WHAT IS ISLAM?

WHAT IS ISLAM?

Islam is a religion, perhaps, but is more than a religion. It is a way of life.

Is Islam a way of life? Perhaps, but it is not just a way of life. It is a whole way of life. Yes, a complete code of conduct, both for our individual and our corporate life.

Is Islam an Ideology? Perhaps, but it is not just an idea or something merely idealistic. It has the touch of realism and practicability about its idealism.

Is Islam a Movement? Perhaps, but is has its permanent mooring. It does not compromise on principles, but in details it moves to be in rhythm with Space and Time.

In short, Islam is a combination of all the above. It is a ‘DEEN’, in the words of the Holy Qur’an.

ISLAM is something to be lived, in our everyday life, lived as an individual – as a son/daughter, brother/sister, husband/wife, father/mother, grandpa/grandma, and as a member of the human society, as a neighbor, as a citizen of one’s country, as a citizen of the world.

Islam is not philosophy but practice. We waste so much time in philosophizing Islam. Let us spend that time in bringing ourselves in line with Islam. Yes, with the expectations of Islam.

Islam expects every Muslim to do his duty by Islam; and duty by Islam means one’s duty to God and His creatures.

Islam simultaneously moves Godwards and manwards, and to keep the balance between the two is the ideal life of a Momin.

Today unfortunately our life is lopsided one way or the other. Let us make our lives more equipoised.

Islam did not rest content with a set of beliefs and principles but also gave a system or a social order for embodying those principles, and this Discipline was based on an ethical code and in the framework of social justice. It was this disciplined, honest, moral and just system which enabled the early Muslims to give a fresh and dynamic leadership to a benighted world. We have to get out of our fossilized stupor; and with the dynamic Islam the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) gave us, once again we should regain that position of moral intellectual and all round leadership.

Islam is both universal and eternal. It is neither racial nor regional; all its principles are universal. Likewise, it is eternal in the sense that its principles could abide for all time. It keeps the road to infinite knowledge always open: it never closes the book of Reason on man. New areas of conquest are always kept open to him, nay he is invited or encouraged to go ahead with more and more conquests and make even the sun, the moon, the stars and the planets subservient to him. It is these that enable man to fill the position of vicegerency of God on earth. So long the Muslims preserved this position; they remained in the vanguard of progress and were marked out as the torch-bearers of light and learning, culture and civilization.

Our betterment lies not in going away from Islam but in coming nearer to Islam, the real and living Islam and not the stagnant and fossilized Islam which we find around us with so much of un-Islamic assertions of Time and Space.

We have to find the life giving panacea in Islam itself and not get lost by wandering away from it. We have to refit ourselves in the Islamic framework of faith, reason and justice. Let us raise ourselves above sectarian controversies and be guided in our day to day life by the life-going ideology of Islam and thus enable ourselves to play the role we are destined to play in the world, the role of the people of the Middle Path, the balance-keepers, the peace-keepers. But for playing the role, we will have to once again combine “Emaan” (Faith) with “Aamaal Saleh” (Good Deeds), the tow basic rocks on which rests of House of Islam.

Islam raised man’s status in his own eyes. It for the first time salvaged man from the clutches of his fellowmen. Islam goes a step further. According to Islam, God bestows men, his best creation, his noblest creation, with such bounties of reason and knowledge as to enable him to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong, lawful from unlawful, proper from improper, and thus so enriches his life as to enable him to send forth the great call of “Hayya-alal-Falaah” the call to success- both here and hereafter. It is also the call towards Welfare, the welfare of all men. This ‘faith’ or Welfare’ is the object of a Muslim’s life. Thus each Muslim is expected to make his contribution, however, humble to the common good of all. Can humanitarianism and altruism go to any further?

Islam means peace; it also means surrender, surrender to any mundane person, but surrender to God: and the concept of God in Islam is that He is the Universal Creative and Preservative Force, God in Islam stands for the constructive forces of Harmony. And it is in surrender to this Universal Force of Harmony that Islam seeks peace for all the world. And it is as a religion of Peace and Harmony that Islam offers the olive branch of goodwill to peoples of all faith.

The heart-core of Islam is charity, charity in its most expensive senses, charity in its widest dimensions.

The Holy Qur’an commands us not to say things we do not do. There must be some equanimity between our words and deeds. Are we following the commandment of the Holy Qur’an in our day to day life?

The Holy Qur’an tells us to join hands in what is good and proper, and not to join hands in what is sin, transgression or aggression. Either as individuals or as groups of society, do we follow this golden rule? If not, may we ask why?

 The Holy Qur’an orders to do what is right and to forbid what is wrong. Do we follow this noble principle in our every day life? If not, why not?

The above constitute the heart of Islam. If we do not own them why then blame Islam? Are we not a little too soft with ourselves? Let us go in for a better self assessment, a better self appraisal and a better self check. By so doing alone can we bring ourselves on the much prayed for SIRAT-UL-MUSTAQEEM the right path of those whom the Lord has blessed. The path will not come to us. We have to go to the path. So, why wait? Let each one of us take a forward step; yes, let us go forward with the Holy Qur’an as our guide and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) as our leader.

Our Allah is one, our Prophet and leader is one, our book of guidance is one, our Ka’bah and Qibla is one.

Let us also be one, the one united and strong Ummah.

Ummah that dispels darkness that spreads light, that sets norms for others to follow. If we could do that in the past, we could do it today.