The history of mankind makes tragic reading. Down
through the ages we come across a series of sequences of the rise, growth, decline and
fall not only of nations but even of their civilizations and cultures. No doubt, man has
all along shown a remarkable constructive genius, having attained many an awe-inspiring
success, now and then, despite occasional set-backs and natural catastrophes. But his
constructive genius, was always undermined by some inherent weakness underlying his ideals
or his way of life which ultimately brought about a disastrous end to his efforts.
Nevertheless, there have been some notable exceptions in the series of sequences when the
idea of the universal welfare of mankind took practical shape, but the main characteristic
of the type of the society in all those civilizations, however, always remained one of
frustration.
The same dismal spectacle is repeated age after age. We see a people
incessantly striving towards the creation of a great civilization, which became the focus
of their desires and ambitions, hopes and aspirations. They looked upon their success as
the apogee of human endeavour. This civilisation, they hoped, would finally liberate
mankind from the clutches of tyranny and slavedom, and usher in an era of eternal peace,
security and contentment. They remained lost in the illusion of having built up an
unparalleled civilization whose growth was always a source of pride and happiness for
them. Every step they took for its progress kindled a new ray of hope in their hearts for
ultimately attaining human welfare and advancement. But the process never reached the
desired culmination, and the main objective ever remained a mirage. Long before the goal
was reached, invariably an anti-climax set in and man himself became instrumental in
pulling down the imposing edifice that he had raised through the ages, shattering all his
hopes, ideals and aspirations.
History is replete with such stories of the rise and growth and the
ultimate decline and fall of several human civilizations. Ancient Babylon, Egypt, Greece,
Iran, Rome, India and even some parts of the New World are now graveyards of glorious old
civilizations. These stand as living testimony to the story of man's tragic failures. They
induce a thoughtful mood in sensitive spectators and caution them to pause for a while and
reflect over this warning of the Qur’an :
Mind! Be ye not like the old woman who laboured hard to spin her yarn and then pulled
it to pieces (16: 92).
Contemporary Civilization
On the other hand, let us ponder over the state of the contemporary
world in which the leading role is played by the nations of the West. The splendour and
brilliance of that civilization is indeed dazzling. No doubt, this civilization,
prosperous and powerful as it claims to be, has enabled man to harness some of the most
formidable forces of nature. The astounding progress of communication by land, sea and air
has brought distant places into close contact. Never before in his long and chequered
history has man enjoyed such power over the universe and the mighty forces of nature as he
does today.
This fantastic phase of human civilization is hardly a century old, but
unfortunately, as in the past, the portents of its collapse and ruin are already in
evidence, as Mason says :"
We began our era of scientific efficiency confident that materialistic triumphs would
solve life's problems. We are finding we were wrong . Life is not as simple as that.1
Every thinking man is oppressed by the fear that this civilisation which
has already been shaken to its very foundations by two global wars will not survive a
third shock. Not only will the whole edifice collapse, but it will also crush the whole of
mankind under it, perhaps, totally out of existence.
Why should this be so? Neither ancient civilisations nor the present one
are the work of thoughtless men. In fact, all great civilisations, both past and present,
are the manifestations of a highly developed creative mind. This paradox of progress leads
all thoughtful minds inescapably to the conclusion arrived at by Einstein:
By painful experience we have learnt that rational thinking does not suffice to solve
the problems of our social life. Penetrating research and keen scientific work have often
had tragic implications for mankind, producing, on the one hand, inventions which
liberated man from exhausting physical labor, making his life easier and richer; but on
the other hand, introducing a grave restlessness into his life, making him a slave to his
technological environment, and—most catastrophic of all—creating the means for
his own mass destruction. This, indeed, is a tragedy of overwhelming poignancy.2
In other words, human reason can subdue the forces of nature but cannot
find by itself a satisfactory solution to the complexity of the problems of mankind. In
fact, these cannot be solved unless and until we first find satisfactory answers to
certain fundamental questions: What is the aim and purpose of human life? Why are the
claims of different individuals and interests of different nations often mutually
contradictory, and how can they be reconciled? What things are conducive and which harmful
to the interests of mankind at large? What are the common values of humanity and how are
they mutually related? Why is it necessary to protect and preserve these values and how?
What are the fundamental rights of man and how can they be safeguarded ? It is clear that
human reason and its manifestations—the sciences—do not and cannot possibly help
us to solve these questions. Let me again refer to Einstein :
For science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its
domain value judgments of all kinds remain necessary.... Representatives of science have
often made an attempt to arrive at fundamental judgments with respect of values and ends
on the basis of scientific methods and in this way have set themselves in opposition to
religion. These conflicts have all sprung from fatal errors. . . .............
For the scientist, there is only "being," but not wishing, no valuing, no
good, no evil, no goal.3
Since the solution of man's fundamental problems depends upon
satisfactory answers to the above questions and since human reason alone cannot properly
answer them, it should be well to investigate some other source of knowledge to which we
may turn for the right answers which might help mankind in solving its fundamental
problems.
Divine Guidance
Human intellect helps us little in the matter, because it is not aware
of any source of knowledge other than itself. There is only one guide left for mankind in
this difficult quest; and that confidently proclaims its ability to lead them to their
goal:
The God that has created all the objects in the universe has also undertaken to make
them aware of their goal and guide them towards it (The Qur'an, 20: 50).
This Guidance which comes direct from God is known as revelation. It has
been revealed all along to mankind through the agency of various Anbiya. But
unfortunately, due to the ravages of time and human tampering with the texts of the
Scriptures, the messages delivered by the pre-Islamic Anbiya could not be preserved long
in their original form. Eventually, about—fourteen centuries ago, the complete and
final version of that Guidance was revealed to mankind through Muhammad (P), the last of
the series of the Rusul. This version of the Device Guidance is embodied, exactly
in its original form, in the Qur'an.
The Qur'an
The Qur’an was revealed from time to time over period of about
twenty-three years. Rasul-ullah had made fool-proof arrangements for its
transcription and preservation, and before he died it had been fully compiled in the form
of a book, apart from being memorized by heart by thousands of men. The Book has thus been
inherited in its original form and it is an historically established fact that not a
single letter of the Book has been altered in the course of the fourteen centuries of its
existence. This great and incomparable Book is a unique testament of the eternal truths
and ever-abiding universal values, and offers enlightenment and perfect guidance in regard
to all aspects of human life.
Writings of men are the products of their environment and are designed
to convey some idea and serve one or another limited purpose. The life of such writings
is, therefore, transitory, and their interest and utility limited. On the other hand, a
book that carries revealed guidance forever is independent of time and space and
circumstance. Its teachings are never out of date, and there is no limit beyond which it
could fail to enlighten and guide men. It indicates the principles that determine the
development and the realisation of individual potentialities, and explains the laws that
govern the rise, decline and fall of nations. The Qur'an thus is a Divine Book embodying
all these attributes, and, being the final code of life forever prescribed by God for
mankind, it is fully comprehensive and complete in every respect.
This great work of Almighty God tells us that all the failures and
frustrations of mankind, all the destructions and bloodshed that the world has suffered,
can be traced back to fallacious views of life that man had adopted through the distorted
vision and perverse thinking. One of these is the materialistic concept of life according
to which man is merely the most developed specimen of animal life, his being depending
entirely upon his physical body for existence and ending with its decay. Human life, they
think, is governed entirely by physical laws. The preservation and promotion of man's
material welfare is the only aim worth striving for. It is the function of human intellect
to help man in achieving these aims. Those who believe in this view of life inevitably
accept the supremacy of the law of jungle that might is right. This law naturally results
in strife and conflict among individuals and groups, eventually leading to global
conflicts and mass destruction of life and property and tragic human sufferings. In short,
all the courses that mankind has adopted for the organisation of social life have
ultimately led, not to security and peace, but to mutual destruction. In The Making of
Humanity, Robert Briffault has brought the root cause of the trouble clearly into
focus when he says:
No system of human organisation that is false in its very principle, in its very
foundation, can save itself by any amount of cleverness and efficiency in the means by
which that falsehood is carried out and maintained, by any amount of superficial
adjustment and tinkering (p. 159).
The Qur’anic View of Life
The Qur'an, on the other hand, holds that man is not merely a physical
being but is composed of something else besides his body, which is called human
personality. This personality, however, is not inherited by man in a fully developed
state; it exists in a latent form and its development is the ultimate object of human
life. When properly developed, the life of the individual becomes capable of evolving into
higher forms after its end in this mortal world. The growth of an individual's physical
existence is governed by certain natural laws; but the development of his personality is
subject to a different set of laws which have been given to mankind from time to time
through Divine Revelation, and are now fully embodied in the Qur'an.
Organization of Human Society
The personality of the individual can grow and fulfill its destiny in
and through society alone and not in isolation. Therefore, the Qur’anic laws relating
to human personality also outline the principles on which the organization of human
society should be based. A social system evolved in accordance with the Qur'anic laws aims
at ensuring the progress and full development of entire mankind. It creates a
society free from the clash of interests among individuals and nations. For,
according to its basic principles, the personality of an individual grows in direct
proportion to his contribution towards the development of other personalities. Thus in a
society where each individual does his best to help others (in the interest of his own
personality) conflict among individuals does not arise. And once the conflict of interests
among people is eliminated, all other complications that have been responsible for the
perpetual strife, tyranny and disorder in the world would automatically disappear. The
Qur’an, therefore, lays down a pattern according to which a healthy social
organisation for entire mankind can be formed.
As an outcome of the materialistic concept of life, mankind today faces
a crisis which perhaps has no parallel in history. This crisis, pervading all spheres of
human life, has taken the form of a universal revolt against religion. This is not
confined to any particular place or group of people. It is not directed against any
particular religion, but against religion itself. No doubt, every religion has been
subjected to the severest criticism at one time or another since the advent of
civilisation, but a total revolt against religion itself is a peculiar feature of the
contemporary attitude towards life. "All living religions," says William Ernest
Hocking, "are wretched vessels. They are all wrapped in sanctimony, dusty-eyed with
self-satisfaction, stiff-jointed with the rheum-rust of their creedal conceits, so
timorous under the whips of conformity that only a few dare the perilous task of thinking."4
Russell is more clear on the point when he says:
Religion prevents our children from having a rational education ; religion presents us
from removing the fundamental causes of war; religion prevents us from teaching the ethic
of scientific co-operation in place of the old fierce doctrines of sin and punishment. It
is possible that mankind is on the threshold of a golden age; but, if so, it will be
necessary first to slay the dragon that guards the door, and this dragon is religion.5
Our age thus poses an open challenge to religion.
This challenge is not entirely unprecedented. Fourteen centuries ago
religion faced a similar challenge—and a formidable one at that. This challenge was
held out by the Qur’an. It openly challenged the religions of the day: Judaism,
Christianity, Manichaeism, idol-worship, star-worship, nature-worship and superstition.
What is more, it not merely challenged the truth and validity of the elements of a
particular form of religion, but also emphasized that "religion" itself was
based on false foundations.
This assertion is likely to cause surprise not only to non-Muslims but
even to Muslims. It may be argued that Islam itself is a religion (and the Qur'an is a
book of religion) and to say that the Qur’an is the standard-bearer of a revolt
against religion is a contradiction in terms. In fact, however, this is not a
contradiction but may merely be termed as a paradox, which arises from a fundamental
fallacy and a widely accepted misconception about the nature of Islam. Islam is generally
regarded as a religion (madhhab) whereas in fact it is not a madhhab but a din. Now
madhhab and din, which are generally treated as synonymous, are not only
essentially different concepts but are mutually contradictory. So, the fundamental
difference between the two must be clearly understood before the assertion made above can
be properly appreciated. A proper understanding of this difference is also essential for
the deliverance of mankind from the deadly crisis in which it finds itself today.
The Qur'an tells us that when man began to live in groups, a clash of
interests ensued. And this in turn led to violent strife and bloodshed. Since this mess
had been the result of man's own limitations, it was beyond his power to remedy it. What
was needed was a clear guidance from a source supra-human. Obviously, this source could be
none other than Divine Knowledge, for, in the entire universe there is no body or force
superior to man except his Creator—God Himself. The Divine Guidance that mankind
needed to pull itself out of the morass in which it found itself was available to it
through Rusul (the Messengers of God).
Thus from time to time each of this long succession of Divine
Messengers (Rusul) came to mankind with a Code of Divine Guidance, and established
a socio-economic order based on the permanent values embodied in that Code. The old
conflicts and strives in that society were thus brought to an end. The pursuit of
individual self-interests was replaced by the ideal of the good of the society at large.
Oppression and exploitation were abolished and justice and equity prevailed. The
dependence of man upon man and the subjection of one to another was brought to an end.
Every individual was assured the proper satisfaction of his needs. He was, therefore,
satisfied and did not owe obedience to any person or power except the Divine Laws (or the
Permanent Values enshrined in the Divine Code). All the members of society thus enjoyed
true freedom and security; security and freedom not confined to man's physical existence
on this earth alone but also ensured in the life Hereafter. This way of life, this code of
law, this social order was known as din.
This social order prevailed during the lifetime of the Nabi who
founded it and for some time thereafter. But sooner or later, the forces suppressed by din
again raised their ugly heads and began to undermine it, reviving the old evils of
injustice, exploitation and tyranny. In their attempt to re-establish the old order, these
forces generally availed themselves of the services of men who appeared in the robes of
piety and spoke in the name of God. They posed as the interpreters of God's Will and thus
distorted the principles and tenets of din which no longer remained a living force
in society and was reduced to a set of soul-less beliefs and lifeless dogmas and formal
rituals divorced from reason and knowledge and the realities of life in this world. They
sought to keep the common people entangled in the labyrinth of dogma and ritual, and the
exploiters, religious as well as temporal, were thus left free to maintain their
stranglehold upon the defrauded masses and to fatten themselves on the labour of others.
This was the metamorphosis of din into madhhab or religion, as in the old.
But this sort of order, or lack of order, could not continue
indefinitely, and before long another Rasul (Messenger of God) appeared on the
scene, challenged the standard-bearers of "religion" and eventually
re-established the din or the way of life revealed to and established by his
predecessor.
This process of thesis and antithesis, of revival and decadence, went on
for ages and ended with the Nabi of Islam, through whom a perfect code of Divine
Guidance embodied in the Qur’an was brought to mankind. The social order that was
established by this Nabi on the basis of that Code was the culmination of the
process of the perfection of din.
The entire history of mankind is in short the history of a perpetual
conflict between din and madhhab terminating in the success of one over the
other.
The concept of "religion" is a deliberate creation of the
minds of men devoted to the pursuit of self-interest. Their aim was to enjoy themselves at
the expense of others. As a result of a sustained process of indoctrination, the masses
learnt to hail and bless those who cheated them in diverse forms of disguises pleasing to
them.
In all their attempts to befool the people and cheat them out of their
rights, the standard-bearers of "religion" have always relied mainly upon one
technique: they attributed their own aims and ambitions as emanating from the "Will
of God." This is the secret of the strong hold of "religion" on the minds
of the masses; and the most effective way of maintaining this hold is to keep the people
ignorant, to cripple their reason and render them incapable of independent thinking, and
hold up ignorance and stupidity and blind submission as signs of piety and godliness. The
leaders of "religion" would have us believe that the more obscurely and
incoherently a person talks, the nearer he is to God; and the more irrational and
unscientific he is in his attitude and approach, the greater the esteem in which he should
be held.
The only argument that is advanced in support of "religion" is
that it was followed by their ancestors which vouchsafes sanctity. If anyone has the
temerity to question any religious belief or practice, the leaders of "religion"
try to arouse the ire of the people against him by accusing him of desecration and insult
to their renowned ancestors. Fear of popular wrath has been used quite effectively by the
leaders of "religion" to muzzle their critics and hold them in perpetual awe. It
was to undo and break this vicious grip of madhhab, and to restore din as
an effective Code of Guidance that God sent His Rusul (Messengers) amongst men from
time to time.
Since falsehood has no legs to stand upon, it always appears in the garb
of truth. Similarly, " religion "secures acceptance by masquerading as din,
making use of its terminology and paraphernalia. It lacks the soul and spirit of din
but seeks to deceive people into accepting the shadow for the substance. Madhhab is
in fact the embalmed corpse of din. How surprisingly firm is the hold of religion
on man's subconscious can be gauged by a simple fact. Christianity invented the theory of
Original Sin with the result that man was bereft of free will and reduced to the state of
an inanimate determined object, inasmuch as, when it was held that every human child sees
the light of day at birth tainted with sin for no fault of his own, and which it was not
possible for him to get rid of through his efforts, he became quite a helpless creature.
The logical conclusion of this belief was that he could not be held responsible for his
misdoings. Determinism and freedom from responsibility, therefore, became the natural
products of Christianity .
Several men of science and thinkers in the West have, in the light of
reason, renounced Christianity altogether. They went even to the length of regarding
belief in God as mere absurdity; and have turned confirmed atheists and materialists.
Nevertheless, it is surprising to note how deeply ingrained have been the basic concepts
of Christianity in their minds. The researches they have carried out in various
fields of natural sciences, sociology, history, psychology, etc., postulate one thing
alone, viz., man's complete helplessness and freedom from responsibility for his actions.
Darwinian research made the homosapiens a biologically determined creature all of whose
actions were the outcome of his physical inheritance and altogether beyond his control.
Behaviorists tied him down to the shackles of habits and reflexes and observed that all
his actions were determined by physical stimuli. Anthropologists declared that man's
character-traits were based on heredity, and Sociologists held that his social environment
was responsible for all his actions and conduct. Freudians regard him as psychologically
determined, and announced that "the ego is not master in its own house," since
all its decisions were made by the subconscious mind which was dominated by sex drives.
Marxists viewed him as an entity economically determined.
What does all this indicate? It is the result of that powerful rip of
"religion" of which, in their estimation, they had completely divested
themselves. Though they had mentally liberated themselves from religious bonds, yet their
subconscious was not altogether freed. This was so because after having released
themselves from the negative thoughts of "religion, " they did not adopt the
positive thoughts of din. And, since it is impossible to have vacuum in nature,
their minds were filled with negative thoughts from other sources. Now the exigencies of
time compel them to face reality, especially because the generation that has sprung up
under the influence of the philosophy of determinism has no respect for law and order and
does not deem an offense as offense; for, they understand that they are not responsible
for their actions. The only thing that could work as a deterrent in their path was the
pressure of society. But when society itself is made of such individuals as have no regard
for moral restrictions, they will have no difficulty in changing the law to conform to the
behaviour of the immoral society itself. So the social laws are also undergoing a gradual
change in he West, lowering the moral level. This has awakened their thinkers from their
deep slumber and the are now discarding the concept of determinism, and leaning towards
the idea of free will which, in other words, means belief in human personality.
A question naturally arises here as to why people are so prone to
religious exploitation. The reply generally given to this very important question is that
"urge for religion" is inherent in man. Man must believe in something—be it
God or mammon or anything else. This is, however, one of those fallacies which have come
down in history and are accepted as "Eternal Truths" standing in no need of a
careful scrutiny. The argument advanced in support of this assertion is that the entire
history of mankind bears witness to this "urge" which man has manifested in
different forms. This is how the protagonists of religion justify and rationalise it
today. Even some honest and genuine scholars and thinkers have been convinced of this
peculiar urge in man. Let us now examine this proposition and see what the basis or nature
of this so-called urge for religion is.
One of the two fundamental and most powerful of man's drives, is that of
self-preservation. He does not want to perish: he wants to survive. This struggle for
survival springs up in the human babe at its very birth when it at once instinctively
cries for its feed. This struggle never diminishes in its intensity till man breathes his
last.
This instinct of self-preservation human beings share with animals, but
with a difference. An animal is provided by nature with adequate weapons and means of survival
and self-defense; sheer physical power and strength, sharp teeth, iron-like claws, wings
to fly, poisonous sting, camouflage of colour protection, capacity to swim or leap and run
at lightning speed—animals inherit this equipment biologically as their right. A
human being in comparison is helpless. In the face of the destructive calamities of
nature fierce birds and beasts, and even the onslaught of his own species, he has to
invent tools for self-defence. In contrast to animals, the history of man is the
history of the development of such tools of offence and defence.
It was the paradox of this helplessness of man and his strong instinct
of self-preservation that made him bow down before anything that was powerful, useful or
harmful to him. He prostrated before the manifestations of nature, he worshipped animals,
he venerated trees and plants in the hope that by doing so he would survive. In these
false and artificial props, he vainly sought his main support for survival.
It may be an interesting field for research to substantiate the fact
that wherever and whenever a people have advanced high in their tool-making process, they
have moved away from their false gods, and have even grown irreligious. Their highly
developed armaments give them confidence; their conquest the world around induces them to
reject all such superstitions. In the life of an individual even, one sees a similar
process. In youth, physical strength and prowess keep him indifferent to religion and
superstition with boldness, but as decay sets in the physical organs, he becomes more and
more religiously inclined, seeking support in everything that he had rejected in his
youth. Similarly, when he is successful in life, he seldom seeks the support of these
false gods; but he searches for them most reverently when he is confronted with failures
and finds his own means inadequate to meet the challenge.
But the problem of survival is not limited to physical survival only. A
human being, unlike the animals, has the urge to survive on the human level as well. An
animal feels absolutely satisfied and content after a hearty meal, and comes into action
again only when it faces hunger or a threat to its own existence. This is not so with a
human being. If he were to face a perpetual and hopeless struggle for economic security
all his life, he may indeed be too engrossed with his plight to think of any other matter.
But once having achieved economic and physical security, he is faced with the urge to
survive on the human level. Today all welfare and socialist states are confronted with
this problem with much greater intensity and on a wider scale than the underdeveloped
countries. Due to their scientific power and prosperous economies, their attention is
inevitably focused on the survival other than physical. Existentialism is nothing but an
acute manifestation of this grave problem. The trend towards religion or mysticism among
thinkers and scientists (especially in their old age) is yet another form of this search
for human survival.
Such is the so-called "urge for religion" —may it be the
primitive man's nature-worship, or the mysticism of modern thinkers. And this is the urge
so often and so successfully exploited by the seekers of self-interest, in the name of
religion.
Through the ages, the din of Anbiya had exposed the
exploiters and challenged the false gods that the minds of men had propped up on high.
This is the role that the din, embodied in the Qur'an, is destined to play today
and tomorrow, like the adyan of yesterday.
The Qur’an recognises the demands of the instinct of
self-preservation. It, therefore, strives to establish an economic system that guarantees
the satisfaction of the basic needs of every individual. It declares that man is capable
of conquering nature, that if he holds on firmly to the Permanent Values of life, the
survival of his human self is ensured; for, then his personality knows no death. Permanent
Values, as preserved in the Qur’an, are unchangeable and true, hence trustworthy and
reliable. They replace the false gods with the true God, and the meaningless superstitions
of religion with the strength of rational conviction. In short, the Qur'an satisfies the
instinct of self-preservation both on the physical and human level and thus sets man free
from the shackles of religion and the bondage of superstitions.
This was the din preached and established by the last of the line
of Anbiya—Muhammad (P).
Unfortunately, however, not long after the establishment of this din–i.e.,
the Islamic Social Order—by Muhammad (P), Islam too met the same fate as that of the
earlier adyan. God had perfected the Islamic din in the Qur'an, and the Rasul
delivered the Book to the Muslims and established a Social Order thereon. But shortly
after his death, the forces of exploitation began to raise their ugly heads again. They
scored their first success with the establishment of a hereditary kingship, sustained by
capitalism. Then, to ensure their own survival and consolidation, these two forces started
distorting the din of Islam into a madhhab. And before long, they succeeded.
Like the adyan of the ancient Anbiya, Islam also gradually lost its soul and
substance as a din and degenerated into a lifeless madhhab hide bound by dogma and
ritual. The only point of difference between this process of degeneration and its
precedents in earlier history was that the code of Islam—the
Qur’an—remained intact in its original form, which fact, as already stated, is
borne out by historical evidence. This is a fact of prime importance to be borne in mind.
For, if any of the other religions of mankind seeks to return to its pristine purity as a din,
it will find the task impossible in the absence of the original testament as revealed
to its own Nabi. The Muslims alone can hope to restore Islam to its original form
as a din, because the complete code of the Islamic din is enshrined in the
Qur'an and is fully preserved in precisely the same form as it was revealed to Muhammad
(P) about fourteen centuries ago.
The Qur'an calls upon men not to be frightened by the terrible forces of
destruction and not to despair or lose heart even when they find the prospect dark and
menacing. It exhorts them to have faith in the way of life and the social order that it
has prescribed, and to give it a fair trial. If they earnestly do so, it assures them that
they will, before long, overcome all the hostile forces of decay and destruction and rise
from the depths of their present misery to the heights of achievement and glory. And the
essence of the social order prescribed by the Qur'an is simply this: the forces of nature
should be subdued and the gains of the victory should be utilized for the development and
progress of mankind at large in accordance with the eternal values enshrined in the
Revealed Book of Allah: for,
Only that way of life can survive which is beneficial for the whole of mankind (13: 17)
.
I have given the best part of my life to a study of the solution that
the Qur'an offers to the problems, difficulties and dangers that beset humanity in the
present times. I have been writing on the subject for nearly a quarter of a century, and
my writings have reached all parts of the land. But they have so far been available only
in the Urdu language. Now I have felt called upon to present to a wider audience the
Qur’anic solutions to contemporary problems through the medium of English. My chief
purpose is to show that man has no reason to feel overwhelmed by the apparently insoluble
problems that face him or look upon himself as helpless and despicable, and resign in
despair. There is still a source to which he may turn for light and hope, and if he
follows the light, there is no doubt that he will overcome the problems that seem to him
insoluble and will also be able to go through further stages of evolution with confidence.
One of the serious difficulties, which I have encountered in this
effort, relates to the translation in English of the Qur’anic terms and phraseology
bearing on din. Most of prevalent English equivalents for the Arabic terms are
associated with madhhab, and if 1 were to use them, it would be wellnigh impossible
to distinguish din from madhhab, and the main purpose of the work would be
defeated. It might be said that I could have chosen suitable equivalents from the English
vocabulary; but this is in fact impossible, for the English vocabulary does not offer
words and phrases that could convey precisely the exact sense of the relevant Qur'anic
terms. Take, for instance, the word din itself. It has no exact equivalent in the
English language. The same exactly is the reason why it is practically impossible to
translate the Qur'an faithfully into another language. I quote here the well-known British
Orientalist Professor H.A.R. Gibb, who says in his famous book Modern Trends in Islam (p.
4):
The Koran is essentially untranslatable, in the same way that great poetry is
untranslatable. The seer can never communicate his vision in ordinary language. He can
express himself only in broken images, every inflection of which, every nuance and
subtlety, has to be long and earnestly studied before their significance breaks upon the
reader—images, too, in which the music of the sounds plays an indefinable part in
attuning the mind of the hearer to receive the message. To paraphrase them in other
words can only be to mutilate them, to substitute clay for fine gold, the plodding of the
pedestrian intelligence for the winged flight of intuitive perception. . . . An English
translation of the Koran must employ precise and often arbitrary terms for the
many-faceted and jewel-like phrases of the Arabic; and the more literal it is, the grayer
and more colorless it must be. Even in so simple a sentence as
(50 : 43)
"Verily We give life and death and unto Us is the journeying," it is
impossible to present in English (or perhaps any other language) the force of the
five-times repeated in the six words of the original.
In view of this serious difficulty, the only alternative for me was to
retain the original Qur'anic terms and phrases, and to explain their meanings in a
glossary. These meanings have not been "invented" by me. They are based upon
etymological considerations and the original meanings of the roots of the relevant words
and phrases; they are supported by authoritative Arabic lexicons and also by the Qur'anic
verses in which they occur. I have also compiled a comprehensive lexicon of the Qur'an on
this pattern and it has already been published in four volumes. And on this basis, I have
explained the meaning of the Qur'an in a separate volume. (Both these works are in Urdu,
and I propose to have, at least the latter, entitled Mafhum-ul-Qur’an,
rendered into English. As a matter of fact this work is already nearing completion.)
From a comparative study of din, and madhhab, it would
appear that the two have certain common features; for instance, faith in God, in Divine
Guidance and in the life Hereafter. But this similarity is not very deep or sufficiently
extensive; for if one reflects over the real meanings of these phrases, it will be
abundantly clear that this similarity between din and madhhab is
merely superficial. In essence, even these articles of faith have different meanings and
connotations in din and madhhab; nay, these meanings are mutually
contradictory in many respects.
The first few chapters of this work comprise a historical discussion of
the concepts of God and religion. It should not be taken for a ,discussion of din; nor
is it an attempt to compare Islam with other religions and establish its superiority over
them. From the observations made earlier in this Introduction, it should be clear that a
comparison between Islam and the existing religions is out of question. Islam is a din,
or a way of life, which can be compared only with another way of life, and not with any
religion, for religion as such has nothing at all to do with the problems of human life on
earth. This explains why the Qur’an does not present Islam as a rival to any
religions on the other hand, it asserts that this din (system of life) shall
ultimately prevail over all the man-made systems (9: 33). I would, therefore, entreat you,
kind reader, not to treat this work as a book of religion ; it should be studied only from
one point of view and that is: whether or not the way of life that it expounds offers a
solution to the grave difficulties and problems with which mankind is faced at present.
Today, all thoughtful men are disgusted both with materialism as well as
religion (madhhab), for neither of these offers a way out of humanity's present
predicaments. The only solution is through the din that is expounded in the
following pages. This din is enshrined. only in the verses of the Qur'an, because,
as already stated of all the Books of the revealed adyan, the Qur'an is the only
book that has remained intact in precisely the same form in which it was revealed to
Muhammad (P) who delivered it to mankind.
The economic problem is indeed the gravest of all the problems of the
present age, and neither Capitalism nor Communism offers an adequate and effective
solution to it. The Islamic din shows us the path of redemption in this sphere
also. But this aspect of Islam has been touched upon only casually in the present book; it
has been discussed at length in another book, which is now ready for the press.
Incidentally, in the pages which follow, the reader will come across
numerous quotations, especially from Western writers. I should make it clear at the very
outset that these quotations have not been used to prove the truth of any principle or
precept of the Qur'an. All the statements and assertions of the Qur'an are self-evident
truths and do not need any external corroboration. The quotations are meant to serve an
entirely different purpose. The Qur'an presented the outlines of a new Social Order some
fourteen centuries ago. People then not only disagreed with it but also opposed it. But
today, the needs of the time and the difficult situation in which mankind finds itself
tend to bring humanity gradually nearer to the Social Order of Islam. Various non-Muslim
thinkers who, until a short while ago, used to pin all their hopes on one or another of
the various social systems devised by men without any Divine Guidance, have now begun to
despair of them. And the outlines of the new schemes that they are now, contemplating to
ensure peace and justice and happiness for mankind appear very much like those of the
Social Order prescribed by the Qur'an ages ago. It is only to illustrate this fact that I
have quoted frequently from the writings of some eminent Western thinkers. Human intellect
is gradually advancing towards the comprehension of Permanent Values as set forth in the
Qur'an. Notwithstanding the forces of exploitation, the Eternal Truth is ultimately bound
to prevail, the sooner the better for the emancipation of mankind.