Changes for the better.

The chaotic state of the Muslim Ummah that faces us now is extremely disturbing and unpleasant for all those who believe in Allah and His sublime guidance given for the welfare of the mankind and their prosperity. The main sources of this appalling situation are some of the very people in our society who are supposed to read, study and bring us the message of the sacred scripture of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him. Paraphrasing the words of the famous poet Iqbal: this present state of affairs is because Muslims have become ‘reciters’ of the Book and not the ‘upholders’ of the Book. Many Muslims now appear unable to derive inspiration from the Book, or follow the destiny indicated in it, or attempt to build a better world for the benefit of humanity.

The religious atmosphere surrounding the creation of Pakistan, the destruction of Afghanistan by USSR and allied forces, the conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Palestine and ongoing upheavals in other parts of the Muslim world, have all contributed to its breakup, further destroying the spirit and morale of Muslims and shattering their unity. Converting religious differences into political warfare and deepening the religious diversity of opinions for political gain is now regarded as the only way forward by many of the politically motivated ulamaa or Muslim politicians. They are, as a result, seen as even less trustworthy than even the most seasoned politicians.

The increasing ignorance of Islam’s true message by the Muslim masses is not helpful either in changing the destiny of people. No doubt there are good and sensible scholars in the religious ulamaa and other Muslim professionals from non-theological fields, who are able to contribute to the welfare of our Ummah. But, there is no unity of purpose and certainly no unified direction for the work of these individuals and groups. No one appears willing to work with or for anyone else and all seem to think their vision is the best and only correct opinion. Following this path is not calculated to produce or maintain a culture of calm and visionary debate on any emerging new ideas or to introduce a willingness to create a platform for dialogue and mutual understanding on broader issues of concern for the Ummah.

These decadent attitudes continue to hamper the creation of any unified path or visionary direction. The Prophet made a prophecy, in which he said: ‘The Jews divided themselves into seventy one groups; the Christians divided themselves into seventy two groups and my Ummah will divide themselves into seventy three groups. All will be destined for hell except those one who uphold the unity (al-Jama`ah’. We can now see the truth of this prophecy!

Warning after warning, in many forms and from many backgrounds were given by the Prophet, trying to instil that people should keep to the path of unity and Muslim welfare and that a Muslims’ role in this world was one of enlightenment and blessings for all people. One can look anywhere in the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet and see that they are full of blessings for mankind, visionary leadership for resolving human misery and a common sense ‘Straight Path’ as described in the Quran, which cannot be qualified with any falsehood or crookedness. If our own beliefs about the guidance of Islam are so weak that they fail to convince even ourselves, then how on earth will we be able to bring any positive change to the world. In the words of Gandhi ‘we need to become the change that we want in the world’. We appear to reserve preaching for others and stubbornly remain in our status quo only because we like our own mindset and are too complacent and ignorant to change it.

How a lack of vision and absence of religious conscience works in creating a regressive mind is made abundantly clear in an example from a hadith in which the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him said: ‘The first fault that affected the children of Israel is when a person met another and said: ‘O you! Have the fear of God and don’t commit what is not permissible for you. Then they would meet the following day and the other person is still at the same state of his situation. That state of being (without any change) would not stop the person (scholar or the leader) from being a co-friend at meals or in mutual meeting places. When that happened Allah made their hearts alike (in nature). The Prophet, then, recited these verses from the Quran: ‘Those of the children of Israel who took to unbelief have been cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, the son of Mary, for they rebelled and exceeded the bounds of right. They did not forbid each other from committing the abominable deeds they committed. Evil deed was what they did.’ S5 V78-79

This kind of attitude does not make a person an ally with truth or help them to serve a truthful cause and preaching becomes a job, or a situation, where no difference exists any more between the attitudes of those who preach and being preached to. When a person, who may hold a visionary approach, fails to identify those who hold back any spiritual or intellectual change in the society and allows himself to become part of their friendship and accept their way of life, he can no longer bring about change or work for the goodness of mankind.

Islam is an intellectual movement which is continually evolving and being passed on to others. It is our religious duty to pass on only the true message of Islam so that it may be understood by people so that they may develop a greater intellectual understanding of that knowledge.

In a hadith, the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, says: ‘May Allah brighten the face of a person who hears my sayings then he passes it on to others as he heard it (without any change). As there may be many people who may carry a knowledge without understanding it. And there may be many who may pass on their knowledge to someone who may understand it better than him.’ narrated  by Imam Ahmad and Thirmidhi

Knowledge stagnates when it is monopolised. We Muslims, in particular Muslim religious scholars, should help in creating an environment in which religious and spiritual knowledge is deliberated in public and non-theological professionals are encouraged to participate in these deliberations from their own points of view. People, in this way, will gain a stake in the debate, arrive at a better understanding of Islamic knowledge and become united in taking a unified approach towards the destiny of this Ummah.

The Prophet said in a hadith: ‘No Muslim would have gifted a better gift to his brother than a word of wisdom that either has increased him in guidance or safeguarded him from the path of destruction’.

If we Muslims want to break out of our present chaotic situation then we must listen to the guidance of the Quran and the Prophet and give it our most serious consideration. We need to be sincere towards the fate of this Ummah and work for its welfare. Our selfish approach towards the betterment of Muslims must stop and change to a collective approach for collective gains.