Faith versus Logic Final
Posted by: Ashfaq Ahmad
Could Shara’s rule be an ideal system?
If you want to give the example of Sharia law as an example of low crime rate and safe environment, and then also consider that ten countries of the world with the lowest crime rate Iceland, Denmark, Austria, New Zealand, Portugal, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, and Slovenia are there — so why not their system is ideal?
Sharia laws were defined at a time when there was a tribal culture in Arabia — the monarchy was the system. In that era, there were often wars for animals, women, domination, and expansion of power, in which women were widowed largely — to support them, more than one marriage or to make them mistress was allowed… what wars are happening now?
If the people living there accept it due to happiness or helplessness, but even if enjoying full civil liberties in democracy, the Sharia system of Saudi Arabia is attracting you, where there are restrictions at every step, then you are religiously ill — and you don’t want to think anything beyond faith. Even in that system, this thinking of mine will also come under Blasphemy because I raised the questions, whose punishment is death — do you want such a system? I really do not want it. The one who follows another religion cannot get citizenship there nor can he adopt his method of worship.
And in India, those who are advocates of Sharia seen wandering here and there — there is a request to them that even if our rule is a democracy, but as a true believer, they should apply the Sharia to themselves and don’t do anything which is wrong or a crime with the Shariah. For example —
Avoid the interest-bearing banking system — immediately cash whatever mutual funds, shares, FDs you have. Avoid stealing power, which is the most common custom among Muslims. If photos are not allowed in the house, then break the TV and throw it away. Since porn is also available on mobile and you can see a picture/video of unknown women on Facebook etc., then quit using your Smartphone and keep a simple buttoned mobile. Do not wear tight clothes (jeans, t-shirt, etc.). On the way, getting-up or sitting, do not look at any girl and woman. The Sharia has made the daughter a shareholder in the property, immediately give her due right to your sisters or daughters. These are the deeds which Momins are doing indiscriminately — the rest things like gambling, liquor, womanizing, are a different issue.
If you can do this much then try doing it, then after that, if you talk about Sharia law or Sharia, only then your say will matter to the people.
Did God make a man or the man, made God?
God created man or the man, made the God — this dispute may never be resolved, but an unseen God is in existence ever since the first human being in the world would have found first hope amid awe. Fear and hope — right here begins the God, and even though he may not have been known in any particular way then, but as man became smarter, God too became accepted in different forms and its separation is the prevalent “religion” at present.
Where did religion come from and how logical from the point of view of science?
The real meaning of religion is not what is in front of everyone in the world today, but its practical meaning is this — you are Hindus, I am Muslim, that is a Sikh, that is a Christian and that is Jew.
So for a while, free yourself from this tilak, cap, cross, turban — and find out what is religion? What is its real form — why is it and what has it given to you? What are you achieving from this religion?
Leave the past in the past, whatever was written in those books, was according to the circumstances of that time, was written to handle the humans of that time. Come in the present and think, can it be a religion to abuse someone, or to speak to someone with love should be the religion?
Can it be religious to hate someone or to love someone should be the religion? Taking someone’s life should be a religion or to save someone’s life? To take away someone’s right can be religion or to help any poor fellow to get his right? Can injustice done to someone be religion or give/help to get justice? To torture, someone with the opposite ideology can be religion or to give respect to people of other ideology?
Think as many questions like these as you can think, think those questions with closed eyes and introspect yourself honestly. Test your answers on the criterion of religion you have been carrying from generation to generation. Think, brainstorm what religion was for — why there was a need for religion and how you are practising that religion. Among Hindus too, “Meditation” is said to be the way to seek God and to connect oneself with him and in us too it is called “Salat”.
what possibilities are there in the universe outside our planet
Salat means meditation, that is, attaching oneself to God — the Prophet adopted this Salat as “Namaz”, Sufis in some other form — but later on people adopted Namaz as a rule and today its meaning is lost somewhere. Do not ask me this question, but ask yourself whether you reach that state of “meditation” in Namaz? That you feel connected to Allah or does your mind keep wandering in worldly additions/subtractions? Remains stuck in High pyjama or Skull cap? Do you find yourself ever close to “Salat”? If not, find out the reason for that.
However, if by churning so much you do not get this pearl of knowledge, that to hurt someone is not a religion, but to help in someone’s suffering, to help him overcome his suffering is religion — then be sure, that there is a lacking in you being a human.
Religion, Iniquity and Foul-Iniquity
Here people are often seen asking the question, what is religion? So the question is right in its place but the answers of those in front can be different… Actually, when you say Religion in English or ‘Mazhab’ in Urdu, it has a direct and only meaning — The particular ideology, creed, the enclosure bound with the law of uniformity — but when you say ‘Dharm’ in Hindi, then it has two meanings. The first meaning that is commonly practised is Religion itself.
If God is there then how can it be from the point of view of science
But what it has as another meaning is, in fact, the actual meaning of the word “Religion”. Your good deeds — your behaviour that is in harmony with the welfare of humans, that actually is the religion. Now understand this in detail—
Every small or big practice of your entire life is divided into only three parts — Religion, Iniquity and Foul Iniquity. Maybe you ever gave attention to this or not — but every little or big work of yours, every small or big decision taken at every step of your life, comes only under these three rules.
Telling the truth, supporting the truth, living honestly, avoiding false deception, doing justice, to support the justice, to stand for the rights of the victim, to stand against the cruelty, not doing injustice, helping others, avoiding illegal, excluded and selfish deeds that are outcaste by society, means to say that everything you do for the betterment and welfare of human beings… is actually religion.
And on the contrary, whatever you do, the result of which is harmful, troublesome to any human being, which gives suffering… will come under the purview of Iniquity.
Now there is a link between them, that is, your acts which may seem iniquitous to appear but religion is hidden in them — that is a ‘Foul-Iniquity’ You can understand this with two or three examples — You lie in a place where telling the truth can be harmful to one or more humans — then that lie of yours is Foul-Iniquity. You steal somewhere, where the stolen goods have the welfare of others hidden behind them and not your selfishness, then that theft is a Foul-Iniquity.
You stand somewhere with a Cruel, and there you can help the victims in any way, then it is a Foul-Iniquity to stand with that cruel. You may or may not understand this, but every activity of yours is tied to these rules. And the interesting thing you will find is that it is the core of all religions. On this basis in the Gita, the ‘Kauravas’ were declared unjust by Lord Krishna, or else they also believed in the worship of God and other things — and in fact, “Kafir” in Islamic Mythology has also been determined on this basis. People derive the meaning of ‘Kafir’ as an atheist or non-Muslim according to their own belief.
Whereas, as a religious person, whatever rituals of worship, Aarti, Pilgrimage, Roza Namaz, Hajj, Zakat, etc. have you mistaken as religion, they, can be called the flattering methods or ritualism of God, but it is not the real religion. Real religion is your good conduct, with which if you do these rituals, then in a way we can see them as religion, but alas that it does not happen in practice.
The real religion is Humanity and not these worship methods
Let’s give many examples of this and explain — A true Momin believes in himself that by doing Namaz, keeping Roza, and doing Haj, he is doing a lot of good work and he will get a lot of praise for it — but while he sits at the shop and lying to the customer that this much of this merchandise is purchased, he can give it in that much — though this is not true. He is performing all the good rituals but he is sitting on the rented or untitled land occupied by a house or shop. The stolen light is glowing in the house and after washing himself with water pulled with that stolen electricity, he is reciting Namaz. He is eating sacred food made on the heater burning with that stolen electricity.
Consuming water, fans, lights obtained by direct theft or rigging of the electricity in the mosque, is washing himself and performing Namaz — Performs Haj and becomes a Haji with the money acquired through bribes, commissions, frauds, rigging or by other illegal means. Performing Namaz by surrounding roads as religious work, doing processions, even if all traffic is disrupted, may someone miss their train, plane or bus… or may someone die in an ambulance.
Similarly, a true Hindu by applying a Tilak on the forehead, ties a red thread in his hand, chanting Ram-Ram day and night, keeps on ringing bells for hours in temples — but at the same time lies, deceits, manipulations, deception are all being done. Donating from the money saved through commissions, bribe, black marketing, stealing tax. The religious pandals are decorated with stolen electricity. Narrating religious stories by installing big loudspeakers, DJ sound — whether there are sick people around, children going through exams or people are going crazy by the noise.
They have been occupying the streets in the name of Ganapati, Navratri, Kanvar processions, even though the traffic system is collapsing. By surrounding the roads in the name of Jagran or big sacred type of religious events and causing problems for the people wandering around — by making noise pollution from the heavy sound systems, making people around it sick — but thinking that he is doing very religious work and this will give him great virtue, which will lead him to salvation or heaven.
In the name of religion, all these people who commit hypocrisy, pretence are in deception — they are confused as to whether they are doing any religious work worth virtue. Actually, while knowing all of this, he is engaged in wrongdoing with closed eyes and it is not that he has is no feeling of it… he has it and to erase the guilt created by this feeling, they try to show that they are very religious people and continue to prove others as trivial, by making a lot of noise from personal life to social media.
What do you think are these religious people and if there is a God/Allah will he be happy with them? So by putting yourself in his place and thinking about it, maybe instead of being happy on their gimmicks, you will reel off their skin by hunter until they do not truly understand the difference between religion and Iniquity.
Originally published on Wordsmith October 9, 2019.
