Opinion

We are what we are because of who we were, is an adage that reflects reality to a great extent. As our actions directly emanate from our perception of who we are and our relation with the physical and social environment, it is important that we not only know who we were but also understand who we are. Who we are is dictated to a great extent by our beliefs and by our world view. History of religion is both interesting and intriguing. Properly understood it will lead us to a happy purposeful life otherwise our prejudice in its name will continue to harm us.

Like a child who ignores the advice of his parents to safeguard his independence after he learns to live independently so also man ignores his Creator and His advise. But in times of calamity he is forced to ponder about the mystery behind the immaculate functioning of this magnificent universe and his existence in it with all its problems and possibilities.

In the beginning of civilization when observations were limited, consciousness in its primitive stage and vocabulary non-existent, man made use of signs and symbols to understand and articulate the complex metaphysical issues. Man created huge idols with multiple faces, hands, feet, eyes and wings to depict the power which he envisaged were guiding his destiny and that of the universe. Man could not believe that this world could be managed by a single entity and therefore he imagined different gods performing different functions. Folklores were woven around these idols, and rituals were devised to please them so that they can continue to bless the devotees and keep them away from all harm. A whole priestly class emerged to facilitate and benefit from this. The relics of these myths of the formative years of human civilization are still evident in every society which can be traced to the ancient Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Persian and Mayan civilizations.

When the priestly class could not explain every occurrence taking place in people’s lives, the kings assumed a hallowed position and claimed that they were the great lords. When fallibility and vulnerability of the kings was exposed, man went in search of intellectually plausible answers supportive of his intuitive experience on this complex metaphysical issue related to this universe and his role in it.

Abraham (peace be upon him) was the leader of this effort. He challenged both Nimrod, the king of Babylon during his time, and also his own father Azar, who as a sculptor and was sculpting gods for his people (Al Qur’an Ch. 2 V 258, Ch. 26 V. 69-82, and Ch.21 V. 51-71). Abraham searched for his God in the universe outside of the temples where idols were worshipped, and not finding Him in the universe, Abraham realized that He is behind it (Ch. 6 V 75-79). Through this intellectual exercise Abraham found the Creator behind the creations.

Besides giving plausible answers or hints to most of the complex problems of life, the religion, to which Abraham and the other prophets of his progeny called for the next three millennia, consisted of two parts. The first part was related to the yearning of man to find solace when in despair, support when adrift, and to be at peace in the most adverse circumstances. The belief in the Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent God as the guiding, guarding and nurturing force, and a conscious effort to understand Him and develop a relationship with Him provided man with the escape valve to vent all tensions and be at peace with himself and the universe. The second part of this religion consisted of the effort to establish a just and mutually beneficial relationship with the other individuals, the society, and with the universe at large by a set of universal values.

As a just society based on equality and universal values impinged upon the desire of few people to usurp everything for themselves, these powerful people distorted and discredited religion to escape its restraining effect that would have compelled them to share the resources of the world equitably with others. They restricted the role of religion to the observance of rituals that did not interfere with their effort to monopolize the material resources of the world. Religion was a package. When this dichotomy occurred religion lost its utility and its appeal. To compensate for it they made religion a ritualistic affair, a cultural carnival, and a mark of distinction. Promise of guidance and peace which the Abrahamical faith made, was conditioned with its wholesome observance without any distortion (V 82 Ch.6). It remains unfulfilled because of our piecemeal adherence.

Man can’t live by personal piety alone, as much as he can’t live by bread alone. The affair of production and distribution of wealth having been usurped by the thugs of the society, the society is beset with formidable problems despite the enormous wealth and an enhanced activity in the name of undersized religion. Without a working system of collective living based upon justice and compassion advocated by the true teachings of Abrahamical prophets, the hope of attaining internal peace and social justice by performance of rituals is proving futile both to the individual or the society. Beyond this the religion is abused to promote differences between different religious denominations to benefit the leaders in building their leadership. This is the recipe for disaster and its consequences are what we see today. While the common man suffers the consequence of this game between the secular elites and the fundamentalists’ nuts in the society, the public private partnership is usurping the resources of the world for their progeny to the detriment of mankind.

Religion as defined by Webster dictionary is a system of beliefs and practices relating to the sacred and uniting its adherents in a community. Based upon the rituals we perform in the name of religion we may be united into a community. But this community without establishing a just social order based upon the true teachings of religion is at conflict with itself and with the others as we are witnessing it all over the world. The secular socialist order which was envisaged as a solution has failed because it had removed God from its collective conscience, and denied reward for good work. The secular capitalistic order is also having its hiccups because it is rewarding the cons in the name of entrepreneurship and ingenuity to the exclusion of masses, and excluding God from Public Square. All attempts to hide these failures behind meaningless discussion and misleading legislations in order to maintain status quo is proving to be costly. It is essential that we rise above the myth of religion and the consequent irreligiosity, and return to real religion which does not take care of our spiritual urging alone, but also helps us build a harmonious society based on social justice as taught to us by all the prophets of Abrahamical lineage.

We need to understand our present day system and the true teachings of religion without any pride or prejudice and pick up the best wherever we find it in order to tide over the situation we are in. As intelligent beings this is the only appropriate course for us. Imperfect laws enacted by selfish individuals and implemented by equally flawed bureaucracy is no guarantee to the establishment of a just society, and therefore is a cause of perpetual conflict. Security on the basis of respect of unjust laws can’t be guaranteed with any amount of money spent on it. A firm belief in the day of reckoning before the Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent God is the only thing that can compel the functionaries of a government to enact just laws, and ensure their impartial enforcement.

Because of the formidable nature of this task people seem to be abandoning it and indulging in the hedonistic lifestyle with the hope of enjoying their lives today and leaving their worries for another day. Like the ostrich who can’t avoid the storm by burying its head in the sand, so also we can’t escape the consequence of the stark realities that affront us by turning our faces away from them.