Dated: 15-11-1968
Doctrines of Islam Regarding Materialism:
After a diversion of centuries in utter neglect of their avowed obligation of focusing on the highway of the world. The light of Islam in accordance with their solemn convert with God, the Muslims have once again been called upon by the distressed humanity to resume their long forsaken duty in a world drowned in un-Godly materialism rent with extreme irreconcilability of science and faith, and panting in bewilderment, where the Muslim can plausibly demonstrate the possible compromise of the two apparently avowed antagonists, the science and faith, by diffusing the material with the light of spiritual and then subjecting the material to the spiritual by taking the material as a mere necessity and a means to the end which is faith, to employ the material in the service of God and his religion, the whole endeavor tendering to and convergent upon the scale point that of the Day of Judgment and confined not to this material, temporal and transient world, virtually bringing down the ditty of wealth to its humbler office that of a necessity and reinstating instead the real God the true sovereign to his former position of Godhead, to establish the kingdom of Heaven on earth in replica; and in the presence of the glory of God, the carvan of humanity with the Holy Prophet at the head of the Carvan as their Aamir, moving through this material world as a means to their ultimate destiny in heaven.
Shaw’s View:
“I have held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality”, says G.B. Shaw, “It is the only religion which appears to me to possess the assimilating capability to adapt itself with the changing phases of existence, which can make its appeal to every age. I believe that if a man like Muhammad were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that world bring it much needed peace and happiness. If any religion has the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe, within the next hundred years it can be Islam.”
The Identity of the Pre-Islam and Modern Problems:
This is his view and when we imagine the state of the affairs of humanity at the time when Islam made its appearance, and bring that state into comparison with the state of the world existing at present, we can find the striking resemblance between them. The prophet (peace be with him) found the humanity deep in misery. The forces of evil covered the world like a darkening storm. Humanity caught in the grip of vice struggled in vain. The problem was simply out of human power. But came the prophet ordained to move mountains. He stood up to the world manfully and by the grace of God Almighty usefully grappled with the seemingly impossible. The evil vanished from the face of earth like the mist before the rays of the sun. Problem after problem was serenely solved and the earth once more smiled like lymph in the moonlight.
The Prophet’s Achievement:
After a twenty three year’s gruesome struggle on the part of the Holy Prophet Peace be Upon him, , and the unending grace of God, idolatry, human sacrifice usury, feudalism, intoxication, gambling, tyranny, oppression, were forbidden and to a great extent eradicated, God’s unity uncompromisingly established, equality, equity, justice and universal brotherhood of humanity maintained, priest-hood banished, feelings of mercy, sympathy and brotherhood instilled into the minds, charity given a beautiful definition to embrace every good act, woman’s lot improved, the condition of slave ameliorated and conditions set so as to ensure a gradual disappearance of this blemish from the fact of man, criterion set to distinguish between the good and evil between good and good, and between evil and evil, with acute precision. Material was sagaciously blended with spiritual, science with religion, maintaining at the same time the supremacy of the spiritual over the material and thus achieving the desired balance to ensure a perfect practicability. In short the Satan was left to mourn amidst the rejoicings of the righteous.
The Wonder of Islam:
The whole frame of the evil trembled throughout the world, and the heavens echoed the thunder of the Islamic clarion call, the valleys and deserts alike resounded with the cry of Allaho- Akbar, heralding the approach of the kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of every oppressive tyrant, the legendary pharaos, Shaddads and Namruds was forever rolled up like a scroll, and the idols of every false deity along with every living false God were, overthrown and burnt and their ashes cast to the winds. The light of Islam spreading with the rapidity of an electric current flashed into earth to illuminate the inmost heart and manifest the view of merciful creator in unveiled glory.
The mighty war engines and invulnerable strongholds of the haughtiest emperors crumbled before the sincerity of a word and their golden crowns fell in the feet of a people. Hitherto known only for their own anarchy, ignorance and poverty and the sterile nature of their barren land, who by the miraculous touch of their new faith had through a complete metamorphosis assumed qualities of transcendental nature and their country was changed into a nursery of saints and Heroes the like of which both in number and quality I hard to find anywhere in the history of human race.
The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, now Achieved:
Rising like a flood of ethereal light, they established the kingdom of heaven on earth, with the one, absolute, immortal, permanent unlimited, inalienable, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God, the true sovereign of heaven and earth, and Muhammad (Peace be With him) his legislative vicegerent and Chief functionary to declare the divine will and o rule scording to the precept of the Quran, a community without any hierarchy of bureaucratic official donor priests, engaged in their daily lives with the feeling of the presence of Allah and a direct communion with him. It was in this spirit that the sovereignty of Allah was translated upon earth and the kingdom of heaven established in complete justice and equality for all human beings, and a war declared upon all forces of evil, and a voy made to cleanse the world both outwardly and inwardly leaving no vestige of dirt, and just imagine the degree of my discomfort when the flies buzzed obstinately about my ears, and went on recently diving upon the cup of tea on the table before me. And now that the builders of the kingdom of heaven on earth have gone, leaving behind the monuments of their great achievement, the responsibility has shifted to our shoulders, we, the inheritors of that unique legacy and the custodians of the Holy Quran, while the world around us remains beset with the problems of a peculiar nature, the problems arising out of the modern science guided materialism.
The Ultimate Purpose of Religious Practice:
Now the ultimate purpose of Islam being the establishing of the kingdom of heaven on earth through individual purification, then the sense of discipline and equality of man achieved by the observance of prayer – a spectacle of astonishing uniformity, beatific order and enviable dignity and all its educative values, together with all the chastening of the low and base desires through rigorous fasting if not directed in the spirit of Jehad against the forces of evil namely the dirt and injustice in order to cleanse the inward and outward world for erecting the throne of God, preparatory to the establishing of the kingdom of heaven on earth, the purpose should only be partially fulfilled, and that also of the elementary stage, the final stage and the crowning glory having been left off completely ignored.
The Importance of Knowledge:
Knowledge is the first requisite after faith. Some of the most beautiful aphorisms or learning are attributed to our Holy Prophet, Peace be upon Him which show the emphasis which have duly been laid upon it. The Prophet Peace be Upon Him ha has stressed the point by saying:-
“The ink of scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr”
“Seek ye learning from the cradle to the grave”
“To seek learning is the duty of every Muslim man and Woman”
“A set of learning a garden of heaven”
“Angel's bend down their wings to a seeker after knowledge”
“The day on which I have learned nothing is no part of my life”
It is through knowledge that we discriminate between good and evil, and we understand the nature of all things properly. Knowledge therefore, is like the lamps that shall light the kingdom of heaven.
Justice the Basis of the Heavenly Kingdom:
Justice is the basis of such kingdom and there is something intrinsically noble every sublime in the act of sympathy, for not only does sympathy further the cause of social peace and progress, but it also leads to the spiritual advancement of both individuals and nations. Through sympathy we transcend the limits of our narrow individual selves and commune with the eternal, of which other person are the embodiment.
Essential Qualities:
Qualities like sincerity and truthfulness, liberality and generosity, patience, and perseverance are the essentials to establish heavenly kingdom. Our Holy Prophet Peace Be upon Him is a model before us and a beacon of light. By precept and example he has both preached and practiced every god quality and every virtue and left us wonderful definitions. His definition of charity is universally acclaimed as a master piece. “Every good act is charity” he said, “your smiling in your brother's face, you’re putting a wanderer in the right way, your giving water to the thirsty, and your exhortation to another to do right in charity .charity a virtue which he never ceased to practice.
Dignity of Labour:
We need of the qualities which essentially most today is the feeling on our part of the dignity of labour. It was one of the precepts of our Holy Prophet (Peace Be upon Him), that labour conferred dignity upon the labourer and by a process of suggestion he was able to convince the masses of the truth of his belief. IN this case suggestion was strengthened by personal example, and when he helped in the building of the mosque or the digging of a ditch for the defense of Medina, his followers learned that hard manual work was in no way demeaning. The Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) despired the pomp of royalty. The apostle of God submitted to the menial offices of the family. He kindled the fire, swept the floor, milled the ewes and mended with his own hands his shoes and his woolen garment.
Simplicity the Criterion of Man’s Integrity An Instance:
Simplicity is another requisite. Triumph awakened no pride, nor vainglory, in the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) maintained the same simplicity of manners as in the days of his adversity. So far from affecting regal state, he was displeased if on entering a room any unusual testimonial of respect were shown him. If he aimed at universal dominion, it was the dominion of faith. Simplicity of manner therefore, is a great quality and this quality in these days we need most. It is a key to one’s greatness but this key today we have lost in our cheap ostentatious vanity. It is difficult to obtain and still more difficult to retain. Men the caliber of Hazrat Umar (Razi Allah ho taall'a unho) the second caliph could wear a shirt with fourteen patches without in the least feeling a sense of inferiority but how many of the well-to-do persons there are throughout this country who can bear to go about in a simple attire of their own free will. Perhaps there may be but few. The eyes wander to behold one like that, a prince in saintly attire with a heart quite pure, a noble disposition and dignified bearing midst a nation destitute of that singular quality. But imagine my surprise when the other day I beheld with mingled feelings of astonishment, wonder and praise, a spectacle quite unusual to wit; a Pakistani official of the rank of Commissioner, clad in Khadhr, just a nice, outspoken, frank-minded gentlemen, without a vestige of forced assumption, about him, yet serene and practical, endowed with a dignified demeanor, gracefully gifted with effective speech. A report I had indeed read in a paper about a tribute paid to him by a minister of our country, conferring on him the epithet an unusual epithet that of “a man of the masses” and the man of the masses he certainly was, whom I beheld with my own eyes to my inward delight. Mr. Masood, CSP, the Chief Administrator of Auqaf, West Pakistan, a sincere well-meaning official and the right man forthright job, due to this natural suitability. For when I held his achievements in view I found that they were tremendous. He has in a very short time revived the system of a very important department hitherto dead. His enviable success is to be attributed to his sincerity, initiative and hard incessant endeavor. The importance of the department is due to the fact that we once more have realized the value of the message which the teachings of our hallowed Saints have contained; through during the spell of our inglorious slavery the condition of the Shrines had deteriorated to a wretched, unbearably wretched condition. Disgraceful situations that frequently arose at these shrines in a disgraceful environment which prevailed there as a constant reminder of our deplorable sloth, have vanished and instead a sober, tranquil and respectable atmosphere have come to prevail to the real satisfaction of the devoted visitors. Free dispensaries and adequate libraries have been attached to some of the more important of these divine resorts and the crowds of the visiting patients receiving free treatment, and the scholars engrossed in study in the corners of these libraries in a sacred atmosphere of divine congeniality remind one of the moonshine of the days of the past Muslim glory, returned once more, perhaps amidst the echo of Iqbal’s prayer,
“Would that parted delight ever return or not I wonder”
“Would that sweet, inebriating zephyr of the valley of Hajaz”
“Ever blow this way or not I wonder”
“The sojoun of thy Faqir in this land, O, God now approacheth its end,”
“Would another wise of wise of heart ever rise”
“Amongst them or not I wonder”
Strenuous efforts are being made to better the lot of the Ulema and to raise them to that status which is their proper place in the society. “Urs” celebrations at the Shrines are financially aided and managed well resulting in a manifold rise in returns due to increased influx of the devotees. Monetary help is extended to widows and orphans and stipends or interest free loans are given to deserving students of the community. Research is in progress and useful religious literature is forth coming. All this and more is achieved by a man who has picked up a relic of the noble example of our Holy Prophet (Peace be with Him) in simplicity, sincerity and sense of responsibility.
True Sufis the Beacons of the Heavenly Light their Teachings much Needed Today:
The Muslim Sufis and saints have been the pillars of Islam and beacons of religious light. It is they that have been responsible for the spread of Islam in various countries of the world. All true Sufis have been the followers of the religion in exact accordance with the tenets of Islam but preferred the inward actual truth to the apparent face of the things. It was love that governed their actions in extreme sincerity. Their precept and their example therefore, were effective and their influence on the minds everlasting. People professing different faiths and belonging to different creeds flocked to their Hujras and readily accepted their heart-touching views, they had been the pillars of the throne of God and we once again need their teachings; “ that fire of love which consumed all except the face of the beloved”. It is the ray of that light of the divine love which is most needed today to expel the darkness caused by the pure materialism in the mind to bring back some hope some delight.
Character the Best Judge:
The best judge of the progress of a nation is the character of its society, a mirror which reflects the virtues and vices of the individuals who compose the nation. The testing ground of the character of a people is the battlefield of Jehad, whether against an aggressor with sword and spear, or against the forces of evil within or without. To wage a constant war against the evil is a sacred duty incumbent on every Muslim with the zeal of a missionary in order to ensure peace and prosperity.
Wars Essentially the Outcome of Evil, the Innocent Dragged Therein:
The words: Jehad, crusade or holy war may seem abominable yet the matter of fact could in no way be concealed through the illusions of wishful thinking. The forces of evil perpetually breed hatred and bring about ghastly wars. The sings of evil therefore, require an instant equaling before it is too late and bloody wars have become inevitable with dire consequences. But if the occasion demands, then let the faithful stand fast against the harbingers of evil in order to affect justice and crush the evil to ensure peace. The sword is the key to heaven and hell. A drop of blood shed in the cause of God, a night spent in arms, is of more avail than two months of fasting or prayer. Who-so-ever falls in battle his sins are forgiven. At the day of judgment his wounds shall be resplendent as vermillion and odoriferous as musk, and the loss of his limbs shall be supplied by the wings of angels and cherubim”, said the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) But the moral purity through self-scrutiny and mutual endeavour being of greater importance and a more effective preventive against the possibility of bloodshed in a war, Holy Prophet(Peace be Upon Him) rightly called the war against the evils of faithlessness and immortality, the major crusade, when upon returning from a battle, he pronounced his view by saying, Now from the minor jehad to the major one, that is from the outcome of the evil to the root of it.
The World of God, the Charge of Muslim:
The world of God is the charge of Muslim. It is the duty of every believer to cleanse himself of all impurities of body and mind and then to cleanse the whole mankind to the heartfelt gratitude of humanity. We clean the vicinity at the arrival of a signatory. How then we should expect our God to descend on earth in a dirty unlearned world. To prepare the world therefore, for the kingdom of heaven we have to make it clean and worthy of such a dignitary as God himself who has so very graciously condescended to dwell amongst us. Has not every Muslim a covenant a solemn agreement with god. Was not the life and death, prayer, warship and all that belonged to a Muslim for his God and the service of his religion? Wherefore then we fail and come not up to the mark to our utter disgrace and the entire ruin of the world of God which is our charge. Do you not realize then?
The Muslim Fast a Sleep:
Entire humanity today is seething in a hell of discontent. Peace is vanished and the Muslim the harbinger of faith and the custodian of the word of God is fast asleep, snorting. Was not then this the time for him to rise, rise and take the helm of the boat that’s sinking with the wailing humanity aboard caught in a storm raging with unprecedented fierceness, to forebode entire annihilation of the whole human species in an inglorious end.