Misunderstandings about Islam as a System of Life

The concept that Islam incorporates the solutions of all the problems of individual and collective life and provides the satisfaction for the spiritual needs seems to the secular and liberal fascist lobbies odd and queer. Their prickle reflects from the term ‘Political Islam’ for the concept of Islam as a perfect and complete code of life. Very strange that ‘Ahle-Madrassah-u-Khanqah’ are in a way or the other united in opposing Islam as an organized whole. They join in one voice to reject Islam as a ramified system encompassing all the areas including the political and social issues, justice and family life. To the Sufis Islam is only a program for the inner satisfaction and spiritual uplifting of man through some mystic exercises and recitals proposed by the spiritual gurus. So far as the religious schools are concerned, as a learned converted Muslim Muhammad Asad had long ago quoted in his famous classic ‘The Road to Makkah’ late Sheykh Mustafa Al-Maraghi, one of the most prominent former heads of Al-Azhar University of Egypt, saying that the teachers as well as the students gobble up the printed pages of the books written centuries ago but they do not digest them. They no longer think for themselves. Neither entire Quran nor the complete collections of Ahadith and biography of the Holy Prophet SAW has ever been in their syllabus.

On the contrary one major misunderstanding about Islam is on the part of those who rightly believe that Islam, as a Wise Divine Scheme, is not confined to only purity of minds and hearts but wants purity of worldly life also. While dismissing the above mentioned thoughts about Islam they forget the moral and spiritual aspects. They have taken another extreme and portray Islam as a cool and dry code of rules and regulations which addresses only the mundane matters by getting forcefully imposed from over the heads. For promoting their agenda for implementing Sharia’ they have become the players of the existing political game. Immensely illusory hope of getting everything in order through a political venture they ignore the fact that first of all Islam has to be made a common desire sprouting from the depth of the hearts of a majority of the Muslims. For this purpose a tireless Dawa’ (Call to Islam) enterprise is an utmost prerequisite. As the prelude to the overall change in every sphere of life the change of minds and hearts is must.

Dreams of establishing the Islamic System (Sharia’) through using the power gained by any means is a shortcut generally popular in emotional and impatient workers of some Islamic organizations. This way is the choice of only those who are in short of discernment and void of any home work for the cause of Islam. Sustainability of any of the systems abruptly set over the heads always remains doubtful. Without any endeavor to educate the people about merits and preference of the Islamic System and its fruits all cheap means proves nothing but a drop of water on the sand of heating desert. People must have full awareness about virtues and advantages of Islam if implemented as a system of life. And it is done as the water runs through and absorbs into the roots of the grass in a green plot.

Contrary to the law of nature as in the example of the water in a grassy plot and noble trait left by our Holy Prophet SAW, most of the leaders of Islamic Organizations these days open all the fronts at once, create unpropitious circumstances for their workers by rhetorically challenging all the adversaries not only in their own countries but all around the world. While in a Hadith it has been made clear that: ‘Cursed are those who awake a sleeping Fitnah (trial, tribulation or mischief). (Ar-Rafei) Anger in their tone and bitterness in their statements give a glimpse of Islam very different from that which is to be preached with wisdom, love and well wishing for mankind. The lesson we find in the Quran in this regard is: “ Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction; and argue with them in a way that is best…” (An-Nahl: 125)

Setting the priorities in advance is actually following the way of our Holy Prophet, who advanced step by step towards destination of a fully-fledged and all-embracing revolution. A stomach used to an adulterated food hardly digests a pure food. First the stomach is to be cured. Same is the case of the people living in an atmosphere incompatible with the Islamic values for such a long time. Side by side if not so prior to the implementation of Islamic Shria’ a hard effort has to be made for moral uplift and spiritual elevation of the people. Through a coherent and constant Dawa’ task Islam has to be made the call of the hearts of the majority of the population in a Muslim country. Sharia’ laws are to be made digestible for the people who are familiarized to only a corrupt environment. To plough on to this digestibility ‘Tazkiah’ (purity of the minds and hearts) and ‘Taqwa’ (piety) is indispensable. Both of these qualities depend on to what extent the measures of moral and spiritual training are adopted.

In the priorities first of all the people are necessary to be made aware of exceptional features which set the Islamic System apart from the rest of the ideologies and systems. Putting a not well known order into effect all at once is always a bitter thing for human nature to digest. Gradually paving the way through inculcating the qualities of Tazkiah and Taqwa’ journey on the track of righteousness becomes easy. Misunderstandings of the Islamists, may they be the Sufis, Ulama or those who venture to snatch the rein from the secular ruling elites and lead by themselves to make Islam a dominant and wielding power, are the bigger hindrances than those of the opponents of Islam.