parwez_whyislamonly

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WHY IS ISLAM THE ONLY TRUE DEEN*I?

By Allama Ghulam Ahmed Parwez English Rendering By Dr. Manzoor-ul-Haque Faculty of Education University of Sind

HYDERABAD The one signifICant issue. which rises in most of

the minds and vexes the tender (eelings of the heart. jsthat common moral nlues II re identical in all thereligions (esJ)ially in the widely accepted religions). Allthe religions assert not to tell II lie; not to steal: to behonest; not to deprive others of their rights etc. Islam.Also proclaims the same thlm what is that distinctivefeature on the basis of which we as.

! Islam is not a religion In the con\ emional sense. Act:ording tothe Holy Quran il is a w a ~ of life a Socio Economic Syslem. Adetailed paragraph explaining "hat is Deen fol1ows.


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The Significant QuestionIf the specificity. on the basis of which Islam is

entitled to make this claim. is the same ,'alues. tben thisIlrivilege ought to be extended to e..ery religion of theworld. This would not be a reasonable attitude tbat thequalities on the basis of which we adjudge Islam as DeenUI-Huq (the right Deeo). are ignored in ease of daim ofother religions.Brahmo-Samaji Religion.

This is u n d o u b t e d l ~ ' a difficult question. Asmenli. lied abov


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3 and corner.No Need ofReli&ioD eveD!

Tbis brings fortb aaother importaat question: iftrutb is tbe otber aame oftbeses moral values and actingin accordance with them is tbe purpose of bnman life,tben why is aay religion needed? Those, who areirrelig,;ous, and refute tbe very existence of God. also saytbe same i.e. telling lie is very bad; trutb ougbt to bespoken; living ougbt to be bODest; DO ODe ought to be.oppressed, 10 wby to briag iD tbe religioD? I t was tbiscoDeept whieh gave birtb to tbe movement of HlImanismin Europe which projected itself with tbe assertiOD of"Religion witbout Revelation" in the world. I f theultimate aim and climax of religioD is these moral valuesand tbe bumaD life can reacb its destiny through tllesevalues alone, tbea 1I0w caa tbe claim of HumaDism berejected?

Have you realized how signlficaDt is tbis qDestiODand how imperative is it to give a satisfying aDswer to it?I t is the importanity of tllis significance 8IId aeed that Itmust be tllought out seriously and Dndentood withcareful coatemplatioD.What Is Deen?

llasic misconception in this regard is tllat DeeD is' - .thougbt to be no more than aD ethical code. DeeD is Dotthe collectioD of a few moral values; it is a compreheDsivesystem of life coveriDg all aspect. of bumaa Ufe. Themoral values become operative within tbis system,. or iDother words this system provides that sound base ODwhich the edifice of these moral values is established.

Did yOD ever poDder over this pbeDomenoD tbatthe wbole world says that telliDg a !ie is bad; dishoDesty isiDtelLoely opprobrious; deception is very cODtemptiblemisdemeanor but ia spite of all tbis tbe whole world tell


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4 lies; corruption is rampant every wbere; cheating is infull swing. Tbe question is wby is tbis all bappening? Inspile of condemning and cursing all tbese things wby basman taken to them? Considering these acts the mostdetestable and opprobrious wby is be not refraining fromthem? Its reason is that either the people acknowledgethese moral values just as of formality or tbey have theirfoundation on emotions alone. They know nothing as towby tbese values should be followed and wby sbould tbeynot be violated. You ask a person to satisfy you as to whyyou sbould not tell a lie. Going a little deeper thansuperficial talk, you would realize that be bas noreasonable reply to this question. Witb all the reason andrbyme at his command, be would not be able to respondto tbe why of your question. He will not be able toexplain to you rationally wbat would you loose by tellinglies alld wbich gain you would accrue by speaking thetrutb. And since man adopts only tbat whicb gives himgain and abandons tbat wbicb causes bim loss. tbereforehis acquiescence to this effect is either simply traditionalor imitation or tbe product of emotional inclinations. Heneitber develops insigbt of tbese values nor ratronallymakes tbem tbe way of bis life.

Deen provides tbose basic concepts, wbichconspicuously bring fortb tbe purpose and ultimate aimof buman life. The pUrpos(! of life defines the propervalue of every thing and When tbese values are identiliedit can very easily be understood whicb one is profitbearing and which one 'is loss accruing; which one ishigber and wbicb one is lower on tbe continuum ofvalues.From Desire to Action.

Deen, along with theSe basic concepts, providesthe practical system through wbicb tbese tbeoreticalvalues take the form of reality and then tbe man withintbeir concrete results sees of his own, bow gainful orbarmful it is to act or not according to these values. Being


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5 affected by this, his emotions aDd feelings followthe proper cbannel for tbeir own operation and sinceemotions are the impetus of actions, bis life synchronizeswitb t b ~ bigher valnes. Tbis is called the exaltation ofcharacter and neatness ofconduct.

Bear it in mind that human activities passt b r o n ~ h three phases: - namely a desire takes birth inyour heart; tbls desire awakes in tbe heart involuntarily,you have no reason, rbyme or rationale for it; it relatespurely to the emotions; tben you present it to tbe intellect.If'your emotions are intense, your intellect tblnks or tbemeans to accomplish it and provide justified reasons forit. But if your Intellect overpowers your emotions, It tbenmakes comparlsun between gain and loss, and if it seestbat the gain to be accrued is greater It deeldes toaccomplish tbe desire. Now your desire transforms intoyour wlsb; tben your will power comes in to play, andtakes practical steps to actualize your desire. In tbisphase, your WISH takes tbe form ofyour WILL.

But tbe buman intellect, even if not operatingunder tbe command of emotions can maximally decidetbe gain or loss of that penou, it cannot decide wbetbertbe d"'!lire is fair or foul. In otber words, tbe bumanintellect can only inform tbe person concerned as towbicb tbing is profitable to bim and wbicb one will bringbim loss. It can make no distinction between good andevil. Tbis distinction can only be possible in tbe presenceof values, and as narrated earlier. it is tbe concept of lifethat determines tbe values.Impact OCtile concept ofLife

How does tbe concept of life (rigbt or wrong)change ,tbe perspective of human vision and define thedirection of his activities, we need not to go anywhere farto understand it. Every one complains today thatfalsebood; deception. cunningness, betrayal, corruption,bribery, injustice, oppression, extortion and exploitation


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6 are prevailing in the world. I t looks as if, without anyexception. of. zones or inhabitants, the germs of thesediseases have spread all over the globe like an epidemic.Did you ever ponder over the cause thereof? lIIs were alsothere in the days gone by, but these were not so generaland comprebensive. With a little pondering, tbls realitywill be established that its basic cause is tbe concept oflife which, in the 19th century, emerged in the West anddue to the general and global means of communicationspread to ever nook and corner of the world. All theseills/miseries are the product of this concept. This conceptof life WIllI that the human life is only the physical life andlaws governing the life and the death at the animal levelapply to man also. Survival of the fittest is the immutablelaw of nature. According to this law, only the onewieldiilg the maximal scepter of authority and power hasthe right to live. How was this authority and poweracquired is no question. The poor and the weak and thepowerless


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7 concept, national character would be regarded ashighest cbaracler. Tbinking deeply you would realize thatthe national character is, also, t he product of animalinstinct. Herd instinct is in the very nature of animals.Every animal finds its preservation in living witb its herd.This is the only urge on wbich a nation COmes into beingand endures. Prosperity and well-being of one's ownnation becomes the highest values for the individual; thegreatest patriot becomes the one who squeeze, out thelast drop of blood of other nations and decorates tbemagnificent edifice of one's own nation wilh Ihegaudiness of tbis blood. For him, tbe q u e ~ t i o .. of beinghonest or dishonest or the question of falscho,{1 .lOU truthdoes never arise. The one who starts giving mil". :0 th""evalues cannot, perform the affairs of the stMI". In thewords ofWalpole:

"No greal counlry was ever saved by good men, because good ,nen will not go to the length thai mlly be necessary to save a nlllion. l In this connection, wh:tt tbese patriot' ba,'e tosay, tlie reproduction of the words of the rep'lted Italianthinker, Cavour are sufficient. He S ' l ~ ' S . " I f we did for ou!'!>e"'es what wedo for our country, what r'.lScabwe should be.MDid you observe how a change in the concept oflife brings changes in the individual and collective life.

and bow does the concept of life inDuence e,'ery walk oflife? The reason that the ~ o r a l values are still beingtheoretically appreciated lI)(by is that the man has. up tillnow', not been able h ~ r a . e ois sub-conscicnce r..,," frail.the binding effects of .'Ie past. I f this concept p e r v a d ~ " any further into the nelo.f few generations. ewn II>


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8 signs and symptoms have started surfacing right fromnow. Our younger generation ridicules these values bycalling them mere conservatism.Islam provides such concepts on which the wholeedifice of human life is raised and where every aspect oflife is embodiment of higher values. These coucepts arenot found in any religion of the world leave aside atheism(religious ness). These are only the cbaracteristics ofIslam, wbich entitles it to become tbe system of lifeestablisbed on rigbt lines and surety to human

achievement and prosperity. Tbese concepts faU into tbefollowing headings: Concept ofGod. Relationship between God and Man. Relationship between Man and Universe. Relationship between Man and Man. Relationsbip between Actions and their Consequences. Concept of tbe ultimate object of life. I n the next pages, these concept will be discussedbrieny and it will be explained as to wbat is tbe nature oftbese concepts in tbe well known religions (Hinduism,Judaism and Christianity) and wbat type of concepts theHoly Quran reneets; and what scenario of buman life is

establisbed on tbese concepts. Be very clear tbat tbecomparative study of religions is not my aim at present;I'll only narrate the fundamental tenets found on tbeseconcepts in tbese religions. Tbis may also be darified tbatour bel:ef is tbat proper and true teacbings were revealedto all the messengers of the Almigbty God on tbeir own.turns hut tbese teachings are now not found in tbeirpristine form in tbe so-called beavenly hooks availableamong tbe followers of tbese religions. Wbatever isdescribed of these concepts will tberefore he based on tbeexisting documents of tbese religions and not on tbatpristine and real message wbicb is not found now witha l l ~ oitilem. The detail of tbi. resume I,m be found in the


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9 first cbapter of my book in Urdu Mairaj-e-iltSanial. Inwbicb, according to tbe researcbes of tbe followers oftbese religions. it bas been dealt witb at lengtb, wherein ilhas been explained tbat according to researches of thefollowers of these religion the pristine message of thosereligions is not found among anyone of tbem now; butsince they lay down tbeir existing message as theknowledge hase of their religions, the current teachingsabout these concepts will be projected. Except tbis. tberecan be no other alternative left for us.The Concept ofGod.The CODcept ofGod in Hinduism:

Among tbe three religions (Hinduism, Judaismand Christianity), Hinduism claims that it Is tbe oldestreligion in tbe world. Tbe proof of its antiquity Isprovided by its existing religions books where eacb of itsleaves bear testimony to the fact that these are thew r i t i n ~ s of that age when buman mind Wlll in its infancy.The intantile mind can never perceive the concept of anabstract reality in any shape otber than its concrete form.How could the mind of that age have establlsbed thepristine concept of tbe personality of God? Ittransformed God on its own nature only with tbedifference that man (for example) bas two bands. Godwas conuived to have eight, man has one bead, God hadten; man can drink a cup of waler. God can pour in tbewbole ocean. Three hulc gods are accepted amongHindus: Brahmo, Shivji. and Vis/lnoo. They have theirwives and children too; SlIivji's wife WlII Parbatti and sonis Gnesll whose body is of man and head of elephant;Bra/tma's daughter Is Sanooti. Earlier all these threewere worsblpped but now Brabma Is not worsblpped . I tis in tbe Para'ns tbat once Silivji saw Brahmo intending torape his daughter, tbere he stopped worship of Brahma(Hind',ism by Govind Dos,P: 104).

About the creation of tbe universe, tbe following


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10statement is found in the sllivparana:

Shivji desired to create the world.He created Brahma. Brahmasplashed a handful of waler in thewater; there raised a bubble; aman was horn out of this bubble.He said to Brahma: '0 ' son! createthe world.' Brallma said: "I amnot your son, You are my son"There was a quarrel between thetwo. Malta Dev (Sllivji) thoughtthat whom he had sent forcreating the world werequarrelling between themselves,then a heavenly ling (male genitalorgan) was born out of the two; itascended immediately into the skyBoth were surprised to see it.

Listen to what happened later on:Both started thinking that thebeginning and end of ling should befound; the one who comes back firstbe the father and the one whocomes later be the SOn. VishnO(} intortoise-shape started going down.Brahma in swan-shape newupward. Both. continued theirjoutney with lightning speed fortwo thousand years but could notseareb tbe utmost limits of the ling.Brahma thought: if wisltno hadcom back with an inkling, I wouldhave to be his son. He was justthinking of it when a cow and a treeof kaitkee descended. Bralunlt askedthem: ~ W h e r e do you live?" Theysaid: "With the props of that ling


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11 we bave been travellingsince tbousands of years" Brahmasked tbem wbether or not ling badany extremity, tbey replied tbat itdid not.

Brahma said: Come witbme and stand witnesS tbat the cowused to pour strain of milk on tbebead of ling and tbat tbe tree uSedto sbower Rowers over it" Tbeysaid: We'U not bear false "witness."Tben Brabma said angrily: "I'llturn you into asbes if yo" do notstand witness." Tben botbfrighteningly said: "We'll bearwitness as you desire." Tben thethree went downwards.

Brallma asked Vlf/moowhether or not be had found outthe utmost limits of ling. He"replied in tbe negative. Brahmasaid:" I have found our"; Visbnoodemanded: "Produce witness totbis effect." Then the cow and tbetree bore false witness. Upon thisthe ling imprecated the Kaitkee:"You have told a lie. Your flowerwill never be used for offeringeither to me or to any other God.Whoever offers you will beterminated"; it imprecated thecow: "You will eat filth with themouth through wbich you told alie; no body will worship yourmouth but your tail will beworshipped; cursed Brohn/a:"Since you have told a lie. you'llnever be worshipped" in tbe


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12world"; it gave a blessing toVishnoo "You have spoken tbetruth, so you'll be worsbippedevery wbere". Then both praisedand eulogized the ling.

On bearing thisappreciation and eulogy, thereappeared a countenance witb longmatted hair from tbe ling andsaid: ". had sent you forgenerating creation, why did youindulge in wrangling?" TbenMtlho Dev took out a ball of asbesfrom the hair and said: "Go andgerminate creation witb it."(Ref: S/JJyareth Parkosh-Sowami Doyo Nand PP.272-273)

Tbe concept of God is tbe most sublimeidea. I t is now obvious tbat wbat would be tbenature of tbe deeds of a nation wbicb has tbisidea of God in its sigbt,. Neitber the mind of tbisnation can be free from the superstition, nor cantbeir actions be based on knowledge and insigbt.God to wbom tbey submit is never above tbebuman countenance. Hence it is written in tbeAthuT Veda tbat at tbe time of worsbipping God,tbe following sbould be uttered:"O'Swomi POTmalma of tbefollowers of lain! obeisance be tothy mouth; obeisance is to tbyeyes; obeisance is to tby skin;obeisance is to tby organs. pray isto tby belly; obeisance is to thytongue; obeisance is to thy face;obeisance is to thy teeth; obeisanceis to the stench of thy teeth."


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I3The Concept of God among the Jews.

After Hinduism, let us now turn to Judaism andsee what kind of concept of God is found there. Probablyit was Locke who had said :"Ifyou tell me the kind of Godany nation had proposed for if! worship, I would let youknow the nature of civilization and culture of thatnation." A critical appraisal of a Western researcherabout the kind of concept that emerges about Godthrough the study of the conventional Torah would besumcient here. Joseph Whebs in his book "Is it God'sWords" writes that the God of Torah appears to besplashing around with the blood, shed by the numerousmurderers. He. is an _sin himself and a mischiefmonger, thief, perfidious, sanguinely revengeful,m e r c i : ~ s s , chastiser of the sinful and the innoUnt botb,extremely dreadful and frigbtful, embodiment ofoppression and prejudice, arrogant, braggart, promisebreaker, concoct, and a willful liar.

. (Ref: M'airaj-e-Insaniyyat, P.ll)According to Torah, God created man on His

OWn form. It is, now, evident that the God who bas tbiskind of form, His created nation would also have tbesame form, But it is not tbe nature of God, it is theaccount of the conduct of tbat nation itself. After holdingtbis type of concept about, the God, wbat would be tbefate of moral values witb tbat nation, does need noperspicuity and description of any kind.Concept of God in Christianity

When we move on from Judaism to Christianity,tbe enigma of concept of God there cannot becomprehended. Tbe following is the council of Trent'stbeory of tbe basic belief of Christianity on tbeacceptance ofwbich one becomes a Christian: We believein (I) God, the powerful father wbo is tbe creator of tbeovert and the covert; and we believe in (2) Lord Jesus, tbe


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14 son ofGod, wbo is tbe only son of His fatber; wbo wasborn to tbe fatber i.e. tbe Lord before tbe wbole of tbeuniverse and wbo is immanent and absolute deity. Fatberand His essence (tbe son) are ODe; it is tbrougb Him tbatall tbe tbings of tbe universe were created; bisdescendence and transmigration became our salvation.He de


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16 In addition to it, the Holy Quran also informs as towhich attribute operates at what occasion so that thelikewise faret may also operate in the like event on thepart (Of the man. This also determines man's reaelion inthe face of external events and ocl:urrenees. Remember,as is the uphOlding of the balanl:ed attributes for the mana mu.t, similarly the emergenl:e of that attribute mostappropriate to that ol:currence is imperalive. To let gowith pity a merdless tyrant, who has no reeling ofrepentance or any desire for rectifil:lltion in his heart, isthe worst rorm of tyranny on the oppressed humanbeings; but to take revenge in a situation where remissionand forgiveness bring pleasant I:onsequenees is alsoequivalent to tyranny. The bruir.e of muscles soothesslowly on massage but the fractured bones need tightbinding in wooden splints. This is I:alled Johlmriyat IIollling things firmly together (The wooden .plints whichII surgeon uses are I:alled John'ir The Holy Quranexpounds in full length the attributes of God and theeventful appearance and applil:ation their of, so that notonly do these become objedive standard for gauging thedevelopment of an individual but also the foreteller to theman for forming the type of real:tion most appropriate tothe kind ofevents.

Tbe Law of God.This brings rorth-another signifil:ant reality. TheI:oncept of God in religion is that of an autocrat king anda dictator whose all de..:isions depend upon his ownwhims and where the law and rule have nothing to do; ifpleased he bestows robe of honour to a I:riminal; ifannoyed He sends the innocents to the gallows, Man can

only save himself from His wrath by keeping his deitypleased with himself in any way that he can; hli m,akes allp o s s i t ' ~ efforts to seek His pleasure; makes otrerings ofgifts and oblations and seeks the mediation of Hisfavourites. Obedience to law does not yield any gain to


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17 man, it only serves to attain pleasure of God. On theother side of it, is Christianity where the concept of Godis that of a tenderhearted father; where rules andregulations have nothing to do; where the mercy of Godis the only basis of salvation.

The Holy Quran refuted this concept andproclaimed that in spite of all His infinite powers andboundless authority, God has prescribed rules andregulations for all the matters and does every thingstrictlv in accordance with these laws. These laws are soimmutable that no mutations can occur in them.(AIQuran 35/43) The Rleaning of law'is that every thing istied to the chain of cause-and-effect' i.e. if you do this, itsconsequence will be such; if you act against, it will drawto this end. I t explained these laws to man; made himunderstand them fully, made it clear to him that obeyingthis law will bring him this gain and acting against willresult in this loss. After narrating all this, left it to hischoice whether to follow this prescribed right road or tomake tracks of his own. "We have shown him the way;now who-so-ever wishes may accept it and who-so-everwishes may reject it," (AI-Quran 76/3) I f he follows theright path, he will reap his own gain from it. We will notderive any benefit out of it. I f he adopts a wrong path, hewill suffer his own loss; it will not harm Us in anywaY(AI-Quran 121286) That is why God does not makeanyone acknowledge anything by compulsion andcoercion. Whatever He says, is as a ,piece of advice. AfterHe revealed the Holy Quran he asserted:"Say unto them,the truth has come from Your sustainer, now whoeverwishes, may accept it, whoever wills may reject it." (AlQuran 18129) I t is evident that when accepting or notaccepting of any thing, is left to the sweet-will of 'man,then if he is of sound mind, reason and intellect, he willmake his decision discerningly. Therefore, according tothe Holy Quran, belief is not a blind faith; it is the nameof that mental and heart felt conviction which manacquires rationally. That is why it has attribute41 thisconduct to the Momins.(believers) that: "They are the


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18 people to whom, even wben the 'verses' of theirSustalner are presented they droop not down at them asIf they were deaf and blind but accept them with intellectand insight"(AI-Quran 25173) I t too is crystal clear whenthe consequences of actions draw up in concurrence withrule and law, the question of being absolved from themeither byway of paying ransom or intercession does notarise. I f you put your finger In the fire and then youdesire that tlle pain of burning may transfer to SOme oneelse in s ted of you, though on payment of thousands ofrupees, it "'ill be impossible I f you eat arsenic, youcannot, even on the recommendation of the highestecbelon of the society, be protected from its ill effects.Tbere is only one alternative and tbat is: You take arecourse to that law of God in concurrence to whicb reliefin burning pain and protection against the harmfuleffects of a r s e n i ~ can be procured. Suffering and reposeaccru" to the man according to tbe law of God as a resultof the natural consequences of bis actions."so thatwboever is ruined is ruined IIccording to tbe law andwboever remains alive does so according to tbe lllw (AIQuran 8/42). Neitber the innocent is cbllstised witb therevenge and wrath of an autboritlltive dictator, nOr thecriminal gets off scot free, on rllnsom, atonement orintercession. That is why the humans have been told that"On the day of manifestation of consequences no onewould be able to help anyone, nor sbaH any intercessionbe considered, nor sball any form of compensation beIIccepted , neither sball tbey be s u c c o u r e d . ~ ( AI-Quran2144).

Did you seer how did tbe Holy Quran transformtbe religion to tbe discipline of Science by simply givingthe concept of "Law- making...:um-Iaw-abiding God"?What 'Ire the cbaracteristics of Science?- In science (I)every cause bas its own specific effect and no one cllncause any kind of change and transformation in it, and(2) Science discovers the reality such that longings,wisbes, purposes, gllins and fetlings of nobody have anyimpact on it. I t is never influenced as such.


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19 By virtue of tbe concept of God, tbe Holy Quranrepresents tbat tbe buman actions bring forth theconsequences in the like manner and tbe realities beartestimony to this effect in tbe same way: that is wby Godproclaimed that," tbis message of Ours is not poetry."Somewbere Coleridge bas said: The Anti-tbesis of Poetryis not Drose but Science. Tbe Holy Quran is no poetry butS c i e i i c c ~ .

III connection with God and Man Relationsbip.the Holy Quran unravels another splendid reality. Thelaws of God, in tbe outer universe, are operative on theirown. Accordingly every tbing remains operative for theexcellent performance of tbe duties assigned to it and theUniverse, by evolution, is progressively moving forwardin its evolution. In tbe buman wolid, tbe laws of God areoperative in tbe like manner witb tbe exception that theircosmic speed is very slow wbereas tbe buman agedemands tbat tbe result of actions ma! come to theforefront soon. If tbe human hands supports these lawsand become helpful to accomplisb tbem . their resultsmay emerge according to the human count of time. plac'and circumstances. In this manner man becomes acompanion to God in tbe complete accomplishment of Hisprogramme. Tbis is the relation of God and Man ofwbich not a glimpse is found in tbe religions of Ihe world.(Since I've elicited: mucb on this point, I need not makeany more delaiJed discourse at present.)Relationship of Man and The Universe.

After tbe deliberations on the relationship of Godand tbe Man, tbere comes the question of the mutualrelationsbip of tbe man and the' Universe. When thebuman mind was at its infancy he was not able tocomprehend the mystery of the forces of nature. He wasafraid of them and could think of only one way to he safefrom tbeir rage and tbat was to implore bumbly beforetbem and appeal for tbeir mercy. Hence the status of tbe


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20 man of tbat age was tbat be joined bis bands insupplication. as soon as tbere was tbunder of tbe clouds;be fell in prostration as as tbere was ligbtning, be madeobeisance to tbe sun as soon as it sbone; be prostrated assoon as tbere was an eartbquake: be called a ravagingriver as bis motber-goddess; be made tbe lion a God assoon as it roared. mndulsm is a compendium of tbesegods and goddess and proselytizes their worsbip.Relationship in Hinduism:

I t is found in Ylljar vella. "obeisance be acceptedby the snakes on tbe eartb, even tbose wbicb are eitherin the air Or in tbe sky; our prostration to the snakes oftbe p"ddy fields; our bowing to those snakes also wbicbare .till in their burrows." Our humble kneeling to tbemeven."Tbese were, at tbe least, living forces. Tbey evenbowed to tbose inanimate tbings from whicb theyapprebended any loss. Hence, tbere is also found in YajarVeda tbat this stanza ought to be recited: .. O'ye rezor,thou bringeth happiness and are made of good iron: ourobeisance to ye be accepteth; please bring not troubleunto him the least".

It is found written in tbe Allier Veda: "Ourprostration to the winter fever. even to the summer feverI bow down. My prayer to the fever that comes daily,alternately and tbe tbird day."

It is clear tbat ill' a religion where man acceptsthis type of status for himself, the question of bumandignitv and honour does never arise. Tbere, if it isassel1ed "do not tell a lie; speak-tbe-truth" will tbisunravel the mysteries of the universe and solve thehuman problems?Relationship in Christianity:

Leaving this aside, now come to tbe otber sidewhere tbe material things. tbeir adornment and comfort


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21 is thought to be most detestable and abominable;and where the mystery of human salvation is onlythrough the renunciation of the world and its vanitiesthrough the relinquishment of desires and theabandonment of pleasures. The farther one moves fromthe worldly affairs, the nearer one gets to the Deity. Theteaching of lIKeticism and monasticism was the sine quanon of Christianity. Saint Benedict, transforming it intoan orgl!nized institution, produced throngs of monks andnuns. As such in his Theological Dictionary, Bucks writesabout the Monasticism in Egypt:" In a short span of time,the whole East was filled with groups of the slothfulpeople who, setting aside the worldly affairs adopted alife of pain, distress, misery and anguish so as to be closeto God and tbe Divine environs."

It brought the same result as this type of lifeought to bring. In this connection Buck writes: "But aftersome time their lasciviousness became proverbial.Besides, they started inciting riots and insurrections byexploiting the people at various places."

A whole world was getting sick with theseascetics.The dinging beggars were seenroaming in every street in the garbof hermits. All kind of \lagrancyand cheating was their habit .-.These people used to commit theincidences of havoc pillage underthe \leil of religious fanatieism.(Progress ofReligions Concepts. Vol. 3, P 240)The people not committing such e\lil activities had

strange mode of life as well. The condition of great saintsamong Christians was such that some swore not to take abath in their whole life; some stood in marsh throughouttheir life; some saw the secret of spiritual development infortifying in the enclosure of ordure; some lied down, life


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22 long, in a dark closet Tbis was all tbe result ofself-abnegation and self-renunciation in Cbristianity.According To the Holy Oursn:

Tbe Holy Quran was revealed and it made" tbisvery clear to man tbat your position in the universe is farabove tbe forces of nature. We (God) bave well "strungthis all in the cbains of law so tbat you may put tbem toyour use. "God is the one wbo has subordinated to youwhatever is there in the heights of the heavens and thedepths of the earth" (AI-Quran 45/13). I t told themantbat the position of man is tbat all tbe Malaika (forcesof nature) be subservient to bim and the position of aMomin is tbat be, by conquering these forces shouldutilize tbem for the benefits of the humanity. fn theconcrete universe, God alone enjoys the status over andabove tbat of tbe man in concurrence of whose laws manougllt to lead his life. Besides Him nothing is superior toman. All the articles of worldly adornment and comforthave been created for man; no one can declare thesethings abominable and forbidden for him. "Ask themwho is he wbo can forbid the adornments and pleasantsubsistence (rizq) whicb God bas created for man?"(AIQuran 7/32).

Tbis status of the man and tbe relationship of tbeman with the universe--You will never find anywhereelse in the domain of religions; there will either be bowingto or fleeing from the phenomena of nature. Conqueringtbem for the benefit of the buman being is only found inthe Holy Quran.,Remember, when tbe Holy Quran ordains

obedi . nce to tbe laws of God, these (laws) include boththe physical and the moral laws. Obeying tbe physicallaws enables us to conquer the forces of natnre (we obeynature to command it) and obeying the moral lawsintegrates our personality. fn botb tbese cases, obeyingtbe" laws promotes and augments our own power.


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23 Amassed from tbe compulsion is tbe cboice.Mutual RelatioDship of MIlD with MaD.In Hinduism:

After tbe relationsbip of man witb tbe universe,_ are faced witb the question of relationsbip of manwitb man. Hinduism decided tbat tbe Brtllrmons wereborn from tbe bead of Brabma, tbe khlJShataris from thearms, tbe vaish from bis legs. and tbe shoodrll from bisfeet Tbis is tbe eternal division wbicb CIIn neitber beovertbrown from tbe system oftbe world, nor can men'sown endeavours change it. The shoodra shall bave to beuntouchable all his life, bis duty is to serve tbe Hindus,the highest class. The child born to the Brabman familyenjoys the highest ranks and privileges from birth todeath. The scope of I!is privileges (according to Rig-Vedaand AI/tar Vedtr) is:

" I f a woman lias 10 noo-brllhmonhusbands before but if aBrahamon holds ber hand, then bewill be considered to be herhusband alone because Brahamonis the proprietor and busband ofthe females not the Khasha/#rl ortile Vaish. (Me'raj-e-lnsmriyyat P.Ol)This was tbe division of the humans inhabitingwitbin India. The others residing out of India was noteven considered human; tlley were simply taken to beinsects. Please tbink of a religion wbich sbackles its ownfollowers with unbreakable fetters of sueb class division

and labels tllose ontside its fold as tbe most abominableand despicable; can tbe proselytization of 'do not tell a lieand do not steal' bring any moral reformation?In Judaism:


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24Among the Jews, the religion was confined to tberace of Bani-Israel. Tbe one who is not born to the

Bani/srael, ClIn never he admitted to tbeir DivineReligion. Tbe Paradise was strictly particularized forBani Israel; all tbe nonr-Bani Israel are tbe fuel of tbeHell. Tbey were fumed with the emotions of hatred andenmity against tbe people outside their race; and tbis wasall the consequence of the teacbings of tbe (conventional)Torah. They had one set of laws for the Jews and anotherfo r the nOli-Bani Israel.In Cbristianity:

It is generally accepted about Christianity that itconstitutes an eternal religion for tbe wbole mankind. Itmakes no discrimination hetween man and man. Tbis isnot tbe teacbing of Cbristianity, it is a later politicalexpedtency-oriented concept. Tbat is why in the presentday Bible (Wbich remains in tbe process of cbange offand on), it is still found written tbat wben Jesus sent bisfollowers for proselytization, be ordered tbem not to go totbe otber nations, not to enter into any of tbe cities ofSamrees but go to the lost sbeep of the boose of Israel

(Matbew, Cabpter 10, Verses 5-6)Do not give the consecrated to tbe dogs; and do not lay your pearls before tbe pigs.

(Mathew,.Cbapter 7,verse 6)TIle anathema of extnme nationalism that youfind in Europe is nneonsciously the end product of this

teacbing. They confined tbe religion to the four walls ofthe c !lurch but the effects of the teaching of tbeir raceworship are still existent in their subconscious with tbesame intensity. They can never think of the concept ofuniversal mankind. That is why tbe moral priuciples they


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25 hold for their own nation are different from thosethey hold for the other nations. It is just like the Romanswhose law about stealing was: 'Stealing from a Roman isa crime and stealing from a non-Roman is not!Accordina: To the Holy Ouran:

The Holy Qursn on its revelation, smashed theseman-made fetters and declared openly that the humansof the whole Universe are the branches of the samegenealogy and tbe foliage of the same tree. By birth, thereis no discrimination between man and man. "God hascreated all of you from a single life cell" (AI-Quran 4/1)Therefore, the whole mankind constitutes a Universalbrotherhood . "The whole mankind is one community";(Al-Quran 10/19) and every human being is worthy ofequal respect by birth. "We have created all humanbeings worthy of respect" (AI-Quran l'1nO) There is nosuperiority of the black to the wbite; of tbe white to theblack, of the Arab to the Non-Arab, of the Non-Arab tothe Arah. In the world, there is neither any Brahm;n, norany shoodra; neither the superior, nor the inferior. So asare their ranks in tbe society. its measure of greatness istbeir personal virtue and meritorious deeds. "And to allwill be (usigned) ranks according to tbeir deeds." (AIQuran 46119) and the most worthy of all will be tbe onewhose conduct will be the most pure of all and whosecharacter, the highest of aiL "Tbe God of tbe Holy Quranis equally the sustainer, the Autbority and the Allah ofthe whole humanity" ( AI-Quran 49/13) and" His book isa compendium ofinstructions for all" (AI-Quran 45111);His Rasool equally the Messenger for the whole bumanity"Say. 0 mankind, I am Allah's Rasoolsent to all of you."(Al-Q!lran 71158) The essence of its teaching is: "Onlythat action or theory, which is beneficial to the wbole ofhumanity without any discrimination of colour racelanguage country creed and nationality, shall endure inthe land (Al-Quran 13/17)As said earlier tbe Western concept of life gave the


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26 principle of "the survival of the fiuest" i.e.-only thatwhich is the strongest can endure. On the contrary, theHoly Quran puts forth the principle, "tbe survival of tbemost benefleial" i.e. only that which is most benelkial tothe humanity can survive. Did you consider bow thevarious aspects of human life undergo trallSformation byjust changing the concept of life and how life-inspiringand balance-augmenting changes occur in the world ofhumanity? This is the only concept of life by whicb mancan understand fuDy tbe "Why" of his strivings for tbewell being of others. To gain immortality is the verydesire of every buman being, no one likes to die, and hewants to live forever. The Holy Quran says tbat if youwant to live for ever, the only way is that you do the deedswhicb are most beneficial for the mankind; givingpreference to others over your own self if their needs aremore demanding than yours{AI-Quran 5919) and doingall this witbout any tbougbt of personal gain. I t says:"When tbe Momineen perform tbe act of procuringsupplies for tbe nourishment/development of otbers theymake it very clear to tbem tbat: "We do not desire anyreward from you, not even tbe gratitude instead tbereof."(AI-Quran 7619)

Just think over it, witb tbis concept of life in viewhow the moral values constitute an integral part orUfe!Tbe practical consequences of tbe concept ofhuman equality is that it forms a society, wberein, leavingaside someone becoming slave to otbers, no one eve.becomes subservient to anyone else--nor a dependent onany (lne i!lse. This establishes a system in wbich aD tbe

people while remaiDing within tbe limits of the laws ofGod decide the affairs of tbeir life by mutualconsultation (AI-Quran 42138)The Ouranie Order

Tbis provides a guarantee to every individual tbat


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27 "We are responsible for (providing) yoursubsistence and the subsistence of your children." (AIQuran 6/152) Please, solicit! Is there any need of telling alie or stealing or being corrupt in this order? The moralvalues automatically become operative in it. No one holdsthe Divine rights in this Order: neither the religiouspriest-hood, nor the autocram, or the capitalists. There isabsolutely no concept of any such system in any of thereligions oUIIe world.Finality of Nabuwwat:

With the concept of 'Order', the Holy Quran hasdeclared another sublime reality, which is the greatestrevolution in the world of re!igions. I t expounded that theunchangeable principles required for the guidance of themankiod have been given in the Holy Quran and thesystem of their safeguard has also lleen provided. Withinthe purview of these prinCiples, the coming generationswill solve their problems keeping themselves in line withthe exigencies of their time, so there is no need of anymore Nabi( the Divine Message). Hence the chapter ofNabuwwat is closed. Did you observe how the End ofNabuwwat was the announcement of a grand revolutionin the world of religioos! Along with it, this reality wasalso announced that having passed through its infantileperiod, the human mind has now attained maturity. Theman is no more an infantile, it has grown up to be anadult, therefore. it needs no one to lap it up any more. Hewould have now, to get up and move forward and onwardon his own. You must have seen how this creates selfconfidence in man and how he becomes able to (ravenehis path with dignity in the world.

Every religion of the world is waiting for thearrival of some one who, on his coming, wiH make hisreligion prevail over othen. Refuting this concept, theHoly Quran made i t clear that the Order of life We h",ebestowed is capable of prevailing over all the systems oflife.(AI-Quran 9/33) All you have to do Ill, practically


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28 implement this 'Order', it will overcome all the manmade systems onife; no other system will be able to standagainst this Order.

The Holy Quran while laying stress upon themoral values enjoins strictly to establish this Order of lifein which these values automatically. prevail.The Ultimate Goal of Human Life (Salvation)

After this, come to the question which is the lastword in this deliberation: What is the purpose and climaxof all the exertion and struggle of human life? This is avery significantautomatically cleaspects

and fundamentalar up a great n questionumber of andrele willvant

. In Hinduism:Among all the religions of the world the climax ofthe trials 8IId endeavours of human life can be stated in asingle word:. "Salvation." What b the meaning of"Salvation? This warrants a thorough understanding. I tb evident that when some one is entangled in a tronbleand tllen gets rid of it, it is called salvation' i.e. it isimperative for salvation that lirst of all a person is

necessarily caught in a calamity. This Is the very basicconce.,t about man in the world of religion. Religiousbelief in Hinduism Is that every living being (animateswhether insects or animals and humans) comes in thisworld to complete one's term of punishment of the deedsone committed in one's previous life. For esample, aperson iD his preseDt birth is a humaD. I f he did evildeeds, he will become a rat in hb next life, knowingabsolutely nothing ofwhich crime it 11'118 made a rat. Nowif the rat does good deeds -- the rat will do good deedsas if the animals, too, do good and bad deeds! - '- it willperhaps be made a man in its Dqt life; every humanbeing is entangled in the whirlpool of transmigration. The


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29 name of getting rid of tbis circumambulation is"Salvation." It looks obvious tbat tbis belief is eitber tbeproduce of superstition and/or tbe creation of tbeastuteness of tbose people wbo captured tbe antbority intbe sodety by one way or tbe other and tben desired tbisautbority to remain witbln tbeir own families and thatIhe otber people may not even tbink of acquiring tbisautborlty. Brailman and KhashaJary were the ruling classand vaish and shoodra, their servants. I t was tbougbt tobe possible tbat a vaish or a shoodra mlgbt think as tohow could tbe children of Brailman or khshaJary be goodenougb for acquiring the right to rule right from theinception of their birth and that they tbemselves befall intheir servitude thenceforth. Therefore this belief wascoined tbat tbose born in the family of a Brahman basdone good deeds in their previous life and those born inthe vaish and shaadra committed evil deeds likewise.Hence tbis division is effected in accordance with thenature of the deeds accomplished in the previous life andis 1101 tbe product of any trickery; so they shall have toremain vaish and shaDdra in this life; any how if they dogood -!eeds (i.e. would continuously go on serviug tbehigher hreed} they would be trausformed into Brahmansaud KhashalOries in their coming life. In this way thesesubordinate classes were made satisfied witb this tenettbat this was all tbe reward of their owu doings. Tbeywere not oppressed, nor were tbey competent to changethis divisiou withiu the p resent life.Whatever is tbe motive behind this tenet, bow dreadfulhave been its bumau-inDaming result is crystal clear.Firstly, it makes the mau a mere helpless being; whateverhe may do, he caunot hring any chauge in his ellistiugstate and, Ihus. divides the society into such permanentclasses, which .cannot be eliminated, and then wbateventually is the purpose ofthis exertion and struggle? - Only to get salvation from the whirliug ofTransmigratiou (the cycle of death and re-birtb). Howm e a n i . l ~ l e s s is the purpose of the creation of man andthe cosmos?


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30 According to Hindu Mysticism:

, According to Hindu mysticism the soul of man(ADtma) is a part of God (pormatma). It was separatedfrom its sonrce and got entrapped in the marsh of matterand is lamenting for its escape from it. The purpose ofhuman life is that this soul, after getting salvation fromthe world of matter, be re-united with its source. Themethods to achieve this are renunciation of the world.Did you reflect what is the end product of humanexertion and struggle according to this tenet - thecomplete annihilation. It means God having separatedman from Himself caused him to be enmngled in Iheswam. of matter and told him. "Now. you go through thesufferings of hard labour and distress so that you mayattain salvation from this quagmire." Just think.according to this creed. what kind of concept about GodHimself emerges and what becomes the incentive forobedience to the moral values.In Judaism:

With a slight difference the concept of 'Salvation'is the end product of human life in Judaism also. As hasbeen mentioned before, the basic belief ofJews is that theBoni Israel are the favourite children of God, hence theonly hcirs of paradise; a people not born to the family ofBilni Isrilel have no entitlement for entry into paradise.At that time, the tradition of circumcision was In vogueexclusively in Bani Israeil, so their belief was that only thec i r c u l L ~ i s e d would enter paradise and the uncircumcisedwould go into the hell. According to Talmud:

Abraham would be sitting by the door ofthe Hell in tbe world bereafter and wonldnever allow any circumcised of the BaniIsrael to enter it. So far tbe dreadfullysinful of the Bani Israel are concerned, hewould cut the fore skin of the children


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31woo had died uncircumcised andwould stick this skin to the place ofcircumcision of those from Bani !sI'aei andhence, making them uncircumcised,would send them to Hell for a few days.(Talmud, P.404 with Reference to Barqi-e-Tool', P.166)

But their entry into Hell would merely be thefulfillment of a formality. The blaze of the Hell wouldhave no effect on them. (Ibid.P.405) The reason for it, aswritten in "Jewish Encyclopedia", is:The blaze of the Hell would not be able totouch the Israelite sinners because theywould make confession of their sins by thedoor of the Hell and hence would returnto the Lord. (Volume- V , P. 583)Not only for the 'salvation' in the hereafter, butalso for the honour and exaltation in this world, the Jewshold this belief:Some get honour hy virtue of the gooddeeds of their forefathers and some bytbose of their coming generations.(Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol VI, P.60)

According to the Encyclopedia of Britannica:The centre of the aspirations of the Jewswas tbe deeds of their forefathers,especially tbe creed that Abraham wastheir ancestral grandfather.

Similarly in the Encyclopedia of Religions and Ethics, it iswritten that.In accordance with the belief of the Jews,


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32all the deeds of their forefatberswould be ~ o l l e c t e d at one p l a ~ e and thendivided among all the Bani Israel. In thisway everyone will be entitled to salvationand auspiciousness.

(Vol.ll,P.l44)Just r e R e ~ t ! Does any question of o h e d i e n ~ to themoral values arise in the p r e s e n ~ e of these beliefs?

In Christianity:The belief in Christianity is tbat every cbild isborn bearing the burden of tbe sin of its first parents(Adam and Eve). Cleansing the ill effects of tbis sin fromman is not possible in any way. For this purpose, the

Lord bad mercy on man and sent his only son (JesusChrist) to the world to atone for tbis sin with his s a c r i f i ~ on the crucifix. Those who believe in the atonement ofJesus Christ would get salvation, those wbo do not believeas such would enter Hell. For salvation there is noquestion of one's deeds. Therefore in a letter toEphesillns, Saint Paul writes:

"For by g r a ~ you bave been sa"edthrough faith, and not of yoursel"es; it isGod's gift. It is not by works "

(Ephesial1ll 2/8-9)He also wrote to the Romans:

.. For we rome to ihe conclusion that aman is justified by faith and not with theworks of Law." Romans: (3128).In a letter to Galatians, tbis reality has beendescribed .in tbese words:


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33" Those who depend on the works of lawlive under the curse, for it is written "cunedis everyoue who does not abide by all that iswritten in the book of law." But tbat no oneis made righteous in God's pl'eftnce throughthe Law is evident. for "He who is righteousthrough faith will live". The law howeverdoes not rest on faith ......Christ hasransomed us from the curse of the law in asmuch as He became a curse for us.(Galatians- 3/10-14)

Just think, -with this belief, are the moral actions leftwith any locus standi and contrarily the one who relies onthe deeds is considered cursed. According to this belief ofChristianity the distress the man gets entangled in is not theresult of any of his crimes, but a chastisement of the sin ofhis first parents in which that poor fellow is implicated forno fault at all. The acquittal from this suffering is notattained as a recompense of any good action on his part.but the conviction on the belief on the atonement, which theChrist offered. So far as the belief oCthe "original sin" beingfallacious is concerned, the scholars and l'eftarchers ofChristianity are publicly declaring it to be a false belief, forexample, R. F. Johsnon writes in his book "Confucianismand Modern China",

The belief of the original sin, in fact. is the"original dilemma" for which we are displeased withevery kind of good and are inclined to every type ofevil.For this belief, A.E.Taylor writes:

The beliefis a refutation. I'll welcomeany scientific and God calling to"ardsreligion whicb may ward us off to believe insucb a droll calumny of bum an nature.

(Mind- July 1912).


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34 According to the Holy Ourall:

This Scientific and inviting-to-God Religion is Islamwhich pronounced that neither any human comes to thisworld loaded with the sins of the previous birth, nor, isentangled in tbe contamination of the first parent's faltering.Every cbild in the world is born with a dean slate and isworth" of respect. He has been bestowed with potentials asrealizlible possibilities for leading a life higher than tbat ofthe physical life at the animal level. The development ofthese potentialities is the goal of the human life. If mandevelops the potentialities of the physical life only, he getsthe comforts and forces of the physical world but never doesit come to his lot tbe higher life at the hnman level, which theHoly Quran denotes as the paradisiacal life.

"The one who seeks immediate gains of thephysical life alone, according to Our Law,which we have formulated with Our Choice,We grant him with haste. But his (human)life is a life of crisis, which he leads withdisgrace and ignominy. But the one who,along with the physical life develops thehuman life as well, he acquires the physicalgains and his personlliity also keepsevolving". (AI-Quran 17/18)"And the one who desires the pleasantries ofthe future and puts forth efforts inproportion to what ought to be and believesin the truth of the prescribed higher-ordervalues of God, his endeavours arerecompensed in full." (AI-Quran 17119)"We promote this group according to OurLaw and also that gronp and shower ourbounties in proportion to their efforts andactions. Always remembers, We have not


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35built any dykes against our bountiesfor anyone."( AI-Quran 17120)Tbis development of the buman personality can takeplace in a system that is establilibed on tbe foundations of

PERMANENT VALUES. Tbis development is tbe otbername of 'the natural consequences of actions.' Good actionsare tbose wbich promote stability and integration of tbebuman SELF, tbe evil are tbose wbicb cause it to grow weakand disintegrate. The result of each action draws upconcomitantly on tbe buman personality. This iii its ROLLOF CONDUCT, wbicb in tbe words of the Holy Quran, ishung around tbe neck of every one and opens up on tbe eveof manifestation of results. Tbe buman personalitydeveloped on a set criterion, will be able to pass tbrougb tbenext evolutionary stages of life.... Tbis is called tbep a r a d ~ . i a c a l l i f e in the bereafter. Tbat, wbicb does not comeup to that standard, will stop its development .... Tbis is tbelife of Hell. The Holy Quran bas interpreted it as measures (ofgood deeds) being heavier or lighter

"so tbe one wbose measure weigbs beavywill bave a pleasing life and the one wbosemeasure weighs lighter, abyss will be bisabode." (AI-Quranl01/6-9)Have you observed tbat aecording to tbe Holy Qurantbe purpose of life is not liberation from any suffering but toacbieve a higher position in life with proper development oftbe endowed potentialities and reacb a higher and exaltedstage of life as compared 10 tbe existing one. The Holy

Quran bas denoted it in terms of "acbievement and .uuess"and not salvation. Yon must bave also observed from thisthat a satisfying and an elegant answer are obtained to tbequestions: 'wby sbould I abide by tbe moral values? WbatbeneHt does it accrue to me and what loss do I undergo bygoing against them. Tbis is tbe only way on the basis ofwbich man obeys tbese values rationally and follows tbemwitb complete satisfaction of the mind and tbe heart.Ad-Deen:


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36 You would bave observed from the aboveexplanations that tbe Holy Quran does not only specify a fewmoral values but also provide. a comprebeDJive system of

life raised on tbe buic concept of God-man-Universe-Lawof Requital and purpose of Ilk. Tbe name of tbiscomprebenslve system b Ad-DeeD and its practicalImplementation is called A1-Islam. Tbe moral values onlyproduce tbelr results under tbis system and beeomerationally workable as well; besides. tbere is no otber systemtbrougb wbicb tbe purpose of sucb type can be realized.Tbat is wby It b said:

" It is a fact tbat Ad-Deen (way of life)acceptable to God, is only Wam." AJ-Quran3/18)Tberefore, "" I f any body wants to adopt any system otbertban Islam. tbb system would not beaccepted from bim and be would e v e n ~ u a " y know bow big a loss be bas suffered." (AIQuran 3/04)

Ad-Den will be adopted in totalitv:Tbe concept of tbe system brings fortb tbls fadoralso that tllie results of its constituents can only be drawn upwben it is adopted i . its totality. The example of tbe system

is like tbe doctor'f, preseription. Tbb prescription can onlybe effective if you use it wbolesomely in accordance with tbedirections of tile doctor. Taking ODe or two items of thisprescription will not cure tbe ailment; but on tile contrarypartial use of tbis prescriptiOD may induce Ilarmful effects.Hence tbe Holy Quran says :"Do you want to accept one part of tbis codeof laws aDd refute the otber? Wboever fromamongst you do tbls, its result would benotblng exeept ignominy and disgrace in tbisworld, and be will be returned to tbe most


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37grievous .utTering on the Day ofJudgement."(AI-Quran 2185)The conmtuent pam of this prescription are those

c h a r a c t e r u t i ~ of Allah which the Holy Quran terms as the"Balanced Attribute." Asm'aul HIISna- Adopting .ome ofthfie attribute. and jgnoriug others ean be of no avail.Always bear tbis faet in mined that Reality Is an indivisiblewhole, it cannot be split up into its pam. The balancedAttributes of Allah are various facets of Absolute Reality.REALITY is the name of their sum-total. I f ome of theseare separated, you eannot term these segregated constituentsalone as the pam of that REALITY. For i1lStance. i fREALITY eomprun one hundred aspects and you take uponly teu, you cannot claim that you have adopted one-tenthof tbe REALITY, therefore you would be entided to theproportional benefit. You eannot get one-tenth of healing bytaking one out of ten medicines wriHen in the prescription;so the Holy Quran says:

"And for Allah are all the BalanceAttributes. (These are the various faeets ofthat Absolute Reality) so eall IDm by allthese facels and leave those people alone whodeviate to one extreme in (emulating a few of)His Attributes."(AI-Quran 7/1SO)You would observe that with the people, who remaineut ott from the Islamic System of life, the moral values onwhich emphasis is laid, are those values which pertain to tbetender and delicate emotions of man, like sympathy; mercy;forgivedess; tolerance; humbleness; soft-speaking, to besilent even if some one abuses; to otter other side if some onegives a slap on one side of your check, to give over yourwaistcoat yourself if some one takfi away your coat; to love

even your enemy or go a bit fUrther, feed tbe sparrows, thecrows, to provide a drinking place for cattle etc. Justice,prevenlion of oppression and exploitation; preservation ofuniversal human rights; a political system in which DO one issubservient to anyone; a social set up which is based onrespect for man; an economic order in which no one is


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38 dependent upon anyone and every one's necessities of lifeare guaranteed without any undue labour and ignominy;sucb a social contract in whicb every action progressivelygoes on producing its own rightful result-- All these matterswill h a ~ e no moral significance with these people.Result of the Teac!!ings of Christianity:

About Christianity, which is the biggest upbolder oftbe kind of moral values mentioned above" go through thewords of a well-renowned Spanish professor. Dr. Falla DeCracia quoted by Brifault in his renowned book .. TheMaking of Humanity." He writes.

.. The notion of justice," says the famousSpanish Professor, .. is as entirely foreign tothe spirit of Christianity as is that ofintellectual honesty. I t lies wholly out sidethe field of its ethical vision .... Christianityhas offered comfort and consolation to menwho suffered under injustice. but of thatinjustice itself it has remained - absolutelyincognizant. It has called upon the weary andheavy laden, upon the snffering and theamicted, it has proclaimed to them tbe law oflover, the duty of mercy and forgiveness, theFatherhood of God; but in that torrrent ofreligious and ethical emotion wbich hasi m p ~ d men as tbe summit of the sublime,and been held to transcend all other ethicalideals. Common justice. common honestybave no place. Tbe ideal Christian. the saint,is seeD deseending like an angel from beavenamid the welter of-human misery, among tbe 'victims of ruthless oppression and injustice,bringing to tbem tlie comfort and consolationof the Paraclete, of the Religion of Sorrow.But tbe cause of that misery lies whollyoutside the range of his consciousness; noglimmer of any notion of rigbt and wrongenters into his view of it. It is tbe established


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39 order of Ihings, Ihe divinely appointedgovernmenl of Ihe world, Ihe lriallald' uponsinners by divine ordinance. St. Vincenl dePaul visits the living hell of the Frenchgalleys; he proclaims the message oC love andcalls sinners 10 repenlance; but to theiniquity, which creales and maintains lhathell, he remains absolutely indifferent. He isappoinled Grand-Almoner 10 His MostChrislian Majesty. The world might groanin misery under Ihe despolism of oppressors,men's lives and men's mind might beenslaved, crusbed and blighted; the spirit ofChristianity would go forth and comforttbem, but it would never occur to it toredress a single one of Ihose wrongs. II hasremained unconscious of Ibem. To Ihosewrongs. to men's righl 10 be delivered fromIhem, it was by nature completely blind. Inrespect to justice, 10 right and wrong, thespiril of Christianity is nol so much immoralas amoral. The notion was as alien 10 il aswas Ihe nolion of truth. Included in its codewas, it migbt be conlroversially alleged, anold formula: Ibe golden rule.' Acommonplace of most literature, which waspopular iu the East from China to AsiaMinor; but thai isolated precept was neverinterpreted in tbe sense of justice. It meantCorgiveness, forbearing, kindness, but nevermere justice, common equity; those virtueswere Car too unemotional in aspect to appealto the religious enthusiasl. The renuncialionof liCe and all its vanilies,' Ihe casingoverboard of all sordid cares for ilsmainlenance. the suppression of desire,prodigal almsgiving Ihe consecration of a lifethe value of which bad disappeared in hiseyes to charity and love, non-resistance,passive obedience, Ihe .turning of Ibe othercheck to an enemy. the whole riot of Ihose


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40byperbolic ethical emotions could firethe Christian consciousness, while itremained utterly un mond by every form ofwrong, iniquity and injustice."

The Case of Irrelil!ionists:This, in a nutshell, is the wholesomeness of moralvalues upheld by the religionists. Now take tbe case of thepeople who do neither believe in God, nor in the continuance

of human personality, nor in the revelation, nor in the lifebereafter, but, on the contrary. stress IlJwn the moral values.Ask anyone of them: U When you .IIY thllt (for example) thepoor sbould be helped; tell me, wby should I help thepoor?" You will observe tbat tbey give you strange IInswers:Some will say, "Helping the poor is a human obliglltion" asktbem, "Sir. wbat do you mean by bumlln obligation and whois he who bas imposed tbis obligation on me? You'll observethey would have no reasonable answer to these askings.Some will say that tbey ougbt to belp tbe poor for if tbeybecome poor in the coming days, some one else may belpthem. Firstly. tbis reciprocity is of sucb a low caliber thatyou would never call it a cbaracter of any bigh order; tbenalso keep tbis factor in mind, If tbe people become able tomanage not to be in need of anyone at any time. bow wouldyou prevail upon them to help the poor?" You will observethey will out-rightly make an appeal to tbe human emotions;tbey will not be able to give you any reasonable answerbased on arguments. If you tbink a bit deep, you would findthat such feelings would be lying in their subconscious: thlltsince the society values these mlltters, therefore these ougbtto be done for the sake of becoming respectable in thesociety; andfor some political motives would be operativebehind this phenomenon, such as hospitals. schools andcolleges of the missionaries or the non-violence of tbe Indianleader Mal/alamo Gandlli (late); or it would have been theresult uf traditional lind inherited belief; andfor the weaknerves of the humans which have been termed as virtuousemotions. You will observe that none of these Clln work asthe basis of the human character. So far as the question ofnational character is concerned, it has been discussed in tbe


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41 beginning of this discourse. By appealing to tbeseemotions, you can get some one do good work provisionallybut cannot make tbis work to be a routine of bis life; youcannot produce permanence in it, wbile cbaracter is tbe veryname of permanence and cbanglessness in bebaviour. Tbesurety of tbis permanence can be notbiug but tbe belief intbe true 'concept of life.' Tbat is wby tbe Holy Quran invitespeople wbo are already tbe foll6wers 6f religions, as well astbose ..,b6 acknowledge any religion to profess Eiman, accepttbe concepts of life wbicb are the very essence of i ts 'Order.' It says about tbem that:

"If tbese people profess eiman as you have,tben these people can follow the right patb oflife. I f tbey repudiate, tben make it a pointtbat these people are opposing the truth andtbe rigbtful; they are not following tbatpatb."( AI-Quran 2/137)These are the very cbaracteristics of Islam which are

found neither il\ any of the religions of the world, nor in theworld of thought and intellect. Therefore, there can be notrue Deen (rightful way onife) other than Islam.Warning to the Muslim.:

I want to give necessary warning at tbis juucture.Our state of affairs at tbis stage is tbat we become verybappy wben we say: our Deen is superior to all the religiousand then, sit back and believe tbat tbis makes us tbe best inthe comity of nations and (tbat if we are no good iu tbisworld, it makes no difference. because this is only atransitory world and on its coming to an end) we will be tbeone to inherit tbe paradise in the world bereafter; tbe rest ofthe human beings will all enter tbe Hell.Actions Make Life:

This is the biggest self-deception we are caught in.(The Holy Quran tells us tbis was exactly what tbe Jews usedto say; tbis brougbt them t6 a state of life wbich is dear to


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42 the world today) Islam's being superior can only beuseful to us wben we ourselves attain superiority by acting inaccoroc.nce witb it; leading a life of disgrace and objection,and remaining puffed up on tbe superiority of Islam isnotbing but a stupidity. I t is just like a person wboconsecutivel" propagates worldwide that he has a testedprescription - an elixir of life, a proved cure of all diseases -- but for the cure of his own beadache, he remains awfullybusy searching for such a medicine from others. Please tellme: "What benefit can that prescription bring to such aperson and bis boasting of it can be of what use to him? Thison tbe contrary. would make him a laughing stock in tbeworld and no body would rightly admit his pretension. Theforemost and basic proof of this prescription having beentested over times would be the very state of health of hisfamily. Islam bas presented tbe same proof of j i l ltruthfulness and preference when the Holy Prophet told theantagonislll of this Deen that: (AI-Quran 6/136)

"You go on working according to yoursystem; I shall keep working according tomy own; very soon it would be known towhom does 'he success eventually belong. Intbis way my claim would come true tbatZalimeen (Oppressors) can neverprosper;"(AI-Quran 61136)and tbe sayer of sucb sayings, first of all, presented

bimself as a witness to the proof of the truthfulness of bisclaim. When bis opponents asked bim: "What proof of it "you bave that you are true in your claim: He answered in the 'words of Quran:'.'" bave dwelt amongst you all my life prior to'it. Can't you adjudge from it whether such alife is of the truthful or a liar?"(AI-QuranIIJIIO)Re;e'n:tber, Illy respected and honoured c ~ r a d e s ! Only that penon can present Islam to the world as therightful way of life (true Deen) who is, not only in the


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43 company of his friends but also in the big crowd of hisfoes, able to project his life in proof of his truthfulness andthen no one has ever dared to oppose him. This is the onlyrigbt mechanism for proseiytization of Islam.'The Oursn Affirm. What You Hold':

Now, at the end I dtlem it necessary to do away witbone or two doubts which often emerge in the mind of thepeopk in this regard. Tbe first is tbat the Holy Quran tellstbe followers of other religions: 'I affirm whitt you hold" i.e.the teacbings you bave, so tbe question is when the HolyQuran itself professes the teachings of these religions, bowcan it be asserted that the true teachings of God are foundexclusively in the Holy Quran and not with other religions:The objection indeed carries weight and merits necessaryconsideration. First of all see if it is tbe Holy Quran itselfwbicb demands Ibe followers of otber religions to pin tbeirfaith upon tbis claim, or do tbe Muslims present thisassertion alone? Tbe complete verse containing tbisaffirmation reads as follows:

"Profess belief in this (Book) wbicb I bave(now) revealed (namely tbe Holy Quran)which affirms. What-thou-bave' and leadnot in repudiating it." (AI-Quran 2/41)It is clear that the Holy Quran itself urges upon thefollowers oftbe religions to profess beliefin it.Secondly, tbere is explicit clarification in variousplaces of tbe Holy Quran that tbe followers of these religions

had made transpositions in tbeir beavenly books; literaltransposition ( AI-Quran 4171) and additions in tbem ontbeir own ( AI-Quran 2179); and intermingling tbe trutbwith tbe falsebood ( AI-Quran 3171); in this way numerouscontradictions bad crept in tbese books ( AI-Quran 11/110).The followers of tbese religions tbemselves stand in witnessto these claim of tbe Holy Quran. Hence not a single nonMuslim today can make a claim based on reason that tbe


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44 book tbey present as beavenly is in its pristine andoriginal form i.e. tbe same book wbich was reveJ'ed to tbeirpropbet. You will find tbe details of this resume in tbe firstchapter of my book, 'Ma;raj-i-lnsaniyyaf', in which tbehistory of the so-called beavenly books of all tbe religionshas been described. This makes it dear that:

"How can tbe Holy Quran stand witness to thetrutbfnlness of these books, the followers of whicbtbemselves do not call them original and free frominterpolation? And bow, in spite of tbe interpolationand additions to slich an elltent, some moral valuesare still found in tbese books, the Holy Quranaffirms tbese values but not tbe books in tbeirtotality. Tbe fact is tbat the meanings ofMussadaq (tbe affirmer) bere are not tbe one tbat testifIeS thetrutbfulness," its meanings are tbe one that provesthe trutb contained in tbem " The Holy Quran says:"The moral values you bold are merely tbeoretical innature. I give tbe system in wbicb these values willemerge as tbe true realities and this is my specialfeature; for example, You also say the hungry sbouldbe fed and I too, you say tbis as a mere sermon andadvise and insist on giving alms to tbe people; bow istbe hunger of tbe bungry cured with it, every oneknows; I give slicb a practical economies system inwbich no individual can remain bungry; in tbis way Iprove tbe trutb of tbose moral values."Tbe distinctive features of Islam are tbat with itspractical system all,lbese moral values are realized as truths. .Tbis is alone possible in Deen, not in "religion?" That is wbyIslam bas beef! termed as Ad-Deen (tbe way of IIfe)-. andnot rdigion, 8b its comparison sbould be made with otbersystems of life, not with other religions.

The second Doubt:The second question tbat raised is that tbere areinnumerable people to whom Islam has not reached yet; or(for example) " person is born to a Hindu family and obeysvery honestly his religion tbinking it to be truer, wbat is tbe


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45 fault of such a people due to which the avenues ofprosperity (success) and achievement be closed to him! Thisquestious coufases and perplexes many minds, therefore itsthorougb understanding is a must.Had the matter of salvation and auspiciousness orreward and punishment been merely emotional, it wouldhave been acceptable as to why a people who are not at faultbe punished at all. But when reward and punishmentpertain to law, and success and achievement be the name ofthe natural consequences of actions, the emotions cannothave any say in it, for example the children of the village

with no school will remain illiterate and bence deprived ofthe benefits that the literate will get. This is the most severepunishment these children are innicted to, though they arenot at fault. How sympathetic you he to them, but thedeficiency that has crept in by being illiterate is the ane thatcannot be made up even by your sympathies and subtleemotions. Here the question whose-fault-is-it does not arise.n a child does not go to scbool for one year complete due toillness, you do not promote him to tbe next class only on thepretext that he is not at fault. Only that child would bepromoted to the next class who has developed abill!)'.According to the Holy Quran, only that person would reachthe next stage of life that has developed the potentiality totraverse these stllges.

The slime principle will 'also be applicable to thosewho, thinking their religions to be true, follow their religionall their life in good faith. Some one's eating of arsenic asmedicine in good faith, will not restrict its ill effects to himon (he pretext that its eater had taken it honestly asmedicine. The arsenic will produce its effects unequivocallywhether some one has taken it advertantly or inadvertently.The nation that worships fire and water (Agni anti InJar)cannot gain control over and run steam engines with thishelief. It :5 clear that such a nation will remain deprived ofall benefits liable to be attained with tbe power of steam.This deprivation of tbeirs is not a revengeful punishmentinnicted on them by allY one else. It is the naturalconsequences of the their ignorance; which no passion of


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46 sympathy can remove; it can only be possible if and whenthe nation recourses to the law of Allab, barnellSes the foreesof nature and tben makes use of them for tbeir benefit.According to the Holy Quran. tbis alone is tbe lawprescribed for success and acbievement. Neither any body'saspiration bas a play in it nor emotions. I t bas very clearlybeen proclaimed tbat

"Tbe judgement will neitber be made inaccordance witb your wishes, nor witb thewisbes of tbe " people of Bookfl ( judgementswill be made according to Our Law)" (AIQuran4l123)and that law is tbat wboever does wrong sball suITer tbeconsequence thereof.

And the law ought to be as sucb. I f tbe law slllnsfollowing tbe wisbes of tbe people. the system of tbe entireUnlven.c would go into cbaos :"If tbe truth starts following wbims andwishes (feelings) of tbe people, there wouldbe cbaos in the eartb and the beavens andwhate\"er is there in between." (AI-Quran13no)God can alone be tbe One wbo Is over and abovefeelings. That is why the Holy Quran says about the nationswhich are ruined as the result of their crimes that:"Their Rilbb sent - the Road- Roller of theLaw of Requital; which leveled them withthe ground; and He feared not itsconsequences" AI-Quran 91114-15)

H., bad no anxiety on their total annibilation. He did neverthrob and palpitate on it, so much so that :"neither the sky wept on them nor the earth ." (AI-Quran 44/29) "


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But do not think that His Law has no provision forrecantation and revival and if some une committed a crime any time, he became accursed forever. No. there is everyopportunity of reforming artt'>o rejlcntance:"Tell them: O' My men, those of you who have committed excess against themselves do not get disappointed from the blessings of God. He will protect you from the harmful effects of all your prevarication:' :(Al-Quran 39/35)

Its method is to do such good deetr;. whicl put away the lossdone to you with your faltering, because:"The harmful elTects of deeds creating unevenness can only be elTaced by deeds creating beauty and consistency:'( AI-Quran 111115)

Our Resoonsibility:Now the last thing is that tbere are people who couldnot get the message of Islam. "Who is responsible for it?

Obviously its responsibility lies on us, the claimants of theinheri'ance of tbe Book. If we are unable to shoulder ourresponsibility , tbe burden of wrong doings of tbose whomwe did not convey the message" of Islam lies On ourshoulders. That is why the Holy Quran says that:"They will carry their own burden as well as that of others.":( AI-Quran 29113) Today in the absence of the system based on truth

and righteousness. the nations of the world are committinginhuman crimes. A part of its chastisement lies on our ownsboulders and our present condition is a clear proof of thisphenomenon. God assigned to use the duty of


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48 supenoteodence of the comity of nations. Leavingthe watchfulness of others aside, we are no longer capable ofmaintaining ours, therefore we today are paying (thepenalty) for it. Whenever there is a theft any where, it is thesleepy guard that is always doomed forthwith, so we aresuffenrg the chastisement of this negligence and our claimthat Islam enjoy superiority over all other systems can notsave us from this torment and will never save us till weprove ourselves worthy of its superiority by actiog on it.

At the end, J deem it necessary to explain thatwhatever I have said in tbis treatise is neitber desired tooffend followers of any religion, nor intended to despise(God forbid us) any of tbe founders of tbese religions. So faras non-religious founders are conceroed, according to tbeHoly Quran, we bave Eiman (conviction) tbat God sentmes..engers to all the nations of the world. Out of them theHoly Qurao has mentiooed a few by their respectable namesand the rest of them have not been mentioned by name. Butwhether tbe name of anyone is given in the Holy Quran ornot. we pay respect to these Messengers from the core of ourhearl, so much so that the confession of their Risalat (DivineMissiof'l is an inlegral part of our Eiman. The Holy Quransays thai the truthful teachings of God were preseoted 10them but later on these teachings were either reduced oradded to; now these pristine and ongioal teachings are onlypreserved in the Holy Quran. When we represent Ibe realityIhal Islam is Ihe only true Deen of God. then its leacbingswould have to be invariably compared with that of otherreligions and Ihose found against the Holy Quran cannot betrue froOi our point of view. Whatever I have describedabout Ihe teachings of other religions is only in theIJerspecti>'e of tbis purpose. This reality sbould always bekept in view that Islam does not want to prove itself betterby speaking ill of others; it rel,resents its goodnessrationally. and prevails upon otbers for its acceptance

parwez_whyislamonly

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