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Is an Islamic renaissance due? KK Lidhoo 24 March 2008, Monday CONSIDER THIS. The Moulvi Saheb
would hold the Diniyaat (Religious) class. Saheb was a person of
affable disposition, spoke Kashmiri as any Kashmiri person, wore a turban and
other traditional Kashmiri attire, as did my grandfather. Both spotted a beard.
Both ruminated over Tib, Towheed, Rumi’spoetry and the life hereafter. Both
were honest to the penny. Now, our respected Moulvi Saheb, who was also a
government teacher, would teach Diniyaat in the school. We also
learned Kalma by rote, hardly understanding anything but we would take
all this back to our home, recite the same with gay abandon. Nobody objected in
our home to this. The evenings were reserved for the Bhagwat Gita and
the Upanishidic stories. Nobody in our home perceived any threat for
us to get converted to Islam, even if we recited Diniyaat all day
long. Hinduism with its profundity had an attraction of its own.
It was heaven all around. People
were Parhezgaars (devout and chaste). They were not
theologians or masters of religious lexicon, but simple ordinary people
pursuing their daily chores with utmost humility and a great majority of these
people were Muslims. Later, as we were growing up, we understood what Kalma
meant. As ill luck would have it, all
this came to an end. People started reading religious books, but hardly
understood the holy Quran. They surely prayed five times a day but
their Dua (prayer) lacked the Assar (potency). Fiery and
inciteful speeches by those who only meant politics, suddenly gained the
centre-stage. Islam was to be interpreted only in the way a particular opinion
would project it. Malady had struck one of the
brilliant philosophies of equalising the society. The faith, which would have
opened the doors and carried the potential of espousing peace in this really
bad world, came to be known as the “nemeses of the same”. Strange are the ways
of the evil that hijacks the good. They did not even heed the words of the Quran,
“Do not confuse yourself. Hold the rope of faith firm.” Having said this, doesn’t it
appear that these are the best times for the Islamic world? At no point in
history, did the Muslim nations enjoy well defined boundaries and territories,
which were abundant with rare natural resources. They have got a great
civilisational history but are at the threshold of modern
technological world that can enhance their status beyond thought,
which makes one think these can be the best times for Islam to flourish.
But why are not the creative juices flowing? What is holding them back? What
hinders them to build the institutions? Why can’t they just let go the baggage
of the recent past and that further begs the question: Is an Islamic
renaissance due? Unfortunately, Muslims seem to blame everybody else for
their condition, but are not ready to introspect themselves. All this is not
supposed to rattle them, because the writer of this piece is an admirer of
Islamic world and values.
Those nations, who have chosen
democracy and human rights, cannot be seen to be at variance with Islam.
Democracy should no longer be considered a western ghost. It can also be
applied in Eastern backyards. One fails to understand as to why do the
Islamic nations continue to hold the view that by shutting the windows to the
world, they can remain protected and safe and not defile their religion and way
of life. But let it put on record that sometimes the reverse can be true. The
world has yet to know the fragrance of Islam Comment Islam
is the best relegion and muslims are the worst followers, said Bernard shaw
once. Though it does not hold that much water, it does hold a little. as the
auther writes, muslims are not ready to instrospect and reach at a perosonal,
'consensus'i would say, and they are all out trying to blame the world for
their being what they are. Imran khan was once quoted as saying, muslims around
the world are suffering from inferiority complex. though he did not eloborate
on that like, i feel that it sounds true at times. Muslims around the world
need not worry about the faith of the rest of the world. islam does, islam,
islam does not encourage what many islamic organizations around the world are
encouraging in the name of islam. take stock mymuslim brotheren and find the fire
in you, and keep it burning and take it forward so as to bring in light to the
world all times to come. Mullas and imams had better study qoran in detail and
they should teach the new generation what islam teaches, in the true sense of
the term. many islamic think tanks are poor in understanding Holy Qoran. it is
the ill-intended relegious education given to the muslims kids today that makes
the coming mulsim generation ill formed and wrogly directed. my words are not
intended to hurt anyone who takes islam in its true spirit. long live qoran and
its followers. JAYPEE: 24 March 2008 http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=131231 |
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