ISLAM AS I KNOW by By R. Natarajan (AWARD WINNING ESSAY)

1. ISLAM AS I KNOW

Here we publish the first prize-winning essay by R. Natarajan. He narrates his personal experience of participating in the “Great Essay Contest ‘99” and presents a comprehensive study of Islam based on his exposure to Islamic literature. My first exposure to the Holy Quran took place several months ago, when I read an article on Human Rights in Islam in a prominent newsmagazine. It was a revolutionary experience: not only it laid bare the uniqueness of Islam in dealing with human affairs, but also it shook the whole edifice of my understanding of the religion. In a macroscopic perspective, an average Indian’s perception of Islam is largely shaped by the exploits of Ghazni and Ghori, Jizya adds colour and finally, the finishing touches are given by Aurangzeb. And the assumption that Buddhism, already lying in bed, was done to death by the very first Muslim invasion facilitates this process further. As is well known, jihad is the most hated word in the West. Thanks to the domination of western media, we in India are also ‘goaded’ into believing it, knowingly or unknowingly. We are a dispirited lot in the crisis of ideology and identity. Asoka’s Dharma principles called for tolerance and nonviolence; Akbar the Great’s Din-i-ilahi aimed at creating a liberal forum for faith and fraternity in the interest of suleh-e-kul (Absolute Peace); Gandhi’s Ekadasa Vratas (11 Principles) envisioned, among others, Sarva Dharma Samatva (equality of all religions). Great men, great ideas, but, alas, few takers! Communalism, sectarianism, casteism and linguistic chauvinism are feeding each other, thereby eating into the vitals not only of nationhood, but also of human hood. The relevance of religion is often realized in a negative way. The very purpose of our existence should indisputably be humanism-aided positively by religion-and this ideal is lost when faith, corroded mostly by politics of hatred, becomes fundamentalism. Religion is of course, a set of beliefs and practices. WE have numerous religions in the world with numerous associated beliefs. The protagonists of a particular religion often pursue a result-oriented intellectual enterprise so as to make it appear ‘user-friendly”. In this process, its essentials are lost and the sanctity of its sources undermined. In these circumstances, a religion that does not require an assortment of the high-priests for its elucidation negates problematic polytheism and, above all, that makes doing good things (I call it humanism, covering a wide spectrum) a necessary element of faith is a ray of hope for the entire humanity. And this is what Islam epitomizes. Islam literally means submission. It is derived from the Arabic root “Seen Laam Meem” which means ‘to resign or surrender’. In the religious sense, the word Islam means ‘to surrender oneself to the will, service and command of God’. Islam calls for the surrender of the whole self to God. Those who profess Islam, by giving their heart, mind and soul to the Will of God, are Muslims. The Quran proclaims: ‘Say: We believe in One God(Allah) and in what has been revealed unto us and in what was revealed unto Abraham, Ishmael, Issac, Jocob and their descendants and in what was given (Scriptures) unto Moses, Jesus and all the Prophets from their Lord; we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to, Him (alone), we have submitted’ (Quran –3:84) To Muslims, Islam is not merely a religion; it is their way of life. The Quran is not merely a religious but also the moral, cultural, social, commercial, national, military, ceremonial, legal, criminal and civil codes of conduct for Muslims, relating to every aspects of their lives. It should be noted that the Quranic virtues have universal appeal. They find echoes in many modern constitutions, conventions, resolutions of world bodies, and, above all, in the very foundation of our Constitution itself!

2. UNITY OF GOD AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Since time immemorial, man is said to have been aware of the extremely limited scope for human endeavors in relation to the natural phenomena. Overhelmed, he began worshipping them! But a multitude of forces with diverse agenda also meant cataclysm, and he finally realized that the entire universe submitted to an all-pervasive law. And this law is the Law of God, and Islam stands for submission to the will of Allah, a single Allah. The Quranic message is unequivocal in this regard: ‘He is God the One and Only One; God, the Eternal Absolute’ (112: 1,2) India is no stranger to monotheism. ‘He is the One’, declares the Rig-Veda. ‘There is no other god’ follows the Mahabharata. Islamic monotheism is pure, absolute, uncompromising and completely devoid of speculative fantasies and obviates the need for associating any subsidiary deities or demigods with Him. In fact, the system of priesthood, a bane to many prominent religions of the world, has no place in Islam. The Quran dismisses them as those who ‘devour the wealth of mankind wantonly and debar men from the path of God’ (9:34). Even the Prophet Muhammed remained an ordinary mortal. ‘In truth, I am only a man, like you’ (18:110); ‘I am not your guardian’ (10:108); ‘I am not here to watch over you’ (6:104). The absolute metaphysical separation of God from the other creatures and material objects of the world, apart from seeking to establish, as we would see, universal equality, emphasizes His transcendent nature. This, however, does not mean that God has His abode somewhere away from the Universe and is watching us from ‘His throne’. Perfect, knowledge of God is unattainable, because ‘no vision can grasp Him’, and ‘His grasp is over all vision’ (6:103). In fact, Islam repeatedly stresses that the purpose of our life is to know His Will and not to go on striving to witness God in His Divine Essence. To realize this end, man is not left without guidance. The twin roads of reason and revelation will lead a man to know His Will and to attain salvation by following it.

3. FAITH AND HUMANISM - THE ROAD TO SALVATION

Islam demands belief and submission to God who is absolutely, uncompromisingly and unconditionally Unique and One. But reason is as important as the Revelation in the path of God. The very first revelation of the Quran (crystallization of all ancient scriptures) invokes the name of God who ‘taught by the pen, taught humankind what it did not know’ (96:4,5). Pursuit of knowledge is obligatory to all’ (h*). When a man acquires knowledge, he tends to be more rational and his mind becomes liberated. Our intellectual growth depends on how much we learn from an analysis of our experiences. This process necessitates the submission of our encounters with the outside world to the judgement of reason. Islam appreciates the outcome of this rational scrutiny. It does not demand blind faith. To be valid, faith should be based upon sound convictions. But it is an indisputable fact that a man entering into the realm of Islam would find the arguments put forth by the Quran too convincing to be disputed and that his qualified pessimism would turn out to be an unqualified submission to God in the end! But faith alone will not suffice. ‘And whose religion is better than that of he who orients his face towards God and does the good?’ (4:125), asks the Quran. Faith should have a humanistic manifestation. The religion of a man who is doing good is the best religion. Therein lies the universality of Islam. Being a Muslim, I understand, is not linked with parentage. I too could be considered a Muslim in so far as I believe in One God and do good to others. Conversely, anybody being or willing to be so need not bear the stamp of Islam in his name. Guru Gobind Singh believed in One God. gave the message fof ‘manas ki jaat eka pahchambo’ (all men are the same ) and championed the cause of ‘sarbat da bhala’ (welfare of all). Names are thus mere identities. Allah Himself is not very much concerned with them, because to Him belong the ‘most excellent names’ (asma al husna), (7:180). In fact, Islam defines righteousness in term so humanism. Thus the Quran reads: ‘It is not righteousness that you turn your faces (in Prayer) towards East or West:but they are righteous who believe in God and the Last Day and the Angel and the Book and the Messengers; and who donate goods and money for love of God, to relatives and orphans, and the poor and the wayfarer, and to the needy, and for emancipating slaves; and who are constant in prayer and give alms for welfare, and those who fulfill their promises when they make them and who are patient in suffering, adversity, and hard times. They are the truthful ones , and they are the conscientious’. (2:177)

4. OF SCRIPTURES AND APOSTLES : THE STRAIGHT PATH

The six articles of Islamic faith are (1) Unity of God, (2) The Angels, (3) the Prophets, (4) the Scriptures, (5) the Day of Judgment and (6) Divine Decree. Belief in each of these forms part of faith. To enable men to realize His Will, God has ‘sent to mankind messengers proclaiming the truth and warnings’ (4:165). God has given a revealed Book (Scripture) to every age and ‘every nation will be judged according to its own record on the Day of Judgment’ (45:28). Belief in the scriptures is an article of faith in Islam. Regarding Scriptures, some of them are mentioned by name in the Quran, but not all of them. Therefore with regard to other existing religious Books, Muslims are not in a position to say with certainty whether they were originally revealed Scriptures or not. However, they do not deny them to be divine Books. They tacitly believe that whatever Books had been sent down by God were all true. They should accept the scriptures ‘that have been revealed in earlier times’ (4:136). Some of the ancient scriptures were divinely inspired and revealed through earlier Prophets and Muslims should ‘make no distinction between them’ (2:136) Muslims are to positively believe in those of the Prophets whose names have been mentioned in the Quran. Regarding the rest they are instructed to believe that all Prophets sent by God for guidance of mankind was true. The doctrine preached by all the prophets is essentially one and the same, although in matters of detail there has been a gradual evolution in their messages toward the final and perfect revelation. The Quran containing 114 surahs, is the Word of God, written in the purest Arabic with its every surah, every verse, every word, every syllable and every letter deriving inspiration from God. A “Book…. Confirming the already given revelations’ (2:2,97). The Quran, in the words of Thoms Cleary, ‘speaks to humanity as a whole, to nations, communities, families and individuals, complete with both an outer teaching and an inner teaching, it speaks both to persons and to souls, individually and collectively’. And the hadiths, the traditions of the Prophet, form a categorical imperative for universal welfare. The Quran delivers its message in simple rhapsodic style with full of poetic beauty and visionary zeal. It envisages a moderate and tolerant society. It warns against extremes. ‘We have you a middle (intermediate, balanced, moderate)people’. A proper balance between ardour and apathy, between sentimentally and insensitivity, between unlimited pleasure and renunciation, between unqualified spiritualism and exclusive materialism, and between blind orthodoxy and ultra liberalism is the ‘Right Path’ (sirat al-mustakim) recommended by the Quran, Fathiha, the first chapter of the Quran reads: In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God, Lord of the Merciful; The Beneficent, the Merciful. Owner of the Day of Judgment, You alone we worship; You alone we implore for help. Guide us unto the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed, those who have not incurred Your displeasure, those who have not gone astray. (1:1-7) It is interesting to note that this Path is not much different from the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism that encourages a moral, middle –way and well-ordered life! ‘In the messenger of God’, declares the Quran, ‘you have an excellent example’, (uswatan hasana) (32:21) Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) is a role model. It was through him that the Quran was revealed. As mentioned before, although ‘there is no nation to whom a warner hasn’t been sent’ (35:24), there might be some messengers ‘not mentioned’ (4:164) and Muslim should not deny the existence of other Prophets not mentioned in the Quran. A Muslim begins and ends his life with the unexceptionable declaration of fatih – shahada : La ilaha illa Allah Muhammadu Rasool Allah- There is no God but Allah; and Muhammad is His messenger’. This forms the essence of Islamic creed (kalima) and is one of the five Pillars of Islam. When Mohammed (PBUH) received the first revelation, he was forty. He used to go to a mountain near Mecca for meditation. Though the experience (of revelation) baffled him at first, he later realized its significance and began his prophetic mission. His preaching based on faith, compassion, charity and morality was the very antithesis of the dominant Quraish patriarchs who abused Muhammed and his followers. Though he fled to Medina in 622 A.D., he later emerged triumphant over his opponents and came back victoriously to Mecca to refine Meccan society as a reformist leader. compassionate and courageous, tolerant and forthright he brought about the spiritual transformation of the Arabian society within a short span of about 23 years. Heroes, going by dictionary definition, are those endowed with extraordinary abilities, strength and courage. Muhammad was a hero extraordinairy totally devoted to his mission. No other words could explain his commitment than the following: “Should they array against me the sun on my right hand, and the moon on my left, yet while Allah should command me, I would not renounce my purpose”. For Muslims, muhammadanism is an ideal worth imitating, the scripture (Quran) a guide worth following and together they lead the faithful in the Straight Path.

5. ACCOUNTABILITY: THE LIFE HEREAFTER

Mankind is created with a purpose. It is to worship Allah, to live up to His Will. Man is the vicegerent of Allah on Earth. Being the noblest creation of Allah, man is endowed with that six sense that enables him distinguish good from evil. A dignified agent of Allah , he has a moral responsibility towards the society he lives in. He should render his wholehearted service for it social, economic and spiritual welfare and desist from harming it in any way. The paramount importance given to morality is best illustrated by the following Quranic verse. Lo! Men and women who submit unto Allah, and men and women who believe, and men and women who are devout, and men and women who are truthful, and men and women who are patient and constant men and women who are humble, and men and women who give in charity, and men and women who fast, and men and women who guard their chastity, and men and women who remember Allah much, to them Allah has promised forgiveness and a great reward. (33:35) But man is very often found to be not utilizing his sixth sense: he becomes a threat to even those having one or two senses. Humanism is the duty enjoined by Allah. We, however, find people doing just the opposite and enjoying happy and luxurious lives, at the expense of others. We also witness their victims, those humble and honest Common Men, living subdued, humbled and humiliated. And sometimes, alas, eliminated! Modern Penal Codes are extremely inadequate and completely submissive to money and muscle power. But ‘Allah knows and hears all’. There exists a court, the Supreme Court of God, to which all are ultimately accountable. Human existence is ephemeral (ash-shahada) and is nothing but ‘amusement and play’ (29:64). The ultimate reality is something inaccessible to human faculties (al-Ghayb). Yet, our ‘real home is in the Hereafter’ (29:64). Muslim cosmology is not cyclic. A terrific cataclysm ends the world and everybody will be judged according to his actions in this life on the Day of Judgment. Those who followed the path will be rewarded an eternal bliss. Those who followed the trajectory path will be awarded a grievous abyss. For Muslims, belief in the Life Hereafter is an article of faith. This constantly reminds one of what awaits in the Other Life. And fear of punishment awaiting there is the best guarantee against immorality here!

6. SIN-REDEMPTION - SALVATION

On the Day of Judgment ‘Whoever has done an atom of good will see it; and whoever has done an atom of evil will see it; (99:7,8) man may fool a thousand courts presided over by humans, but nothing is sub-judice in the divine ‘due process’. The only insurance against being banished to Hell is a good track record. Unlike Hinduism and Christianity, Islam holds that man is born in a natural state of purity (fitrah). The unparalleled infancy marks unparalleled innocence precisely because of fitrah . The baby, as he grows, is often subjected to influences that are not compatible with his innocence, and his moral framework gradually gets corroded. But he cannot escape from the responsibility for the amoral corrosion. The Quran which is the ultimate revelation gives clear direction how to lead a pious, moral and virtuous life in this world. He should make use of it as his guide, and failure to do so would be a sin: Man cannot plead innocence out of his ignorance, since through all ages he had been provided with a guide (scripture) and a Warner (Prophet) by Allah. He should always be aware of his ultimate accountability to Allah and should not commit sins. When a comprehensive code of conduct is available, why commit sins? Though the ‘Rule of Law’ ultimately prevails, a sinner is entitled to seek forgiveness. Allah forgave all the sins of a prostitute, so goes a story told by Prophet Mohammed, just because she nourished an ailing and almost dying dog. Sincere prayers, coupled with an unequivocal commitment not to repeat past mistakes, reinforced by doing good things throughout the rest of life will lead sinner to salvation. The only unforgivable sin is shirk, associating others with Allah ’s divinity. The idea of original sin or hereditary criminality has no place in Islamic philosophy. Sin is acquired, not inherited. the expiation of sin is seeking forgiveness of the Lord with a sincere commitment not to repeat it. Man needs no intermediary to pray for him or to seek forgiveness from his Creator on his behalf, for according to the Quran. ‘He is nearer to man than his own jugular vein.’ (50:16), and again in the Quran: 'No soul earns but what is due to it’. (6:164) The role of ones own self is the most important factor. ‘Allah will not change the prosperous state of a people unless they first change their own hearts and selves’ (8:53). Yes, to be perpetually accountable to the dictates of our own reason is a decentralized judicial process which will have a cumulative effect in our favour on the Day of Judgment!

7. ISLAM: A CALL FOR PEACE

I have often witnessed in my boyhood a Muslim vendor in front of my school saying assalamualaikum whenever he met a co-religionist. Alaikkum in Tamil means ‘calling’. So is Islam calling?, I used to wonder. When I finally dared to seek explanation, the vendor heartily laughed and said: “ungalluku amaidhi undagattum” (peace be on you). Though I was happy in having my doubt cleared then, horrors of two World Wars, the danger of nuclearisation of the world, the perpetual threat posed by terrorism – all have convinced me that if at all there was any ideal the world needs and yet disregards, it is PEACE. A peaceful society is impossible without individual minds in peace. A peace-loving mind is a product of psychological evolution nourished from childhood. Islam serves precisely this purpose. The Quran says: 'When those who believe in Our Signs come unto thee, say: peace be unto you!’ (6:54) By regularly and unfailingly invoking peace in human relations, Islam engraves in mind what years of education may not: a sentiment of peaceful coexistence. Hajj is a classic manifestation of salaam (Peace). A major purpose of Hajj Yathra, culminating in the biggest peace conference in the world, is to be peaceful with everything the pilgrims come across – with men, with animals and with the environment. The so called Islamic fundamentalism, often described as a threat to peace in various parts of the world, is the very antithesis of Islam. More often than not, fundamentalism is identified with jihad which calls for a fair approach. In my view, jihad is essentially of a defensive nature. The greater struggle (jihad al-akbar) is a war of defense against self-indulgence and the lesser struggle (jihad al-asghar) is that against oppression. The entire universe, including human psyche, is the product of Divine Omnipotence. ‘Had Allah willed it, all men on the Earth should have been believers’. (10:99). But He did not. So the aim of institutions such as da’wah (Call of Islam) should not be what Allah did not wish to: to impose faith. The aim should be rather to inculcate faith by persuasion. ‘Wise argument and fair preaching’ (16:125) are the instruments and there should be ‘no coercion in religion’ (2:256). Even the missionary zeal of the Prophet was once called into question by Allah: ‘Remind and warn, that is your commission… You have no imperial authority over any man’ (88:21,22). The prime objective of jihad according to Marcel A. Boisard, is ‘the establishment of peace in justice’. The classification of jihad into four categories-of heart, of tongue, of hand and of sword-permits armed combat only as a last resort. Again, man is a perennial source of untruth and injustice, and ‘jihad’ will last until the Day of Judgment’(h). The world has witnessed numerous war mongers. Hilter vowed to’ obliterate’ cities of enemy countries. From the Middle-East to Easter Europe, Muslims, now bear the brunt of high-tech imperialism. Washington’s constructive engagement with Israel and a more destructive engagement with Iraq together keep the Palestinian cause permanently subdued. But Islam never sanctions aggression. ‘Allah loves not aggressors’ (2:190). The 1970 Declaration of Friendly Relations characterizes the war of aggression as a ‘crime against peace’. Only ‘those who are the victims of aggression could fight’ (22:39). After all, the UN Character upholds the ‘inherent right’ of self-defence if an ‘armed attack occurs’. In fact, Islam urges us to ‘repel vice by virtue’ (41:34) and expresses the hope that ‘in the end the hatred will disappear and enemies will become friends’ (41:34). A few words about the situation in our subcontinent. the people who unitedly gave the world the noble concepts of ahimsa and satyagraha became the bitter enemies even after partition and still continue to remain so. The nuclearisation of the subcontinent is indeed a great leap-a Great Leap Backward! Gandhi preached truth and nonviolence. ‘Before it’, he declared, ‘the atom bomb is of no effect’. Unfortunately for us, Pokhran-II actually left the Buddha bleeding with wounds. It has enhanced insecurity for both countries. The Quran equates an unjust killing with the killing of the whole of mankind: ‘If any one kills another—except in retaliation for murder or for causing widespread mischief in the land-it is as if he killed the whole of mankind; and whosoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved the whole of mankind.’ (5:32). What, then, does an act of scorching millions of innocent people to instant death amount to in the sight of Allah? Competitive jingoism is a blood path and it will menacingly lead to bloodbath. Weapons of mass destruction are anti-Islamic. The responsibility to eliminate these sophisticated but dangerous satans, however, is ours.