RECONSTRCTION OF RELEGIOUS THOUGHT IN MODERN TIMES

Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar

(Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar's Official Website) www.alamaat.com

Script: Shabbir Ahmad Ch.

RECONSTRCTION OF RELEGIOUS THOUGHT IN MODERN TIMES

RECONSTRCTION OF RELEGIOUS THOUGHT IN MODERN TIMES

Prof. Ahmad Rafique Akhtar I have deliberately chosen this subject for todays discourse. About half a century back, a great tinker Iqbal in his seven lectures gave a new philosophic out look by creating a logical and philosophical defense for revelation and mystic experience. But this aim is not valid in modern times. During the last half a century the nature of challenges has changed. The new challenges are not philosophic, they are not scholastic. The achievements of sciences are miraculous. Intellectual supremacy is no more important. Pragmatic approach, Practical attitude and power orientation given new prejudices, new likes and dislikes. Western thought is more and more data oriented. Distress, anxiety, neurosis, psychosis and innumerable psychic and Para psychic syndromes have reduced mans life to a non spiritual entity. We are facing the blatant aggression of scientific thought discovery and inventions accompanied by the paraphernalias of five stars hotels, luxuries pools, boutiques, supersonic jets, atoms, neurons and antimatter. A normal mind is stunned by the onslaught of modern sophistry. This flux of progressive materialism is not allowing us to stay, deliberate or meditate. We dont have time even to read Iqbals lectures on reconstruction. Lets have a look at the response to these challenges; Islam over all is a sharply divided in to secular and scholastic approaches. Mediocrity has resulted into two major faults: 1 Intellectual inferiority in Islamic thought and Muslim mind. 2 Absolute confusion of priorities in religion. The reason is obvious; over this period there has been no teacher mystic in Islamic world. The secular Muslim is dazzled by the fabulous western progress. His curiosity and research has thoroughly convinced him that for modern times Islam is decadent, obsolete and a spent force. He is convinced of power based argument which only lies in western, social and political setup. He venomously hates the tasteless and scholastic religious organizations. He does not find any wit, decency and convincing argumentation in prevailing religious atmosphere. Where ever he finds a religious movement he finds it averse to progress and akin to prejudice, bigottery and even stupidity.

(Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar's Official Website)

www.alamaat.com

RECONSTRCTION OF RELEGIOUS THOUGHT IN MODERN TIMES

He thinks religious revival is all destroying and is a mad dream. Western thoughts offer him a secularist, permissive and adjustable philosophy, with humor, courtesy, ease and sophistry. It offers him taste and culture and above all enough room to breath with modern ideas. He is shy of himself and shy of Islam. Those who cannot revolt are cowards and every day they keep on building new argument to justify corruption and to justify their religion. Scholastic religionist is the other part of Islamic world. For centuries he has been following a religion with blind faith. He does not believe in choices and questions. He is semi literal, semi cultured and least progressive. He has inbuilt taboos in him competitive argumentation. Scholastic side is horribly short of age, technique and curiosity; they create an image of boredom and, stubbornness. Religion is suffering from sects, creeds, caste and there is chronic mix up of priorities. If religion be a pyramid there is nobody on the top who knows. Feels and loves God. Anybody who joins or accepts Islam for a vision of God ends up within fallacious hypocritical and absurd mystic conceptions. I dont deny the existence of a few ecstatic individuals who have lost their balance in their struggle and a very few more have been able to achieve personal victories but they are unable to manage eloquence to explain the concepts of God. In their nave explanation of religious, reality and experience they further confuse the ultimate existence. God is himself the subject of modern curiosity. Generally religion is acceptable in modern society as a personal interest, a lesser obsession and an age old set of rituals. Denial without research is the common attitude. Mostly the defense is based on Islam as the solution of problems, not as only way to God. Islam has become an independent institution which has God as a nominal head. It is not being projected as the means of achievement the priority of intellectual curiosity. Challenges of the modern times are exactly aimed at God himself, the response to the challenges is finding out an argument about Islam. The response insist on claiming Islam as the only complete order of God but fails to provide main with an insight of God. This crisis is not new but whereas in the past we have always been able to produce a Junaid, Abdul Qadir or Ali Bin Usman. We are still looking forward for somebody who should touch the top of pyramid, who should be able to provide an argument. Intellectual curiosity is reduced to explain methodology but the moment it touches the chapter of God it fails. The reason is obvious.
(Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar's Official Website) www.alamaat.com

RECONSTRCTION OF RELEGIOUS THOUGHT IN MODERN TIMES

There are three statements which lead us to the knowledge of God, they all mean the same. Unluckily these statements have nothing to do with practical aspect of religion. When asked, Christ said Know they self and you shall know God then the famous saying came. That is: When God wants to award someone with His knowledge He opens his eyes on his own self, The Prophet said (Peace be upon Him). There is no doubt about the fact that Gods knowledge is through the knowledge of self. This is the job of a sophisticated intellect which outgrows instinctive imbalances at the first stage and goes on further analysis to create a balance of heart, mind and feeling and in this very balance, lies the touch of Allah. When understood analyzed and balanced out grown human instincts leave ground for Godly quality. Whereas generally human beings count only three steps of achievement by human mind namely, intelligence, intellect and intuition. The mystic moves on to the ultimate refinement of fourth category i.e. Ilham. The first three are commonly shared by all human beings but fourth one is only available to a believer and a Muslim. A mystic carries the past stays in the present and points out the future. Its only a mystic who establishes the priority and endeavor to achieve the closeness by normal attitude. God created man and blessed him with the specialty of thinking. He provided the protocol to the important guest of the Lord in the grave. The only priority allotted to human intellect is God himself. Religion from Adam to Muhammad has been varying in the nature of shariat and practical laws in different the only priority of human mind i.e. God. Religion void of search for God is reduced to set rituals. Islam is a way to God but unluckily we have made it our destination. In the past time many decades Muslims have been trying to create religion as a God. Many formats of religion have been introduces to create an Islamic revolution without a true feeling for God and with out making an effort to understand the self and ultimately to understanding God.

(Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar's Official Website)

www.alamaat.com

RECONSTRCTION OF RELEGIOUS THOUGHT IN MODERN TIMES

Psychology applied to others is a science but if applied to ones own self is mysticism. Whereas the West is more objective and scientific they have shown no feeling for the ultimate reality, even their metaphysics is aimlessly pursuing abstract values. On the contrary Muslims have the sentiment for reality but they are not objective and scientific in approach. Let me simplify the whole subject .Allah is an immediate experience whenever He is approached sincerity of intention and proper priority. According to Allah Himself His remembrance is the only way to convince Him that man has given Him his proper place in heart. But for the understanding of self one has to be normal for without normalcy a divine experience is always questionable. Once the priority is established and balances maintained, main responsibility being over, a musliman marches from inner conquests to external victories, ilham, intuition or intellect achievements become the products of faith. A new commitment and a formidable character is built at personal and national levels. Sciences or arts act subservient to a consummate mind, who is in touch with the market. Inventor and creator, personal and national inferiority leaves room of objective understanding and coherent interpretation. False superiority dies and genuine decision and appreciation, hopes and probabilities for the present and future are born. Out of a chaotic inconsistency, a uniform centricity is created which after a small period of trails and tribulations leads to the Quranic decision. And slacken not, nor grieve and you will be victorious if you have faith. (3:139)
Alamaat.com (Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar's Official Website)

www.alamaat.com

(Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar's Official Website)

www.alamaat.com