“Forgotten Islam” Part I
CHARACTER LESS MUSLIMS - Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq article touches my heart and brings feelings of utmost satisfactions and answers to most crucial answers faced by muslims and non-muslims towards Islam today. It explains how Muslims are fascinated towards performing Rituals and not performing their Duties towards the creations of Almighty Allah swt. It identfies the root causes of Muslims Sects - Division among muslims based on Rituals - Muslims with little morals and no character strenghts. As a result ritual performing muslims with No Muslim Character are a total failure to reflect or pass any impressions on others. This results in denying, violating, islamic human rights, collapse of islamic social and judicial systems, loss of Islamic Essence in Total" and the outcome is what we are seeing now a days. May Allah swt help us all in achieving the True essence, spirit, of Islam and serve manking to the best of our abilities. Ameen.
“By: Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq"4/21/2003 - Religious Social - Article Ref: IC0304-1938Number of comments: 141
By: Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq on www.islamicity.com with title " What is the Reality?
What is the Reality? And what will make you realize what the Reality is?” These are the opening verses of Surah al-Haqqa - 69, in the Quran.
These are verses that jolt one’s slumped consciousness with a conscious attempt to recalibrate it with the reality. I realize that my eyes are open - they usually are. But the eyes of my mind were shuttered. All the blessings that our Benevolent Lord bestowed upon me, all the knowledge and wisdom I gained, all the friends and well-wishers I have been blessed with; yet as a human being I am so laden with my failures, with my inability to keep engaged my consciousness. Aware that my consciousness can slump sporadically, I need that awakening jolt intermittently: “The reality! What is the Reality? …”
As I look around me I see futile discussions taking place that have very little to do with the essence of Islam. A peek into my e-mailbox and I see Muslims arguing on a major Islamic list-server, whether Ameen should be said loud or silently in prayers. Yes, prayer is fundamental to Islam and praying in a manner consistent with the Prophet’s is important, but must the Muslims bicker about such details - and for centuries?
I see Islamic magazines that are constantly reminding their beloved Muslim brethren and sisters about the innovations (Bid’at) in Islam and the utterly serious consequence of such things in the life hereafter. Yes, Muslims must be on guard about innovations in the beliefs or rituals, but even this constant reminder about innovation might be an innovation in itself, as the Prophet did not do it this way. Moreover, innovation in another - technological - sense is an imperative in our contemporary time. Is it any wonder that a society that is constantly reminded against “innovations” would have its overall ability to innovate stifled?
I hear from the Friday pulpits how women must cover their head so that not even a single hair strand would show. Observance of Islamic guidance in every aspect is important. Interestingly, it seems when it comes to admonishing the women and ensuring that they “remain in line” with God’s wishes, we may be over-ambitiously animated and vigilant. The Hijab may have been a mainstay in Khutbah, but seldom have I heard any citation from the Quran that pays tribute to the “fighting” women! - And their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them: “Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or FEMALE: Ye are members, one of another: Those who have left their homes, or been driven out there from, or suffered harm in My Cause, or FOUGHT or been slain,- verily, I will blot out from them their iniquities, and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing beneath;- A reward from the presence of Allah, and from His presence is the best of rewards.” Quran 3:195
I observe children being rebuked in Mosques because they are deemed as having absolutely no respect for the stern, loud, deafening, frightening Khutbahs that even the adults have difficulty to feel drawn to. Yes, children should be educated about how to conduct themselves at different places, but do we ever think that some of these kids may develop a bad impression about their visit to Mosques and later our lack of tolerance for their childlike conduct may wither their attachment to Mosque? What is our priority?
I visit websites that are dedicated to drawing up long lists of select Muslim groups who would not be saved. Yes, believing things correctly and doing things properly are important. Yet, the Quran is so categorical against divisiveness and judgmentalism. Quran 23:52-53.
I come across pulp-literature about Islam in various parts of the Muslim world that lists one hundred twenty-four or thirty-two Fards (the obligatory) in Islam, where the list includes believing in the four madhabs (Islamic school of thought) constituting four fards. Of course, I myself don’t know this list of Fards in entirety. Notably, attachment to a specific Madhab is merely coincidental through our birth and neither the Prophet nor his companions knew anything about any Madhab at all.
There is a positive side to all this. Essentially, most of these people are trying to prepare for that ultimate achievement, the salvation (Falah). Most of them are probably trying their best according to what they have been culturally conditioned to believe as essential to their salvation. However, something may have gone awry. Islam the religion of peace is not experiencing peace anywhere. Muslim nation-states are not at peace internally or externally. Muslim people are not at peace with themselves. Mosques, Muslim communities and organizations are not at peace among themselves. The Muslims are among those in the world with the highest illiteracy, poverty, infant mortality, insecurity and so on. That is an unfortunate reality. But is an over emphasis on all the ritual details the way to prepare for the ultimate reality, we all as human beings, must contend with?
If salvation or that Reality is of utmost concern to us, it seems that Muslims in general may have their priorities mixed up. Indeed, Muslims have largely lost their attachment to a pivotal Islamic precept: balance and moderation. After all, an important distinction of this Ummah is that it is the balanced Ummah (Ummatau wasat). Quran 2:143
Muslim understanding and practices are overshadowed by excessive ritualization and legalism, ignoring moral, behavioral and attitudinal dimensions. The Quran reminds us to keep our priority straight and balanced by focusing on major sins, so that Allah will wipe out our smaller transgressions or errors [Quran 4:31]; yet we just can’t get over our predilection with too much detail.
Continued …See Part II ..