Our Debunked Strategy as a Muslim

“Indeed the worst of the beasts in the eyes of God are those deaf and dumb people who don’t use their intellect.” [Qur’an 8:22]

When God wants to denounce a community, the first and foremost thing that He does is to take away the power to think rightly. This is what that seems to be happening to Muslim community as a whole.

We spend a lot of time accusing the external factors for all the mishap that is begetting us. Most of our brothers and sisters spend their considerable time accusing the US, Israel, India and the west as a whole for all our misfortune. Albeit there might be a bit of truth in the global conspiracy against Muslims and Islam as a whole, but then all the blames cannot be passed on to them. We are equally or rather more to be blamed for the dire situation that we have landed ourselves into.

We should all look within for the cause of the misfortune that is befalling this community instead of getting into the blame game. Our community leaders and intellectuals should take this issue head on. We cannot sit back as mere spectator and let our youth waste their energy, which is counter productive for the following reasons;

• Blaming the west for all our suffering is creating a false impression that nothing is seriously wrong with us. The outcome of this is that we as a community are not doing enough to reform morally, spiritually as well as materially, ourselves.
• The people whom we blame will never listen to us as they gain politically and economically from the unrest in the Muslim world. So what is the use of wasting our time and resources?
• Strong criticism of the west by us is creating a big divide between the Muslim world and the Western world, which is hampering the exchange of ideas and discussion with them. Branding anyone as kafir is futile for we can never approach them again with the message of Islam. Had the Prophet followed this strategy of branding all kafir, he would never have got Hamza or Umar into the fold of Islam. We are loosing potential Marmaduk Pickthall, Ingrid Matson, Allama Iqbal (his grandfather was a Hindu pundit) in field of scholars, Malcom X in the field of leaders, Muhmmad Ali, Abdul Karim Jabbar in field of Sports, A R Rahman, Yusuf Islam in the field of Music to name a few and the list goes on.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_notable_converts_to_Islam)

• This negative emotional charged rhetoric against the external forces has led many to take up arms without following the moral principle of picking up weapons, thus killing thousands on innocents, in turn tarnishing the image of Islam as a natural peaceful religion, which has high value and moral at its base.
• We are helping in creating an impression that the supper power states of this day are controlling the world, rather than God. What if these misfortunes facing the Muslims are a punishment onto us by God for deviating from the principle of value and morality?

Let us introspect and see where we all stand today (this is general though but there are exceptions);

• Do we not blame most of the Muslim nations or rather the rulers to be corrupt? If we look at our own society do we see the following issues of cheating, not fulfilling commitments, not valuing merits are rampant among us which shows us the hypocrisy of us Muslims in general?
• Aren’t we ignorant in claiming that despite the above hypocrisies the non-Muslims will be doomed while we will succeed in the hereafter just because we call ourselves Muslims?
• Why do we not want to be friends with non-Muslims, calling them ‘kafirs’? Are we trying to bring them closure to us and see how good Muslims are and what is the teaching of Islam or are we forcing them never to come and listen to us?
• What makes us believe that God will judge us for being distinct from them by our outward appearance, dress sense and ritualism rather than their intentions and deeds?

The following verses of the Qur’an might throw some light on our state. We just need to replace the ‘Children of Israel’ with ‘Muslims’.

“And We gave (Clear) Warning to the Children of Israel in the Book, that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)!

When the first of the warnings came to pass, We sent against you Our servants given to terrible warfare: They entered the very inmost parts of your homes; and it was a warning (completely) fulfilled.

Then did We grant you the Return as against them: We gave you increase in resources and sons, and made you the more numerous in man-power.

If ye did well, ye did well for yourselves; if ye did evil, (ye did it) against yourselves. So when the second of the warnings came to pass, (We permitted your enemies) to disfigure your faces, and to enter your Temple as they had entered it before, and to visit with destruction all that fell into their power.

It may be that your Lord may (yet) show Mercy unto you; but if ye revert (to your sins), We shall revert (to Our punishments): And we have made Hell a prison for those who reject (all Faith).

Verily this Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), and giveth the Glad Tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward;

And to those who believe not in the Hereafter, (it announceth) that We have prepared for them a Penalty Grievous (indeed).” [Qur’an 17:4-10]

The major question that now arises is what the focus and strategy of this community should be!

• Should we not try to strive for peace rather than confrontation! We should learn from history that the most formative period for any civilization is when there was peace. ‘Treaty of Hudaibiya’ and the peace thereafter should teach us the lesson that peace rather than confrontation is more productive.
• Should we be focused to attain back the moral, spiritual and material progress of this community! The successes of the Muslims in the formative years were not martial might but moral justice and spiritual might.
• Should we not try to project the true religion of God as it is supposed to be based on peaceful existence and striving about for the good for the whole of humanity! People coming into the fold of Islam into thousand were not due to sword but due to its value, equity and equality.
• Should we undertake ‘Jihad’ not against nation but against poverty, disease, ignorance and illiteracy, these being the biggest enemy of the Muslim nations! Golden period were those when there was good distribution of wealth, best medical care and had world class centers of education.

These so called confronters, instead of picking up arms should address the problems at hand within us (morality, value and education) that are causing God to be displeased with Muslims if they want to go back to the glory that the Muslims used to have. It’s the duty of the silent intellectuals of this community to come forward and strive for the good cause instead of just observing the events from the distance.

“Remember how the Unbelievers plotted against thee, to keep thee in bonds, or slay thee, or get thee out (of thy home). They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah.” [Qur’an 8:30]

The need for Muslim to Introspect: Education

Sachar Committee report has rightly pointed out the backwardness of the Muslim community vis-à-vis the other community in India. It has aptly analyzed the status of backwardness and categorized it. On most counts the Muslim community lags behind other communities. Who are to be blamed for this backwardness?

Most of us, as a Muslim, point our finger to the external factors such as the government, the society as a whole and the conspirators that does not want this community to progress and drumbeat and declare that the atmosphere is not conducive for the growth of Muslim in India just because Muslims are in minority. But have we ever thought why other minorities such as Christians, Parses and Sikhs have better statistics than us when it comes to progress and better life even tough they are also minority. This fallacy has no base as even among Muslims one can find few sub-communities and people who are at par with other communities in progress. Did we ever introspect where does the main blame lie? Aren’t we to take the major share of blame?

It is basic fact that we as a community have not yet awaken to take responsibility of progress in our own hand, but we always look at others to do the things for us. I do not say that external factors have not been responsibility for our backwardness, but I fully believe that we are the one who needs to be blamed in the first place. Through out the history in every geographical distribution, minorities do face extra problem and issues and thus it is a fact that this cannot be ever resolved fully. But then to work out a realistic solution, we have to accept this fact that our destination is in our hand.

All the factors that the Sachar Committee has studied, shows the backwardness of Muslims has its genesis in education. The literacy rate among the Muslims is well below the national level. Twenty-five percent of Muslim children in the 6-14 year age group have either never attended school or have dropped out. Drop out rates among Muslims are higher at the level of primary, middle and higher secondary. In premier colleges only one out of twenty-five under-graduate students and one out of fifty post-graduate students is a Muslim.

It is an irony of this community! The very first word of the Quran that was given to the Prophet was ‘Iqra’ (Read) and not only that, further down the verse it mentions ‘qalam’ (Pen) [Quran 96:1-5]. Verse [Quran 39:9] poses a question to the people whether those that have knowledge and those who do not have are deemed equal! Added to this, the word ‘Ilm’ (knowledge) is found 750 times in Quran. Even there are many sayings by Prophet which directed the Muslims to seek knowledge whenever and wherever they could. It is well known fact that the captives of war were released if they could teach the people to read and write. “Indeed the worst of the beasts in the eyes of God are those deaf and dumb people who don’t use their intellect.” [Quran 8:22]

Regrettably, most of our religious leaders as well as, the-well-to-do people of this community waste most of their energies on only highlighting the causes of the problem that faces us. They shout these out from the pulpit and then take solace in the fact that a messiah like figure will come down from the sky and relive us of all our sufferings. History is the judge, till date no messiahs has come down from the sky, but they grow up on this earth among the community.

If we had used these energies constructively (create that messiah among ourselves) to look for the solution of this problem the scenario would have been completely different. We have seen that the Muslim community in south of India are in much better position than those in the north; albeit still below the level of other community. The basic reason is that the Muslims in the south have understood the need of education and have set up institutions to provide the same. The end result is that they are economically as well as hygienically better off.

It is rightly said that that when God wants to denounce a community, the first and foremost thing that he takes away from it is the power to think rightly. If this community wants to come out of the backwardness, it should first make it imperative on itself to focus all of its energy to get literate focusing fully in the field of education and seeking knowledge.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/op/2009/07/05/stories/2009070550011200.htm

http://blogs.thehindu.com/delhi/?p=25305