Revival of Faith (Tajdeed-e-imaan)

What is degeneration? Degeneration is simply a kind of detachment. When people forget the original message of Islam and cling merely to some lifeless rituals—that is the sign of degeneration. At such times Muslims need to revive their faith, to rediscover the living ideology of Islam and to re-awaken their minds along the lines which were followed by the Prophet and his Companions. It is this act which is called in the Hadith (saying of the Prophet) tajdeed, or revival. The process of tajdeed cannot be successful if the reformers only want to revive the ritualistic form of Islam. The above example of the barren land tells us that the starting point for reform is intellectual awakening and not just the revival of ritualistic practices.

Moreover, the task of revival needs a creative approach, entailing the use of the contemporary idiom; reformers should try to sense their listeners’ moods and preach in such a manner that their minds may be addressed. If people’s minds are not addressed, then no reform movement will yield any positive results.

Video Transcript
Video Transcript

Introduction

Tajdeed-e-imaan refers to revival of faith. According to a verse in Quran,

Believers, believe in God and His Messenger (4:136)

As  a  principle,  it  must  be  understood  that  the  Quranic  verses  have  an  immediate  application  and  a greater application. To understand the greater application of the verse, the reader must extract himself from  the  immediate  reference.  As  per  the  description  in  the  commentaries,  the  above  verse  was revealed under specific circumstances. According to a Hadith tradition,

Apne imaan ke tajdeed karo (Musnad Ahmad) (Revive your faith)

Revival of faith is a critical aspect of Islam; else it reduces to a ritual. In the words of another Hadith Imaan bosida ho jata hai, to tum Allah se dua karte raho ke tumhare imaan ko dobara zinda kar de (Al-Jamiul Sahih) (Faith becomes worn out like cloth so you have to revive it again and again)

Apne imaan ki tajdeed karo, la ilaha –ill-allah keh kar (Musnad Ahmad)

(Revive your faith by pronouncing that there is no god but One God)

The  above  alludes  to  an  important principle  - it  is the spirit  of the faith which  wears  out  and  not its form.  That is,  the  words do not get  affected  as time passes and the discharging  of  kalimah continues as  it  was  but  it  is  actually  the  spirit  which  wears  out.  This  wearing  out  can  only  be  addressed  by continuing the process of reviving one  s faith.

Man  is  the subject  of  psychology.  Modern  psychology  has revealed  that  the human  mind is divided into  –conscious  (shaoor), sub-conscious (tahat-e-shaoor)  and unconscious  (la-shaoor).  When  a thought originates in the human conscious mind, it stays in active memory till before he sleeps. When man  sleeps (his  conscious  mind  is  in  slumber)  his  sub  conscious mind  is  involved  in the  process of sorting out thoughts.

At  this  time,  the  thought  gets  transferred  from  the  conscious  to  the  sub  conscious  mind.  Unless revived,  this  thought  will  be  permanently  sent  to  the  unconscious  mind  and  become  difficult  to retrieve.

A man overwhelmed by God s  blessings and greatness, utters words of thanksgiving and  gratitude in the morning. These words stay in his conscious  memory as thoughts until he sleeps. During sleep, the thoughts travel from the conscious to the subconscious mind and if no mention is made of it again, all these  thoughts  are  cast  into  the  abyss  of  the  unconscious  mind  where  they  cease  to  be  a  source  of inspiration  anymore.  This  phenomena  has  been  explained  in  the  Hadith  above  according  to  which faith must be revived again and again so that it continues to incentivize.

How can faith be revived?

God has blessed  man in  innumerable ways. Man keeps forgetting  the blessings as the days go by and the intensity  of thankfulness fades away in  his  memory. It  is therefore required  that these blessings of God  be  recalled  and  remembered.  Let  me  take  a  personal  example.  I  was  imbued  with  missionary spirit as a youth but I had no base. I arrived in Delhi in 1967 but had nothing on the basis of which my mission  could  be  worked  out.  It  was  in  1983  that  I  got  the  present  building  and  infrastructure  to actively  begin  my  mission  of  creating  prepared  minds.  I  was  referred  to  as  a  “lonely  voice”  in publications,  which  was  true  for  my  initial  days  in  Delhi  but  today,  we  have  successfully  prepared minds to tread the path of peace  and  spirituality. Without this base, I would not have been able to run a mission.

For example, let us re-read the verse mentioned below by replacing “qital” with “dawah”.

God was enough to [protect] the believers in battle [dawah work] (33:25)

This verse  gives  the  glad tiding that  God would suffice  to  run  the  dawah mission  at  an  international scale. This evokes renewed conviction in divine succor towards completion of this task.

Today, I was listening to the radio and came to know that the waters of River Ganga have become so polluted that they are no longer palatable. To carry out its purification, government has laid down a 70 billion rupees  plan. I thought that even my bloodstream is like Ganga but there is a natural process of purification,  which governs  its  cleansing.  If  this  does not  happen  and  the bloodstream gets  polluted, man will die.  But  God  does not charge a single  penny for this process. Thus, if  man opens his eyes to God s glorious blessings and miracles as seen in creation, it becomes a source of revival of his faith.

Each  day,  am fascinated  to  think  how one  person  speaks  and  another  listens.  It  begins  with  an  idea springing  in  a  person s  mind,  which  he  transmits  using  words. These  words  fall  upon  the listener s ears and  his  mind  translates  it  into  thought  within  fraction  of seconds. In  the smallest  spot  in man s mind an extraordinary number of interactions takes place.

The  tree  in  my  balcony  that  I  fondly  refer  to  as  the  “spiritual  tree” had  become  barren  during  the autumn  season. It  seemed it  will  never  bear green leaves again.  But today,  it  stands  flourished. This experience became a source of revival of faith for me. These examples teach us that we may use fresh experiences  and  our  thinking  ability  to  revive  our  faith. If  it  remains  at the  level  of  lip  service,  the imaan becomes dead.

Higher imaan

Mere belief does  not translate  faith into  a big faith.  Rendering  the  kalimah as a matter  of lip service, does  not suffice. Faith  must become  a constant source  of God-realisation. But even constant thinking and  contemplating  does  not  convert  faith  into higher faith.  For this  to  happen,  faith  must become a mission. The spirit of a mission challenges the mind of man and leads him to stronger conviction and higher imaan. Faith without challenge is baseless as it takes away incentive from man.

The  mission  of  a  dayee  is  to  share  his  discovery  and  realization  with  other  men.  This  thought revolutionizes the entire life style of man.

People quit jobs because of lack  of challenge. The same applies in the case of imaan (faith). If man s faith  gives him  some  words to chant, it  leads  to  smaller imaan; however if  it gives  him a  mission, it becomes higher imaan.  It is to  develop  an  understanding  of  the  concept  of  higher imaan that  Quran stresses  on  contemplation  and  reflection.  Reading  the  translation  alone,  allows  understanding  of  a small part but thinking opens the door to a great world of meanings.

Starting point

The starting point of imaan is seeking spirit. Before becoming a believer, man must become a seeker. But if you stop at the kalimah, the imaan does not develop.

There  was  a  multi-lingual  Bengali  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  Nishi  Kant  Chattopadhyaye,  who,  having first studied philosophy, then all major religions, faced intellectual confrontation with different faiths.

Finally he made an intellectual discovery, in consequence of which he left his ancestral religion,

Hinduism,  in  favour  of  Islam.  He  delivered  a  lecture,  published  later  under  the  title,  “Why  I  Have Embraced Islam,” which describes in detail the story of his intellectual development.

He studied the major religions of the world but his seeking spirit did not get an answer. In his words, God  is  my  witness,  I  have  accepted  Islam  in  all  sincerity  and  earnestness,  and  the  first reason  that  has  moved  me  to  do  so  is  its  solid,  historical  groundwork.  After  wandering helplessly for several years, in the marshy bogs  of divergent creeds and conflicting systems of philosophy…..my weary soul has at last found refuge  and consolation in a religion based Revelation that has remained unaltered ever since its first compilation first Caliph,  and in a creed that acknowledges as its Prophet of God, one whose historical personality is  not only unquestionable  but  also  whose  youth,  appearance,  daily  habits  and  even  personal characteristics, we know almost as  much  as we do  about  Oliver Cromwell or  of Napolean Bonaparte.

Professor Chattopadhyaye goes on to write

Oh! what a relief to find, after all, a truly historical Prophet to believe in.

Unfortunately,  the Muslim  environment of Hyderabad stressed much on  form and it  cut the Professor from  his  intellectual  pursuits.  No one  told  him  that  Islam is  a mission and  does  not  come  to  halt  at kalimah.

Having Imaan therefore  is  not  sufficient.  After man  discovers,  he  yearns  to pass  his  discovery on  to others. Such a spirit makes  man  a giver  in the society and the others become takers,  which transform faith into a revolutionary imaan. Lack of mission kills the imaan.

How does mission present a challenge?

During my  visit to  Lucknow in year 1965, I met a secular  learned man who  asked me a  question that ”left me speechless. He said, “If Muhammad is deleted from history, what would fall short in it?

Born  and brought  up in a  Muslim environment, such  a question came  as a  shock  to me.  No  one had ever raised such a point. In order to find its answer, I began intensive study and continued it for many years. My study  culminated  in  a  book entitled,  “Islam  the  Creator  of  Modern  Age,” which answers the role  of  Prophet  Muhammad  in  the history  of  development.  This book  materialized  only because my mind was challenged; else I would never have published a book of this nature.

If  man  accepts  faith  as  a  set  of  beliefs,  it  does  not  revolutionise  his  life.  If  on  the  other  hand,  he accepts  it  as  a  mission;  his life  undergoes  a  complete transformation  and  serves as  a  booster  to  his faith.

The first stage in man s spiritual quest is that he becomes a seeker and starts searching for truth. Once man  discovers  the  truth  and  brings imaan, he  must  not  keep  it  up  to  lip  service.  Through contemplation and reflection, the discovered faith must become realization, which is the  next  level of imaan.

Then  if  this  faith  becomes  a  mission,  it  proffers  before  man  a  challenge  that  becomes  a constant source of his intellectual development.

Dawah mission

At  a  stall  erected  in  Jammu and Kashmir,  a  Hindu  was offered  a  copy  of the Quran.  He did  not take the Quran  and quietly  went away.  After some  time, he returned, t his time in different  clothes.  As he approached the stall, he requested the stall-keeper to give him the Quran. Confounded the stall-keeper asked why he did not accept it the first time, the  man replied  that he had not  had  his bath so he  went back home, bathed, changed clothes and came back to take the Quran.

The  present  world  has  changed  dramatically.  Earlier  every  person  lived  in  his  shell  but  today,  we witness unprecedented openness in the minds of people. Globalization has opened doors to missionary work. Everyone wants to know more and more about everything.

I appeal  to  each  one  of  you to  give  a deep  thought  to  life s  occurrences.  A  new  person must emerge from  within  you,  each  day.  The  physiology  of  human  body  is  such  that  there  exist  millions  and billions of living cells in it. The cells disintegrate on a daily basis but this process is not visible to the naked  eye.  This  replacement  of  cells  indicates  that  man  s  body  becomes  new  everyday;  the  same should  be  the  case  of  his  mind.  Just  as  he  gets  renewed  in  terms  of  physical  existence,  man  must renew his intellectual existence.

The  physiological  replacement  of  cells  is  an  automatic  life  process  and  does  not  require  man s intervention. On the  contrary, intellectual  replenishment can  only  be done by man  so  that  a  new man person emerges from within him. Doing so has a direct bearing on the quality of dawah work because the better  the  intellectual personality  of  a dayee, the bigger  the missionary  work which  he  would  be able to accomplish. Man s intellectual development is directly related to his thinking ability; the more he thinks the higher his intellect would be.

One is the classic literature -Quran, Hadith, Seerat and life of the Companions; the other is literature which  is  made  available through  CPS.  The  latter  provides  an  understanding about the  application of Islam in modern times.

Life is short and we can die anytime. Yesterday, a renowned political figure, Mr. Vasath Sathe passed away. He was exactly my age and today while  he is no more, am  speaking still.  In other words, time at hand is so less that it must be availed without a moment s loss.

May God give us the ability to renew our faith!

Question- Answers

Q1: Please clarify the following Hadith tradition of Ibn-e-Maja:

Jo insaan jo apne tamam ghamon ko ek gham bana le yaani aakhirat ka gham, allah uske duniyavi ghamon ke liye kaafi ho jayega [He who makes hereafter as his life’s only concern, then for such a person God will suffice to overcome his worldly concerns].

A: The word gham in the context of the above Hadith means “concern”.  To make hereafter, your sole concern  does  not  mean  that  a  person  may  start  leading  the  secluded  life  of  a  hermit.  It  means  that when  conviction  grows  very  strong,  it  becomes  a  mission.  In  other  words,  concern  of  hereafter assumes  paramount importance  for  such  a  person  and  he  casts  himself  to achieve  his  mission.  Now the  question  arises  that  if  he  casts  his  energies  into  his  concern  for  the  hereafter,  how  his  material needs  will get fulfilled. The  above  Hadith  is the assurance  that  if a  person  actually  casts  himself  for the achievement  of the goal of hereafter, God  will suffice to fulfill all  his  worldly requirements.  This does  not include  those  who would  merely  “say” that  they  want  to  make  hereafter  their  mission  and seek fulfillment  of  their  worldly  requirements  from  God;  doing so  is  like  putting  the  cart before  the horse. Man is required to first cast himself for the cause and then pray for God s help.

Q2: How should we do tajdeed-e-deen (revival of faith) in such a busy life?

A:  Busy  life  is  not  a  restriction  for  reviving  man s  faith.  The  same “ busy”  life  has  items  that  may become  a  source of revival. Man  does not  have  to  go to jungle to revive  his faith, it  must be done in his  active life.  Whatever  happens  in  our life –  even  material  occurrences –  can  be  made  a  source of reviving your faith; the only condition being intellectual awakening.

Q3: Please explain the following verse of the Quran:

Everyone in the heaven and on the Earth entreats Him. Every day He manifests himself in a new state. Which of your Lord’ s wonders would you deny?(55:29)

A:  As  per  a  school  of  thought,  it  was  believed  that  God  created  the  world  (Prime  Mover)  and  the world  has  sustained  since  then.  Countering  this  point  of  view,  the  above  verse  says  that  God  is  the Creator and the entire universe is within  the realms  of His  active control. Let me explain this with an example.  An  American  space  satellite  recently,  became  defunct.  Due  to  gravitational  attraction,  the satellite  took  the  course southwards  and was headed  for a  crash on  the  Earth s  surface.  It  was  like  a big bus and its fall  would have completely destroyed  human  habitation at the site of  crash. While the space centres  remained  intrigued  as  to where  it  will  fall,  the  satellite  made its course  and fell  in  the ocean. This is a small example of how God is actively managing human history.

Q4: During dawah activities, seemingly intelligent people turn out to be insincere and pose irrational questions. How to continue in this manner?

A: In such a situation a dayee must try to understand where the bias of the madu lies. According to my understanding,  all  men  are  prey  to  a  biased  approach  of  thinking  because  of  their  conditioned mindsets.  When  such a  person  encounters  a  view  which is opposed  to  his pre -conceived notions, he reacts and may even talk illogically to defend his idea. A group of my companions teach at a seminary in  South  India.    After  much  interaction,  they  had  hopelessly  concluded  about  a  colleague  that  his stubborn nature  and conditioned mind will never allow him to understand the  Al-Risala mission.  But gradually,  he underwent  a change of mind  and  now he  is  one  of the  most  active  propagators  of  the mission.  Such  cases  as  I  have  understood  them  are  a  case  of  conditioning  and  reaction  which emanates  from  it.  They  must  not  be  confronted  or  argued  with,  just  encouraged  to  increase  their reading.  Man s  conditioning  can  break  and  his  ideas  can  change  and  as  such  we  should  not  be  in despair of anyone.

Q6: You say that Islam preaches peace but practically, religion divides.

A:  Divide  does  not  come  through  name  but  by  thought.  People  are  intolerant  at  the  level  of  their thoughts. It  was on  the  behest  of Muslims that  the  Indian constitution  made provision  for  terms  like„ minority   and  „majority  .  Such  a  demand  was  not  at  all  required,  the  identity  of  being  an “ Indian” sufficed.  Also, even those  who  have  similar  names  (belong  to a community)  engage in  confrontation. Tolerance therefore has to be inculcated at the level of mind and this will serve to bridge all divides.

Q7: How should I deal with my superiority complex?

A: Superiority complex is an outcome of incorrect thinking. If a man sincerely reflects, he will realize that he is capable  of acquiring  nothing  by  himself –  be it his life or  his  mind. Thinking  on these lines will inculcate only modesty within a sincere mind.

Q9:  How should I make people  who  belong to the  relatively  poorer economical strata  of  the  society understand the importance of religion. Please guide.

A: You have to “read them” and understand their mind. You will  have  to know  what  must be said in order to address their mind. You must first read and prepare yourself and then understand their minds so  that  you can  choose  which  course  of  dawah  work  to  follow with  them.  Preparing  yourself  is  the starting point.

Q8: Hadith  says,  Tum  log  mere  mamle  mein  “itra” mat  karna jese na-saara  mein  ibn  e  maryam  ke sath kiya gaya tha? What is “itra” here?

A:  Itra  means  “personality  cult”  and  Prophet  advised  against  it  because  this  happened  in  all communities  that  people  give  into  hero-worship.  All  the  idols  actually  were  the  elders  of  the community  which  later  became  objects  of  worship.  Muslims  today,  have  succumbed  to  personality cult completely and it is very important that they are brought out of it.

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