Updated: Tuesday August 12, 2014/AthThulatha
Shawwal 16, 1435/Mangalavara
Sravana 21, 1936, at 09:18:21 AM
The Ulema—Who Are They?
Glossary of Terms:
The Quran was revealed in the Arabic
language, the expression of which is neither poetry nor prose, but has its own
unique style and rhythm. It has rare
beauty and grandeur; it is sublime. To
translate such a language into another and retain its spirit, beauty, force,
and depth is just not possible. An
attempt can be made to translate a piece of literature, but when it comes to
the Quran, which is a charter of human rights—a constitution—one has to be
absolutely certain that the actual meaning is not lost during the course of translation. In addition, each language has its own
phrases, idioms, and expressions that are specific for its culture and
values. It is not possible to translate
a concept that exists in one culture into a single word of another language
that does not even recognize that concept.
This can be illustrated by Persian and Urdu translations—they retain
Arabic words like kafir, momin, mushrik, rahman, raheem, sabr, sawab, salat,
zakat, etc. These words were in use
before the advent of Islam and so the Arabs knew what they meant. It is of paramount importance for the reader
to know the meanings of these words because they convey specific Quranic
concepts and a simple English translation would either be in Biblical terms, or
out rightly contradictory to the spirit of the message. Finally, because these words are used
repeatedly in the Quran, we have provided a glossary to more efficiently
explain the concepts in their original form.
This glossary is based on the
following universally recognized dictionaries of the Arabic language at the
time of the Prophet (PBUH):
1.
Lane, Arabic—English lexicon
2.
Lisan-al-Arab
3.
Taj-ul-Urus
4.
Muhit-ul-Muhit
5.
Raghib, Mufridat-al-Quran
DIN—this word has been used in various
contexts, among them being ascendancy, sovereignty, management, conduct of
affairs, ruling power, mastership, ownership, exercise of power, code of law,
constitution, law of requital, an order.
The Quran has described Islam as Ad-Din, which is generally translated
as religion. However, in the light of
the above meanings, it should be clear that this is not only incorrect, but
distorts and negates the very meaning of din.
Islam is not a religion (madhab), and it has never been described as one
in the Quran. Islam is a way of life, a
system, a code of law. In the external
universe Islam signifies the Divine Order that governs life and the movement of
the entire universe. The whole purpose
of the Quran is to establish a universal order based on the Divinely ordained
values of life. This is ad-din.
MADHAB—literally means way or course. This word does not appear in the Quran and in
Islamic fiqh it stands for “school of thought”. It is usually translated as religion, and
since Islam is described as a religion in English, the word madhab has come
into use for it in Urdu as well. This is
a fundamental fallacy—it goes against the very essence of Islam, which is a
din, not a madhab.
HAQQ (and BAATIL)—usually
translated as truth or right. According
to Lane, its primary significance is the state of being just, righteous,
truthful, real or factual; established or confirmed so as to be
undeniable. These meanings make it clear
that haqq does not fall into the domain of ideas or thoughts; rather, it stands
for constructive results of beliefs which manifest themselves in tangible form
and are in harmony with the changing needs of the times. No belief or theory relating to this world
can be described as haqq unless its truth is established by a positive
manifestation of its constructive potential.
These results are permanent and unchanging.
The antithesis of haqq is batil. This does not merely stand for ideas or
actions with destructive potential, but includes all thinking and conduct that
do not lead to positive results. As haqq
means something that is real and true, batil refers to something that may be
imaginary and/or false.
EIMAN—to be convinced, to accept, to rely on,
or to have confidence in something. This
is usually translated as belief or faith, which implies acceptance without
proof or argument, and without reference to reason, thought, knowledge, or
insight. Faith is generally regarded as
the negation of knowledge and reason. It
has been said about Kant that, “he found it necessary to deny knowledge in
order to make room for faith.”
According to the Quran, however, Eiman is
not just belief, it is, in fact, what Kant calls knowledge. Eiman is synonymous with conviction and it is
based on reason and knowledge. The Quran
does not recognize belief that involves blind acceptance. It is true that Islam does include acceptance
of certain things that cannot be explained through sense perception, but there
is no reason to assume that these things do not exist. In fact, our reason and thinking would compel
us to recognize the existence of such things.
Eiman, according to the Quran, signifies conviction based on full mental
acceptance and intellectual satisfaction.
It gives one a feeling of amn—inner contentment and peace (notice
that these words have a common root).
Thus, Eiman means to believe, admit, or accept something, to testify to
its truthfulness, to have confidence in and to rely on that belief, and to bow
in obedience.
There
are five fundamental facts stated in the Quran that one must accept in order to
be a Muslim: belief in 1) Allah, 2) the law of mukafat and the
afterlife, 3) angels (malaika), 4) the revelations, and 5) the
messengers. Belief in Allah means not
only to profess obedience but also to show it through one’s actions. Belief in the law of mukafat means to
have conviction that every action has an inescapable consequence or
reward. Angels are not the winged
creatures so popularly depicted, but heavenly forces that carry out the laws of
Allah governing the universe. They
figuratively bow to Allah since they follow His orders, and they “bow” to
mankind because we are able to study, manipulate, and conquer them. Belief in the revelations and messengers
implies not only believing in the historical details but also acknowledging
that human intellect alone cannot safely reach the final destination of life;
that guidance in the form of wahi delivered by the messengers is necessary to
progress.
Therefore, a momin is one who has firm
conviction and trust in the prevailing laws of the universe as well as the laws
revealed through wahi. He/she accepts
the truth in such a way that ensures his/her own peace and helps to safeguard
the peace and security of humankind.
Al-momin is indeed one of the characteristics of Allah.
KUFR—this is the negation of Eiman. It means to deny the truth, or to defy the
laws of Allah. The root means to cover
or conceal. Kufr means open
denial, not hypocrisy. A kaafir
has the decency to proclaim his/her beliefs, and so is not as damned as the
hypocrite. The definition also includes
concealing or withholding the means of subsistence that Allah has created for
the good of all humankind, which are supposed to be freely available to
everyone.
JAHANNAM—usually
translated as hell, this word has been inadequately described in English
terms. It is a Hebrew compound of the
words ji and hinnum; meaning the
Jannah and jahannum do not stand for
places or localities; they denote different conditions of human life that have
been described metaphorically. It should
be clear that these conditions do not only relate to life in the hereafter—they
have their beginnings in this world. A
social order based upon Quranic foundations results in a heavenly situation:
the necessities of life are available in excess and are secured in decent ways
befitting human dignity. This brings
true happiness and peace of mind. In
contrast, a society based on laws other than Allah’s will invariably lead to
misery and collapse as has been so abundantly illustrated throughout history.
RABB—usually translated in English as
lord. This is actually opposite in
meaning to the true essence of the word.
Rabb means one who enables something to grow and develop, eventually
fulfilling its potential; to bring something to perfection. Nothing in the universe starts out being
perfect; everything is born with potential that, when actualized, enables that object
to become what it was designed to be—including humans. We are endowed with manifold potentialities
that enable us to rise to the highest point of human existence when fully
developed. According to Arabic lexicons,
Rabb means one who looks after something and beautifies it, keeps something in
place, and continuously provides nourishment.
The natural result of nourishment is greenery and growth; thus,
evergreen trees (that maintain their greenery year round) are called al-ribbatu.
The
process by which one fulfills his/her potential is called rububiyat. The Quran seeks to establish a social order
under which the latent potential of every individual can be fully
realized. This realization will include
the sustenance and growth of one’s body as well as one’s mental and spiritual
potential. This kind of social system is
called the rububiyat order, and its establishment is the ultimate purpose of
the deen of Islam.
TAQWA—the common English equivalent, piety,
does not express the real meaning of the word.
Deviation from the right path leads human beings to ruin; taqwa is the
act of keeping them on the right path.
Merely saving oneself from ruin is a negative virtue, and the Quran
emphasizes the positive aspect of life.
Therefore, taqwa means not only saving oneself from destructive forces,
but also stabilizing one’s personality through preservation and enforcement of
the laws of Allah—in other words, taking a step in the right direction. Waqa means to protect something from
harm; in verse 2/24 Allah exhorts us to protect ourselves from the fire (fattaqun
naar). A very illustrative example
is of someone walking through a thorn bush.
The thorns represent destructive forces that are ready to snag at the
clothing of someone walking through.
Those who have taqwa will save themselves from these thorns by gathering
their clothes and walking carefully so that they do not get scratched by the
thorns. Ittaqullah has been used
numerous times in the Quran and means to follow and remain in harmony with the
laws of Allah. In verse 5/2 it has been used
as an antonym of udwan, or rebellion, disobedience.
Muttaqi (pl. muttaqeen) is
a person who leads a life of taqwa, eschewing things that are injurious to
their personalities and espousing the laws of Allah.
INTRODUCTION
The capacity to acquire knowledge makes
human beings the most superior of creations.
But what is knowledge? Who is
entitled to be called a knowledgeable person (ulema)? What is the Quranic point of view on
this? Before dealing with these
fundamental questions, let us look at the historical perspective.
In the world of knowledge, the
ancient Greek philosophers enjoyed a highly distinguished position. In fact, the history of humanity traces the
beginning of knowledge and wisdom to ancient
For Socrates, human beings were the
only object of study while the universe was of no consequence. Plato went one step further and denied the
very existence of the universe. For him,
the real world was the “world of ideas” and the material world was only a
shadow of the real world. Since the
perceivable world was not real, any knowledge gained from its study would also
be unreal, and thus unreliable. Plato
believed in the abstract only, and denied the concrete.
The Greek view of knowledge was
mostly subjective, i.e., it belonged to human consciousness or the perceiving
ego, and there was no objective test of the truth. There is no doubt that the ancient world
produced some great philosophies at a time when human beings were comparatively
primitive and governed more or less by suggestion. But we must not forget that these theories
were the work of abstract thought, which cannot go beyond the systemization of
vague religious beliefs and traditions, and they give us no insight into concrete
situations of life.
MYSTICISM
This
Platonic philosophy ultimately became the basis of Greek mysticism. Later on, the same philosophy took the form
of Vadantic Theory (Hindu mysticism) in
This
philosophy created a negative mental attitude towards the material world that
caused many religious people to start despising it. Later on, this same philosophy found its way
into Muslim thought, via Persian mysticism.
Under its effect, the forward looking and progressive Muslim nation was
brought to a miserable standstill.
The attitude of people towards the
world before the revelation of the Quran was that this universe is unreal, an
illusion, and any knowledge concerning it is presumption.
THE QURANIC CHALLENGE
The Quran
challenged those speculative philosophies and demolished the very basis of
Platonic theory:
“The creation
of whatever is in the heights and depths of the universe and all that is in
between is not without purpose. It is
presumption on the part of Unbelievers who think the universe is not real. The result of denying such a great truth will
be that all their efforts and achievements in life will end up in smoke.” (38:27)
The
Quran states that the negative attitude towards the material world brings
hardship to human beings. Mysticism is
the exemplar of such an attitude; instead of recognizing this world as a happy
and vibrant place full of possibilities, mystics view it as a massive jailhouse
in which inmates are serving time.
To
reject the claim of those for whom the creation of the universe is merely a
drama, the Quran says, “The creation of the heavens and the Earth and that
which is between them is not a game.” (21/16)
The creation is real. However,
Allah does not expect these claims to be accepted without any scrutiny or
investigation; on the contrary, these claims are based on reason and should be
judged on the basis of discernment and insight.
This is why “there are well explained facts for those who have
knowledge.” (10/5)
THE QURANIC DEFINITION OF KNOWLEDGE
Now
the next logical question arises: what is knowledge? The Quran says, “Do not pursue that of which
you have no knowledge. The hearing and
sight and the heart—all of them shall have to answer whether personal inquiry
was made concerning the matter.”
(17/36) The words hearing and
seeing refer to human senses and the Arabic word heart is also used to mean the
mind. The following example illustrates
the point of this verse: you hear a
gunshot. It is followed by a scream and
moans of pain. When you go to see what
happened you discover that your best friend has been shot and you are consumed
with feelings of vengeance towards the shooter.
In this situation your feelings are backed by your first hand knowledge
of the events. On the other hand, if you
do not hear a gunshot and you do not see your injured friend, but you are
consumed with hate anyway for some person you think may have committed a crime,
you are acting on hearsay and not knowledge because your senses and mind were
not involved in arriving at the conclusion.
Thus the Quran strikes at the Platonic philosophy once again. Plato said that knowledge gained through the
senses is not reliable, whereas the Quran is saying that anything not verified
by the senses and mind cannot be regarded as knowledge. This shows how valuable sense-perception is
in Islam. The Quranic concept of
knowledge is objective and the knowledge of the non-ego is superior to that of
the ego. The revelation of the Quran
marked the birth of inductive intellect.
Inductive reason alone allows the human being to become master of
his/her environment. Islam has created
and fostered the spirit of critical observation of outer experience by
divesting the forces of nature of that divine character with which the earlier
culture had clothed them. The important
thing to note is that the Quran, for purposes of knowledge, fixes its gaze on
the concrete and finite. It is also
abundantly clear that the birth of the method of observation and experimental
science in Islam was due not to a compromise with Greek thought but to a
prolonged intellectual warfare with it.
THOSE WHO DO NOT USE THEIR SENSES
In view of the
importance given to human senses and the mind, the Quran declares in the
clearest terms that people who do not use their senses and their minds are not
living their lives on a human level.
They are in fact living on an animalistic level and are admonished: “Many among human beings have adopted a lifestyle
that will lead them to hell. They have a
mind but do not use it to think and reflect.
They have eyes but do not see.
They have ears but cannot hear.
They are not human beings and are even worse than animals. They are neglectful.” (7/179)
This verse also indicates that knowledge is only that which can be
explained by the senses and the mind.
Intangible, abstract matters have nothing to do with the senses. Observation of natural phenomena and the
study of the universe, experimentation to discover the laws of creation,
maintenance, and workings of the components of the universe are the
applications of sense-perception. In
modern terminology this is called scientific knowledge. As the Quran states, the pursuit of such
knowledge is the duty of all believers (momineen).
THE FOLLOWERS OF ALLH’S LAWS
The
Quran emphasizes the observation and study of natural phenomena and the laws of
the universe. “In the creation of the
heavens and the earth and the alteration of the night and day there are signs
for people of understanding.”
(3/189) These people are those
who “whatever condition they are in, keep Allah’s laws in sight. They ponder the creation of the heavens and
earth and after thorough observation and experiment, they declare on the basis
of reason that O Sustainer! You did not
create this universe in jest.” (3/190)
Here,
as on other occasions, the Quran states something of paramount importance. It claims that nothing in the universe has
been created without a purpose. There is
nothing in the universe that is useless or that does not benefit mankind in
some way. Lack of knowledge on the part
of humans makes it seem as though there are pointless creations, and as a
result of this ignorance all of mankind suffers. Thus, it is the duty of Muslims to
substantiate this Quranic claim based on research and investigation. This is no easy task, and requires a vast
network of laboratories and scientists and continuous research. However, people who make the effort will
learn the laws that will enable them to conquer the forces of nature whereas
those who do not will eventually lag behind and become weak and vulnerable.
SIGNS OF ALLAH
As
mentioned above, it is the duty of the Muslim ummah to understand the laws of
nature and utilize them for the benefit of mankind.
“There are signs for the believers in the
heavens and the earth. In creation, and
all the animals that He scattered on the earth are portents for the believers;
and in the alteration of night and day and the sustenance sent down by the sky
that revives the earth after its death, and in the change of winds are hints
for those who have sense. These are the
revelations we have presented to you in truth.
For those who will reject, what other truth can convince them?” (45/3-6)
Allah
has stated in unambiguous terms that belief in Him comes through the study of
nature and its laws. If studying natural
law does not lead one to believe in Allah, then nothing else can. This astounding declaration illustrates the
importance of studying natural phenomena.
Real belief based on reason can only be achieved through this method.
SEEING ALLAH
Saying
that Allah “reveals Himself” through natural phenomena is not a flight of
fancy. The Quran explains this as well
as the goal of human life and the purpose of following the laws of Allah. Everyone wants to “meet” or “find”
Allah. The Quran says, “Allah is He who
raised the heavens without any visible support, firmly in charge of the central
control. He has subjected the sun and
moon (to His laws), each one runs its course for an appointed time. He regulates all affairs, explaining things
in detail, that you may believe with certainty in meeting your Rabb.” (13/2)
The Quran describes the setup of the universe and follows by saying that
meeting with Allah is possible. It
indicates that if you want Allah to reveal himself to you then you have to
study the universe, scrutinize every object in it, and through observation and
experiment, discover the laws governing this system. Thus all the mysteries of Nature will be
unlocked one by one and you will gain insight into how Allah is sustaining this
universe. This is what meeting
and “seeing” Allah means. As far as the
entity of Allah is concerned, He is beyond the comprehension of human minds,
let alone sense-perception. Seeing or
meeting Him does not refer to the physical sense, it means gaining knowledge of
how the universe functions and is regulated by Him. It is clear that according to the Quran, only
those who observe natural phenomena can know how Allah runs the universe. It is a long, arduous process which sometimes
requires scaling the highest peaks of the Himalayas, diving to the bottomless
depths of the
WHO ARE THE DEVOTED BELIEVERS (MUTTAQEEN)
The
verse mentioned above describes the muttaqeen.
It goes on to say, “Those who expect not the meeting with Us, but desire
the life of this world and feel secure therein, and those who are neglectful of
our revelations are doomed people because of their negligence.” (10/7)
These verses offer a cause for the cyclical rise and fall of
nations. Those who are satisfied with
the status quo and do not strive for improvement and a better future are devoid
of thought and action; they fall from grace and are left far behind in the
struggle of life. In contrast, those
nations that work hard to develop new inventions and make new discoveries surge
far ahead. Because of their initiative
and well directioned hard work, nature rewards them by revealing its hidden
treasures.
A LIFE OF DEPRIVATION
“Those
who disbelieve in Allah’s revelations and in their meeting with Him, such are
deprived of the means of sustenance—an extreme penalty.” (29/23)
In this verse, being deprived of the amenities of life is considered a
great penalty. For example, rivers of
petroleum flowed under the desserts of
Some
people think that “meeting Allah” means being accountable to Him for our deeds
after our death. Though in the context
of the above mentioned verses this meaning is not appropriate, the fact remains
that in order to believe in a meeting with Allah, observation and study of
natural phenomena is vital. Life after
death and accountability for actions is an essential part of our belief.
PROOF
In
the above paragraphs the Quran has explained that:
i) Knowledge is only that which can be
verified by the human senses and mind,
ii) Use of the senses means to observe
natural phenomena, study the laws of nature, carry out consistent research, and
experience the revelation of Allah’s laws that run the universe and provide
systematic sustenance, growth, and development.
Such practice
is the hallmark of believers in general and the duty of muttaqeen in
particular. This is zikr-o-fikr
i-khudawandi, or following the laws of Allah. This behavior brings to light the hidden
secrets of the universe and on the basis of knowledge we can say to our Rabb,
“You did not create anything in vain.”
This is not all
that must be done. Allah has stated that
there is testimony to the truth of Quranic claims in the form of signs provided
by Him in the universe. “We will show
them our signs in the farthest regions of the earth, and in their own minds
until it becomes manifest that this is the Truth.” (41/53)
As an aside, when the entanglements of truth in the intricacies of time
can be sorted out through human knowledge and effort, only then will these
claims become manifest. In this verse
the word anfus (internal world) is mentioned along with afaq
(external world), which shows that science is not confined to the laws of
physics but encompasses all the social sciences as well, the latter of which
have to be developed by practical research.
History, psychology, and sociology are important in this
distinction. With the passage of time
the physical and social sciences will continue to reveal and confirm the claims
made by the Quran. This is obvious since
the Quran is the book of Allah and He sees everything all the time. “Is it not enough that Allah oversees all
things.” (41/53) Whatever He reveals about the universe and
objects within it is based on fact and is not a presumption. “Say, the Quran was revealed by Him who knows
the secrets of the heavens and the earth.”
(25/6)
It will be
fitting to mention a book named The Great Design. A questionnaire was sent to a large number of
scholars around the world asking whether each one felt that the universe was
functioning according to a definite system, or whether it came into being
accidentally and is being governed similarly.
The answers were compiled into the above-mentioned book without any review
or editing. All of the scholars reached
the same conclusion based on their individual fields of research: that this
universe is functioning in accordance with an established order designed by an
all-knowing creator. They appreciate the
order and discipline of the system but being oblivious of the Quran, cannot
correctly identify the entity that is running such a harmonious and efficient
system. However, they are observing His
great system of sustenance (Rabubuiyat) personally. With such a foundation it would be easy for
these kind of scholars to discover the truthfulness of the Quran if someone
presented it to them.
Maurice
Bucaille, in his book The Bible, the Quran and Science, discusses
various Quranic claims that are verified by modern scientific research.
People who have
been unaware of these signs in the universe have their doubts about seeing
proof of Allah. In fact they would not
have to go very far to do so; the study of any object in the universe can
provide evidence for the workings of Allah’s laws. The rabubiyat order is not tied to any one
thing but encompasses the whole of the universe: “Indeed, are they in doubt
concerning the meeting with Allah? It is
He who controls all things.” (41/54)
WHO ARE SCHOLARS (THE ULEMA)
We
have so far seen the Quranic definition of knowledge. By knowing this it is easy to figure out
who, according to the Quran, is a knowledgeable person and what the term
actually means. The Quran has even
explained this fact so there is no confusion:
“Did you not ponder the rain that Allah
caused to fall from the sky, with which we produce fruit of diverse colors; and
among the mountains there are layers of red and white which differ in shade and
type, some being dark in color.
Similarly, humans and animals are of different colors and kinds. Among the followers of Allah and
knowledgeable persons (ulema) are those who are awestruck by the greatness of
Allah.” (35/27-28)
These
two verses deal with different parts of the universe, different branches of
nature, and different fields of science.
Physics, botany, zoology, and the humanities are all touched upon. The knowledgeable persons are awestruck
because their insight has convinced them of His power and Wisdom in controlling
the universe perfectly. The Quran has referred
to those people as ulema, and in modern terminology they are called
scientists. These are the people who
study nature and after observation and consistent experimentation, conquer the
forces of nature. Allah has put the
forces of nature under our control, but only those who know the laws can
manipulate these forces. The only way to
become one of the ulema is to acquire this knowledge.
THE ULEMA (MULLAHS)
After
learning the Quranic definition of ulema, it is an interesting exercise to
compare our current ulema with it. They
do not know the fundamentals of natural sciences, and their knowledge is
limited to theoretical discussions and verbal emendations. These discussions are mostly related to
issues that have no bearing on the universe or the practical life of
people. The curriculum of religious
schools is spread over ten years during which students study logic, philosophy,
rhetoric, grammar, literature, etc, most of which is outdated. They also learn about astronomy, geometry,
and arithmetic, which are also outdated.
It is curious to note that the study of the Quran is not included in the
curriculum. A certain exegesis
(Jilalain) is taught that consists of only synonyms of the Quranic words. In the last year of study an exegesis of the
second chapter of the Quran is taught (Bazadi).
This is the education upon completion of which they receive
certification for becoming an aalim (knowledgeable person). Here is a case in point to illustrate just
how much knowledge these people have:
When
the use of loudspeakers was introduced in
“The device, about which the opinion has
been sought, has not been seen but it is heard that such a device, when it is
placed in front of an orator and he speaks while facing it, the device absorbs
the sound and then broadcasts it to such a distance that the sound would not
reach even a quarter of the distance without the help of the device.” (Naqeeb, 10 Nov. 1941)
The Mufti then
gave his verdict in favor of the use of loudspeakers. However, another aalim, Mufti Mohammad
Shafee, a senior teacher in the religious
CLARIFICATION OF A MISUNDERSTANDING
From
the various explanations so far it is evident that, according to the Quran, the
Mumineen, Muttaqeen, those who abide by and keep Allah’s laws in sight, and
those who have faith and long to “meet” with Allah, are people who study the
universe and perform practical research on the objects therein as well as the
forces of nature. The experience thus
gained is called knowledge, and the Quran calls those who have this knowledge
ulema.
At
this point it comes to mind that European and North American nations are not
Mumin and Muttaqi in the true sense of the words. While it is very important to acquire
scientific knowledge, it is wrong to assume that just by doing so one can
become a Mumin or Muttaqi. The critical
factor is whether one uses the information according to the laws of Allah. So, there are two conditions in becoming a
Mumin: to gain knowledge from nature, and to use it according to the
injunctions of Allah. The Quran demands
that “its system be accepted in its totality.”
(2/208) A nation that does not
meet both of these criteria cannot be Mumin, and since Muslims fail regarding
the first condition, we cannot claim to be Mumin. In addition, if we do not have knowledge of
the forces of nature, we will not be able to use them as Allah has advised in
the Quran. In contrast, Western nations
do not fulfill the second criterion; thus, on a practical level, Muslims and
western non-Muslims are in the same position.
In
order to use the forces of nature in accordance with Allah’s laws it is absolutely
necessary to study the Quran because these laws are contained within it. Those who are firmly grounded in knowledge
conduct affairs of the state according to Allah’s injunctions because they know
“if any fail to judge by the light what Allah has revealed, they are no better
than the unbelievers.” (5/44) As a result of rejecting the Quran, human
society, in spite of its prosperity, turns its environment into a living hell. This progressive demise is evident in western
culture. Despite all their scientific
prowess they cannot find the right solution to human problems. Their senses and mind are not helping them,
and about these kinds of nations the Quran says, “And we had firmly established
them in prosperity and power. And we
endowed them with hearing, sight, a heart, and intellect. But of no avail to them were their faculties
when they went on rejecting the commandments of Allah, and they were encircled
by that which they used to mock.”
(46/26)
If
Western nations use the forces as well as the rewards of nature in Allah’s
cause, the hell through which all of humanity is suffering would be transformed
into a much sought after paradise. Those
who are satisfied with the status quo and do not act according to Allah’s law
of Rububiyat live a damned life. In
contrast, people who have firm belief in the word of Allah and work
constructively within Allah’s system are on the right path and enjoy gardens of
lush verdure. They are concerned for
each other’s well being and recognize that the universe has not been created in
vain. Such a society will continue to
expand until it encompasses the whole of humanity, and at that time everyone
will acknowledge that Allah’s system of universal sustenance is superlative.
CONCLUSION
If
we Muslims want to shape our society according to the Quran,then we must become
competent researchers and scientists in every field ofknowledge.
Throughobservation and experiment in both the internal world (anfus) and
externalworld (afaq), the forces of nature can be harnessed and then the
rewardsamassed can be used and distributed according to the laws given in
theQuran. Only people with thesecharacteristics are qualified to be called
ulema. If we continue to hold our currentdistorted view of knowledge in Islam,
not only will meeting with Allah beimpossible, but we will not even be included
in the category of livingnations.
Posted on August 12, 2014
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