VIEWPOINT

Uploaded on May 24, 2021

IT’S HIGHTIME TO TAKE THE UNIVERSAL MESSAGE OF ISLAM ACROSS THE WORLD

Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam 

We encounter at all times conditions like rise and fall, disturbance, confusion, unrest and helplessness. And this is the time when human patience and power of endurance are tested. On the other hand, the Perfect Divine Power of Allah expresses in such a way that the entire world appears to be helpless and worthless, and everyone finds constrained to admit that that there exists an Entity controlling the complete universal order. Everything comes into being at His instance whereas man is in helpless, constrained and mere powerless. Man is beneficial, powerful and efficient so long as he is held to be so. Man’s excellence, his rule, power and wealth don’t belong to him, rather these are bestowed upon him by a Superior Authority and the Giver takes them away at His Will, and consequently man feels himself helpless, constrained and weak in the face of the Supreme Being. What is happening in India today illustrates that the world rulers and the arrogant among them in particular are rendered helpless. There is nothing in their control. The real master and ruler is someone else and the entire world order is governed by His pleasure. Such events as we witness today give man’s faith more strength and firmness in the existence of the Creator of the universe. 

History bears testimony to several rulers considering themselves as the greatest ruler, looking upon themselves as the superpower of the universe. Later, their own subjects witnessed their miserable end. The history unfolds the story of rulers and kings boasting about their power and majestic awe followed by an account of their falling in worst state. There was when in a part of this globe, Nimrod, the ruler of the Babylon ruled over, who obsessed with his power and pride declared himself to be the god, but his so-called divinity soon crumbled into dust, and the world now knows for his inauspicious end. Once upon a time there ruled one Shaddad who was believed to be the king of the lost Arabian city of Iram of the Pillars. He too had pretended to be the god, declaring himself as the most powerful person. He treated all with contempt, and that all men were slaves to him. Then, the world saw the wretched end he met with. He considered himself to be the most powerful, superman and yet he could not come over a small mosquito and lost his life. The miserable end of Pharaoh, Haman and Mammon (Qaroon) should be a warning lesson to the whole world. Addicted to power, intellect and wealth Pharaoh and his comrades looked upon themselves as god and the creator of the universe. Addiction to authority led them to oppress their subjects and the people in general. Pharaoh claimed that it is he only who is god and there is no other power over him. Denying the existence of Allah, he had declared that he himself was the god, still his end became a warning lesson to the world when he, Haman, along with his army of chariots drowned in Bahr al-Qulzum (also known as the Red Sea) as the parted water closed upon them. His mummy serves as a warning to the entire world in particular the oppressive rulers in that you are not God; you have no status. Allah is above all; you are just his slave. Prophet Moses was brought up in his palace and yet he could not have any idea about that.

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah has addressed Muslims as khair-e-ummat that is the best community. The Noble Qur’an says: “You are the best of peoples evolved for mankind enjoining what is right forbidding what is wrong.” (3:110) Allah has conferred the title khair-e-ummat because of mankind enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Muslims are under the obligation to invite mankind to Islam, to attract them to Faith. It is obligatory to bring mankind to the straight path and evolve strategies accordingly, as also to take them out from being misguided, going astray, to stop them from falling in darkness and ignorance, to keep them away from joining polytheism and heresy. Do good and shun the evil. This is the kind of world order Islam envisages for humankind. Preaching Islam with faith, ethics and character shall be the rule of behavior. We should create fear of God in our hearts and practice taqwa that is “God-consciousness or God-fearing piety”. We should make patience a part of our temperament and always inculcate the habit expressing thankfulness. All these virtues and mode of behavior will go a long way in achieving our goal and fulfill our mission.

Teachings of Islam embrace humanity, welfare and the well-being of the people. Islam believes in equal rights for the entire world and all human beings. Islam is intensely opposed to enslave human beings, to treat someone as though he was inferior and mean. Islam is the champion of equality and this is a distinctive feature of Islam, but to our dismay even in our times humans are found in the chains of slavery. Men are denied fundamental rights; they are not given freedom, justice and equality. It is therefore the obligation of the well-wishers in the community, religious scholars, leaders and intellectuals to take the message of Islam across the world that our religion acknowledges equal rights for all human beings. Islam proclaims a natural system of justice. Islam stands as the apostle of tranquility, peace, order, safety and security. In the time of miseries, hardships and bewilderment, Islam gives hope and solace. Hence, this is the time we introduce the universal message of Islam to the whole world, bringing all humans face to face with the Islamic teachings, and explaining to them the Qur’anic instructions. We shall have to have to tell the whole world that Islam upholds the dignity of all human beings, believing that human beings are entitled to equal rights, honour and deserve veneration. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an the sense of which is that We have made the Children of Adam honourable and worthy of adoration. This verse contains the universal message of Islam stating the position and status of humanity and explains that as human beings all are equal and deserve veneration. Treating humans as low creatures and mean, putting them in the chains of slavery are diametrically opposed to the concept and practice of humanity as laid down by Islam. Moreover, such attitudes are against the dignity of mankind. In Islam there is no place for feeling pride in oneself on the basis of caste, community, lineage, region and territory. All are the Children of Adam. They have similar rights, they hold the same position as members of human society. Nobody can be subjected to slavery and treated as meek and mean.

(Writer is the General Secretary, All India Milli Council)