Islam is a religion whose original text is completely preserved. This text (Quran and Sunnah) is the only source to know the teachings of Islam. Islam possesses historical authenticity. In the subsequent generations after the advent of Islam, thousands of books were produced in the Arabic language as interpretation of the Islamic texts.
Gradually, the corpus of these books, consciously or unconsciously, assumed the status of original source of Islam. Now these are the books being taught in madrasas (religious seminaries), academic institutions and are found on library shelves. These are the most talked about books everywhere to the extent that the Quran and Sunnah (model set by the Prophet) have been practically relegated to a secondary place. The literature produced after them has assumed, unannounced, the status of primary reference.
Present-day Muslims do not take ideological guidance from the revealed religion. They have effectively adopted the explanations of Muslim scholars as their source of guidance. The current situation of Muslims is a confirmation of the saying of the Prophet of Islam: “One of the signs of the coming of Doomsday is that evil people will be exalted, virtuous people will be degraded, and there will be prevalence of muthannath among people, and there would be no one to counter it.” The Prophet was asked, “What is muthannath?” He answered, “All the books with the exception of God’s Book.” (Hadith al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihain)
In this Hadith, the state of decline of the Muslim community has been described. When a nation suffers decline, its condition follows the pattern of other nations that have already suffered degeneration. The community, as a whole, only follows external forms. These people fail to see deeper meaning and realities, but they are sure to observe superficialities. Due to this distorted temperament, worldly-oriented people take centre-stage among them, and people whose orientation and thinking are towards the Hereafter fail to command attention. Those who feed this distorted public taste stand out and gain popularity, and those who, due to their seriousness, do not make allowance for the popular temperament, lose their popularity.
At this time, such people emerge who, although spiritually void, are elevated to positions of glory through their magnificent religious garb. Their eloquent words, artificial style and fiery rhetoric appeal to the masses. Such people, in fact, are ‘mischievous’, but due to the distorted taste of the public, receive the status of ‘pious people’. These are the people whose speeches and writings are alluded to as muthannath in the above Hadith.
The books except the Book of God which are mentioned in the Hadith under discussion are not the books in common use. These books were written in the later period of Muslim history to serve as commentary on and explanation of the religion of God. In other words, these books were produced in the period after ‘the one that has been unanimously agreed upon as the best period’.
The books written in later times can be of two types—one that offers true explanation of the Book of God after a thorough and deep reading of the Book; second that are written by making allowances for the distorted tastes of people in their phase of degeneration. The books that are referred to as muthannath belong to this second category. In the later period of Muslim history, this literature was produced when Muslims had ceased to exist as an ideological group. Therefore, one common flaw of their literature is that it depicts community-based mindset of the Muslims, not the true principles of Islam.
In later times, Muslims began to ignore their duty of conveying God’s message to others and started treating them as political subjects. It resulted into omission of the chapter on dawah or ‘calling people to God’ in the literature that was produced in those times.
Present-day Muslims do not take ideological guidance from the revealed religion. They have effectively adopted the explanations of Muslim scholars as their source of guidance.
When Muslims established a political empire, a general political mindset developed among them. The idea of fighting (war) in the name of jihad became predominant among Muslims as a result of this political mindset. Armed warfare became a part of religious belief for them, whereas it was adopted under the law of necessity in the time of the Prophet of Islam.
The political domination that Muslims enjoyed in the later period produced a psychology of pride in them. They began considering themselves superior to others. This mentality caused them to use the terminologies of Dar ul-Islam (Abode of Islam) for the land they ruled, and Dar ul-Kufr (Abode of Disbelief) for the land ruled by other religious communities, though according to the Quran the whole world was equally Dar ul-Insan (Abode of Humankind). The definitions of Dar ul-Islam and Dar ul-Kufr constitute an innovation devised in later times. This attitude led Islam to be looked upon as only a collection of commandments and statutes.
Study of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) gained the pride of place among Muslim scholars, and the study of Quran and Sunnah (model set by the Prophet) was done in the light of fiqh. In the age of decline and degeneration, the importance of the religious spirit is forgotten, and emphasis is laid on the externals or the form of religion. The result of this difference is that all academic discussions and debates on religion centre on technical and legal aspects. It paves the way for greater evil— emergence of many religious sects. As a result, a unified community is broken into a community of various different sects.
Events show that the Muslim community was beset by all these evils in the later period. The underlying cause of these evils is muthannath as mentioned in the above Hadith, which is the literature that was produced when the community was in its age of decline. The ideological problems facing present Muslims emanate directly from this situation.
When Muslims established a political empire, a general political mindset developed among them. The idea of fighting (war) in the name of jihad became predominant among Muslims as a result of this political mindset.
Now there is only one solution to this problem: the books that Muslims themselves have produced in Arabic language after the period which is unanimously agreed upon as the best in Muslim history should be accorded the status of classical literature. This is the time to study the Quran and Sunnah with an open mind, and then such literature should be prepared which would address the modern mind. The literature produced in later times would always enjoy its historical status, but so far as the source of religion is concerned, it will always be the Quran and Sunnah.
An educated Muslim once said: ‘The Quran should be re-revealed today.’ This is a wrong statement. What is really required is an explanation of the Quran in contemporary idiom. The teachings of the Quran have to be reapplied in the present circumstances.
In order to address the modern mind, new explanatory literature is required that would take into account the modern conditions. All the teachings of the Quran are eternal, but the style and idiom of its various passages take into account the people to whom it was revealed in seventh century Arabia. The idiom used to express an idea undergoes changes in every age. Now it is required to explain the eternal teachings of the Quran in a contemporary idiom so that they become comprehensible for today’s people and situations.
Today, the dawah mission of Islam needs an explanatory literature which is according to the spirit of the age. Only such a literature can address the modern mind and restore people’s confidence in Islam as a religion that possesses reliable guidance for the present day just as people in ancient times were able to find guidance from it.
In order to address the modern mind, new explanatory literature is required that would take into account the modern conditions. Now it is required to explain the eternal teachings of the Quran in a contemporary idiom so that it becomes comprehensible for today’s people and situations.
The explanatory literature that is required for Islam in modern times needs to have these features: the first being that for its arguments, it should be reason-based. The traditional style is not useful today. The second feature is that it should have universal approach. The old-fashioned sectarian approach is not acceptable to people today.
The third feature is that this literature should be completely peaceful. Any literature that directly or indirectly advocates an ideology of violence cannot be acceptable to present day societies. An enviable position will be granted in the Hereafter to that group who performs the duty of calling people to God in the 21st century in accordance with these requirements. CPS International, founded by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, has been working for the past two decades to fulfill this pressing need.
