Ideology of Islam

 Islam is religion without any mythology. Its teachings are simple and intelligible. It is free from superstitions and irrational belies. The unity of God, The Prophet Hood (SAWW) and the concept of life after death are the basic articles of its faith.

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 Quran advised man to pray: O, my Lord! Advance me in knowledge (20:114). It asserts that those who have no knowledge are not equal to those who have (39:9); that those who do not observe and understand are worse than cattle (7:179); that the meaning of revelation become manifest to those who have knowledge’ (6:97) and ‘who have understood’

Islam is a principal religion and does not indulge in empty and futile theorizing. It says that faith is not a mere profession of beliefs; it is the very mainspring of life. Righteous conduct must follow belief in Allah. Religion is something to be lived and not an object of mere lip service. The Quran says:

                ‘Those who believe and act righteously, joy is for them, and a blissful home to return to.’        

A unique feature of Islam is that it does not divide life into water-tight compartments of matter and spirit. It stands not for life-fulfillment. Islam does not believe in asceticism. 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.

Thus Islam does not  admit any separation between ‘material’ and ‘moral’, ‘mundane’ and ‘spiritual’ life and enjoins man to devote all his energies to the reconstruction of life on healthy moral foundations. It teaches him that moral and material powers must be welded together and 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.

Some have laid emphasis on the spiritual side of life but have ignored its material and mundane aspects. They have looked upon the world as an illusion, a deception, and a trap.

On the other hand materialistic ideologies have totally ignored the spiritual and moral side of life and have dismissed it as factious and imaginary. Both these attitudes have spelled disaster. They have robbed mankind of peace, contentment, and tranquility. Even today the imbalance is manifest in one or the other direction.

Ideology of Islam

Islam aims at establishing equilibrium between these two aspects of life --- the material and spiritual. It says that everything in the world is for man --- but man himself is for the service of a higher purpose: the establishment of a moral and just order so as to fulfill the Will of God. Its teachings cater to the spiritual as well as temporal needs of man. Islam enjoins man to purify his soul and also to reform his daily life --- both individual and collective ---and to establish the supremacy of right over might and of virtue over vice.  

The dimensions of morality in Islam are numerous, far-reaching, and comprehensive. The Islamic morals deal with the relationship between man and God, man and his fellow men, man and the other elements and creatures of the universe, man and his innermost self. The Muslim has to guard his external behavior and his manifest deeds, his words and thoughts, his feelings and intentions. In a general sense, his role is to champion what is right and fight what is going wrong, seek what is true and abandon what is false, cherish what is beautiful and wholesome and avoid what is indecent. Truth and virtue are his goals. Humbleness and simplicity, courtesy and compassion, are his second nature. To him, arrogance and vanity, harshness and indifference, are distasteful, offensive, and displeasing to God.

More specifically, the Muslim’s relationship with God is one of love and obedience, complete trust and thoughtfulness, peace and appreciation, steadfastness and active service. This high-level morality will undoubtedly, nourish and reinforce morality at the human level. For in his relationship with his fellow men, the Muslim must show kindness to the kin and concern for the neighbor, respect for the elderly and compassion for the young, care for the sick and support for the needy, sympathy for the grieved, and cheer for the depressed, joy with the blessed and patience with the misguided, tolerance toward the forgiveness of the helpless, disapproval of the wrong and rise above the trivial. Moreover, he must respect the legitimate rights of others as much as he does his own. His mind must be occupied with constructive ideas and serious pursuits; his heart must beat with compassionate feelings and goodwill; his the soul must radiate with peace and serenity; his counsel must be sincere and courteous.

It was a sorry state when the scope of religion was confined to the private life of man and its social and cultural role was reduced to none. No other factor has, perhaps, been more important in causing the decline of religion in the modern age than its retreat into the realm of private life.

Another unique feature of Islam is that it establishes a balance between individualism and collectivism. It believes in the individual personality of man and holds everyone personally accountable to God. It guarantees the fundamental rights of the individual and does not permit anyone to tamper with them. It makes the proper development of the personality of man one of the objectives of its educational policy and does not subscribe to the view that man must lose his individuality in society or in the state.

                “Man shall have nothing but what he strives for”          The Quran

On the other hand, it also awakens a sense of social responsibility in man, organizes human beings in a society and a state and enjoins the individual to subscribe to the social good. Prayer, in Islam is offered in the congregation which inculcates social discipline among the Muslims. Everyone is enjoined to pay Zakat and it has been laid down in the Quran that: The aim-seeker and the destitute have their due rights in their wealth.

Islam is international in its outlook and approach and does not admit barriers and distinctions based on color, clan, blood, or territory such as were prevalent before the advent of Muhammad (SAWW) and which repent are in different forms even in the modern age. It wants to unite the entire human race under one banner. To a world torn by national rivalries and feuds, it presents a message of life and hope and of a glorious future.

Deeper reflection reveals that life has within it elements of permanence and change – neither is it too rigid and inflexible that it can not admit of any change even in matters of detail not is it so flexible and fluid that even its distinctive traits have no permanent character of their own in the human body; every tissue of the body changes a number of times in one’s lifetime, but the person remains the same. Leaves, flowers and fruits of a tree change, but the character of the tree remains unchanged. It is a law of life that elements of permanence and change must co-exist in a harmonious equation.

Last, but not least, is the fact that the teachings of Islam have been preserved in their original form and God’s Guidance is available without adulteration of any kind. The Quran is the revealed book of God which has been in existence for the last fourteen hundred years.