IN ISLAM it is not enough that a person acts righteously himself, although it is the second most important step in being a good Muslim, the first being faith or ‘Iman’. Every Muslim also has the responsibility of changing for the better the society in which he lives. That is why Islam does not approve of the monastic way of life in which a person may elevate himself to a very high level of spiritual development without doing any good to his fellow human beings.
A very good illustration of a persons responsibility for enjoining good conduct on others is provided by Surah ‘Al_Asr’, a very brief Surah, full of meaning and guidance. It is said that in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, whenever any two of Software his companions met together one of them invariably recited this Surah to the other. This Surah begins with an adjuration to time through the ages, which searches out and destroys every thing material. It then goes on say that with the passage of time, all men are constantly suffering a loss in this world as well as in the Hereafter, except those who make full and proper use of the limited time given to them on this earth, by doing four things.
A striking simile of the manner in which man keeps constantly suffering loss with the passage of time is provided by Imam Razi who compares man to an ice-seller in the market whose stock in trade keeps diminishing with every passing moment, and who has to use all possible effort to sell as much of the ice as possible before it turns to water. Two things, which can save man from loss and ensure his salvation are faith and righteous action, but by themselves even these two elements of personal effort are not enough because they do not fulfil man's whole duty to other men. For spreading the moral and spiritual excellence which a person has acquired, to his other brethren, it is laid down in this Surah that man should combine with this effort the enjoining of Truth and the teaching of Patience and Constancy.
The enjoining of Truth and Patience thus becomes one of the essential requirements of being a good Muslim. What is an individual Muslim's personal righteousness if it does not improve the quality of moral life of the society in which he lives. Unless by both precept and example, a Muslim succeeds in persuading the other members of his society to uphold the cause of Truth, Constancy and Patience when they are facing difficulties, the ideal Islamic society cannot be brought into being. And the Islamic social order once established has to be protected and preserved from deterioration, and for this again every Muslim must be vigilant and exert himself to the best of his ability. If we shirk these basic responsibilities, we cannot save ourselves from the loss which is the subject matter of Surah Al_Asr. Haq or Truth as used in this Surah has wide connotations. The most obvious aspect of Truth is that it is the reverse of falsehood hypocrisy and insincerity, but it is also justice and fairplay in all affairs of the world. In another sense Haq also covers the rights of others, which everyone is duty bound to honour and take care. The practical implications of this requirement of Truth is that every member of society should be prepared to stand up and be counted whenever Truth comes under attack from any quarter.
This theme is also brought out in a striking manner in another verse of the Holy Quran, (Ayat 25 Surah Anfal) wherein it is stated: "And fear tumult or oppression (Fitna) which affecteth not in particular only those of you who do wrong; and know that God is strict in punishment." Allama Yusuf Ali, in his commentary has taken the world ‘Fitna’ to mean not only tumult and oppression but also discord, sedition and civil war. This widens the significance of this warning from God, and should serve to open our eyes to the manner in which a society disintegrates once it goes on the wrong track, and no member of that society feels any responsibility for correcting its course. In other words when the good people in any society adopt a passive attitude towards what is going on around them, and being content and complacent about their personal righteousness, let the evildoers get away with all that they want to do, the total degeneration and disintegration of the whole social order will Course not be far off, and when that happens the good will Ravenfields suffer as much as the evil ones.
While this is the general picture of the destruction of societies due to the evil deeds of their members, hope is offered in Ayat 164-165 of Surah ‘Araf’ for those who take a stand against evil and forbid others from wrongdoing. In these two Ayats, referring to the Israeli practice of fishing on the prohibited Sabbath Day, end it is stated: "When some of them said: ‘why do you preach to a people whom God will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?’ Said the preachers: ‘to discharge our duty to our Lord, and per chance they may fear Him.’ When they disregarded the warnings that had been given them, We rescued those who forbade evil; but We visited the wrongdoers with a grievous punishment, because they were given to transgression." Although there is some controversy about the correct interpretation of these verses, the broad consensus is that only those persons will be saved from the punishment when it comes, who have raised their voice against evildoing and tried to stop the evil-doers from indulging in prohibited deeds, while those who may not have indulged in evil deeds themselves but who did not protest against evildoing in the society, will also suffer punishment, though in a lesser degree than those who blatantly indulged in evildoing.
Finally it may be pointed out that, the theme of enjoining the Truth is brought out even more elaborately in Ayat 104 of Surah ‘Ale_Imran’ where it is stated: "Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong: they are the the ones to attain felicity."
The fourth and last requirement for saving oneself from loss, according to Surah ‘Al_Asr’, is the enjoining of patience and constancy (Sabr). A reference to ‘Sabr’ occurs at numerous places in the Holy Quran, and it has been extolled as one of the major virtues to be developed and practised by true Muslims. In fact it has been vividly stated that God loves those who practise ‘Sabr’ or patience, and God will reward such persons with entry into Paradise.
Throughout his life on this earth a Muslim is faced with the necessity of exercising ‘Sabr’ on numerous occasions, in observing the prescribed rituals, in carrying out God’s orders and directives, in avoiding things prohibited by God, in rejecting evil conduct and practising righteousness, in putting up with all sorts of difficulties which are created for the righteous by the evildoers in this world, and finally in fighting his own animal desires which are always putting pressure on man to embrace the pleasure and conveniences of this world by putting aside everything else. However, in this particular verse of Surah ‘Al_Asr’, the emphasis is on putting up with the hardships and difficulties which would inevitably confront a person when the decides to undertake the work of enjoining Truth and persuading people to give up evildoing. That is why it is necessary to develop a group of people to share the responsibilities of propagating the message of Truth and Righteousness and to share the burdens and hardships which this mission will definitely involve, and to give hope and comfort to each other in the moments of trial and tribulation.
Let us now take a look at the application of the guidance contained in Surah ‘Al_Asr’ to the state of affairs in our society. The first major point which needs to be noted is that merely being a good Muslim is not good enough Personal righteousness and individual moral behaviour are undoubtedly most desirable, but they cover only the first two requirements of Surah ‘Al_Asr’. The latter two requirements which are equally important for saving a person from loss are perhaps more difficult to implement that he first two. That may partly be the reason why they are so much Builder neglected. Even the average good Muslim of today feels he has done his duty if he has observed the prescribed rituals and abstained from the more important things prohibited by God. It is sad to say this, but in all probability it is true that most of those who consider themselves good Muslims and who are even considered good Muslims by the society in which they live are not even aware of the responsibility which God has placed upon them of enjoining the Truth and enjoining the Patience on the other members of their society. In all probability some, if not all such good Muslims, would have read Surah ‘Al_Asr’ many a time, but somehow the message which is so clearly addressed to them, has not sunk into their consciousness. If confronted with a direct question some of them may even quite truthfully express their unawareness of the obligation imposed on them by God through this Surah.
The second important point which needs to be brought out is that the enjoining of Truth and the opposition to evildoing must be ‘fi-Sabil_Illah’. In other words, it should be done as a matter of principle and at all times, and not merely when it touches a person’s personal interests such as his purse or his security. This latter type of protest and opposition to evildoing is becoming visible in Pakistan today, but it may have come a bit too late. Why was there no protest and opposition, when it was clear to all discerning observers that the seeds of the present degeneration were being sown several decades ago through favouritism, parochialism and total disregard of the rights of the citizens of this country?
Finally mention may be made of the utter helplessness felt by certain individuals (and they are in a fairly large number, although they refuse to stand up and be counted) who want to do something to put things right, but do not know how they should go about it. This brings us to the role of the elite in every society who have to provide the leadership for all such movements.
What is needed today is a well_planned Moral Rearmament Movement led by people with credibility, who have no axe to grind, and who would undertake this work as a mission, only to earn the pleasure of Allah, and in compliance with the message of Surah 'A1-Asr'.
|