Question 1.
What if I am
born in the middle of nowhere, running naked, eating worms and roaches for
food. Will I have the chance to live among the prophets and saints in the
hereafter? Suppose I had never heard of the name JESUS or ALLAH or YWHW and no
scriptures had been handed down to me and I could neither read nor write. If I
am in that situation, tell me what is my purpose of existence then? Could
anyone enlighten me?
Comment :-
If you were in
the hypothetical condition which you are assuming you would not be making the
remarks you made, would not be asking the question and you would not understand
the answers either. All this assumes that you were brought up in a community
with a culture and language and certain concepts.
But remembering
these limitations you could ask what is the purpose of any living thing - you
are but one of them.
The answer then
seems to be that you are here to seek food and eat in order to maintain your
life, to reproduce so that the species can continue and to have certain
experiences in interaction with other creatures and with this world by reason
of which some psychological growth takes place which you can transfer to your
children. But you may also be here to be eaten by some other creature to maintain
its life. Certainly when you die as all must, worms will eat and recycle you.
But the effects you had on the environment while alive will continue to exist
and have still other effects and so on.
Since you have
been given some intelligence and consciousness you might also become aware of
all this and wonder about existence as a whole and come to some conclusions.
You might refine these if you could discuss them with others. You might, for
instance, wonder why you had consciousness and what its function was or how it
came about. Other persons with superior consciousness may be born who had a
better explanation and provided you with techniques for your own development.
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Question 2
Several people
have asked questions about the creation of man as described in the Quran:-
“And when thy Lord said unto the angels: I am
about to place a Vicegerent (Agent, Successor, Inheritor) in the earth, they
said: Wilt Thou place therein one who will do evil therein and shed blood?
While we celebrate Thy praise and glorify Thee. Said (the Lord),: I know what
ye know not. And He taught Adam the Names (qualities), all of them; then He
propounded them to the angels and said: Declare to me the names of these, if ye
are truthful. They said: Glory be to Thee! No knowledge is ours but what Thou
thyself hast taught us, verily, Thou art the Knower, the Wise. Said the Lord: O
Adam declare to them the Names; and when he had declared to them the Names, He
said: Did I not say to you, I know the secrets of the heavens and of the earth,
and I know what ye reveal and what ye conceal? And when we said to the angels:
Bow down before Adam, they bowed before him save only Iblis, who refused and
was too proud and became one of the disbelievers. And We said: O Adam dwell,
thou and thy wife, in Paradise, and eat there from
amply as you wish; but do not draw near this tree or ye will be of the
transgressors. But Satan made them backslide there from and drove them out from
what they were in, and We said: Go down, one of you the enemy of the other, and
in the earth there is an abode and a provision for a time. And Adam obtained
certain words (revelations) from his Lord, and He relented towards him, for He
is the Relenting, the Compassionate. We said: Go down there from altogether and
haply there may come from Me a Guidance, and whoso follows My Guidance, no fear
is theirs, nor shall they grieve. But those who misbelieve, and call Our signs
lies, they are the fellows of the Fire, they shall dwell therein for
ever." 2:30-39
Comment:-
There is no knowledge about
these things other than what is written in the Quran. So if you want opinions
according to what readers understand then here are a few comments: -
Firstly, the
story is an allegory or a formula which contains certain truths designed to
create an understanding or a certain psychological impression on us which may
be mostly in the sub-conscious. This is not a physical truth and not about an
occurrence billions of years ago in time, but about the fundamental fabric of
existence, something underlying past, present and future events.
Readers will
note that though the story resembles that in the Old Testament, it is not the
same. It is more profound and rectifies some misunderstandings which might have
arisen or elaborates on it.
Allah did not
consult the angels but informed them. But as angels are that through which
Allah works they needed information and this, no doubt, also gave them the
knowledge that man would make mischief. This is because as a vicegerent (2:30),
having the spirit of Allah in him (32:9), the Trust (33:72), he also had the
powers of initiative and creativity (at least in so far as he could re-arrange
things rather than originate the basic elements). The same creativity that can
be used for construction can be used for destruction. That which can invent
instruments and machines can also invent fiction, lies, fantasies, and
delusions.
The power to do
this came partly from the fact that man was able to construct concepts and
think abstractly. He was able to do this because he was taught certain
categories of thought, the Names or Attributes of Allah. This ability made man
superior to angels, that is why they were to bow before man. This refers to
submission and indicates that some of these powers at least are in the service
of man.
The fact that
Allah and the angel knew that man would make mischief and Allah still created
man indicates that He had a plan that involved the degeneration or Fall of man.
But He arranged things so that man would learn by his experiences and develop,
climb up again. This Allah knew but the angels did not. According to the
Prophet (saw), it was absolutely essential that man should sin in order that by
the Mercy of Allah he should return. This is also indicated in the New
Testament by the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
This world, in
other words, is an educational system meant to complete the development of man.
The first human beings were spiritually like children. They had to be given
instruction and guidance, but also experiences so that they could learn from
pain and pleasure until they develop sufficient knowledge, wisdom, correct
motivation and self-control to be true agents of Allah.
Some human
beings who develop to this stage earlier than others are called Prophets and
Saints and they have the duty to help the awakening or development of the rest
of humanity.
The obstruction
to this development is Satan or Iblis, the Deceiver. This name stands for the
spiritual or psychological entity that is responsible for egotism, pride and
the rationalisations and deceptions that flow from this. Iblis represents
temptations that cause addictions and obsessions such as greed, the love of
sensual pleasures and so on. The overcoming of these is essential for spiritual
growth. This is similar to the development of muscles by exercise against
weights and springs. Therefore, Satan is also part of the plan.
The descent of
the spirit into matter or its imprisonment in inertial systems and its
re-emergence or ascent, i.e. involution and evolution, is also symbolized by
the story of the death and resurrection of Osiris in ancient Egypt and the death and
resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament.
Here Jesus is
the second Adam - by the first Adam came sin and death and by the second came
resurrection and life. Note that the story is about man and that mistaking
Jesus for God reduces the whole thing into a superstition. However, Jesus is
symbolically the ”Son of God” as are all human beings in the sense that the
spirit of God is in them. But he differs from other men, as do all Prophets, in
that the Spirit is active in them but dormant in ordinary men.
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Question 3
The original
Muslims tried their best to create an ideal Society and Political system where
human beings could live the religious life and regenerate spiritually according
to the Islamic discipline. It did not last long, despite all the good efforts
and pious attitudes. Does the same system have a better chance with people who
supposedly are not equal to the original leaders? Do we loose our Islam by
voting in a systematic and organized way? Is the Western voting system un-Islamic?
If the USA
is a Kaffir country, which countries are Islamic? If USA provides a non-discriminatory
system does Islam prohibit Muslims from making use of this system? Is it un-Islamic
for Muslims to make use of the opportunities that exist in any country in the
world? Where in the Quran does Allah ask the Muslims to establish a Caliphate?
Is there no freedom in the West, specially the U.S.A for Muslims to practice their
religion?
Comment :-
Good questions.
The answer is: No, there can be no real political change without a spiritual
revival. On the other hand the spiritual level of a people depends on whether
social conditions have been created which facilitate spiritual development. We
have a spiral where one leads to the other. There may be an Islamic spiritual
revival under way which will also create a new socio-political system that, in
turn, will facilitate spiritual growth. Spiritual Revival generally requires the
arrival of a Prophet who can inject a new spiritual force, but it can also be
the result of a more general pouring forth of the spirit from God. The Quran
compares this to the rains that revive a dead land.
Muslims are
allowed everything unless specifically forbidden. They are, therefore, allowed
to vote in a system in which they live, whose laws they are obliged to honour,
and they must fulfil the obligations required of them. Muslims ought to do that
which is good and avoid what is bad. They are required also to forbid evil and
encourage the good. They could do this by joining the political process. The
Western political systems are instruments and can be used by its citizens for
any purpose. They can be used by Muslims for good and beneficial purposes to
transform the whole society.
The Western
voting system, however, is un-Islamic. Under Islam no one puts himself forward
and canvasses for votes. This encourages the ambitious, the arrogant and the
selfish and not those who have real ability, righteousness and wisdom. In Islam
the candidates must be selected for their ability, knowledge, virtue and social
responsibility.
Countries are
not Islamic or Kaffir. Only people are, and any country may have any number of
either in different proportions. We must not be deceived by names. Calling or
professing to be Muslim does not make a real Muslim and calling someone or
professing to be something else does not make a person Kaffir.
The word Khalifa
in the Quran refers to mankind. But we are asked to obey those in Authority,
cling to the cable of Allah and regulate affairs by mutual consultation. This
does not describe any particular rigid political system. But the Prophet did
try to establish an Islamic Political system by applying the Quran. In this the
people invest their Khalifat in the leader or Caliph who represents them. But
the people still have the responsibility to ensure that he carries out his work
according to the principles of the Quran.
There appears to
be more freedom in the West, and Muslims can practice their religion more
freely there than elsewhere. In fact, there is much more of Islam in the U.S.A
and other Western countries than there is in the so called Muslim world. This
is because there was a transfer of Islamic influences to the West after the
Crusades while the Muslim countries degenerated. But the U.S.A is not as free
as it is claimed and they also mistake license and self-indulgence for freedom
which, in fact, destroys inner psychological freedom and creates obsessions and
addictions. There is much political and industrial secrecy, the manipulation of
information and the drowning of truth with lies. Money and power speaks louder
than truth. There is much censorship by journalists, publishing houses,
newspapers, magazines, television, and advertisers, publicity agents and
propagandists exercise strong mental conditioning influences. Many religious
groups have been persecuted and so have Africans, Chinese, Hispanics, Jews,
Muslims etc. The need for conformity appears to be a dominant characteristic of
the American, probably because the need to create a single nation from a
diversity of cultures. The diversity and bizarreness of dress and behaviour is
usually only a superficial revolt against this underlying desire for security
in conformity.
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Question 4
Modern research
and Islamic literature shows that the behaviour of the Prophet was often
immoral and cruel. We are not told about these things in mosques and in lessons
on Islam. Instead we are told about basic ethics and the obvious good that
Islam endorses and then allowed to swoon over how great our religion is. But
many of the malpractices of Muslims are in imitation of the Prophet.
Comment :-
You cannot be a
Muslim if you reject what Islam teaches. You cannot have it both ways:- Either
you do not know about the malpractices and cannot imitate them, or you have
been told about them and know that they are malpractices which you should not
follow, or they are not malpractice and you have allowed your own subjective judgments
to take priority, or you have not enough information or discernment to judge
the motives of the Prophet.
You appear to
believe any bit of anti-Muslim propaganda that comes your way and spread it
further. This negativistic attitude cannot be conducive to learning the truth.
You also mistake a teaching for people who may or may not understand or be
following the teaching. A teaching exists because people are sinners and need
reformation. It should not be surprising that they fall short of it. They need reminding
what the ideal is, and not its dismantling. What good results can come from
convincing people that the system from which they learn the virtues such as
charity, brotherhood, truthfulness, justice etc. were taught by a person in
whom there were certain supposed defects?
Muslims are
required to follow the teaching as best they can and will be answerable only
for their own deeds. Prophets are regarded as human in Islam not gods. That is
why their failings are also recorded in the Scriptures. They are answerable to
Allah for their own deeds. It is also necessary to remember that the purpose of
religion is psychological or spiritual development and not primarily morality,
especially as outwardly or conventionally seen.
We need only
look into the different accounts of different reporters about the same thing to
realise that what a person sees depends on his own mentality and that any thing
can be twisted into anything else. All one has to do is to speculate about the
motives of a person and armed with this, interpret his deeds accordingly,
ignoring everything which does not fit. No doubt this method can be used to
make bad things look acceptable and good, but it can also be used to make good
things look bad and unacceptable.
People tend to
project their own motives on to others. If they are vengeful, greedy, trivial
minded or stupid then this is what they think others must also be like.
Opinions also arise because of strong fixations owing to trauma or some
self-interest. When some thing is too difficult to do then the rationalizing
mind convinces itself that it is not worth doing and even that it is evil. A
depraved person often justifies his depravities by rejecting religion or
attributing depravities to religious people. There is a need to elevate oneself
(e.g. boasting, social climbing, looking for promotion etc.) by belittling
others. People make Scapegoats for their own sins by projecting them onto
others. All prophets have been persecuted by sinners because they do not want
to be reminded of their sins. The best way to repress this reminder is to
degrade or kill the Prophet.
But what if the
person criticized is a superior being whose motives are not easily understood
by the ordinary person, and the motive attributed to him is wrong? It may be
that, like an artist, a Prophet has to work with the materials available to
him, and the materials themselves determine what can or cannot be done. Or the
circumstances determine what is appropriate, but when these change, the same
actions are no longer appropriate. It may be that the good results of an action
are greater than the bad ones so that those who focus their minds on the bad
only will have a distorted picture.
No doubt
some people have had bad experiences, which make them bitter and this colours
their thinking. But many people have overcome this defect, knowing full well
that the condition harms them because it twists perception, prevents learning
and personal development. They become unable to distinguish between what is
personal and what is more universal, objective and valuable. Intelligence does
not allow a person to make blinkered prejudice into a virtue.