Islam in 21st Century

Today man is in search of a new ideology. Those who can offer this new ideology to the modern man will be the leader of the 21st century. F.H. Bradley has termed this new ideology as ‘New Religion.’ By this New Religion he actually meant unaltered version of revealed religion. But probably the concept of unaltered and altered was not known to Bradley, otherwise he would have used the term unaltered religion in place of ‘New Religion.’

As a matter of fact, the search of modern man is nothing but a quest of Islam. It is a religion based on the law of nature. It is free from any sort of alteration as such it is the exponent of complete truth. Those who are not acquainted with this, call the feeling of their quest as ‘New Outlook,’ ‘New Religion,’ ‘New Order,’ ‘New Revolution’ etc. 

Reaching at the end of 20th century, man is confronted with a void—a void of thought. He is disillusioned with his previous ideological base. He is in search of a new and firm intellectual base to rely upon. I would like to take the case of Japan to explain my point.

Experience of Japan

The present royal family of Japan has been the ruler of Japan for the last 15 centuries. Japanese used to address their king a Kami—god. The king was supposed to have the godly attributes. But after the Second World War the Japanese have come to regard their king as just a Hito—a human being. This change has been like an eruption of a volcano on their intellectual level.

The Japanese had believed for 1500 years that their king, endowed with divine powers, was invincible and able to protect them from all aggressions. However, during the Second World War when America devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki by dropping two atom bombs, Japan’s military power was shattered. It was the first defeat of Japan in the long span of 15 centuries. The king of Japan, Hiro Hito, announced on the radio on 15th August 1945, that Japan had been defeated and was surrendering before the USA. This was an extremely shocking declaration for the Japanese people. Their godly king was accepting defeat. It was hard for them to believe. But the truth dawned upon them and they realized that their king too was a human being and not the incarnation of god.

This incident proved to be more devastating than the scars of atom bombs on Japan. The bombs had destroyed two of its cities temporarily but the crack in the faith eternally changed the whole inner personality of Japanese. The new generation of Japan is suffering from acute frustration. It has spiritually lost its source of confidence. The Japanese are in search of a new god today and this search is their most important issue at hand.

This state of affair, more or less, is being faced by other peoples all over the world. Everyone has lost his traditional god and everyone, consciously or unconsciously, is looking out to find a new god to substitute this void.

This is not a chance happening but a real one. It is so because religion is not an externally imposed thing. Religion is the inner urge of a human being and so imbued in his nature that it cannot be separated from his personality. Research in the field of psychology and anthropology has proved it with finality that man cannot live without god and religion. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1984, vol. 15, p. 628) Edmund Burke confirms the same fact when he says: “Man is by his constitution a religious animal.” This is the reason why man’s inner self is searching for the true and real god who can quench the thirst of his haunting soul.

Search of One God

Except for the believers in Islam, the majority of other communities have, in some or the other ways, been involved in polytheism. Zoroastrians believe in two gods. Christianity has the concept of Trinity. There are nearly 330 million gods and deities in Hinduism.

The theory of polytheism inherited by most of the communities has placed them in an awkward position of contradictions. The universe according to modern science, has complete harmony. It functions like a huge machine moving with precision and unison. The concept of one, the supreme God, therefore, is the only befitting concept for this universe. This state of affairs has made the theory of polytheism doubtful for the modem man.

The latest and decisive blow to polytheism came from what is called Superstring Theory. Prior to it, scientists conventionally believed that there were four natural forces working in the universe, that is Gravity, Electromagnetic force, Week Nuclear force and Strong Nuclear force. However, keeping in view the unified system and order of the universe, the belief of four forces working behind them always urged the scientists like Einstein and others to think that this number must be brought to one. Now, a team of American scientists, after an exhaustive research, has arrived at the conclusion that there is only one force which controls the whole universe. This singular force is named Superstring. Anyone interested in further details of the Superstring theory may refer to the following books published in the US:

1. Beyond Einstein: The Cosmic Quest for the Theory of the Universe.

2.Nuclear Power-Both Sides by Jennifer Trainer and Michio Kaku.

The latest scientific revelation has brought the whole human race to the doorstep of the faith of one God or tawhid. The time has come when the idea of one God should be presented to the people of the world who would accept it as the call of their own souls and step into the fold of eternal Truth.

Result of Free Inquiry

In ancient times religion was an object of reverence and considered to be above any test or argument. But the modern scientific age has given topmost importance to inquiry and reasoning. Today people feel that any notion can be accepted only after it is tested and viewed through a free inquiry.

Modern man has applied this method to both non-religious subjects as well as religious subjects. Religious books and their teachings have been subjected to tests of free inquiry which proved with finality that except for Islam all other religions were not reliable. Their credibility became doubtful from the scientific and historical point of view. Let us take an example to clarify this point.

Christianity is based on the concept of Trinity. Ask any Christian theologian and he would say, “The nature of God is trinity.” He interprets the Trinity as something which is, “three in one, and one in three.”

Now, a modern man who wants to understand everything with reasoning, would naturally ask as to how one plus one plus one can be equal to one. The Christian theologian would first try to convince him through complex and unintelligible explanations. But when the rational mind refuses to accept them, he will simply terminate the discussion by declaring that these are the things we cannot understand.

This ambiguity and escapism do not convince a reasoning mind. When one studies the universe objectively, he finds it moulded in a mathematical frame. That is why a scientist has said that the Creator of the universe must be possession of a highly mathematical brain. But the way Christianity explains the attributes of this Creator is totally un-mathematical and irrational.

Again, this situation has led a major part of human community to a crossroad. The intense urge of the inner self of man commands him to find the Creator of the universe so that he may surrender himself before Him and worship Him as God. But most of the religions in vogue offer him a god which neither satisfies man’s soul nor convinces his scientific and rational mind.

And thus, once again we find that the modern revolution in thought and outlook has brought the contemporary human society in close proximity to Islam. The time demands that true concept of tawhid, one-ness of God, is presented before the people who will find this concept in complete harmony with the law of nature and the reasoning of science.

Contradiction in Religions

Almost everyday we come across such news that someone got frustrated with his inherited religion and embraced Islam. For example, the weekly al-Dawah (Riyadh) of 17th August 1989, has published a news item on page 41 which tells us about the acceptance of Islam by a Christian priest of Kinshasa, the capital of Zire. His name was Moya Wamoya and he was called Holy John 23. After accepting Islam this gentleman has changed his name as Usman Wamoya. When asked about the cause of renouncing Christianity, Mr. Wamoya said that he was disillusioned with the factual contradictions recorded in the New Testament. For instance, these books refer to Christ as an ordinary human being at one place and as the divine son of God at the other.

When a person studies the Bible, he observes an ancestral lineage of Christ. The book of Matthew records him as the son of David. But when the reader approaches the book of Mark, Christ becomes Son of God. Thus, the same personality has different identities. He is son of a man at one stage and Son of God at the other.

The Bible is full of such discrepancies which compel its reader to think that if it is the book of God, it must have been subjected to human interference and alterations. Probably the present Bible is a drastically changed version of its original form. There is no question of so much and so obvious contradictions existing in a divine Book.

The case of the Bible has adversely affected the psyche of modern man. He has become indifferent towards all religious books. Nevertheless, his soul and nature crave for religion. Religion is the only solace for man’s inner self and his external life. He is disgusted and rebellious towards interpolated religions. But his whole existence is crying for the true and unadulterated religion of God. At this juncture, if he is exposed to Islam, he will accept it as avidly as someone dying of thirst will accept a jug of water.

Failure of Materialistic Religion

As stated earlier, the notion of treating religion as a sanctified subject does not exist anymore. Today it is as exposed to enquiry and evaluation as any other subject. For unbiased study and analysis of religion, certain new approaches have come into effect such as Higher Criticism, Textual Criticism, Historical Criticism etc. This investigative attitude applied to religion led to the studies which revealed the fact that no religion, except Islam, is reliable in its present form.

Subsequently a new ‘religion’ emerged in the guise of materialism. Its philosophy was that everything that really exists is material in nature. This bred the outlook of achieving maximum materialistic gains in practical life. It propagated the theory that materialistic acquisitions were the only source of man’s happiness.

But this ideology failed both at the level of thought and practice. At the level of thought this failure is reflected in the limitations of science. Extensive researches and studies were carried out in various fields of science with the hope of discovering the ultimate realities. But these proved to be hopeless endeavours. The instrumentalities of science were miserably ineffective and inadequate to unveil the
ultimate reality of existence. Sir James Jeans endorses this view in the following words:

Physical science sets out to study a world of matter and radiation and finds that it cannot describe or picture the nature of either, even to itself. Photons, electrons and protons have been found as meaningless to the physicist as x, y, z are to a child on its first day of learning algebra. The most we hope for at the moment is to discover ways of manipulating x, y, z without knowing what they are. (Sir James Jeans, The New Background of Science)

The advancements in science have only intensified our realization of ignorance. The more we know, the more we are aware of our ignorance. Einstein terms this situation as “extracting an incomprehensible from another incomprehensible.”

Similar failure of materialism has also been experienced in practical life. Today’s world provided man opportunities to earn more and more, which he exploited to the maximum. But the huge accumulation of wealth and means of comfort ultimately filled his life with nothing but boredom. In spite of all materialistic resources, man could not find real peace and satisfaction.

When scientific and technological advancements made all the luxuries of the world within easy reach of man, he thought there was no need of any paradise in the life hereafter. He forgot that his ambitions of this life could not escape the inevitability of limitations and disadvantages. Amidst the glittering heap of wealth, the happiness remained a mirage for him.

A glimpse of this tragedy of the modern age can be had from Vance Packer’s 358-page book, The Ultra Rich published from New York in 1989. The book contains real life portrayals of thirty super rich Americans, each one worth 425 million dollars or more. The author interviewed them personally and observed that all of them, without exception, were suffering from discontentment. Their palatial mansions have so vast lawns that a 707 Boeing plane can easily land there. But all this material abundance is like a verdant cage” according to one of these ultra rich people. Another one feels disgusted of his wealth and says, “I don’t know what the hell to do with it!”

Such experiences of “materialistic religion” have made the modern man doubtful towards materialism. This ‘new religion’ could neither respond to his intellectual queries nor provide peace and contentment which he instinctively desires in practical life. Like interpolated religions, the materialistic religion has also disappointed him. He deserves and needs to be guided to the reassuring solace of the true religion of God.

Religion of Brotherhood and Equality

Discrimination of inequality between man and man is continuing since time immemorial. In the past, it was due to influence of superstition. People had various superstitious beliefs which justified the theory of inequality and division. They believed that white races were created with superior elements, while the blacks with inferior ones. Hence the notion of superior and inferior races was considered natural and justified.

The modern age has, however, proved this concept to be totally baseless. Inquiry and analysis of facts revealed that beliefs of racial inequality were imaginary and mythical. Several books have been written on the subject with scientific reasonings. The Race Question in Modern Science, by J. Comas (1956) is one of the important books in this regard.

At present man finds himself standing on a bisecting road. On one side he faces his inherited conventional religion which still preaches inequality among humanity. On the other side he finds his scientific knowledge which rejects the theory of racial discrimination as sheer absurdity. The modern man realizes that he cannot shape his life on scientific basis if he continues to believe in his inherited religion.

Islam is the only solution to this problem. Being a religion free from any adulteration, its teachings are most accurate, authentic and perfect. Islamic principles and thoughts are not only in harmony with scientific facts, but it is the only religion that carries a brilliant tradition of equality and brotherhood among all human beings. H.G. Wells has accepted that Islam did not merely preach justice and equality but implemented it in practical life in an exceptional manner. He has explained it in the following words:

They (Muslims) created a society mor free from widespread cruelty and social oppression than any society had ever been in the world before. (H.G. Wells, The Outline of History, p. 325)

Well known Hindu reformer Swami Vivekananda has acknowledged the practice of equality and indiscrimination in Islam in the following words:

My experience is that if ever any religion approached to this equality in an appreciable manner, it is Islam and Islam alone. (Swami Vivekananda, Letters of Vivekanananda, p. 379)

This practical side of Islam has made this religion an exclusive bearer of truth and justice. Throughout the annals of known world history, one finds Islam as the only religion that can help in building a society based on the practiced principles of brotherhood, equality and justice. The Declaration of Human Rights” of the UNO, in its present form, is a mere utopia of words. There is no precedent of practicality behind this flowery declaration. The teachings of Islam, one the other hand, have the well-known exemplary tradition as to how the ideals can actually be realized in real life.

These are but a few from among the numerous aspects which I have attempted to present before you to show the opportunities for the call and invitation to Islam. The revolutionary changes in the thought and outlook of contemporary society have brought man very close to Islam. Like the instinctive pursuit of some upright persons called Hunafa of the era of ignorance before Islam, the whole of humanity has become a compulsive seeker of Islam today.

This situation has opened up the doors of tremendous new opportunities for dawah—call and invitation to Islam. If these opportunities are availed properly, there is no doubt that the 21st century would be the century of Islam.

Passion for Dawah

I wish to conclude by mentioning an interesting incident which serves as a booster for dawah activities. It concerns physicist Murray Gell-Mann of the US who won the Physics Nobel Prize in 1969. He was acknowledged for his contribution in bringing order to man’s knowledge of the seemingly chaotic profusion of subatomic particles.

When Mr. Gell-Mann made his prize-winning discovery in the field of physics, he was overcome with the irresistible desire to make others aware of its facts. He innovated a scheme for this purpose. In the American city of Auspen he arranged a cabaret show and invited the educated people. The show started and gradually reached its peak. Then suddenly some strange thing happened. In the words of the reporter, ‘Near the end of the show, physicist Murray Gell-Mann jumped up from the audience, dashed to the stage and exclaimed, “Stop everything! I have to explain to you the theory of the Universe. I understood how everything works.”’

After the discovery of a truth, one cannot help but announce it to the world. Like a bursting force it must come out of his existence and deluge the surroundings. Discovery makes a man a da’i—the caller of Truth. The case of Islamic dawah is the same. If we could truly and sincerely realize the fact that tremendous opportunities are lying around us for spreading the message of Islam in the world, our body and soul would become restless to let this message be out. With even sharper intensity, we would behave like Murray Gell-Mann. We would dash before the people and proclaim, “Stop everything and listen! We have the most important, the most momentous message for you. You acutely need it. Your life in this world and the life hereafter will be dismal without knowing this reality, and the reality is Islam, the true religion of soul.”