Humanity Needs a Rebel/ Ubermensch

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 15 July 2022 We Need A Revolutionary Soul Who Can Question The Hoary-Old Traditions Of Every Faith, Who Can Analyse All Scriptural 'Truths' In The Light Of Modernity And Who Has The Courage Of Conviction To Refuse And Refute Whatever Is Written-In These Books- Against The Collective Welfare Of Mankind Main Points: 1. Fear of the unknown and an impotent sense of complacency go hand in hand when it comes to religions and their associated paraphernalia. 2. Spirit of Ijtihad remains in the statutory books and is seldom practised. 3. Human mind is a bag of religious and scriptural rubbish. ------ “All Religions Must Be Shaken Like Soda-Water Bottles." -Nazim Hikmet, 'Hikaayeler' Nowadays, I'm reading, nay poring over, the legendary Turkish-Polish poet and novelist Nazim Hikmet's ' A Sad State of Freedom. ‘Hikmet is known for using Hikayat (Arabic for parables, stories, anecdotes) to drive home the point. In fact, resorting to Hikayat has been a very effective mode of teaching, favoured by all Persian mystics, esp. by Rumi and Khaqani, and also by Sheikh Saadi in his Bostaan and Gulistan. In fact, Hikayat is a prescribed didactic way of teaching in Sufism. Hikmet narrates a very thought-stirring parable to bring home the atavistic fear of the unknown and how it cripples us. There was a very wise king. His own prime minister committed a betrayal: he delivered some secrets to the neighbouring country, to the enemy. The prime minister was caught red-handed. There was only one punishment for it, and that was death. But the old king had always loved this man. He was sentenced to death, but the old man gave him an opportunity. The last day, he called the whole court. On one side there was a gun ready to kill the man, on the other side, there was a black door. And the king said, “You can choose either to die-you have to die-or you can choose this black door. It's up to you." The prime minister asked, “What’s behind that black door?” The king said, “That’s not allowed. Nobody knows, because nobody has chosen it before. In the times of my father, in the times of my grandfather, many times the opportunity had been given, but nobody has chosen and nobody knows. And nobody is allowed; even I don't know. I have the key, but when my father died he said to me, " I'll open the door and you can go in and I'll close it. Don't look into it." But you can see, because you can choose. You can discover what's there. It's up to you." The prime minister brooded and brooded, and then he chose the gun. He said, “Kill me with the gun. I don't want to go behind the black door." The prime minister was killed. The queen was very curious. She persuaded the king somehow to see what's behind it. The king laughed. He said, “I know-there's nothing behind it. It's simple freedom; there's not even a room. The door opens to the wide world. There's nothing, but nobody has chosen it yet." People even choose death before choosing the unknown. People even choose to be miserable before choosing the unknown. The unknown seems to be more dangerous than death itself. And freedom is a door unknown. Freedom means moving into the unknown, not knowing where one's going, not knowing what's going to happen the next moment. It's a black door. Rarely, sometimes a Jesus, Zarathustra or Buddha will choose the door; all else choose the gun. It's the palpable fear of the unknown and a mediocre sense of complacent certitude that don't allow most of us to venture into a realm of uncertainty because incertitude frightens us. We are all fearful of walking on untrodden paths and terra incognita (unknown landscapes). We dare not go beyond what has been prescribed or indoctrinated into our psyche. We are perpetually hesitant to break those mental barriers and psychological blocks to go to the precipice and have the courage to look into the intimidating vastness of the universe. We are slaves to our frightened selves. George Washington, the first President of the US, said, 'Only a man, who is man enough, can plunge into the unknown and return with a winning smile.' Yes, only a man, who's man enough, is capable of challenging the unknown. All else are crawling creeps and living for the sake of living sans a scintilla of adventure and intrepidity in their veins and arteries. This fear of the unknown and an impotent sense of complacency go hand in hand when it comes to religions and their associated paraphernalia. We dare not go deeper and ask questions lest we should be persecuted. The spirit of Ijtihad remains in the statutory books and is seldom practised. We continue to believe in our religions, gods, books, revered characters, gurus, customs and rituals because we feel complacent and dare not come out of our comfort zones. Great Pakistani novelist Intizar Hussain aptly wrote to Faiz Ahmad Faiz, " Ek Aisa Inqalabi Chahiye Jo Har Mazhab Ki Qadeem Ravayaton Pe Sawaal Uthaye, Jo Bhi Mazhabi Kitabon Mein Likha Gaya Hai, Use Jiddat Ki Roshni Mein Parkhe Aur Jo Baat Insaniyat Ke Haq Mein Na Dikhe, Use Maan-Ne Se Saaf Inkaar Kar De..." (We need a revolutionary soul who can question the hoary-old traditions of every faith, who can analyse all scriptural 'truths' in the light of modernity and who has the courage of conviction to refuse and refute whatever is written-in these books- against the collective welfare of mankind). We, particularly the scripture-bound Islamic society of today, must need a rebel (or a Nitzschean ubermensch, Dr Muhammad Iqbal also thought of) like Josh Malihabadi who thundered, ' Bashar Ke Zehan Pe Qarnon Se Jo Musallat Hain/Badal Raha Hoon Gumanon Mein Un Yaqeenon Ko ' (I'm changing the primitive minds saddled with antediluvian 'truths') or a Sahir Ludhianvi to declare, " Aqaayad Vaham Hain, Mazhab Khayal-E-Khaam Hai, Saaqi/Azal Se Zehan-E-Insaan, Basta-E-Auhaam Ha, Saaqi " ( All traditions are dubious, religion is a meaningless thought/ Right from the advent of human civilization, the mind of a man is a bag of garbage/useless things). Yes, human mind is a bag of religious and scriptural rubbish that must be expunged and thrown out. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. 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