Reformation Is Urgently Needed As Muslim Community's Actions Blatantly Violate Islamic Principles

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 30 September 2023 This Essay Delves Into The Comprehension Of Muslim Culture In Terms Of Faith, Belief, And Practice. It Also Deals With Makkan Polytheists' Claim Of Belonging To Millat-e-Ibrahimi Main Points 1. Islam, as enshrined in the Holy Quran, aims to promote peace, abolish injustice, and promote proper worship, fostering harmony and comfort among all the servants of God Almighty. 2. Despite Muslims' unwavering commitment to Islam, there are evident signs that their actions are in direct violation of Islamic teachings. 3. The essay advocates for a re-evaluation of Islamic practices in marriage, divorce, and inheritance, urging intellectuals to avoid comparing Muslims and non-Muslims to reduce conflicts and injustices. 4. Muslim societies are grappling with widespread divorce, dowry demands, and land disputes, leading to family destruction. 5. In India, Muslim families also face serious accusations of dowry, domestic violence, and false sexual allegations, but the accusers are Muslims who do not fear God Almighty when they do so. ------ Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlavi wrote about Arab polytheists and the Millat-e-Ibrahimi (Abrahamic Religion) in his book Al-Fawz-ul-Kabeer. He asserts that the Holy Qur'an mentions five sciences that cover a range of other sciences. Under the heading of "Ilm Al-Jadal Wa Al-Mukhashama [the Science of debate]," the author believes that the Holy Qur'an extensively highlights the four sects (polytheists, Jews, Christians, and hypocrites) in several Surahs and verses. He said that the Holy Quran explained the major mistakes and misguidances of the Arab polytheists and offered them to adopt reforms based on obvious proof and universal signs. The verses of the Quran make it clear that the creation of the earth and the sky, the fact that the sun, moon, and stars are subject to the orders of Allah Almighty, the placement of mountains on the earth so that it does not move with humans, etc. are among the things that provide clear evidence that God Almighty is One, that there is no other god but Him, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God. In his work, Shah Waliullah Sahib asserts that the Holy Qur'an mentions five fundamental sins committed by Arab polytheists: Polytheism (Shirk), Anthropomorphism (Tashbih), Change/Alteration (Tahrif), Denial of the Day of Resurrection or Life After death, and Denial of the Prophetic Mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Among the countless followers of Shah Sahib are both the clerical group of Muslims and the general group of Muslims. This is why he clearly explains how the Holy Quran mentioned these major errors; how was the literary style of the Holy Quran to narrate it, what the polytheists' questions and objections were, and how the Holy Qur'an responded to them, as well as how the Holy Qur'an informed all of mankind that in this Holy Book there are clear indications for the believers who act not only in accordance with their intellects but also in accordance with their hearts and who are not only eligible to hold the belief but also demonstrate it. It is known from studying the Holy Quran that this is the Religion, this is Islam, in which there is no coercion, no oppression, no abuse, and no terrorism. Instead, Islam came for the benefit of humanity and to create a climate of peace and contentment in the world. But some people are not ready to accept that. Islam came to abolish injustice and corruption, as well as racism against white and black people. Islam came to defend the oppressed and comfort the weak and the needy. It has brought a message of true and pure love. It talks about justice and fairness for everyone, regardless of whether someone is Muslim or not. It has arrived to instruct the faithful in the proper manner of worship. Islam requires all mankind to repent in order to ask forgiveness for all the sins done throughout history. Islam is about inviting people to keep the conviction that one will be resurrected from the dead, to remember the Day of Resurrection and Reckoning, and to hold the Islamic Faith and Belief as well as to carry out good acts. By teaching faith, belief, prayer, fasting, and Hajj, Islam gives examples of how to uphold the rights of Allah. It also gives numerous examples of how to uphold human rights, especially the rights of the needy servants by making the payment of Zakat, which provides financial aid to the underprivileged and is a required duty for believers who are eligible to do so. Having kept these factors in mind, let's go on to Shah Sahib's arguments. He asserts that the Arab polytheists referred to themselves as Hunafaa, the plural form of Haneef. Haneef literally refers to a person who abstains from all disbeliefs and misguidances in addition to doing good deeds. Hanif is commonly referred to as an adherent of the Abrahamic Faith. The polytheists called themselves Hunafaa or the followers of the Millat-e-Ibrahimi (Abrahamic Religion), therefore he says, the Holy Quran rejected this claim of the polytheists in light of the clear evidence. According to Shah Sahib's description of the situation, the major disbelief and misguidances that Arabian polytheists had acquired and that had caused them to depart from the Abrahamic Faith were Polytheism (Shirk), Anthropomorphism (Tashbih), Change/Alteration (Tahrif), Denial of the Day of Resurrection or Life After death, and Disbelief in the Prophetic Mission of the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him). Shah Sahib then goes into a little more depth on how, at various points in history, Arabian polytheists abandoned the Millat-e-Ibrahimi, or symbolic beliefs and acts of the Abrahamic Faith. Shah Sahib wishes to instil in his intelligent readers the idea that making a claim about anything does not automatically make it true; rather, it is required to request clear evidence in support of the claim before deciding whether to accept or reject it. In its original form, the Millat-e-Ibrahimi was a model of good beliefs and good deeds, free from Polytheism, Anthropomorphism, Alteration, and Denial of the Hereafter. However, as time went on, evil deeds like theft, adultery, usurpation, injustice, oppression, and usury spread among the polytheists of Arabia. When Islam arrived, it taught not just the Arabian polytheists but also the rest of humanity about the authentic Millat-e-Ibrahimi, in which these immoral practises were prohibited and were thereafter prohibited in Islam. The primary goal of this essay is to convey the idea that despite Muslims' unwavering commitment to Islam, there are evident signs that their actions are in direct violation of Islamic teachings. As a result, we are unable to substantiate our claims, which shows that despite our claims to be Muslims, we actually do not uphold Islamic teachings and have ceased to practise Islam. Our moral and spiritual behaviour is highly corrupted in many ways. When we struggle, we remember and pray to All-Powerful God, and the struggle ends. However, we do not consider our actions, which are frequently immoral, thus it is accurate to state that our present condition is a result of our immoral actions. Although we recite the Islamic Kalima and believe in all the heavenly Books including the Torah [the Arabic name for the first books of the Jewish Bible revealed to the Prophet Moses be upon him], the Injil [the Arabic name for the Gospel of the Prophet Jesus (Isa, peace be upon him), the final Holy book, the Quran, Angels, the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Judgement, and the Day of Reckoning. Thus, we are believers and known as Muslims. But we are simply nominal Muslims since our behaviours have gotten so corrupt that Islam does not appear to be reflected in them. Not only Namaz, five-time prayers, but also ethical behaviours are missing in our practical life. This implies that there are some of us who identify as Muslims, yet their behaviours do not honour their faith. The teachings and values of Islam are being neglected due to increased ignorance and neglect. Some Muslims commit crimes such as theft, usury, adultery, slander, cheating, lying, envy, suspicion, anger, denying rights, breaking human hearts, strangling justice, contributing to oppression and injustice, causing harm to people and causing a mountain of injustice in their lives. How can they be completely practical Muslims if they act in such unethical ways? It is not the purpose of this article to discuss the fact that they are crimes under Islamic law and that some of them are also crimes under the national law. Let's meditate and ask ourselves. Have we not long since abandoned adhering to Islamic guidelines regarding marriage and divorce, or the topic of inheriting land or other possessions. When discussing divorce cases, some of our intellectuals seem to compare Muslims and non-Muslims and then declare abruptly that there are less divorce cases as compared to others. Without drawing any comparisons, they fail to acknowledge that they can do nothing this way to reduce the number of divorces, injustices, and conflicts in Muslim households. They must decide whether comparisons are required for reformation. Divorce is common in our Muslim society, and dowry demand is pervasive. When one brother's land and possessions are being unjustly held by another brother in a Muslim village, such as that more frequently found in Bihar, despite the presence of a sizable Muslim panchayat, the Muslim villagers enjoy the dispute rather than trying to find a peaceful solution. According to sources, there are a lot of these disagreements in Bihar alone, and despite some efforts by the current government, the administration authorities fail to control the situation on a broader level. As a result, the disputes continue to result in murder and family destruction. Instead of following Islamic guidelines on the best ways to resolve a dispute between a husband and wife, one Muslim family vows to teach a lesson by entangling the other Muslim family in false accusations. Although disputes may include trivial issues, the accusations are often serious, severe, and mentally harassing, including dowry, domestic violence, and false sexual allegations. In India, Muslim families are not the only ones to face serious accusations of dowry, domestic violence, and false sexual allegations, but the accusers are Muslims who do not fear God Almighty when they do so. The survey found that a significant number of Muslim families including very old and young, husbands and wives, have spent many years centring their lives on the court. Many lawyers enjoy going on dates after dates for the case, whereas some of them are genuinely interested in settling the conflict between two families, whether or not doing so entails bringing them together. The readers can conduct more investigation to confirm the number of active cases. On Fridays, however, these Muslims dress in Kurta pyjamas, caps, and apply perfumes to show their Islam. Is it not true that we are distressed by the state of Muslim society, which we cannot fully express in words? How all the precepts of Islam on forgiving, justice, kinfolk, and the payment of rights seem to have been lost on these Muslims. The polytheists of the Arabs had abandoned their adherence to the Millat-e-Ibrahimi in terms of both faith and action, whereas this small group of Muslims have not abandoned Islam in terms of faith and are still following Islam in terms of faith but have abandoned Islam in terms of actions. As a result, the Muslims responsible for these evil deeds cannot be fully compared to the polytheists of the Arabs. Also keep in mind that certain Muslims have grown so radicalised in their interpretation of Islamic practices that they have gained notoriety throughout the world as “jihadists”, “Islamists”, and terrorists. Certain Muslims even utilise stoves and gas in mosques, when they enter there in the mission of their Tabligh. As they live inside the Mosques, they also begin to ponder taking a nap, and then consider the mat of the mosques as their sleeping sheet. When a person is alone and praying there, he may occasionally also be bothered by the Tablighi person snoring next to him. Despite a few bad behaviours, these Muslims cannot be fully equated to the polytheistic Arabs, but there is undoubtedly a lesson to be learnt. We should pause, take some time to meditate, and consider how many wrongdoings have entered our hands. We have either lost sight of the practical teachings and moral values of Islam or a veil of negligence has covered us, depending on how far we have deviated from its teachings in practice. How will it be comprehended? How will we know if our claims that we are following the path of Islam are at least somewhat false? Although it has become popular in our Muslim culture to engage in immoral behaviours and haram actions, we are the ones who merely go out on Fridays donning caps, applying perfume, and donning kurta-pyjamas, which signifies that we are Muslims. The majority of us live carelessly and in violation of Islamic values and ethics all year long, visiting mosques only on Fridays or during the fasting month of Ramadan, when Satan is imprisoned. They don't consider how they can improve as Muslims. When will we Muslims start to grasp these concepts? It is important to emphasize the moral and ethical precepts of Islam, such as doing good deeds and having moral character, in addition to its core beliefs. Then, our culture will be seen as Muslim in terms of faith, belief, and practice. ----- A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar), with a Sufi-Sunni background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. He has also done B. A (Hons.) in Arabic, M.A. in Arabic and M.A. in English from JMI, New Delhi. He is Interested in Islamic Sciences; Theology, Jurisprudence, Tafsir, Hadith and Islamic mysticism (Tasawwuf). 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