ISLAM is a religion without any mythology. Its teachings are simple and intelligible. It is free from superstitions and irrational beliefs. The oneness of God, the prophethood of Muhammad, and the concept of life after death are the basic articles of its faith. They are based on reason and sound logic. All of the teachings of Islam flow from those basic beliefs and are simple and straightforward. There is no hierarchy of priests, no far-fetched abstractions, no complicated rites or rituals. Everybody may approach the Qur'an directly and translate its dictates into practice. Islam awakens in man the faculty of reason and exhorts him to use his intellect. It enjoins him to see things in the light of reality. The Qur'an advises him to seek knowledge and invoke Allah to expand his awareness: “… My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” (Qur'an, 20:114) Allah also says: “…Are those who know equal to those who know not? It is only men of understanding who will remember.” (Qur'an, 39:9) It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “He who leaves his home in search of knowledge (walks) in the path of God.” (At Tirmidhi) He also said: “Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” (Ibn Majah and Al-Bayhaqi) This is how Islam brings man out of the world of superstition and darkness and initiates him into the world of knowledge and light. Again, Islam is a practical religion and does not allow indulgence in empty and futile theorizing. It says that faith is not a mere profession of beliefs, but rather it is the very mainspring of life. Righteous conduct must follow belief in Allah. Religion is something to be practiced and not an object of mere lip service. The Qur'an says: “…Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah) and work righteousness, Tuba (all kinds of happiness) is for them, and a beautiful place of (final) return.” (Qur'an, 13:29) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is also reported to have said: “Allah does not accept belief if it is not expressed in deeds, and does not accept deeds if they do not conform to belief.” (At-Tabarani) Thus Islam's simplicity, rationality and practicality are what characterize Islam as a unique and true religion. Unity of matter and spirit A feature of Islam is that it does not divide life into watertight compartments of matter and spirit. It stands not for denial of life but for the fulfillment of life. Islam does not believe in asceticism. It does not ask man to avoid material things. It holds that spiritual elevation is to be achieved by living piously in the rough and tumble of life, not by renouncing the world. The Qur'an advises us to pray as follows: “…Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the hereafter that which is good …” (Qur'an, 2:201) But in making use of life's luxuries, Islam advises man to be moderate and keep away from extravagance. Allah says: “…and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not (those who waste by extravagance).” (Qur'an, 7:31) On this aspect of moderation, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Observe fasting and break it (at the proper time) and stand in prayer and devotion (in the night) and have sleep, for your body has its right over you, and your eyes have rights over you, and your wife has a claim upon you.” Thus, Islam does not admit any separation between material and moral, mundane and spiritual life, and enjoins man to devote all of his energies to the reconstruction of life on healthy moral foundations. It teaches him that moral and material powers must be welded together and that spiritual salvation can be achieved by using material resources for the good of man in the service of just ends and not by living a life of asceticism or by running away from the challenges of life. Islam seeks to establish equilibrium between the two aspects of life – the material and the spiritual. It says that everything in the world is for man, but man was created to serve a higher purpose: the establishment of a moral and just order that will fulfill the will of Allah. Its teachings cater for the spiritual as well as the temporal needs of man. Islam enjoins man to purify his soul and to reform his daily life – both individual and collective – and to establish the supremacy of right over might and of virtue over vice. Thus Islam stands for the middle path and the goal of producing a moral man in the service of a just society. Islam, a complete way of life Islam is not a religion in the common and distorted sense, for it does not confine its scope to one's private life. It is a complete way of life and is present in every field of human existence. Islam provides guidance for all aspects of life – individual and social, material and moral, economic and international. The Qur'an enjoins man to embrace Islam without any reservation and to follow Allah's guidance in all areas of life. In fact, it was an unfortunate day when the scope of religion was confined to the private life of man and its social and cultural role was reduced to naught, as has happened in this century. No other factor, perhaps, has been more important in causing the decline of religion in the modern age than its retreat into the realm of private life. In the words of a modern philosopher: “Religion asks us to separate things of God from those of Caesar. Such a judicial separation between the two means the degrading of both the secular and the sacred … That religion is worth little if the conscience of its followers is not disturbed when war clouds are hanging over us all and industrial conflicts are threatening social peace. Religion has weakened man's social conscience and moral sensitivity by separating the things of God from those of Caesar.” Islam totally denounces this concept of religion and clearly states that its objectives are the purification of the soul and the reform and reconstruction of society. Thus even a cursory study of the teachings of Islam shows that it is an all-embracing way of life and does not leave out any field of human existence to become a playground for the forces of evil. – Based on Professor Khurshid Ahmad's, Islam: Basic Principles and Characteristics (To be continued) __
