The
major characteristic of Islam is that it makes no distinction between the
spiritual and the secular in life. Its aim is to shape both individual lives as
well as society as a whole in ways that will ensure that the Kingdom of Allah Almighty may really be established on earth and that peace, contentment and well-being
may fill the world. The Islamic way of life is thus based on a unique concept
of man’s place in the universe. That is why it is necessary t, before we discuss
the moral, social, political and economic systems of Islam, we should have a
clear idea of what that concept is:
Allah Almighty who is the Creator, the Ruler and the Lord of the universe, has
created man and provided him with a temporary abode in that part of His vast
kingdom which is the earth. He has endowed man with the faculties of thinking
and understanding, and has given him the power to distinguish right from wrong.
Man has also been invested with free will and the power to use the resources of
the world however he likes. That is, man has a measure of autonomy, while being
at the same time Allah’s representative on earth.
Before
assigning to man this vicegerency (Caliphate), Allah Almighty made it clear
to him that He alone as the Lord, the Ruler and the Deity. As such, the entire
universe and all the creatures in it (including man) should submit to Him
alone. Man must not think he himself totally free and must realize that this
earth is not his permanent abode. He has been created to live on it only for a
probationary period and, in due course, he will return to his Lord, to be
judged according to the way he has spent that period. The only right course for
man is to acknowledge Allah Almighty as the only Lord, the Sustainer and
the Deity, and to follow His guidance and His commands in all he does. His sole
objective should be to merit the approval of Allah Almighty.
If
man follows a course of righteousness and godliness (which he is free to choose
and follow) he will be rewarded in this world and the next: in this world he
will live a life of peace and contentment, and in the Hereafter he will qualify
for the heaven of eternal bliss, Al-Jannah. If he chooses to follow the course
of godlessness and evil (which he is equally free to choose and follow), his
life will be one of corruption and frustration in this world, and in the life
to come he will face the prospect of that abode of pain and misery which is
called Hell.
After
making this position clear, Allah Almighty set man on earth and provided
the very first human beings (Adam and Eve) with guidance as to how they were to
live. Thus man’s life on this earth did not start in utter darkness. From the
beginning a bright torch of light was provided so that humanity could fulfil
its glorious destiny. The very first man received revealed knowledge from Allah Almighty Himself, and was told the correct way to live. This code of life
was Islam, the attitude of complete submission to Allah Almighty the
Creator of man and the whole universe. It was this religion which Adam, the
first man, passed down to posterity.
But
later generations gradually drifted away from the right path. Either they lost
the original teachings through negligence or they deliberately adulterated and
distorted them. They associated Allah Almighty with innumerable human
beings, material objects and imaginary gods. Shirk (polytheism) became
widespread. They mixed up the teachings of Allah Almighty with myths and strange philosophies and thus produced a jumble of
religions and cults; and they discarded the God-given principles of personal
and social morality, the Sharia’s.
Although man departed from the path of truth,
disregarded or distorted the Sharia’s or even rejected the code of Divine
guidance, Allah Almighty did not destroy them or force them to take the
right course. Forced morality was not in keeping with the autonomy He had given
to man. Instead, God appointed certain good people from among the human society
itself to guide men to the right path. These men believed in Allah Almighty and lived a life of obedience to Him. He honoured them by His revelations,
giving them the knowledge of reality. Known as prophets, blessings and peace be
on all of them, they were assigned the task of spreading Allah’s message among
men.
Many
thousands of these prophets were raised throughout the ages, in all lands and
in all nations. All of them brought the same message; all of them advocated the
same way of life, (din), that is, the way which was revealed to man on the
first day of his existence. All of them had the same mission: they called men
to Islam to submit to Allah Almighty alone, asked those who accepted the
Divine law, and for putting an end to all deviations from the true path. Many
people, however, refused to accept their guidance and many of those who did
accept it gradually drifted away from their initial commitment.
Lastly, Allah Almighty raised the Prophet Muhammad SAW, blessings and peace be on him,
in Arabia to complete the mission of the earlier prophets. The message of
Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him, was for the whole of mankind. He
presented anew the teachings of Islam in their pristine form and provided
humanity once again with the Divine guidance which had been largely lost. He
organised all those who accepted his message into one community (Ummah),
charged with living in accordance with the teachings of Islam, with calling
humanity to the path of righteousness and with establishing the supremacy of
the world of Allah Almighty on earth. This guidance is enshrined in the
Holy Qur’an.
Credit to Allama Abul Ala Maududi
