Islam - A Journey towards Enlightenment
By Nasim Hassan
Delaware, USA
Currently Islam and Muslims are being discussed in negative terms in the Western media. The debate about Islam, Taliban, Sharia and clash of civilizations has forced me to rethink about Islam and what it means to me.
Islam to me is an inner 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 Holy Qur’an as demonstrated by the example of Mohammed (pbuh) by his actions in 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 from the life of the prophet Mohammed (pbuh). From my perspective, these are universal values for all mankind and not limited to Muslims. Here are the milestones for this journey.
Truth and Honesty
Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was known as truthful and honest (Sadiq and Amin) long before he received divine revelation.
In his first call the prophet (pbuh) gathered people of Mecca and asked them what they thought of him. They unanimously told him that he had 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 will certainly 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 Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) received maximum opposition. He started with the downtrodden, poor people and slaves and made them equal as brothers. The early converts were the persecuted poor people. Gradually, the conversion expanded to influential people like Omar. The Prophet 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. He 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.
This tenet of Islam was followed by Sufi Saints in South Asia. In the dargahs, they started providing food to people on equal basis. The people in India had never seen a thing like it in their lives. In a caste ridden society of India of the 10 th century low caste people could not conceive or enjoy such equality. This 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.
Equal Justice
Right from the beginning, the message of Islam emphasized equality and justice for all people. The prophet (pbuh) said: “If my daughter Fatima commits a crime, she will be punished exactly in the same manner like other people”
This foundation led Omar establish justice far and wide in the realm of the Muslim World. In fact this attitude was largely responsible for the spread of Islam. As long as the Muslims followed this principle, they continued to succeed in the expansion of Muslim rule. The decline started with inequality and denial of justice or lack of it.
Simplicity in Living
The Prophet (PBUH) lived a life of simplicity and poverty when he was a religious leader and the head of a state. He mended his own shoes and wore coarse garments, milked goats, swept the hearth, kindled the fire and attended to the other menial offices 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 successive nights because they could not get anything to eat in the evening. There are not many examples of austere living in the history of mankind.
Compare his life with the lifestyle of current leaders of Muslim countries and we find how far the Muslims have strayed away from the path chosen 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 the Sufi Saints. By the end of the day, all money was given in charity to widows, poor and the needy people. The Aulia Karam kept money only for 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 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 vanquished.. Instead the Prophet (PBUH) 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. At a later period in history, Salahud Din Ayubi also showed respect to Christians and Jews at the end of crusades.
Conclusion
So 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 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 the example of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and the Holy 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.”
