Had Muslims Gone For Universal, Modern Education There Would Have Been Peace in Islamic Societies and the World, Not Terrorism and Militancy, Either Religious or Social
By
Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
2 September
2021
Islam Is
a Religion of Peace Promoting Inclusiveness, Therefore, Terrorism Cannot Be A
Part Of It
Main
Points:
1. The Muslim
world is in a fix on terrorism.
2. Scholars of
Islamic studies, scholars of Islamic social ethics and common Muslims, all are
in doldrums, not understanding what is happening with Islam.
3. In a Muslim
country, a pro- Muslim country or an
anti-Muslim country, everyone related to Islam or Muslims is looking for a
solution to terrorism.
4. Education
for all is the mantra for all those who are concerned to bring spiritual and
social developments to the world.
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The Muslim
world is in a fix on terrorism. Islam is a religion of peace-promoting
inclusiveness, therefore, terrorism cannot be a part of it. Scholars of Islamic
studies, scholars of Islamic social ethics and common Muslims, all are in
doldrums, not understanding what is happening with Islam. All over the world,
be it a Muslim country, a pro- Muslim country or an anti-Muslim country,
everyone related to Islam or Muslims is trying to understand the problems
engulfing the Muslim world and looking for its solution. It is because the
world knows the implications of the problems faced by the Muslims will also
impact them.
Muslims of
the Asian countries, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and
Maldives are illiterate and poor. They are more concerned about their everyday
bread and butter than terrorism. For them the safety of their family as long as
they are alive is more important than being surrounded by the horrors of
terror, everyday western countries bombing on one pretext or the other. These
non-existing Muslims, for the entire civilized and keepers of the human rights
western countries, do not matter except on their database. And now the Muslims
of these Asian countries, as well as Muslims of the entire world, have accepted
the reality that now they have to extinguish the fire of terrorism that has
been ignited by the Islam hating communities. Al-Qaeda Boko Haram Afghan
Taliban ISIS and Pakistan Taliban or for that matter any other supremacist
ideology-driven fascist cannot fight without the sophisticated weapons that
they have. Countries that provide them arms and ammunition to spread terror
could have financed Muslims to practice education Jihad. But they did not do
so. Reasons best known to them.
Photo courtesy: QuranReading.com
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Education
is being provided and campaigned by the developed world for the people who are
loved not for the people who are hated. Hence, Muslims do not find themselves
mentioned anywhere in the implementation of educational facilities. Muslims for the reasons best known to the concerned,
are not encouraged to study in the government-run schools and colleges, in
various parts of the world, resultantly having no option they opt for madrasas
that are run by the 'guardians of one or the other ideologies'. Richest of all
the ideological masters have been the Wahhabism followers, so Wahhabi ideology
run madrasas with better hostel and mess facilities are the first option for
the poor Muslims of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and others. Thus
begins Muslim kids training in the ideology that teaches exclusivism and
supremacism.
On the other hand, the powers that be made all
efforts to keep Muslims illiterate and got successful in their plan by abusing
Muslims for being complacent towards modern education. The plan to let them die
for bread, not education was successfully implemented by those who fight for
ideology, not humanity. Now as is said,
one reaps what one sows, the knowingly kept illiterate Muslims grew into
terrorists and militants in place of scholars and scientists. Do not count
those terrorists who are known to be masters of science and technology in this
list as they are a pawn in the hands of self-greed and hypocrisy. They are the
sophisticated and elegant boss terrorists running the show from air-conditioned
villas, not the fighter terrorists, the killing and being killed battlefield
terrorists.
Had the
mechanically run killing machines been literate, they would not have accepted
the ideology of killing fellow beings. Had they at least been taught the Holy
Quran and the Prophetic traditions they would have been angel-like people in
the service of humanity as doctors and scientists, professors and scholars,
aware of what Allah the Most Compassionate says in the Holy Quran:
"Whosoever killed a person ... it shall be as if he had killed all
mankind" (Al-Maidah:32)
Education
will Diminish Terrorism
We, all who
are willing to see the end of terrorism from mother earth, need to educate
those who are treading the path of destruction, the terrorism. Those who are
fighting against western education should know, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) says: "Seek knowledge and
wisdom, or whatever the vessel from which it flows, you will never be the
loser." - Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The said tradition commands the
believers to acquire knowledge without discrimination between the Holy Quran,
Prophetic traditions, madrasas and English medium schools and universities.
The Muslims
should be told that this universe is created by Allah the Most Compassionate so
every subject, science, technology, medicine and philosophy along with courses
in Islamic studies are His creation, therefore, they must study all and benefit
from its knowledge. Muslims should also know about the following traditions of
Allah’s Apostle Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) that says acquiring knowledge is
the best form of worship and spreading knowledge is mandatory on every Muslim.
Consider the following traditions:
"The
best form of worship is the pursuit of knowledge." - Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
"Scholars
should endeavour to spread knowledge and provide education to people who have
been deprived of it. For, where knowledge is hidden it disappears."
Muslims
need to ask the following question asked by someone from the Messenger of Allah
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and the answer given by him should
be inscribed on the psyche of every Muslim. Prophet (ﷺ) says that it is mandatory for all
of us to constantly keep learning from others (irrespective of religion, caste
or creed) in whatever subject the knowledge may be available. Consider the
following Hadees:
Someone
asked the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ): "Who is the biggest
scholar?" Prophet (ﷺ) replied: "He who is constantly
trying to learn from others, for a scholar is ever hungry for more
knowledge."
Prophetic
Tradition on the Importance of Knowledge
The
acquisition of knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim, whether male or
female." - Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
"Seek
knowledge from the cradle to the grave." - Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
The
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever takes a path
upon which to obtain knowledge, Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for
him." (Tirmidhi)
"Contemplating
deeply for one hour (with sincerity) is better than 70 years of (mechanical)
worship." - Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
"To
listen to the words of the learned and to instil unto others the lessons of
science is better than religious exercises." - Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
Quranic
Verses on Education Being Mandatory
Allah, The
All-Wise, All-Knowing constantly describes the benefit of knowledge and the
rewards for acquiring knowledge and the obligation of spreading knowledge in
His revelations on the Prophet of Islam Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (ﷺ) in the Holy Quran. Muslim scholars and Quran
exegeses are duty-bound to spread education among the Muslims to get them rid
of illiteracy that has driven them to poverty and illiteracy.
“Proclaim!
(or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher (Quran, 96:1)
…they
could devote themselves to studies in religion, and admonish the people when they
return to them, – that thus they (may learn) to guard themselves (against
evil)” (Quran,
9:122)
For
verily Allah is with those who do right” (Quran, 29:69)
“It is
only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah." (Qur’an 35:28)
"And
they shall say had we but listened or used reason, we would not be among the
inmates of the burning fire." (Quran, 67:10)
Above
mentioned Quranic Ayaat should be a lesson for all those who matter in making
the world in general and Muslims in particular, study and be a positive source
of inclusiveness and ethics of pluralism. Education for all is the mantra for
all those who are concerned to bring spiritual and social developments to the
world. And let us all raise our hands in unison and ask our Creator to increase
our knowledge, "O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge" (20:114) and
reward us for spreading knowledge as far as possible.
To fight
the terrorism and militancy of every form either religious, ideological or
social, the world will have to begin an education Jihad and get rid of all
kinds of terror jihads.
And
Allah Knows the Best.
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Arman
Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL:
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