THE LEGACY OF ABRAHAM-ISLAM-7
God, the Supreme Creator, who created the universe and
governs it, has endowed the humanity with the gift of natural instincts of His
existence. All the beautiful names in any language, signifying the attributes
of perfection belongs to Him, by whichever name He is invoked, (He is always
the One-for). In Hebrew traditions He has been called ‘El 'Elyon’, ‘El Shadda’
‘Yahweh’(Jehovah), ‘'elohiym’, ‘Adonai’ (My Lord, translated as ‘Kyrios’
in Greek). In Qur’an besides being named as ‘Allah’, He is has been addressed
with more than 99 names like; Ar-Rahman (The Merciful), Al- Hayy (The Ever Living), Al-Qayum (The
Self-Subsistent), As-Samad (The
Eternal Absolute)… signifying His attributes of perfection. Existence of God,
remains the center of attention of people for rational understanding. In the Hindu scripture (Upanishads), ‘Brahman’ is the eternal, infinite,
and omnipresent spiritual source of the finite and changing universe.
God is infinite, incomprehensible; His essence is beyond the perception through
the physical human senses. Human eye can not see Him. Infinite can not be
comprehended by finite human cognizance. Hence what ever theories about
existence of God are evolved, they remain within the ambit of human intellect
for understanding in the parables and allegories which remain far from the
reality as “there is none comparable to Him”. God is not a ‘being’ like any
creatures or thing known to human. Hence in the light of knowledge revealed by
Him, the man has come to understand that the God can be comprehended through
‘His works’ or ‘signs’. The God of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) is the
Supreme Creator and Sustainer of all the universe and the creatures. He is
unique, single, He does not beget nor is He begotten, He does not have any
associate, and there is none like Him. He is worshiped without symbols or
images, not confined to a place or direction.
The existence of Allah, has been embedded in human nature,
hence many African tribes believe in One Supreme God and worship Him without
images. Existence of the Supreme Creator, is evident from the existence of
human, with all the complexities and the numerous signs all around; what one
has to do is, just to ponder over them and use common sense. The galaxies, the
stars, sun, moon the earth, their rotation, movement, the balance of planets
through gravitational system, changing of day to night, rains, winds, life,
death and many more, all this can not exist by chance. There is some one All
Powerful who has created all this with a purpose and ordained laws to govern
the universe; He is Allah, The Mighty, All Powerful. However these signs are
not perceptible to the rebellious people because they have shut the doors of
wisdom and rational thought. The thinkers have developed the rational arguments
for the existence of God i.e. Cosmological, Teleological, Ontological, through
Morality, Probability and Religious Experience.
However God sent the messengers
and revealed scriptures. Among them Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) the
great patriarch asserted the strict
monotheism While Jews and Christians
claim to be his followers, but it is Islam which can claim to be the true
legacy of Abraham. He granted miracles to the messengers but most people did
not believe in them by calling them sorcery. The later generations consider
them just myths. Allah granted the ever living miracle ‘Qur’an’ to His last
messenger. Qur’an is excellent in eloquence, full of wisdom, guidance and
mercy. It provides the warning, acts as reminder and criterion to distinguish
the truth from falsehood. It is protected from tempering, hence available in
the original revealed form from fourteen centuries, the claim no scripture can
boast. The miraculous powers of Qur’an can be experienced by any believer with
insight. The Qur’an is book of ‘signs’, not of ‘science’, however there are
over thousand verses (ayaat-Signs) which refer to various
subjects of science, mostly proved recently, its amazing! Those who ponder over
Qur’an, will continue to get wisdom, guidance and blessings.
Man has always been curious about the source and cause of
creation of universe. Scientists have developed the
theories like, ‘Big Bang’, ‘Expanding Universe’ and ‘Steady-State’ theories. The
thinkers and theologians have also evolved concepts, doctrine and myths of
creation of universe based on their imagination, knowledge and superstition.
Creation by the Supreme Creator is a popular doctrine among many cultures,
especially among the Abrahamic faiths. The Qur’anic narrative of creation is
also supported by the scientific theories. The creation of the universe and
humanity may be understood as a part of ‘Grand Design’ of God, based upon
balance, Justice and Mercy. According to Islamic perspective, God has created
the humanity, to live in this world in total obedience to the will of God,
which is His worship in wider perspective apart from the obligatory rituals.
This is the trial of humanity, which will entitle them for reward in hereafter,
paradise for the successful believers and hell for the sinners and
disbelievers.
God has granted freedom of choice to the people by providing
guidance through human instincts, intellect, messengers and the scriptures,
resulting in individual responsibility and accountability. However He accepts
repentance of sinners and forgive them. The story of Adam and Eve is, in
reality, a symbol of human future. The growth of his consciousness-symbolized
by the willful act of disobedience to command of God changed all this. It
transformed him from a purely instinctive being into a human capable of
distinguishing truth from falsehood and thus opt for the way of life.
God sent messengers to every nation to warn them. The
message of all the massagers sent to different nations at different times had
been same, to worship One God and follow His guidance for success in this life
and hereafter. Over the period, this message got distorted. The nation of
Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) was destroyed through floods for their
rebelliousness. After Noah, people followed the right path for some period but
again indulged in idolatry and other malpractices. Manny nations were destroyed
for their disobedience to the teachings of their prophets. Finally; during 18th
century B.C; Abraham a resident of Ur (Iraq), renounced idols and discovered
existence of One God, through his rational thinking, intellect and blessings of
God. After his success in trials, Abraham (peace be upon him) was appointed as messenger of God and granted
the leadership of mankind, through Covenant, this leadership role was also to
be carried forward by the pious people from his progeny excluding the evil
doers.
He migrated to Canaan (Western Palestine), died and buried there at Hebron. He was blessed
with sons, Ishmael and Isaac (peace be upon them) at old age. He prepared to
offer his only son, Ishmael (peace be upon him) for sacrifice as desired by
God, this gesture of supreme sacrifice was accepted by Allah and a ram was substituted.
In remembrance of this event, Muslims offer sacrifice of animal on Eid Ul Adha and perform Hajj
(Pilgrimage). Prophet Abraham with Ishmael (peace be upon them) built
Ka’ba (House of worship of Allah) at Mecca, where he had left
his young son with his mother Hager, he also prayed for the appointment of messenger from among them (this is reference
to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). He along with his other son Prophet
Isaac (peace be upon him) and his progeny settled in Canaan.
God sent many messengers in the progeny of his grandson
Prophet Jacob (also known as Israel and his decedents called Children of Israel
or Israelites) like Prophet Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon up to Jesus Christ
(peace be upon them all) being the last.
Torah was revealed to Prophet Moses, Psalms to Prophet David and Gospel to
Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon them all) for the guidance of Israelites
(known as Jews, after destruction of northern kingdom of Israel
in 721 BC) by Assyrians. Initially children of Israel undertook
this mission but they persistently indulged in disobedience, rebelliousness and
deliberate corruption of revealed scriptures. They even tried to kill Prophet
Jesus (peace be upon him) but God raised him up to Himself. The Christian also
corrupted the scripture and message of Jesus by inventing doctrine of Trinity.
Thus Allah changed the leadership role from the Children of Israel to the
Children of Prophet Ishmael (peace be upon him) by appointing Muhammad, peace
be upon him (an Arab, from the progeny of Ishmael) as His last messenger and
reveled Qur’an to him. This was fulfillment of prayer of Prophet Abraham (peace
be upon him). Islam, (total submission and surrender to the will of God) is not
a new faith introduced by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), it is the faith
preached by all prophets of God from Adam--Noah--Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac--
Moses--Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
Islam is the true legacy of Prophet Abraham (peace be
upon him), who was neither a Jew nor Christians (these religions did not exist
then), but he had totally surrendered to the will of God (Islam). Islamic faith
is based upon sound philosophy, doctrines and practices successfully practiced
the world over for centuries. The Islamic root of affirmation is based on the
conviction upon unity of Allah. In order to be a Muslim, one has to affirm his
belief in Allah (One God), His invisible creatures, the angels, His books
(Qur’an, Torah, Psalms and original Gospel of Jesus), His messengers including
all Biblical prophets up to Jesus and the last messenger Muhammad (peace be
upon him), Resurrection after death on the Day of Judgment, accounting and the
scales, hell, paradise and that the good and evil of destiny are in power of
Allah Most High. Islam stands on the five obligatory pillars (principles),
which are also the forms of worship; the first two; Creed of Confession and
five daily Prayers are daily, next two, Charity (Zakah) and Fasting (Saum)
are annual and the last, Pilgrimage (Hajj, tradition of Abraham, peace
be upon him) is once in life, for those who can afford.
The Islamic doctrine of predestination is based upon absolute
knowledge and power of God to execute His Will and Plan, while professing the
‘Limited Free Will’ granted to man. If the action is not done by the
individual's free will, then rewarding the pious and punishing the evildoer is
an injustice, God is Just. In Christianity, Predestination is the doctrine that; God has long ago determined who will be
saved and who will be damned. This doctrine of ‘predestination’ or
‘election’ is beset with many difficulties, considered to belong to the
"secret things" of God. In Christian theology, Grace is the unmerited gift of divine
favor, which brings about the salvation of a sinner. The salvation is
considered to be belief in Jesus, his death at cross, resurrection and divinity
being son of God as part of Trinity. Islam links salvation to the Mercy of
Allah for those having Faith (ayman): belief in Oneness of God and the other articles of faith;
practice five pillars of Islam and the performance of good deeds, while
avoiding evil.
Racism and violence is discouraged in Islam, for the Qur’an
speaks of human equality, the criteria of superiority is piety (Qur’an;49:13).
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in his last sermon said; “You know that every Muslim is the brother of
another Muslim. You are all equal.
Nobody has superiority over other,
except by piety and good action”. God has entrusted the Muslims to be
the best and moderate community among mankind; they are required to enjoin what
is right and forbid what is wrong. As custodian of legacy of Prophet Abraham
(peace be upon him) and bearers of the Divine trust, Muslims are expected to
play leading role, in extending the message of guidance for the betterment of
humanity. Islam is a way of life, which provides code covering complete
spectrum of human life including social, economic, political, moral, legal, and
spiritual and all other aspects. The belief in Islam and performance of good
deeds are the means of seeking divine Grace and salvation in hereafter. History
is witness that Islam inspired emergence of dynamic civilization. The
ideologies cultures and civilizations based upon human thoughts and laws have
failed to provide peace, dignity, equality and justice to the humanity, because
they discard the life hereafter. Islam practically demonstrated achievement of
these ideals through the first Muslim society, established in the form of a
state, by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which continued to be maintained
by the four rightly guided caliphs (632-661 C.E).
The Islamic civilization
became the most dominant power for more than thousand years and immensely
influenced the humanity as a whole including the Renaissance of Europe.
As long as the Muslims adhered to the tenets of Islam and
kept their supremacy in knowledge; they lead the world. However Muslims lost
the power and glory due to their negligence, mismanagement, corruption,
illiteracy, internal dissidence and non adherence to the doctrines of Islam;
resultantly most of the Muslim countries were colonized and their resources
exploited by the colonial powers during last five centuries. Though at present
most of the Muslim countries are free from colonial oppression but the legacy
continues. Today Muslims are mostly part of underdeveloped third world
threatened by neocolonialism.
The Muslim world, in addition to socioeconomic
problems like poverty, illiteracy and economic deprivation have been
deliberately embroiled in the major politico-military conflicts at Palestine,
Kashmir Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Philippines, Thailand and elsewhere.
Besides their numerical strength of around 1.5 billion, the Muslims are also
holding major sources of energy and other mineral resources. They are located
at strategically important geographical areas, centers of population-
civilizations and international routes of trade and commerce. The Muslim world
does not possess adequate political, military, industrial, technological and
economic strength compatible with their ideology, culture, history, and
stature, at international level, which is an impediment in peaceful resolution
of their problems.
Jihad is the most misunderstood tenet of Islam, which has
erroneously been made controversial. Jihad (Strenuous Efforts) is only made for
the cause of Allah. Jihad neither implies fighting and killing
non believers for forced conversion nor that every armed action conducted by
Muslims is Jihad as commonly misconceived. The warfare is also permissible in
the Bible: (Leviticus;26:7-8, Ezakhel;9:6, Psalm;149:6-9, Hebrews;11:32-34,
Numbers; 31:17-18, 31:35, Joshua;6:21, 10:28, Mathew;10:34, 26:51, Luke;12:49,
51). Jihad has wider meanings than merely fighting: The first and foremost
Jihad is to; ‘Strive Against Selfish Desires’: Secondly, to convey the message
of Islam to the humanity(Dawah). Thirdly; to fight against oppression
and for the freedom of invitation and worship of God. Allah says: “And what
reason do you have not to fight in the cause of Allah, to rescue the helpless oppressed
old men, women, and children who are crying: "Our Lord! Deliver us from
this town whose people are oppressors; send us a protector by Your grace and
send us a helper from Your presence?”(Qur’an;4:75).
The concept of Jihad was yet used by some medieval
Muslim rulers to justify wars motivated by purely political ambitions. Islam
has laid down the basic rules for the conduct of warfare which are most humane,
unprecedented in the history of warfare, like: Prohibitions of killing of
religious people, women, children, aged, sick people, animals and cutting trees
(Al Muwata Hadith. Number;21.10), Suicide is not permissible(Qur’an;4:29, Sahih Al Bukhari Hadith
Numbr:8.126); Killing by burning is not allowed (Sahih Al Bukhari, Hadith,
Number.4.260); Mutilation of the dead
bodies is prohibited (Sahih Muslim Hadith.804). Hence linking noble concept of
Jihad, (for the cause of Allah) as prescribed by Qur’an and Sunnah, with in
laid down rules, with terrorism would be the biggest misnomer.
The Islamic doctrine of Jihad, was revived and nourished by USA in the
eighties by recruiting Mujahideen (Muslim guerrilla warriors) from all over the
Muslim world. They were trained, armed and launched in to Afghanistan
with close cooperation of Pakistan
and support of USA
her Western allies and Saudi
Arabia to defeat USSR. This ultimately became the
main cause of collapse of USSR
and Communism; the rival ideology to the Western Capitalism. The Jihadis
(Muslim warriors) were mostly illiterate, having very little knowledge of Islam,
social sciences, international affairs, power- geopolitics and economic
affairs. Once they were abandoned by their patrons (USA), they chalked out their own
agenda: Firstly, to protect their Muslims brethren against foreign occupation,
injustice, oppression, tyranny and exploitation. Secondly; to advance their
strict version of Islam (commonly known as Talibanization) against Muslim
brothers through violence, strictly prohibited in Islam. After 9/11, the
invasion of Afghanistan
and Iraq
by USA
and collation partners under the pretext of war against terror resulted in the
overthrow of their government leaving these armed warriors groups to go
underground and conduct gorilla warfare. These stateless armed groups are
operating independently, justification apart, their conduct of warfare in
violation to the laid down Islamic principles remains a hot topic of intense
debate.
No one seems to be making serious efforts to redress the root causes,
like; oppression of Muslims, injustice, illiteracy, insecurity, economic
disparity, non representative and corrupt Muslim rulers, un-Islamic mode of
governance, foreign occupation of Muslim lands, lack of human rights and
exploitation of their natural resources. Instead, the military solution is
being sought at immense financial and human cost further adding to the miseries
of the poor Muslims, thus providing fresh recruits for the warfare. This cycle
needs to be reversed by winning the hearts, so that the human energies and
resources are diverted towards peace and development to enable the Muslims to
conduct the Bigger Jihad (Jihad Kabira), through Qur’an, by
practicing and preaching the message of Qur’an.
The keen interest shown by non Muslims in Islam and the
revival of strong desire among the believers to practice Islamic doctrine has
resulted in renaissance of Islam, which is considered a threat, through the
theory of clash of civilization, being projected by some crazy thinkers. What
clash! the clash is between belligerents with same level of strength or some what
closer in military strength. The Muslim world is no match to the Western
economic, industrial, technological and military power, they pose no threat to
them militarily. Islam also means ‘Peace’, it does not believe in thrusting
itself upon others by force. It is due to the inherent strength of its divine
origin, purity, rationale philosophy and doctrines that the truth of Islam
stands out. Allah says: “And say: "Truth has (now) arrived, and falsehood
perished: for falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish.”(Qur’an;17:81). In
this era of materialism, a large number of people (mostly women) are getting
attracted towards Islam for spiritual satisfaction and to lead a successful,
life here and hereafter. Despite all the hostility and propaganda, Islam remains
the fastest growing religion in Europe and North America.
Views of some Western scholars accentuate the importance of
Islam, Will Durant writes: “For five centuries, from 700 to 1200 (C.E), Islam
led the world in power, order and extent of government, in refinement of
manners, scholarship and philosophy”. Professor Gibb states: “No other society
has such a record of success in uniting in
equality of status, opportunity and enduring so many and so various
races of humanity”. According to Duncan Greenless: “The nobility and broad
minded tolerance of this creed (Islam) which accepted as God inspire all the
real religions of the world will always be glorious heritage of mankind”.
Muslims as the true inheritors of the legacy of Abraham, preached and practiced
by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) available in the form of his Sunnah and
Qur’an, which is Allah’s last book of guidance for the humanity. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) in his last sermon said: “O’ People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and
no new faith will be born. … All those who listen to me shall pass on my
words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my
words better than those who listen to me directly”. The Muslims should become
conscious of the universal perspective of Islam to effectively discharge their obligations and pray: “Our Lord!
Do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord! Do not place on us a
burden as You placed on those before us. Our Lord! Lay not on us the kind of
burden that we have no strength to bear. Pardon us, Forgive us, Have mercy on
us. You are our Protector, help us against the unbelievers.”(Qur’an;2:286).
Hence they should not only read, understand, believe, obey and preserve but
also propagate the true message of Qur’an for the peace and benefit of
humanity, so that the humanity also view Islam in its broader universal
perspective and let it play its role for the peace and development of mankind.
