There seems to be a
consensus that the world is becoming a dangerous place to live in. Its peace is
threatened by the very creature expected to preserve it. Surprisingly, the
weapon that has been used to destroy the tranquility of our ‘home’ is indeed a
‘gift’ from our Creator, to save us from differences and cultivate peace and
serenity in our hearts. This ‘gift’, which was originally intended to be the
source of love, tolerance and forbearance, was somehow taken by men to be the
basis for spreading hatred and disorder in every society across the world. The
nature of the danger is so profound that, in case the world fails to respond to
it properly, it would not only devastate our worldly life but would also take
many away from our Creator since it is in His name that this nuisance is being
spread.
In my humble opinion, the source of the problem is not one. There are indeed
many factors which have given rise to this destructive behavior. I shall attempt
to cover them all in this article. I have identified certain questions which I
believe, if addressed and understood properly, will certainly help resolve the
crisis. The questions are:
1. What is the ‘reality’ of a religion?
2. Can one ever claim to have stumbled upon the ultimate truth?
3. What is the proper channel to attract people to your viewpoint?
4. What are the criteria for success in the Hereafter?
Each question will be dealt
with such that, first, the correct stance in this respect is presented and then
a conclusion is drawn on the basis of the correct standpoint. In the end, the
whole discussion shall be concluded to highlight the response that I wish to
draw from the readers.
1. What is the ‘reality’ of
a religion?
Everyone loves their own religion. There is nothing wrong with that, but
what actually prompted God to formalize a religion for mankind in the first
place must be understood in its proper perspective.
The Qur’an tells us that apart from the respective religions we give
credence to, there is a ‘Universal Religion’ that all mankind share. This is the
religion that is innate to us. We learn it neither in the mosque nor in the
church nor in a synagogue. It is something we receive as inheritance. This
‘inherent guidance’ helps us differentiate between right and wrong, good and
evil. In other words, every one of us inherently knows what is good and what is
evil. The Qur’an alludes to this fact in the following words:
Then He inspired the soul to
understand what is right and wrong for it. (91:8)
We showed him the path. It is
now up to him to be grateful or ungrateful. (76:3)
Thus, this guidance has
been provided to all mankind by the Almighty without any distinction. This is
why people, the world over, regard justice, veracity, honesty as virtues and
consider lying, oppression, adultery wicked crimes. Hence, this is the guidance
that is common among all humanity.
A study of the Qur’an reveals that if man had not manipulated his
‘inborn guidance’ to establish his undue authority and to oppress the weak, the
Almighty may not have chosen to send down His ‘divine guidance’. The Qur’an
maintains that mankind was initially one single nation but they began to
differ among themselves about the very basic truths that the Almighty had
decreed within each soul1. The Ever Merciful
Creator, then, raised a series of prophets who delineated the basic truths
afresh and removed all the misconceptions that surrounded them2.
In addition, He substantiated, several times, the veracity of these basic truths
through a special agency of His Rusul by rewarding those who followed the
message and by destroying those who disbelieved in spite of being convinced
about the truth of the message3. This visual divine
substantiation was last carried out in the era of the Prophet Muhammad (sws),
which, unlike the previous ones, was formally recorded and documented. It is
also important to remember that these Prophets also brought with them certain
instructions for their followers to act upon. These instructions coupled with
innate guidance took the form of a formalized religion for the respective
addressees of these Prophets.
Unfortunately, when Jesus (sws) called upon Israelites to listen to him and
pay heed to the message that he brought for them from the Almighty, they defied
him and rejected his message. Unlike the opponents of the previous Rusul,
they were spared since they were basically adherents to monotheism, though, they
were given the punishment of living under subjugation for denying the status of
Jesus (sws) as the true Prophet of God4. Thus the
‘religion’ of the Israelites remained alongside the ‘religion’ of the followers
of Jesus (sws). Had the Israelites not been the adherents of monotheism, they
would have been destroyed and only one religion would have prevailed. The same
sort of situation arose in the era of Muhammad (sws), in which the followers of
two previous religions, namely Judaism and Christianity, were spared and allowed
to live alongside the religion of Islam.5
One may think of the other theologies to which a significant number of
people are devoted, for instance, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. It needs to be
appreciated that, as has already been explained above, religion is not something
external to man. Rather, it has deep roots in his soul implanted by the Almighty
Himself. These ideologies must have been developed by some noble souls on the
basis of the inherent guidance that we all have. Since this was a human
endeavor, it could not have been devoid of the shortcomings to which all human
works are subjected. The Qur’an does not mention any Prophet who was sent
to territories like India, deep southern Africa or western countries. It is,
however, known from the Qur’an that it is the established Sunnah
of the Almighty to send a Prophet to a central city in each territory. It seems
that, under the same scheme, the Almighty chose the Middle East to depute all
His Prophets in the center of the earth. The underlying objective being that,
like a fountain spreads water around it, His word would flow and irrigate each
and every patch of this world.
Consequently, there are now three main Semitic religions and many other
theologies, whose adherents, upon discovering irreconcilable differences among
themselves and as a result of the natural love for their own, begin to denigrate
people of the other faiths. This innocent hate when exploited by religious
scholars, gives way to deadly encounters and horrible incidents of which
religious history has recorded many examples. If the discussion given above is
understood properly, one is able to construe the following points:
1. We all are the adherents of a universal religion.
2. No nation can ever claim to be the ‘chosen nation’ merely on the grounds
that it received many or a prominent Prophet since it was because of their
faults that the Almighty deputed His representatives among them to rectify their
condition.
3. When God has been so tolerant in matters related to the adherents of
monotheism, so should those people who put their faith in Him.6
2. Can one ever claim to
have stumbled over the ultimate truth?
One cannot refute that there is only one truth. It is actually absurd to
claim that Mr. A and Mr. B both have the truth even if what Mr. A has to say
clearly contradicts what Mr. B holds as true. If there is only one straight line
from one point to the other, then there can only be one truth that is to
prevail. The word ‘truth’ itself entails that one aspect of a matter should win
and all others ought to be declared false.
The point that needs to be kept in mind is that we determine truth using our
reasoning faculty and the information available to us and both are undoubtedly
susceptible to errors and mistakes. This follows that while we may claim that
keeping in view the corroborative evidence what we have arrived at is the truth,
it does not preclude the possibility of our taking things wrongly. In other
words, while truth remains the same, our perception of it varies widely since we
perceive it using agents which are prone to faults and errors. Here, I would
like to give a very simple example to clarify my point. There was a time when
people maintained that the earth was stationery. At that time, no doubt, the
truth of the matter was that the earth was revolving around the sun. However,
since people did not have access to advanced equipment and could not ascertain
reliable information, they held something false as true. Thus, it can safely be
concluded that truth never changes although we, sometimes, mistakenly tend to
take something untrue as truth.
Properly understood, the above discussion suggests that a person must never
be held responsible for not arriving at the right version of the truth. What
should matter and what must be given high value is the sincerity of heart with
which a person embarks on the journey to find truth. While a person cannot
eliminate entirely the obstacles which come his way, he can at least be true in
his search. This is the ultimate requirement that is incumbent on every person
who wishes to enter Paradise. In other words, since the sincerity of heart is an
internal matter not exposed to any other person, we must not risk our success in
the Hereafter on judgment of the sincerity of others. Consequently, the search
for the truth is a matter assigned to each person and each will be tried and
tested for his own understanding of the truth.7
This understanding will be probed to ascertain whether it was acquired sincerely
and whether it was acted upon throughout a lifetime. As pointed out earlier, the
sincerity of a person is something which cannot be precisely determined by
another person; it is, therefore, not appropriate for us to judge anyone. It is
the prerogative of the Almighty and must be left to Him to decide on the Last
Day.
3. What is the proper
channel to attract people to your viewpoint?
The spirit that should develop when faith grows deep roots in a person’s
heart is naturally calling other people to feel the warmth of the burning flame
of the truth and to pursue their goals under its shining glow. Faith is like a
healthy seed which if sown in a sincere heart grows into a strong imposing tree,
which serves multi-purposes for the community. Not only do people who live near
it benefit from it, others who are miles away also enjoy the cool breeze which
was a hot wind. The most amazing thing is that the tree happily gives away its
most valuable part, for no cost, without discriminating among the recipients of
these parts. The point is that it innately knows how to live for others and how
to breathe what others breathe without distinguishing between ‘who is who’. This
is indeed the attitude that man is required to develop and live with in this
world through unending struggle and effort. While he is expected to attract
people to his viewpoint, he is never supposed to disparage them. He must share
the truth that he believes in with everyone around him but he must never sneer
at the truth that others hold dear.
The stance of the Qur’an in this respect is very clear. It totally
disapproves of those people who would impose their beliefs on others because
this amounts to disorder and anarchy in society. It explicitly states that if
such circumstances should arise somewhere, they must be crushed with force only
when diplomatic efforts fail. The Qur’an terms it persecution and urges
the believers to stand against it since it is a crime against very basic human
values.
What has come upon you that
you fight not in the cause of God and for the oppressed men, women, and
children, who pray; ‘Get us out of this town, O Lord, whose people are
oppressors; so raise for us from Yourself one who will protect and raise for
us from Yourself one who will help’. (4:75)
The correct attitude in
this regard is also favored by the Qur’an. It emphasizes that this
exhortation to the truth must be in such a way as is approved by sense and
reason. It must be brimful with soft words of good advice and also be supported
by lucid arguments. Having done this, the whole matter must be left to the
Almighty alone since it is He who knows who is denying the truth on purpose and
who has genuine reasons for not comprehending it. In the words of the Qur’an:
Call them to the path of your
Lord with wisdom and words of good advice, and reason with them in the best
way possible. Your Lord surely knows those who stray from His path, and He
knows those who are guided the right way. (16:125)
Thus, the attitude
delineated by the Qur’an, if is developed and adhered to, will certainly
alleviate the tense atmosphere that is created when we assume the status of the
Almighty and jump to judge someone else. It is, therefore, recommended that our
preaching endeavor must remain confined to humbly presenting our point of view
and always adhering to the role of an exhorter.
4) What are the criteria for
success in the Hereafter?
This is an imperfect world. We have to lose what we hold dear and we have to
endure while our aspirations are shattered and our dreams are eroded beyond
repair. We overcome one obstacle and the next one smiles at us standing right in
the middle of our path that we wish so much to tread. Justice, that is our very
basic right, continues to elude us in this world for people of affluence and
good connections often manage to get away with the crimes they commit. If we
succeed to build a prestigious career and amass a great deal of wealth, death
finally overtakes us and we have to leave it all here for others to enjoy. In
this entire discouraging situation, there is only one hope: Allah and the
Paradise He has consummated for the believers. How a person should feel when he
is told that he is not going to make it to the Heaven just because he does not
have the version of the truth that his contender has? Is this behavior going to
create feelings of love and affection in the addressees’ heart? Will it not
sweep away every possibility of living together peacefully?
The Qur’an mentions that when the Prophet (sws) and his followers
immigrated to Madinah, they had to face a similar situation from the two
religious groups that settled there, namely, the Christians and the Jews. In
spite of accepting the long-awaited Prophet, Muhammad (sws), the both factions
started to sing their own praises. The Christians claimed that the way to Heaven
was only through Jesus (sws) and the Jews boasted that they were only entitled
to enter the Paradise. The Qur’an reprimanded them that they had better
avoid saying things for which they had no evidence whatsoever from the Almighty:
They boasted that no one
would ever enter the Paradise save those who are either the Jews or the
Christians. This claim is but their own fabrication. Ask them [O Prophet] to
bring some evidence [from the Almighty] if they are true in their claim.
(2:111)
The implication being that
success in the Hereafter is not something that depends on the ‘label’ that a
person is known by in this world. He is not going to succeed merely on the
grounds that he belongs to a particular sect. Successful is indeed the person
who surrenders and submits to God’s will and who opens his heart sincerely to
receive the truth that is presented before him no matter if it means to destroy
his worldly status or career:
Indeed, for those who submit
to Allah’s will sincerely is reward with their Lord. They will not fear nor
shall they grieve. (2:112)
What is evident from the
verse is that, at times, a person tends to place other things above his Lord.
This is the attitude that is accepted not the least by the Almighty. In all
matters, He must remain on the top of our priority list. Hence, the verse was in
fact a warning sounded to the Jews and the Christians of Madinah that how they
would be able to enter the Paradise when they had given priority to the worldly
benefits by closing their eyes and hearts in order to reject the message of
their Lord.
It is known from the Qur’an, while this submission to Allah’s will
requires that our heart should remain open to welcome the truth that is unveiled
to us, it manifests itself in the following:8
1. Belief in One God: That there is no one else who shares His
attributes or is able to influence His decisions in any manner whatsoever.
2. Belief in thet Day of Judgment: That the wise and sagacious Lord
has not created this world in vain. There is a special objective that shall be
achieved on the Last Day when the good are rewarded fabulously and the bad are
put through the torment of Hell.
3. Performance of Virtuous Deeds: These good deeds are performed in
order to attain inner-purification, which is the ultimate objective that is set
for all believers to achieve in order to win entitlement to Heaven.
It, however, needs to be kept in mind that these are only the basic criteria
of success that every person must comply with in order to succeed on the Last
Day. In other words, this verse puts forth the positive aspect of the
obligations that all believers must fulfill. One of the obvious conditions of
success in the Hereafter is, therefore, that a person is not guilty of such
blemishes as entail eternal punishment in the abyss of destruction. The
Qur’an at various instances has shed light on these crimes and warned
humankind to be careful not to go even near them. The list includes intentional
murder (4:93), polytheism (4:48), living a life of sin (2:81), and deliberately
denying a Prophet of the Almighty (98:6)9. These
all obligations may at a first glance seem distinct and disparate but if are
viewed from a holistic perspective, one will be able to see that they are
evidently an offshoot of one’s willingness to surrender to God’s will alone.
Again, since a person’s willingness to submit is an internal matter and no other
person can be aware of that, this must also be left to the Almighty and no
judgment should we pronounce against anyone.
Consequently, the criteria offered by the Qur’an do not limit success
in the Hereafter to a particular faction because it bases the success on values
that a person knows about intuitively as well as through the testimony of his
sense and reason. It is, therefore, asserted that this criteria be appreciated
and, adopted and propagated across the world in order to curb the tension that
is the outcome of confining success in the Hereafter to a particular sect alone.
Concluding Remarks
It is evident from the foregoing discussion that the source of society’s
problem is not isolated and that no specific faction can be held responsible for
the present situation. All religious communities have contributed to the
conflicts that we see the world over because they have misplaced some in respect
of their religion. It is, therefore, incumbent on each group to look inward
instead of blaming others. This introspection if sincerely carried out will
surely let them know their faults and mistakes. They had better be concerned
with correcting what is wrong on their part. If each community performs this
task sincerely, there is no reason that we remain unsuccessful in reducing the
problems that we have to face on this earth. What must be borne clearly in mind
is that the day is soon to come when the truth shall stand unveiled in its
ultimate form, then all the defaulters, who in spite of being aware of their
faults made no effort to correct them, shall be brought to justice.
__________________________
1. The
Qur’an says:
Mankind was one single
nation, [differences then arose] and God sent messengers with glad tidings and
warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth, to judge between people in
matters wherein they differed. (2:213)
2. It is known
from 2:62 that these basic truths are;
a) Belief in One and Only
God.
b) Belief in the Last Day.
c) Belief that a person must perform virtuous deeds because he will be held
responsible on the basis of his deeds on the Last Day.
3. The Qur’an
delineates that among the Prophets the Almighty deputed were some who were
raised to a higher Cadre of Rusul. It further goes on to explain that
these Rusul were so deputed to establish in this very world the court of
justice for their immediate addressees which would be established for all people
in the Hereafter. The function of these representatives of Allah as described by
the Qur’an is that they, with the help of His special assistance,
elucidate His message such that no one is left with a genuine excuse to refuse
it. After many years of admonition and exhortation, when it becomes certain and
is declared by the Almighty that those who are denying the truth have no genuine
reasons, all the disbelievers are punished, while those who accept the message
and submit to the truth are rewarded. The Qur’an asserts that Allah has
ordained that His Rusul and their followers will always prevail, whereas the
disbelievers will be humiliated not only in this world, but in the next one as
well. For a detailed exposition on this topic, see: Islam and Non-Muslims: A New
Perspective, in Renaissance; Lahore: Dar-ul-Ishraq; March 2002.
4. This punishment has been mentioned in the following verse of
the Qur’an:
The Almighty [O Jesus] shall
grant to those who followed you an ascendancy over those who disbelieved till
the Day of Judgment. (3:55)
5. Here, some
Muslims may argue that the Christians and the Jews were only spared after they
were subdued and forced to live under subjugation by paying Jizyah. It is,
therefore, incumbent on all Muslims to collect their strength and wage war
against them till they submit to the authority of Islam. Although, this may
sound impressive to some Muslims, it totally contradicts the stance of the
Qur’an in this respect. As already has been pointed out in note 1, it is the
prerogative of the Rusul only to decide the fate of their addressees in
this very world. No other person can ever be allowed to undertake what was
specifically meant for the Rusul of the Almighty.
6. The Qur’an asserts that belief in One God is one of
the basic truths that were inculcated within each soul by the Almighty. A person
cannot logically deny this truth though he may deny it out of utter obstinacy.
The point that must be borne clearly in mind is that there is a difference
between doing something wrong in spite of being aware of its wrongness and doing
it not realizing its inappropriateness. Some people, therefore, may claim to
have been involved in polytheistic practices, but they can never be labeled
polytheists since they do not comprehend the reality of the matter and instead
consider what they do as purely in harmony with monotheism.
7. The writer does not opine that we must leave all our
activities and look for the ultimate truth. He only attempts to convey that once
a person’s understanding of the truth is criticized by someone, he must not
reject it on the grounds that his Imam or the scholar he likes most does not
accept it. It is his duty to listen to the other person and to also use his own
mind to comprehend the truth of the matter.
8. 2:62
9. This warning that has been shown above is implied in 2:112.
For a clearer reference, readers are advised to view 98:6 in which the People of
the Book of the Prophet’s times are termed Kuffar (disbelievers) and
pronounced the punishment to be cast into the blazing fire of Hell because they
had denied the prophethood of Muhammad (sws) in spite of being convinced about
it.