4. ISLAMIC DUTIES

The three duties, learning, enduring and striving correspond to the three faculties of intellect, emotion and motion (thinking, feeling and action), though they are also interdependent and each is connected with the others. Though they may be regarded as techniques - that is methods to achieve psychological development - they are also necessary for carrying out the other techniques of religion, and can also be regarded as essential to life. The Duties are, therefore, an integral part of the meaning of ‘surrender’. They are referred to throughout the Quran.

Learning refers to the absorption of information, (knowledge, truth or order sometimes called negentropy). Striving refers to force and energy. Endurance refers to persistence in time and space. These can be regarded as the fundamental categories in Islam. It should be noted that there is no mention or distinction in Islam between mind, energy and matter. In fact matter is not a notion required even in science since it merely refers to the properties of inertia and resistance which is the same as endurance.

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(1) STRIVING

This is known as Jihad. The phrase Holy War has been used for this. But if this phrase were to be translated into Arabic, then it is not to be found in the Quran. The concept can be best understood from the numerous verses in the Quran which mention striving.

“Lo! those who believe, and those who emigrate and strive in the way of Allah, these have hope of Allah’s mercy.” 2:218

“Deemed ye that ye would enter paradise while yet Allah has not determined those of you who really strive, nor those who are steadfast?” 3:142

“...Strive in His way, then wait till Allah brings His command to pass. Allah does not guide disobedient folk.” 9:24

“And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion.” 22:78

“As for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good.” 29:69

“And who ever strives, strives only for himself, for Lo! All is altogether Independent of His creatures.” 29:6

“So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them with it (the Quran) with great endeavour.” 25:52

“Man shall have only that for which he strives.”

“The true believers are those who believe in Allah and His messengers and afterwards doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their selves for the cause of Allah.” 49:15

The Prophet is reported to have said

“The Mujahid (one who carries out Jihad) is one who strives against himself for the sake of Allah, and the Muhasjir (one who emigrates) is he who abandons evil deeds and sin.”

When asked what kind of Jihad is better he said:

“A word of truth in front of an oppressive ruler.”

Jihad, therefore, consists of striving, deliberately and consciously with effort and persistence to establish what is good and remove what is evil. This alone can bring about transformation within himself, in the society and within the environment. This, clearly, cannot be brought by automatic and impulsive activity which is merely a reaction to external or internal impulses which are subject to the cycle of cause and effect within this world. Conscious actions introduce into the causal world impulses from a higher level.

The Universe and Life as part of it, may be regarded as a struggle between the tendency to involution and evolution, degeneration and regeneration, between construction and destruction, between the outer restrictions of the environment and inner striving, between the lower impulses and the higher ones, between good and evil. Human beings are part of this process and have a function in its regulation and development.

Jihad consists of the struggle against evil, that which limits and obstructs the divine as well as our inherent purposes, both outwardly (the Lesser Jihad) and inwardly (the Greater Jihad), and to establish the good. The outer Jihad may also be divided into the Political retaliation against other nations or communities who attack or interfere with the Muslim Community, and the struggle against oppression, injustice, ignorance, crime and evil within the Community itself. A distinction should, therefore, be made between the Lesser, the Middle and Greater Jihad. It is also possible to speak about the struggle between human needs and the forces of nature, the famines, diseases, distribution of resources, vegetation, animals, the weather, droughts, storms, and so on. This is the attitude of Science and technology. But Islam does not see it that way. Man is required to cooperate with nature. The problems are caused by ignorance, wrong motives and actions and the way of life based on these. Therefore, they can be reduced to the other three factors.

The Inner Jihad:-

Since no one has access to a person’s inner mind but the person himself, it is not possible for any one to transform other people beneficially, though they can harm their development. A person can only transform himself. Having acquired control over himself no one else can harm him internally. Thus self-transformation is the only viable method of development, of increasing creativity, initiative and responsibility.

The Inner Jihad consists of:-

(a) Overcoming anger, greed, avarice, lust, pride, laziness and vanity, the attachment to and pursuit of destructive, perverse, self-centred or futile and useless aims, in order to reinforce consciousness, conscience and will,

(b) Establishing inner truth, compassion, power and justice, faith, love and hope.

(c) Recognising and eradicating the tendency for rationalisation, inner lying, excuse making, projection, introjection, fantasy, repression, inner blindness and deafness, conditioning, superstition, prejudice, addictions, obsessions, habits and automatisms.

The Deliberate, conscious cultivation of positive thoughts, feelings and actions is an important technique for counteracting the automatic arising of negative ones. It is, however, clear that one has, first, to be aware of these negative thoughts, feelings and actions. This is not easy since the mind represses awareness of contradictions. The same self-examination will also be required when making social or political judgements. There is little doubt that the word Jihad is used too loosely to justify prejudices and self-interest. Jihad is to fight on behalf of Allah.

“O ye who believe! Be staunch in justice, witnesses for Allah, even though it be against yourselves or your parents or kindred, whether be a rich man or poor man, for Allah is nearer unto both than ye are. So follow not passion lest ye lapse from truth...” 4:135

“So fight in the way of Allah - thou art not taxed with responsibility for anyone except thyself - and urge the believers.. Whoso intervenes in a good cause will have the reward thereof, and whoso intervenes in an evil cause will bear the consequences thereof. Allah oversees all things.” 4:84,85

The techniques used consist of:-

(a) Firstly becoming aware of the existence of these defects by learning about standards and ideals through a study of the scriptures and other relevant literature,

(b) Secondly by confirmation through observation and self-observation, and

(c) Thirdly, by discussion and interaction between people.

Since these defects consist of contradictions, and consciousness consists of an awareness of unity and consistency, then to remove the psychological defects, it is often sufficient to become aware of them. Conversely, these defects can only be propagated by suppressing awareness. Consciousness is usually manipulated by beliefs and actions. We have to make amends or deliberately counter bad habits and tendencies in thought, feeling and action by opposite ones. Continued exercise strengthens those tendencies. Deliberate self-awareness, self-examination and self-confrontation has to be practised. We have to make Conscious Efforts. This is aided by the criticisms of others. But we have to submit to such criticisms and accept them. This, too, is difficult. It requires great humility. However, the judgements of others can be as biased and defective as one’s own. They are not necessarily valid. They do not absolve one from making one’s efforts to establish the truth.

The process of removing lower impulses and establishing the higher ones is often difficult and painful. We have to undergo Voluntary Suffering, The nature of this suffering has often been misunderstood in the past resulting in a great many bizarre activities, some of which still exist. Self-flagellation and entombment, lying on a bed of nails, sitting for hours in unusual postures and so on are instances of this. But Islam is opposed to such methods, since they harm the individual. Economy of effort is ensured by using methods which have multiple effects.

There are four forms of duty though they overlap and have physical, psychological and social significance:-

(a) To Allah - This consists of (i) Taqwa -cultivating consciousness of Allah. (ii) Tawakkul - cultivating Trust in Allah (iii) Rida Allah - striving to please Allah.

(b) To oneself - This consists of (i) Tawba - repentance, (ii) Dua - supplication, (iii) Tazkiyah - purification (inner and outer), (iv) Sabr - patience and perseverance (v) Shukr - Gratitude (vi) The avoidance of excesses, waste, squandering, hoarding, gambling. (vii) Avoiding intoxicants, addictives and inferior foods such as pig meat. (viii) Earning ones living only by honest and beneficial means. (ix) Moderation in the consumption of food and other wants. (x) Fulfilling ones trust and natural obligations.

(c) Towards others - This consists of cultivating and promoting (i) Salam - Peace (ii) Adl - Justice (iii) Musawa - Equality (iv) Ukhuwah -Brotherhood (v) Mawadah -Love (vi) Rahma> - Mercy (vii) Afw - Forgiveness (viii) Daawah - Invitation to the faith. (ix) Shuni - Consultation (x) Avoidance of usury. (xi) Avoiding harm to others (xii) Keeping promises, agreements and treaties.

(d) Towards the environment and the creatures in it. This is not often mentioned and it is, therefore, advisable to quote the Quranic passages on which this duty is based.

“Work not confusion (chaos, mischief or evil) in the earth after it has been rightly ordered, and call upon Him with fear and hope (longing and earnestness); for, verily, the mercy of Allah is nigh unto those who do well.” 7:56

“There is not a beast upon the earth nor a bird that flies with both its wings, but is a people like to you; We have omitted nothing from the Book. Then to their Lord shall they be gathered.” 6:38

“He it is who brought forth gardens with trailing and untrailing vines, and the palms and corn land, with various food, and olives, and pomegranates, alike and unlike. Eat from the fruit thereof whenever it fruits, and bring the dues thereof on the harvest day, and be not wasters (greedy or extravagant). Verily, He loves not the wasters.” 6:142

“O children of Adam! Take your adornments (clothes, grooming, manners, etiquette etc.) to every place of worship and eat and drink, but do not be extravagant (wasteful), for He loves not the extravagant (wasteful).” 7:31

“And remember how he made you vicegerents (agents, inheritors) after Ad and established you in the earth so that you took for yourselves castles on its plains and hewed out mountains into houses. So remember the bounties of Allah, and waste not the land, despoiling it." 7:74

“And give your kinsman his due and the needy and the son of the road (wayfarer); and squander (waste) not your wealth in wantonness. Lo! The squanderers were ever brothers of the devil; and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” 17:26-27

“"And obey not the bidding of the extravagant (profligate, wasters), Who spread corruption in the earth and mend not their ways." 26:151-152

"Give full measure, and be not of those who diminish (give less than due); and weigh with a true balance, and wrong (or cheat) not mankind of their goods; and waste not the land, despoiling it. “ 26:181-183

The Middle Jihad:-

Socially speaking, the Muslim has the duty to advise others, to prevent them from doing evil and to encourage them to do good by all means possible. He must create or help to create conditions of life which are conducive to development and reduce the causes of evil. He does not necessarily have to punish the culprit or report him for punishment to the authorities since he can also forgive or use other effective methods which could reform or deflect the culprit, or make him ineffective. The evil may or may not be something done against the person himself. It may be something which is done against others, the community or the environment.

“That there may spring from you a nation who invite to goodness and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency. Such are they who are successful.” 3:104 Also see 3:114

The Outer Jihad:-

Politically speaking, Muslim nations do not have the right to interfere with other nations. They can enter into trade and other kinds of interaction. There is no right to aggression. There is, however, a duty of retaliation and defence against injustice and oppression. What the West calls Islamic Terrorism is often the result of this duty. But then they call anyone a terrorist if he revolts against their oppression. On the other hand these actions are not always justifiable or effective. The purpose of retaliation is to deter, and it is part of the natural order, justice and learning, in that the consequences of actions should always be, and seen to be, equivalent to those actions. However, retaliation and defence can take many forms and is not necessarily military in nature. Wisdom can provide a great number of alternative solutions. Islam also teaches patience, endurance, tolerance and forgiveness. The need to retaliate and defend, however, ought to have kept the Muslim nations vigilant and strong. Their political weakness is nothing but part of their over all degeneration.

“Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you...” 2:216

“Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loves not aggressors. And slay them wherever you find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter.” 2:190

The philosophy behind the Jihad may be stated as follows:-

Man is not an end in himself. Nor is physical death considered to be the end of the individual. If this were the case then killing a human being would be the worst of crimes. Human beings serve a higher purpose. It is, therefore, legitimate for human beings to sacrifice their lives for this purpose, or to sacrifice the lives of the enemy who tries to destroy it. Obviously, however, if the purpose is higher than human beings then it cannot be a human purpose. No one has the right to sacrifice other human beings for his own purposes. As a verse quoted above shows, human beings should seek justice even if it is against themselves. In an ordinary nationalistic war it matters little whether those who are killed belong to this nation or the other. Human beings die without any over all purpose being served. A German or American soldier, or any other fighter in the various wars, for instance, may well have asked himself: does it really matter whether the people killed were his own compatriots or the enemy? They are all mostly strangers and no worse or better than each other. There is no room in Islam for “ My country right or wrong ”. The loyalty of the Muslim is to Allah and not to a country. Thus killing and dying in war are justifiable only if the purpose and hoped for result is to establish a system which is conducive to the evolution of mankind.

The struggle against evil may be interpreted as being a struggle at several levels:-

1, Crime - causing harm to others - i.e. murder, injury, cruelty, theft, lying in all its forms, rape and adultery

2. Vices - greed, fear and hatred. The deadly sins of avarice, lust, envy, vanity, pride, anger, laziness. Moods and states such as selfishness, rivalry, boasting, gossipping, rumour spreading, criticising, cowardice, hatred, antipathy, gullibility, cynicism, indifference, apathy, rudeness, doubt, anxiety, hastiness, despondency, occupation with trivia. These are to be regarded as being much more fundamental in that they produce all the other problems.

3. These are psychological mechanisms such as rationalisation, self-deception, fantasy, excuse making, projecting blame on to others, introjecting praise for oneself, diverting attention, suppressing, forgetting, substituting, habituation, exaggeration, diminution, perversion, associative thinking, superficiality, over-compensation, self-deception, self-contradiction, dissociation, illusion, delusion, hallucination, invention, biased selection, and so on. All of these are comprehended in the general phrase “Inner Lying.” and the attributes of ‘Satan’.

Lying includes suppressing truth, bias, exaggeration, misinterpreting, selective emphasis, hypocrisy. If something, for instance, contains both red and blue, it is true that there is red in it but a false impression is given by failing to mention that it also has blue.

4. The source and basis of these mechanisms is the instability, disintegration and narrowing of consciousness and attention, and the formation of an illusory ego which is a substitute for an absent integrated Self.

5, Social evils - poverty, disease, ignorance, depravity, disorder, conflicts.

6, Political injustice, oppression, exploitation.

7. International Injustice and Aggression - Attacks, Invasion, Subversion, and Domination, be they military, economic, or cultural.

8, Environmental sources of suffering - Accidents, famines, earthquakes, drought, storms, pestilences, diseases, pollution, ecological imbalance etc. Some of these, such as earthquakes, may not be preventable, but the consequences can be dealt with.

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(2) LEARNING

The purpose of the Universe, according to the Prophet is that Allah should be known. The creation of the Universe and all processes in it take place by the introduction of Truth. Human beings exist because they are Vicegerents. That is, they are agents through which these processes take place. The welfare and evolution of man depends on Learning.

Learning means:-

1. The search for knowledge:- (a) inner, outer or social (b) of facts, values and meanings, (c) of universals, particulars or techniques.

2. The expansion of experience.

3. The development of the capacity for experience.

4. The refinement of the faculties for thinking, calculating,

5. The cultivation of objective motives and sensitivity of feelings.

6. The increase in skills and abilities.

7. The increase in inner integration and control.

The importance of Knowledge is given in the following sayings of the Prophet:-

“The search for knowledge is an obligation laid on every Muslim, but he who commits it to those who are unworthy of it, is like one who puts necklaces of jewels, pearls and gold on swine.”

“In every successive century those who are reliable authorities will preserve this knowledge, rejecting the changes made by extremists, the plagiarisms of those who make false claims for themselves, and the interpretations of the ignorant.”

“The superiority of the learned man who observes the prescribed prayers, then sits and teaches men what is good over the devout man who fasts by day and prays during the night is like my superiority over the most contemptible among you.”

“The superiority of the learned man over the devout man is like that of the moon on the night when it is full over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the prophet who leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who accepts it accepts an abundant portion.”

“Allah does not take away knowledge by removing it from men, but takes it away by taking away the learned, so that when He leaves no learned man, men will take ignorant men as leaders. Causes will be presented to them and they will pass judgment without knowledge, erring and leading others into error.”

“The calamity which affects knowledge is forgetfulness, and wasting it is to convey it to those who are unworthy of it.”

“He who goes out in search of Knowledge is in Allah’s path till he returns.”

“If anyone seeks knowledge, it will be an atonement for past sins.”

“He who is asked about something he knows and conceals it will have a bridle of fire put on him on the day of resurrection.”

“If anyone seeks knowledge to use it in vying with the learned, or disputing with the foolish, or to attract men’s attention to himself, God will bring him into hell.”

“If anyone acquires knowledge of things by which Allah’s pleasure is sought, but acquires it only to get some worldly advantage, he will not experience the odour of paradise.”

“If the learned were to guard learning and entrust it to those who are worthy of it, they would thereby rule their contemporaries.”

“The worst evil consists in learned men who are evil, and the best good consists of learned men who are good.”

“Knowledge in the heart is the beneficial type; and knowledge on the tongue is Allah’s allegation against human beings.”

“Knowledge from which no benefit is derived is like a treasure from which nothing is expended in Allah’s path.”

Knowledge depends on:- (a) The capacity for knowing. (b) The interest and motivation. (c) The actual efforts made to:- (i) search for and collect the data, (ii) process the data, i.e. analyse, classify, relate, organise and synthesise, (iii) assimilate and integrate it into oneself.

All three factors vary between people. To obtain objective knowledge requires that there be love of truth rather than some other motive. But this does not ensure that a person will recognise it when he sees it. Knowledge, by its very nature, cannot be created. It has to be discovered. It requires receptivity, which is passive rather than active. It requires Surrender. Thinking, on the other hand, is an activity and its direction is determined by motives and these require objective values.

What we see, look for, and how we interpret and organise and use the data of experience depends on our assumptions, interests and activities. Our actions produce responses from the environment which then produce our experiences. Changes in assumption, interest and action will, therefore, change our knowledge.

A fact in isolation does not constitute knowledge. It must be related to other facts and to the observer. The fact acquires meaning only within a context. This is because all things exist only in relation to other things. Knowledge exists in relation to the knower. It then acquires value.

Knowledge is defined as that which enables us. It is, therefore, of three kinds, namely (a) knowing about things, (b) knowing methods, how to do things (how to think, feel or make - e.g. how to do carpentry or architecture or write novels etc) and (c) knowing our own needs and motives.

There is outer (material), interactive (social) and inner (psychological) knowledge. There is a difference between knowing things, knowing of things and knowing about things. There is knowledge of natural phenomena as in science, knowledge of social facts such as language, literature, politics and law, business, and knowledge of psychological facts such as ones own thoughts, feelings and experiences, how to live and be. There is knowledge about facts, meanings and values. There is knowledge about the structure of things, how things work and how they are related. There is knowledge about the Laws and processes of nature, about objects, organisms and entities, about events and about inter-relationship between things, and about the history of things. Above all there is knowledge about the function of things with respect to the whole to which they belong. There is a distinction between beliefs, information, experience and gnosis. Many people mistakenly suppose that only science is knowledge.

Knowledge according to the Quran, as mentioned before, has three levels,

(a) Ilm-ul-Yaqin (the Knowledge of Certainty, information or verbal or rational knowledge),

(b) Ayn-ul-Yaqin (The Eye of Certainty, experiential knowledge) and

(c) Haq-ul-Yaqin (The truth of Certainty). These may be compared to the difference between hearing about China, seeing or experiencing China and being a Chinese.

Knowledge seeking does not mean merely reading something, memorising it and accepting or rejecting it. It must be verified, researched, meditated on, organised, assimilated and integrated. It must be studied, understood and lived. It must be made one’s own by chewing, digesting and assimilating like other forms of nourishment.

A distinction can be made between a scholar who “knows”, a practical man who “can do” and a saint who “is”, One cannot speak about a man as being good if he does not know what he is doing and why, and has no capacity to behave otherwise. The word used by the Prophet is “Learned man” rather than ‘Scholar’. The implication is that he has learnt something rather than merely having information. To learn is to be modified by knowledge.

Knowledge is power. Truth produces freedom. Groups, individuals and Governments obtain and maintain their power by controlling information and using propaganda and mental conditioning techniques. They do this by suppression, distortion and invention, thus creating a fantasy world, adjustment to which is mal-adjustment to reality. This not only establishes the oppression of the few over the many, but also disables and reduces people psychologically, socially and physically. Those who use these methods have not considered that it is also to their own disadvantage on two counts. They themselves are victims of the same process and their power is only as great as that of the people they control.

In early Christianity the people were denied the right to read the scriptures. The Church reserved this right to itself. It could then control the people by interpreting the scriptures to their own advantage. As no one else knew anything different they had no choice but to obey. Those who tried to translate and print the scriptures for general distribution were hounded and murdered. Fortunately, this did not prevent the Scriptures from becoming generally available as the art of reading, writing and printing expanded. But there was a price to pay for this. Different people made different interpretations by selecting, emphasising or reducing different parts of the teaching. The result was the proliferation of numerous sects between which conflicts arose.

Islam is quite different in this respect. Since everyone is responsible for his own soul, it was not possible to give up ones religious obligations to a church or to priests. Everyone had to study the scriptures for himself. This ought, of course, to have spread the art of reading and writing. And it ought to have made Arabic into a universal language. Indeed, unlike Greek and Latin which died out, Arabic is still alive. Unfortunately, too many Muslims are unable to read and many of those who can do not understand Arabic. The Muslims are, therefore, in the same position as the Christians were in the past. However, Islam allows interpretation since the Quran has multiple meanings, but it forbids disputations and conflicts about these. Unfortunately, this has not prevented Muslims from doing so.

Since knowledge has to be sought and applied, it is quite untrue that the life style created by Islam is immutable and human being are not allowed to apply their own reason. What is disallowed is speculation, fantasy and rationalisation. This creates the danger of differences of opinion, and hence sectarianism. Though sects have also appeared in Islam, such sectarianism is strictly forbidden. Opinions can by no means replace the truth which exists apart from opinions about it. Opinions are connected with man, but Truth is connected with Allah. Differences of opinion should never divide Islam, which is surrender to Allah. What a person understands is private to him and cannot be transferred.

The Prophet is reported to have said:-

“Disputation about the Quran is infidelity.”

“If anyone interprets the Quran in the light of his opinion and is right, he has erred.”

“Let him who interprets the Quran without knowledge come to his abode in Hell.”

“No people have gone astray after following right guidance unless they have been led into disputation.”

The following remarks may be made in connection with such disputes:-

1. Knowledge is not acquired through emotional or passionate arguments, but requires the cool search and collection of all relevant data, discussion and exchange of ideas, thinking and calculation, application of tested methods. It also requires the capacity for insight and inspiration, and the power to integration. Correct thought, feeling and action are equally important in obtaining knowledge.

2. The pursuit of knowledge requires selfless objectivity, the setting aside of personal interests, prejudices, illusions and fantasies. Knowledge is not the same thing as opinion. All opinions must be held tentatively.

3. The results of speculation are uncertain. That is they are as likely to be wrong as right. If they are right this is by accident and we cannot know that they are right. Therefore, speculation is error.

4. Learning is a progressive thing. At no particular time can it be said that we have all relevant data or ability. We may find new data, new ways of interpreting things, and develop new abilities.

5. Humility is needed. He who thinks he knows already cannot learn. It is necessary to admit that one may be wrong and that one may not have the ability to recognise a truth, or that one may have misunderstood.

6. There are people with different levels and degrees of ability and experience. The less intelligent cannot understand the more intelligent. The child at one level on the educational ladder does not have the same knowledge as one at a higher level. A person who is an expert in one field may be superior to others in that field but may still be inferior to another who is an expert in another field.

7. The real thing, the experience of it, and a verbal description of it are three distinct things. The same statement may be understood differently by different people according to their different experiences. Agreement or disagreement about words does not mean real agreement or disagreement. Things may be experienced from different angles or aspects. Differences or similarities of experience do not imply differences and similarities in the reality. The acceptance of the same statement by two different people does not imply that they understand it the same way. Nor is it true that two different and apparently contradictory statements cannot be understood in an identical manner.

8. Everything has meaning within a context or framework of reference. If the framework of reference is different in quality or size then there will be differences of understanding. This is like going up a tower or in an aeroplane. The higher we go the more can we see each item on the ground in relation to a greater field. The person nearer the ground will not be able to see the whole pattern. Different towers produce different views. The only point at which all views will be identical is when they all reach the highest point to which it is possible to reach. This highest point is where Allah exists, from which He sees everything. That is the ideal point towards which man should strive.

9. Man is selective in what he sees. He cannot hold in his mind all the data provided by the world at the same time. These senses only provide a very small area of the total spectrum of forces operating in the universe. Selection depends on assumptions, interests and activities. Differences will arise owing to differences in selection based on differences of personality as well as differences in sensitivity and circumstances. One selection does not exclude another. All assertions are liable to be only partial truths.

10. The possibility of arriving at correct knowledge, however, depends on a correctly functioning mind, correct discipline and correct procedures which in turn depend on the previous acceptance of a correct comprehensive set of concepts, a correct framework of reference and correct value systems so that we can look for, interpret and apply the data of experiences correctly. All these are provided by religion.

Knowledge does not only have importance for technology, to control our environment. It also has a social function and a psychological one. It gives us understanding about the world we live in and how to adjust to it; it gives us increasing mental powers, of perception, discrimination and manipulation, it can lead to better psychological health, and it facilitates psychological development by expanding consciousness, conscience and will.

Though Democratic systems of governments are better than others, people are certainly unequal in knowledge and ability, and they cannot work where there is no freedom of information. No intelligent judgments can be made without it. The ignorant are slaves to those who have the knowledge. It is only very recently that freedom of information has been recognized in the U.S.A and Australia. But governments still guard their secrets, work in secret and prevent the press from seeking or publishing it. It is still not recognized in Britain and many other countries which cannot, therefore, be called Democratic.

On the other hand while suppressing truth, freedom is given to publish what is perverse, trivial or morally harmful. Information, however, is nutrition, like food, water and air. The quality of life depends on it and it is not possible to live without it. It too can be poisonous, catalytic or nourishing.

Democracy is defined in the West as the government of the people, by the people for the people. But this does not exist anywhere and cannot. It is not possible to run a community on the basis of conflicting whims alone. In theory it is hard to justify, since the welfare of a people is more likely to be obtained by the application of objective truths and by giving power to those who have a greater capacity to see and apply it. In practice it is always people who have some advantage who acquire power, and power groups do the governing. Though people have a choice between this or that power group, their choice is manipulated and they are not consulted. Not truth but opinion, cunning, convenience, self-interest and the results of the power struggle determine policy. The worst aspect of these political systems is the obscuring of reality through the fantasies and illusions created by the media, advertisers, propagandists, public relations experts, publicity agents, the bias, selectivity, exaggerations, suppression and perversions of journalists, companies, politicians and numerous other interest groups. These can be defined as the works of Satan.

Industries and salesmen everywhere exaggerate the virtues of their goods or use associative imagery designed to by pass reason. They seldom describe their goods to allow a reasoned assessment. In the service of Profits scientific results, too, are perverted. Armament, Oil and other large companies use murder, intrigue, insurrection and revolution, killing and impoverishing millions of people to further their interests. Information about their doings is strictly guarded. Industrial secrecy of all kinds is condoned by governments. However, this leads to wastage because the same research is being done in many places, and much information is suppressed. Many firms buy up patents and destroy them because production of these goods would threaten their profits.

Islam requires the search and application of knowledge not merely in technology, but also in the life of the community and in human development. This, however, implies an objective state of mind, the freedom to search for knowledge, social responsibility and the need for discussion, consultation and consensus. Thus Democracy must be redefined in Islam.

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(3) ENDURANCE

Nothing can exist or can be achieved without endurance. It refers to patience, persistence and resistance to distraction. The nature and importance of patience, Sabr, is given by the following verses in the Quran:- 2:45, 153-155, 3:17, 120, 186, 4:25, 7:126, 8:46, 10:110, 11:49, 115, 12:18,90, 13:22-24, 16:42, 96, 126-127, 20:30, 22:35, 30:60, 31:17, 33:35, 39:10, 41:35, 42:43, 46:35, 50:39, 68:48, 70:5, 73:10, 76:24, 90:17.

In man it also refers to constancy, perseverance, forbearance, tolerance, patience, the bearing of misfortune or adversity, the overcoming of fickleness and distractibility, the creation of concentration, strength of purpose, and single-mindedness, the ability to bear hardships and suffering without perversion of thought, feeling and action. Indeed, fortune and misfortune ought to be treated alike since we can learn from each and we ourselves should be distinct from, and in control of, the events which happen to us. Adversity is, in fact, regarded as existing in order to create such detachment and to test it. Just as the muscles grow through exercise by overcoming weights so also does the psyche develop by overcoming adversity. In fact it may be asserted that no one can achieve anything if he has not learnt to endure difficulties. Failure is usually the result of the inability to endure. It is the people who have it too easy who usually fail in the end because they do not possess the required stamina. Life on earth was not meant for ease but for development. This truth could have been gleaned from observing the processes of History and Evolution.

The keeping of one’s words, promises, contracts, oaths and treaties should be included here. It has obvious social value in creating stability, certainty and security without which there can be no social order. Psychologically, it creates the need to consider, gain appropriate knowledge, think and plan before giving ones word. It demands psychological constancy and stability, and the assumption of ones responsibilities. The worst aspect of the human condition affecting all other aspects of life, is the instability of the human mind. Indeed, it may be said that a person with an unstable mind cannot have existence. The difference is as between a solid object and a liquid. However, this does not refer to the possibility of learning. Objects can be re-shaped, liquids cannot.

The purpose of endurance is, therefore, the establishment of a permanent self. It is only he who has such a permanent centre who can compare different things and perceive changes. All motions are relative. We need to regard one object as stationary in order to compare the motions of other objects with respect to it. If the reference point is itself moving then the comparisons will be defective. This kind of thing happens when the observer himself is unstable.

It is also involved in the ability to tolerate and to forgive, without which the life of the individual as well as the society would be impossible.

Several techniques are used to establish endurance. One, already mentioned, is to regard adversity as a test or as something to be used for one’s benefit. The world can be seen as ultimately good because evil, in causing repulsion from one pole, has the same affect as good which attracts to the opposite pole. We should also look at the wider scene. It is a matter of unjustifiable conceit to suppose that all events refer to oneself. You might want sunshine for your holiday but rain may be better for the farmers and crops. The death of someone may cause us grief but it has a much wider significance, both as to causes and effects, than just to oneself. The Quran recommends that when a misfortune strikes a person he should take refuge in Allah, that is, the ultimate Unity. Acceptance of one’s condition and what happens to one is of the very essence of Surrender.

Intentional Suffering, sacrificing one’s own interest in order to benefit others, consists of taking up some useful task knowing the hardships, opposition, persecution, abuse and even dangers involved without flinching. The Prophets, including Jesus and Muhammad, and many Saints have willingly endured this as part of their mission. Missionaries often undertake difficult and hazardous journeys and life-styles. On a more modest scale a person may wish to reform a criminal or a delinquent child or treat someone suffering mentally though this involves undergoing very irksome experiences. At a more modest level a person may deprive himself of something in order to give his money, property or time to charity. People who climb high mountains, row across the seas single handed, cross deserts and travel through dangerous jungles or to the icy Poles, or undertake hazardous tasks may have no outer purpose, but they are strengthening their own characters, even though they are not doing anyone else any good. On the other hand they may be simply doing it for praise and glory or to test or prove themselves, in which case that is the reward they gain. Self-flagellation and self-injury, either to relieve guilt feelings or to associate with saints, appears to be a misunderstanding of this idea. It is ineffective and probably wholly counter productive.

The Quran also warns against the temptation to let hatred seduce a person into doing injustice, and recommends that when evil is done to a person he should return it with good. The very fact that some evil causes him suffering should be a lesson in the nature of evil. Rather than fight the person doing evil he should fight the evil itself. Real human strength and power is measured by their capacity for constancy, patience, tenacity, persistence and courage. All of the great achievements of mankind which do not depend on accident, depend just on these qualities.

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