In The Context of Religion, Old Is Not Always Gold
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
2 August
2022
Muslims
or Hindus or Christians of the Past Were No Better Than Today's Muslims, Hindus
and Christians
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“Waqt Ke
Mutabiq Zindagi Basar Kar/ Daur-E-Guzhista Ko Paimana-E-Hayaat Na Samajh “(Live life according to the
contemporary times/Don't view the past as the yardstick of life). This pertains
to Arshad Alam's bold and brilliant piece, “How Relevant is the Prophetic Model Today?” As expected, a modern ' Imam
Ghazali ' posted a meandering rejoinder extolling Muhammad and his 'immaculate'
persona. Well, that's inconsequential. The point is, Arshad Alam's intrepid
analysis is an open sesame to further discussions on not just Muslims' tendency
to eulogise the past but also of all mortals who feel nostalgically good to
bask in the romanticised glory of the days gone by.
In
Mahabharata, the grand patriarch Bhishma often says, “Puranmityev Na Saadhu
Sarvam “(Old is NOT always gold and right). Past is good for reference, but
not ideal for living in the present. Just like nostalgic Muslims, today's '
Sanatani ' Hindus are also constantly reminding their co-religionists of an
imaginary Satyug when everything was quintessentially good and perfect.
This is nothing but indolent lotus-eating.
Muslims or
Hindus or Christians of the past were no better than today's Muslims, Hindus
and Christians. According to sociologists, there has been a more or less
religious status quo right from the inception of every religion. In fact, we've
become a trifle better than our religiously sanguinary ancestors. Today, no Adi
Shankar can dare burn a Jain or Buddhist monk, no Christian can even think of
burning a heretic at stake or no Muslim may openly go on beheading those not
converting to Islam.
The
unnecessary glorification of the past, esp. religious past, is an impediment to
moving ahead. Muslims must come out of the mental ghetto of yore when Khalil
Khaan Fakhta Udaya Karte Thay. Don't forget that you're in different times
and climes with different values and parameters of life. Way back in 1930, Dr
Muhammad Iqbal exhorted Muslims to get rid of their grovelling Seerat un-Nabi
Syndrome during his lectures in Madras (Reconstruction of Religious Thought in
Islam). What he meant was, Renaissance of Islam and Muslims' disassociation
with the past. Altaf Hussain Hali ' Panipati ' also said the same thing in his
Musaddas-e-Hali.
Past takes
you back and is always regressive. Muslims' sickening veneration of Muhammad
smacks of hero-worship and this relegates Islam to a cult. Calling him
Mard-e-Kaamil or flawless will only evoke criticism. Be open to flaws and
foibles of your religion and its revered characters and never forget the words
of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, " So long as an individual is in a human
body, whether he/she is an apostle or prophet, infallibility is impossible
" (courtesy, an interview to The Indian Express during Dr King's visit to
India in 1959).
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A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/hindus-muslims-christians-religion-gold/d/127633
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