Reformation Is Urgently Needed As Muslim Community's Actions Blatantly Violate Islamic Principles
By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
30 September 2023
This Essay Delves Into The Comprehension Of Muslim
Culture In Terms Of Faith, Belief, And Practice. It Also Deals With Makkan Polytheists'
Claim Of Belonging To Millat-e-Ibrahimi
Main Points
1.
Islam, as enshrined
in the Holy Quran, aims to promote peace, abolish injustice, and promote proper
worship, fostering harmony and comfort among all the servants of God Almighty.
2.
Despite Muslims'
unwavering commitment to Islam, there are evident signs that their actions are
in direct violation of Islamic teachings.
3.
The essay advocates
for a re-evaluation of Islamic practices in marriage, divorce, and inheritance,
urging intellectuals to avoid comparing Muslims and non-Muslims to reduce
conflicts and injustices.
4.
Muslim societies are
grappling with widespread divorce, dowry demands, and land disputes, leading to
family destruction.
5.
In India, Muslim
families also face serious accusations of dowry, domestic violence, and false
sexual allegations, but the accusers are Muslims who do not fear God Almighty
when they do so.
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Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlavi wrote about Arab
polytheists and the Millat-e-Ibrahimi (Abrahamic Religion) in his book
Al-Fawz-ul-Kabeer. He asserts that the
Holy Qur'an mentions five sciences that cover a range of other sciences. Under
the heading of "Ilm Al-Jadal Wa Al-Mukhashama [the Science of
debate]," the author believes that the Holy Qur'an extensively highlights
the four sects (polytheists, Jews, Christians, and hypocrites) in several
Surahs and verses.
He said that the Holy Quran explained the major mistakes and
misguidances of the Arab polytheists and offered them to adopt reforms based on
obvious proof and universal signs. The verses of the Quran make it clear that
the creation of the earth and the sky, the fact that the sun, moon, and stars
are subject to the orders of Allah Almighty, the placement of mountains on the
earth so that it does not move with humans, etc. are among the things that
provide clear evidence that God Almighty is One, that there is no other god but
Him, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
In his work, Shah Waliullah Sahib asserts that the Holy
Qur'an mentions five fundamental sins committed by Arab polytheists: Polytheism
(Shirk), Anthropomorphism (Tashbih), Change/Alteration (Tahrif),
Denial of the Day of Resurrection or Life After death, and Denial of the
Prophetic Mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Among the countless followers of Shah Sahib are both the
clerical group of Muslims and the general group of Muslims. This is why he
clearly explains how the Holy Quran mentioned these major errors; how was the
literary style of the Holy Quran to narrate it, what the polytheists' questions
and objections were, and how the Holy Qur'an responded to them, as well as how
the Holy Qur'an informed all of mankind that in this Holy Book there are clear
indications for the believers who act not only in accordance with their
intellects but also in accordance with their hearts and who are not only
eligible to hold the belief but also demonstrate it.
It is known from studying the Holy Quran that this is the
Religion, this is Islam, in which there is no coercion, no oppression, no
abuse, and no terrorism. Instead, Islam came for the benefit of humanity and to
create a climate of peace and contentment in the world. But some people are not
ready to accept that. Islam came to abolish injustice and corruption, as well
as racism against white and black people. Islam came to defend the oppressed
and comfort the weak and the needy. It has brought a message of true and pure
love. It talks about justice and fairness for everyone, regardless of whether
someone is Muslim or not. It has arrived to instruct the faithful in the proper
manner of worship.
Islam requires all mankind to repent in order to ask
forgiveness for all the sins done throughout history. Islam is about inviting
people to keep the conviction that one will be resurrected from the dead, to
remember the Day of Resurrection and Reckoning, and to hold the Islamic Faith
and Belief as well as to carry out good acts.
By teaching faith, belief, prayer, fasting, and Hajj, Islam
gives examples of how to uphold the rights of Allah. It also gives numerous
examples of how to uphold human rights, especially the rights of the needy
servants by making the payment of Zakat, which provides financial aid to the
underprivileged and is a required duty for believers who are eligible to do so.
Having kept these factors in mind, let's go on to Shah
Sahib's arguments. He asserts that the
Arab polytheists referred to themselves as Hunafaa, the plural form of
Haneef. Haneef literally refers to a person who abstains from all disbeliefs
and misguidances in addition to doing good deeds. Hanif is commonly referred to
as an adherent of the Abrahamic Faith.
The polytheists called themselves Hunafaa or the
followers of the Millat-e-Ibrahimi (Abrahamic Religion), therefore he
says, the Holy Quran rejected this claim of the polytheists in light of the
clear evidence.
According to Shah Sahib's description of the situation, the
major disbelief and misguidances that Arabian polytheists had acquired and that
had caused them to depart from the Abrahamic Faith were Polytheism (Shirk),
Anthropomorphism (Tashbih), Change/Alteration (Tahrif), Denial of
the Day of Resurrection or Life After death, and Disbelief in the Prophetic
Mission of the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Shah Sahib then goes into a little more depth on how, at
various points in history, Arabian polytheists abandoned the Millat-e-Ibrahimi,
or symbolic beliefs and acts of the Abrahamic Faith. Shah Sahib wishes to instil in his
intelligent readers the idea that making a claim about anything does not
automatically make it true; rather, it is required to request clear evidence in
support of the claim before deciding whether to accept or reject it.
In its original form, the Millat-e-Ibrahimi was a model of
good beliefs and good deeds, free from Polytheism, Anthropomorphism,
Alteration, and Denial of the Hereafter. However, as time went on, evil deeds
like theft, adultery, usurpation, injustice, oppression, and usury spread among
the polytheists of Arabia. When Islam arrived, it taught not just the Arabian
polytheists but also the rest of humanity about the authentic
Millat-e-Ibrahimi, in which these immoral practises were prohibited and were
thereafter prohibited in Islam.
The primary goal of this essay is to convey the idea that
despite Muslims' unwavering commitment to Islam, there are evident signs that
their actions are in direct violation of Islamic teachings.
As a result, we are unable to substantiate our claims, which
shows that despite our claims to be Muslims, we actually do not uphold Islamic
teachings and have ceased to practise Islam. Our moral and spiritual behaviour
is highly corrupted in many ways. When we struggle, we remember and pray to
All-Powerful God, and the struggle ends. However, we do not consider our
actions, which are frequently immoral, thus it is accurate to state that our
present condition is a result of our immoral actions.
Although we recite the Islamic Kalima and believe in all the
heavenly Books including the Torah [the Arabic name for the first books of the
Jewish Bible revealed to the Prophet Moses be upon him], the Injil [the
Arabic name for the Gospel of the Prophet Jesus (Isa, peace be upon him), the
final Holy book, the Quran, Angels, the Day of Resurrection, the Day of
Judgement, and the Day of Reckoning. Thus, we are believers and known as
Muslims. But we are simply nominal Muslims since our behaviours have gotten so
corrupt that Islam does not appear to be reflected in them. Not only Namaz, five-time prayers, but also
ethical behaviours are missing in our practical life. This implies that there
are some of us who identify as Muslims, yet their behaviours do not honour
their faith.
The teachings and values of Islam are being neglected due to
increased ignorance and neglect. Some Muslims commit crimes such as theft,
usury, adultery, slander, cheating, lying, envy, suspicion, anger, denying
rights, breaking human hearts, strangling justice, contributing to oppression
and injustice, causing harm to people and causing a mountain of injustice in
their lives. How can they be completely practical Muslims if they act in such
unethical ways? It is not the purpose of this article to discuss the fact that
they are crimes under Islamic law and that some of them are also crimes under
the national law.
Let's meditate and ask ourselves. Have we not long since
abandoned adhering to Islamic guidelines regarding marriage and divorce, or the
topic of inheriting land or other possessions. When discussing divorce cases,
some of our intellectuals seem to compare Muslims and non-Muslims and then
declare abruptly that there are less divorce cases as compared to others.
Without drawing any comparisons, they fail to acknowledge that they can do
nothing this way to reduce the number of divorces, injustices, and conflicts in
Muslim households. They must decide whether comparisons are required for
reformation.
Divorce is common in our Muslim society, and dowry demand is
pervasive. When one brother's land and possessions are being unjustly held by
another brother in a Muslim village, such as that more frequently found in
Bihar, despite the presence of a sizable Muslim panchayat, the Muslim villagers
enjoy the dispute rather than trying to find a peaceful solution.
According to sources, there are a lot of these disagreements
in Bihar alone, and despite some efforts by the current government, the
administration authorities fail to control the situation on a broader level. As
a result, the disputes continue to result in murder and family destruction.
Instead of following Islamic guidelines on the best ways to
resolve a dispute between a husband and wife, one Muslim family vows to teach a
lesson by entangling the other Muslim family in false accusations. Although disputes
may include trivial issues, the accusations are often serious, severe, and
mentally harassing, including dowry, domestic violence, and false sexual
allegations. In India, Muslim families are not the only ones to face serious
accusations of dowry, domestic violence, and false sexual allegations, but the
accusers are Muslims who do not fear God Almighty when they do so.
The survey found that a significant number of Muslim
families including very old and young, husbands and wives, have spent many
years centring their lives on the court. Many lawyers enjoy going on dates
after dates for the case, whereas some of them are genuinely interested in
settling the conflict between two families, whether or not doing so entails
bringing them together. The readers can conduct more investigation to confirm
the number of active cases.
On Fridays, however, these Muslims dress in Kurta pyjamas,
caps, and apply perfumes to show their Islam. Is it not true that we are
distressed by the state of Muslim society, which we cannot fully express in
words? How all the precepts of Islam on forgiving, justice, kinfolk, and the
payment of rights seem to have been lost on these Muslims.
The polytheists of the Arabs had abandoned their adherence
to the Millat-e-Ibrahimi in terms of both faith and action, whereas this small
group of Muslims have not abandoned Islam in terms of faith and are still
following Islam in terms of faith but have abandoned Islam in terms of actions.
As a result, the Muslims responsible for these evil deeds cannot be fully
compared to the polytheists of the Arabs.
Also keep in mind that certain Muslims have grown so
radicalised in their interpretation of Islamic practices that they have gained
notoriety throughout the world as “jihadists”, “Islamists”, and terrorists.
Certain Muslims even utilise stoves and gas in mosques, when they enter there
in the mission of their Tabligh. As they
live inside the Mosques, they also begin to ponder taking a nap, and then
consider the mat of the mosques as their sleeping sheet. When a person is alone and praying there, he
may occasionally also be bothered by the Tablighi person snoring next to him.
Despite a few bad behaviours, these Muslims cannot be fully
equated to the polytheistic Arabs, but there is undoubtedly a lesson to be
learnt. We should pause, take some time
to meditate, and consider how many wrongdoings have entered our hands. We have
either lost sight of the practical teachings and moral values of Islam or a
veil of negligence has covered us, depending on how far we have deviated from
its teachings in practice. How will it be comprehended? How will we know if our
claims that we are following the path of Islam are at least somewhat false?
Although it has become popular in our Muslim culture to
engage in immoral behaviours and haram actions, we are the ones who merely go
out on Fridays donning caps, applying perfume, and donning kurta-pyjamas, which
signifies that we are Muslims. The majority of us live carelessly and in
violation of Islamic values and ethics all year long, visiting mosques only on
Fridays or during the fasting month of Ramadan, when Satan is imprisoned. They
don't consider how they can improve as Muslims.
When will we Muslims start to grasp these concepts? It is
important to emphasize the moral and ethical precepts of Islam, such as doing
good deeds and having moral character, in addition to its core beliefs. Then,
our culture will be seen as Muslim in terms of faith, belief, and practice.
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A regular
Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and
Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar), with a Sufi-Sunni background and
English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. He has also done B. A (Hons.) in Arabic, M.A.
in Arabic and M.A. in English from JMI, New Delhi. He is Interested in Islamic
Sciences; Theology, Jurisprudence, Tafsir, Hadith and Islamic mysticism
(Tasawwuf).
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic
Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism