Man is tired of the sensate culture of the age. Religion in the West has been on the defensive for the last few centuries. The situation is now changing. The tide of materialism and empiricism has receded.
Society is now threatened with an ideological vacuum. Some people want to fill this vacuum with pure philosophy, and others seek the help of literature, art, and humanitarian sciences.
The crisis of the twentieth century is a crisis of values, and the way out of the human predicament lies in constructing a new social order. There is a necessity for re-examining the foundations on which the entire structure of society is built and the ideals the culture aspires to achieve. This calls for presenting an alternate ideology that is complete and answers man’s innate urges which arise out of his innate nature.
The Western approach has always assumed that radical change can be brought about by changing the environment. That is why emphasis has always been placed on change in structure. This approach has failed. It has ignored the need to bring about change within men and women and has concentrated on differences in the outside world. What is needed, however, is a total change within people and their social environment. The problem is not merely structural, although structural arrangements would also have to be remodeled. But the starting point must be the hearts.
There have always been following perspectives on religion.:
The first perspective considers Islam as a collection of some beliefs-dogmas, acts of worship, and rituals.
In Muslim society, those who hold this view may consider Islam as the collection of six or five fundamental beliefs and acts of worship as salāt/namāz (daily prayer), saum/Roza (fasting), Hajj, ziyārāt.
(pilgrimages), and acting according to some sunnah as having a long beard, cutting mustaches, applying scent(atr), etc. Or they may be rituals like Muharram mātam, majlis, nazr, etc. Hindus may go to the mandir, have some occasional yagnas or garland the murtis, and burn loban every morning (that too for some worldly aim of getting profit in the shop, etc. ). Religion is summed up in these. Religion is summarized in believing in these dogmas, performing these rituals, and having some external manifestations. That is all.
In this perspective, the ideal religious person is one who holds the dogmas blindly and performs these acts rigorously.
We call this perspective the Ritualistic Perspective of Religion.
Usually general public (‘awām) follows this approach, and the priests, pundits, and mullahs/ zakirs propagate this version of religion as the true religion.
Here religion is simply a matter of heart, emotions, and sentiments; it has nothing to do with reason, even less with living.
In this approach, religion becomes the opium of the masses about which Marx was speaking.
Historically the courts of Banī Ummaya and Banī Abbās and many governments patronize this form of religion as it does not pose any danger to their corrupt and oppressive rule.
Generally speaking, every religion starts as a message of calling people towards God, making them God-oriented, and as a call for love, tolerance, peace, and social justice.
In the process of time, the theology and fundamental principles are codified and become fixed dogmas.
In the second stage, intricate religious sciences develop like exegetics, ‘ilm-e Tafsir, religious mythology and (pranas), ‘ilm al-Hadīth, Usule Hadith, of science yagna and worship rituals and shastras, varnas, intricate rules of Dharam shastras, as complex sciences in Islam the development of ‘ilm-e Fiqh, Usule fiqh, the lime kalam theology, theosophy or Falsfaa and logic –Mantiq, etc. A class of erudite religious scholars emerges, and pundits appear.
They sum up religion in these religious sciences, which were not brought by the rishis or prophets but developed later.
Thus emerges the 2nd perspective that considers religion as a collection of religious knowledge and intricate religious sciences.
In Islamic society, those who hold this view may consider Islam as the collection of the knowledge of nahw, sarf (grammar) of Arabic, ‘ilm Tajwīd (how to pronounce Arabic correctly), the memorization, hifz and good recitation of the Quran (‘ilm al-Qarāah, knowledge about the life of prophets and imams, ‘ilm al-Sīra, with particular emphasis on many details which shows a person’s knowledge but has nothing to do with the issues of real life, ـilm al-ahkām and fiqh-minute rules of acts of prayer worship, yagna etc.,.
There is a tendency among the custodians of this perspective to keep these religious sciences in the monopoly of themselves. They discourage the general public from reading religious texts and describe their knowledge in such telegraphic and obtuse language so that everybody may need them to understand and learn those sciences. This tendency to monopolize is to keep their power and monetary benefits intact.
In this approach, religion becomes a means of power, popularity, and income for the religious elite and custodians of institutionalized religious institutions. Usually, pundits, ‘ulamā public (‘awām) follow this approach, and the priests, pundits, mullās, and zākirs propagate this version of religion as the true religion and true Islam.
In this perspective, the ideal religious person is one who has good knowledge about some details of these religious sciences.
Here, religion is a matter of mind, with nothing to do with heart, even less to living.
We call this perspective the Scholastic Perspective of Religion.
In Islamic history, the courts of Banī Abbās and many governments patronize this form of religion, too, as it does not pose any danger to their corrupt and authoritarian rule.
There is no doubt spirituality is the essence of religion. Cultivating spirituality in man is one of the main aims of all religious practices.
But man has the body and the soul; he has spiritual urges and bodily needs. Likewise, a man is an individual who lives in a society. Religion has not only to form the individual character but also to reform society.
As it happens, deviation always starts by emphasizing one part of the truth and negating other parts. If focusing on one aspect of truth, however important, becomes an excuse for denying all other elements, it becomes no more truth (haqq); it turns into a falsehood (bātil).
This happens in the Spiritualistic-idealistic perspective. Here obsession with spiritualism results in neatening bodily needs and social life Religion becomes lopsided and becomes even more dreadful opium of the masses.
This perspective negates the importance of beliefs- rituals and emphasizes only the spirit of religion. It makes religion an excuse for ignoring social duties, values, and social justice, which is also an essential goal of all religions, especially Islam.
This perspective gives rise to superstitious individuals, and many of the youth immersed in this perspective ultimately result as religious crazy men who are even evil human beings in their social behaviors. In this perspective, being religious is only one step away from craziness. That is why sometimes the mad and crazy are considered saints.
This perspective is the opposite of ritualistic, scholastic, and socio-political approaches to religions.
In this perspective, the religion is summed up in superstitions, beliefs in miracles, spiritual practices, talismans, tantra- mantra, chamatkars, ganda, ta’wīz, etc.
On a higher level, this is the perspective of mystics, but on a low level, it is also practiced by the illiterate populace. That is all.
In this perspective, the ideal religious person is one who devotes himself to worship and fast day in and day out, perform religious meditations, has a life of sanyas, does not marry or leaves the wife unattended, and cut himself off from society and performs these acts rigorously.
We call this approach the perspective of Idealistic Spiritualism.
Usually general public (‘awām) follows this approach, and the priests,’ pundits, mullahs, and zakirs propagate this version of religion as the true religion and true Islam.
Here religion is simply a matter of heart, emotions, and sentiments; it has nothing to do with reason, even less with living.
Historically the courts of Banī Ummaya and Bani Abbas and many governments patronize this form of religion as it does not pose any danger to their corrupt and tyrannical rule. In this approach, religion becomes a super opium of the masses about which Marx was speaking.
Politics is an important component of human society. Man can only live in a society, and no society can be organized without leadership. And political institutions. Leadership results in power; Power dictates many other aspects of society, including religion. Religion gives guidance to power but ultimately, power attempt to control religion also.
As religion is a complete system, it invariably also has guidance about the political life
These three elements are (a) the presence of political guidance in religions, (b) the importance of power, and (c.)) ultimate dominance of power over religion, all resulted in a new approach, which makes grabbing power and formation of state as the primary goal of religion. Thus, a new phenomenon of political religions, i.e., political Islam, Political Christianity, and Political Hinduism, has emerged, especially lately. This trend towards politicizing religion is increasing at an n alarming rate in all religions8even in Buddhism which was the most pacifistic and apolitical of all.
This type of political religion has the following features:
1. Greater and even sole emphasis is laid on the role of religion in making a state both in its history and in theory.
2. Religion is presented as a revolutionary political movement whose primary goal is establishing a state and social reform.
3. Religion turns into a political identity. No value is attached to practicing religion, producing religious morals, to achieve spiritual perfection but only to acting as a Muslim, Hindu, or Christian in elections, in party affiliation, and policies
4. A hatred and phobia against some other religious community, country, or international power is generated to strengthen and keep this religious identity.
5. The spiritual, esoteric, and theosophical aspects of religion are underplayed. The kings, conquerors, and revolutionary leaders are glorified as the highest example of religious persons.
6. Just as in the perspective of idealistic spiritualism, religion is summed up as a pursuit of spiritual perfection and spiritual exercises and acts of worship. All else is ignored, so in the political Perspective, religion is summed up in politics, and creating a religious state is the main goal. This is evident in the movements for an Islamic state, in Hindu Rashtra and the current movement of Evangelical Christianity.
This political version of religion ignores the following facts.
1. Religion is a complete system. Though it is one of its major aim to reform society and implement social justice, it is more than a political ideology like Marxism or Liberalism. Reducing the vast God-oriented system to a political ideology is a big injustice to religion.
2. A Muslim or Hindu, or Christian is not a political identity. A Hindu, a Muslim, and a Christian are basically
3. Believing in some principles which constitute his philosophy of Man, History, and worldview and conviction about the afterlife, he practices his religion, tries to manifest its morality, and makes himself God-oriented. To negate all this and turn religion into a political identity is a big deviation.
4. All religions believe in God's Oneness and humankind's unity. They do not preach hatred against other human beings.
5. Social Justice is one of religion's main aims but not the sole goal. Godliness and righteousness and making man God-oriented is a greater goal of the region; in fact, a religious Perspective, the endeavor for implementing social justice is an offshoot of becoming Godly. And God-centered.
Religion should not be reduced to a revolutionary movement for social justice.
6. and brought to the level of Bolshevism and Communism. Religion is religion; it is not an ’ism.’
The correct perspective is that religion is a comprehensive system, a tree, one of whose branches is political guidance and teachings, which results in the pursuit of social justice. However, this is not the whole tree.
THESE ARE LOP_SIDED VERSIONS; RELIGION IS A GOD-ORIENTED SYSTEM AND A WAY OF LIFE:
WHAT RELIGION & ISLAM IS NOT:
1. It is not a collection of dogmas and rituals as preached by the custodians of the Ritual Religion
2. It is not a compendium of religious sciences as preached by the scholastic version of religion.
3. It is not mere spiritualism separated from society as held by practitioners of Idealistic-Spiritualism.
4. It is not a mere revolutionary movement for social justice and creating a religious state as held by political Religion and Political Islam.
WHAT RELIGION & ISLAM IS :
It is a complete system and way of life, which can be depicted in the form of the following Tree:
