Documente Academic
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Documente Cultură
Part I
It is with a sad and broken heart that we have witnessed the events of the
last few weeks in Bangladesh. Innocent people have been killed, many of
them foreigners guests in this country, all in the name of Islam. We are
shocked and stunned by the cruelty of the perpetrators, and each of us are
asking, if this can actually be the work of Muslims wholive among us. We are
asking, if they are the followers of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
who is Rahmatallil Alameen or Mercy of Allah to all creation. The answer
is :no, they are not Muslims. They are enemies of Islam, imposters and
hypocrites.In fact, if one died in the course of these heinous acts, he could be
denied Islamic burial rites, according to someschools of Islamic thought.
There is a theory that the persons, who are conducting these brutal acts, are
doing it in the name of the Islamic concept of Jihad. But,Jihadtranslated
simply as struggle or striving in English is diametrically opposed to
terrorism in any form. Jihad, in Islam takes two forms. The first form is
personal Jihad, which means to fight and struggle against the suggestions of
the Shaitanor the Devil to ones base desires, also known as the nafs. Nafs
means, the animal-like instincts of man, e.g. greed, anger, lust, ego, laziness,
impatience, etc. Personal Jihad also includes the restraint of the tongue, the
denial of excesses, the control of wayward thought, the pursuit of morality,
the acquisition of knowledge, the suppression of evil, etc. Personal Jihad is
advised in the Quran :
Truly he succeeds that purifies it (the soul) - 91:9 (Y. Ali)
Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right,
forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. - 3:110 (Y. Ali)
Seest thou such a one as taketh for his god his own passion (or impulse)?
Couldst thou be a disposer of affairs for him? - 25:43 (Y. Ali)
Jihad denotes improving ones personal character or nature. Fasting in the
month of Ramadan is an example of personal Jihad, and so is the system of
saying daily prayers.Defending oneself or ones family from an aggressor
also falls under this category of Jihad. The second form of Jihad is to conduct
lawful war in the name of Islam, which is permissible for 2
purposesonly:defending the state and its population against the aggression
fitna. The condition of fitna develops when the Muslim Ummah lacks
leadership, loses direction, or becomes corrupt.
They said: "In Allah do we put our trust. Our Lord! make us not a trial
(fitna) for those who practice oppression; - 10:85 (Y. Ali)
"Our Lord! Make us not a (test and) trial (fitna) for the Unbelievers, but
forgive us, our Lord!- 60:5 (Y. Ali)
This said, it is important to analyze the general context of what has
happened in Bangladesh, vis a vis the rise of extremists. There seems to be
two streams of restlessness that has merged into a general atmosphere of
despair. One springs from the traditional schools or madrasas where religious
learning is the foundation of education. This draws its numbers from the
lower disenfranchised classes of society, who are supported by local political
and social functionaries, supplemented by sponsors from the Middle East
who serve their religious and geo-political ambitions by supporting them. The
other stream comes from families of the well to do, who constantly goad
their children to excel in advanced fields of knowledge, with no sympathy for
the strained state of mind it produces. Their sole purpose is to escape the
country to join the workforce abroad. The first group finds themselves
unwanted and ostracized in a modern secular world, while the second group
is driven more and more towards a world of alienation and isolation.
It is in this context that the madrasahtrained activists drawing strength from
a glorious past and the confidence of numbers try to organize themselves for
the establishment of a cure-all social and political order which derives it
appeal from the Word of Allah. Their simplistic,idealistic minds justify the
achievement of immediate power in the hope that all social problems would
be surmounted once an Islamic state is declared. They believe no sacrifice is
big enough for that end. They think that terrorizing the public, giving the
impression of power to the greater population would garner them the
support of the entire population who are ever-ready to join them. They fail to
understand that their strategy is diametrically opposed to the fundamental
teachings of Islam as enumerated in the QuranicAyats above and their
designs are bound to fail both in this world and in the eyes of the Almighty.
As for the wayward children of upper class families, they are drawn into
extremism, some desiring to fill a spiritual void in their lives and others
through the need to vent out their frustrations from too much homework,
work load, and in some cases, the hardships of having to live in a corrupt
society where the parents are honest. Some want to die as shaheeds in fits
of religious idealism. Religious extremism gives them a moral reason to rebel
against their families, their schools and their society and to glorify
themselves in front of their peers. Being small in number, they sometimes
collude with the madrasah activists and cause the type of mayhem that we
witnessed in the Holey Artisan killing.
Adding to the local mess of wayward youth, the element of foreign
intervention in our country has raised its hideous head. Country after country
in the Middle East has been plunged into chaos. A few countrieshave almost
been obliterated after the invasion of Iraq. The social structure has almost
collapsed and revenge killings have become a fact of everyday life. The
Muslim world has been thrust into topsy-turvy and local youth is being drawn
into those conflicts, some out of idealism, some out of frustration, and some
for adventure.
inspiration rather than pure knowledge, that leads man to a higher plane. It
would be highly improper for Muslims to ignore this precious blessing that
was also sent through Muhammad (SWS), a blessing no less than the Book.
In fact, those well versed in the deeper meaning of the religion would
contend that the Book would be incomplete without the light. Since the
Book of Allah has survived through the ages through the intervention of
Allah, it would be altogether fitting that Allah would also preserve the
propagation of the Light of Allah to all mankind, as mentioned in the Quran,
even after the physical demise of the Prophet.
We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly
guard it (from corruption). - 15:9 (Y. Ali).
To believers who dig deep into the soul of Islam, Allah has not only preserved
the Message of the Book, but also the light sent to the Prophet through
chosen ones among the Family of the Prophetwho are known as the Ahle
Bayet(translated family of the allegiant) or those who were or are nearest to
him in flesh and spirit.
The Shariah is the outer form which deals with an almost all encompassing
functional socio-religious and governing system of Islam. The inner form is
known as the Tariqa or the method or the way followed bySufis,that
deals with achieving Haqiqat or ultimate truth, or even deeper, into
Marefator the way to achieving union with the ultimate inner Light of the
Creator and His creation. If the Sharia is the system, then the Tariqa is the
system of the system. To thetrue believer, there is a vital purpose why Allah
has included suggestive and mystical verses and stories in the Quran. It is as
if Allah has extended an invitation to Man to venture into the mysteries of
Allah.
Moses said to him: "May I follow thee, on the footing that thou teach me something of the
(Higher) Truth which thou hast been taught?" - 18:66
(Y. Ali)
question to be asked today is whether this is the root cause for our wayward
journey into extremism and disharmony, where the body of the Ummahis
functioningwithout its soul.
It is imperative that the past traditionsconcerning the persona of the Prophet
be revived. The spiritual concept of Hayatun Nabi which says that the
Prophet is still alive.and must be shown respect through the celebrations of
Milad Mahfils and Eid e Miladun Nabi (remembrance, and thanks giving for
the Birth of the Prophet)cannot be allowed to be challenged by so-called
Muftis who only revolve around the Sharia. The soft words of the Sufis, the
repositories of Muhammads (SWS) Light from Allah, the vehicle of Allahs
Blessings to mankind, must once again be reignited tofill the void in our
souls.
And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah. "They are dead."
Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not. - 2:154 (Y. Ali)
Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live,
finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord; - 3:169 (Y. Ali)
Authored by :
Syed Mujtaba Quader