The Muslim Mindset Towards Life

 

The Final and Complete Message To All Mankind

Life is a series of unforeseen events with which we all must contend when they happen to us.  According to a well-known saying, “the best laid plans of mice and men do sometimes go astray”.  We all encounter these moments. We even have a name for them: “Murphy’s Law”. Although we know that these moments will occur throughout our lives, many of us react to them as if they shouldn’t happen to us. We have coined terms for these events which imply that we view them as unnatural phenomena. We speak of people having “good or bad luck” or “good or bad fortune”, thereby relegating the process of Life to the whims and fancies of irrational Chance. 

The Muslim mind knows differently. By the Mercy of Allah, through His Quran, Muslims have been taught that Allah controls everything that happens in our lives. The concepts of “chance”, “luck” and “fortune” are frowned upon as fruits of ignorance. Every Muslim knows that nothing happens in the Creation without the knowledge and design of Allah, The Creator and Master of All things. In the Muslim mindset, there are no accidents or misfortunes; only tests from Allah for which consequences and rewards are predetermined.

The Quran informs every believer that human life is constructed in this fashion. It also informs us of the correct response and attitude to adopt when we each face these events in our personal lives.

“In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger,

Some loss in goods or lives or the fruits of your toil.

But give Glad tidings to those who patiently persevere –

Who say, when afflicted with calamity: ‘ To Allah we belong,

And to Him is our return’ – they are those on whom descend blessings

From their Lord and Mercy; and they are the ones that receive guidance.”

(Quran 2: 156 – 157).

It is only ignorant folk who misunderstand the relationship between Man, his Lord and his Life. In their view, God (Allah) is some sort of glorified servant who must give them whatever they need when they request it. He must protect them from the unwanted events of Life or face their indignation and wrath.  If He does not perform as they wish, they “punish” Him with disbelief and disobedience to His commands. They reserve for themselves the right to question, modify and reject any of His instructions that go contrary to their desires. In their misguided view, they consider themselves essential to His existence and not the other way around. That explains why “atheists” take pride in their professed denial of His existence. They demand that He “proves” His existence to them before they will acknowledge Him.

The Islamic attitude to life leaves no place for such arrogance and stupidity. By acknowledging that Allah is the Only Creator of all things (God), Muslims recognize who is the Master. We understand that we are dependent on Him, this universal environment belongs to Him and He has the authority to tell us how to behave in it. Every conscious Muslim understands that his personal life is a daily event presented to him for his development by His Lord and not a product of Chance. We understand that it is unacceptable to disobey Allah’s instructions in any form and that no good can come to us from such action. That is the reason that we hold His Messages to all mankind in such high regard, especially His final message, the Quran. It is also the reason that we hold the prophets as behavioral exemplars, especially Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). We know that “from Allah we came and to Him is our return” and that is enough for us. Whatever calamities or joys befall us each day, we accept it and persevere because Allah has already informed us to expect it. Allah and His Prophet spoke the Truth.

Your Lifestyle = Your Religion

Which Law rules your life?

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

“Nay – those that keep their plighted faith and act aright –

Verily Allah loves those who act aright.

As for those who sell the faith they owe to Allah

And their own plighted word for a small price,

They shall have no portion in the Hereafter:

Nor will Allah (deign to) speak to them or look at them

On the Day of Judgment;

Nor will He cleanse them (of sin):

They shall have a grievous Penalty.”

(Quran: 76 – 77)

I have stated on many occasions that your true “religion” is not what you say you believe but what you actually practice daily. In other words, your “religion” is your actual lifestyle. I firmly believe that, based on years of study of lifestyles and “religions”.  By that measure, many of us are living fraudulent lifestyles if we judge our actual practices by our “religious” beliefs.

Because of the mental schisms created by man-made philosophies, many of us are led to believe that our “religion” is different and separate from our actual daily life. We have been carefully taught to believe that “religious” philosophy is “spiritual” in nature and, therefore, not applicable to “practical” life.  Many of us have been taught to compartmentalize our lives into “religious” and “secular” portions.  This allows us to be passionate “believers” in our “religion” and equally passionate performers of deeds absolutely abhorrent to its teachings without any conflicting feelings. In daily application, we support socially-destructive, man-made laws which blatantly contradict the “religious laws” which we claim to also believe.  Mind you, we willingly and knowingly elect the people who impose these conflicting laws upon our society. 

On the one hand, we claim to believe and respect the “law of God” (“religious” doctrine); on the other, we subjugate these laws to the “law of the land” (conflicting man-made laws).  These man-made laws direct us to perform and support activities often contradictory to our “religious” doctrine. There is no social outcry by those of us who “sincerely believe” in our “religion”, thereby indicating our tacit support for blatantly corrupt activities. This is only possible in societies where people have been deeply indoctrinated with the idea that their lives and “religions” are separate and unconnected; where the “laws of God” and the Day of Judgment are taken lightly.

  For most of us, “religious” activities are emotional salves; scheduled routines and performances that make us feel vindicated before God. Outside of these routines and schedules, we go about our “real” lives, doing what is “necessary to survive” in this material world. We don’t spare a random thought about our actions and their outcomes on the Day of Judgment; secure in our “religious” faith. Islam, however, debunks this attitude. It reminds us, at every turn, that whatever we do daily will be counted on the Day of Judgment. It keeps sincere believers focused on the fact that the Final Judgment will be about the life we lived while on Earth; every action, every thought, every intention.

The Issue of Shariah

 

Christian Shariah

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

“So if they dispute with thee,

Say: ‘I have submitted my whole self to Allah and so have those who follow me.’

And say to the People of the Book and to those who are unlearned:

‘Do you (also) submit yourselves?’

If they do, they are in right guidance, but if they turn back,

Thy duty is to convey the Message;

And in Allah’s sight are (all) His servants.”

(Quran 3: 20)

It is almost laughable when one hears Unbelievers speaking the word “shariah”. They speak the word in venomous tones, scared to death of the vision it conveys to their ignorant minds.  Most of them do not remember that they are speaking an Arabic word with perfectly defined meaning. To the majority of them and their leaders, this word signifies impending doom, were “shariah” ever to be instituted in the land. They know not what it means, but will fight tooth and nail to prevent its establishment in their land. Moreover, the professed “devout” people among them are the staunchest opponents of establishing “shariah” in their societies.

“Shariah” is an Arabic word meaning “the rules and regulations of society ordained by Allah (God)”.  It is contained in His Message to Mankind, detailing what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior in human society.  It also defines how to regulate these behaviors.  Its purpose is to ensure that people build a society that consistently operates in their best interest without anyone being above the law.  It originates in the Message of Allah, and is in every Book of Guidance sent to every people on Earth. Despite the fact that these rules are now considered “religious” in nature, there are no “religions” which do not have them.

bygone days of western modesty

In ignorant societies, there are always large groups of “religious” people who claim to be God-fearing and “devout” believers in the laws of God.  They preach to others to follow “God’s laws” and apply His recommended values in their lives. What they are doing in reality (if they only knew), is exhorting their people to adopt “shariah”. But it is these same people who are amongst the worst opposition to the implementation of “shariah law” in the land today.  On the one hand, they decry the degradation of morality in present-day society and call for the adoption of Allah’s moral values as outlined in their books. On the other hand, they are quite content to accept their moral standard as an abnormal, impractical feature of current society and thus subject their moral vision to the inconsistent views of rampant disbelief.  Therefore, they convict themselves as to the strength and reality of their Faith. 

Islam’s call to believers to implement shariah is nothing unusual or sinister. The issue is a simple, straightforward one.  If you accept Islam as your lifestyle and you truly believe in the Message, then these regulations are necessary for the Islamic society to emerge and exist. Without their implementation, the “Islamic” community is nothing but a sham; a pipe dream.  Islam is a practical lifestyle which cannot be relegated to lip-service.  It must become translated into a tangible reality where those who profess worship of Allah (God) can live their commitments. The Quran puts it quite bluntly:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

“O ye who believe!

Enter into Islam wholeheartedly;

And follow not the footsteps of the Evil One;

For he is to you an avowed enemy.”

(Quran 2: 208)

Assurances Of The Quran (pt 2)

**The masculine pronouns “ he and his”, used in this article, are flexibly interchangeable, depending on the gender of the reader.** 

This is the Book in which there is no doubt!

In His message (the Quran), Allah puts so many assurances as to outcomes of following His instructions that all believers in this message have nothing to fear from the very beginning. He does not make promises of instant wealth and well-being. Nor does He offer fame and fortune. Allah, in His message, helps the believer to keep focused on the big picture: the final goal of life in the earthen environment and how to achieve it. Allah assures the believer that he will have to contend with the vicissitudes of everyday life but will be victorious if he follows the guidance provided by the Quran. He helps the individual believer to reconcile his individual situation to the guidance of the Quran, no matter what his condition at his acceptance of Islam.

 “In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

We said (to Adam and Eve): Get ye down all from here (Paradise); and if, as is sure,

There comes to you Guidance from Me, whosever follows My Guidance;

On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

(Quran 2: 38)

Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger,

Some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil);

But give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere;

Who say when afflicted with calamity:

 “To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.”

They are those on whom descend blessings from their Lord,

And Mercy; they are the ones that receive guidance.”

(Quran 2: 155 – 157)

In contrast to this, non-Islamic philosophies offer no qualified assurances. They offer no ultimate goals for human life. Rather, they create schisms in our views of life: either “religious” or “secular” inclinations. They cannot harmonize these “opposing” viewpoints to create a homogenous life philosophy. They give contradictory guidance to reach any of their goals and these goals cannot be permanently guaranteed. Their sources of guidance are based on speculation and conjecture, constrained by the limited intelligence and imagination of imperfect men and subject to the corruption of ego and lies. Unbelievers in Allah’s message live their entire lives in ignorance and doubt. They subject their wills to crowd rule, power-hungry rulers and lying politicians. They submit to inconsistent rules of behavior, contradictory laws and double standards. Unlike Islam, they have no criterion for judging anything and build societies detrimental to human life. Even their deities are corrupt reflections of their earth-bound imaginations and lusts. The most incomprehensible factor is that none of their adherents actually believes wholeheartedly in the veracity of the philosophies for which they live and die.

If non-Muslims wonder why true believers are so passionate about the teaching and practices of Islam, it is solely because of the assurances that Allah has given to every believer in His Message. It is not because of promises of skin-deep, materialistic rewards or increased possessions. It is not because of promises of personal fame and fortune. It is not because of desire for conquest and greatness. And it is certainly not because of promises of personal safety and unconditional protection from enemies on Earth. So why do believers tolerate persecution and world-wide antagonism against Muslims? Because amongst all His OTHER assurances throughout the Quran, Allah has informed every believer of his hidden status in life and the real implications of his acceptance of Islam:

“In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

Allah has purchased of the believers their persons and their goods;

For theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise).

They fight in His Cause, and slay and are slain.

A promise binding on Him in Truth, through the Law (of Moses),

The Gospel (of Jesus) and the Quran:

And who is more faithful to His Covenant than Allah?

Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded.

That is the achievement supreme!”

(Quran 9: 111)

In light of such powerful assurances, guaranteed by the Only Creator of The Worlds, how can any truly intelligent person refuse to accept Islam and patiently persevere in its practice? Where else can anyone find the wisdom and guidance, backed by the Knowledge of the Author of Creation Himself, that is contained in the pages of the Quran? What does your current lifestyle stand on?

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