The crippling incompetence
The most crippling incompetence of a human is not physical, rather intellectual.
The people with physical disabilities -like broken arm, missing leg or blind
eye, can incredibly cope with day-to-day difficulties. The insight of such men
remains intact; therefore, still can live a life as a sensible and responsible
man in the society. But the intellectual inability takes away the necessary
moral, ethical and societal skills; and makes them incompatible with a life with
self-respect, dignity, responsibility and meaningful vision. This is why
Alzheimer’s dementia -which causes awful depletion of intellectual abilities, is
so much dreaded in civilised societies. In dementia, the memory loss is global:
it affects all domains of mental recollection and exhausts the whole
intellectual ability. Such a man fails to recognise even his own wife, children
and house of residence. He doesn’t have any sense on his death and the life
after death. If once he gets out onto a street, can’t return back to his
residence. He loses his most basic cognitive power; therefore fails to
differentiate right from wrong, good from bad and friends from foes.
But awfully, the people with intact memory may even behave as if they have no
memory vis-à-vis some fundamental truths. Allah SWT described them in the Holy
Qur’an as the people who have eyes but can’t see, they have ears but can’t hear
and they have intellect but can’t think. They are the people inferior to the
cattle. Their selective amnesia of some fundamental truths leads to incorrect
understanding of the real worth of the life. The people with such restrictive
focus concentrate only on issues that help maximising the immediate gains. In
such relentless personal pursuit, even the most important issue in human life
–like success in the infinite life in the hereafter gets ignored or goes to
oblivion. It even nullify the very purpose of the creation. They are the people
who fail to align with the vision of their own Creator –the Almighty Allah. They
exclusively take their selfish lust, interest, motive and vision as the sole
criteria to make decisions on family values, morality, justice, politics and
other societal norms. Truth gets accepted or rejected on the basis of its
compatibility with their personal lust, agenda or whims.
Such selective disregard of the realities of life is indeed the root cause of
humans’ failure to grow up as the best creation on earth. Such an arrogant
attitude frustrates Allah SWT’s vision of overwhelming the world with His Own
prescription. Indeed, this has been the core crime of the kuffars in all ages.
In the holy Qur’an, Allah SWT repeatedly reveals the story how people
deliberately rejected the truth -revealed to them through prophets. Such
arrogance not only makes them deny the divinely assigned role, but also prompts
them to stand against the Divine project of humans’ salvation. In Alzheimer’s
dementia, the victim’s functional power gets markedly compromised; therefore, it
diminishes the range of his criminality. But in selective amnesia, people retain
power of deliberate wrongdoing. Therefore, the most dreadful man-made disasters
in human history are not caused by the people who suffer from dementia, rather
by the people who are afflicted with self-induced amnesia or memory loss
vis-à-vis the core issues of life.
The most forgotten issue
What’s the most forgotten issue in life? Is it the belief in Allah - the
Almighty? This is not the case. Even the non-believers of Mokkah didn’t
disbelieve Him. In those days of pre-Islamic jaheliya (ignorance), the belief in
Allah (SWT) was intact. As evidenced from the tradition that they even preferred
naming their son as Abd’Allah –the slave of Allah. Even today, the huge
scientific advancement couldn’t annihilate the faith in God either. Even the
secular Americans express their faith by printing “We trust in God” on the
currency notes. So, disbelieving Allah (SWT) is not an issue. Even the basic
pillars of Islam -like salah, fasting, haj and jakat are not forgotten either.
The crowded mosques in Muslim countries, the sea of people during the haji in
Mokkah and the fasting millions in Ramadan give the testimony that none of these
pillars of Islam has been forgotten in the Muslim World. Even many dishonest men
and women believe in Allah; they offer prayers, keep fasting, give charities and
even go for haj.
In fact, the most forgotten issue in human life is siratul mustaqeem –the right
path shown by Allah (SWT) through His prophets and the Divine books. The
creation of the right path is not within the domain of humans’ intellect. In
fact, the most incapacitating inadequacy of humans lies in finding the right
path; not in scientific discovery. So, showing the right path to the humans has
been taken by Allah (SWT) –the Almighty Creator, as His own responsibility. So,
in holy Qur’an, Allah (SWT) says, “Inna alainal huda” (certainly, on Me is
displaying the guidance). In order to discharge such a crucial responsibility,
more than hundred thousand prophets were sent down to the earth. Prophet
Muhammad is indeed the last prophet in that Divine chain. In fact, it is the
most important blessing of Allah (SWT) for the humans.
Humans are created for an endless life; death doesn’t end it, rather takes it to
a deathless phase in the hereafter. The success in this worldly life and also in
the life of infinity in the hereafter entirely depends on reaching the place of
peace called haven there. Otherwise, this life only takes to the horror of
hellfire. Allah (SWT) wants humans to succeed in this world as well as in the
hereafter. To ensure the success of His beloved creation, He sent down prophets
like Nuh (AS), Ibrahim (AS), Musa (AS), Isa (AS), Muhammad (SAWS) and others of
the same Divine chain with the same siratul mustaqeem – the Divine roadmap. But
their followers made awful history in forgetting as well in disobeying or
concealing the Divine path. In Islam, such acts are perfect expression of kufr.
Allah (SWT) considers such self-inflicted amnesia and arrogance as a great crime
against the Divine truth; and a sure precursor of bringing down the Divine
curse.
The catastrophic failure
The holy Qur’an gives vivid descriptions of the crimes of the rebellious people
of different ages; and also tells about the punishment they invited on
themselves. The Qur’an goes into great details on the failures of the Bani
Israel (the people of Israel) and projected them as the careless and failed
students of Islam. In order to help people take the lesson form their failure,
the holy Qur’an not only reveals the right path towards paradise, but also
showed the path that definitely takes to the hell fire. In their collective
memory, only the name of Allah (SWT) and some prophets survived, but not the
revealed path. The right path of Allah (SWT) –siratul mustaqeem went into
oblivion. Likewise, only the name of Allah (SWT) and the names of Ibrahim and
his son Ismail survived among their Makkan descendants, but not their
deen-e-haneef -the Ibrahimic way of life. As the part of the same Divine chain,
the holy Qur’an came as the last revelation of siratul mustaqeem. But the case
of the Muslims hasn’t been different either. In the Muslims’ memory, though the
names of Allah (SWT), His prophets and the Qur’an still survive, but seldom they
follow the Qur’anic road-map in their educational, political, judicial, cultural
and social life. So, they, too made history in awful failures. And the process
continues.
The Qur’anic road-map is all inclusive. Not only it shows the right way of
performing five time prayer, fasting in Ramadan, giving charity, performing haj,
and other forms of ibadah, but also prescribes on right types of foods and
drinks, judiciary, politics, distribution of inheritance, economics, culture,
statehood, warfare and other aspects of life. One cannot think of any success in
this life and in the hereafter without strict adherence to this Divine road-map
–the siratul mustaqeem. But unfortunately, this is the most missing element in
the Muslims’ life today. The Muslims’ statehood, trade, dresses, culture,
morality, politics, laws and economics do not match with that of the prophet
(peace be upon him) and his companions. The constitution, the laws, the
politics, the economics and the culture that are followed in the Muslim world
are not based on submission to prophetic tradition; rather based on the
deviation and rebellion against Allah. They invest their intellect, energy,
wealth and even life to fulfil their secular, national or tribal aspirations,
not an Islamic one.
Between two destinations there cannot be more than one straight line. But the
deviations may be in millions. This is why siratul mustaqeem is only one:
connecting this worldly life with the heavenly one. The Qur’anic road-map does
not show different maps for different groups of the same people –the ummah.
Overwhelming disunity, disaffection and conflicts in the Muslim world are the
products of such diverse deviations. Due to such deviations, the Muslims are the
most divided people on earth. The Christians, the Hindus, and the Chinese –each
could build their own united states; previously, the Muslims could do that too.
But now the Muslims cannot even think of that, let alone achieve that. In early
days of Islam, Muslims built such a state with the civilizational purpose: it
was based on Divine faith, values, and vision. In fact, building such a state is
an Islamic obligation on every believing man and woman, otherwise Islam cannot
achieve its civilizational objectives and neither can man ensure the growth of
his whole creative potentials. Major efforts and sacrifices of the Muslims in
the early days were made to fulfil that goal. Indeed, the Qur’anic road-map
cannot move further towards the Divine aim without establishing such a
civilizational state; secular or anti-Islamic state stands as a stumbling block
against such move. This is why the early Muslims could go incredibly high to
make a glorious impact on human history, but today’s Muslims are making history
in decadence and failures. In those days the states of Arabs, the Persian, the
Kurds, the Levant, the Turks, the Barbers, the Moors, the Tatars -all formed a
united states with a single Qur’anic vision. But now they are broken apart, and
deviated to national, tribal or secular objectives.
Every sensible man or woman, prior to making a footstep, firstly knows the
road-map of the planned journey. Otherwise the journey may end up in a wrong
way. But Muslims’ journey towards jannah is not a simple tour, rather the most
important event in life. So the road-map needs to be known by heart by every
Muslim man and woman. Otherwise, how one can attain the Divine goal? The
Qur’anic road-map (siratul mustaqeem) -with all its all signals and signs, is
not hidden or kept in the custody of a few, rather made known to all in all
possible ways. Whoever reads the holy Qur’an, whoever studies the life of the
prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and whoever explore his sayings (hadees),
he will get the elaborate guidance on the road of his Divine journey. He will
receive clear signals on what to do and what not to do, and where to take the
turn and where to restrain. To become a Muslim, it is a religious obligation to
follow it. But the real picture in the Muslim world is different: the pursued
path is different from that of the prophet. Their politics and policies,
education and culture, courts and laws, economics and banking do not follow that
Divine guidance, rather they follow the road of the deviants. In fact, they
deliberately pursue such clear deviation to fulfil their personal, national or
tribal objectives.
The most important issue
What is the important issue in life? Is it good food, good house, good wife,
good children, good job, good profession, good money, and other worldly
successes or pleasures? The humans are usually at crossroads on these issues.
Most crucial mistakes are done at this juncture, and people get lost on a wrong
track. Success depends on picking up the right path at this crossroads. Humans’
real intelligence and wisdom is judged here. Mistake done here can never be
compensated by other gains. The Quran not only shows the most important issue in
life, but also guides on the most forgotten issue. Allah SWT is fully aware of
his own creation’s inadequacies. Who knows better than Him? Man believes that
worldly gains and achievements are the real markers of success of life. But
Allah SWT says otherwise. In the Quran it is revealed, “(O Muhammad!) Tell them,
should I inform you about them who are ultimate looser in their deeds? They are
people whose whole efforts in this world have gone in the wrong way, and they
think they are doing professionally well.” (Sura Al-Kahaf, verse 103-104)
But, it is the saddest reality that most people fail to identify the most
important issue in the life. Man’s such ignorance is very devastating: in fact,
the great deviation in life starts here. Civilizations collapsed and nations
perished -not due to lack of foods or drinks, but due to such deviations. If
wealth, wife, children, business, professions, political power and other worldly
pleasures get priority in one’s life, and ignore the hereafter, he will
definitely miss the Divine path. Allah (SWT)’s greatest gift comes not as foods,
drinks or other assets of livelihood –these come to animals too. His greatest
blessing comes as the guidance on the most important issue in life; and He shows
us the devises to constantly focus our attention on that; and it is through
salah. Allah (SWT) wants our success, and salah attaches our attention to the
path of that success: especially the supplication in sura fatiha is indeed the
most important tool to fix our mind on that.
The prescribed priority & the failure
Knowing the life’s priority is crucial; without its understanding, one cannot
fix his or her goal. Allah (SWT) opens Qur’an with that issue. The opening
chapter –the sura Fatiha –the first fully revealed chapter, has been dedicated
to address this subject. Allah (SWT) wants humans to be focussed on the
important issue throughout the whole span of life; and it shouldn’t go out of
our mind’s radar at any single moment of time. Man’s highest priority is
expressed in his prayer. If the summit of ambition is to have a good business, a
good job, a professional success or higher power in politics, then the man will
repeatedly ask Allah (SWT) for that in his every prayer. He may even invite his
friends and others to his house or he himself goes to priests or asking them to
make a supplication for that.
Dowa or supplication is indeed the expression of man’s most cherished desire; it
is the revelation of his inner faith. A man who has no belief in the hereafter
cannot be concerned with the Divine road map. His path, his character, his
believer are understandably different from a true believer. Man’s daily
activities indeed bear imprints of his supreme desire. So the moulding of faith,
the correction of his deeds, and the purification of his soul, indeed start from
that inner longing. Such longing in fact works as the guiding compass. So Allah
SWT addresses that issue in the Qur’an, and that starts from sura Fatiha. So it
is rightly named as Fatiha -the beginning. But those who do wrongs in the
beginning, how they can be right in the end?