Islam - A Journey towards Enlightenment
By Nasim Hassan
Delaware, USA
Currently Islam and Muslims are being discussed in negative terms all over the Western media. The debate about Islam, Taliban, Sharia and clash of civilizations has forced me to rethink about Islam as it means to me.
Islam to me is an inward journey that starts with a simple declaration: “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed (pbuh) is the messenger of Allah”. This declaration does not make a person Muslim without following the commandments of the Almighty in the Qur’an as demonstrated by the example of Mohammed (pbuh) by his actions during his life.
The life of the prophet provides a criterion to judge a human being, a nation or a society. I have highlighted the basic characteristics that Muslims have to develop by studying the life of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). From my perspective, these are universal values for all humankind and not confined to Muslims. Here are the milestones for this journey.
Truth and Honesty
Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was known as a truthful and honest (sadiq and amin) long before he received divine revelation.
In his first call the prophet (pbuh) gathered the people of Mecca and asked them what they thought about him. They unanimously told him that he has always been truthful and honest. Then he asked them, “Would you believe if I told you that there is an invading army coming from behind the hill?” They again told him that they certainly would believe him because he had never lied to them.
The criteria for being a Muslim are truth and honesty. Without arriving at this station in life, the onward journey cannot continue.
Human Equality and Rights
This is the area where the Prophet (pbuh) received maximum opposition. He started with the downtrodden, poor and slave people and made them equal as brothers. The early converts were the persecuted poor people. Gradually the conversion expanded to influential people like Omar. He started his message with human equality giving people of all colors and origins equal rights and ended with the same message in his last sermon in Mecca. The Prophet said:
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim, which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.”
This is perhaps the most difficult thing to do even in the 21 st century. We can look at the contemporary Muslim world and judge for ourselves how far we are from this station. Look deeply and we find the racial, ethnic, tribal and religious sense of superiority. The affluent countries of the Middle East do not permit even highly educated Muslims equal opportunities that they enjoy in the USA or Europe.
This tenet of Islam was practiced by Sufi saints in South Asia. In their dargahs, they started providing food for people on an equal basis. The people in India had never seen such a thing in their lives. In a caste-ridden society of India of the 10 th century low caste people could not expect such equality. Sufi saints generally avoided the company of kings or local rulers. They never treated the rich people differently from the common people. This gesture alone converted a large number of low caste people in India. The tradition still continues all over South Asia at the dargahs of Sufi saints.
Perseverance for Islam
Immediately after the Prophet (pbuh) started spreading the word of Islam, he was persecuted in Mecca. After seeing the gradual progress of Islam, the people of Mecca insulted him, physically abused him and later on offered him all the worldly things. He categorically told them that even if they gave the sun and moon in his hands he would not stop preaching the message.
This lesson was followed by many people at different times in the history of the Muslim World. Sufi saints declined to go to the court of the kings and always persevered in their message. Imam Hussein gave humanity a shining example by standing up for the righteous cause of Islam.
Equal Justice
Right from the beginning, the message of Islam emphasized equal justice for all. The Prophet (pbuh) said:
“If my daughter Fatima commits a crime, she will be punished exactly in the same manner like other people”
This attitude led Omar to establish justice everywhere in the Muslim World. In fact, it was largely responsible for the spread of Islam. As long as Muslims followed this principle, they continued to succeed in the expansion of Muslim rule. The decline started with inequality of justice or lack of it.
Simplicity in Living
The Prophet (pbuh) lived a life of simplicity and poverty when he was the religious leader as well as the head of state. He mended his own shoes and wore coarse garments, milked goats, swept the hearth, kindled the fire and attended to other menial jobs of the family. The community of Medina grew wealthy while he slept on a palm mat. His food consisted of dates and water. His family would go hungry many nights successively because it could not get anything to eat in the evening. There are not many examples of such austere living in the history of humankind.
Compare his life with the lifestyles of contemporary leaders of Muslim countries and we find how far the Muslims have strayed away from the path chosen for them by the Prophet (pbuh).
His example was followed by Sufi saints like Nizum Din Aulia in India. Every day a lot of money was donated to Sufi saints. By the end of the day, all money was given in charity to widows, and the poor and needy people. The Aulia Karam kept money only for the food that was also used for feeding the hungry people.
Mercy and Compassion
This is the defining characteristic of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). Throughout his life, he always showed mercy even when people were cruel to him. He forgave his mortal enemies who fought him in war and planned his assassination. The people who use violence in the name of Islam should carefully study the example of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), if they profess to be Muslims.
I have not read anything in the history of mankind like the conquest of Mecca. Based on their tribal history, the people of Mecca expected slaughter. In the modern world, every conquest or revolution has ended with massive bloodshed and complete enslavement of the conquered people. Instead, the Prophet declared:
"O Quraish, what do you think that I am about to do with you?" They replied, "Good. You are a noble brother, son of a noble brother." The Prophet forgave them all saying:
"I will treat you as Prophet Yousuf (Joseph) treated his brothers. There is no reproach against you. Go to your homes, and you are all free."
This is in fact the essence of Islam. Later on Salahud Din Ayubi also showed respect to Christians and Jews at the end of the crusades.
Conclusion
Before anyone professes to be a Muslim he or she must look towards the destination. Not everyone is expected to reach enlightenment at the end of this journey. However, it is imperative that we understand the spirit behind the Islamic rituals. These rituals help us in the preparation of this journey but they are not the ultimate goal. If the rituals do not inspire people to do good deeds (amle saleh) then they are like a body without a soul.
Every individual, society or nation that professes to be Islamic must look at the criterion established by Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and the Qur’an. The essence of Islam is service to humanity in every possible way.
I like to close by quoting Sufi saint Khawaja Moeenud Din Chishti who said, “A person should develop generosity like a river, kindness like a sun, and humility like earth.”
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