are enjoined toestablish an ideal State.” But there is no such verseand neither is there a single hadith which could leadto this conclusion. The references put forward bythe upholders of this concept are all inferential innature, whereas according to Islamic jurisprudence,on the issue of any basic Islamic injunction,inferential argument is in no way valid. Suchargument is for peripheral matters and not forbasics.There is another important point in this connection.Those who uphold the establishment of an idealState to be the goal of Islam ought to learn thislesson from the early period of Islam that this aimwas neither achieved in this ideal period nor was itachievable. Those who present the first phase ofIslam to be that of an ideal society or an ideal Statehave fallen prey to a fallacy. They present theexample of ideal individuals, equating them withthe ideal society or the ideal State. The truth of the~ 206 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismmatter is that both are totally different from eachother.It is undeniable that in every period of Islamichistory, we find large numbers of ideal individuals,and this is true even today. But the ideal State is inno way the goal of Islam and neither has such anState ever existed in the ideal sense of the word. Forinstance, the first and foremost matter in the settingup of a state is the appointment of the head of astate. But there is no prescribed procedure for suchan appointment. The Prophet was succeeded byfour rightly guided Caliphs, but every one of themwas selected by a different process, for the simplereason that no prescribed method existed at all. Thisalso explains why no tradition could be establishedfor the appointment of the Caliphs.This does not mean, however, that there issomething lacking in Islam, or in Islamic principles.The truth is that this very point serves as a proof ofIslam being a divine religion, and not of humaninvention. Islam, according to its own claim, is areligion created by God, which is completely inconsonance with nature. (30:30)~ 207 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismThe Quran tells us that one proof of its being a bookof God is that there is not the slightest inconsistencyin its teachings. (4:82). Another proof of this claim isthat the target of the Islamic mission set forth by itis the building of ideal individuals and not idealstate.In fact, man has been created in this world for thespecial purpose of being put to the test. Accordingto the Quran, the present world is a trial groundand the Akhirah (the Hereafter) is the place ofreward. As a necessary prerequisite, man has beengiven total freedom of action (33:72). That is to saythat he is entirely at liberty either to submit to Godor to become a transgressor. (18:29)According to the creation plan of God, freedom, orfree will is every man’s birthright, and even if hemisuses this power, it will not be taken away fromhim. It is not part of God’s plan of creation ever toabrogate this free will. And it must be concededthat it is this freedom which is the ever-recurringstumbling block in the establishment of an idealsociety or an ideal State. For even a handful of men,by misusing their freedom, can disturb the whole of~ 208 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismsociety. That is why the target set by Islam is exactlyin accordance with nature, that is, the reform of theindividual.If, on the contrary, the Muslims had been given themission of establishing an ideal society, or an idealState, that would have been so unnatural as to bequite impossible. Islam has, therefore, givenMuslims a target which is practicable and which, inconsequence, does not oblige them to come intoconflict with nature. The violence which marks theactivities of Muslim fundamentalist groups is theresult of not keeping in mind this wisdom of Islam.If you aim at the reform purely of the individual,you will not need to resort to violence for theachievement of your goal. For the task of reformingthe individual can be carried on, from beginning toend, in an atmosphere of peaceful persuasion.Whereas the struggle to change the system of theState, being a subversive activity, necessarily leadsto war and violence.Well-known examples of peaceful persuasion arethe movements launched by the Sufis, the target ofwhich was not the state, but the individual. Their~ 209 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismtask involved the spiritual reform of people’s heartsand minds, so that they might lead their lives asnew, transformed human beings. Thanks to theiradherence to this wise policy, the Sufis did not needto resort to violence. Another example in our timesis provided by the Tablighi Jamaat, which has beenworking peaceably on a large scale in the sphere ofindividual reform.Since Islamic fundamentalists target theIslamization of the State rather than the reform ofindividuals, their only plan of action is in the veryfirst instance to launch themselves on a collisioncourse with the rulers who hold sway over theinstitution of the State. In this way, their movementtakes the path of violence from day one. Then allthe other evils creep in which are the direct orindirect result of violence, for instance, mutualhatred and disruption of the peace, waste ofprecious resources, and so on.It would be right and proper to say that Islam is aname for peaceful struggle, while the so-calledIslamic fundamentalism is quite the reverse. Fromthe foregoing details it is quite clear that violence,~ 210 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismfar from arising from the teachings of Islam, is adirect product of Islamic fundamentalism.FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF ISLAMIf we are to put ‘fundamentalism’ in the correctperspective, we should be clear about what actuallyconstitutes the fundamental principles of Islam.There is a hadith which gives us clear guidance onthis subject. The Prophet observed that Islam isfounded on five pillars: Bearing witness that there isno god but the one God and that Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, is God’s Messenger; the regularsaying of prayers (salat); alms-giving (zakat);performing a pilgrimage to the Kabah, the House ofGod in Makkah (hajj); and fasting for the month ofRamadan (sawm).These then are the fundamental principles, or pillarsof Islam. The rest of the teachings fall into thecategory of detailed explanations of andelaborations upon the five basic principles. Holdingany other precept besides these to form part of thebasic tenets of Islam is misguided and unacceptable.~ 211 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismOn further investigation, we find that these fivebasic teachings have a spirit as well as a form and,what is of real significance is that the true essence ofIslam resides not in its outward forms but in itsinner spirit. That is why our actions, according to ahadith, must be judged by their intentions alone.(Sahih al-Bukhari)Let us take the first of the above principles, which isthe article of faith (kalima). The form it takes is theutterance of certain words, expressing one’s faith.But this verbal expression is not in itself sufficient. Itis essential that at the same time, the concernedperson should be imbued with the actual spirit ofthe words he utters. As we find in the Qur’an: “TheArabs of the desert declare: ‘We believe,’ ‘You donot.’ Say rather: ‘We profess Islam,’ for faith has notyet found its way into your hearts’ (49:4). Thisshows that to God, the real faith (iman) is that whichreaches into the deepest recesses of the heart; whichawakens human consciousness in such a way as tobring to the individual the realization of God. Thatis to say that the concept of form here is relative,while the concept of spirit is what truly matters.~ 212 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismIn the case of prayer (salat) too, we know thatprayer has a fixed form and is to be observed atstipulated times. But here too it is not the adherenceto form in the repetition of prayer, or the posturesadopted, but the spirit pervading the performanceof these rites which is of overriding importance.That is why the Quran says: “Successful indeed arethe believers who are humble in their prayers”(23:3). It is essential, therefore, that the ritual ofprayer be imbued with the proper spirit.The third pillar of Islam, alms-giving (zakat), that is,the payment of a fixed amount from one’s earningsto others who are in greater need, is againapparently an act of pure formality, but accordingto the Quran, the inner spirit of zakat is fear of God.The Quran describes the believers as “those whodispense their charity with their hearts full offear….” (23:60)As we know, the pilgrimage to Makkah (hajj), thefourth pillar of Islam, is organized along particularlines, according to the rites and rituals of hajj. Butbelievers are made aware at all times that it is notjust mere presence in Makkah and the physical~ 213 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismaccomplishment of the rites which really matter, butthe circumspect conduct accompanying each act,the restrained and disciplined behaviour whichreveals the earnest intentions of the pilgrim to leada righteous life then and throughout the rest of theyear. Again it is the spirit of the thing which counts.The fifth pillar of Islam, fasting (sawm) for the wholeof the month of Ramadan, is not concerned merelywith abstinence from food and drink during eachday from sunrise to sunset, but with the devotionand gratitude to God which self-denial teaches(2:183). Thus the essence of fasting is to produce thespirit of piety. In the words of the hadith, a fastwithout this spirit is only the experience of hungerand thirst. As such, it is not a true fast in thereligious sense of the word (Mishkat al-Masabih).That these are the five fundamentals of Islam hasbeen made quite clear by the Prophet himself.Furthermore, what is desirable in the observance ofall of these five pillars is the internal spirit and notthe external form. Now if certain people take itupon themselves to revive these five fundamentalsof Islam, their endeavours will be confined to an~ 214 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismentirely peaceful sphere of activity. At no stagewould they ever reach the point of resorting toviolence and aggression. The inner spirit which ismeant to pervade all actions stemming from theobservance of these principles can only beinculcated by advice, counselling and well-reasonedargument. There is no other viable way of achievingthis objective save that of peaceful striving.ISLAM AND POLITICSIn making an assessment of Islam in relation topolitics, one crucial point must be taken intoconsideration, which is that, politics is only arelative and not the real part of Islam. Thisdifference between a real and a relative feature isthat what is essential is relevant in all circumstancesand at all times, whereas the relative is requiredonly in relation to particular sets of circumstances.Wherever such circumstances do not exist, relativefeatures lose their relevance and therefore theirdesirability. This difference between the real andrelative is illustrated by the Quranic injunction toperform the Hajj pilgrimage: “Pilgrimage to the~ 215 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismHouse of God is a duty to God for all who can makethe journey” (3:97).The wording of the command to perform Hajjshows that it is not obligatory for all believers inany absolute sense. It is obligatory rather for thosewho have the means and the resources, and who arein good enough health to reach the place ofpilgrimage. Neither does this injunction even implythat those who do not have the means should makesuperhuman efforts to find the wherewithal for thejourney, so that they may perform this ritualworship. This injunction means that those who havethe means should perform the pilgrimage and thosewho have not will not only be exempted, but willnot even be held to account for having failed to doso.The same is true of politics. That is, if a group ofMuslims find themselves in a position to establishthe political system of Islam by peaceful methods,and without any violence, then the Shariah willrequire them to do exactly that. But for those whodo not find themselves in such a position, it is nottheir bounden duty to establish an Islamic political~ 216 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismsystem, nor are they required to set in motionpolitical initiatives calculated to createopportunities to do so.That is why the Quran at no point gives thefollowing command: “O Muslims, establish thepolitical system of Islam.” On the contrary, theQuran makes such clear statements aboutgovernment and politics as prove that they arerelative and not the real parts of Islam. For instance,addressing the believers the Quran says:God has promised those of you who believeand do good works that He will make themmasters in the land as He had made theirancestors before them, in order to strengthenthe faith He chose for them, and to changetheir state of fear to a sense of security. Letthem worship Me and no other gods besidesMe. Wicked indeed are those who after thisdeny Me. (24:55)From this it is abundantly clear that political poweris a gift from God and is far from being a matter of agoal to be attained by human efforts. That is, it isnot the Islamic way to launch movements with the~ 217 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismaim of achieving political ascendancy. On thecontrary, the objective of the Islamic struggle is toinculcate in people the Islamic character and thetrue spirit of Islam. And then, if, in any givensociety, a large number of people were to becomeimbued with this true spirit, a time might comewhen God in His wisdom saw fit to invest themwith political authority.Similarly, the Quran says for the benefit of thebelievers: “God is powerful and mighty: He willassuredly help those who, once made masters in theland, will attend to their prayers and pay the almstax, enjoin justice and forbid evil.” (22:41).From the following verse also, we learn from God’sinjunction to the Prophet that the matter of politicalpower rests entirely in the hands of God: “Say,Lord, Sovereign of all sovereignty, You bestowsovereignty on whom You will, and take it awayfrom whom You please” (3:26).That is why political power cannot be the goal towhich believers direct their efforts. The first andforemost duty of the believers is for all of them, asindividuals and without exception, to fulfill their~ 218 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismpersonal obligations to the utmost extent.Afterwards, if circumstances are conducive, andthey receive political power purely by the grace ofGod, the responsibility of moral governance will fallupon them, as is mentioned in the above-quotedverse.It must be conceded that the establishment of anIslamic State is the responsibility not of individualsbut of the society to which they belong. In Islamthere are certain injunctions of an individual andpersonal nature, such as ritual fasting, whichdepend solely upon the will of the individual fortheir accomplishment. But the establishment of apolitical system on the basis of Islam depends uponthe will of society as a whole. Only if there is aMuslim society possessed of the collective will toaccept and institute Islamic government, can apolitical system based on Islam with all its socialcaveats, be established.THE CHALLENGE OF FUNDAMENTALISMWith reference to the Muslims of the present day,the news most highlighted in the media relates toMuslim fundamentalism. Experience has shown~ 219 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismthat there is nothing more destructive thanfanaticism—the driving force of Muslimfundamentalism. However, it is not generallyappreciated that Islamic fundamentalism, launchedin the name of Islam, has been dealing a death blowto the image of Islam as a religion of peace andmercy. For it is this Muslim fundamentalism which,today, has converted the image of Islam into onetarnished by violence.Let us place this form of extremism in a historicalperspective. At the time of the emergence ofmodern western civilization, the greater part of theworld was politically dominated by Muslims. TheOttoman empire at the western extremity and theMughal empire on the eastern border had becomesymbols of glory for the Muslim ummah. TheseMuslim empires came into direct conflict with thewestern empires and, in the long run, the Muslimempires were vanquished. This brought to an end1000 years of their political supremacy. People ingeneral tend to accept what they see on the surface,so that Muslims all over the world came to holdthat, in the break-up of their empires, the upholders~ 220 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismof western civilization were the oppressors, whilethe Muslims were the oppressed.However, in actual fact, the internal degeneration ofthese Muslim empires had reduced them to thestate of wood infested with white ants. It wouldonly have been a matter of time before theycollapsed on their own. It was only by a fortuitousconcatenation of events that the military might ofwestern civilization was ostensibly the cause oftheir fall.Be that as it may, the upshot of this was that theentire Muslim world became averse to westernnations. At an earlier period this aversion hadalready manifested itself towards the British andthe French, and then somewhat later towards theU.S.A., for, in actuality, it is the Americans whohave been leading the western since the end of thesecond world war.Now, I should like to identify and analyse the originof the present extremist aspect of Islamicfundamentalism, which has made such a rapiddescent into violence. The principal reason for ithaving come into being in this virulent form has its~ 221 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismroots in a certain defeatist mentality which has,unfortunately, been developing in the Muslimssince the loss of their empires. A defeatist, or abesieged mentality inevitably opts for a negativecourse of action. The possessors of such a mentalityconsider themselves as the oppressed, and thosewhom they see as setting themselves up againstthem as the oppressors. With this bent of mind, theyare willing to engage themselves in any activitywhatsoever, no matter how damaging to humanityor contrary to religion it might be.What made matters worse—as a direct result of thisnegative psychology—was the emergence of certainMuslim leaders in the first half of the twentiethcentury, who expounded their own politicalinterpretation of Islam, according to which Islamwas a complete system of State and Muslims hadbeen appointed by God to fulfill the mission ofestablishing this Islamic state throughout the world.Some well-known names associated with thisinterpretation are the following: Syed Qutub inEgypt, Ayatullah Khomeini in Iran and Syed AbulAla Maududi in Pakistan.~ 222 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic FundamentalismThis political view of Islam, in spite of being a gravemisinterpretation, spread rapidly among Muslims.The only reason for this was that Muslims, owing totheir defeatist mentality, saw nothing incongruousin its negativity. Given the circumstances of theirpast history, this political interpretation was in totalconsonance with their psychological condition.Thus, due to their negative mindset and not due toIslamic reasoning this false inter-pretation soongained currency among them, and the activitieswhich were an offshoot from this—paradoxical asthis may seem—were backed by funding fromAmerica in a bid to stem the rising tide ofCommunism.Prior to 1991, when the Soviet Union had assumedthe position of a super power, and posed acontinuing threat to America, one of the strategiesadopted by America was to set off the Muslimfundamentalists against the Communists, becausethese fundamentalists were persistently writing andspeaking against Communism as being the enemyof Islam. America also gave all kinds of help, to thefundamentalists. It provided them with weapons toset themselves up against the Soviet Union and~ 223 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismassisted in the dissemination of their literature allover the world. But this enemy-of-my-enemy-is-afriendformula ultimately proved counterproductive,in that it virtually amounted toreplacing one enemy with another. The waging ofthis proxy war turned out to be only verytemporary in its benefits.Those who at a later stage felt the impact ofextremist fundamentalism, took this to be a case ofviolence against them. So they opted for a policy ofgun versus gun. But subsequent events proved thispolicy to be a total failure, the reason being that theissue was not that of conducting a purely physicalstruggle, but of exposing and scotching the fallaciesof a flawed ideology. You can win a fight witharms, but to defeat an ideology, a counter-ideologyis a sine qua non. Without that nothing can beachieved.There is no doubt about it that Muslimfundamentalism is a threat to peace, for, due totheir fanaticism, its proponents do not stop short ofresorting to destructive activity, even if it shouldprove suicidal. Now the task we must undertake is~ 224 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismto make use of the media on all fronts in order tomake people aware of the fact that this politicalinterpretation of Islam is totally without basis eitherin the Quran or in the examples set by the Prophetin thought, word and deed. As opposed to thiserroneous interpretation, the true values of Islam,based on peace, brotherhood and well-wishingshould be presented to the public. If this correctinterpretation of Islam could be brought to people’sattention, I should have high hopes that themajority of the people who have been misguidedwould abandon the path of hatred and violence andcome back to Islam—“to the home of peace” towhich God calls us in the Quran.It is true that in these violent activities only a smallgroup is involved. But this small group has theindirect support of the majority, who are no lessswayed by the political interpretation of Islam.According to Khalil Gibran, “not a single leaf fallsfrom the tree without the silent consent of the wholetree.” If then the majority were to withdraw itsindirect support and condemn Islamic militancy,these fringe groups would lose their moral courage.That would be the first step. Then the time would~ 225 ~

Islam Rediscovered12. Islamic Fundamentalismcome when the fundamentalists who are directlyinvolved in violent activities would abandon thepath of violence altogether.~ 226 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Application13. THE SHARIAH AND ITSAPPLICATIONAfter going through some articles on da’wah by thisauthor on the internet, one reader sent his strongreaction by e-mail. He rejected the point of viewexpressed in a hard-hitting manner. By citingcertain instances from the article, he wrote that thepoint of view advocated by the author was quitecontradictory to the Quran. The following is a partof what that he had to say:Maulana Wahiduddin says: Muslims shouldexercise patience against atrocities committedby other nations and engage themselves inda’wah work. Whereas in the Quran, in sharpcontrast to this point of view, God Almightysays:And fight them until there is no more fitnah,and religion becomes Allah’s, in its entirety(8:39)Then, whom we are to pay heed to, Allah orMaulana Wahiduddin?~ 227 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationThis appears to be quite damning. But in reality, itis a total misapprehension.The error can be madeplain if we may suppose for a while that if acomplete Quran had been in people’s possession inMakkah, as it is in the possession of the personmentioned above, there might have arisen the sameconfusion in Makkah.We find from traditions that in the early phase ofIslam in Makkah, when the Makkan pagans hadbegun their cruel persecution of the Muslims,certain of the faithful, reacting to this grievousinjustice, asked the Prophet’s permission to dobattle with their persecutors. But the Prophet wenton exhorting them to exercise patience, saying: “Ihave been commanded only to perform da’wah,communication of the message of God. I have notbeen given permission to do battle.” If the completeQuran in bound form had existed at that time,someone might have stood up and said: “See,Muhammad, may peace be upon him, is asking usto exercise patience, while in the Quran God asks usto do battle with our opponents.” But no such thingtook place in Makkah, for the simple reason that~ 228 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationpeople did not possess the complete Quran as theydo today.This example shows wherein, those who raise suchobjections, have gone wrong. The actual error lies intheir taking something out of context by misquotingthe verses of the Quran. At a time when Muslimsare in the stage of da’wah and as such are mighthave required to perform their da’wahresponsibilities by exercising patience, they havebeen mistakingly referring to the verses revealed todischarge the responsibilities at the stage of defence.In this way they have fallen into the error of wrongapplication of the verses. They are citing the versesapplicable to such circumstances as prevailed inMadinah, while they find themselves in thesituation that prevailed in Makkah.History shows that the Prophet of Islam and hiscompanions were faced with all the problems andhardships in Makkah, as the Muslims of moderntimes have allegedly been, facing. Yet when theProphet of Islam asked his companions to followthe path of patience and avoidance, no one stood upto question why they must exercise patience, when~ 229 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationthe Quran enjoins them to do battle, simply becausethe complete Quran was not available. The truth isthat the Quran was not revealed all at once in theform of a bound book, the one we have in ourpossession today. The Quran was revealed ondifferent occasions over a period of 23 years, but ininstallments. Only those commands were revealedto the Prophet as were required by thecircumstances. For instance, in the initial stage, theProphet was given the command to perform da’wahby observing patience (74:2-7). Later on, ascircumstances warranted, the command to migratewas revealed (16:41). Subsequently, whencircumstances further changed, the command to dobattle was revealed (2:190), etc.This shows that in the initial stage of Islam whenthe Quran was being revealed, the order ofrevelation tallied with the order of events. For thisreason people did not find any difficulty inunderstanding their role as soon as a command wasrevealed. But afterwards, all the verses revealedover a period of 23 years, relating to different sets ofcircumstances, were collected together in the formof a bound volume. It is this complete book which~ 230 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationhas remained in the hands of later Muslimgenerations till today.By the very law of nature, circumstances keepchanging, and this fact must be borne in mind thatthe divine book we possess comprised ofrevelations made at different times and collectedtogether in the form of the Quran. These scripturescontain various commands, injunctions pertainingto all kinds of situations—all collected together inone book. Then how are Muslims of later timessupposed to receive guidance from the Quran?The answer is that the study of Quranic versesshould be done in the light of the causes ofrevelation (asbabal-nuzul). That is, first of all, thosein search of guidance should determine objectivelythe state of affairs in a given situation, then strive tofind the verse or verses revealed in a similarsituation in the first phase of Islam. And when thatinjunction is found, it should be applied to thepresent situation. That is, the purpose served by theimmediate revelation in the first phase, will now beserved by pinpointing similarity between the pastand the present situations.~ 231 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationFor a better understanding of this, one should takeinto account the four different stages of the periodof prophethood of the Prophet of Islam:(a)(b)(c)(d)The first half of the Makkan period;The second half of the Makkan period;The first half of the Madinan period;The second half of the Madinan period.Basically these four periods keep repeatingthemselves throughout human history. By studyingthe Quran in depth, the parallels to present-daycircumstances can easily be discovered: it is verynecessary if guidance is to be received from theQuran in later periods of history.As mentioned above, the Quran which exists withus today in its complete form was not available tothe Muslims during the lifetime of the Prophet.Instead it was revealed in parts (installments). Atthat time only those passages of the Quran wererevealed which were relevant to the circumstances,that is, whatever command was required pertainingto the actual situation only that was given to the~ 232 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationbelievers. This way the believers had no problem inunderstanding their tasks and subsequentlydevoted themselves to performing them withoutany questioning.For instance, when circumstances required fullattention to be paid to the task of da’wah, this versewas revealed:Lead all men to the path of your Lord withwisdom and mild exhortation. (16:25)Therefore all the followers of the Prophet adoptedda’wah as a single point formula and becameengaged in this task with complete dedication.Similarly, when the circumstances required patienceand fortitude, this verse was revealed:Bear up then with patience, as did thesteadfast Apostles before you. (46:35)Subsequently, the believers adopted an attitude ofpatience with total devotion and concentration.Similarly when, in the wake of aggression by theother party, the problem of defence arose, this versewas revealed in the Quran:~ 233 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationFight for the sake of God those that fightagainst you. (2:190)On receiving this command, all the believersengaged themselves wholeheartedly in the field ofbattle.This same pattern continued throughout theprophetic period lasting 23 years. Each time onlythat part of the Quran was revealed which wasrequired in regard to the circumstances. Thebelievers of this first phase were solely concernedwith carrying out the particular commandmentrelevant to given situation.They were not required to decide as to which of thevarious and different commandments wereapplicable. But, in later times, the state of affairschanged. Now, all the parts of the Quran revealedon different occasions were collected and bound inthe form of one book. That is to say, the commandsand their background had been separated from oneanother. Afterwards the responsibility devolvedupon the Muslims themselves, by means of deepreflection and study, to strive to ascertain which ofthe injunctions was applicable to them in particular~ 234 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationsituations. Thus by discovering the relevant verse ofthe Quran, they should follow with unstintingdevotion and dedication. Believers are urged “tolisten to the Quran with attention, holding theirpeace.” (7:204)That is, they must pay full heed to the passage ofthe Quran revealed to the Prophet and thenwholeheartedly carry out the command. The latterday Muslims have been charged with the addedresponsibility of inference (see the Quran, 4:83) andijtihad (striving) as mentioned in the Hadith. That is,to reflect with the utmost honesty, sincerity andGod-fearingness as to pinpoint which divinecommand is addressed to them in relation to thestate of affairs in which they find themselves at thatpoint in time, and then to strive to carry out thatcommand without showing any reluctance.That is to say, in the first phase of Islam, theinjunction of da’wah was revealed at the time whenthe performance of da’wah was required, theinjunction of patience was revealed when patiencewas required and the injunction to do battle wasrevealed at the time when battle was required.~ 235 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationThus people were not faced with any confusion inunderstanding the injunctions as well as theirapplication. But later-day Muslims find out theinjunctions—of patience, da’wah and war—alltogether in one single book. It was now left toMuslims to find, on their own, which of the variedinjunctions is relevant to their particular sets ofcircumstances. That is to say, earlier thecircumstances and the injunctions tallied with oneanother, whereas now the injunctions are many andvaried, while the state of affairs in any oneparticular given situation demands, (in practice),the application of only one injunction.As mentioned above, the present Quran does notfollow the order of revelation, that is, thechronological order of revelations has not beenfollowed in the compilation of the Quran.The arrangement of the present order of the Qurannot being based on the order of revelation isprobably a matter of testing the faithful. This testrequires Muslims to exercise their reason objectivelyin order to find out which one of the commands it isdesirable for them to carry out in a particular~ 236 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationsituation. This test in its nature is like that given tothe people of the first phase. In their case it involvedthe discovery of the true claimant to Truth out ofmany claimants. Similarly, the test of the Muslimsof later times involved the discovery of thatparticular injunction applicable to theircircumstances and desirable by God. Theemergence of the Prophet was a test for hiscontemporaries to see if they could recognise thetrue guide, while the arrangement of the Quranbased on a non-revelationary order serves to testpeople, on whether they can discover true guidanceor not. Later-day Muslims have to pass this test inexactly the same way as the people of the first phasepassed a test of the same nature.The Prophet and the believers of his time lived inMakkah in the early stage of his prophethood. Atthat time the idolatrous leaders of Makkah enjoyedthe dominant position. They used to persecute theProphet and the other Muslims. Now the questionwas as to what the believers should resort to inthose circumstances. In that situation they wereguided by God to say: “We will endure your~ 237 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationpersecution patiently. In God, let all the faithful puttheir trust.” (14:12).That is, they had to adhere to the way of patienceand forbearance regardless of the injustice andoppression of their opponents.In this way, by timely guidance, the believers learntwhat their policy should be in whatevercircumstances they found themselves in. Theyunderstood fully that even if the other party wasguilty of injustice, they had unilaterally to maintainan attitude of patience.Then the time came when the Prophet and hiscompanions migrated to Madinah, leaving theirhometown. The circumstances changed. Theinjunctions too changed according to the newcircumstances. Earlier the guidance given was toexercise patience on being persecuted, now theguidance to deal with persecution changed. Thecommand given in the Quran on this occasion was:“Permission (to take up arms) is hereby given tothose who are attacked.” (22:39)~ 238 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationThis shows that at times defence is required to dealwith persecution. Whereas at other times no countermove is desirable except for patience. Now thequestion arises as to how to find out in whichcircumstance the way of patience and tolerance hasto be adopted and in which circumstance doingbattle in self-defence is to be resorted to.The believers of the first phase did not need to takeany decision regarding the answer to thesequestions. For the answers according to theprevailing state of affairs continued to be revealedby God. But this situation no longer prevailed forlater-day Muslims. For them the questions exist inrelation to the circumstances, but the answers haveto be found by their own questing.Herein lies the test of the believers of later times. Ifthe test of the people of the Prophet’s day consistedof recognising the Prophet, the test of the latter-dayMuslims lies in recognising the command of theProphet. The Quran enshrines verses on both kindsof injunctions together in the same volume. Now itis the responsibility of the believers themselves toreflect deeply, objectively, without any bias, to find~ 239 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationwhich of the commands is to be applied to anygiven situation and which of the commands is to beconsidered abrogated for the time being. Thisnature of the command was earlier determineddirectly by revelation, while now this has to bedetermined by the exercise of ijtihad.Let’s take up another aspect of this subject. Theidolaters were there in Makkah when the Prophetand his companions lived in the city, and it was thesame idolaters who lived in Makkah after themigration of the Prophet up until the conquest ofMadinah.But the policy for dealing with them changed in thesecond of these two phases. History shows that thecommand given in regard to these idolaters in thefirst phase was simply to warn them by adoptingpeaceful means: “Arise and warn, call them to thepath of their Lord with wisdom.” According to thisinjunction, the Prophet and his companions used tovisit those people in Makkah and recite to them theverses of da’wah from the Quran. They used toaddress their gatherings in these words: “Say thereis no God but God and you will earn salvation.”~ 240 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationBut after the migration and the conquest ofMakkah, the situation changed. Now chapter nineof the Quran, titled ‘Repentance’, was revealedwhich conveyed a “declaration of immunity by Godand His Messenger to the idolaters with whom youhave made agreements.”After the revelation of this chapter, when the timeof Hajj (pilgrimage) came, the Prophet sent adelegation of his companions to Makkah to make apublic pronouncement of this declaration from God.From this example we find that when the da’wah orthe communication of the message was required inregard to the idolaters, the verses dealing withda’wah were revealed. In this way, the knowledge ofthe very order of revelation sufficed to indicatewhat had to be done and when.But the position of later-day Muslims is different. Nowthe state of affairs is that the entire Quran is in ourhands in the form of one collected volume, containingboth kinds of verses together. Muslims have, therefore,to discover from their own ijtihad which of theinjunctions are addressed to them in the particular setof circumstances in which they find themselves.~ 241 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationThis is the test of the later-day Muslims. Theirsuccess lies in their ability to discover that particularinjunction which is desirable by God in terms oftheir circumstances. Their failure lies in theirinability to discover this injunction desirable in theirchanged sets of circumstances. For instance, in termsof their actual state of affairs, the verses of patienceand da’wah are applicable to them, yet they arewaging war with other nations by referring to theverses on fighting in the Quran. Such an act on theirpart amounts to their having failed in the divine test.This failure is very grave in nature. This can belikened to a Prophet’s contemporary failing torecognise him as the true Prophet of God. Thedeprivation resulting from this failure is veryserious while the gains resulting from success inrecognizing is very great.THE SECRET OF GUIDANCE AND IGNORANCEThe Quran states, “By it* (the Quran) God causesmany to stray and many He leads into the RightPath.” (2:26)* The Quran~ 242 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationThe Quran is, without doubt, a Truth from God.Then why is it that some find guidance from it,while others are lead astray? The chief reason forthis difference lies in the difference in reference. Ifthe Quran is studied with reference to the correctcontext, the reader will receive guidance. On thecontrary, if the reference is changed, the sameQuran will become the cause of people goingastray.Studying the different parts of Quran in the correctperspective is to study them in the light of thetraditions of the causes of revelation i.e. tounderstand the background of the verses. Anumber of traditions have been recorded in thebooks of Hadith and Tafsir which tell us which verseor verses of the Quran were revealed on whichparticular occasions. These traditions providing thebackground are not only conducive tounderstanding the initial message, but also serve asa reliable guide as regards their correct applicationin later times in similar situations.Studying the Quran with reference to the traditionsof the causes of revelation does not imply that the~ 243 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationQuran was a book of an ephemeral nature. What ismeant is that the initial nature of a commandshould be properly understood in order to discoverits vaster application, so that it may be correctlyapplied at a later date.Most of the injunctions in the Quran are brief innature. For instance, the Quran states:Believers, if an evildoer brings you a piece ofnews, inquire first into its truth, lest youshould wrong others unwittingly and repentof what you have done (49:6).According to the traditions of the causes ofrevelation this verse was revealed following aparticular incident. But the verse neither mentionsthat incident nor the people involved in it. In order,therefore, to understand the actual meaning andmessage of the verse, it is essential to study it in thelight of that particular incident—the cause of therevelation.In this way, that incident mentioned in detail intraditions gives us the knowledge of thebackground in the light of which we can properly~ 244 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationunderstand the real nature of the injunctionrevealed in the concerned verses. When the originalcontext of an injunction is properly understood, theapplication of the same to similar incidents takingplace in later times is greatly facilitated. We are thenable to understand what the Quranic injunctionwould be in a situation which is similar to the onereferred to in the Quran.The verse of the Quran mentioned earlier tells usthat just as the Quran is a source of guidance topeople, so also does it become a source of leadingthem astray. Who are these people who are ledastray? These are the people who do not study theQuran in its proper context. Studying of the Quranin this way means to study it in the light of one’sown whims and desires, instead of in the light ofthe causes of revelation.If we study the verses of the Quran in reference tothe causes of revelation, the reality dawns upon usthat the target of Islam is not to exterminate theopponents of Islam, but rather to help them enterthe fold of Islam by our performing da’wah. This~ 245 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationverse of the Quran gives us a clear guideline in thisregard:“And who is better in speech than one who callsmen to God, works righteously, and says, ‘I am ofthose who surrender to Him.’ Good and evil deedsare not alike. Requite evil with good, and he,between whom and you is enmity, will becomeyour dearest friend. But none will attain this savethose who endure with fortitude and are of thegreatest good fortune. And if a malicious attempt ismade by the devil to tempt you, seek refuge in God.He hears all and knows all.” (41:33-36)Understanding the background to the revelations is,therefore, extremely important in order to receiveguidance from the Quran. If the verses of the Quranare studied without the help of those traditions,each verse will appear to be giving an absolutecommand (an injunction in the absolute sense). Butwhen we study the Quran in the light of thosetraditions which give us the background ofrevelations, we come to know that they had specificapplication. Whenever any difficult situation arose,~ 246 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationduring the lifetime of the Prophet, a revelationwould come in relation to it.In such a state of affairs it is not proper to take anygiven verse of the Quran in an absolute sense andapply it to latter-day situations. It is thereforeessential to study the verses of the Quran in thelight of the causes of revelation. After learning thebackground we can apply them to any similarsituation produced in later times. According to thisprinciple, taking the verses of the Quran in theirproper context is a source of guidance, while doingthe reverse is a source of transgression.In short, the Quran is a compendium of various andvaried kinds of injunctions. For instance, at oneplace we find this injunction in the Quran: “Avoidthe polytheists” (15:94). At another place we willfind this injunction: “Fight against the idolaters asthey fight against you.” (9:16)Both these injunctions are apparently contradictoryto one another. So the question arises as to whichcommand should be followed by a reader of today.~ 247 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its ApplicationThe background to the revelation provides theanswer. All the injunctions in the Quran have beenrevealed on specific occasions. The traditionsdealing with the background of the verses tell uswhich injunction was revealed on which occasion.In this way, by a study of the background of theverses, we can discover the first application of theQuranic injunctions. And when the first applicationis properly understood, having an exact knowledgeof the second application is greatly facilitated. Aproper understanding of the first application pavesthe way for total correctness in the secondapplication.Now what we have to do is, whenever we findourselves in any set of circumstances calling forQuranic solutions, we must make a thorough studyof the traditions dealing with the background of theverses. This will enable us to discover which of theverses were revealed in the Quran (that is, whichinjunction was given to them on that occasion)when the companions of the Prophet were facedwith the same set of circumstances. In this way it isthe element of similarity between the two situationswhich guides us as to which verse or verses are~ 248 ~

Islam Rediscovered13. The Shariah and Its Applicationaddressed to us in the circumstances we are facedwith. That is, in the light of the first application wemust determine the second application.~ 249 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islam14. SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAMWhat is spirituality?—or rabbaniyat, to use theQur’anic term. It is the elevation of the humancondition to a plane on which the mind is focusedon the higher, non-material realities of a godlyexistence. The opposite of spirituality ismaterialism, a course followed all too often in thisworld. One who takes this course, giving all hisattention to worldly things, or to put it another way,who centres his attention on mere appearances, isregarded as being materialistic. Conversely, onewho rises above material things or appearances,who finds his focus of interest in non-materialthings, is regarded as being spiritual or godly. Thelatter is one who obeys the injunction of the Qur’an:“Be devoted servants of God” (3:79) or,alternatively, “O people, be godly servants ofAllah.”To understand what constitutes materialism,imagine that you come across a palatial house, orsee an attractive car being driven along the street. Ifa strong desire is kindled within you to have suchthings in your possession, that is a clear indication~ 250 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamthat materialism is a major motivating factor inyour life. One who sees the same things, butremains unaffected by the notions of luxury thatthey convey, and therefore feels no desire to acquirethem, lives in a more rarefied sphere in whichmaterialism plays no part. He sees no attraction inthe lesser world of material appearances, beingengrossed in the higher realities of the supremelyspiritual life. The truly non-material person is neverinfluenced by superficialities: his soul exists at tooprofound a level of spirituality.This is true, and without any exaggeration. Thosewho live for worldly pleasures believe thatgratification cannot be had except from materialthings. But this thinking is due to sheer ignorance.Worldly pleasure being the only thing they haveexperienced, they imagine that for enjoyment theymust depend solely on material things. Had theyexperienced spiritual pleasure, they would certainlyhave forgotten material pleasure. The pleasure to bederived from material things is limited in natureand very short-lived. Whereas spiritual pleasuremay be eternally savoured.~ 251 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in IslamEating tasty food certainly gives us a sense ofenjoyment. But it is only when the experience ofeating such food results in an outpouring ofthanksgiving to God that our pleasure knows nobounds. Travelling in a modern car is alsoenjoyable, but the pleasure which comes from adeep perception of reality, —i.e. the apprehensionof the indescribably unique power of God asmanifested in the world in the form of cars,aeroplanes and all the other modern amenitiescreated for man’s comfort—is far superior to thatwhich one experiences while travelling in aluxurious automobile.The materialistic person can find pleasure only insomething which he or she actually experiences. Butthe spiritual person lives on a higher plane. Forhim, even seeing things in another’s possessionoccasions an outpouring from the innermostrecesses of his heart of his gratefulness to God.Another’s material pleasure transforms itself into aspiritual pleasure for him as well. A materiallymindedperson sees only the creature, while aspiritually-inclined person sees the splendour of theCreator through the creature. And it is obvious that~ 252 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamthe spiritual riches accruing from the discovery ofthe Creator cannot be gained in the discovery ofmere objects of creation.Furthermore, in the spiritual world there is no greatdifference between comfort and deprivation. Whatone gains from experiences of material pleasure isof far less value than what one gains fromexperiences of deprivation. The tears of painflowing from an aching heart gives far greatersatisfaction than the laughter of happiness. Thegreatest source of pleasure is in the remembrance ofGod. It is this reality which finds expression in thefollowing verse of the Qur’an: “It is only in theremembrance of God that hearts are comforted.”(13:28)Here comfort means not just the temporary solaceto be found in everyday convenience, but the realcomfort with its implications of peace of mind thatcan stem only from God Almighty. Man by natureis an idealistic creature. Anything short of ideal canattract only fitful attention from him, whereas trueand lasting comfort can be achieved only throughthe Perfect Being.~ 253 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in IslamExisting at the level of materialism is likedescending into animality. Materialism is, in otherwords, a form of shallowness. The real man is onewho discovers the secret of living on the elevatedplane of spirituality. If in materialism there is thepleasure of laughter, in spirituality there is thepleasure of pain. If materialism is to live a life oflimitations, spirituality is to live in limitlessness.THE UNIVERSE—A SOURCE OF DIVINEINSPIRATIONThe universe has been fashioned by God in a waythat it may become a source of spiritual inspirationfor man. According to the Qur’an, it is the quality oftawassum (15:75) that enables one to find inspirationin the universe. What is tawassum? It is the ability tounderstand the signs of nature. That is, to observethe phenomena of the universe in order to drawlessons from them and receive spiritualnourishment from physical events.Tawassum is, in a sense, a matter of conversion, on aparallel with grass entering the body of the cow andthrough a natural process being transformed intomilk. Similarly, the truly religious person is like a~ 254 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamdivine industry. He is able to convert physicalevents into spiritual lessons. He extracts spiritualnourishment from material things.The distinguishing feature of the wise peopledescribed in the Qur’an is that, they continuouslyderive such sustenance from their environment,thus maintaining their intellectual and spiritualwell-being. This is elaborated upon in the Qur’an asfollows:“In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and inthe succession of night and day, there are signs formen of understanding; those that remember Godwhen standing, sitting, and lying down, and reflecton the creation of the heavens and the earth(saying): ‘Lord, You have not created these in vain.Glory be to You! Save us from the torment of thefire, Lord.” (3:191)A PERSONAL EXPERIENCEIt was Thursday morning, 17th June 1999. I was inManchester, England, staying in the house of anArab Brother Alaref Ahmad. While I was sitting inmy room on the upper floor, I heard a gentle knock~ 255 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamon the door. When I opened it, I found a child ofabout five years of age. It was Qanita, the first-borndaughter of Brother Alaref. She asked in allinnocence and gentleness, “Do you need anything?”(turidu haja). Perhaps it was her mother who hadsent her, and although this was a simple question, Iwas quite overwhelmed by this innocent voice; tothe extent that I could not utter a single word inreply. This was a normal incident, but in my mind,it became transformed into a supra-normal event.Children are like the flowers of God and littleangels. I felt as if God Himself had sent me an angelto discover and meet my needs.At this moment, a famous hadith came to mind:“Your Lord descends to this worldly haven everyday, looks at His servants and says, ‘Is there anyonewho has a need and asks Me, that I may give it tohim?’” (Muslim).‘Do you need anything?’ was a short question thatcame from an innocent soul, but it was enough tocause a great revolution in my inner being; referredto by modern scholars as ‘brainstorming.’~ 256 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in IslamFor a while, I felt that I could see the whole of theUniverse on the screen of my mind. This was agreat spiritual experience which could not beexpressed in human words. In the beginning, itseemed as though God, through a little angel, wassaying, “O my servant, do you need anything?”Then, the matter extended to include the wholeUniverse with its Heavens and its Earth.In fact, it was only a little girl at the door of myroom, asking, “Do you need anything?” but in itsextended sense, it was as if the whole Universe wasasking the same question.The vast Heaven was saying, “Do you need ashelter? Here I am to provide you with one, becauseGod has ordered me to do so.” The gleaming sunwas saying, “Do you need light? I am here tosupply it and transform your darkness into light.”The majestic mountains were announcing, “Wouldyou like to be on the highest level in all humanity? Iam here at your service to help you attain that highposition.” The flowing water in the river-beds wasmurmuring, “Do you want to have a spiritual bathto purify your soul? I am here to offer you that.”~ 257 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in IslamAnd the gusting wind was asking, “Do you want totour the Universe to see the wondrous signs ofGod? Here is my back for you to ride on to embarkon such a Divine journey.” The trees werewhispering, “Would you like to have a personalityas radiant as ours? We are here to make your wish areality.” The fruits on their branches and the cropsin their husks were declaring, “If you cravenourishment for your intellectual and spiritual life,we are here to provide you with it.”While this reel was playing in my mind, I heardbirds chirping, “O servant of God! Here is goodnews for you: If you have a need, then God hasmade the whole Universe to serve your needs. Godis so generous that He has created the whole of theUniverse to be at your service, day and night. Inaddition to this, if you show thankfulness to God,He will give you what is greater than all of this —Eternal Paradise in which there will be “...neitherfear nor grievance” (6:48).Then, the following Qur’anic verse came to mind:“And He gave you all that you asked for” (14.34).This means that whatever is needed for Man to live~ 258 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islama good life on this Earth has been prepared inadvance by God, directly and indirectly. Horses, forinstance, were directly created; whereas aeroplaneswere provided indirectly. The travelling of the voicethrough the air is an example of direct provision,while its transmission by means of electronicequipment is a form of indirect provision. Perhaps,this is what is meant by the following Qur’anicverse: “And (He has created) horses, mules anddonkeys for you to ride, and as an adornment. AndHe has created (other) things which are beyondyour knowledge” (16:8).God Almighty says, “O you who believe! Eat of thegood things that We have provided for you. And begrateful to God, if it is Him you worship” (2:172).This means that God Almighty has createdeverything, imaginable and unimaginable; greatand small, in the most perfect form. Then, He gaveall this free to Man. The only price to be paid forthese endless blessings is thankfulness; it is Man'srecognition, from the depths of his heart, that Godis the Giver and Man the receiver.~ 259 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in IslamThe Qur’an mentions as examples of God’sbeneficiaries the people of Saba.’ God Almightygave them a sign in the, “two Gardens to the righthand and to the left; (and it was said to them:) ‘Eatof the provision of your Lord, and be grateful toHim: fair is your land and Oft-Forgiving is yourLord’”(34:15). This means that if Man pays theprice—that is, gratitude—then not only will he beallowed to avail of these blessings, but moreimportantly, he will also be rewarded with eternalParadise, which is a perfect version of this presentimperfect world of God.God Almighty bestowed upon Man all thesematerial things which man needs if he is to live agood life on this Earth. All these things are silentlyconveying the following message: “O Man! Are youseeking something greater than all this? Do youwant spiritual peace in addition to material peace?Do you want a world of perfection after thisimperfect world? Would you like to taste theblessings of God in the world of eternity after youhave tasted them in this ephemeral world? Do youwish to have all these comforts as a blessing in theworld to come, after you have had them as a trial in~ 260 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamthis transient world? Would you like to realize yourfull potential after experiencing the limitation ofyour capacities in this present world?”God created a perfect and complete world as aneternal abode for Man. Then, He wanted to knowwho was worthy of inhabiting that eternal world.For this purpose, He created the time-bound andimperfect abode in which we are now living. Thislife, therefore, is only a test. Man is constantlyunder the observation of his Lord. With everyutterance and movement, Man is writing his owneternal destiny. One who, during his pre-deathperiod proves himself through his conductdeserving of that world will, in his post-deathperiod,be rewarded with admission into it. Others,however, will be flung into the Universal junkyard,that is Hell, condemned for all eternity. So, they willlose both worlds, the present incomplete world aswell as the next, perfect and everlasting world.God has revealed Himself in two books — theQur’an and the Universe. The Qur’an is a literalversion of God's word, while the Universe, ornature, is a practical demonstration of it. These two~ 261 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamare the basic sources of spiritual inspiration for aman who seeks to live a life according to the divinescheme.This dual source of divine inspiration is mentionedin the Qur’an in the following verse: “God is Hewho raised the Heavens without visible supports,then He ascended the Throne. He has compelled thesun and the moon to be of service, each pursuing anappointed course; He controls the affairs (of theUniverse); He makes plain His revelations, so thatyou may be certain of the meeting with your Lord”(13:2). So, the Qur’an is like a guidebook. It preparesthe mind so that one may properly understand theUniverse and live in it as desired by God.So, a mu’min (true believer) has precisely that kindof prepared mind. When he sees the Universe withits various parts functioning in an absolutelycoherent manner, he will spontaneously say: “Thereis no god but the one God!” and when he examinesit, he will find that there are so many complexhappenings in its vastness. Nevertheless, he findsthat every part of the universe is highly predictable.With this discovery, he realizes that it is as if God~ 262 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamwas suggesting that he himself should have apredictable character. When he observes that thevarious parts of the Universe function with absoluteharmony, he realises that, in like manner, he shouldlive in complete harmony with society; withouthatred for or malice towards anyone. When he seesthe events of the universe always proceedingtowards a meaningful result, he realises that man’slife, too, must have a meaningful end. Thus heexclaims: “O our Lord! You have not created (all)this without purpose. Glory be to You! Give ussalvation from the torment of Hellfire!” (3:191).In brief, the universe is a manifestation of theAttributes of Almighty God. Hence, it is a source ofspiritual nourishment for those who want to lead adivine life on earth. For them, the whole universebecomes a great means of their reaching spiritualperfection. This spiritual development continuesincessantly throughout their earthly life. As theultimate result of this life-long developmentalprocess, they attain that degree of spirituality whichthe Qur’an calls the ‘Rabbani soul.’ It is such as thesewho, in the life Hereafter, will be told by their most~ 263 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamcompassionate Lord: “Dwell in Paradise; you shallhave no fear, nor shall you grieve.” (7:49)There is nothing mysterious about spirituality inIslam. It is rather the direct result of the kind ofintellectual development that takes place when abeliever ponders over the Creator and His creation:he gains something in the process that may betermed spirituality. The source, therefore, of Islamicspirituality is perusal and reflection rather than anysort of mysterious exercise.That is why the Qur’an rejects asceticism(monasticism), referring to it as a bida‘a (innovation)in religion which God did not prescribe for people.(57:27)From the Qur’an we learn that, in the very creationof the universe, the signs of God lie hidden allaround us. A person who is in a state of keenawareness when he reflects upon the things of theworld comes to see the Creator in the creatures. Themeaning of the creation of the Universe is laid barebefore him. Ultimately, the universe becomes apermanent source of spiritual inspiration. He iscontinuously nourished by it during his worldly~ 264 ~

Islam Rediscovered14. Spirituality in Islamexperience, and his observation of the universeawakens in him latent divine qualities.The result of this observation and contemplation ofthe universe does not result in his shunning normallife. Far from withdrawing from the world, he livesin it, participating in all its activities; yet despite hisinvolvement, he remains aloof. That is to say,although he fulfills all his duties andresponsibilities, his heart is not attached to worldlyaffairs. He appears to live in the world, but hestands apart from it. Thanks to this state of hisheart, he acquires tremendous spiritual gains. TheProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, saysof such individuals:“God plants wisdom in the heart of one whoshows disinclination for the world.”There is life for man in spirituality: this is indeedthe real life for man.~ 265 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wah15. PRESERVATION, UPDATING,DA‘WAHAddressing the Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, God Almighty has declared: We havesent you forth as a mercy to all mankind. (21:107).Similarly, the Qur’an states:Blessed be He who has revealed Al-Furqan(the criterion), that is, the Qur’an, to Hisservant, so that he may be a warner to allmankind. (25:1)In another chapter the Qur’an says: “We have sentyou forth to all mankind, so that you may give themgood news and warn them.” (34:28)These passages in the Qur’an tell us that the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, was sent for allhumanity and for all present and future generations.He was appointed by God Almighty to give a divinelead to all mankind, and this process has to becontinued, generation after generation, till the lastday of the world. During his lifetime he fulfilled thisduty directly and, after his death, this task has to be~ 266 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahcontinued indirectly through his Ummah. The task tobe performed by later generations has been divided,basically, into three categories:(a) Process of Preservation,(b) Process of Updating,(c) Process of da’wahThe goal of the first process is to keep the bookbrought by the Prophet intact in its original form,generation after generation. There must be nohuman interpolations and none of its parts shouldbe destroyed.The first major step in the process of preservationwas undertaken, after the passing away of theProphet, during the life of the first Caliph, Abu BakrSiddiq. At that time tens of thousands of thecompanions of the Prophet had learnt the completeQur’an by heart. It was thus completely preservedin human memory.But as far as the writing of the Qur’an wasconcerned, it existed only in fragments on differentkinds of writing materials. The first Caliphs,~ 267 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahtherefore, engaged scholars of the Qur’an fromamongst the companions to prepare a singlevolume of the Qur’an. By employing the doublechecking system, that is, the Qur’an as memorizedwas checked with the Qur’an in its written formand the Qur’an in written form was checked withthe Qur’an preserved in human memory. Thus thefirst Caliph prepared the first bound volume of theQur’an, which served as the standard copy. All thelater copies of the Qur’an were made from thisoriginal volume.Thus, the Qur’an was preserved by following thedouble method—writing and memorizing,generation after generation, until it reached the ageof the printing press, whereupon any possibility ofhuman interpolation in the text was ruled out.CONTRIBUTION OF MUHADDITHIN(SCHOLARS OF HADITH)In addition to this, a huge number of eminentMuslim scholars arose among the first fewgenerations of Islam to prepare a totally authenticand unparalleled historical record generally knownas Hadith, Sirah and Maghazi. Within a surprisingly~ 268 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahshort period of time, they produced a vast andsystematic body of literature that contains almosteach word uttered by the Prophet, every actiondone by him, anything approved of or disapprovedof by him, including other chronological detailsabout his companions and the succeedinggenerations. This literature, as a whole, is rightlyconsidered to be the second basic source of Islamafter the Qur’an. The authentic part of Hadithliterature coupled with the Qur’an, provides an allinclusivetext of Islamic ideology. Thus, by both thesources having been committed to writing, theoriginal version of Islam has been so perfectly andpermanently preserved, that until the coming ofdoomsday, anybody can at any time confirm howIslamic teachings were revealed from God, and thenhow they were explained and practised by theProphet and his companions.RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONSRight from the days of the companions of theProphet up till the present times the majority ofMuslims, both rulers and ruled, have shown thegreatest of interest in and concern about imparting a~ 269 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahtheoretical as well as a practical knowledge of Islamto their offspring. For the purpose of learning how topractise Islam in day-to-day life in accordance withthe prophetic role model, numerous institutionscame into existence. The religious schools of thetraditional type was called a Madrasa, while thespiritual training centre was called a Takya. Startingin the remote past and continuing right up to thepresent day, a tremendous network of such religiousinstitutions has proliferated all over the Muslimworld, and in recent times has been marked withrenewed vigour and vitality. Without doubt theseinstitutions have been successful in at least one oftheir fundamental objectives, that is, to preserve andtransmit the practical form or applied aspect of Islamfrom generation to generation. In the presentcentury, the same purpose has also been achieved bya number of other religious organizations andmovements. The movement of Tabligh may be citedhere as an example.UPDATINGThe second point in this connection is the process ofupdating. The religion handed down by the Prophet~ 270 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahremains one and the same. However, since thesituations in human society are subject to change, itbecomes essential that the original religion (al-din)could be reapplied to changing sets ofcircumstances. For instance, the shariah permittedthe touching of leather socks with wet hands forpurification instead of the normal washing of feetduring ablution. Now when socks made of artificialfibres came to be used, the question arose as towhether doing masah (rubbing with water) waslawful or not. Then it became necessary to re-applythe old injunction to the new situation; after theexercise of ijtihad, permission was given to do masahon these socks.In every age the necessity arises of re-applyingdivine injunctions. And this has happened inmodern times on a large scale. In ancient times, warwas a means of settling conflicts, but with theinvention of the latest deadly weapons, war todayserves no positive purpose. Now power lies inpeace alone. Such is the state of affairs that thecommands of war in Islam require a reapplication.In days gone by, kingship, whereby the rulerunilaterally possessed absolute power, was the~ 271 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahorder of the day. Now it is the age of democracy,which is another name for the politics of powersharing.Changed situations in every age demand thatefforts be made towards adaptation of theinjunctions of Islam to meet new exigencies. This isthe way that the Islamic shariah continues to beupdated. This task of updating is performedthrough ijtihad, a process which, in any community,requires creative thinking. And the essentialcondition for creative thinking lies in people havingfull freedom of expression, including that ofcriticism. This is why Islam has accorded suchfreedom to everyone, an atmosphere in whicheverything and everyone is open to criticism thatcreativity is developed. Creative minds alone canperform the task of ijtihad at the highest level.Where there is no such open intellectualatmosphere, the process of mental developmentwill come to a halt and that of updating as well.UPDATING: REAPPLICATION OF SHARIAHAccording to the Qur’an, there are two major partsof Islam—religion (din) and the law (Shariah). Din or~ 272 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahal-din is basic and absolute, always remaining thesame, without the slightest change. It is obligatoryfor all believers, whatever the circumstances, andentails belief in the One God, and the worship ofHim alone. The Shariah, on the other hand, maydiffer, depending upon times and places.On the subject of al-din the Qur’an has this to say:He has ordained for you the same din which Heenjoined on Nuh (Noah) and which We haverevealed to you and which we enjoined on Ibrahim(Abraham) and Isa (Jesus) (saying): Observe this dinand be not divided therein. (42:13).On the other hand, there is another verse of theQur’an which tells us that the shariat given todifferent prophets were not always identical. TheQur’an states:We have ordained a law (Shariah) and a pathfor each of you. And had God so willed Hewould have made you all a single community,but He wanted to try you by what He hadgiven you. Vie with each other then in goodworks, for to God you shall all return and hewill resolve for you your differences. (5:48)~ 273 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahThe Shariah, or external structure of the commandsof Islam, and the minhaj, or method varied fromprophet to prophet, but only in a partial, not a totalsense. It should be borne in mind also that suchdifferences as these were related not to individualprophets but to the changed situations. Thedifferent circumstances of the times each prophetlived in were taken into account in the commandsthey were given in terms of the Shariah and minhaj.These variations were based on the practicalwisdom rather than related to the person of aparticular prophet. That is why this principle ofShariah is valid even today.The principle of the change in situations governingpartial and temporal alterations in the Shariah andminhaj is duly adopted. While in the past thischange was carried out through the Prophet,modifications are now arrived at through ijtihad andcarried into effect by the Islamic scholars.That task in reality is not synonymous withbringing about a change in the shariah but it is onlya reapplication of the shariah in terms of alteredcircumstances. The task of effecting such~ 274 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahreapplication, which was undertaken in the past,will in like manner, continue to be carried out in thefuture. It is this process of continual adjustmentwhich helps to keep Islam permanently updated.DA’WAHThe third requirement for this continuation of theProphetic mission is da’wah work. That is, tocommunicate the message of the Prophet to allpeople in all ages.Though this da’wah work is carried out by humanbeings, it is, in fact, a divine task. That is why theQur’an has called it nusrat of God i.e., helping theAlmighty (3:52).According to the Qur’an, da’wah work means tomake oneself nasih and amin, that is, an honest andsincere well-wisher of all. (7:68)In short, it is to become wholly honest in relation toGod and to feel and evince total goodwill towardsall of one’s fellow men. Da’wah work can beproperly performed only by meeting this standard.One important condition for the performance of~ 275 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahda’wah work is patience. This virtue wasexemplified by the conduct of the early da‘is: “Wewill exercise patience regardless of the harminflicted upon us.” (Qur’an, 14:12)This verse of the Qur’an tells us of the character ofthe da‘i. The da‘i in relation to the mad’u adopts theattitude of patience unilaterally. He continues hisprocess of da’wah work in a peaceful mannerdespite provocation from the other party. This is anextremely essential condition. If the da‘i is provokedby the behaviour of the madu, the normalatmosphere between da‘i and mad’u will bedisturbed,—and the whole process of da’wah workwill be ruined. It goes without saying that aconducive atmosphere is necessary for thesuccessful carrying out of da’wah action.The most important aspect of this da’wah work isthat through it God’s message continues to becommunicated to people in every age. Anotheraspect, no less important, is that people fromdifferent spheres continue to enter the fold of Islam.It is like the introduction of new blood into thebeliever. In this way the Muslim community saves~ 276 ~

Islam Rediscovered15. Preservation, Updating, Da‘wahitself from the natural process of degeneration. Thisis the only way of keeping the Muslim communityrevitalized at all times. On the other hand, the morethe true message of Islam spreads through theda’wah process around the globe, the more itstextual, ideological and practical preservation isensured, and the more Islam gains from theenlightenment and genius of freshly initiatedminds—a factor which will keep its teachingsupdated for the generations to come.~ 277 ~

Islam Rediscovered16. Islam Stands the Test of History16. ISLAM STANDS THE TEST OFHISTORYIslam claims to be an eternal religion. Any claim ofthis kind invites people to judge its validity onhistorical grounds. If latter day history testifies to itsclaim, it stands endorsed, otherwise it must berejected. Marxism in the 20th century is a clear-cutexample of historical rejection. According to hisconcept of historical determinism, Karl Marx heldthat modern industrial capitalism bore within it theseeds of its own destruction. He further observedthat according to its own inherent laws its antithesiswould emerge which would destroy it. Whereupona new synthesis would come into being. But, quitecontrary to his prediction, industrial capitalism hasnot only survived, but is making great progress.Historical events have thus buried Marxist theory.Then there is the case of Adolph Hitler who madegrandiose claims that Germans were the “masterrace” and were destined to rule all Europe. The routof Hitler and his Nazi party at the end of WorldWar II put paid to all such theorizing.~ 278 ~

Islam Rediscovered16. Islam Stands the Test of HistoryBut the case of Islam is quite different. Even after aperiod of one thousand five hundred years, Islamhas suffered no erosion of its validity. The wellknown British historian, Edward Gibbon, describesthe rise and expansion of Islam as “one of the mostmemorable revolutions which has impressed a newand lasting character on the nations of the globe.”An Indian historian, M.N. Roy, has observed:“Muhammad must be recognized as by far thegreatest of all prophets, before or after him.” Hegoes on to say that “the expansion of Islam is themost miraculous of all miracles.” (The Historical Roleof Islam, pp. 4-5)The American writer, Michael Heart, in his book,“The 100” has made a selection of the 100 mostinfluential persons in history, who have achievedthe most outstanding success in this world. Right atthe top of this list is the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, of whom the author writes:He was the only man in history who wassupremely successful on both the religiousand secular levels.~ 279 ~

Islam Rediscovered16. Islam Stands the Test of HistoryThe great success that Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, had predicted for his mission atthe very outset exactly came true. This too, in spiteof the stiff opposition which Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, faced right from the beginning,both from within his own family and from theoutside world. This was in 610 AD, the year whenhe first started receiving divine revelations. At thisstage he felt totally helpless. But then, in thisadverse situation, he received a revelation fromGod, which said:They want to extinguish God’s light with theirmouths. But God will perfect His light, eventhough the unbelievers may detest it. It is Hewho has sent His Messenger with guidanceand the Religion of Truth, so that He mayexalt it over all religions, much as the pagansmay dislike it. (61:8-9)At the very beginning of his prophetic career, theQur’an declared that Muhammad, may peace beupon him, would certainly succeed in his mission.All his opponents, however powerful they mightbe, would ultimately be defeated. (This is pointed~ 280 ~

Islam Rediscovered16. Islam Stands the Test of Historyout at several places in the Qur’an in differentwording). In history we find numerouspersonalities who began their work with toweringclaims, but none of them achieved the envisionedsuccess. Throughout human history, the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, is the onlyexception to this rule, in that his predictions werefulfilled to the fullest extent.Through the efforts of the Prophet and hiscompanions, a unique event took place: startingfrom scratch, they succeeded in extending theirinfluence to the entire populated world of that age.During this brief period, they not only conqueredArabia but also succeeded in crushing the two greatempires of their time—the Roman and the Sassanid.This exceptional phase in history has been almostuniversally acknowledged by historians.The Qur’an was revealed prior to the modern age ofknowledge, yet fourteen hundred years ago, at thetime of revelation, the Qur’an declared that theproof of its being divine in origin lay in its being incomplete accordance with historical facts and in itsremaining consistent with discoveries made~ 281 ~

Islam Rediscovered16. Islam Stands the Test of Historycontemporaneously and at all future times.Advances may be made in human knowledge, butthey will never contradict Qur’anic statements. To aremarkable degree, latter day history has testified tothis. While many statements contained in all theancient books have been at loggerheads with thelatest scientific discoveries, the Qur’an is unique insteering clear of all such contradictions.As the Qur’an says: “Do they not ponder on theQur’an? had it been from other than God, theywould surely have found therein muchdiscrepancy.” (4:82). (The word “discrepancy” heremeans inconsistency, that is, a Qur’anic statementnot agreeing with eternal knowledge).Much has been written on this aspect of the Qur’anin modern times. The French scientist, MauriceBucaille, has shown in detail in his book, The Bible,the Qur’an and Modern Science, how the statementscontained in the Qur’an are astonishingly in exactaccordance with the discoveries of modern science.This shows that the Qur’an perfectly comes up tothe scientific standards.~ 282 ~

Islam Rediscovered16. Islam Stands the Test of HistoryThis development of human knowledge in favourof the Qur’anic contents is no mere accident. It isanother historical proof that the Qur’an is a bookrevealed by the Creator of the Universe, whoseknowledge is not bound by the limitations of spaceand time. Hence we find in the Qur’an a uniqueprediction to this effect:We will soon show them our signs in theUniverse and in their own souls, until theyclearly see that it is the truth. (41:53)After completing his comparative study of theQur’an and modern science, Maurice Bucaillecomes to this conclusion:In view of the level of knowledge inMuhammad’s day, it is inconceivable thatmany of the statements in the Qur’an whichare connected with science could have beenthe work of a man. It is moreover, perfectlylegitimate, not only to regard the Qur’an asthe expression of a Revelation, but also toaward it a very special place, on account ofthe guarantee of authenticity it provides andthe presence in it of scientific statements~ 283 ~

Islam Rediscovered16. Islam Stands the Test of Historywhich, when studied today, appear as achallenge to explanation in human terms.(p. 252)To sum up, there is no other scripture that, havingchallenged all of mankind to disprove itsauthenticity as the Qur’an did, finally gained totalrational support for its supernatural origin andveracity, even from its bitterest opponents. Andthere is no other historic figure whose futuresuccess was as uncertain as that of the ProphetMuhammad, who was finally crowned with suchsupreme success.~ 284 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Vision17. PROPHETIC VISIONThe Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,was born in 570 in Makkah, the power centre ofArabia, and died in Madinah in 632 A.D. His fatherAbdullah, died prior to his birth. His mother,Amina, also died soon after his birth. There wasnothing extraordinary in his external circumstances.But, from his very childhood, his personalityreflected extraordinary character. On seeing him,his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, used to remarkthat this grandson of his would reach a high placein life.Chapters 93 and 94 of the Qur’an briefly describethe circumstances of his early years, and assert that,God took special care of him. In his youth when hewent in search of truth, God gave him guidancethrough revelation. His livelihood was provided forwhen one of the wealthy ladies of Makkah, havingbecome impressed by his extraordinary personalityand character, desired to marry him. Besides, theProphet was specially gifted with a vision thatwould enable him to recognise favourable~ 285 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionopportunities, and turn every disadvantage toadvantage.The well known German psychologist Alfred Adlerin his book, The Individual Psychology has writtenthat, after studying human beings all his life, thegreatest potential he found in them was “theirpower to turn a minus into a plus.”Throughout human history, the greatest example ofthis human potential coupled with vision is to befound in the Prophet Muhammad. This uniquequality in him has been acknowledged by historiansin diverse ways. For instance, British writer, Mr.E.E. Kellet writes: “Muhammad faced adversitywith the determination to wring success out offailure.”The Prophet’s vision was on a totally different planefrom that possessed by the common man. It wouldbe true to say that such extraordinary vision hasnever been found in a person who is not a Prophet.The extraordinary nature of this vision is a proof initself that it was not a human quality in the simplesense, but that he had received it, in a special sense,~ 286 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionfrom the Almighty whose knowledge encompassespast, present and future.As an illustration of this, we mention someincidents from the life of the Prophet. These eventsare not just proofs of his personal superiority but, intheir essence, they also provide proof of the fact thatthe Prophet was an inspired person, who hadreceived knowledge directly from God—aknowledge the acquisition of which is not possiblefor an ordinary man.ENVISIONING THE FUTUREHow great was this vision of the Prophet can bejudged by an incident in the early period of hisprophethood in Makkah. It should first beexplained that the Makkans regarded him as beingso insignificant that instead of calling himMuhammad, son of Abdullah, they ridiculed himby calling him Muhammad the son of Abu Kabsha.’(Abu Kabsha was a shepherd in Makkah, whosewife had been Muhammad’s, may peace be uponhim, wet nurse.) In these apparently ordinary andunpropitious circumstances, his vision wasnevertheless on so high a plane that, when in the~ 287 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionearly years of his prophethood, the Makkan leadersgathered at the house of Abu Talib, the Prophet’suncle, to ask the Prophet what it was that he aspiredto, he replied with complete determination: I wantonly one word from you, if you are willing to givethat, you will come to possess the whole of Arabiaand all the other parts of the world will surrenderbefore you. (Hayat As Sahaba, 1/56)The day the Prophet made this pronouncement, hewas all alone in the world, without a single soul tosupport him. To those who lacked insight he had nofuture, yet he could visualize something whichappeared inconceivable to others. Today we allknow that these words uttered by him became apart of history. Within barely twenty-three years ofthe commencement of his mission, the whole ofArabia was brought into the fold of Islam, while inthe next two decades the Roman and the Sassanidempires, —the two great empires of the world, —had surrendered before his followers. These eventswere so astonishing that historians have called themthe greatest miracle of human history. In the wordsof historian M.N. Roy:~ 288 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic VisionEvery Prophet established his pretension bythe performance of miracles. By that tokenMuhammad must be recognized as by far thegreatest of all Prophets, before or after him.The expansion of Islam is the most miraculousof all miracles. (Historical Role of Islam, p.4)SEEING AN ADVANTAGE AMIDSTDISADVANTAGESAfter attaining to prophethood, the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, lived inMakkah for thirteen years. This was the mostdifficult period of his life: only a few of theMakkans believed in him. While the majority—especially the leaders—put up stiff opposition to hisideas. They created all kinds of hardship for himand his companions, even killing some of them;placed a total boycott on him along with his family;deprived him of tribal protection, and resolved tokill the Prophet himself, in order to wipe out Islamforever etc.In those days the circumstances appeared to beextremely disadvantageous. It was a tribal age. Itwas held that the actual power of an individual lay~ 289 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionin his male child, and since the Prophet had no son,his opponents used to call him ‘abtar’ (rootless), thatis, he had no future. In these apparently desperatecircumstances, the Prophet replied: “God haspromised me a town which will swallow up allother towns, people call it Yathrib, but it isMadinah.” (Muwatta Imam Malik, 641).What in essence he was saying was that God haddecreed that he leave Makkah for another town, atown which would form the centre of his missionand which would then become so powerful as to“swallow up” all other towns. This was a figurativeway of saying that all the nations of the worldwould surrender to it. This observation appearedstrange, coming as it did from one who had becomepersona non grata in his own home town, Makkah,and who was now apparently living in the moststraitened circumstances.When the Prophet migrated from Makkah toMadinah, he did not even have a pair of shoes onhis feet; hiding himself in this state from theMakkan leaders he reached Madinah. CalledYathrib in those days, was a town attached with no~ 290 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionimportance. However in that same Arabia whereMakkah had become so inhospitable to him,Madinah proved to be quite the reverse. Almost allits inhabitants entered the fold of Islam, andmoreover, the Muslims scattered outside theperiphery began to settle within the town. In thisway, Madinah became a powerful centre of Islam.Within the space of a few years, his missionflourished there, then it spread to all the othertowns in Arabia. Ultimately, the whole of Arabiaentered the fold of Islam.Given the distressing nature of the circumstances inMakkah, it took great insight on the part of theProphet to see what the future held for him inMadinah, which was situated at a distance of 300miles from Makkah. The fact that he foresaw a greatfuture there, is proof of his quite remarkable vision.Apparently, the inhabitants of both the towns,Makkah and Madinah, were idolators, yet there wasa basic difference between the two: in Makkah,people’s material interests were linked withidolatry, whereas, for the Madinans, idolatry was~ 291 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visiononly an ancestral heritage; it had no othersignificance.Due to the shortage of water in Makkah, agricultureand horticulture did not exist there. Idolatry,however, provided one of the greatest sources ofthe townspeople’s livelihood. The Makkans hadplaced in the Kabah idols numbering 360, belongingto all the Arabian tribes. These Arabian tribes usedto visit Kabah to worship their idols where they alsooffered devotional presents. Due to their visit ingreat numbers the business in Makkah prospered.By the visit of these devotees, Makkans benefited inalmost the same manner as countries benefitnowadays from the visit of tourists on a large scale.Furthermore, since the Makkans were thecustodians of this idolatrous system, they had cometo acquire the position of political leadership of thewhole of Arabia. Abandoning idolatry, therefore,appeared to them to be synonymous with thecollapse of their politics and economics.Whereas the situation in Madinah was quitedifferent. There was water and fertile soil. By meansof agriculture and horticulture, its inhabitants easily~ 292 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionmanaged to secure their livelihood. Therefore, theywere not afraid that if they abandoned idolatry formonotheism, their economy would be ruined. Thatexplains the difference in the response from thepeople belonging to the two cities. Where theMakkans vigorously opposed the call ofmonotheism given by the Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, the Madinans, soon aftertheir first introduction to the religion ofmonotheism, abandoned idol worship and acceptedIslam without any hesitation.To understand this difference between Makkah andMadinah and to judge that Madinah rather thanMakkah would provide the strongest ladder toprogress called for keen perception. Thisassessment made by the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, is a living proof of theprofundity of his vision, and is literally testified toby history.INTRODUCING PEACE AS THE MOSTPOWERFUL WEAPONThe period in which the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, was born was one of war and~ 293 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionconflict. Throughout the world the sword wasregarded as the sign of power. The Arabs had asaying: The greatest check of war is war. In thisconnection the Prophet observed: “God grants tonon-violence what he does not grant to violence.”(Al-Tirmidhi)In the conditions prevailing fifteen hundred yearsago such observations seemed extraordinary. Suchsentiments were so highly at odds with the timesthat words of this nature could be uttered only byone whose mind had not been moulded by hisimmediate circumstances, but had been inspiredrather by some higher source of knowledge. Boththe initial as well as the later period of Islam testifycompletely to the principle of inspiration.During the life of the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, the Quraysh, who enjoyed theleadership of Arabia, turned so hostile to him thatthey went to the extent of waging war against him.According to the books of seerah, the Qurayshwanted to embroil him in minor or major battles onmore than eighty occasions. But the Prophet did hisbest not to engage in hostilities by adopting a~ 294 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionpeaceful policy. For instance, on the occasion of theAhzab encounter, the Prophet set up a buffer in theform of a trench between him and his enemies.Then on the occasion of Hudaybiya, when it cameto making a peace treaty with the enemy, theProphet, accepted all the conditions set by them.During the 23-year period of his prophethood, theProphet, physically encountered his antagonistsonly on three occasions—at Badr, Uhud andHunayn, where conflict had become totallyunavoidable. Each of these three engagementslasted for only half a day. This means that theProphet fought for only one and a half daysthroughout his life, with the total casualtiesamounting to not more than 130 from both sides.The winning over of such an aggressive andbelligerent people with so little bloodshed had beenpossible only because the Prophet always used tolay stress on the power of peace.Arabia had been conquered during the lifetime ofthe Prophet. The wars that took place in this processtook a toll of less than one hundred and fiftypeople. This revolution brought about by the~ 295 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic VisionProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, wasindeed a bloodless revolution. And this bloodlessrevolution became possible only because he actedon his belief in the power of peace.In the later centuries of Islam, too, this peaceformula was followed. That is why Islam achievedsuch great successes. One prominent example ofthis matter is provided by an event which tookplace in the thirteenth century. During this periodthe barbaric Mongol tribes rose from Turkistan anddevastated the entire Muslim empire right fromSamarqand to Aleppo. The grand AbbasidCaliphate vanished altogether.In those days the Muslims’ political and militarypower had so greatly weakened that the sayingspread among them that if you were told that theMongols had been defeated, you should not believeit. It was in this situation that the Islamic policy ofpeace performed a miracle. Muslim men andMuslim women rose to the occasion, engagingthemselves in peaceful da’wah work. The result wasmiraculous, within a period of 50 years the scenewas completely changed. In the words of the~ 296 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic VisionQur’an (41:34), the enemies had been turned intoclose friends. The majority of the Mongols had beenbrought into the fold of Islam.“The Religion of Muslims had conquered wheretheir arms had failed.” (The Preaching of Islam, byT.W. Arnold). As another historian has put it: “Theconquerors had accepted the religion of theconquered.”The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,held that the power of peace was far greater thanthe power of violence, and on many occasions, heand his followers successfully put this into practice.As a result this concept of peace, as opposed toviolence, influenced the course of events at the timeand continued to have an impact on latergenerations. In present times this thinking hasassumed the status of a permanent socialphilosophy. Many prominent thinkers are itsadvocates. For instance, it was this principle ofpeaceful activism on which Mahatma Gandhi basedhis movement of non-violence and with this powerof non-violence the freedom movement successfullyachieved its target. Then it was this same principle~ 297 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionby which the South African leader Nelson Mandelabecame successful in his political movement insupport of the blacks against the whites.The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,was born in the second half of the sixth century AD.It was an age of constant skirmishing. In those dayspeople resorted to violence, regardless of the issue,for they knew of no other solution to theirproblems. In such an atmosphere the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, declared thatthe power of peace was far greater than the powerof violence. This peaceful activism could have beenunderstood only by one whose vision was soprofound as to enable him to penetrate appearancesin order to see reality, one of rare insight, able topenetrate the present and see the future. As weknow in present times, the invention and use of thelatest weapons of war have only increased thedestructiveness of war or violence. In no way dothey herald success or victory for anyone. On theother hand, advances in modern science andtechnology e.g. today’s communications systems,have to a hitherto unimaginable extent, provedstrongly supportive of the peaceful method.~ 298 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic VisionThese extraordinary possibilities which lay hiddenin the darkness of the future, fifteen hundred yearsago required an exceptional vision. This observationof the Prophet serves, undoubtedly, as a vital proofof this vision.HIS WORDS DETERMINE THE COURSE OFHISTORYHow extraordinary was the Prophet’s declarationrecorded as follows in books of hadith: “The chain ofprophethood and messengership has beenterminated and after me neither a prophet nor amessenger will be sent by God” (Sahih Muslim). Inaddition to his having said that there would be noprophet after him, this was also clearly stated in theQur’an. (33:40)Such a declaration had never been made beforehim, nor was it ever made after him. It is all themore astonishing that these words have become amatter of history. No one has so far dared to claimto be a prophet of God.Certain personalities have been named inconnection with the prophethood, but this is~ 299 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visioncertainly not right. These spiritual personalitieshave never made a claim in clear terms such as theProphet Muhammad did: No doubt, I am a Prophetof God. (Ibn Hisham)The first instance in this connection is that ofMusailama of Yamama (Arabia), a contemporary ofthe Prophet, who died in 633 AD. It is said that heclaimed prophethood. But the fact is that his claimwas not that of being an independent Prophet butrather of being a co-sharer in the Prophethood ofMuhammad. He sent to the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, in Madinah atwo-member delegation who brought with them aletter from him in which it was clearly stated: “Ihave been made a partner in this matter ofprophethood with him (Muhammad).” (Seerat ibnHisham, p. 244)This makes it evident that Musailama had neverclaimed independent prophethood. His claim, infact, was that of having been appointed as a partner.This means that he himself referred the matter ofprophethood to the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, himself. That is to say, that only~ 300 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionif the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,testified to the veracity of his claim could he be heldtruthful. Since the Prophet did not so testify,Musailama’s claim stands nullified.Similarly, the Sikh religion is attributed to GuruNanak, who was born in the Punjab. His devoteesfor their part sometimes call him a “messenger.”Guru Nanak himself never claimed that he was aProphet of God. The book, the Guru Grantha Sahab,the sacred book of Sikhism, attributed to GuruNanak, is actually a collection of work by differentpeople. Nowhere in this book, is it mentioned thatGuru Nanak regarded himself as God’s messengeror claimed to be one. This being so, including himin the list of prophets is not worthy ofconsideration.Then there is the Iranian born Bahaullah (d. 1892),who is regarded as a prophet by his followers. Thereligion based on his teachings is known as theBahai faith. Now the question is ‘Did he claim to bea Prophet of God?’Events show that he never claimed either verballyor in writing to be a Prophet of God. His sole claim,~ 301 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic Visionaccording to the Bahai records, was that he was aMahadi (Guided Person) and the manifestation ofthe unknowable God—Mazhar-e-Haq. (EB-732).The declaration of the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, that he was the last Prophet stillremains unquestioned. The case of Bahaullah doesnot even figure in the list. For he never claimed tobe a Prophet of God. What he claimed, rightly orwrongly, was something else, having nothing to do,directly with the declaration of the Prophet of God.Another example is that of the India born MirzaGhulam Ahmad Qadiani (d. 1908), regarded bysome as a prophet. But, according to the historicallyestablished record, this attribution has no sanctionin the works of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani.Therefore, he cannot be included in the list ofprophets for he never pronounced himself to be aProphet of God. On the contrary what he claimed,was that he was a shadow of the ProphetMuhammad. He never projected himself as anindependent Prophet. He thus left it entirely to theProphet Muhammad either to validate or nullify hisposition in terms of prophethood.~ 302 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic VisionAs mentioned above, the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, declared that after him noProphet or messenger would come until Doomsday.This means that after him neither a dependent noran independent Prophet was to come to the world.The truth is that to say: “I am a Prophet” is moredifficult than putting a mountain on one’s head.Such words can be uttered either by one who is aProphet of God in the real sense or by one who isinsane. No third person can let this claim fall fromhis lips.I have had two personal experiences in this regard,one pertains to Guru Gurbachan Singh (d.1980) andthe other to Sree Karunakara Guru of Shantigiri,Trivandrum (d. May 6, 1999). The devotees of bothholy men told me that their respective gurus wereProphets of God. I said that it was the guru whohad the knowledge of being a Prophet of God, andnot his devotees. Therefore, the question ofconsidering such a claim seriously arose only whenthe concerned person uttered these words: “I amGod’s Prophet.” So long as these words were notspoken by the concerned person, the case was notworthy of consideration.~ 303 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic VisionIn the case of Guru Gurbachan Singh of Delhi, chiefof Nirankari mission, some of his devotees visitedmy office and claimed that their guru was theProphet of the time. I said that if they believed thatto be true, I would come to see their guru, and theywere to ask him actually to make the assertion thathe was a Prophet of God. They said that they wouldrequest their guru to do so and that he wouldcertainly utter these words in my presence. I furtheradded that on that occasion I shall not debate hisclaim. After listening to those words from the lips ofthe guru, I would come back without questioning it.The devotees talked to their guru, and fixed thedate and the time. At the appointed hour I went tothe Sant Nirankari Mandal (New Delhi), where Iwas ushered into the Guru’s chamber. His devoteestoo were present along with me. Their faces showedthat they were convinced that the guru would utterthe desired words. I stayed with the guru for aboutan hour. He continued to talk to me about hismission all this while, but he never uttered thesewords. For I had given my word to his devoteesthat I would neither question him nor enter into anydebate, so after waiting for one hour, I finally left.~ 304 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic VisionIn the other case, that of Sree Karunakara Guru ofShantigiri, a group of his devotees came fromTrivandrum to Delhi, where they visited our centreand told me that their guru was a Prophet of God. Itold them that I wanted to hear these words fromthe lips of the Guru. They invited me to theirAshram at Shantigiri and assured me that theirguru would certainly utter these words.I went to Trivandrum in February 1999. There I metthe Guru at the Shantigiri Ashram, which is locatedabout 20 km. away from the Trivandrum airport.This meeting took place in a spacious room, inwhich many of his devotees and some foreigners,men and women, were also present. These devoteeswere either standing or sitting on the carpet. TheGuru reclined on a bed, beside which a chair wasplaced for me.Thus the distance between the guru and me wasabout less than one meter. Since the guru did notknow Hindi, the conversation took place in English.After some introductory remarks, I came to thepoint and asked him directly:~ 305 ~

Islam Rediscovered17. Prophetic VisionDo you claim that you are a Prophet of God inthe same sense in which Moses, Jesus andMuhammad claimed to be Prophets of God?A silence fell for a few seconds after my question,then the guru replied quite clearly: “No, I make nosuch claim.” Afterwards there was no need forfurther questions on this topic. I talked to him abouthis mission for some time, then took his leave afterreceiving his special parshad—an orange.To conclude, we may confidently assert that theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, wasendowed with such divine vision as enabled him tovisualize the future very clearly. That is the secretbehind all his religious, social and politicalachievements. It is no wonder then that, by thevirtue of this vision, he was also able to predict thecontinuing ideological supremacy of hisprophethood—to the extent that the history itselfhas refused, and will refuse credibility to any laterideological counter claims, be they made inprophetic or non-prophetic terms.~ 306 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activism18. ISLAMIC ACTIVISMAddressing the Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, the Qur’an enjoins: “Therefore, bear uppatiently as did the steadfast apostles before you.Bear up with patience and do not seek to hurry ontheir doom.” (46:35)That is, showing restraint in adverse situations andrefraining from negative reaction form the basicprinciples of Islamic activism. This means that, inunfavourable situations, no emotional move ismade; rather, by avoiding the path of reaction andretaliation, actions are planned on the basis ofrealism.This principle can briefly be called positiveactivism. That is, without interfering with theprevailing state of affairs, one should try to discoveropportunities as they occur and avail of them. Toinitiate one’s actions by challenging the status quoamounts to choosing a negative starting point. Onthe other hand, maintaining the status quo andavailing of all opportunities which presentthemselves amounts to taking a positive course of~ 307 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismaction. This method can briefly be called positivestatus quoism, for which a complete scheme can bechalked out in the light of the Seerah (biography) ofthe Prophet.1. Positive Status Quoism in Religious AffairsThe Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,received his first prophetic call in 610 A.D. inMakkah. This city was dominated by idolaters, whohad placed in the Kabah 360 idols belonging tovarious Arabian tribes. The Kabah had, therefore,become a religious centre for all these tribes. Thepresence of these idols in the Kabah was totallyagainst the beliefs of the Prophet, an upholder ofmonotheism in the true sense of the word. Yetrather than make efforts to upset the status quo inMakkah, he fully engaged himself in his task ofspreading the word of God, availing of whateveropportunities were available—despite the presenceof the idols.In those days the Kabah was the gathering point ofthe inhabitants of Makkah, and meetings were heldthere almost daily. The Prophet began to make useof these gatherings for the purposes of da’wah. On~ 308 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismhis visit to the Kabah, instead of interfering with theidols, he would go to the people and recite theverses of the Qur’an to them. This policy ofavoiding the idols and availing of da’wahopportunities proved to be a wise one: manypeople, profoundly influenced by the Qur’an,embraced Islam, and this without there having beenany disruption of Makkah’s peaceful atmosphere.This gave an added impetus to the Prophet’smissionary endeavours.2. Positive Status Quoism in Social Affairs:In Makkah, there was a public place known as DarAl-Nadwah, which served as a political centre. Thiswas dominated by the idolaters. When theiropposition to the Prophet Muhammad, may peacebe upon him, intensified, they took a unanimousdecision to boycott the Prophet, his family and hisfollowers. When the boycott too failed to inflict anyharm on his mission, his opponents issued a deathwarrant from this same Dar Al-Nadwa.When the Prophet heard of this, although hissituation was now extremely serious, he did notattempt either to revoke the decision of Dar al-~ 309 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic ActivismNadwa or to launch a protest campaign supportedby his followers. On the contrary, what the Prophetdid was quietly leave the city for Madinah, a town300 miles away from Makkah. Even after reachingMadinah, he did not devote any time to planningcounter moves, but gave his full attention to thetask of da’wah. This was also an example of positivestatus quoism. In this way, the Prophet, by avoidingdirect confrontation with the situation at hand,found another vast field in which to continue hispeaceful activities.3. Positive Status Quoism in Political Affairs:When the Prophet migrated to Madinah, afterthirteen years of his prophethood, the existingsociety of Madinah was composed of threegroups—Muslims, idolaters, and Jews. Acceptingthat social set-up as it was, the Prophet establisheda system based on plurality. The status of Madinahunder this system was that of a city state, theProphet being the head of state. Within thisframework, other social groups were granted theright to lead their lives as they wished and resolve~ 310 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismtheir issues in accordance with their respectivereligions and cultures.This set-up provided another example of statusquoism. It was by accepting the prevailing situationthere, that the Prophet began his peaceful da’wahmission. The result was miraculous. The multiculturalsociety of the first phase was graduallytransformed into a unicultural society in the secondphase.4. Positive Status Quoism in Matters Relating toPrestige:Even after the Prophet’s departure from Makkah—his homeland—for Madinah, the Makkans,unflagging in their enmity, decided to launch anarmed onslaught against him. Apart from severalminor skirmishes, two major battles, Badr andUhud, took place. These wars again disturbed thepeaceful atmosphere required to carry out da’wahactivities. Therefore the Prophet negotiated with theMakkans and, accepting all their demandsunilaterally, entered into a 10-year no-war pact,known as the Hudaybiyyah treaty. This was yetanother example of positive status quoism. By the~ 311 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismterms of this treaty, the Prophet accepted theMakkan position exactly in accordance with theirdemands. By his acceding to their position, theProphet was able to utilize all the opportunities forda’wah work offered by the situation. This resultedin what the Qur’an called an ‘open victory.’ (48:24)5. Positive Status Quoism in Post Related Affairs:Throughout a significant part of his life,Muhammad, may peace be upon him, was amessenger of God as well as the head of state. Afterhis death the question arose as to who should bechosen to fill the latter position. This issue wassettled by following the guideline given by theProphet: “The head of state will be selected fromamongst the Quraysh.”Ostensibly, it was an unusual injunction, for,according to the teachings of Islam, all humanbeings are equal. None enjoys any superiority overanother. As such, this advice to select the leaderfrom amongst the Quraysh was a form ofdiscrimination. But it was realistic rather thandiscriminatory. This was another example ofpositive status quoism. In fact, over the centuries, in~ 312 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismline with ancient traditions, the Quraysh hadacquired the position of leadership in Arabia. Asudden change in this status quo would thereforehave created insurmountable problems. That waswhy the Prophet advised the Muslims to accept theexisting political system. As a result of this wisepolicy, Arab unity remained intact and thefurtherance of the Islamic mission continuedunhampered, even after the death of the Prophet.6. Positive Status Quoism in State Affairs:Even after the demise of the Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, this practice of positivestatus quoism continued in the early phase of Islam.One outstanding example is the policy adopted bythe religious scholars during the latter half of theUmayyad period and the entire Abbasid era. Thepolitical system had been corrupted during thisperiod. Yet almost all the great Muslim scholars ofthose times (ulama, traditionists, jurists) avoidedsetting themselves on a collision course with thosein authority. The religious scholars were thus savedfrom the backlash of the Muslim rulers; while those~ 313 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismwho, opted for the course of confrontation with therulers were removed from the scene.This policy of non-interference in the politicalsystem left scholars free to produce that greattreasure known as the library of Islam. It is ahistorical fact that almost the entire classical Islamicliterature was prepared during this period. Thedevelopment of the Arabic language, its grammar,its calligraphy, the exegesis of the Qur’an, thecollection and editing of the hadith, the formulationof civil and religious laws (fiqh), the preparation ofthe literature of kalam (theology), etc.— all weredeveloped during this period.It is a fact that, had the Muslim scholars and ulamaof the age risen against a political system whichthey held to be corrupt, all this precious literaturewould never have come into existence, and themajor part of the hadith, which enjoys the status ofthe second source in Islam, would not have beensafely transferred to succeeding generations. Theage of the press had not yet dawned, and the solerepositories of all Islam’s spiritual riches were thememories of the surviving scholars. Had these~ 314 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismscholars engaged themselves in politicalconfrontations with the rulers, all the treasures ofIslamic thought and practice would have beenburied along with them.In social matters, positive status quoism is thus anunalterable policy of Islam. It was by opting for thispolicy that the Prophet and his companions forgedthe great history of Islam which heralded a new erain all the religious and secular fields of humancivilization.UNLIMITED SCOPE OF PATIENCEWhen the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be uponhim, began his mission of tawhid (unity of God) inancient Makkah, there existed as usual a status quo.The Quraysh had assumed the leadership of thetown, and according to their beliefs, they hadestablished an idolatrous system. Now the questionarose as to how Prophet Muhammad, may peace beupon him, should begin his work. It appeared thatthe status quo under the hegemony of the Qurayshwould have to be abolished and only then wouldthe path be cleared for Prophet’s mission. At that~ 315 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismjuncture, certain basic guidance was revealed to theProphet. God declared in the Qur’an:Surely with every hardship there is ease; withevery hardship there is surely ease. (94:5-6)This means that although the status quo in Makkahappeared to be an obstacle, by the very law ofnature, opportunities for the furtherance of hisaims, opportunities also existed side by side.Therefore, any attempt to change the status quo wasnot to be made in the first stage itself. Withoutdisturbing the prevailing situation, suchopportunities as were available in other fields wereto be utilized to promote the Islamic mission.The method Islam prescribes for the achievement ofour goals, and the model example we find in the lifeof the Prophet, can be described in brief as amethod based on patience. That is, remaining inharmony with the status quo and launching one’sstruggle in the sphere of the possible. In thisrespect, it may be called positive status quoism.1. An Obstacle Turned Into a Stepping Stone:~ 316 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic ActivismWhen the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be uponhim, began his mission in Makkah, hundreds of idolshad been placed in the most sacred mosque. TheKabah, which was built as a centre of monotheism,had virtually become a centre of shirk (polytheism).At that time the method adopted by the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, provides aperfect example of positive status quoism.What the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be uponhim, did was to refrain completely from interferingwith the idols and idol worship. Instead, lettingthings remain as they were, the Prophet began tocommunicate the call of monotheism to the peoplewho used to visit the Kabah daily, it being a centralplace. The Prophet availed of these large gatheringsby going there every day and reading out to thempassages from the Qur’an. In this way Islam beganto spread gradually in the country.2. Avoidance of Protest Gradually Changes the StatusQuo:The Prophet lived in Makkah for thirteen years afterhe received his prophethood. During this period, a~ 317 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismgroup of people embraced Islam, but the majoritycontinued to be diametrically opposed to it.At that time in Makkah, Dar-al-Nadwa was itspolitical centre. The Makkan leaders held meetingshere and decided unanimously to boycott theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him.When they failed to apply a brake even with thismethod, they decided to assassinate him. At thattime, the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be uponhim, did not launch a campaign to capture Dar-al-Nadwa, the centre of his opposition. The Prophetdid not even commence hostilities against theseMakkan leaders. There was no fight to the finish.Instead what he did once again was to accept thestatus quo and quietly leave that place for Madinah,which became the centre of his activities. As historytells us, extraordinary results were producedthrough this superb and far-sighted strategy.3. Internal Harmony Results in External Expansion:At that time in Madinah, three religious groupsexisted—Muslims, Idolators and Jews. Here too theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, didnot directly confront the status quo. Instead, he~ 318 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic Activismissued a charter which is known as Sahifa-al-Madinah in the history of Islam. In this situation headopted almost the same kind of policy as thatknown as non-interference in modern times. Hedeclared that every religious group would enjoyfull freedom in religious and cultural matters, andthat the systems in Madinah will be run on the basisof the policy of mutual respect.Consequently, the Prophet found an opportunity toconsolidate his mission without unnecessarily settinghimself on a collision course. Even after he had lefthis homeland, the Makkans did not leave him alone.They continued their hostile activities against him.Many big and small battles took place as a result.Again the Prophet followed the same policy ofrefraining from interfering with the status quo. Byaccepting the superior position of the Makkans heentered into a peace treaty with them, which isknown as the Hudaybiyya Peace Treaty. In this, heacknowledged the established position of theMakkans and made a truce with the condition thatno war would take place between the two partiesfor a period of ten years. The Hudaybiyya Peace~ 319 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic ActivismTreaty was a successful example of positive statusquoism. Consequently, the Prophet, by acceptingthe prevalent situation in Arabia, secured fullopportunities for peaceful da’wah struggle and thisopened the door for a “clear victory” in the wordsof the Qur’an (48:24). The principle of Islamicactivism has been briefly alluded to in the Qur’an:Therefore bear up patiently as did the steadfastProphets before you. Bear up with patience anddo not seek to hurry on their doom. (46:35).According to this verse, there were in any givensituation two ways of launching a campaign, — thepatient and the impatient.The latter is that of emotional while the former isthat of considered response. The impatient personlaunches himself on a collision course at the veryoutset making the continuance of the struggleimpossible. On the contrary, one who follows thepatient method, and avoids any confrontation withthe status quo, is free to make full use of anyopportunities which come his way. This methodleads to sure success without creating any newproblems in society.~ 320 ~

Islam Rediscovered18. Islamic ActivismIn short, there is unlimited scope for bothindividuals and groups who adopt the patientmethod as a matter of permanent policy in all theiraffairs. In this lies the secret of all great successes.This course of positive status quoism ensures thatall our powers and potential will be completelyfocussed on the accomplishment of long termconstructive plans, rather than being unnecessarilywasted in any non-productive or even selfdestructiveactivity against the status quo.Moreover, if you are one of those who wish to workfor Islam or struggle for the revival of the MuslimUmmah, then treading the path of patience andadhering to the principle of positive status quoismis strictly obligatory on you. Firstly as we haveshown earlier, it has been highly recommended inthe Qur’an, and secondly, it was by the applicationof this same method that Islam secured anunopposed victory over all its enemies, bringinginto existence, as a result, the ideal Muslim societyof the early period of Islam.~ 321 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of History19. THE ISLAMIC CONCEPT OFHISTORYAccording to the Qur’an, God has created theuniverse with a certain purpose, and all its partswhich are strictly under His control, are carryingout His divine scheme without the slightestdeviation. Similarly, man too has been created witha certain purpose. Yet man, on the contrary, istotally free. He can do what he wants by his owndecision. However, in spite of this freedom he isbeing watched constantly by God, for He does notallow any such deviation in human history over along period as would nullify His very creation plan.CREATION PLAN OF GODThe Universe made by God is so vast that, despitethe enormous progress made by human beings intheir attempts to fathom the universe, many of itssecrets still remain unknown. The planet earth,made by God as part of the cosmos was and still isunique in the entire universe, in that it has beenendowed with an atmosphere and all the other~ 322 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of Historyfactors which are essential to make it habitable forman.After bringing into existence a favourable world inthe form of the earth, God created the first manAdam and his feminine counterpart, Eve. Althoughthe precise date of this event is unknown, it is a factthat the first pair of human beings to set foot onearth was this very Adam and Eve.Adam was the first man as well as the first Prophet.The way of God is to select a man as His messengerfrom amongst human beings themselves in order tosend His revelations to mankind. Therefore, Godrevealed to Adam through an angel the purpose ofman’s inhabiting the earth. According to this plan,God created a creature in the form of man, uponwhom He bestowed freedom. Where the rest of theuniverse had no choice but to submit to the will ofGod, it is desirable for man to opt for this divineplan of his own free will.This plan of divine will is based on two basicprinciples—monotheism and justice. Monotheismholds man to worshipping one God alone, and notassociating anyone or anything in this worship.~ 323 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of HistoryJustice holds man to adhering completely to ethicalprinciples in dealing with other human beings andrefraining from all kinds of injustice andoppression.Along with this, God informed man that, althoughhe appeared to be free, he was fully accountable toHim. God had a complete record of man’s actions.In the eternal life after death God would judgeeveryone according to this record. One whoexercised his freedom wrongly would be throwninto eternal hellfire.Adam prepared tablets of clay on which heengraved the basic divine teachings, then heatedthem in a fire, thus preserving this divine guidancefor the coming generations. It is believed that thesedivine teachings were written by Adam in theSyriac language.Adam died at a ripe old age. For a long period oftime his people continued to adhere faithfully to thedivine guidance. But later, rot began to set in in thepeople. Idolatry replaced monotheism. Peoplebegan to adopt the ways of injustice and oppressioninstead of justice and rectitude. After about one~ 324 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of Historythousand years the perversion became allpervading that they were completely distancedfrom the path of the Shariah as shown by Adam.THE AGE OF PERVERSIONGod subsequently sent Noah as His messenger. Hewas granted an exceptionally long life of ninehundred and fifty years. During this extendedperiod, he continued to show people the right path,generation after generation. But only a few peopleheeded his words. The rest persisted in their sinfulways. Then, in accordance with the ways of God, ahuge flood engulfed them by way of punishment.Noah and his small band of followers were saved ina boat, while all the rest were drowned.At that time, human population was probablyconcentrated only in the region of Asia known asMesopotamia. The men and women saved in thewake of this flood settled afterwards in other partsof the world. Their race multiplied until it spreadover the three continents of Asia, Africa andEurope.~ 325 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of HistoryAfter the death of Noah, his people continued for aconsiderable time to adhere to the divine pathshown by him. But again rot set in in latergenerations and they again deviated from the pathof monotheism as well as of justice. God’smessengers—the Qur’an has mentioned twenty-sixbyname—continued to come for several thousandyears. The Hadith tell us that about one hundredthousand messengers came to the world. In thisway a long period elapsed between Adam andMessiah, when God’s messengers continued tocome to the world in almost every generation. Buteach time only a few individuals believed in them.The majority rejected these prophets in every age.THE REASONS FOR PERVERSIONWhat were the reasons for this continuedtransgression? There were two main reasons; one,political absolutism; another, ignorance about theworld of nature.In ancient times, the system of monarchy prevailedeverywhere. The kings of those days had adoptedan easy strategy for the consolidation of their~ 326 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of Historyempire, and that was to apply a complete curb onintellectual freedom. As a result, science could notmake any progress in the days of old.The same was the case with religion. The policyadopted by these kings was not to allow theirsubjects to follow any religion other than thatapproved of by the king. Superstitious religionserved their purpose only too well. Therefore, notonly did they themselves embrace superstitiousreligion but they also compelled their subjects toadhere to it. People were denied the right to thinkfreely and opt for any religion other than the officialone. This policy of the kings produced the evil ofreligious persecution. History shows that religiouspersecution has continued from time immemorial inone form or another.The other main factor in this connection wasignorance. In ancient times, man knew too littleabout the world and its phenomena. Politicalabsolutism had placed an almost total ban onscientific research. Therefore, all kinds ofsuperstitions regarding natural phenomena madeinroads unchecked. It was generally held that the~ 327 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of Historysun, the moon and the stars etc. possessedsupernatural powers. Similarly it was believed thatthe sea, the mountains and other such naturalphenomena were endowed with someextraordinary, mysterious power and exerciseddecisive control over human destiny.THE PROBLEM OF EVILThose who want to interpret human history in thelight of predetermined law as is done in thephysical world, cannot but meet with failure. Whilethe physical world may be explainable within theframework of predeterminism, the events of thehuman world are simply not amenable tointerpretation in terms of any such law.Others want to interpret the events of the humanworld in the context of freedom. But they are notsatisfied either with their interpretation. This isbecause in the case of human freedom, the sufferingexperienced in this world has no validunderstandable explanation. The failure of boththese interpretations is due to the fact that theyattempt to explain the whole in the light of a part—which is not at all possible.~ 328 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of HistoryThe truth is that the right principle by which tointerpret human history is neither that ofpredeterminism nor of freedom. According toIslam, there is only one correct principle to interprethuman history and that is the principle of test. Manhas been placed in the present world for thepurpose of being tested. On the outcome of this testwill depend the eternal future of all mankind.Favourable circumstances were a sine qua non forthis test in the world. Predeterminism had to acertain extent to be a feature of these circumstancesas a guarantee against any obstacle coming in theway of carrying out man’s trial. On the other hand,the element of freedom was also essential in orderthat the intentions and actions of each individualcould be properly judged. For man can be grantedthe credit for a good deed only on the conditionthat, despite having the opportunity to indulge inbad deeds, he chooses of his own free will to actvirtuously.If in this world everything had been totallypredetermined, the element of trial would havebeen absent. However the granting of freedom did~ 329 ~

Islam Rediscovered19. The Islamic Concept of Historyinvolve the risk of some people misusing theirfreedom and misuse it they did. This gave rise tothe problem of human suffering which results fromevil, yet this suffering, or evil, is a very small priceto pay for a very precious thing. According to Islamthat person is most precious who leads his life inthis world in such a manner that despite facing allsorts of temptations he succeeds in overcomingthem. Despite having the power to misuse hisfreedom, he refrains from doing so. Despite thepossibility of leading an unprincipled life, hechooses of his own free will to be a man ofprinciple. To identify such individuals, it is essentialthat an atmosphere of freedom prevail in the world.This is not possible under any other system.~ 330 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islam20. THE REVOLUTIONARY ROLE OFISLAMAs a result of ignorance the evil known as theworship of natural phenomena was born in humansociety. Man attributed divinity to mere creatures.He began to worship all the things in the world,holding them to be gods. Owing to this intellectualaberration, idolatry became a rooted feature ofhuman civilization. Not even the coming ofthousands of Prophets and reformers could bringabout any change in this state of affairs, in thepractical sense. The rejection of the Prophetsbrought down on the deniers the chastisement ofGod, but shirk (idolatry) could never be wiped outfrom society. Then God took it upon Himself tointervene. One major manifestation of this divineintervention in human history was the emergence ofthe Prophet Muhammad. An Americanencyclopaedia has very appropriately described hiscoming as having “changed the course of humanhistory.”~ 331 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of IslamFrench historian, Henri Pirenne, has expressed itthus: “Islam changed the face of the globe. Thetraditional order of history was overthrown.”The Qur’an, in defining the objective of the divineintervention, has this to say:It is He that has sent forth His Prophet withguidance and the true faith, so that he mayexalt it above all religions. God is the Allsufficientwitness (48:28).This has found expression in a hadith recorded inSahih al-Bukhari:He will not depart from this world as God hasdecreed, unless and until these people arebrought to the straight path. (Fathul Bari 449-8).This shows that, for the prophets of the past,communication alone was required, whereas for theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, notjust communication but also implementation wasrequired.The task of the earlier prophets was completed withthe full communication of the message to the~ 332 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islampeople. But the divine plan in sending the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, to the worldwas to bring about a practical revolution. Hismessage could not, therefore, remain at thetheoretical stage.It being beyond human capacity to make the endresult a certainty, how was the Prophet’s message tobe translated into reality? It all became possible dueto the special divine succour extended to theProphet by God. This took the form of a divine planwhich had two basic aspects to it: one, to providethe Prophet with a powerful and trustworthy team,and the other to significantly weaken the enemies ofmonotheism by means of a special strategy, so thatthe Prophet and his companions could easilydominate their opponents.The first part of this divine plan was brought tocompletion in the form of the settlement of Ismail,son of Prophet Ibrahim, in the unpopulated desertof Arabia two thousand five hundred years ago. Atthat time it was a totally isolated place situated farfrom the centres of civilization. There a communitywas raised by Ismail ibn Ibrahim, trained in the~ 333 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamdesert atmosphere where there was nothing savenature. As a natural result of this unadulteratedatmosphere, (free from all man-made pollution,) thehuman qualities of the inhabitants of the desertwere fully preserved. It was like a vast naturaltraining camp. It took more than two thousandyears to evolve a nation of such high calibre as to becalled a “nation of heroes” by a western scholar. Inthe history of the Arabs, this nation is known as theIsmailites. Despite religious perversion having setin, so distinguished were they in human values—thanks to their particular training—that they had nopeers among those who came before or after them.The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,one of the distinguished members of the BanuIsmail, struggled for about thirteen years in Makkahand ten years in Madinah. Ultimately, more thanone hundred thousand people believed in him andjoined his mission. Each and every one of hiscompanions possessed a strong and dependablecharacter. In this way the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, in an exceptional way, secureda team by which he could bring the message of theprophets to fruition—taking the prophetic mission~ 334 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamfrom the theoretical stage of ideology to thepractical stage of revolution.The next part of this divine plan consisted ofweakening these anti-monotheism forces soconsiderably that the last Prophet might subjugatethem and usher in the desired revolution in the veryfirst generation itself. To achieve this end, theArabian tribes remained engaged for a long periodof time in bloody, internecine warfare.Consequently, when the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, was sent to the world, theidolatrous tribes of Arabia, having so weakenedthemselves, could not continue their resistance forlong. This enabled the Prophet Muhammad, maypeace be upon him, to overcome Arabia and rootout idolatry completely within a short period oftime.In those days there were two great empires outsideof Arabia. These empires kept the major parts ofAsia and Africa under their full control. Theirpower was so great that the Arabs could not evenhave dreamed of overcoming them. Despite thisextremely out of proportion difference, how did it~ 335 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islambecome possible for the Arabs of the very firstgeneration, to conquer both these empires—theSassanid and Roman—in such a decisive way as tocrush them absolutely, resulting in the dominanceof monotheism over idolatry throughout thisregion? This miracle became a reality owing to aspecial divine strategy, which is paralleled by thecase of the Romans:The Romans have been defeated in aneighbouring land. But after their defeat theyshall themselves gain victory within a fewyears. (Qur’an, 30:1-3)History shows that from 602 to 628 A.D., extremelyextraordinary events took place between these twogreat empires.First, the royal families in the respective countriesclashed internally with one another, and inconsequence, many individuals of great politicalworth were killed. In fact, these feuds gave a deathblow to these empires, shaking them to the veryroots. Subsequently, certain factors led to thedestructive collision of these empires with oneanother. First the armies of the Sassanid empire~ 336 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamcrossed the border of the Roman empire to attack it.Circumstances proved favourable and theysucceeded to the extent that the Roman EmperorHeraclius decided to flee from his Palace inConstantinople. But again, events took a new turn.Heraclius regained his lost confidence and aftermaking full preparations, attacked the Sassanidempire, destroyed their armed forces andpenetrated right into the heart of Jerusalem.These civil wars, lasting for about twenty-five years,considerably weakened both these empires.Therefore, during the pious caliphate when theArab forces entered the Roman and Sassanidempires, they managed to advance with greatspeed.HISTORICAL REVOLUTIONThis expansion of the Islamic empire was notsimply a political event. Its aim, in fact, was to set inmotion a revolutionary process in history. Thisprocess had been initiated in Makkah itself, then ittravelled from Makkah to Madinah, to Damascusand Baghdad from where it entered Spain andthereafter it spread all over Europe and the entire~ 337 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamworld. We would probably be right in saying thatthe 20th century saw the culmination of thisprocess.There are two basic aspects to this movement. Onewas the end of religious persecution. (This kind ofpersecution has been mentioned in the Qur’an as‘fitna’). (8:39)The process began with the end of idolatry and wascompleted during the lifetime of the Prophet. Theother, the advent of religious freedom, came aboutlater, during the pious caliphate; with thedisintegration of the two great empires—theSassanid and Byzantine—the two greatest pillars ofreligious persecution were uprooted, and religiousfreedom became the order of the day. However, nogreat revolution materialises all of a sudden. Itreaches fruition only by a long historical process,and the Islamic revolution was no exception to thisrule. The process of human liberation, initiated byIslam, continued over a long period to makeadvances through individual and collective efforts,taking various forms. The second Caliph, UmarFaruq (d.644) addressing one of his governors and~ 338 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamhis son in a well known case asked: “Since whenhave you enslaved people while their mothers hadgiven birth to them in freedom?” (Al-Abqariat Al-Islamia).This voice was echoed eleven hundred years laterby the well known French reformer Rousseau (d.1778). His book, titled The Social Contract, beganwith this famous sentence: ‘Man was born free, but Ifind him in chains’. This concept of intellectual andreligious freedom had fully matured by the end ofthe 20th century. With the establishment of theUnited Nations, all the nations of the world signedits charter of Human Rights, proclaiming thatintellectual and religious freedom is the irrevocableright of every human being and that on no pretextcan it be abrogated.FREEDOM OF CHOICEThrough a long process, that age has finally comewhen man has secured the absolute right to adoptthe religion of his choice and to propagate thatreligion, on the sole condition that he will not useviolence in the exercise of his religious freedom.This change brought about in the world has thrown~ 339 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamopen all the doors of communication formerlylocked to the message of monotheism; doors thathad been locked by the ancient absolutist regimes.The creation plan of God regarding human beingshas been thus alluded to in the Qur’an: “He createddeath and life, so that He might try which of you isbest in deed.” (67:2)To achieve this end, it is essential that anatmosphere of freedom prevail in this world, thateveryone without any hindrance may play his role.Without freedom, neither reward nor punishmentcan be awarded to anyone. An atmosphere wherethere is no intellectual freedom nullifies the veryscheme of God—the scheme according to whichman has been created and placed in this world. Thatis why these regimes based on an absolutism, whichhad taken root centuries ago, had to be overthrown.In recent times, the communist revolution of 1917again attempted to establish a vast empire based onthe coercive system of the ancient type. But sincethis ran counter to the divine plan, God broughtabout a situation which lead to the collapse of theSoviet Union in 1991. Man again was granted the~ 340 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamsame freedom as was available to the rest of theworld.THE END OF THE SUPERSTITIOUS ERAAnother basic change wrought by the Islamicrevolution was similar in some respects to thescientific revolution of modern times; that is, therooting out of superstitious thinking on scientificgrounds and the general prevalence of thinkingbased on facts.As mentioned above, the continued existence of theidolatrous way of life and thinking in ancient timeswas due to the ignorance of human beingsregarding nature. Ancient man used to judgenatural phenomena by their appearance. Holdingthem sacred, he began to worship them. For the firsttime in human history, Islam succeeded inconvincing people that these phenomena of naturewere not creators, but only creatures. They wereentirely helpless beings, mere slaves and not themasters of man.In the wake of this revolution, the ideological baseof idolatry was wiped out altogether. All those~ 341 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamthings held sacred were relegated to the status ofmere creatures. They were there to be harnessed byman and not for man to be enslaved by them. Thesun was held to be a god and worshipped in ancienttimes; the man of today is converting the sun intosolar energy. Ancient man held the moon sacred;modern man has set his foot on it. Ancient man haddeified the river; modern man has converted riversinto steam power, etc.In this way, it has happened for the first time inhuman history that the phenomena of nature,looked upon by ancient man with reverence, havenow become objects of investigation. In otherwords, Islam started the process of scientificenquiry. The Qur’an repeatedly enjoins man toreflect on the objects of the universe. This is nosimple matter. The act of pondering over the natureof the phenomena of the universe has beenaccorded the status of worship in Islam. As a resultof this thinking, for the first time in known history,all things in the universe have been subjected toresearch and investigation.~ 342 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of IslamThe scientific way of thinking of the modern ageinitiated in the early period of Islam, continued as aprocess to grow, spreading from one country toanother until it reached the west where it saw itsculmination in the western world. In respect of itsreality, this scientific thinking is a revolutiondesirable by Islam itself.After this revolution, for the first time in humanhistory the idolatrous way of thinking has beentotally deprived of its ideological base. The conceptof the sacredness of natural phenomena is now seenfor what it is—a superstition, for modern scientificinvestigation has demonstrated belief of this kind tobe baseless.All that happened was exactly in accordance withthe divine plan, the Prophet and his companionshaving been asked to carry out this divine scheme:“Fight them until there be no persecution andreligion be wholly God’s” (8:39). This means thatthere was no longer any barrier to man’s making achoice in the way of God.This was the final goal of the revolution broughtabout by the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be~ 343 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of Islamupon him, and his companions. It ended thatabsolutist system of coercion which places curbsupon personal decisions about one’s religion. It alsoremoved the veil of obstacles in ideological termswhich confused and mislead people, as a result ofwhich they began to worship creatures supposingthem to be creators. (For further details see theauthor’s book, Islam: the Creator of the Modern Age).The Qur’an tells us that there is no compulsion inthe matter of religion, with the proviso that trueguidance and misconceptions should be thoroughlyseparated from one another. (2:256)Truth and falsehood stand clearly separated from eachother, just like light and darkness after the sun hasrisen. This was something which—after the Islamicrevolution—could be grasped beyond the shadow of adoubt by anyone who sought reality with an openmind. No one was left groping in the dark. And noone was left with any excuses for rejecting God.TRUTH UNVEILEDTo this particular end, God brought about therevolutions in human history, as mentioned above.~ 344 ~

Islam Rediscovered20. The Revolutionary Role of IslamNow truth and untruth have become so distinctfrom one another that there is no thick or thin veilin between: the task of clarification has beenperformed so thoroughly that the man of today hastotal freedom of choice. Now in his journey towardsGod, man is hindered neither by false ideologiesnor by practical barriers.~ 345 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in History21. ISLAM IN HISTORYAccording to a tradition, the Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, observed that every verseof the Qur’an has two levels of meaning, oneapparent and one hidden. That is, we have to readbetween the lines in order to go beyond the literalmeaning and then, by keener concentration, arriveat its deeper significance.So far as the literal import of the Qur’an isconcerned, this was fully understood by the peopleat the time of revelation itself. For instance, theverse, ‘Say, God is one,’ (Qur’an, 112:1) wascorrectly construed by the Muslims of the earlyperiod of Islam, just as it will be today. There willbe no difference in meaning with the passage oftime. But, on more profound reflection, Qur’anicnuances, hidden in the lines, become unveiled. Suchclose study is engaged in in every period of time, sothat new shades of meaning will continue to berevealed in every age.According to a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad,may peace be upon him, observed: “The wonders of~ 346 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historythe Qur’an will never come to an end.” (Mishkat al-Masabih, Vol. 1, p. 659). This hadith refers to thataspect of the Qur’an which is of deeper significance,or that which lies between the lines. The Qur’anbeing the scriptures of an eternal religion, newconnotations will go on being revealed in everysucceeding age as a result of profound reflection.This process will continue uninterrupted untilDoomsday.Here I should like to focus on certain very aptverses appearing at two places in the Qur’an. (2:193,8:39). They concern qital-e-fitna, that is, the abolitionof religious persecution. When we study theseverses in the light of other related verses of theQur’an, we find that it was God’s plan to abolishreligious persecution and replace it with completereligious freedom, so that His servants couldworship Him alone without any fear of persecution.Along with that, the door to the call of monotheismalso was to be thrown wide open.THE ERADICATION OF FITNAIslam emerged in the first quarter of the seventhcentury. At that time, monarchy was the order of~ 347 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historythe day all over the world. To the political rulers ofthat epoch, dissent of any kind, particularlyreligious free thinking, was anathema, because theysaw it as a threat to their power. Therefore, toachieve political consolidation, the monarchs ofthose days adopted the principle of ideologicalcoercion. Religious persecution thus became aweapon in the hands of the despots, so that no newideology could be allowed to develop. Strongexception was taken to the growth of any otherreligion save that approved by the state. Theindependent thinking so essential for intellectualprogress, was thus cruelly suppressed, and that waswhy, during the long periods of monarchical rule,neither could the sciences flourish, nor couldindividuals opt for the religion of their choice.Anyone who had the audacity to make an issue ofthis was likely to face summary execution.The Qur’an refers thus to the religious oppressionof ancient times:Cursed be the people of the trench, wholighted the consuming fire and who sataround it watching the believers whom they~ 348 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historywere torturing. And they had nothing againstthem, save that they believed in God, theMighty, the Praiseworthy. (85:4-8)The human condition of those days is similarlydepicted in a Makkan tradition narrated byKhabbab ibn al Arat: We complained to the Prophetat a time when he was resting in the shade of theKabah wall. We said to him: “Don’t you pray for usto God?” The Prophet replied: “Those who wentbefore you faced such unbearable trials (due to theirfaith in a religion other than that of the state). Oneof them would be brought for trial, a pit would bedug for him, then he would be buried in it in astanding posture, with his head above the edge ofthe pit. Then a saw would be passed through hishead until it split into two parts. Yet even suchsevere trials did not cause him to waver from hisfaith. People were scraped with iron combs until alltheir skin came off and the bones of their bodieswere exposed. Yet these acts of persecution did notdeter them from adhering to their faith. CertainlyGod’s will shall prevail (that is, the age of religiousfreedom will certainly come) when a traveller willjourney from Sana’a to Hadhramawt, (that is, from~ 349 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyone region to another,) without fearing anyone saveGod. And he will fear no wolf for his sheep. Yet youare in a hurry.” (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Manaqib,Chapter, Alamaat an Nubuwah fi‘l Islam).This hadith shows that one of the revolutionarychanges to be ushered in in the wake of theProphet’s mission was the end of this ancient age ofreligious persecution and the replacing of it with anage of religious freedom in order to smooth the pathfor God’s servants to follow His religion. This mostsignificant transformation was to take place as partof a divine plan. That is why the Qur’an enjoinedthe Prophet’s companions to pray in advance toGod: “Lord, do not lay on us the burden you laid onthose before us. Lord, do not charge us with morethan we can bear.” (2:286)This prayer was revealed by God Himself for thebenefit of the believers. It was like a divineordinance announced in the form of a prayer to berecited by the companions. This means that God,who is the controller of history, had decreed achange in this coercive political system of ancienttimes in order that the religion of Monotheism~ 350 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historycould be practised and the invitation to people toanswer its call could be issued in an atmosphere offreedom—a task which till that point had beenseriously hindered by the prevalent religiousoppression.This divine edict became a reality, ostensibly as aresult of human intervention, but actually with thesuccour of the Almighty. In consonance with thisdivine plan, the Qur’an enjoined the believer to“make war on them until persecution (fitna) shallcease and Religion is only for God. If they desist,God is cognizant of all their actions; but if they payno heed, know then that God will protect you. He isthe Noblest Helper and Protector.” (8:39-40)Religious coercion through persecution was totallyagainst the Creation Plan of God. God created thisworld for the purpose of putting mankind to thetest. For this purpose to be fulfilled, everyone in thisworld had to enjoy full freedom of speech andaction. If people were divested of their freedom, thevery purpose of the test would be defeated.Therefore, God granted special help to the believers,so that they might put an end to a system which~ 351 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyhad suppressed the freedom essential to the divinetest in this world.In order that religion might be wholly for God, theoriginal natural state had to be re-established, thatis, a state which was in accordance with the creationplan of God. Here religion (din) does not refer toShariah, but to what in chapter 30, verse 30 of theQur’an is called ‘upright nature.’ That is to say,what the believers were commanded to establishwas religion in the sense of divine nature and notreligion in the sense of Shariah. In other words, itwould be proper to say that it was like a kind ofdivine operation carried out by the Prophet’scompanions. This was initiated in Arabia where,within a period of 23 years, the religious oppressionwhich had prevailed there under the Quraysh, wasbrought to an end forever.In those days, there were two great powers in theneighbourhood of Arabia—the Sassanid and theByzantine empires. These were two of the greatestbastions of the politically coercive system of ancienttimes. Their perpetuation meant the consolidationof this manner of governance and it was only their~ 352 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyextinction which could put an end to it. Howeverthe believers launched these campaigns against theempires in defence. The aggression had beeninitiated by these empires themselves. Thisoppression soon bore fruit during the rule of thesecond Caliph, Umar Faruq. During his caliphate,the light of these two despotic empires was foreverextinguished.The French historian, Henri Pirenne, has rightlyobserved that, if the Arab Muslims of the seventhcentury had not liquidated the Sassanid andByzantine empires, mankind might never have beenfreed from tyranny, and the world might neverperhaps have witnessed the age of human freedomwith its sweeping intellectual revolution.Abdullah ibn Umar, a companion of the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, and son ofthe second Caliph, observed on one occasion: “wefought according to the Qur’anic injunction to endfitna, religious persecution, until fitna was abolishedfrom the face of the earth forever.” (Sahih al-Bukhari).~ 353 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryThis means that fitna, or the ancient politicalcoercive system, had been dealt a severe blowduring the period of the pious caliphate itself but,like many other major historical revolutions, thisnew phase only very gradually reached itsculmination.In the wake of the revolution in the first phase ofIslam, religious freedom took a decisive course inhistory, spurred on in the initial stages by Muslimaction, and in the later stages by the activeparticipation of non-Muslim nations. In the first halfof the twentieth century, firstly through the Leagueof Nations and later through the United Nations, allthe nations of the world unanimously declared thatreligious freedom was a fundamental right for all,and could not under any circumstances beabrogated.THE AGE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOMThe first stage of the cessation of fitna, whichbrought with it the dawn of religious freedom, wasaccomplished in Arabia. This development tookplace during the lifetime of the Prophet. During hislast days, on the occasion of his final Hajj, the~ 354 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,preached a sermon, generally known as the Sermonof the Last Pilgrimage, in the presence of all of hiscompanions. One of the points in his address onwhich the Prophet laid emphasis was that God hadsent him “as a mercy to all mankind,” and that thisbeing so, they should communicate this message ofpeace to all people everywhere. In obedience to thisinjunction given by the Prophet towards the end ofhis life, his companions travelled far and widebeyond the boundaries of Arabia. Indeed, theyspent the rest of their lives carrying out theirProphet’s command. Thereafter, their successors, aswell as the disciples of these successors, continuedto make it their mission to disseminate theteachings of Islam, to the point where finally, themessage of Islam had reached the greater part of theknown, inhabited world of that age. This da’wahprocess, from beginning to end, was carried out inan entirely peaceful manner. The mere introductionof the ideology of Islam was sufficient to conquerthe hearts of the people. British historian, Sir ArthurKeith writes of the Egyptians:~ 355 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryThe Egyptians were conquered not by theSword but by the Qur’an.This is true not only of the Egyptians, but also of allother nations which entered the fold of Islam. Adetailed account of this peaceful spread of God’sreligion is given in The Preaching of Islam, by Britishhistorian, T.W. Arnold. This work, running to 508pages, was first published in 1896. In this matter,the policy of Islam is to keep political activityseparate and at a distance from the task ofpropagation, in order that the communication of thedivine message may continue unhampered.Wherever there is political power, the element ofcoercion cannot be far away: political confrontationsmust, therefore, be avoided at all costs if the processof da’wah is to be set in motion and continue in anatmosphere of freedom.The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,foresaw that religious coercion would not be usedas a weapon by secular rulers. His insight told himthat in future in the secular sphere the principle ofreligious freedom would become so established andthoroughly consolidated that no secular ruler~ 356 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historywould ever attempt to put a curb on religiousfreedom. And that if this problem ever arose, itwould be due to the adoption of some wrongpolicy, or the committing of some blunder by thebelievers themselves. That is why the Prophet gaveextremely important guidelines as an advancewarning to Muslims.In books of hadith, there are a large number oftraditions which foretell the setting in of corruptionin the Muslim rulers of later times, yet Muslimswere strictly forbidden to wage war on them in thename of political reform. The Muslims were ratherenjoined to keep their distance from them, to take tothe hills (that is, to stay away from politicalactivities) and to devote themselves to tending theirsheep and goats. That is to say that they had toabandon the path of political confrontation infavour of continuing their activities in non-politicalfields, such as education, da’wah, the service of theQur’an and hadith, etc.In the first phase of Islam, it was Abdullah ibnZubayr who violated this prohibition. He engagedin an armed confrontation with the Umayyad ruler,~ 357 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryYazid ibn Muawaiya, in the name of reform inpolitics. It resulted in the loss of precious Muslimlives and resources. At that time, Abdullah ibnUmar, son of the second Caliph and companion ofthe Prophet, was in Makkah, yet he did not takepart in the fighting. Some companions of Abdullahibn Zubayr met him and asked him to join in thebattle. The conversation that took place on thisoccasion has been recorded in Sahih al-Bukhariunder three references.One account has been thus recorded: Nafe narratesthat during the (fitna) revolt by Ibn Zubayr, twopersons came and said to Ibn Umar that peoplewere being killed, while he, the son of Umar (thesecond caliph) as well as a senior companion of theProphet, refused to take part in the campaign. Theyasked him what prevented him from doing so. Hereplied: “I refrain from joining in this battle becauseof God’s express command never to shed the bloodof one’s brother: it is unlawful.” Both replied: “Hasnot God enjoined us to fight till persecution (fitna)ceases?” Abdullah ibn Umar then retorted: “Wefought till fitna ceased. Religion became only forGod, and now you want to fight so that fitna may~ 358 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyreturn, and religion will no longer be for God.”(Fathul Bari, Kitab at-Tafsir, vol. 8, p.32, Kitabal-Fitan Vol. 13, p. 49).From this account we learn that war againstpersecution as commanded by God was limited inits scope and of a particular nature. It had to bedirected against those leaders who had establisheda system of religious persecution; who were notready to grant to believers in monotheism theliberty to practise their faith. The companions of theProphet waged war against such oppression, first ofall in Arabia, and then in major parts of Asia andAfrica, and succeeded in bringing it to an end.Thenceforth, believers in Islam had full freedom topractise their religion and to invite others to answerits call.After the successful conclusion of this movementagainst religious coercion, the believers began livingin an atmosphere of religious freedom. But duringthe reign of the Umayyads, when the rot ofcorruption had begun to set in, certain Muslims,referring to this verse of the Qur’an, engagedthemselves in armed conflict with the rulers. To all~ 359 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyintents and purposes, the battle was for a goodcause: they wanted to oust these corrupt caliphsand replace them with men who were virtuous andjust. But, in reality, their actions proved counterproductive.The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,foresaw that the effort at political reform would, ineffect, culminate in nothing but destruction. Itwould only replace a lesser evil with a greater evil.That is why he had issued a stern, prior warning,expressly commanding his people to confine theiractivities to non-political fields and to opt for apolicy of avoidance as regards corruption inpolitical institutions.In books of hadith a number of traditions have beenrecorded on this subject under the heading of fitna.It was thanks to these traditions that, after thedevelopment of the Islamic sciences (in terms ofwhich commentaries on the traditions werewritten), religious scholars arrived at a consensusthat it was totally unlawful to revolt against anestablished Muslim government, regardless of howjustified such action might appear to be.~ 360 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryThe famous traditionist, Imam al-Nawawi, hascommented on the tradition regarding fitna asrecorded in Sahih Muslim:These traditions clearly convey that weshould not enter into any confrontation withpolitical rulers. Even if we find in them anymajor deviation from Islam, our responsibilitywill be limited purely to the giving of advicein private. According to the consensus ofMuslim scholars, so far as revolt and armedconfrontation are concerned, even if the rulersin question are corrupt and tyrannical theseactions are unlawful (haraam). (Sahih Muslim,with the commentary of an-Nawawi, Kitab al-Imarah, vol. 12, p.229).From this commentary, we learn that the waging ofwar against fitna in no way meant the replacing ofnon-Muslim governments with Muslim regimes. Itsactual purpose was to put an end to the use ofintellectual and ideological coercion, so that God’sservants might be at liberty to perform theirdevotions to God and communicate God’s messagein an atmosphere of freedom. Waging war against~ 361 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryMuslim rulers will certainly result in a revival of thecoercive system, for the rulers will not hesitate toresort to oppression in order to keep their politicalpower intact. The upshot will be that the old fitnawill re-emerge in a new garb. That is why theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,strictly forbade such action and Islamic scholarsarrived at a consensus that according to the Islamicshariah, insurrection against an established Muslimgovernment was unlawful. Even in unavoidablesituations, Muslims are required to strive peacefullyand to refrain entirely from launching violentmovements aimed at unseating those in positions ofauthority.This is undoubtedly an important Islamicinjunction. It has great wisdom behind it. To put itbriefly, the kings of ancient times made every effortto politicize religion. And when they found theadherents of any given religion placing obstacles intheir path, they went all out to crush them. In asimilar way, even today, certain factions attempt toIslamize governments, then those rulers whobecome their targets, wreak all kinds of havoc onIslamists in order to save their political power.~ 362 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryThe solution to this problem, as laid down in Islam,is to refrain from setting oneself on a collisioncourse with the rulers. If any evil is found in them,the course to adopt is to give advice, privately, atthe individual level, and to avoid all publiccondemnation or armed clashes. This sage counselwas given by Islam, so that the basic task ofpropagating and consolidating the religion mightcontinue unhampered in non-political fields.The manner of working of the traditionists gives usa good historical example. The gigantic task of thecompilation of the traditions in the first phase ofIslam lasted from the time of the Umayyad empiretill that of the Abbasid empire. Without doubt, therot had set in in the Muslim rulers. But the Islamicscholars of this period did not launch anymovement against them. Remaining aloof frompolitics, they continued to serve the cause of thehadith. It is the result of this wise policy on their partthat today we possess in compiled form theprecious treasure of the Prophet’s traditions. If thetraditions of those days had opted to set themselvesup against these Muslim rulers, they would havemet the same fate as that of Abdullah ibn Zubayr,~ 363 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryHusain ibn Ali, Nafs Zakiyya, etc. any political jihadengaged in by these traditionists would have cometo the same disastrous end. All the peopleconcerned would have been assassinated by therulers,—as had happened with other politicalopponents. And then the inestimable wealth of thetraditions would have been buried along with thetraditionists, in whose memories they had beenpreserved.From a study of the Qur’an and hadith, we find thatthe actual target of a religious mission is theIslamization of the individual rather than the State.The domination of Islam at the level of the state isonly an offshoot of the religious mission and not itsactual target.The Qur’an has clearly stated that, for believers,political power is a gift from God, and not a goal tobe striven for. That is why the Qur’an observes:God has promised those of you who believeand do good works to make them masters inthe land as He had made their ancestorsbefore them, to strengthen the faith he chosefor them and to change their fears to safety.~ 364 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryLet them worship me and serve no other godsbesides me. Wicked indeed are they who afterthis deny Me (24:55).The same point has been made in a tradition of theProphet: Just as you will be, so will be your rulers.(Mishkat al-Masabih).In actual fact this tradition tells us of a law ofnature. The political power of a country dependsupon its people. Any system which has theacceptance of the public will perpetuate itself, whilea system which is anathema to the people willprove unsustainable. In a truly Islamic society, anun-Islamic political regime cannot take root, andcannot therefore be self-perpetuating. That is whyIslam has enjoined the targeting of individuals forIslamic reform. If in any society a large number ofpeople follow Islam, both in the letter and in thespirit, such a society will on its own come under thedirection of political power based on Islam.This separation of da’wah activism and politicalconfrontation was crucial. It was by virtue of thisseparation that the propagation of Islam continuedunhampered for a period of a thousand years after~ 365 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historythe emergence of Islam, until the number ofMuslims rose to one billion. Without this, the greatachievement of the dissemination of Islam couldnever have become a reality.The wisdom of this teaching of Islam has becomeclearer than ever today. In present times tworevolutions have taken place contemporaneously.After a long historical process, religious freedomhas been held to be an irrevocable right of humanbeings all over the world. Today, the right tobelieve, practise and propagate any religion of one’schoice has become an established right of humanbeings. This freedom has only one condition: that inthe availing of these rights, one should not engagein violence of any sort. The adoption of violencewill render the practice and propagation of one’sreligion impossible, whatever the part of the worldthat might be.Another great revolution of our times has come inthe form of modern communications, which hasrendered the spread of Islam much more effectivethan hitherto. The print and electronic media, aswell as other means of communication, have~ 366 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyopened all the doors to the global dissemination ofthe message of Islam. Now the task of da’wah in thepresent age has been so greatly facilitated that itseems as rapid and easy as the diffusion of the sun’srays across the earth.THE PEACEFUL PROPAGATION OF ISLAMReferring to Christ and his followers, the Qur’antells us:When Isa (Christ) observed their refusal he asked:Who will be my supporters in the cause ofGod? The disciples replied: We are thesupporters of God. We believe in Him. Bearwitness that we have surrendered ourselves toHim. (3:52)The response given by the disciples to the call ofJesus was so appropriate that the same responsewas likewise demanded by the Muslims. Thereforethe Qur’an says:O Believers, be God’s helpers. When Christthe son of Mary said to the disciples, ‘Whowill come with me to the help of God?’ They~ 367 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyreplied: ‘We are God’s helpers.’ Some of thechildren of Israel believed in Him, whileothers did not. We aided the believers againsttheir enemies and they triumphed over them.(61:14)On deeper reflection we find that this verse is ofrelevance to the history of the second stage of Islam,that is, the second period of the Muslim ummah(community). That was when fitna had ceased andreligious freedom had been introduced into theworld. Then the Muslims had to adopt the samecourse as that adopted by the followers of Christunder his guidance. Of course, there was noquestion of adopting the additions and innovationsin their religious beliefs; these were to be rejected.Therefore, leaving aside the system of their beliefs,the practical pattern adopted by them in da’wah waswithout doubt a prophetic pattern. And it was asworth adopting for the Muslims as it was for theChristians.The question arises as to what kind of “help” Christhad asked his followers to give. We find the answerin the traditions. Ibn Hisham, the Prophet’s~ 368 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historybiographer of the first phase, writes: “I havereceived it from reliable sources that Abu Bakr al-Huzali narrated that, one day, after the peace treatyof Hudaibiya, the Prophet came to his companionsand said, ‘O people, God has sent me as a mercy toall the nations of the world, therefore, do not differas the disciples of Christ differed with Christ.’ TheProphet’s companions asked: ‘O Messenger of God,how did the disciples of Christ differ from theirProphet?’ The Prophet replied: ‘Christ invited thedisciples to what I have invited you. So those whowere sent to nearby places, happily accepted it, butthose who were sent to distant places were reluctantto go. Then Christ complained to God about it, soGod’s special succour descended upon them andthese disciples began speaking the language of thecommunity to which they were being sent.” (Seeratan-Nabi, Ibn Hisham, vol. 4/279).This incident has been recorded in the present Bible.Here are some excerpts in brief:Go ye therefore and make disciples of all thenations. (Matthew, 28:19).~ 369 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryAnd the gospel must first be preached amongall the nations. (Mark, 13:10).Go ye into all the world and preach the gospelto every creature. (Mark, 16:15).In obedience to these injunctions of Christ, hisfollowers left Palestine. After Christ had left theworld, they spread over different cities andcountries. They propagated their religionpeacefully and those who embraced their faithalso adopted the path of peace in propagatingthe divine message. In this way, the spread ofChristianity continued from generation togeneration.As a result of this non-aggressive activity on thepart of the followers of Christ, within a period oftwo hundred years after the advent of Christianity,it spread to many eastern countries. Subsequently,these Christians entered Europe. Here they wereinitially faced with great difficulties. However, theyquietly began propagating Christianity until thetime came when the European EmperorConstantine the Great came under its influence,converted to Christianity in 337 A.D. and~ 370 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyproclaimed it to be the official religion of hisempire. Subsequently, the majority of Europeansentered the Christian fold.The Qur’an tells us that during the life of Christ,God decreed that the followers of Christ shouldprevail over their enemies.In the third chapter of the Qur’an, addressingChrist, God said: “I shall.... Exalt your followersabove them (the disbelievers) till the Day ofResurrection.” (3:55). Similarly, in chapter 61, theQur’an has this to say:We aided the believers (in Christ) againsttheir enemies, and they triumphed over them.(61:14).Here the question arises as to how the followers ofChrist came to dominate them. Surely this did notcome about as a result of war and violence. Forneither by the Qur’an, nor by historical records canit be established that the Christians engaged inarmed confrontations with their religiousopponents.~ 371 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryAccording to historical records, the number ofChrist’s followers continued increasing until a timecame when, by the sheer ratio of their numbers,they came to enjoy a position of dominance. Thisleads us to ask what feature of the propagation oftheir mission was so especially effective as to causetheir numbers to increase so rapidly. The Qur’anstates that this came about with the special succourof God: “We gave Christ the gospel and putcompassion and mercy in the hearts of hisfollowers” (57:27). We find the same sentimentsexpressed in the Bible in the words uttered byChrist:But I say to you who hear: love your enemies,do good to those who hate you, bless thosewho curse you, and pray for those whospitefully use you. To him who strikes you onthe one cheek, offer the other also. And fromhim who takes away your cloak, do notwithhold your tunic either. Give to everyonewho asks of you. And from him who takesaway your goods, do not ask them back. Andjust as you want men to do to you, also do tothem likewise. But if you love those who love~ 372 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historyyou, what credit is that to you? For evensinners love those who love them. And if youdo good to those who do good to you, whatcredit is that to you? For even sinners do thesame. And if you lend to those from whomyou hope to receive back, what credit is thatto you? For even sinners lend to sinners toreceive as much back. But love your enemies,do good, and lend, hoping for nothing inreturn; and your reward will be great, andyou will be sons of the Most High. For He iskind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore bemerciful, just as your Father also is merciful.Judge not, and you shall not be judged.Condemn not, and you shall not becondemned. Forgive, and you will beforgiven. Give and it will be given to you:good measure, pressed down, shakentogether, and running over will be put intoyour bosom. For with the same measure thatyou use, it will be measured back to you.(Luke 6:27-38)This utterance of Christ indicates what kind ofcharacter a man with a mission should have.~ 373 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryNormal human relations between the da‘i and themadu’ (the person addressed) are essential for thesuccess of any da’wah mission. The only way toestablish a favourable atmosphere is for the da‘i toadopt the ethics of unilateralism, that is to behavewell, consistently and unconditionally, even if hishearers (the madu’) do not behave well towardshim. In refusing to copy the attitude and conduct ofthe madu’, the da‘i adheres to the highest code ofethics based on Islamic principles.“And from him who takes away your cloak, do notwithhold your tunic either” (Luke, 6:29). We aretold here in symbolic language what our behaviourshould be. The da‘i does all he can so that nocontroversy is created between himself and themadu; all he does is convey the message of da’wah.That is why the da‘i takes sole responsibility for themaintaining of a propitious atmosphere for da’wahby unilaterally bringing all controversies to an end.Such an approach was not peculiar to Christianity;it was a feature common to the missions of all of theprophets. This principle of unilateralaccommodation is a sine qua non for success in thetask of da’wah.~ 374 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryThe followers of Christ wholeheartedly adoptedthis teaching of their Prophet. This special feature oftheir missionary character contributedextraordinarily to the spread of the Christianreligion. They made such headway, that they gavenew meaning to the principle of peacefulproselytism. And then, along with their teaching,they engaged in such social service as proved aneffective means of bringing the madu’ closer tothem. It was the result of this particular da’wah stylethat Christianity spread all over, becoming thegreatest world religion.There is a tradition recorded in Sahih Muslim whichforetells us this rapid spread of the Christianreligion:Mustaurid Qarashi related that he heard theProphet say that Doomsday would not comeuntil the Christians were the greatest innumber. When these words of the Prophetwere conveyed to Amr ibn al-As (a seniorcompanion of the Prophet and the conquerorand governor of Egypt) he asked Mustaurid:‘What is the nature of these traditions you are~ 375 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in Historynarrating?’ Mustaurid replied: ‘I narrate onlywhat I have heard from the Prophet.’ Amr ibnal-As said: ‘If you say so (that is, if it is anauthentic hadith) then the Christians areundoubtedly the most forbearing in times ofadversity, take no time in setting themselvesin order after a calamity and are better thanothers in caring for their weak and deprived.’(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Fitan)From these details we find that a major aim of therevolution brought about by the Prophet and hiscompanions was to remove all obstacles in the pathof da’wah, so that such conducive conditions wouldprevail as would encourage people to practiceGod’s religion and invite others to the same path.This process had to be continued from generation togeneration.The first stage of this revolution was marked by thecoercive system being brought to an end, usheringin the dawn of religious freedom in the world. Thesecond stage was embarked upon, when, byavailing of the advantages of this freedom, Muslimsdisseminated Islam at the universal level. Now the~ 376 ~

Islam Rediscovered21. Islam in HistoryMuslims are in the third and final stage of theirhistory, when the progress of religious freedom hasreached its zenith. Now Muslims have to continuethe task of conveying the truth to people and it isimperative that they do so by adherence to peacefulmethods. The truly shining example of religiousachievement, according to the testimony of theQur’an, is that of the followers of Christ.Judging by the above-quoted words of Abdullahibn Umar, the obstacles in the path of da’wah workhave been removed forever. If obstacles reappear,this will surely be as a result of some ill-consideredpolicy pursued by the Muslims themselves. If theMuslims are able to refrain from adopting anyerroneous course, no real obstacle should ever comein the way of the call of the truth until the advent ofDoomsday.~ 377 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic Development22. THE ROLE OF NON-MUSLIMS INISLAMIC DEVELOPMENTIslam is the religion of Nature, and in treading itspath, it is non-discriminatory, finding room withinits scheme of things for every segment of society.Rigidity is quite alien to its process of development.There is a meaningful hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari tothis effect. According to this hadith, ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, said: “GodAlmighty will strengthen this religion [Islam]through a fajir (one who is not a true Muslim)person as well (Bukhari).This is a very important declaration because in thisworld, any natural process begins with theinvolvement of different elements—as happened inthe case of Islam. Humanity as a whole is aninterdependent body and Islam is not an exception.Islam is an ideology aimed at human development,and no process of human development can endurewithout involving humanity at large. There are~ 378 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic Developmentseveral phases in the history of Islam whichillustrate this point.The Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,spent his first thirteen years of prophethood inMakkah. At that time in Makkah, there existed atribal system. There was no organized state in themodern sense. It was necessary for everyone tohave protection under one of the tribal chiefs. So,according to this prevalent custom, the Prophetavailed himself of the protection of two of the localchieftains—Abu Talib and Mut’im bin Adialternatively, both of whom happened to be non-Muslims.After spending thirteen years in Makkah, theProphet migrated to Madinah. It was a very riskyjourney because his opponents had announced areward of a hundred camels to anyone who wouldbring them the Prophet’s head. In spite of this, theProphet chose a member of the rival group to be hisguide for the journey, because this guide wasknown to be an honest person in his profession. Heis known in Islamic history as Abdullah bin~ 379 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic DevelopmentUrayqit. He was a non-Muslim and died as a non-Muslim in Makkah.After the migration of the Prophet, a series of armedconflicts broke out between the Prophet and hisopponents. One of the military campaigns of hisopponents, known in Islamic history as Ghazwa al-Ahzab, was so devastating that even the Qur’anrefers to it as one of the most terrifying moments inIslamic history. At the time, the Muslims hadbecome quite helpless against their opponents. Theonly thing that eased this most difficult of situationswas the role a Madinite played—that of amiddleman.This man came to the Prophet in the night whenMadinah was surrounded by enemy forces. He said,“I have become a Muslim in my heart, but I havenot made it public yet. So the mushriks and theJews both have trust in me.” Realizing that this manwas in a position to play a peace-making rolebetween the two parties, since he was trusted byboth, the Prophet said, “You are the only one in thisposition among us.”~ 380 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic DevelopmentThis man began, therefore, to negotiate between thetwo parties and history tells us that it was he whocleared the path to peace at this juncture betweenthe two rival parties. It was because of his effortsthat the enemy decided to lift the siege of the city ofMadinah and return to their homes.Islamic history contains many examples of the roleplayed by non-Muslims in the development ofIslam. This principle of non-Muslim involvement inIslamic development can also be extended from anindividual level to the level of an entire group.In the present day context, Western Civilization isan appropriate example. Although WesternCivilization developed in non-Muslim societieswithout any direct contribution from the Muslimminds, it is helpful for Islam in many aspects. Forexample, it is this Western Civilization that finallyended religious persecution and opened the doorfor religious freedom and da’wah. Similarly, it is thisWestern Civilization which has developed themodern means of communication that has made itpossible for Muslims to do da’wah work on a globalscale. Also, modern scientific discoveries made in~ 381 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic Developmentthe West have paved the way to proving the beliefsof Islam on a scientific basis.In previous times, it was assumed that the truths ofIslam, or religion for that matter, could besupported only by arguments that were inferentialin nature and not by arguments that were direct.But modern science, in bringing human thoughtfrom a macrocosmic level to a microcosmic level,has made it possible to accept that inferentialreasoning is as valid as direct reasoning. Thisdevelopment has allowed Islam to prove its truthon the same level as scientific theories are proven.From these few examples, it is clear that non-Muslims are also helpful to the cause of Islam inmany ways. Islamic development is such auniversal process that all Muslim and non-Muslimforces contribute towards its fulfillment.This aspect of a role for those other than Muslims inthe development of Islam serves a moral end aswell. It makes Muslims sympathetic towards therest of the world so that the hearts of Muslims arefilled with love for others instead of hate, enmityand distrust.~ 382 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic DevelopmentThe contribution of non-Muslims to Islam has notbeen of a temporary nature. It has continuedthroughout Islamic history. In present times thesecontributions made by non-Muslims, especially inthe field of scientific discoveries, have been fargreater than ever before.What are these scientific discoveries? They are, inactual fact, the discoveries of nature. Nature, or inthe words of the Qur’an, “all the things of theheavens and the earth” are signs of God.Accordingly, all the things of the universe serve asscientific argument for Islamic teachings. In thisrespect the discoveries of nature are in fact thediscoveries of the divine realities which testify tothe truth of the teachings of Islam. I have gone intoconsiderable detail on this point in other books Ihave written. Here I wish to give only one exampleto illustrate my point.There is a verse in the Qur’an:We shall save your body this day, so that youmay be a sign for those who come after you.(10:92)~ 383 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic DevelopmentThis refers to the Egyptian ruler, Pharaoh, acontemporary of the Prophet Moses. As we know,Pharaoh had been drowned by God in the deepwaters of the sea. At that moment God had decreedthe preservation of Pharaoh’s body in order that itmight be a sign of God for future generations.However, neither at the time of revelation of theQur’an, nor even a thousand years later, did anyonehave had any knowledge regarding Pharaoh’sbody; it remained absolutely unknown to theMuslim world. It was not until the end of thenineteenth century that this preserved body wasdiscovered. This prediction of the Qur’an had beenfulfilled to the letter. However, this task wasperformed entirely by non-Muslims.It was a French scholar, Prof. Loret, who discoveredthis mummified body of Pharoah at Thebes in theKing’s Valley, from where it was transported toCairo. Prof. Elliot Smith removed its wrapping onthe 8th of July, 1907. He gives a detailed descriptionof this operation and examination of the body in hisbook, The Royal Mummies (1912).~ 384 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic DevelopmentIn June 1975, Dr. Maurice Bucaille was allowedby the Egyptian authorities to examine Pharoah’sbody. Special investigations were made duringthis examination of this mummified body alongwith a team of specialists. By means of severalmodern techniques like radiography, Carbondating,and endoscopy, the exact period of thisbody was established. After study and researchlasting several years by a team of westernexperts, it was scientifically proved that this bodydefinitely belonged exactly to the period ofMoses.It was also established beyond any doubt that thisPharoah died either from drowning or from veryviolent shocks preceding the moment when he wasdrowned.The French author, Dr Maurice Bucaille, rounds offthe chapter called ‘The Exodus’ in his book, TheBible, the Qur’an and Science, with these thrillingwords:Those who seek among modern data for proofof the veracity of the Holy Scriptures will finda magnificent illustration of the verses of the~ 385 ~

Islam Rediscovered22. The Role of Non-Muslims in Islamic DevelopmentQur’an dealing with the Pharoah’s body byvisiting the Royal Mummies’ Room of theEgyptian Museum, Cairo. (p. 241)~ 386 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformation23. CONVERSION: AN INTELLECTUALTRANSFORMATIONWhen an individual belonging to one religiousgroup joins another religious group after convertingto that religion, that, in religious terminology, iscalled proselytism. But this is a limited concept ofconversion, which needs to be viewed in a morescientific light.The religious view of conversion relates only toreligious tradition. In this respect it is relativelylimited in its spectrum. The scientific outlook, onthe contrary, is much broader in scope, being basedon the eternal principles of nature itself. Although itwould be proper to say that, in the religious contextconversion for human beings is a matter of choice,in the scientific sense, this is not so. It is an eternalprinciple of life, in exactly the same way as the lawsof nature have the status of being immutable. Weare compelled to accept the principle of conversion,just as we are compelled to accept the morningfollowing the evening, or one season coming afteranother.~ 387 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationISLAM AND CONVERSIONConversion in Islamic thought is not synonymouswith proselytism in the formal sense. It is an eventwhich takes place in a person’s life as a result ofintellectual revolution or spiritual transformation. Itis not simply leaving one religious tradition foranother. The Islamic ideal of conversion is for theindividual to discover the truth after an exhaustivesearch for it and then by his own choice, abandonone religion for another.During his final phase in 6 A.H., the ProphetMuhammad, may peace be upon him, sent letters tothe neighbouring rulers of his time, by which theywere directly invited to accept the message of Islam.For instance, in his letter to the Byzantine EmperorHeraclius I, the Prophet wrote these words: “AcceptIslam and you will be blessed with peace.” Similarlyat any gatherings which took place in Makkah, theProphet would make a point of going to that placeand address the assembled people thus: “O people,say there is no god but God and you will attainGod’s grace.”~ 388 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationAt first glance this was an invitation to people tochange their religion. But the study of the Qur’antells us that it was in actual fact an invitation to atransformation in thinking, and not a change ofreligion in the simple sense. In the first phase ofIslam, some Arab Bedouins had accepted Islam justby reciting the kalima, the creed of Islam, while theyhad not undergone any change in character at adeeper level. The Qur’an admonished them instrong terms:The Arabs of the desert say ‘We believe.’ Say.“You have not believed yet; but rather say,‘We have accepted Islam, for the true faith hasnot yet entered into your hearts.’”(49:14).From this we learn that conversion according toIslam means a thorough transformation of theperson and not just a change of religion in theeveryday sense.There is a formal method of religious conversionprevalent among the Jews and Christians known asbaptism. In this ritual ceremony, the convert isdipped in water. The hue of water considered asymbol of purity, and their priests believe that~ 389 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationdipping someone in pure clean water purifies him,and he is thus converted to a new religion. Butpouring water outwardly does not purify a person,for the attainment of purity necessitates atransformation of the total human personality. Theconvert is suffused with the hue of God and headopts God’s ways in thought, word and deed.As the Qur’an puts it:We take on God’s own dye—and who has abetter dye than God’s? And we are Hisworshippers. (2:138).The Qur’an refuses to give its seal of approval toconversions which are mere formalities. In ancientMadinah there was the case of about three hundredpeople having become Muslims by reciting theIslamic creed. To all intents and purposes they evensaid their prayers, and fasted, but they did all this ina hypocritical manner, paying only lip service: theirinner state did not correspond to their outwardpronouncements. They claimed allegiance to Islamby word of mouth but, as regards the state of theirhearts, the Islamic spirit was lacking. The Qur’anbranded the ‘Islam’ of such people as a falsity:~ 390 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationWhen the hypocrites come to you, they say:‘We bear witness that you are God’s apostle.’God knows that you are indeed HisMessenger, and God bears witness that thehypocrites are lying. (63:1)What is meant by true religious conversion isillustrated by an incident in which some versesfrom the Qur’an were read to a gathering ofChristians. About seventy of them were so deeplymoved that they abandoned their ancestral religionand converted to Islam. As the Qur’an puts it: Whenthey listen to that which was revealed to theMessenger, you will see their eyes filled with tearsas they recognize its truth. They say: ‘Lord, webelieve. Count us among Your witnesses. Whyshould we not believe in God and in the truth thathas come down to us? Why should we not hope foradmission among the righteous?’ (5:83-84)Similarly, the Qur’an speaks of true believers “asthose whose hearts are filled with awe at themention of God, and whose faith grows stronger asthey listen to His revelations. They are those whoput their trust in their Lord, pray steadfastly, and~ 391 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationspend of that which We have given them. Such arethe true believers. They shall have degrees withtheir Lord and shall be forgiven by Him, and agenerous provision shall be made for them. (6:2-4)This shows that religious conversion in actual fact isthe result of a realization. When the individual’ssearch for truth finds a convincing answer, it is sucha profound experience that his heart is intenselymoved. His eyes are filled with tears. His wholeexistence is moulded in the cast of truth. It is thenthat he emerges a new and altogether differentperson, having undergone a transformation.That is why the Qur’an uses no synonym forconversion. To express the act of conversion, othermore meaningful words have been used, forinstance, the da’wah mission (the communication ofthe message to others) of Islam finds mention in theQur’an in these words:A light has come to you from God and aglorious Book with which He will guide to thepaths of peace those that seek to please Him.He will lead them by His will from darkness~ 392 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationto the light; He will guide them to a straightpath. (5:15-16)Those who enter the fold of Islam after beinginfluenced by their study of the Qur’an, have beenthus described in the Qur’an:Is then he who knows that what has beenrevealed to you by your Lord is the truth, likehim who is blind? Truly, none will take heedbut the wise. (13:19)According to this verse, the real conversion is onewhich has taken place when the convert is awarethat he has entered the phase of gnosis and has leftbehind the phase of ignorance. That is why atradition of the Prophet speaks of the period priorto Islam as a period of ignorance.Similarly, the difference between a believer and anon-believer has been alluded to in the Qur’an inthe context of life after death: ‘Can the dead manwhom We have raised to life and given a light withwhich he may be guided among men, be comparedto him who blunders about in a darkness fromwhich he will never emerge?’ (6:123)~ 393 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationThis same reality has been expressed in differentways in the Qur’an, for instance, by the simile of theearth. When the rains come, the fertile earth blooms,becoming green with vegetation. ‘Good soil yieldsfruit by God’s leave. But poor and scant are thefruits which spring from barren soil. Thus we showour signs to those who render thanks.’ (7:58)Then there is the parable of the tree:Do you not see how God compares a goodword to a good tree whose root is firm with itsbranches in the sky, yielding its fruit everyseason by God’s leave? God gives parables tomen so that they may become mindful. But anevil word is like an evil tree torn out of theearth, and has no stability. God willstrengthen the faithful with His steadfastword, both in this life and in the Hereafter. Heleaves the wrongdoers in error. Godaccomplishes what He pleases. (14:24-27)These verses from the Qur’an tell us the differencebetween one who has found the truth and one whohas failed to do so. The latter is like the shrubgrowing on the upper surface of the soil: it is short-~ 394 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationlived, either vanishing on its own or being pulledout, and is of no use to mankind. The formerresembles a profitable, fruitful tree putting its rootsdeep down into the earth. It seems that it is for theearth and the earth is for it. Receiving sustenancefrom the earth as well as the atmosphere, it benefitspeople in many ways. Rooted as it is in the earth, ithas a desirable and meaningful existence.CONVERSION—A UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLEAnother aspect of conversion, pointed outrepeatedly in the Qur’an, is that it is not confinedsolely to religion. It is rather a universal principle,by which all kinds of progress have been set inmotion. The present universe was originallycomposed of condensed matter, then it underwent aprocess of internal change, by which it beganexpanding until this vast universe, with which weare now familiar, was formed. (21:30). Similarly, theearth lies dry and barren, then it is transformed bythe rain so that, “it begins to stir and swell, puttingforth every kind of radiant bloom.” (22:5)Again, some apparently unformed matter passesthrough well-defined stages in the womb, until it~ 395 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationassumes the form of a complete living creature—this goes for both humans as well as animals. Thengrass and grains enter the cow’s belly and, by acertain natural system undergo a transformation,until grass and grains are converted into milk, avery precious food for man (16:66).By citing such natural phenomena, the Qur’andemonstrates how this world has been establishedon the universal principle of conversion. Here allkinds of progress are instigated through the processof transformation. For instance, the combination oftwo gases resulting in water, iron beingtransformed into steel, chemical combinations ofvarious kinds producing useful metals, etc.All these are examples of conversion in its broadersense. The same kind of conversion is at work in theworld of human thought. There is an ongoinginterchange of ideas in this world. Through thisprocess one school of thought gives way to another,better school of thought. For instance, for severalhundred years the geo-centric theory of the solarsystem dominated world thought. Then as a resultof intellectual advances it began to erode, until~ 396 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationfinally it was rejected by the academic world, beingreplaced by the heliocentric theory, this havingstood the test of observation. Conversion in theworld of thought is called religious conversion,which is only a small part of the vaster scheme ofnature.The truth is that conversion is a universal lawestablished by nature itself, on the basis of which allthe material progress of the modern world has beentaking place. Just as the physical growth of livingbeings (humans and animals) has depended whollyon this principle of conversion, so also has all theprogress made in the world of thought overthousands of years. That is, theories have becomeestablished truths when proven by available facts.In this world no meaningful development can takeshape without going through this process ofconversion. This is especially true of the acceptanceof religion, which is another name for recognition ofspiritual truth. Only that religion can become one’sown which has been discovered as a result ofpersonal struggle. Religion is deeply related toconviction and conviction in turn is related to~ 397 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationdiscovery. There is no conviction without discoveryand there is no religion without conviction.The true follower of a religion is not one who issimply born into it. Finding religion must be amatter of conviction and is possible only after along period of self-analysis. Then the would-beadherent should feel that he is rediscoveringsomething of which he is already in possession.THE REALITY OF CONVERSIONConversion does not mean just saying some formalwords, changing one’s name and leaving onecultural group to join another. It entails not just anoutward change of religion, but a profoundalteration of the mindset after passing throughmany stages of soul-searching and self-analysis.Conversion, in essence, is the emergence of a newindividual—one of the most significant events ofhuman history, for it is only with the proliferationof such spiritually reformed personalities that anygiven society will attain true moral uplift, and reachthe highest levels of achievement.~ 398 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationConversion, in reality, is an event resulting from asense of discovery. After making a great discovery,one does not remain as before. One becomes a newman. Only a truly revolutionary change of this kindmerits the name of conversion. When it does takeplace, it stems from personal decision-making, andnot from greed or external pressures. It causes thoselacking in awareness to become intellectuallyreceptive; the dormant come fully alive in all theirsenses; the morally “blind” gain a code of ethics; thenon-curious develop a questing spirit; those livingin a circumscribed environment suddenly enter aworld without limits, where they can breathe freely;creatures existing at the purely physical level riseabove it and begin really to live on a higherconceptual plane; the aimless wanderer, becomingspiritually focussed, learns the secret of leading apurposeful life.CONVERSION—A HEALTHY HISTORICALPROCESSA few years ago I went through a book by an Indianwriter called The Politics of Conversion. I found thatthere was only one point on which I differed from~ 399 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationthe author and that was the choice of title for thebook. I felt that it might more justifiably have beencalled The Politicisation of Conversion. This wouldhave underscored the necessity to avoid thesensationalism of giving a political hue tosomething which was, after all, a natural reality.What is conversion? Usually conversion is equatedwith proselytism. But conversion, in its broadestsense, is much further-reaching, in that it is auniversal principle of nature. It is a historicalprocess—healthy and inexorable—and attemptingto put a stop to it would be like trying to put a stopto history itself. And who in this world has thepower to do so? Conversion, in reality, is the birthof an entirely new entity resulting from theencounter between old and new schools of thought.This is a universal law established by nature itself.The study of human history reveals that a certainprocess is always at work, which Karl Marx hadwrongly called dialectical materialism. More rightlythis is a dialogue-conversion process. That is, whentwo systems of thought clash with each other, anintellectual revolution ensues.~ 400 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationThis dialogue-conversion process is the only ladderto all kinds of human progress. That is, wheneverany revolution of civilization has been produced ora human group has succeeded in performing somegreat creative role, it has always come in the wakeof this same dialogue-conversion process.There is no single form of this process. It can bereligious or non-religious in nature. In the history ofthe last fifteen hundred years we find two majorexamples—one of religious conversion and theother of secular conversion.The history of the Arabs provides the example ofreligious conversion. Up to the sixth century A.D.,the Arabs led a confined tribal life under theidolatrous system. Then at the beginning of theseventh century, there appeared the religion ofmonotheism, Islam. In consequence, intensivedialogue began between the monotheists andidolators. This dialogue assumed such anaggressive character that it came to the point ofcollision. As a result a new way of thinking wasborn among the Arabs, which went on growing tillit took the form of a great intellectual revolution.~ 401 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationThis intellectual revolution, or this discovery of anew idea, resulted in the emergence of a newpersonality among the Arabs. In the words of aEuropean historian, every one of them acquiredsuch a revolutionary personality that their entirepeople became a nation of heroes. Within just fiftyyears they brought about that historical event whichis called by a historian “the miracle of all miracles.”Briffault puts this in a nutshell: “But for the Arabs,western civilization would never have arisen at all.”Another example is that of the European Christiannations. After the crusades—a historical processextending over several hundred years—thesenations too went through a conversion process. Thisconversion was secular rather than religious.Intense conflict took place between science andreligion. This is elucidated in the book: ConflictBetween Science and Religion.”This encounter continued for several hundred yearsin the form of dialogue and conflict, until a newintellectual revolution was produced within theEuropean nations and they finally bade good-bye to~ 402 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationthe old and opted for the new. This revolution isknown as the Renaissance.It was this revolution which enabled the Europeannations to perform the greatest feat of history, i.e.emerging from the traditional age into the age ofscience. The truth is that the human mind is atreasure-house of unlimited power. In normalsituations the human brain remains in a dormantstate. It is only external shocks which awaken it,and the greater they are, the greater the intellectualrevolution within man. This shock treatmentproduces in man what psychologists call brainstorming.This brings about a fresh intellectualoutlook, a transformation which elevates a normalman to the level of a superman, who is then able toperform great feats.Religious conversion is only a small part of thiswhole process. When the dialogue-conversionprocess is set in motion, it cannot have limits set toit. It is not possible to allow one kind of conversionand to prohibit another. Being a stormy process, it isboundless.~ 403 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationIt must be appreciated that there are two majorkinds of religious conversion—inner faithconversion and inter faith conversion. Now let ustake an example of inter faith conversion. There wasa multi-lingual Bengali Doctor of Philosophy, NishiKant Chattopadhyaye, who, having first studiedphilosophy, then all major religions, facedintellectual confrontation with different faiths.Finally he made an intellectual discovery inconsequence of which he left his ancestral religion,Hinduism, in favour of Islam. His Muslim namewas Azizuddin. He delivered a lecture, publishedlater under the title, Why I Have Embraced Islam,which describes in detail the story of his intellectualdevelopment. This lecture has been reproduced inone of the chapters of this book.There have also been instances of men and womenwho were born in Muslim families, who later castoff their family religion in order to turn intosecularists, or even atheists in some cases. However,sooner or later they reached a turning point in theirlives when they came back to Islam as sincerepractising Muslims.~ 404 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual TransformationThe author of this book is an example of this kind ofinner faith conversion. He was born in a Muslimfamily and until 1942, kept on performing allreligious duties and rituals under the influence ofthe family. Then, an intellectual revolt took place inhis mind against Islam and consequently he becamea totally irreligious person for many years to come.It was not until 1948, after five years of systematicanalytical study of modern philosophy, science andreligion, that the author was fully convinced of thecontinuing relevance and credibility of Islam anddecided to return to it again. But, this time it was areturn, or conversion, to a consciously chosen andrediscovered Islam, not to the traditionallyinherited one.To sum up, conversion is a universal andinescapable law of nature. A study of psychologyand history tells us that, in order to give a newimpetus to an individual or a group and to bringabout a moral and intellectual revolution, what ismost effective is the sense of discovery. This feelingof having discovered some truth which was as yetunknown, awakens all the dormant powers of theindividual. This feeling turns an ordinary man into~ 405 ~

Islam Rediscovered23. Conversion: An Intellectual Transformationa superman. It is such supermen who cross theocean, who scale mountains, and who by theirheroic character cause history to enter a new age.Today, human history is once again facing adeadlock. History is once again in need of peoplewho pass through this experience of a discovery.For it is such people, charged with new spiritualpower, who will give a strong push to humanhistory to enter a new and a better age.~ 406 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*24. A CASE OF DISCOVERY** This chapter is a lecture which wasdelivered by Dr. Nishikant Chattopadhyayein 1904, in Hyderabad. He belonged to awell-known Bengali family, which earnedmuch fame and popularity as one of itsfamily members, Sarojini Naidu, daughter ofAgornath Chattopadhyaye, played andeminent role in the freedom struggle. Dr.Nishikant was a close relative of Mr. Naidu.This family migrated from Bengal to settle inHyderabad during the British Period. One ofits learned members was Dr. NishikantChattopadhyaye, who also made thismigratory journey. Well versed in severallanguages, he was a true seeker in the realsense of the word. He studied religion andits related disciplines in detail. Finally hebecame fully convinced of the veracity ofIslam. Having found the answer to hisquests he embraced the true faith. After hisacceptance, he delivered a lecture on the26th August 1904, at the historic Fateh~ 407 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*Maidan in Hyderabad. That same yearLuzac & Sons printed this lecture, one copyof which is still extant in the British Museumin London. It was later reprinted in 1971from a copy found by Mr. HasanuddinAhmad of Hyderabad in the library of MirzaAbul Fazl, also of Hyderabad.Dr. Nishikant Chattopadhyaye wasprincipal of Hyderabad College andProfessor of History at the Maharaja College,Mysore. He was born in mid-nineteenthcentury in Bengal and died in the firstquarter of the 20th century in Hyderabad.His Muslim name after conversion wasMohd Azizuddin.It is a trite saying, that the present can be fullygrasped and appreciated only by a due reference tothe past. In order, therefore, to set before youclearly the reasons that have induced me to acceptIslam in preference to the other great religions ofthe world, it is necessary that I should give you ashort sketch of the various phases of doubt and~ 408 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*faith through which I have passed from myboyhood upwards to the present day.Having lost faith early in that strange andheterogeneous medley of animism, fetishism,polytheism and pantheism, known as popularHinduism, I have been in search of a truer faithfrom my very boyhood. Naturally enough, I sooncame in contact with the Brahmo Somaj andChristianity, then engaged in an apparently bitterconflict for obtaining mastery over the minds of theyoung Bengal. The star of Babu Keshab ChandraSen was in the ascendant, and I still recollect thethrill of fervour and enthusiasm with which I usedto pour over some of his eloquent sermons anddiscourses. The Brahmo Somaj introduced me tosome of the great Unitarians of England and ofAmerica, notably to Theodore Parker of Boston,whom I began to regard as a prophet and an apostleof God. I became so exceedingly fond of his worksthat it was my habit in those days always to carry avolume or two of Theodore Parker’s books with mewherever I happened to go, and to quietly readthem over as others do the Bible or the Quran. Inthis state of mind, I shipped myself off to Europe~ 409 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*for the sake of my education. Arriving in Scotland, Isoon got into the society of some good Christianmen and women of an orthodox type, who began totake great interest in me, and to express greatconcern for the salvation of my soul. I used to visittheir houses and join in their prayer-meetings. Onceor twice I even attended some of the revivalisticmeetings then in vogue, and was greatly surprisedto see strong, bearded men bitterly weeping fortheir sins, while scores of delicately-framed oldspinsters were carried away in fainting fits. Theemotional side of the Scotch character of which wesee so little in India, now stood revealed before mein a most unequivocal manner. But however deepand genuine my love and reverence for Christ was,however sincere my admiration for the general driftof his essential teachings, I could by no meansreconcile myself to two items of the orthodox creed:(1) Atonement, and (2) Eternal Damnation. Therewas also a Unitarian chapel in Edinburgh that Ioccasionally attended, and though their religiousviews and mine were very similar in some respects,yet the general tone of the sermons delivered therewas somewhat too cold and sometimes toorationalistic for my warm, oriental blood. In~ 410 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*Edinburgh, I fell in with the writings of ThomasCarlyle, who inspired me not only with a genuinelove for German literature but also with a realadmiration for Luther, Goethe and Schiller. I beganto study German in right earnest, and quietly madeup my mind to visit that great country which hadproduced such a grand literature and given birth tosuch truly heroic souls as mentioned above. Theeast winds of Edinburgh which ill-suited mynaturally delicate constitution, gave me a furtherplea, and I soon transhipped myself over to Leipzigwith a determination to study science, literature andphilosophy in the academic halls of that worldrenownedUniversity where Lessing and Goethehad finished their studies a century ago. As I wasinterested in biology and was soon greatly attractedby the Darwinian Theory of Evolution, which wasthen creating a tremendous ferment all over theGerman Fatherland, I soon read most of thewritings of Buchner and Hackel, of Darwin and ofHuxley and above all, of Herbert Spencer. HerbertSpencer had made a practical application of theEvolution Theory to religion and politics, art andsociety; in other words, to all the multifariousbranches of human thought and feelings, and had~ 411 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*done so with such a rare vigour of intellect and suchan exuberant wealth of illustrations, that I began toconsider him as the greatest philosopher that theworld had ever produced since Plato and Aristotle,and his Evolution Theory in its practical bearings asthe Gospel of the future church of mankind. ThisTheory of Evolution had, after all, solved alldifficulties and set all doubts at rest!Here was an indisputable terra firma on which tobuild the future superstructure of all humanthought and speculation! Did it not account for somany things that were otherwise quite mysterious!True, but it left very little room for the existence ofan Almighty, all-knowing and all-good, personalGod, for the need of prayer, or for the “hypothesis”of a life after Death where men are to be heldresponsible for their thoughts, words and deeds. Inthis manner, I became a Positivist of the schools ofAuguste, Comte and an Agnostic of the school ofHuxley, both at the same time, and was in a verysuitable frame of mind to intensely enjoy readingbooks like Strauss’s “The Old and the New Faith”and John Stuart Mill’s “Three Essays on Religion”and particularly his charming “Autobiography.”~ 412 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*Studying some of the German philosophers andespecially Arthur Schopenhauer, who was then thephilosophe a la mode in the student circles ofGermany, I soon became a convert to Buddhismwhich, in its earliest scriptures, inculcates a loftyethical code minus supernatural sanctions, and aReligion of Humanity minus distinctions of caste,creed and country; Halloa! I had after muchwandering found the very religion I was in need ofquite close to my own native land, since Buddhahad chiefly lived and worked at Gaya and Rajagrihawhich were anciently included in Bengal and arejust now situated on the very borders of the same. Igot so exceedingly fascinated with the creed of LordBuddha that I not only read all the books onBuddhism in English and German that I could laymy hands on, but even learnt Pali to be able totranslate a portion of the Milinda Prasana invindication of the right meaning of the Nirvana as Ithen conceived it to be. Professor Max Muller’sinterpretation, which amounted to the same things,was subsequent to mine. Within a short time I wasasked by my German friend to deliver a fewlectures on Buddhism, which created quite a flutterin all the clerical and orthodox circles of Germany,~ 413 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*inasmuch as in comparing my ideal Buddhism witha very orthodox form of Christianity then in vogue,I had given an unquestionably higher place toBuddhism. These two lectures on “Buddhism andChristianity” were printed, read and criticized allover the country and I had even the gratification ofseeing one of them (The Second Karma) translatedinto English and published by the Free ThoughtSociety of London then under the high auspices ofCharles Bradlaugh and Annie Besant. When aftersome 12 years I met Mrs. Besant in Hyderabad forthe first time, we were both Theosophists. But theinherent pessimism of Buddhism did not appeal tome at all and I soon grew tired of it. Every limb ofmy body and every faculty of my soul wasquivering and aching, as it were, for work andenjoyment, and here was a system of philosophyenjoining on me to deny some and to entirelysuppress others of the most natural instincts andemotions of my youth and adolescence. There mustbe something morbid and radically wrong in asystem and a creed that goes against our HumanNature.~ 414 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*When I was passing through this phase of myspiritual life, I had to go, in the first place, to Parisand then a year later on to St. Petersburg. In Paris Isoon became quite familiar with the Frenchlanguage which I had already begun to study inLeipzig. French opened altogether, a new world tome. It gave me, so to say, a new soul. I began tostudy and take delight in the works of Moliere andRacine, Voltaire and Victor Hugo, Renan and Taine.And quite particularly Voltaire, who appeared andstill appears to me the greatest literary genius thatthe world has ever produced. But the works ofVoltaire, though they immensely tickled andamused me, served only to make me a moreconfirmed sceptic than ever. The forty volumes ofhis Oeuvres completes which range over almost allsubjects of human thought and feeling had,however, the effect of laughing me, for good, out ofmy German gaucherie and Buddhistic pessimism.The influence of Renan, though sceptical, was farmore ethical and artistic. His “La Vie de Jesus” (Lifeof Jesus) is one of the best books I have ever read,deeply impressing me with its poetical style andmoral earnestness. Renan led me to take an interestin Semitic religions and in Semitic languages. The~ 415 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*works of Max Muller, with which I had been veryfamiliar for several years, had already taught mehow to study languages and religions from ascientific standpoint. Renan only continued whatMax Muller had already begun, and I threw myself,heart and soul, into the comparative study of all thegreat religions of the world, to wit: Judaism,Zoroastrianism and Brahaminism on the one hand,and Buddhism, Christianity and Islam on the other.Christianity for some time appeared to me as theculminating point and the true reconciliation of theSemitic and the Aryan; and I might have become aconvert to Roman Catholicism some years ago butfor the dogmas of papal infallibility,transubstantiation and so on, which my Germanuniversity education had rendered untenable.Nevertheless, I was greatly impressed by RomanCatholicism on its artistic and archaeological sideand I am still of the opinion, that there is no form ofChristianity that affords greater consolation oroffers a surer haven to a weary soul tossed for yearson the tempestuous seas of modern scepticism, thanthe Church dedicated to St. Peter in Rome. In thisframe of mind I returned to India, and was soonconfronted with Theosophy as one of the leading~ 416 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*movements of the day. When I was in the service ofthe late Nawab Sir Viqarul Umarah Bahadur, I wasonce agreeably surprised to receive through theNawab Saheb himself the following three books asgifts: (1) Arnold’s “Light of Asia.” (2) Sinnet’s“Occult World” and (3) “Esoteric Buddhism.” Whothe donor actually was, whether a Tibetan Mahatmaor a friendly English book-seller, whence the booksreally came, whether from the monasteries of Lhasaor from the bookstalls of London I have not yetbeen able to discover, but the books were veryuseful and interesting reading for some months tocome. I soon came in contact with some of theleading apostles of Theosophy and read all theirbooks and pamphlets with great zeal. Theosophysoon revived my old interest in the comparativestudy of religion, and I now threw myself withspecial earnestness into the study of Islam and ofZoroastrianism which I had somewhat neglectedbefore. My studies in the old Parsee religionculminated in a lecture on “Zoroastrianism” whichwas so well appreciated by those for whom it hadbeen intended, that it was printed in a nicepamphlet form under the auspices of the ParseePanchyat of Bombay. My Islamic studies, for which~ 417 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*besides the particular environment of Hyderabad, Ihad ample resources placed at my disposal in thelibrary of the late Maulvi Cheragh Ali, and that ofMr Syed Ali Bilgrami now in England, brought meinto contact with a religion so simple andintelligible, so reasonable and practical, that Ishould have taken the step I have lately taken some10 years ago, had not an untoward incident forcedme to publish a contradiction in the public journalsand to leave Hyderabad altogether for some years.But it was evidently not in the counsels of that allwiseand all-merciful Providence who guides andcontrols everything, that I should have made thispublic profession of Islam earlier than I have done.Otherwise I should certainly have done so: Hewhom Allah guides is rightly guided; but he whomHe leaves in error shall find no friend to guide him.(18:17) However, it is better late than never. God ismy witness, I have accepted Islam in all sincerityand earnestness, and the first reason that has movedme to do so is its solid, historical groundwork. Afterwandering helplessly for several years in themarshy bogs of divergent creeds and conflictingsystems of philosophy, with only the will-o-thewispof speculative reason to serve me as a guide,~ 418 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*my weary soul has at last found refuge andconsolation in a religion based on a Revelation thathas remained unaltered ever since its firstcompilation under the first Caliph, and in a creedthat acknowledges as its Prophet of God, one whosehistorical personality is not only unquestionable butabout whose youth, appearance, daily habits andeven personal characteristics we know almost asmuch as we do about those of Oliver Cromwell orof Napoleon Bonaparte. You may slander or revilehim if you choose, as so many Christian and otherwriters have done for centuries, but you can’t throweven the least shadow of doubt on the historicalbasis of that immense personality that has stampeditself so deep on the rolls of Time as to makeChristendom grow pale before that august andillustrious name even to this day. But Christendomneed not grow pale at all. If it only knew his life andcharacter as it really was—so noble, so genuine andwithal, so loveable, Christendom would admire,honour and love him as all Muslims do. In theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, thereis nothing vague and shadowy, mythical ormysterious, as, for instance, in Zoroaster andSreekrishna, or even in Buddha and Christ. The~ 419 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*very existence of those Prophets has been seriouslydoubted and even totally denied; but nobody, as faras I am aware, has ever ventured to reduce theProphet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,either into a “Solar myth” or into a “fairy tale” assome eminent savants of Europe have done withBuddha and Christ. Oh! What a relief to find, afterall, a truly historical Prophet to believe in!As for the Quran, it is not a mere heterogeneouscompilation of a wilderness of stories andchronicles, of Prophetic rhapsodies and of poeticalbiographies, produced at widely different periodsand by widely divergent men, and thrown into onesingle mould nobody exactly knows when and how;but it is, on the contrary, one single Book bearingthe indelible impress of one great Soul to whomGod in His mercy has chosen to reveal it. There issuch a marvelous continuity and uniformityrunning throughout the whole Book, that noimpartial critic or fair-minded reader can everdoubt either its sincerity or authenticity. You maycall it tedious or monotonous, if you like, you mayeven point out some of its apparent discrepancies,but you cannot deny its being exactly the same book~ 420 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*as that which was revealed to the Holy Prophetduring his life-time at different periods and ondifferent occasions ever since that memorable nightof the 27th Ramadan (Lailatul Qadr) when the angelGabriel stood before him and said:Read, in the name of your Lord, who created,created man from clots of congealed blood.Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One,Who taught man by the Pen, Who taught manwhat he knew not! Indeed, man transgressesin thinking himself self-sufficient. Verily toyour Lord is the return. (96: 1-8)This historical groundwork of Islam has struck evensuch a sceptic as Ernst Renan who in his “Etudesd’Histoire Religieu” (pp. 220, 230) makes some verypertinent remarks about it. Professor BosworthSmith holds similar views and expresses himself inthe following terms in his famous lectures on“Muhammad and Islam.” “We know indeed, somefragments of a fragment of Christ’s life; but who canlift the veil of thirty years that prepared the way forthe three? ... But in Islam everything is different;here, instead of the shadowy and the mysterious,~ 421 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*we have history. We know as much of Muhammadas we do even of Luther and Milton. The mythical,the legendary, the supernatural is almost wantingin the original Arab authorities, or at all events, caneasily be distinguished from what is historical.Nobody here is the dupe of himself, or of others;there is the full light of day upon all that light canever reach at all...... In the Quran, we have beyondall reasonable doubt the exact words of Muhammadwithout subtraction and without addition. We seewith our own eyes the birth and adolescence of areligion” (pp. 17, 18, 22). And the last but not theleast, Carlyle in his famous book: “Heroes and HeroWorship” has stated the following about the Quran:“When once you get this Quran fairly off, theessential type of it begins to disclose itself: and inthis there is merit quite other than the literary one.If a book came from the heart, it will contrive toreach the hearts: all art and authorcraft are of smallamount to that. One would say, the primarycharacter of the Quran is that of its genuineness, ofits being a bona-fide book. Sincerity in all sensesseems to me the merit of the Quran.”~ 422 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*The next reason that has induced me to accept Islamis, that it is so eminently reasonable. In Islam, wehaven’t got to believe in Thirty-nine Articlesbristling with dogmas that are either unintelligibleto our ordinary reason or inconsistent with ourcommon sense. All that we have to do, is to declareour sincere faith in one simple formula calledkalima: La ilaha illallah, Muhammudur rasullullah, thatis to say, “There is no diety save Allah, andMuhammad is His Prophet.” Nay, there is a wellknownHadith which distinctly says that even “hewho believes only in one God will go to heaven,” orin other words is a Muslim (Man Qala la ilaha illallahfa dakhalal jannah!). And is there any human being,from the poorest beggar to the most highly exaltedPrince, from the most ignorant poor to the mosthighly cultured philosopher, who can refuse hissincere adherence to the Unity of God? Every soundand normal man with his human institutions notperverted either by false philosophy or grossdepravity, every man, I say, who is not a hopelessatheist or an inveterate agnostic, must readily givehis assent to that simple and sublime truth: TheUnity of God. All the greatest philosophers ofancient as well as modern times have enunciated it~ 423 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*in some shape or other, while saints, apostles andprophets, whose names are so deeply enshrined inthe sacred altars of collective humanity, have livedand died for it. What is the verdict of our modernScience on the Unity of Being?, that is to say, theUnity of both force and of matter which composethat Being. Dr. J.C. Bose’s recent researches haveonly scientifically demonstrated what apostles andprophets have invariably and persistentlyproclaimed ever since the days of Adam and Noah,Abraham and Moses. In Islam, we are not asked tobelieve in three gods—in One as in the Athanasiancreed, or in thirty millions of gods and goddesses asin popular Hinduism, but only in that one greatBeing who is the Creator of the Universe, who is allknowingand all-wise and who is, at the same time,also the most merciful and the most compassionate:“Your God is one God; there is no God but He, theMost Merciful. In the creation of the Heavens andEarth, and the alternation of night and day, and inthe ships that sail the ocean, laden with what isprofitable to mankind, and in the rain and the waterwhich God sends from Heaven, quickening againdead earth, and the animals of all sorts which coverits surface, and in the movements of winds and the~ 424 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*clouds balanced between heaven and earth aresigns to people of understanding; Yet there aresome who worship other objects besides Allah,bestowing on them the adoration due to Allah.” (2:164-65).As to the second part of the kalima, it is not a“necessary fiction” as Gibbon chooses to call it, buta very necessary and highly valuable truthconsistent with reason, and appealing to the highestaspirations of our spiritual life. Whenever thefundamental truths, on which our moral andreligious life is based, are either obscured orforgotten, whenever men become too worldly andavaricious, too immoral and materialistic, thereappear, in the history of races and nations, men sohighly spiritualised by birth and breeding as to becalled prophets and apostles of God, and whosesole mission in life is to remind men of what theyhave forgotten and to revive what they have lost. “Iam no more than a public preacher. I preachnothing new. I only try to bring home to you certaineternal truths proclaimed by all true prophets ofGod which you have evidently forgotten.” This isbeing constantly repeated in the Quran. And that~ 425 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him,was all that he claimed to be, namely a Prophet ofGod in the highest sense of that word, will beevident to all fair-minded men, unbiased bymissionary or sectarian prejudices, who take thetrouble to study his life and teachings andparticularly the Quran which has been called the“autobiography of Muhammad.” All the Traditionsrepresent him as uncommonly true and just, liberaland generous, good and pure. He has been the beauideal of a Perfect Man to one-third of our race forthe last 13 centuries. It is absurd to suppose, that “awicked impostor” as Christian writers commonlyrepresent him to be, should have had that immenseand abiding influence on such vast masses of menfor such a long time as Muhammad. After all,Carlyle’s dictum, contained in his lecture on“Heroes and Hero-worship” which I have alreadyreferred to, will be found to be true:“This deep-hearted son of the wilderness with hisbeaming black eyes, and open, social, deep soul hadother thoughts in him than ambition. A silent, greatsoul, he was one of those who cannot but be inearnest; whom nature herself has appointed to be~ 426 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*sincere. While others work in formulas andhearsays, contented enough to dwell therein, thisman could not screen himself in formulas: he wasalone with his whole soul and the reality of things.The great mystery of existence glared upon himwith its terrors, with its splendours; no hearsayscould hide that unspeakable fact, ‘Here am I.’ Suchsincerity as we named it has, in truth, something ofthe divine. The word of such a man is a voice directfrom nature’s own heart. Men must listen to that, orto nothing else; all else is wind in comparison. Fromof old, a thousand thoughts in his pilgrimages andwanderings had been in this man ‘What am I?’‘What is Life?’ ‘What is Death?’ ‘What am I tobelieve?’ ‘What am I to do?’ The grim rocks ofMount Hira, or Mount Sinai, the stern, sandysolitude answered not. The great Heaven rollingsilently overhead with its blue glancing stars,answered not. There was no answer. The man’sown soul and what of God’s inspirations dweltthere, had to answer!”These two fundamental principles, whoseprofession makes a man a Muslim, are thus basedon the highest dictates of our intuitive reason. This~ 427 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*has been admitted even by Christian writers such asEdward Montet who, in his book called “Lapropaganda chretienne et ses adversaires Mussalmans”has written the following: “Islam is a religion that isessentially rationalistic in the widest sense of thisterm, considered etymologically and historically.The definition of rationalism as a system that basesreligious beliefs on principles furnished by thereason, applies to it exactly. To believers, theMuslim creed is summed up in belief in the Unity ofGod and in the mission of His Prophet, statementsthat, to the religious man rest on the firm basis ofreason. This fidelity to the fundamental dogma ofthe religion that has been proclaimed with agrandeur, majesty, and an invariable purity andwith a note of sure conviction which it is hard tofind surpassed outside the pale of Islam, theelemental simplicity of the formula in which it isenunciated, the proof that it gains from the fervidconviction of the missionaries who propagate it, areso many causes to explain the success of Muslimmissionary efforts. A creed so precise, so stripped ofall theological complexities and, consequently, soaccessible to the ordinary understanding, might beexpected to possess and does indeed possess a~ 428 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*marvellous power of winning its way into theconsciences of men.” (pp. 17-18)The third reason why I have accepted Islam is, thatit is so thoroughly practical. Its ethical code is basedon the actual needs of human nature, and not onsome imaginary or exaggerated standard of virtuewhich is unattainable. The standard set up by otherreligions, for example, by Buddhism andChristianity might, in a certain sense, be calledloftier or more transcendental; but is it possible torealise it in actual life? The test by which an ethicalcode is to be judged is not its poetical beauty, but itspractical utility, by its complete adaptation to theneeds and requirements of our human nature as itis. As Emerson has beautifully put it: “Sirius may beloftier than the Sun, but it does not ripen mygrapes!” We may admire Quixotic perfections innovels and romances, but they are utterly useless inthe struggles of our everyday life. We may admire,for example, the poetic excellence of the precept:“When thy brother smites thee on thy right cheek,turn to him the left also,” but does any Christian,good, bad or indifferent, ever practise it? Take againthe doctrines of celibacy and marriage. Both~ 429 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*Buddhism and Christianity, though they toleratemarriage, yet exalt celibacy as a higher virtue. Islamdoes not tolerate celibacy at all, but, on the contrary,enjoins matrimony as a religious duty binding onevery true Muslim.This system of universal matrimony, joined tooccasional polygamy amongst the wealthier classes,makes it, that there is almost a total dearth inMuslim countries of those professional out-castessuch as you invariably come across in suchshockingly large figures in the streets of Londonand Paris, Vienna and St. Petersburg. Canon IsaacTaylor, a dignitary of the Anglican Church, had thecourage to deliver himself in the following mannerbefore a Church Congress held at Wolverhamptonon the 7th October 1887: “Muhammad limited theunbounded license of polygamy; it is the exceptionrather than the rule in the most civilized Muslimlands—European Turkey, Algiers and Egypt.Polygamy, with all its evils, has itscounterbalancing advantages. It has abolishedfemale infanticide and gives every woman a legalprotector. Owing to polygamy, Muslim countriesare free from professional outcasts, a greater~ 430 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*reproach to Christendom than polygamy to Islam.The strictly regulated polygamy of the Muslim isinfinitely less degrading to women and lessinjurious to men than the promiscuous polyandrywhich is the course of Christian cities and which isabsolutely unknown in Islam. The polyandrousEnglish are not entitled to cast stones atpolygamous Muslims. Let us first pluck out thebeam from our own eye, before we meddle with themote in our brother’s eye.” Now, which matrimonalcode, do you think, is more practical, moreconsonant to the actual needs of human society andmore conducive to its highest development from amoral and spiritual point of view? I could bringforward other moral precepts of Islam and,contrasting them with those of other great religionsof the world, point out how in each case there is inIslam a far more harmonious blending of practicalwisdom and spiritual insight than anywhere else.But that would lead me too far and demand aseparate lecture by itself. For this occasion I shallonly content myself by quoting the followingpassage from Amir Ali’s famous book, The Spirit ofIslam: “The practical character of a religion, itsabiding influence on the common relations of~ 431 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*mankind, in the affairs of every-day life, its poweron masses, are the true criteria for judging of itsuniversality.....In Islam is joined a lofty idealismwith the most rationalistic practicality. It did notignore human nature, it never entangled itself in thetortuous pathways which lie outside the domain ofthe actual and the real. Its object, like that of othersystems, was the elevation of humanity towards theabsolute ideal of perfection, but it attained or triesto attain this object by grasping the truth, that thenature of man is, in this existence, imperfect.”(p. 278).These are some of the chief reasons, practical andspeculative, that have induced me to accept Islam inpreference to the other great religions of the world.There are also the reasons which have alwaysappealed strongly in favour of Islam to some of thegreatest minds of Europe in the past as well as inthe present. It would be quite out of place here toallude even en passant to what Voltaire, Goethe,Gibbon in the 18th, and a host of great men in the19th century have said about Islam. All that ispossible to do in a lecture like this is to make apassing allusion to a few Europeans of the present~ 432 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*day, who have expressed their sympathy andadmiration for the faith of Islam.Not long ago, we all read of a distinguished Englishnobleman (Lord Stanley of Alderley) who isreputed to have declared before his death that hehad all his life been a Muslim! I can assure you, thatthere are hundreds and thousands all over Europeand America, who would do exactly the same, ifthey had the requisite moral courage to brave thesocial and other disadvantages attending on such astep. It was not less a man and a savant than ErnstRenan who has said the following in his famouslecture on “L’ Islamisme and la science” (p.19):- “Je nesuis jamais entré dans une mosquée sans une viveemotion, le dirai-je? sans un certain regret de n’être pasun Mussulman!” that is to say, “I have never beeninside a mosque without feeling a strong emotion,shall I confess it? Without a certain amount of regretthat I am not a Muslim”! When a great scholar andgreat sceptic like Ernst Renan could make adeclaration like that, what of humbler persons andindividuals—what about the ordinary unletteredpeople of the world? Since it is well-known thatIslam, owing to its simplicity, intelligibility and~ 433 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*practicality, is specially suited for the masses ofmankind and that it is with the masses that italways had its most signal success and achieved itsgreatest triumphs, the Rev. Marcus Dodd, D.D. inhis book on “Muhammad, Buddha and Christ” hasstated the following about the same: “The extremesimplicity of the creed of Islam greatly favoured itsrapid propagation. No elaborate explanations wererequired to teach the ignorant....The rude Negrocould understand it on its first recital....It demandedno long novitiate....it was a creed for which thehuman mind has an instinctive affinity, and whichhas never roused abhorrence even in the mind of apolytheist. To men who had begun to despair offinding the truth amidst the bewildering subtletiesof a metaphysical theology, it was a relief to findthemselves face to face with a simple creed and tobe compelled to believe it.” (pp. 100-7)Hence, I feel sure, that if a comprehensive Islamicmission were started in Hyderabad (or any othercentral place) to preach the simple and sublimetruths of Islam to the people of Europe, Americaand Japan, there would be such a rapid andenormous accession to its ranks as had not been~ 434 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*witnessed again ever since the first centuries of theHijra. You all know the good work which AbdullaW.H. Quilliam has been doing for several years inLiverpool. Besides winning actual converts whosenumber runs up to some two hundred in all, he hasrendered valuable service to the Muslim world byhis books and pamphlets which have dissipatedprejudices and awakened a lively interest in Islamall over the civilised world. Some of his pamphletsare widely read all over India and Burma, and have,I believe, been translated into Burmese, Hindustani,Persian and Arabic. Don’t you feel that it is yourbounden duty to strengthen his hands as much youare able to do, and to help him to disseminate thefaith of Islam in Europe as he has been doing withsuch signal success for so many years? Will you,therefore, organise a grand central Islamic Missionhere in Hyderabad and open branches in Europe,America and in Japan? God’s choicest blessings willdescend on Hyderabad, and especially on the Headof its beloved and beneficent Ruler: Mir MahboobAli Khan, His Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad!It has been well said, that our choice even in themost exalted matters often proceeds from mixed~ 435 ~

Islam Rediscovered24. A Case of Discovery*motives. Shall I tell you what further subconsciousmotive or reason has had its influence in decidingmy choice of Islam? It is this: To consecrate for theremainder of my earthly days what gifts God has givenme and what knowledge and capacity I have acquired,either in Europe or in Asia, from books as well as fromtravels, to the service of that great community to which Ihave now the privilege to belong. Will you then acceptme as a brother, as a friend and as a servant? Allowme now to finish this lecture of mine that hasalready taxed your patience longer than I hadintended, with the following verse from the HolyQuran:Say: “My Lord has guided me to a straightpath, to an upright religion, to the faith of theupright Abraham; for he was not one of thosewho join gods with God. Say: Verily, myprayers, and my worship, and my life and mydeath are unto God, Lord of the Worlds. Hehas no associate, and this I am commanded;and I am the first of those who submit to Hiswill.” (6: 161-162)~ 436 ~

Islam Rediscovered25. Conclusion25. CONCLUSIONThe nineteenth century was the century of theknowledge explosion. Man came to feel that, underthe influence of science, the attainment of boundlessknowledge was within his reach, and that he wasnow in a position to build his world on his own.However, by the end of this century the picture wasquite different. It was discovered with greatfrustration that science can give but a partialknowledge of reality. And limited knowledge is aninsufficient basis on which to construct an ideologythat will provide answers to all his questions. Thefirst phase—of hope—was outlined in a bookwritten by the British author, Julian Huxley: ManStands Alone. The second phase—of frustration—found expression in a book written by the Americanauthor, Cressy Morrison. Its title: Man does NotStand Alone was truly meaningful.But again there was the thrilling news brought bythe twentieth century: that of the atomic explosion.Man believed once again that he had managed toacquire the greatest power of nature; now the time~ 437 ~

Islam Rediscovered25. Conclusionhad come for the first time in human history tobuild the most successful civilization on earth.Events showed, however, that atomic power,having assumed the form of the atomic bomb,became a source of such great destruction as tothreaten the very existence of human civilization.The truth is that prior to the knowledge explosion,or the atomic explosion, man has been in need of areliable ideology to furnish him with a completeinterpretation of life, and instruct him as to the goalof his existence and the direction of his actions andhow to exercise knowledge and power. The spreadof communism in the nineteenth century had givenman the false conviction that he had discovered theperfect ideology that he had been seeking all along.But, in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union,this false sense of conviction vanished into thin air.In this new scenario, the world is experiencing anideological vacuum. Islam alone can fill thisvacuum for it is a religion of nature—a completeand preserved guidebook handed down by God toHis Prophet.~ 438 ~

Islam Rediscovered25. ConclusionThe trend of studying Islam all over the worldshows that this process has already begun and thetwenty first century will be the century of Islam. Ifthe nineteenth century was marked by theknowledge explosion and the twentieth century bythe atomic explosion, the twenty first century isdestined to be marked by the Islamic explosion.The fact is that, for the building of life, man is inneed of divine guidance. Religion is the name ofthis divine guidance. And Islam is the onlypreserved and reliable version of religion. Just asthere is no source of physical light save that of thesun, similarly there is no other source of divineguidance for life except that of Islam. Islam is theonly reliable, authentic and dependable answer tothis question.Man, born to live on the planet earth, has beenendowed with free choice, but he is not the masterof his destiny. The most crucial aspect of life is thathe is accountable to God Almighty for all his deeds.There is no escape from this accountability. After abrief span on earth, he is destined to face his deathand find himself before God for his fate to be~ 439 ~

Islam Rediscovered25. Conclusiondecided in the form of eternal hell or eternalparadise. The greatest of man’s concerns is that heshould prepare himself for the world to come. Thepresent world is like a great examination hall,where man’s only task is to pass the divine test setby God, so that he may save himself from divinepunishment in the next world, and be helddeserving of God’s rewards in the form of paradise.In paradise there will be no fear and no regret.Everyone is heading towards a fateful leap into thenext world. Only those who can pass the divine testare the successful ones in this life and the next. Thisis the goal towards which people ought to strive.(Qur’an 37:60).~ 440 ~