ISLAM
Islam presents for mankind an
equitable, fair and complete system of life, for while it exalts the human
spirit and prescribes ideal ethical and spiritual principles for man it
does not deny the importance of the material aspect of his life. Islamic
legislation is a balanced combination of spiritual and material elements.
Thus Islam is not merely a religion in the sense in which this term is
understood in present day world. It is rather a comprehensive way of life,
spiritually and materially, in the conscience of the individual as well as
in the behavior of the society, and includes principles of social rights
and obligations in all dealings, whether they pertain to economics,
politics or to international relations. A Muslim offers his prayers in the
mosque, sells his goods in the market, decides between litigant parties in
a court of law, manages the affairs of the state, concludes treaties and
covenants with other governments, fights for justice and right in war,
motivated in all these activities by one code alone: that of the
shari’ah (law) of Islam, which embraces both a religious creed and a
practical system of life.
For Muslims their religion is neither a monasticism nor asceticism: nor is
a bundle of symbolic ceremonies conducted by a hereditary priest. It is
not merely a faith or belief-a hatch pitch of transcendental hopes and
dogmas. It, on the other hand is the be-al and end-all of their
existence-the very alpha and omega of their aspirations. It is an outlook
which manifests itse3lf in all shades of human behavior. Thus the Islamic
concept of social political and moral order is more concrete and tangible
than of any other religion those who think that Islam has had its sway
once and now it is futile to attempt its rebirth are laboring under grave
misconception. The effervescence of its wave-is Islamic revolution is by
no means exhausted. The human race has not altered physically and very
little intellectually during the tens of thousands years which history
records as having preceded our times. The passions and pleasures and
heartaches the political and domestic problems of the same as ours. Just
as Islam by its principles of social justice restored the torn and divided
world of that time its integral unity and afforded an intellectual impetus
towards the resolution of dualism which has always tended to arrest the
development of thought similarly it can also even today provide for the
diverse groups of humanity a rallying point where they can live in perfect
peace and harmony. It can give back the upward looking and the light to
all those who have been deprived by it on grounds of race or color or sex
or social and economic circumstances. To the power-ridden wealth-dominated
world of ours it has a new set of values to offer a now message of hope to
deliver the message of peace within and without and that of fraternity
liberty quality.
