وَاِذَا مَسَّ الۡاِنۡسَانَ ضُرٌّ دَعَا رَبَّهٗ مُنِيۡبًا اِلَيۡهِ ثُمَّ اِذَا خَوَّلَهٗ نِعۡمَةً مِّنۡهُ نَسِىَ مَا كَانَ يَدۡعُوۡۤا اِلَيۡهِ مِنۡ قَبۡل
When a man suffers some affliction, he prays to his Lord and turns to Him in penitence, but once he has been granted a favor from God, he forgets the One he had been praying to. (39: 8)
In the post-scientific age, it became commonplace for many to register themselves as following ‘no religion’. People started to introduce themselves as ‘nonreligious’. It is true indeed that God’s actual science opened up for human beings hitherto unknown knowledge. Man has penetrated macro-world as well as micro-world. Facilities and ease of life that a person enjoys today could never be conceived without that science. Scientific enquirers continued, by leaps and bounds, shattering one cherished article of faith after another. This practice had gained ground.
The question arises then if religion indeed is a vestigial part of human life. Is the universe as far as we know it, which is just 4% of the cosmos, enough to convince of looking no further? Is there nothing beyond this material world?
It is a common observation that people are very intelligent in their worldly affairs. They apply their reason as much as they can, they plan with understanding in every aspect, but in the matter of religion, their method is completely different. Here they think that asking an exalted religious personality to pray for them, visiting a shrine, paying a visit to an elder, reciting some words on the prayer beads, or repeating some rituals would ensure that their religious matters will be corrected automatically. But this dual approach is completely baseless. No one is going to benefit from this method. The fact is that just as a man uses his intellect in worldly affairs, so he must use his intellect in matters of religion. In the matter of religion too, he has to use all the power of his consciousness. Without it, no one can be truly religious or deserving of Paradise. The process of becoming a true believer is, in every sense, a conscious process. It is imperative for every man and woman to consciously explore and then discover religion.
Religiosity and piety should be conscious, not formal. One should make religion a part of his heart and mind in the fullest sense. One should embrace his religious life on the same conscious level as that of his worldly life. No one is an exception in this case. The greatest thing that God has given to man is his intellect and consciousness. Those who do not find religion at the highest level of intellect and consciousness and do not adopt it on this same level will be considered irreligious in the sight of God, even if they seem to be religious at the formal level. Religiosity is a conscious process, not just a formal process.
PEOPLE usually have a sense of pride, such as pride in health, pride in knowledge, pride in family, pride in history, and so on. The general idea is that a sense of pride is very important. This creates positive qualities in a person such as self-respect, self-confidence, and enthusiasm. People believe that if a person does not have anything to be proud of, he will feel inferior. He will develop a temperament to feel oppressed and inferior. He will not be able to live among people with exalted thoughts. But these justifications for pride are not correct. The fact is that pride is a moral evil. Pride is not a separate attribute; there are many other things associated with pride. For example, with pride come selfishness and a sense of superiority. Pride gradually takes the form of arrogance.
Pride is a beautiful form of the evil that Satan described in these words, in the Qur’an
I am better than he is. (7: 12)
Being ‘proud’ is not a single stand-alone adjective. Being ‘proud’ is a comparative adjective. Pride always arises in comparison to someone else. Inside the proud person, consciously or unconsciously, there is a feeling that ‘I am better than others.’ This feeling is exactly what is mentioned in the Qur’an concerning Iblis (Satan). The proud man falls under the influence of Satan. Such a person gradually becomes arrogant and there is no doubt in this world that there is nothing worse than arrogance. The only difference between pride and arrogance is that of spelling. In reality, there is no difference between the two.
Many thinkers imagine that Islamic modern thought is a challenge and that is against them. But if one analyzes the matter properly, one will learn that modern thought, in terms of its essence, is not against them, but against their unlawful act. In fact, it is conducive to Islam when rightly understood. The fact is that the modern mind and modern culture are completely compatible with Islam if these are understood properly. In terms of their essence or reality, there is no clash between Islam and modern thought. So, the real problem, the actual problem, is not of changing modern thought, but rather, of changing the thinking process. And after this happens, no problem will remain. The mindset or mentality of many Muslims and Non-Muslims is such that they oppose every new thing. It is this mentality that has created the problem. Discover truth!
Thinkers should adopt the following verse of the Qur’an (41: 34) as their guiding verse
“Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend.”
In the light of what this verse teaches, one could say that no human being is an eternal enemy of another human being. By birth, every person has the status of a potential friend. Hence, under the guidance of the Qur’an, the Muslims’ approach in this matter should be that they should adopt the method of turning a potential friend into an actual friend.
Take each memory
Tell one close to you,
The Story
The tongue will muscle the details
Don’t muzzle the truth, or it all fails,
Travel in time is for the masses,
The past is the past but by telling it now
The Story passes
the test of time, and makes it to the future
wounds might not be healed, but sutured,
history either local or global or private
sustains by the verbal record, a spoken treasure,Like your running car,words tied to synapses, flash pictures, smells and action,tales for others, that did not sanction,the telling of the story,minute paper pieces,microscopic chemical reactionsrecapturessmiles,tears of joy, many of sadness,and the events, surrounded by the madness of the days,so if this the case save Time Travel to books and fiction,or quiz history and historians, and was the truth told after all, forever after, but lean in close and whisper in
our ear, We will listen to it all through our heart,
Without God, our lives cannot be complete!
The truth of the matter is that religious narrative is an integral part of human life. Disbelief makes this world meaningless. The bad experiences in life are part of the divine test. Those who respond positively to this test would be rewarded in the Hereafter. The only possible explanation of this universe is to believe in a ‘universe with God’. The other option, according to John Harris, poses questions;
“(…)Life without God has turned out to be life without fellowship and shared meaning.”
Islam is not based on the number of rituals we perform, but on the level of realization of God that we attain in our life. Do time-traveling often, it shows comparisons between your understandings and misunderstandings. An ideology that negates the authenticity of the religious narrative is quite incapable of finding meaning in seemingly negative experiences.
Given the present challenging situation, we conclude with the following prayer from the Qur’an
‘Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake! Our
Lord, do not place on us a burden like the one You placed on
those before us! Our Lord, do not place on us a burden we have
not the strength to bear! Pardon us, and forgive us, and have
mercy on us. You are our Lord and Sustainer. (2: 286)
