The Only Religion
[The booklet is essentially a speech by the Maulana. He delivered this speech at the Jamia Islamia in Delhi on March 21, 1943.]
The Holy Qur’an calls all humanity toward the way of life it itself has proclaimed, saying:ان الدين عند الله الاسلام .
This brief verse is the subject of my discussion in this book. This is not the place to explain it at length; I shall try to interpret it as briefly as possible. What claim has actually been made in this verse will become perfectly clear from the explanation that follows. In addition, I shall discuss at length whether that claim ought to be accepted, what duties become incumbent upon us if we accept the Qur’an’s claim, how human life should be organized if we believe in it, and, finally, I shall also try to analyze that.
Usually, this short verse is understood in a very simple sense. You have heard its meaning from time immemorial: “The religion chosen by Allah is Islam alone.” And, generally, everyone has firmly held the notion that Islam is a religion preached in Arabia thirteen and a half centuries ago, whose first foundation was laid by Muhammad (peace be upon him). I have deliberately used the words “whose first foundation was laid.” For not only non-Muslims, but countless Muslims—even many well-educated and learned Muslims—regard Muhammad (peace be upon him) as “the founder and establisher of Islam,” and write the same thing in their books in various ways. They believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was Islam’s first preacher and that he alone laid its first foundation in the world. That is why, when a non-Muslim reads this verse while studying the Holy Qur’an, it is not surprising that he assumes that, just as every religion in the world calls itself “the only true religion” and regards other religions as false, so the Qur’an too claims that the religion it presents is the only true one. Under the influence of this idea, the non-Muslim reader proceeds very rapidly and feels no need to consider the originality or rationality of this claim. A Muslim, on the other hand, also feels no particular need to reflect on it, precisely because he himself believes the religion called “the only true religion” in this verse to be the true religion. Even when someone does feel the need to think about it, he merely compares Islam with Christianity, Hinduism, and other such religions in an attempt to prove its truth. In reality, however, this brief verse of the Holy Qur’an is extraordinarily important, and it is absolutely necessary to think about it far more deeply and insightfully than has generally been done. To understand clearly the Qur’an’s claim mentioned in this verse, one must first understand in detail the ideas inherent in the two words ad-din (الدين) and al-Islam (الاسلام), respectively.
An Analysis of the Word ad-Din (الدين)
In Arabic, the word din is used in several senses. One meaning is lordship and preeminence, power and domination. The second is obedience and servitude. The third is recompense and the consequence of deeds, and the fourth is a path, method, system, or law. In the verse cited, the word din (دين) is used in this last sense. That is, din means a way of living or a method of action—a way or method that may be followed in human life.
But it must be remembered that the Qur’an did not merely say “din”; it says “ad-din,” (الدين). The difference in meaning between the words din (دين) and ad-din (الدين) is exactly as great as the difference in English between saying “This is a way” and “This is the way.” In other words, the Qur’an does not say, “Islam is a religion chosen by Allah”; rather, its claim is, “Islam alone is, in the sight of Allah, the one true, pure, and flawless system of life, or method of thought and action.” It must also be remembered that the Qur’an does not use the word ad-din in any restricted or narrow sense; its meaning in the Qur’an is extremely broad.
By “system of life” is not meant a system for some particular aspect or department of life; it means a complete system for the whole of life—not merely the system of each individual’s personal life, but, collectively, the system of the entire society. What is meant here is not a system of life for a particular country, nation, period, or age; rather, it is a system for all people of all times, both individually and collectively, for the whole of society. It is therefore clear that the Qur’an’s claim does not mean that Islam is merely, in Allah’s sight, a collection of worship, supernatural beliefs, and faith in the life hereafter. Nor does it mean that Islam is simply one form of an individual’s religious thought and practice (in the sense in which the word “religious” is currently used in Western terminology). Nor, conversely, does it mean that Islam is a pure system of life only for the Arabs, or only up to a particular century or period—for example, for people after the Industrial Revolution. Rather, the Holy Qur’an declares clearly and emphatically that “for all humanity in every age, for living on earth and for every department of human life, there is, in Allah’s sight, only one pure and chosen way and method.” The name of that natural method is Islam.
I was extremely astonished to hear that a new commentary on the Holy Qur’an had been published in a country somewhere between Asia and Europe, and that it stated that the word din (دين) refers only to matters concerning the personal relationship between Allah and human beings, having no connection whatsoever with the vast spheres of the state and civilization. If this commentary has indeed been derived from the Qur’an, it is certainly worth seeing. But, relying on the deep investigation into the truths of the Holy Qur’an that I have pursued tirelessly for eighteen long years, with exceptional care and keen insight, I can declare fearlessly and plainly that the Qur’an has not used the word ad-din (الدين) in any restricted sense at all, nor does it support the arbitrariness of these new commentators; rather, it has declared it to be the only sound code for human thought and action, for all people throughout all ages.
Al-Islam (الاسلام)
Let us now discuss the word “Islam.” In Arabic, Islam (الاسلام) means to surrender, submit, acknowledge obedience, and willingly entrust oneself to someone. But what deserves special attention is that the Qur’an did not merely say “Islam”; by adding the alif-lam it said “al-Islam”—a Qur’anic technical term. Thus, the meaning of this distinctive technical term is to bow before Allah, acknowledge obedience to Him, renounce all one’s freedom before Him, and surrender oneself entirely to Him. But this surrender, obedience, and acknowledgment of subordination does not mean surrendering oneself before the law of nature; those who try to accept this meaning are mistaken. Nor does it mean obeying an imaginary conception of Allah’s pleasure and commands derived from human thought and imagination, personal observation, and experience, although some people mistakenly hold such a view. In reality, it means completely accepting the method of thought and action that Allah Himself revealed for humanity through His Messenger, and, abandoning one’s freedom of thought and action—in other words, one’s distinctive individuality in thought and action—accepting obedience to it. This is what the Qur’an conveys by the term al-Islam. In reality, Islam is not a religion created in a new age, and it is also a grave error to think that its first foundation was laid in Arabia by Muhammad (peace be upon him) thirteen and a half centuries ago. Indeed, on the very day when human settlement first began on the earth, Allah had clearly told humanity that al-Islam was the only flawless system of life for them. Thereafter, whenever prophets were sent by Allah to guide the people of every age in different parts of the world, all of them without exception called all humanity toward this one al-Islam. Finally, the Prophet of the world, Muhammad (peace be upon him), also guided all people toward it. It is true, of course, that the followers of Moses (peace be upon him) later combined countless different doctrines and fashioned a separate religion called Judaism, and the followers of Jesus (peace be upon him) likewise originated Christianity. Similarly, in India, Iran, China, and other lands, the communities of the prophets sent there fashioned separate religions under different names by combining various doctrines. But Moses, Jesus, and all the known and unknown noble prophets collectively called people toward this one Islam, and toward nothing else.
The Qur’an’s Claim
After the foregoing analysis, the Qur’an’s claim shines before us with complete clarity. In brief, its claim is that bowing one’s head in obedience before Allah and following the principles of thought and action demonstrated through the noble prophets sent by Allah is the only flawless system of life, or religion, for all humanity. This, in fact, is the Qur’an’s unequivocal claim. We must examine with particular discernment whether this claim is truly acceptable. We must, of course, verify the arguments that the Qur’an itself has presented to establish the truth of its claim. But before that, applying our own powers of thought and investigation, we may first consider whether we truly have any alternative to accepting the Qur’an’s claim without hesitation.
The Necessity of a System of Life
No special argument or proof is needed to establish that a system of life is indispensable for human beings to live properly in this world. Human beings are not rivers; therefore, unlike a river, their course cannot define itself automatically through the rises and falls of the earth. Human beings are not trees; their path cannot be determined, as a tree’s is, by the laws of nature. Nor are human beings merely animals; for animals, the guidance of inborn nature is sufficient, but it is not sufficient for human beings. Although people are subject to natural laws through a large part of their lives, in countless other departments they cannot take even a single step according to some fixed rule as animals do. In these departments, countless paths lie open before them, and they must choose and adopt one of them. The universe presents the thinking human mind with countless complex subjects for reflection and investigation, but offers no clear solutions to them. Human beings need a clear method of thought in order to consider these matters deeply and reach sound conclusions. Through the ordinary laws of nature, countless facts and bodies of knowledge are gathered in the human mind with the help of the senses; but they remain entirely scattered and separate, for nature does not arrange and organize them. Therefore, a definite path for human knowledge is necessary to systematize this body of knowledge. In personal life, human nature presents people with countless and varied demands, but they find no definite way to fulfill those demands. For this reason, a fundamental principle must be established for human personal conduct. A definite path is likewise essential for family life, maintaining kinship ties, economic activities, the regulation of the country and state, establishing international relations, and countless other departments of life—a path by which people can proceed not only individually, but also as a group, a nation, or a community. Human life has many purposes according to the laws of nature, but natural law does not present those purposes clearly, nor does it prescribe any path for attaining them.
The Integral Nature of Human Life
It is essential for human beings to follow the same rules and ordinances in the countless aspects and departments of human life. For in reality these aspects and departments are not mutually contradictory, self-sufficient, or independent of one another. That is why people cannot adopt separate paths and different kinds of regulations in any one sphere. If, in the various departments of life, people adopted different views and paths, if the goal and provisions of each were entirely distinct, if the manner and method of proceeding along them differed, if their purposes were different, and if their aims and final destinations were also separate, human life would inevitably become extremely unbearable. If people try to understand human beings and the problems of human life with some sharpness of vision and depth of thought, they will certainly learn and be compelled to acknowledge that human life, taken as a whole, is an indivisible entity. Every aspect, department, and part of it is intertwined with every other in a profound and unbreakable bond. These parts and departments cannot be separated from one another in any way. Moreover, they inevitably influence one another and are influenced by one another. The same blood flows through all their veins. The same life-force animates and keeps them all conscious, and the entity created by their intimate combination is called life. Therefore, human beings do not need countless goals and varied purposes. They need one central purpose. All purposes, great and small, will be joined and united with that same purpose in complete harmony and accord, so that through striving to attain the one purpose, all the other purposes may be attained automatically. Human beings do not need countless paths; they need only one path by which they can move toward their goal with their entire life—embracing all its aspects and departments—in complete unity and harmony. Separate views, paths, and principles are unnecessary for thought and research, knowledge and science, literature and art, education, religion and character, social organization, economics, politics, state laws, and so forth. What is needed is a comprehensive system under which all these aspects will be brought together in complete unity and harmony. Within that comprehensive system there will be separate arrangements for all these departments of human life, united by the same nature and outlook; by following them, the individual, humanity, and humankind as a whole will be able to reach their highest and ultimate goal. In the dark age of barbarism, people thought it possible to divide human life into various self-contained and independent departments. If people who hold such meaningless views still exist in this age, then either they are still living within the blind enclosure of ancient ideas and are therefore objects of pity, or, despite understanding the real truth, they are propagating these views so casually under the influence of some special interest. They have been able to say that countless people who oppose the system they wish to introduce into human society already exist in that society. To deceive those people, they loudly proclaim, “Under the system we present, you will enjoy complete freedom and security in the cherished spheres of your lives.” Yet if one kind of rule is followed in particular departments of life, then, in the view of science, following a contrary rule in several other departments is impossible, opposed to the laws of nature, and in practice wholly impossible. I think those who keep making such statements themselves understand deep down that this is truly impossible; every central system reshapes every department of life according to its own outlook and nature. It is a universally known truth that whatever falls into a salt mine, the mine turns it into salt.
The Geographical and Tribal Divisions of Life
Just as it is meaningless to speak of dividing human life into different departments, it is even more meaningless to distribute life according to geographical regions or tribal boundaries. Human beings are spread across different parts of the world; no one can deny that rivers, mountains, forests, seas, or artificial borders have scattered and separated them. On the other hand, countless tribes and nations of human beings exist in this world, and it is also undeniable that, for countless historical, psychological, and other reasons, the development and nature of humanity have given them different forms. But those who, on the basis of these differences, say that a different system of life is desirable for the people of every tribe, nation, and region are fools—there is not the slightest doubt about it. Their crude and limited vision has noticed only outward appearances, external restrictions, and differences caused by external factors; they have failed to perceive, within this external multiplicity, the indivisible unity of humanity’s great essence. If these outward differences are truly important, and if they make it necessary for human systems of life to differ, then humanity must face a difficult question. Set aside the differences and distinctions between the inhabitants of two countries and between members of two tribes; on the other hand, also record the differences between two separate individuals, between a man and a woman, and between two children of the same mother.
Now make a scientific analysis of both kinds of difference. I can assert that the second kind of difference will prove to be far deeper and more evident than the first. If this is true, then it must be said that each individual’s system and mode of life must be wholly separate and different. Yet you will also acknowledge that this is contrary to actual truth. But when you observe, among countless individuals, countless men and women, and countless families, a lasting unity and harmony on the basis of which national, regional, or tribal doctrines can be formed, and on such a foundation you regard it as appropriate for countless inhabitants of a nation or region to follow the same system of life, why do you not perceive a great and fundamental unity within national, tribal, and regional differences—a unity on the basis of which a complete and comprehensive view of humanity as a whole may be formed, and on the basis of which the need for one din, or system of life, for all humanity may be felt? Despite all geographical, tribal, and national differences, all the people of the world live under the same natural laws; all human beings have been created according to the same physical laws; and, because of the same particular qualities and characteristics, humanity is called a distinct creation from all other creatures in the world. The same natural feelings, consciousness, and outlook exist in all people; the same kind of inner power is present in everyone; and the natural, psychological, historical, civilizational, and economic processes that continue ceaselessly in human life are also entirely of one kind. If this is true, who can say that it is not true? Then any principle or ideal that can benefit all people as human beings ought to be universal and worldwide. There is no reason for it to differ on the basis of nationality, tribe, or region. Of course, different nations and tribes may express their distinctive outlooks under that fundamental principle and may, in part, conduct their own affairs by different methods; indeed, this becomes necessary for them. But there can be no doubt that the pure system of life needed by human beings as human beings must certainly be one and identical. Sound human knowledge and judgment can never accept that what is true for one nation should be false for another, or, conversely, that what is false for one nation should be true for another.
The Temporal Divisions of Life
Another group of people is trying to divide human life according to periods of time. Their contention is that the way of life proved true and acceptable for people in one era becomes invalid and rejectable in the next. For, in their view, the problems of life and matters connected with them assume different forms in every age, and whether a way of life is true or invalid depends on the actual nature of those problems and matters. In reality, this absurd doctrine can be called nothing but the ultimate folly of the new scientific age. What is especially astonishing is that such a foolish doctrine is propagated with complete certainty and firmness. Even more frighteningly serious is the fact that, while this kind of doctrine is preached concerning human life, the theory of evolution is also discussed in the same connection, and its active laws are investigated in history. Lessons for the present and principles and rules for the future are likewise being formulated from the past experiences of life. It is also loudly proclaimed that there is something called ‘human nature’ in human life. I wish to ask whether you possess any reliable instrument or standard by which to mark the boundaries of periods or ages in this uninterrupted historical course of the human race. Pointing to one of those specified boundaries, can you say that the problem of life which existed beyond it was completely transformed upon reaching this side? And that all the circumstances life had to face on the other side disappeared upon reaching this side? If it is truly possible to divide human life into such various temporal sections, then it must be said that the past portion of life is entirely meaningless and unnecessary for the subsequent portion. Whatever people did in that period of time, and all their achievements, came to an end as soon as it became past. The people of the next period cannot learn anything from the experience gained by the people of that earlier period. For the circumstances and problems amid which people in that period adopted particular methods and principles and gained experience through striving to achieve particular objectives have all subsequently come to an end. Thus that experience can teach nothing in this later period of life. If that is true, then ask: why is the theory of evolution proclaimed so loudly? Why this eager search for rules for life? What is the rationale of this historical investigation of facts? In reality, if evolution is accepted at all, then it must be acknowledged that some definite thing remains present as the living center of such evolution and change, continuing to move forward without interruption while preserving itself intact amid the irresistible current of change. When you discuss the laws of life, you must acknowledge that amid this transient condition, this dynamic manifestation, and this enclosure of breaking and rebuilding, there exists a permanent and everlasting truth possessing its own nature and its own rules and methods. When you discover principles through historical investigation, it means that the traveler who has traversed the various periods of time along this long road of history possesses an independent existence and a distinctive nature; it may be said of it that it operates in different forms at different times: at one time it accepts certain things, while at another it rejects those very things and seeks to obtain something else. This living truth, this permanently changing entity, this eternal traveler on history’s highway, is perhaps what you call ‘humanity.’ But when you begin speaking of the road’s various stages, the different conditions of those stages, and the diverse problems arising from them, you become so absorbed in that discussion that you completely forget the traveler himself. I ask: when the stages of the road, their conditions, and the times arising from those conditions change, do the traveler himself and the profound truth contained within him also change? Our experience shows that from the beginning of creation until today, his structure and nature have not changed at all. The elements of human creation that existed thousands of years ago are still present exactly as they were. His nature and disposition, the manifestation of his disposition, his powers and qualities, his weaknesses and capacities, his actions and reactions, his acceptance and rejection, the forces influencing him, and his natural environment all remain as before; not the slightest change or deviation in any of these has been observed from the first day of creation until today. No one can have the audacity to claim that, because the various conditions and the life problems arising from them have changed along this long and continuous path of history, ‘humanity’ itself has also changed, or that the fundamental matters connected with humanity have likewise continued to change. If this is true, then it is utterly meaningless to claim that what was poison to ‘humanity’ yesterday has become nectar today, or that what was true yesterday has become worthless today.
The Form of the Way of Life Necessary for Humanity
In reality, individual people and people collectively, in the various periods of history, have misunderstood humanity and the fundamental matters connected with it, displayed enthusiasm and emotional excess in accepting some truths, and been unable to perceive others. On the basis of the ways of life they adopted from time to time, and of the fact that the great humanity at large, after direct experience, found them erroneous and was compelled to abandon them and adopt new methods of this kind, they concluded that humanity requires a new way of life in every new age—one connected only with the conditions and problems of that age and striving to solve them. Yet, in fact, it is more reasonable to conclude from this event that repeatedly testing and examining such time-bound and age-bound ways of life—in other words, seasonal crops—and testing another after each one fails, causes the great humanity to waste much valuable time; thereafter its evolution becomes difficult and its progress toward perfection is obstructed. What the vast humanity truly needs—indeed, needs greatly—is a way of life which, after being known and understood and after all its related principles have been grasped, can be founded upon a broad, universal, everlasting, and eternal principle. With it, humanity can advance very freely toward the future amid all the evolving conditions of the present and the future, while also properly solving the problems arising from those conditions, reaching its desired destination on the highway of life not by moving in a constricted manner, but by continuing steadily onward.
Can Humanity Itself Formulate Such a Way of Life??
The ‘dīn,’ or way of life, is absolutely essential for humanity; its practical form and identity have been described above. We must now examine carefully whether, if humanity itself tries to formulate such a way of life—without Allah’s assistance—that effort could possibly succeed. I will not ask you whether humanity has previously succeeded in formulating such a way of life, for every one of you would certainly have to answer ‘no,’ leaving not the slightest room for doubt. Even those in the present age who loudly present their self-formulated ‘dīn,’ or way of life, and are destroying one another bit by bit through deadly conflict for its sake, cannot claim that any one of their ‘dīns’ or ways of life could be sufficient to fulfill all the needs of human beings as human beings. One person’s ‘dīn’ was formulated for a tribe or nation, another’s for a particular geographical region, another’s on a class basis, and another’s according to the needs of a past age. Therefore, no prediction can be made as to whether it will be at all effective in solving the conditions and problems of ages yet to come. For the historical needs of the age now underway have not yet been tested. Thus I will not ask whether humanity has succeeded in formulating any such way of life; I will ask whether humanity can succeed in this effort.
In reality, this is an extremely complex and important question. Therefore, it would not be proper to discuss it superficially. First, then, we must understand clearly what the thing spoken of here as being formulated actually is, and how much ability and capacity the one who wishes to formulate it possesses.
The Identity of ‘ad-Dīn’
The ‘ad-dīn,’ or sole way of life, whose necessity for humanity I have just established, is not a detailed code, nor is it necessary for it to contain instructions covering every major, minor, and minute matter of all times. Rather, in reality, this sole way of life means a comprehensive, eternal, and fundamental code that can guide people in every circumstance, determine the correct direction for their thought and research, their striving and efforts, and their forward progress, and save them from spending time, labor, and energy on gaining erroneous experience. For this, the first requirement is that people should know with certainty—not through mere guesswork and conjecture, but through certain knowledge—the profound reality of themselves and of the natural world, and their position in this vast universe. Then they must know—not merely understand, but know very well—whether the life of this world is the only life, or merely an initial chapter of the whole of life; whether this unceasing journey of humanity is confined to birth and death, or whether earthly life is only one chapter of an indefinitely long journey. Thereafter they must inevitably determine an aim and purpose for life—an aim and purpose that can truly be the purpose of human life, for which human beings were essentially created. That purpose and aim should be such that every individual, every group, and humanity as a whole can adopt it as their own purpose in every age, without conflict or contradiction. Next, human moral character requires a firm and comprehensive system of rules capable of harmonizing with all the characteristics of nature and adapting to every conceivable and actual circumstance. Only then can people shape their character on the basis of this system; the system can guide them and properly resolve all the conditions and problems connected with every stage of life’s path. Consequently, there will be no need to formulate new principles of character with every changing condition and ever-recurring problem; in other words, people will not be compelled to live without principles and as opportunists.
Furthermore, humanity needs a complete and comprehensive civilizational principle, formulated with regard to the fundamental principles and purposes of human society and its innate drives. It must leave no room for excessive rigidity, laxity, or incongruous activity. It must necessarily take into account the overall interests and welfare of all humanity. By following it, it should be possible in every age to strive for the practical realization, reconstruction, and advancement of every aspect of human life.
A definite boundary is necessary to direct people’s personal conduct, social activities, and efforts along a pure and correct path and to protect them from the disastrous consequences of the wrong path. It should serve as a road sign on life’s broad highway, alerting and making them aware at every turn, crossroads, and crisis, and telling them: your path is not that way; it is this way.
Humanity also needs certain clear principles of action that it can follow as universal and everlasting methods, and that can keep human life connected with the aims and purposes of life, the moral ideal, the social and civilizational principles, and the limits of action prescribed by this ‘ad-dīn.’
The question of formulating such a way of life now stands before humanity. We must consider specifically whether the ability, capacity, or means and resources required to formulate such an ‘ad-dīn,’ or code of life, are truly within human control.
An Analysis of Humanity’s Means and Resources
Humanity possesses only four means and methods for formulating a ‘dīn,’ or way of life. The first is human willpower, the second human intellect, the third direct observation and practical experience, and the fourth the historical store of past experiences. Apart from these four means, it is almost impossible to identify a fifth. Examine and test these four means as far as possible, and consider whether, with their help, it could in any way be possible to formulate for humanity the ‘ad-dīn,’ or sole way of life. Personally, I have spent a large part of my life investigating and testing these matters, and ultimately reached the conclusion that these means cannot assist in formulating a way of life for humanity in the slightest. Of course, if a superhuman being were to act as a guide and present a way of life to humanity, then these human means could certainly do something toward understanding, grasping, examining, and testing it, and formulating a detailed code of life according to it so that it would be suitable for time and practice. But they have no capacity whatsoever to formulate the ‘ad-dīn,’ or complete way of life, required for humanity.
Willpower
Let us first discuss human willpower. The question is: can it guide humanity? Although this power opens up the true source from which human motivation is obtained, it cannot, because of the weaknesses inherent in its basic nature, qualify to guide humanity in any way. Far from merely failing to guide, it often misleads even human knowledge and intellect. However modern, vigorous, and enlightened this power may be made through various forms of education and training, whenever the responsibility for making the final decision in any serious matter is entrusted to it, it will undoubtedly give a mistaken judgment in at least ninety-nine percent of cases. For the impulses found within it do not help it reach the correct decision; rather, they compel it to adopt a decision favorable to gaining some immediate benefit by one means or another. This is a particular natural weakness of human willpower. Thus, whether this power belongs to an individual, a particular class, or, in Rousseau’s words, the general will, no willpower by its nature possesses the qualifications suitable for formulating a complete way of life for humanity. Moreover, human willpower can provide no solution to the higher problems concerning the profound reality of human life, its purpose, course, and outcome—the ultimate problems.
Intellect
Let us now discuss human intellect. The power of the intellect is extraordinary, and its ability and genius are undeniable. No one can disregard its importance and status in human life. Furthermore, it is an extremely powerful motivating force within humanity; this too cannot be denied. But the problem is this: if the responsibility for formulating a way of life for humanity is entrusted to the intellect, whose intellect will do it? Zayd’s intellect or Bakr’s? The intellect of all humanity? Or that of a particular group or class of people? The intellect of people in the present age? Or that of people in some past age? Or the intellect of people in an age yet to come? Let us not even ask this question, since it cannot be answered correctly. In this connection, I wish to ask only a simple question: when the limits of the human intellect are observed and examined, is it in any way fitting to entrust it with the vast and complex task of formulating a way of life for humanity?
In reality, the intellect’s decision about anything depends entirely on the information gathered by the five senses. If they collect false information, the intellect is bound to reach a false decision. If they present incomplete information, the intellect’s decision will likewise be incomplete; and concerning matters about which the senses can gather no information at all, an intellect possessing self-awareness would not dare to reach any decision. But if it is blind and arrogant, it will certainly fail by shooting a wooden arrow into the darkness. It can in no way be appropriate to entrust an intellect whose scope is so limited and narrow with the responsibility of formulating a complete way of life for humanity. The senses can offer no solution to even one of the higher problems whose resolution is essential at the very outset of formulating a system. Will these problems, then, be solved by relying on unreal beliefs and ideas, baseless fantasies, superstition, and bizarre tales? The senses are utterly incapable of collecting the enduring moral values needed to formulate the ‘ad-dīn,’ or complete way of life. In such circumstances, can one place even the slightest reliance on the human intellect’s ability to determine pure, genuine, and complete moral values? Likewise, it is not at all possible to collect, through the senses, accurate, pure, and complete materials for the essential matters I have mentioned as necessary for formulating such a way of life—the ‘ad-dīn.’ Thus it is evident why the human intellect cannot formulate a comprehensive and complete way of life. In addition, alongside the human intellect there exists another entity called willpower, possessing an independent existence like the planet Saturn. At every step it obstructs the intellect from reaching a sound and scientific decision, impedes its progress along the easy and correct path, and inevitably directs it toward crooked and erroneous paths. Therefore, even if we assume that the human intellect makes no mistake in properly arranging the information collected by the senses and in reasoning from it, its internal weakness still leaves it wholly incapable of bearing the enormous responsibility of formulating a way of life; this is self-evident. If this responsibility is unjustly imposed upon it, then it will be an injustice to it on the one hand, and no less an injustice to ourselves on the other.
Science
I now wish to discuss the third means. Science means knowledge gained through practical experience and observation. In showing respect and reverence for this knowledge, I am no less devoted than any student of science, and I do not at all approve of even the slightest denigration of it. But I cannot avoid calling it utterly unscientific to disregard its natural limitations and regard it as broader, more vast, and possessed of infinite power. For science fundamentally does not possess that power. Everyone experienced in the profound realities of human science will be compelled to acknowledge that science has no power to give guidance concerning supernatural and material problems of the unseen past. Indeed, no means of reaching those profound realities or the world of mystery is actually within human control. Moreover, human beings have no capacity, through direct and immediate observation and the mass of experiential facts and knowledge, to reach a conclusion that could in any manner be called ‘science.’ The important matters whose proper resolution is essential at the outset for formulating a way of life—the ‘ad-dīn’—lie outside the scope of science. Thereafter, one may naturally ask whether science can determine moral standards, select the fundamental principles of civilization and culture, and mark the boundaries that restrain people from erroneous paths. But a counterquestion will arise: if this is assumed to be possible, whose science will accomplish it—the science of which person, group, or age? Therefore, without engaging in a meaningless dispute, let us discuss the matter as a principle. First, we shall analyze what basic conditions are required to accomplish this task by purely scientific means. The first requirement is a complete body of knowledge of all the natural laws under which people live in this world. After that, it is essential to attain completeness in the various branches of knowledge and science connected with human life. Third, it is indispensable to combine and integrate the totality of information in both these fields—worldly natural knowledge and human knowledge. And a complete intellectual power is necessary that can classify this body of information in relation to one another, apply sound reasoning to it, determine moral values and social and civilizational principles for humanity, and indicate the means of saving humanity from every kind of error. But, truthfully, fulfilling these conditions and collecting the necessary materials has not been possible to this day. Nor is there any hope that it could ever become possible even after another five thousand years. Of course, it might become possible one day before the destruction of the world along with all humanity, but then none of it would have any significance.
History
The ultimate means of acquiring human knowledge is history. In other words, it may be called the historical accumulation or record of the experiences of past humanity. I do not deny the importance and value of this matter. Nevertheless, I wish to say—and, if you think a little more deeply, you too will be compelled to say—that historical knowledge is by no means sufficient for accomplishing the immense and responsible task of formulating a system of life for humanity. I do not wish to raise the question of whether this historical wealth has reached us from the past with complete accuracy and comprehensiveness. Nor do I wish to ask which person, with the help of such historical wealth, will formulate a system of life for humanity: Hegel? Or Marx? Or Ernst Haeckel? Or someone else? I only wish to ask: up to what date in the past, present, or future will the historical record be able to collect the materials necessary for formulating a system of life for humanity? If it is genuinely possible to specify such a date, then it must be said that people of the period after it are exceptionally fortunate. As for those who have passed away before it, we need not concern ourselves with them.
The Darkness of Despair
I have now finished discussing the human elements essential for formulating a system of life for humanity. I believe that I have made no mistake in this discussion and analysis in terms of applying science or reason. If the analysis I have made of the means by which human beings acquire knowledge is true, I can now announce my conclusion in clear terms. For the reasons stated above, I have developed a firm and unquestionable conviction (and there can be no reason capable of destroying this conviction) that, with the help of these means, human beings might perhaps be able to formulate some incomplete, unreal, error-filled, local, or temporary system for themselves; but it is utterly impossible for human beings, by this method, to formulate a complete system of life (الدين) It was not possible before, it is not possible today, and regarding the future that has not yet come, there is no alternative but to despair of its possibility.
Now, if there truly is no ‘Lord’ present to guide humanity, as the God-rebellious unbelievers believe, then there is no option other than suicide. A traveler who has no guide, who does not know the way himself, and who knows no means of finding it, can have no option but to fall into utter and complete despair. In such a situation, what more benefit could a well-wisher offer him than advising him to bang his head against a stone in the public highway and put an end to all his difficulties? And if there truly is someone called ‘Allah,’ or if He exists but is unable to show humanity the way in its practical life, as some philosophers and scientists believe, then this is an even more grievous matter. If the very Allah who has arranged a perfect system for the existence, growth, and progressive development of every object in the world has not given humanity the thing it needs most—the absence of which makes human life entirely meaningless—and has made no provision whatsoever for that thing, then it is utterly impossible for human beings to live in this world created by Him. Human life then becomes a difficult life and a tremendous calamity, a calamity greater than which none can even be imagined. In such a situation, what good is it to weep over the suffering of the poor, the distressed, the dispossessed, the sick, the wounded, the oppressed, and the exploited masses? If one must weep, then weep for the boundless suffering of all humanity. In such a situation, it must be said that humanity has been thrown into an endless ocean of sorrow. Its condition is that it repeatedly gains mistaken experience and fails. It falls after blow upon blow, is shattered to pieces, then rises and begins walking again; but once more it is struck, and falls prostrate in the dust. With every blow, country after country and nation after nation are ruined and destroyed. It is deeply tragic that this inexperienced human being does not know even a little about the purpose of his life and birth. He does not know for what purpose he should strive, exert himself, labor, and endure hardship, nor does he know by what method or procedure he should do so. Yet the Allah who witnessed this heart-rending condition of humanity with His own eyes—did He merely create human beings in this world and stop there? Does He bear no responsibility for guiding them properly?
A Ray of Hope
The Qur’an has answered this question. The Qur’an has opened the door to a new doctrine completely opposite to the extreme plight of humanity described above. The Qur’an says: Allah Almighty is not merely the Creator; He is also the Guide who shows humanity the right path. He has guided every object in the material world with regard to the needs of its nature:
الذى اعطى كل شئ خلقه ثم هدى
How true this guidance is can be conclusively demonstrated by observing any ant, honeybee, or spider. Just as Allah Almighty has taught these tiny creatures the way from birth and taught them their tasks and the methods of carrying them out, so has He appointed a path for human beings in their practical life. Therefore, after first abandoning his arrogance, it is absolutely incumbent upon a human being to surrender before Allah and follow the comprehensive system of life (الدين) that He revealed through His prophets.
Two conclusions now stand before us: one has been reached after analyzing all human powers and capacities and all the means and resources by which human beings acquire knowledge, while the other is the conclusion of the Qur’an. People of the world must now either accept the Qur’an’s message and conclusion, or be cast into such a dark abyss of despair that not even a ray of hope shines there. If human beings had two means before them for attaining ‘ad-Din,’ or a system of life, and if they were asked which of the two they would accept, that would certainly be much easier. But that is not the issue here at all; that is not the question here.
The real matter here is that human beings can attain a complete system of life (الدين) through only one means. The question now arises before humanity: will people accept the life attained through this sole means, or will they reject reliance on this sole path and decide to live in the darkness of ignorance and aimlessness? People have merely been given enough freedom to choose either of these two paths without compulsion.
The Qur’an’s Argument
From all that has been discussed so far, we can reach only this conclusion: there is no way for humanity to attain enduring welfare without accepting the Qur’an’s claim and the path it has shown. In other words, one might say, “There is no way to remain an unbeliever, so become a Muslim under compulsion.” But the arguments and proofs the Qur’an has presented for the truth of its claim stand far above this compulsory situation; they are far more substantive and conclusive. The Qur’an did not tell people to become Muslims because they were cornered. Instead, it encouraged them to become Muslims through their own will and inspiration. It is the Qur’an’s arguments themselves that create this desire in people’s hearts. Among the proofs the Qur’an has presented in this connection, the following four are exceptionally powerful arguments. That is why all four have been mentioned repeatedly.
First: Islam is the only correct system of life for humanity, because it corresponds to the true doctrine and the actual truth. All other paths, moreover, are completely opposed to the real truth.
اَفَغَيۡرَ دِيۡنِ اللّٰهِ يَبۡغُوۡنَ وَلَهٗۤ اَسۡلَمَ مَنۡ فِىۡ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ طَوۡعًا وَّكَرۡهًا وَّاِلَيۡهِ يُرۡجَعُوۡنَ.
“Do they seek a way other than the religion of Allah? Yet whatever is in the heavens and the earth has submitted before that one Allah, willingly or unwillingly, and in the end all will return to Him.” (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 83).
Second: This is the only correct and flawless system of life for humanity, because it alone is the truth. On careful examination, no path other than this can be sound and pure.
اِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللّٰهُ الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ فِىۡ سِتَّةِ اَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰى عَلَى الۡعَرۡشِ يُغۡشِىۡ الَّيۡلَ النَّهَارَ يَطۡلُبُهٗ حَثِيۡثًاۙ وَّالشَّمۡسَ وَالۡقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُوۡمَ مُسَخَّرٰتٍۭ بِاَمۡرِهٖۤؕ اَلَا لَهُ الۡخَلۡقُ وَالۡاَمۡرُؕ تَبَارَكَ اللّٰهُ رَبُّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ.
“Indeed, your ‘Lord,’ Master and King, is Allah Almighty, who created the heavens and the earth in two periods of time and then ascended to His ‘Throne.’ He clothes the day with the garment of night, and then the day swiftly follows behind the night. The sun, moon, and stars are all subject and obedient to Him. Know that creation belongs to Him, and governance and law belong solely to Him. Allah, the ‘Lord’ of all the worlds, is Most Glorious.” (Surah Al-A’raf: 54).
Third: This is the right path for humanity; this is the pure path. Only Allah Almighty can possess accurate knowledge of the whole truth, and only He can provide flawless commandments.
اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَخۡفٰى عَلَيۡهِ شَىۡءٌ فِىۡ الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا فِىۡ السَّمَآءِؕ.
“Indeed, nothing in the heavens or the earth is hidden from Allah.” (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 5)
يَعۡلَمُ مَا بَيۡنَ اَيۡدِيۡهِمۡ وَمَا خَلۡفَهُمۡۚ وَلَا يُحِيۡطُوۡنَ بِشَىۡءٍ مِّنۡ عِلۡمِهٖۤ اِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَۚ
“He knows what is before them and what is hidden from and unknown to them. They can never encompass His knowledge. However, if Allah Himself grants a person some knowledge, that is a separate matter.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: 225).
قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَىَ.
“O Prophet! Say that Allah’s guidance is the only true guiding law for humanity.” (Surah Al-An’am: 71).
Fourth: This is the only correct path for humanity, since genuine justice cannot be established without it. Whichever other path people follow, sooner or later it will turn into oppression.
ومن يتعد حدود الله فاولئك هم الظلمون .
“Those who transgress the limits set by Allah are the wrongdoers.”
وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أنزَلَ اللّهُ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ .
“Those who do not judge all their affairs according to the law given by Allah are the wrongdoers.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah: 45).
On the basis of these arguments and proofs of the Qur’an, it is the duty of every intelligent person to bow before Allah and live according to the commandments received from Him.
The Criterion for Testing Allah’s Law
At this point, a question may arise in everyone’s mind: how can it be proved which is Allah’s law and which is not? If one person after another comes and says, “This is Allah’s law; accept it,” are we to accept it immediately? If not, is there any criterion for distinguishing between Allah’s system and a system made by human beings? This question may arise in everyone’s mind, and naturally so. It arose in my own mind when I thought deeply about the matter. A lengthy and detailed analysis would be necessary to give the correct answer to this question, but there is no room for that in this small booklet. Here I shall try to answer it briefly.
There are four major criteria for distinguishing human thought from Allah’s wisdom. They are mentioned here in sequence.
The first characteristic of human thought is that errors and limitations of knowledge are inevitably present in it. By contrast, Allah’s system spontaneously displays clear signs of boundless knowledge and correct, flawless truth. Indeed, no statement in a system originating from Allah will contradict the scientific truth of any age, nor can it ever be said of it that the ‘lawgiver’ failed to examine all aspects of the matter properly. But when applying this criterion of analysis and verification, one must not forget that there is an enormous difference between genuine knowledge and scientific imagination, and between genuine knowledge and a scientific outlook. Scientific imaginations and outlooks that dominate human minds in one age are often mistakenly regarded as ‘science.’ In reality, their possibility of being correct is exactly matched by their possibility of being wrong. In the history of knowledge and science, there are very few examples of human ideas, imaginings, and doctrines ultimately proving to be flawless science.
Another serious weakness of human thought and research is the limitation and narrowness of its outlook. In Allah’s system, however, thought and vision are broad and far-reaching. Whatever aspect of Allah’s system you observe, you will undoubtedly feel that its administrator can see directly, with His own eyes, from beginning to end. He sees the entire created universe; the whole truth and reality stand clearly before Him together. In contrast, the research of great philosophers and scientists will appear like the thinking of a child. The third characteristic of human thought is that science and reason in it will clearly seem to have made some kind of pact or conspiracy somewhere with human emotion, passion, and desire. Allah’s system is completely free of this. In it, transparent knowledge, reason, and unsullied intelligence are seen brilliantly. Nowhere in its commands and directives will the impurity of emotional fervor or one-sidedness be observed at all.
Another weakness of human thought is that any system of life human beings formulate themselves will inevitably contain favoritism, undesirable discrimination among people, and the tendency to give one person superiority over another on unscientific grounds. Every human being has some personal interest or weakness of biased feeling toward certain people, and as a result is compelled to formulate a one-sided and biased system. But Allah’s system is entirely free and pure from all these impurities.
Every system of life that seeks to prove itself to be Allah’s system or ‘ad-Din’ must be examined according to this criterion. If it is free from the aforementioned characteristics of human thought and research, there can be no objection to believing it to be ‘ad-Din,’ the complete system of life for humanity.
The Demand of Faith
The question now is: if one accepts this claim of the Qur’an and accepts the system of life believed to have been revealed by Allah, what duty thereby falls upon humanity? In conclusion, I wish to discuss this question.
It has already been stated that Islam means bowing, surrendering, and completely submitting oneself. Arrogance and unrestricted freedom of thought and action cannot be compatible with this submission and surrender. Whatever system of life a person believes in, he must completely surrender his entire individual self to it. He cannot keep even one matter of his life outside it. Faith means that the ‘Din,’ or system of life, will exercise complete authority over a person’s mind and intellect; it will be the religion of his eyes and ears, the religion of his hands and feet, the religion of his stomach and body, the religion of his pen and mouth, the religion of his lifelong striving and work, the religion of his love and hatred, the religion of his friendship and enmity. In short, no aspect or department of a person’s individual self can remain outside such a religion. There is no room for the slightest doubt that any work or aspect of life that becomes free from the influence of one Din, or system of life, and any work or aspect of life in which adherence to this system is abandoned, will contain an equal measure of falsehood and deception in its claim to faith. Every intelligent and truth-seeking person is duty-bound to keep life free from the impurity of falsehood and deception. It was also stated near the beginning of this book that human life is a complete and indivisible entity; it cannot be divided into different parts. Therefore, there can be only one religion or system of life for the whole of human life. No one can follow multiple systems of life at the same time. To do so would demonstrate uncertainty of faith, inconsistency and lack of coherence in one’s views, and inability to reach a firm decision regarding complex matters. Indeed, when a person accepts some ideal as ‘ad-Din,’ or a system of life, and believes in it after reaching a firm decision that it is a system of life, then it must be the ‘only system’ for his complete life in all its aspects and departments; he must necessarily accept it in this way—there is no alternative.
If it is accepted as a personal system, then it will be the system of the home, the system of children’s education, the system of his instruction and educational institutions, and the system of his livelihood, business, trade, and earnings; of his domestic life and national policy; of his politics and civilization; and of his literature and arts. Indeed, there can be no reason why this should not be so. When one pearl is strung together with many other pearls on the same thread, there is no reason why it should cease to be a pearl and become a chickpea. Likewise, I cannot understand the claim that, while we follow one system individually, when we organize the lives of many people together, some aspects of that organized and social life will remain outside the scope of that system. The emptiness of such a claim is obvious.
The greatest matter concerning faith is that, when a system is believed in and accepted as a system of life, it is essential to give the entire nation the opportunity to accept its welfare and beauty, and it is desirable to strive to establish it as the system of the whole world. Just as truth naturally seeks to conquer all, so a lover of truth cannot refrain from striving to make truth victorious over falsehood. When a person sees directly that falsehood is engulfing the earth and its inhabitants from every direction, if this sight does not awaken in him any concern, anguish, pain, or restlessness, then it must be concluded that he has no genuine concern or true love for truth. Even if he has such love, it is entirely unconscious and sunk in deep sleep. But so that this sleep of awareness and feeling does not ultimately become the sleep of death, it is desirable to take the necessary measures while there is still time.
— End —