The Sunday Mail
ISLAM is not based on any mythology. Its teachings are simple and intelligible. It is free from superstitions and irrational beliefs. The oneness and uniqueness of God Almighty, the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the concept of life after death are the basic articles of its faith. They are based on reason and sound logic. All of the teachings of Islam flow from those basic beliefs and are simple and straightforward. There is no hierarchy of priests, no far-fetched abstractions, no complicated rites or rituals.
Knowledge and understanding are fundamental
Everybody may approach the Holy Qur’aan directly and translate its dictates into practice. Islam awakens in man the faculty of reason and exhorts him to use his intellect. It enjoins him to see things in the light of reality. The Holy Qur’aan advises him to seek knowledge and invoke God to expand his awareness, “Say ‘O, my Lord! Advance me in knowledge”. (Ch 20: v 114). God Almighty also says, “Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed.” (Ch 39 : v 9). The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said, “the one who leaves his home in search of knowledge, walks in the path of God,” and he even declared that seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Believer.
This is how Islam brings man out of the world of superstition and darkness and initiates him into the world of knowledge and light. In fact going further, Islam does not allow indulgence in empty and futile theorising. It declares that faith is not a mere declaration of beliefs, but rather that it is the very mainspring of life. Righteous conduct must follow belief in God. “Religion” is something to be practiced and not an object of mere lip service. The Holy Qur’aan says: “Those who believe and act righteously, joy is for them, and a blissful home to return to.” (Ch 13 : v 29). The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) is also reported to have said, “God does not accept belief if it is not expressed in deeds, and does not accept deeds if they do not conform to belief.”
Thus Islam’s simplicity, rationality and practicality are what characterise Islam as a unique and true “religion”.
Unity of matter and spirit
A unique feature of Islam is that it does not divide life into watertight compartments of matter and spirit. It stands not for denial of life but for the fulfilment of life. Islam does not believe in asceticism and shunning the world altogether. It does not ask man to avoid material things totally. It holds that spiritual elevation is to be achieved by living piously in the rough and tumble of life and not by renouncing the world. The Holy Qur’aan advises us to pray as follows: “Our Lord! Grant us goodness in this world as well as goodness in the Hereafter.” (Ch 2 : v 201)
Thus, Islam does not admit any separation between the “material” and “moral,” or the “mundane” and “spiritual” life, and enjoins man to devote all of his energies to the reconstruction of life on healthy moral foundations. It teaches him that moral and material powers must be welded together and that spiritual salvation can be achieved by using material resources for the good of man in the service of just ends and not by living a life of asceticism or by running away from the challenges of life.
For further information on Islam or a free copy of the Holy Qur’aan, please contact:
Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic Scholars
Publications Department
P.O. Box W93, Waterfalls, Harare
Tel: 04-614078 / 614004, Fax : 04-614003
e-mail: [email protected]
