1. PREFACE

Islam for Modern Students

There are in general two rival Ways or Systems of Life, the Conventional or Secular and the Alternative or Religious which are distinguished in literature as the Earthly (or Worldly) and Heavenly respectively. A third System of Life is created by various combinations of these two. The difference between these is that the Conventional places its attention and effort on Economic, Political and Technological progress, while the Religious places its emphasis on Psychological, Social and Environmental progress. The latter is much more fundamental and comprehensive, and, therefore, consciously affects the Economics, Politics and Technology as well. The reverse is not true. The affect of the Secular Way of life on the Psychology, Society and Environment of people is unconscious, accidental and uncontrolled. It does not give man power over his own affairs.

The purpose of this work is to describe this Alternative Way of Life.

Human life cannot be understood merely on a materialistic basis, because man not only has a body with external senses, but also a mind with which he reasons, forms concepts and ideas, and an inner life of desires, motives, purpose, striving, values, consciousness, conscience, will, faith, love, hope, responsibility, creativity, a sense of beauty, usefulness, truth, goodness and so on. Man, therefore, is a unity consisting of three interacting and interdependent worlds, a physical, a mental and a spiritual. Unless there is coordination between them human life must inevitably suffer owing to conflicts between these different aspects and the unpredictable results caused by one aspect on another. A one sided development is not an intelligent way of proceeding.

Though religions tried to deal with man in this unified way the problem is that:-

(a) Conflicts have arisen between these three departments of life and human beings are divided according to which of these they concentrate their attention on. The suffering resulting from this disintegration is quite evident.

(b) There is diversity of religions between which there are irreconcilable differences of opinion and conflicts. Each is understood differently even by its adherents and at different levels.

(c) It can be shown that all have been corrupted in that most of their followers have not understood, are not motivated by, or do not behave according to, the teachings of their founders, and have often become a means to political or commercial aims.

(d) The majority of mankind have become apathetic towards them or abandoned religion altogether because they do not understand them, nor do they wish to.

(e) It might be contended that religions should be abandoned as superstition because there is neither sensory nor rational evidence for some of their basic ideas. But this attitude cannot be upheld since it refers only to two worlds and ignores the reality of third world of experience mentioned above.

The problem for a rational being is how to decide which religion is true? They are basically all justified in the same way. Surely the Truth must be everywhere the same. There appear to be, on the surface, only three alternatives:- (a) That one of them is true and others false. (b) That all are false. (c) Though truth is one, it could be seen from different angles, or in different parts, its description could also vary, and people could see more or less of it according to their different capacities and efforts at understanding. It could be that one, some or all have partial truths.

Here the last point of view is taken on the grounds that sane human beings cannot evolve, produce or adhere to anything which is wholly false otherwise they would be psychotic, unadapted to reality, and would have died out long ago.

To justify this, an endeavour will be made to prove the truth of the following argument:-

(1) That human psychological, social and environmental problems have become so complex that they have become insoluble by the limited human mind, and the institutions created by them have become so powerful that they evolve by their own momentum.

(2) Human beings cannot solve their problems unless they undergo deliberate further psychological evolution.

(3) In order to do this they will have to undergo an ideological and social change.

(4) This ideological and social change is already inherent in religious teachings when properly understood.

This work is based on a new, non-traditional, research into Islam in the light of modern developments in the sciences (Physics, Biology, Psychology, and Cosmology), Economics, Politics, History, Philosophy and Theology.

As Islam is the most recent of the great religions, arising in conditions nearest to the modern world, the origins of which have been recorded more thoroughly than of any other religion, the book also gives new insights into the nature of religion in general, and Christianity in particular.

Islam is also a religion in which all factors, spiritual, political, economic and cultural, are combined in a unified self-consistent system which can be used as a model to construct a complete civilization without inner contradictions and conflicts. In view of the increasing number of problems which modern civilizations face, the book extracts a number of valuable lessons which can be learnt from a study of Islam.

In so far as Islam is, to an extent, responsible for the arising of the modern age, it also describes the historical origin, the points of divergence and their consequences, which brought about the modern world.

In the past life was controlled by accidental factors - accidental, not in the sense that there were no causes, but that they were outside human perception, motives and control. This unfortunately is still the case. But it is becoming increasingly evident to an increasing number of people that human beings have reached a stage where they must take control of their own affairs, their own evolution, and indeed, that of the whole planet or they must perish. This requires a comprehensive and unitary world view which includes facts as well as meaning and values in the absence of which, as many have noticed, there is a constant battle for dominance between the forces of construction and destruction, knowledge and ignorance, chaos and order, and nothing is predictable or controllable.

In the past it was religion which provided such a world view. But, there are many different religions which in a contracting world led to conflicts, and since they tend to adhere to tradition they were incapable of adapting to the needs of a world which was developing owing to the increase in knowledge, organisation and technology. Later Philosophy attempted to provide this, but its efforts were purely intellectual and usually beyond the grasp of, or relevance to, the majority of people. It ignored the practical as well as the feelings, and it made no attempt to gather data. Nor could the philosophers agree among themselves. Today, it is provided by science, but this has nothing to say about meaning and values and is constantly changing. It is not possible for either philosophy or science to provide such a fully comprehensive integrated system.

This book is a study of Religion, not in the conventional sense, but in the sense Islam understands it. The word “Religion” means “re-connection with one’s origin or source”.

Life is a unity where all aspects of it affect each other. It consists of human adjustment to the world which is also a Unity. An intelligent life, therefore, requires three things:- (a) Knowledge of facts, (b) Values for purposes and (c) Meanings which are connected with the techniques for reconciling the other two. There are psychological, social and physical techniques.

Three fundamental problems arise in this connection:-

1. There has been progress in technology which has given man great power, progress in organisation which has given some people great power over others, progress in education which tends to confine itself to knowledge and skills. But there has been no equivalent psychological or moral progress. Human values and motivations remain primitive. Life has become unbalanced.

2. Life is disintegrated due to specialisation and departmentalisation. There is no unified system of perception, motivation and action. This leads to loss of control owing to uncoordinated actions in different directions. Every action creates and is contradicted by extraneous factors and unpredictable effects.

3. Human beings are diverse, due to differences in inherent temperament, experience and knowledge. In the absence of (a) some common objective goals and standards, (b) willingness to submit to these, (c) and psychological progress in awareness, motivation and ability, there can only be conflicts and affairs can only be settled, ultimately, by force. This means that the more powerful will always coerce, regiment, or condition the less powerful and create discontent, resentment, conflict and rebellion. This problem is likely to get worse.

In general, Science deals in facts while Ethics deals in values. Its foundations, concepts and methods are, therefore, different from that of science. Ethics is usually based on, or derived from, religion, as were the sciences and techniques at one time. There are different religions as there are different sciences and techniques. We do not regard one as more true than another, though we distinguish between Science, Pseudo-Science and popularised science, and there are controversies and malpractices within them, and development also takes place. They are all a single phenomena with the same purpose. Religion, since it is a universal phenomenon, and there is no indication that any of the founders wanted to create a separate or exclusive sect, is seen here in the same light. However, most religions are very old. They have altered over the years and there are few reliable records of the original teachings of their founders. If a rational attitude is to be taken, rather than sentimental attachment or prejudice, then we have to take our facts from where ever they are most likely to be found.

The techniques have three aspects:- In general, Industry deals with needs, Politics deals with organisation and Art deals with Culture, if we define these terms in a broad sense. They correspond to the physical, social and psychological aspects of man. But something is needed to unify and coordinate them all. Something is also needed to coordinate facts, meaning and values and solve the three fundamental problems. We call this Religion.

The book deals with:-

(a) The fundamental concepts underlying all aspects of life, economic, moral, political, cultural, scientific and spiritual.

(b) The contemporary psychological, social and environmental problems created by modern developments.

(c) Possible solutions for these problems.

It starts by establishing the fundamental concepts and then attempts to construct a unified, mutually consistent spiritual, ethical, social, cultural, economic, political, scientific and philosophical system on them.

It deals with religion in general, though it does so from the Islamic point of view. While it may interest Muslims and students in particular, people of other faiths or none at all, should not be put off. It is not meant to be a sectarian work. All religions and human beings have something fundamental in common, and this is what the book is dealing with. It does this by enlisting the guidance of Islam for the reasons given above.

In order to build a new more intelligent, conscious and unified way of life, as Islam requires, three things are necessary:-

(a) A framework of reference with respect to which experiences can be interpreted and knowledge obtained in a more systematised, powerful and comprehensive way.

(b) A system of values which inform and direct motives.

(c) A system of generalised skills and modes of action which are both versatile and increase human adaptability.

The Islamic systems providing these are explored in this book.

The book is motivated by the following considerations:-

1. Science, technology, organisation and education have transformed the world, materially, socially, ideologically as well as psychologically, and are likely to play an increasing role in human affairs throughout the world. They have, in developed countries, replaced Religion which used to be the basis of life. The Western way of thinking and living is increasingly dominating the whole world.

2. Yet it is evident that the world is fast approaching a crisis point because of a great number of environmental, economic, political, social, technological, ideological, moral and psychological problems. For the majority of people, all present systems of life, be they Capitalist or Socialist, are found to be increasingly inadequate. An alternative is urgently required. The sciences, arts and ethics are also undergoing a revolution. The very foundations and assumptions on which life is based are being questioned.

3. The basic problem seems to be the absence of comprehensive fundamental principles which can coordinate thought, motives and actions in a unified manner, and upon which a self-consistent way of life can be built. Such principles are urgently required.

4. The greater inter-dependence of people owing to the development of transport, communication and trade, has created an urgent need for greater understanding and unity. But the development of this is made impossible by conflicts of ideologies. Objective principles have to replace subjective judgments.

5. It is also becoming increasingly evident that the material and social problems of mankind are not independent of their moral, psychological or spiritual state and vice versa. Man lives by facts but also by meanings and values. The solution of human problems depends on two alternatives: Either life is seen as an accident without meaning and purpose, or it is seen in a wider context, having a function with respect to the whole of existence. The latter is provided by religions alone.

6. Religions, including Islam unfortunately, are still formulated in a manner which was suitable for people of a by gone age. It has, for many people, ceased to be understood and applied. The Muslim world is also developing along western lines, and religion there is also being abandoned.

7. Religion is a world-wide phenomenon. It has roots deep in human nature. It cannot be discounted. It is still a source of conflict, and yet the truth must be everywhere the same. Religion, if it is to be understood and applied, needs to be reformulated in the light of modern developments.

8. There are prejudices against religion. There is no religion in which malpractices have not and do not occur. This is not because of Religion, but because of human failings which religions came to cure. There is a distinction between the essence and intentions of the original teaching and the opinions and practices of the people who profess to follow it. This book is concerned mainly with the meaning and significance of the teachings, not with dogmas, nor with particular peoples, their institutions, habits, or histories, except when relevant. It must, therefore, necessarily be unconventional and even revolutionary. It is not a book on conventional religion.

9. It deals with the criticisms, questions and difficulties people conditioned by Western education and culture have with Religion in general and Islam in particular, the problems existing in present systems and possible solutions for them

10. The words ‘God’ and ‘Religion’ have a great number of different and conflicting meanings for different people. The words ‘Allah’ and ‘Islam’ have a more precise technical meaning. ‘Allah’ refers to the ultimate objective Reality and ‘Islam’ means ‘Surrender to Allah’. This transcends the narrow definition of the word “religion” and the distinction between particular religions. In this book the terms are used in this sense.

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About The Author

As this work is meant to stand on its own merit, nothing will be said about the Author except the following:-

He has made a study of the Sciences, Philosophy, Religions, Politics, Economics, History, Technology and Literature for 50 years, in an attempt to find a method of understanding and creating a unified, self-consistent system of thought which combines all aspects of existence. He found that not one of these systems could be justified independently, but was based on assumptions, the proof of which lay in other systems. He came to understand Islam rather late in life, and found in it the foundations he was seeking.

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Contents