Job is your need and God is the goal of your life; so, both are important. If you do not study the books that give you job, who will fulfil your needs? The one who created you has Himself put in place the mechanism of your continuing to work for your livelihood without troubling anyone else. Dualism is a part of our life and we cannot dispense with it. Walt Whitman once said, ‘I am large enough to contain all these contradictions.’
Source: Seeker’s Guide
Well, we do have enormous desires and these can be fulfilled only in the hereafter. We wrongly try to fulfil all these desires in the present world which was not created for this purpose. We have to be realists; we have to control our desires. And make ourselves worthy of a good life in the hereafter. Trying to fulfil all our desires in this limited world leads to frustration.
Source: Speaking Tree| TOI | April 2, 2011
Why was this world made? Why was man born into this world? Why, after a certain period of time, does he pass away? What will happen after death? These are the most important questions concerning the origins and fate of mankind, and they should never be far from people’s minds. Finding the correct answers to these questions has always been one of man’s most important quests.
Pondered over for thousands of years, these questions have been variously answered by different people. However, these answers can be placed in two broad categories: one, which holds the great array of wonders in this world to be purposeless, and the other, which asserts that man was created with a purpose and that he has a definite goal.
While the first view tends to be subscribed to by poets, philosophers and secular scholars, the second view is firmly upheld by that very special class of beings called prophets, or messengers of God. The most authentic testament to the second view has been provided by the Prophet Muhammad.
Many arguments can be put forward in support of the answers in both of these categories. It is very obvious, however, that the notion of purposelessness is not in keeping with the structure of life and universe. The idea, on the other hand, of purposeful creation, falls exactly into place, for the simple reason that it contains no inherent contradictions.
The world into which man is born is fraught with significance. There is nothing which is of a meaningless or random nature. It is quite unthinkable that man, with his meaningful life, born into a meaningful universe, should find no purpose in creation. Where there is meaningfulness, there will, of necessity, be purposefulness. This aspect of the universe is a clear verification of the Prophet’s answer.
The existence of God, as a designer (cause) was presumed to exist because His design (effect) could be seen to exist.
In view of the recent advancement in scientific reasoning, a true faith has proved to be as rational as any other scientific theory. Now, according to modern developments in science, one can safely say that religious tenets can be proved on the same logical plane as the concepts of science. Reason and faith are now standing on the same ground. In fact, no one can legitimately reject faith as something irrational, unless one is ready to reject the rationality of scientific theories as well.
This is because if the inferential argument is valid about the unseen micro-world, it is also valid about the existence of God. That is to say, if we believe in the material world based on inference, we have to believe in God based on the inferential argument: that if we can see a design (the universe), we have to believe that there is a Designer—God Almighty.
The truth is that, without a belief in God, the universe remains as unexplainable as the entire mechanism of light is, without a belief in electromagnetic waves.
Source: Spirit of Islam October 2016
When we reflect deeply on our world, we find clear signs of planning, design, and intelligent control all over the universe. These signs lead us to believe that there is a Creator of creatures, a Designer of designs, and a Mover of all movements.
In such a situation, I would like to say that our choice is not between ‘the universe with God’ and ‘the universe without God’. It is not an option. The real option is between ‘the universe with God’ or ‘no universe at all’. As we cannot opt for the proposition “no universe at all”, since the universe is too obvious for us to deny its existence, we have no option but to accept the proposition of “the Universe with God.”
Source: In Search of God
The message of universality of brotherhood calls for one to adopt a comprehensive principle in one’s dealings with others. The Prophet observed:
“No one can be a believer until and unless he begins to like for his brother what he likes for himself”.
It is the principle of treating others just as one would like to be treated by them. All individuals are sure about their likes and dislikes. Now what is required is that they simply follow the principle that whatever behaviour they want from others, they should themselves accord to others. Conversely, whatever behaviour towards themselves they abhor in others should likewise be eschewed by them.
This is such a comprehensive principle that it is useful in every kind of relationship. It is needed between individuals, society, and nations as well. If people were to adhere to this principle, their family life as well as their social life would improve. National life as well as international life would run more smoothly. It is like a master key to human ethics; one single key which suffices to open all locked doors.
Islam teaches us not to differentiate between one’s own people and others, and to deal with all people in the same way as we would like other people to deal with us.
Source: Spirit of Islam March 2018
According to Islam, all human beings have been created by the one God. As such, all human beings are of one brotherhood. Differentiating between one person and another is not approved of by God.
Humanity began with one human pair called Adam and Eve. Human beings, wherever they are or in whatever country, all belong to the same race of Adam and Eve. The differences that are found in colour and language and in other cultural matters are due to geographical factors. So far as origin is concerned, all human beings are the progeny of Adam and Eve and have now settled all over the world.
When all human beings have the same mother and father, it means that all human beings are equal. Here neither is anyone small nor is anyone great. The difference between great and small is not between one person and another but between an individual and God. So far as human beings are concerned, all have the same position as all others but as compared to God, there is no human being greater than Him. All human beings are equally God’s creatures. God looks upon everyone with the same eye. He does not differentiate between his creatures.
The teaching of Islam is that differences in language, colour, and features should not cause people to regard others as strangers. On the contrary, people should have good feelings and love for others. They should be of help to one another. All human beings in the vaster sense, should live in unity and amity just as they live in their own families.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
According to Islam, all human beings have been created by one and the same God, and for this reason, belong to one great brotherhood. So far as their earthly origin is concerned, they are all descendants of the first pair of human beings created by God— Adam and Eve. In their subsequent spread over different parts of the world, variations in geographical conditions produced a diversity of skin colouring, languages and other racial characteristics.
The teaching of Islam in this regard is that despite differences of colour, language, etc., people should harbour no ill-will towards those who are apparently unlike themselves, for discriminating between one man and another is not approved by God. They should rather promote fellow feelings towards others, even if at first glance they appear like total strangers to them. Bearing in mind that they are all traceable back to Adam and Eve, they should be each other’s well-wishers and willingly come to one another’s assistance, like members of the same large family.
Ideally, the relationship between one man and another ought not to be one of strangeness but one of familiarity; not of distance but of nearness; not of hatred but of love. All human beings are descendants of the same progenitors, which means that all are equal: no one is superior or inferior. The distinction between great and small is not between one human being and another but between God and men. And before God, certainly, all human beings are equal; all are equally His creatures and His servants. For God does not discriminate between one and the other of His creations.
This is the concept of universal brotherhood in Islam.
Source: Spirit of Islam August 2016
According to Islam, man has been given free will, while every other animate or inanimate object is subservient to God’s will. Everything, save man, must follow the predetermined path laid down by God, while Islam requires man to make his own quest for truth. He should be fully conscious of this and impose upon himself a religious duty, to find that true nobility of character. External commands are for robots, not for fully mature human beings. This has been given in the Quran in these words:
‘Say, the truth is from your Lord. Let him who will believe it, and let him who will reject it.’ (18:29)
As per the above verse, man must accept or reject truth by his own decision, and not by imposition. The resulting belief is valid since it is the outcome of one’s own conscious decision.
Source: Spirit of Islam December 2018
In 1948 the United Nations gave the world its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a universal charter for individuals as a matter of fundamental human dignity. Article 18 of this declaration reads as follows: “Everyone has the right of freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
These ideas are exactly in accordance with the principles of Islamic teaching given in the following words of the Quran:
‘There is no compulsion in religion.’ (2:256)
This verse expresses a fundamental principle of Islam. If a person believes in the truth of something, he has every right to proclaim it, provided he supports it with logical arguments. His task is complete once he has described his belief clearly. But he has no right to compel others to accept it.
Islam upholds religious freedom for everyone. Religious freedom is a basic human right whose violation has caused conflicts, wars, and bloodshed in both ancient and modern societies. The Quran, therefore, declared for the first time in human history:
“There shall be no compulsion in religion.” (2:256)
The Quran, further, states clearly, “You have your religion and I have mine.” (109:6) The principle that we obtain from the above verses is generally referred to, in today’s context, as religious freedom. In view of this prohibition of compulsion, all Islamic jurists without any exception hold that any attempt to coerce a person to accept Islam is a grievous sin.
The principle of non-coercion mentioned in the Quran (2:256) has not been confined to religious freedom alone. Rather, it has been extensively elaborated upon and widely applied to all social, cultural, and political spheres of society. This has led to the development of a new culture in which individuals enjoy freedom of expression, dissent, and criticism without any fear or restriction. The following example may suffice to explain to what extent this essential human right was observed in early Muslim societies.
Once Caliph Umar came to a well of the Banu al-Harith where he met an outspoken person named Muhammad ibn Maslamah. “How do you find me?” he asked Muhammad, “By God, I find you just as I would like you to be and just as it would please any well-wisher to see you. You are good at accumulating money, I see, but you keep your hands clean of it yourself, distributing it equitably to others.” “But” went on Muhammad ibn Maslamah, “If you adopt a crooked course, we will straighten you, just as we straighten swords by placing them in a vice.” At these aggressively critical words, Umar, the second Muslim Caliph, exclaimed:
“Praise be to God, who has put me among a people who will straighten me when I become crooked.” (Kanz al-Ummal)
From this, we can understand the importance Islam gives to religious freedom.
Source: The True Face of Islam
In the religion brought by Prophet Muhammad, peace was the rule and war was the rare exception, a measure to be resorted to as an unavoidable option in the case of armed aggression by an attacker. Prophet Muhammad demonstrated his profound wisdom in his method of negotiating the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty. By unilaterally accepting the conditions of his opponents, he concluded a historic ten-year no-war pact, without apparently receiving justice or his rights. By means of this peace treaty, the Prophet and his Companions were able to consolidate themselves so thoroughly that they had no need to wage war to attain justice.
The truth is that the above-mentioned principle of the Prophet is not only a religious principle: it is also a law of nature. And it is a fact that in this world only those people achieve success who follow the law of nature, while those who deviate from it are doomed to failure.
A tradition narrated by Ayesha, the Prophet’s wife, provides a guiding principle. She said: ‘Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two courses, he would always opt for the easier one’ (Sahih, Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1492). This means that whenever the Prophet had two options before him in any matter, he would always abandon the harder option in favour of the easier one.
This tradition (sunnah) of the Prophet Muhammad is relevant not only to everyday affairs but also to such serious matters as, by their very nature, entail more difficult options.
The truth is that in life we have to face the problem of choosing between two courses: between the confrontational and the non-confrontational, between the peaceful and the violent. The study of the Prophet’s life tells us that the Prophet, in all matters, abandoned the violent or confrontational course in favour of the peaceful or non-confrontational course. The whole life of the Prophet provides a successful, practical example of this principle.
Prophet Muhammad was indeed a Prophet of Peace. He gave an ideology of peace to the world based on the creation plan of God, and a methodology to establish peace based on the Hudaybiyyah model of peace. The exemplary life the Prophet lived serves as an unfailing guide to right thinking and right living. Through his example, man can understand how to live in accordance with the creation plan of God. This is the greatest boon of the Prophet to the modern man. His teachings give man the opportunity to live his life in a far better way, and on a far higher plane.
Source: The Prophet of Peace
The study of the Prophet's life shows that he never initiated a military move himself. When his opponents wanted to embroil him in war, he would on all occasions resort to some strategy of avoidance to avert war. He fought only when there was no other way left to him. According to the sunnah of the Prophet, there is no aggressive or offensive war in Islam. Islam allows only a defensive war and that, too, only when there is no other option.
The few ‘battles’ that took place throughout his life were purely defensive in nature. These were of such short duration that they could more appropriately be called skirmishes. The Second World War lasted six years, whereas the total duration of the Prophet’s ‘battles’ was less than six days.
Prophet never waged war against the injustices done to him and his Companions. What he did, first of all, was to establish peace through unilateral adjustment. He later availed of the opportunities this offered to achieve his desired goals. It was this wise principle which the Prophet honoured throughout his entire life.
Political power was not the goal of the Prophet of Islam. The actual goal of his prophetic mission was to help people to lead their lives in accordance with the straight path laid down by God so that they might have an eternal share in God's mercy.
When this objective of the Prophet of Islam’s mission is borne in mind, it becomes abundantly clear that the Prophet of Islam was indeed the Prophet of Peace.
Source: The Prophet of Peace
Many historians have acknowledged that the Prophet of Islam achieved extraordinary success in his life. For instance, Michael Hart states in his book, The 100, that Prophet Muhammad was supremely successful on both the religious and the secular levels, and places him right at the top of his list of the one hundred most illustrious names in the entire range of human history. (Michael H. Hart. The 100: 1978) But this author does not tell us how the Prophet of Islam managed to achieve this extraordinary success. The secret lay in his being perhaps the first person in history who adopted the principle of ‘peace for the sake of peace’.
Prophet Muhammad went out of his way to follow this policy of peace throughout his life, contrary to the misconception that a significant part of his life was spent waging wars. The Prophet also made the important point that peace in itself does not necessarily lead us to our goals. It rather opens the door to opportunities, by availing of which we can achieve our desired goals. The Prophet of Islam was the Prophet of Peace, in the full sense of the expression. All his teachings, directly or indirectly, are based on peace.
Source: The Prophet of Peace
Positive status quoism can also be defined as a de-linking policy, which entails finding ways of peaceful action despite the existence of controversies. This means that irrespective of there being a confrontational state of affairs or other adverse circumstances. Such strategies should be adopted as may prevent war being waged and violence taking place. Controversial issues must be set aside so that present opportunities may be availed of in an atmosphere of peace. In following this policy, two gains simultaneously accrue: one, the establishment of peace, notwithstanding the pernicious atmosphere created by controversies; and two, the optimization of work opportunities, despite the presence of problems. One great benefit of this de-linking policy—in that it is the most felicitous natural formula for the establishment of peace—is that conducive circumstances for result-oriented actions are no longer a matter of the past, but become an actuality today.
Positive status quoism is undoubtedly the most successful strategy for the construction of a peaceful life. The essential condition for the utilization of this strategy, however, is for man to develop the kind of positive attitude which will enable him to rise above his circumstances. Even in the most adverse situations, he should be able to weather all storms as do the big birds of the storm. In this way, he will be able to continue his journey of life uninterrupted.
Source: The Ideology of Peace
Both reason and religion advocate unilateral adjustment. It means the acceptance of reality. It is because, in every adverse situation, a status quo exists between the two sides. If any party opts for a change in the status quo the result will be breakdown. Instead, by accepting the status quo as reality, it will find room for advancement toward its goal. The Quran says that of all courses, reconciliation is the best (4:128). That is, in matters of controversy, the best policy is unilateral adjustment, or peaceful settlement rather than confrontation. This is because unilateral adjustment or peaceful settlement gives one scope to make progress, whereas confrontation arrests the onward journey to success.
Peace is a must not only for our advancement but for our very survival. But peace can be attained only by accepting two simple precepts. Make all efforts to change what we can, and learn to live with the things which we cannot change. In matters which we can change we should be dedicated activists. In matters which we cannot change, we should become status quoists. Otherwise, peace for us will forever remain a distant dream.
Source: Spirit of Islam April 2019
Another name for the peaceful method is status quoism. The status quoism of a peace-loving person is not a form of inaction, it is rather a positive plan of action, in the real sense of the word. That is, the peace-love accepts the status quo to remove himself from the point of confrontation to other fields where he may proceed with constructive action. Instead of becoming embroiled in problems he looks to the future aid and directs his energies towards the availing of opportunities. That is why the status quoism of a peace-loving person is indeed positive status quoism.
In this world of diverse interests, positive status quoism is the optimal base for the conception and implementation of constructive projects. Taking up this position may call for special virtues such as insightfulness as well as the capacity for the most superior type of planning. Thus it brings twofold benefits. Firstly, no disturbance of the peace, and secondly and ultimately, the guarantee of success. This formula can thus be summed up: Avoid confrontation, adopt peaceful activism.
To understand this, let us take the example of the rose plant that has both flowers and thorns, Similarly, in the human world there are flowers as well as thorns. It is therefore a common experience for one who wants to engage in any positive activity to feel that there are obstacles in his way, perhaps by the very law of nature. This applies to the individual as well as to the entire nation. Now one way of addressing such a situation is for him to set about removing all obstacles from the path and only then begin to work towards his goal.
Another method is of avoiding confrontation with the status quo and chalking out a plan for possible action within possible spheres. By temporarily accepting the status quo, current opportunities may then be availed of. This is what I call positive status quoism.
While striving to change the status quo invariably produces violence; on the contrary, positive status quoism fulfills its target by keeping the peace in society. While the former invariably aggravates the problem, the latter, by avoiding friction, proceeds smoothly, without creating any problems. If one is the way to perversion, the other is the way to construction.
Source: Ideology of Peace
No! In this world of competition, it is not possible for anyone to receive perfect justice. So one has to be content with practical justice (pragmatic solutions). In-depth studies have found that those people who seek peace with justice fail to achieve anything positive. Moreover, during this futile exercise, they lose what they already had in their hand. Conversely, those who delink justice from peace are always successful in life. The study leads to the conclusion that the scientific concept of peace is the only correct and practicable concept. Thus peace is not meant to establish justice. The purpose of peace is only to normalise the situation so that one may uninterruptedly avail of the opportunities present at that time.
Peace is not aimed at satisfying the concerned parties in terms of rights and justice. Rights and justice are totally different issues. Linking them with peace is unnatural as well as impractical. These are goals to be worked for separately and independently.
To illustrate the point, there are two examples from history, one from the early period of Islam and one from the modern history of Japan. It is a well-known fact that the Prophet of Islam was repeatedly challenged by his opponents in ancient Arabia. There were several instances of wars and violence. Then the Prophet managed to finalize a peace treaty between the Muslims and their opponents. It is known as Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty in Islamic history. If you examine historical records, you will find that, in terms of justice being done, several problems arose. The treaty could be concluded because the Prophet was able to delink the question of justice from the question of peace. This delinking of the two issues gave him success which is described in the Quran as a clear victory. (48: 1)
Now, why does the Quran describe this as a victory, when in fact, it was the acceptance of all the conditions imposed by the Prophet's opponents? The Quran called this a victory because, although the peace treaty itself was devoid of justice, it instantly normalized the situation, thus enabling the Prophet to avail of the opportunities present at the time. What the Prophet lost in Hudaybiyyah; he gained on a far larger scale throughout the whole of Arabia.
Now let us take a look at the example of Japan. In World War II, Japan was defeated by the United States of America Okinawa Island was occupied by the American army after the conclusion of a peace treaty. Its terms were dictated by America. Japan, willingly or unwillingly, accepted a treaty in which justice was delinked from peace. But what was the result? Within a period of forty years, the entire scenario had changed. Japan did lose Okinawa Island, but it gained the entire USA (North American continent) as its industrial market. And now it enjoys the status of a world economic superpower.
Source: Spirit of Islam April 2019
The principle of peace for the sake of peace was successfully demonstrated by the Prophet of Islam in the form of the Peace Treaty of Hudaybiyyah that he signed with his opponents, by accepting injustice. At that time the Prophet and his companions wanted to visit Makkah and perform Umrah, but they were prevented from doing so. The Prophet dropped his Umrah plans and finalised the peace agreement by accepting all the conditions laid down unilaterally by the opponents. As a consequence, the companions of the Prophet were very disheartened: they considered it a degrading treaty. One of the companions said at that time, “Why are we accepting such a humiliating agreement?”
However, soon after this peace agreement was finalised, God Almighty revealed this verse in the Quran: “Truly, we have granted you a clear victory.” (The Quran, 48:1)
Why does the Quran call it a “clear victory” when it was obviously a setback for the Prophet and his companions? This ‘victory’ was in terms of potential victory rather than immediate actual victory. The Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty stopped all kinds of hostility between the two sides and opened up the doors of opportunity. After this, it became possible to conduct a dialogue and have an intellectual exchange between the two parties. In other words, peace opened the doors for the Prophet to be able to spread his message throughout Arabia.
This prophetic example shows us the way to peace. It tells us how peace can be established and what actions must be taken in such situations of conflict. It is to detach peace from justice. It is to establish peace at any cost. It is to adopt peace for the sake of peace; to re-plan every strategy concentrating on opportunities and not on justice.
Justice is an indirect result of peace and not the direct outcome, so the formula for peace is to establish peace by accepting injustice for a temporary period. Peace, thus, established will open the doors of opportunity, and by availing the opportunities the goal of justice can be reached. The only formula for achieving justice is to accept injustice at the outset; then you will be able to achieve justice in the future by reaping the benefits of peace.
Source: Spirit of Islam February 2013
No! Peace with justice is not a practical model of peace. The reason that peace remains a distant dream despite so much effort is that people have made justice a prerequisite for peace. They say, “We want peace, but we want peace with justice.”
This association of justice with peace is extraneous and unnatural. According to the law of nature, justice is not part of peace; it is the result of your own efforts. The natural formula of peace is based on the principle: peace for the sake of peace. This means, first of all, we have to establish peace unilaterally and at any cost. As per the law of nature, peace will certainly open the doors of opportunities, and by availing those opportunities, you can achieve justice, peace, or any other goal.
Source: Spirit of Islam February 2013
