The Intellectual Forum has these days been delving again into the long discussed question of how some particular human societies can cease to be backward and poor. In the last two centuries, two dignitaries have principally not only thought of it seriously but contributed heavily to improve upon our plight. What fruits, the efforts of (Sir) Saiyid Ahmad Khan had born in this regard, we all know. Professor Abdus-Salaam burnt his candle at both ends, in the words of Dr. Mohd Zillur-Rahmaan Khan of Aligarh,; in doing Physics at the ultimate level and tiring him to final death running all over the world for the third world’s advanced education. It is evident that we need education as high as possible… technical, scientific, social… hard work, positive thinking and full care of the individual and social responsibilities to improve our lot, to contribute to the future of the human beings, thus earning among them a place of respect.
It was also one of the important priorities of Saiyid to modernize the Muslim thought, but his attempts in this regard were much ahead of time. Now we understand better that it is the religious ethos that dominates our thought in every religious society— be it Semitic (including Muslims), Zoroastrian of Iranian or Indian or Chinese— rather than the authentic documentation. A Muslim believes and practices according to the local traditions around him associated with one of, at least, two Shia sects and four broad Sunni sects, with sub-sects. The Muslim masses may continue their life in their usual manner ordinarily, but in case a controversy arises, they should know that many possibilities exist outside the core of religion, and therefore they should be tolerant and flexible.
It is fortunately, possible to define the core of believes and injunctions of Islam according to its last ‘revelation’: “Today, We have completed to the zenith your way of life (Deen) [5, 3]; we call it religion”. What ever has been added to after this revelation by whosoever— Caliphs or Jurists or Saints— is administrative or advisory by nature, but not binding as an article of faith. So, on the authority of Quran quoted above, no Muslim believer can disagree with the above principle/revelation.
The Prophet’s Tradition cannot be equated to Quran simply because the traditions (Hadith) have been compiled centuries after the Prophet, through very hard and prolonged scrutiny, all right, but established scholars have rightly said: “Quran is continual (mutawaatir, according to the terminology of the Tradition Experts), while no Hadith is continual (muta’ayyan); the most authenticated ones are just most probable in various degrees of dependability” [Maulaa Abdul Maajid, private correspondence]. In order to understand the spirit of Islam, we must understand Quran, the main source of Islamic ideology in light of Quran itself. If further clarifications are warranted, we should only then refer to Hadith compilations, along with today’s authentic scientific knowledge.
General agreement to this principle should eliminate Muslims’ in-fighting, and pave way to shrug away the yoke of retrogress, as Unity of God, the Institution of Prophet-hood, and General Ethics do not oppose most of the modern principles of progress. And this much must help a lot reducing conflicts within Muslim sects and factions.
Looking more generally, a religion consists of (1) dogma, (2) rituals, (3) ethics, followed by mysticism and social norms etc in traditional order. Inter- or intra-religion differences arise out of the first two, where as the third is mostly common in most details not only between religions but also between them, and social/philosophical disciplines for example, socialism. What touches me most in religious and non-religious books is this ethics, expounded from place to place so beautifully and so powerfully in Quran. Why not to stick to it the way we must? The mother of all ethics is the golden principle: Do and think for the other, what you desire him to do and think for you. It is a matter of intention and attitude; all acts depends on Intention (Bukhari, Book of Knowledge); If you consider yourself a lion and others as goats, others will also consider themselves lions and you as a goat. Choose between living in peace or eternal conflict and terror.
M S Z Chaghtaï