The Aftermath of the Christchurch Massacre,
An Opportunity for Internal Renewal (Part 2 of 2)
By Prof Dr Nazeer Ahmed
Concord, CA
In the year 1252, six years before the destruction of Baghdad by Hulagu Khan, Baraka Khan, a grandson of Gengiz Khan, lord of the Golden Horde, accepted Islam. How did it happen?
He met a great Shaikh, Saifuddin and received instructions in the spiritual dimension of Islam. Shaikh Saifuddin was a man of the spirit. He had a zawiya, a seminary on the outskirts of Bukhara. Prince Baraka Khan enrolled in the zawiya and received instructions on the spiritual and ethical tenets of Islam. Shaikh Saifuddin transformed the heart of Baraka Khan and molded it in the shape of its own essence. Islam triumphed. The Mongols who were destroyers of the Islamic civilization became its standard bearers. The oppressors became protectors; destroyers became builders and architects. As Allama Iqbal said it: Pasban Mil Gaye Ka’abe Ko Sanam Khane Se (The Ka’ba found its guardians in the house of idols).
History is a great teacher. The lessons from the thirteenth century must be read in the light of the Qur’an: indeed, with every difficulty there is relief. Verily, with every difficulty there is relief. Within darkness there is light, and it is the darkest before the dawn.
At this moment in history, in contemporary times, the world of Islam sees itself enveloped in tragedies. The great Islamic community can wring its hands in despair and take comfort in the outpouring of sympathy from people of good will, or, convert the moment into a moment of creativity and internal renewal. It can look into the mirror and examine itself. Why is it that there is so much hatred in the modern world? What are the roots of Islamophobia?
The global force of economic centration
The principal driver of global tensions in modern times is economic centration. This has been going on more than two hundred years. It is inexorable and is built into the system. Economic centration means the aggregation of the material resources of the world in the hands of fewer and fewer people. It has nothing to do with religion. State actors, be it in the Middle East or South Asia use the social and political turbulence created by economic centration to further their specific agendas. The little people, the ones who cause trouble such as the alleged terrorist in Christchurch in New Zealand, get caught up in the whirlwind created by economic centration. This is the age of Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, space travel, and information, misinformation, disinformation which is augmented and weaponized by technology and thrown at the masses. So, Muslims must show forgiveness, compassion and mercy to the little actors who are caught up in this gristmill. As Bulle Shah of the Punjab said three hundred years ago: Find someone to forgive so that God may forgive you. That is the first lesson, namely, understanding, compassion, mercy and forgiveness.
Reclaiming the high ground of knowledge and service
Secondly, it is a moment of introspection. We must look at our own house. We must ask ourselves: Who are we? Why are we here? What is the true purpose of Islam in the world? Why was Islam revealed through so many prophets until it achieved its perfection through our Prophet Muhammed (sas)?
Any position not based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet will ultimately be rejected by the Muslims. Therefore, the appropriate question is: what is the guidance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah for these times?
The Qur’an explains the purpose of human creation: I created not beings of fire and beings of clay except to serve me. Service is the raison-de’ etre for the creation of humankind. Are we serving? The Qur’an enjoins universal justice. Do Muslims stand up for justice for everyone? The Qur’an offers the guidance: God does not love those who are extreme. Do Muslims avoid extremism? The Qur’an is clear about the purpose of a community: You are the noble community brought forth from mankind, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil.
How much clearer can a hadith be when, through a hadith e qudsi it declares: I was an unknown treasure, and I willed that I be known, therefore I created. Are we acquiring knowledge? Scan the Islamic world from the east to the west. How much wealth has God bestowed on the Islamic world? So much of it literally floats on black gold. How is this wealth used? How many universities in Muslim countries are ranked among the top universities, let alone the top ten, let alone the top one hundred, in the top five hundred? The answer is: zero.
Knowledge is a gift from God. It does not perish with time. Knowledge breeds compassion, understanding and love. Ignorance breeds fear. The root of Islamophobia is ignorance.
Do Muslims follow Divine guidance and live up to Divine injunctions? If not, it is time for us to apply that corrective torque to our civilization, in a sense similar to applying a corrective torque to a spacecraft or an aircraft so that it gets back to its attitude and altitude. We must apply that correction so that Islamic civilization gets back on the course of its destiny mandated by the heavens, which is to excel in knowledge and serve the Divine purpose. If you serve your brother, and your brother serves you, you serve your neighbor, and your neighbor serves you, you serve the other communities and the other communities serve you, there is peace in the world. That is the high ground we must claim. That is the correction we have to make to our civilization. That is the opportunity we have in these trying times.
Indeed, this correction is not going to happen through the advent of one individual, a superman or a hero. I believe in the ahadith about the appearance of the Mahdi (as) and the descent of Isa (as) before the End of Times. But no one knows when the Judgment Day is. It could be the next moment, or, it could be eons away. Meanwhile, we earthly mortals must strive to create a better world, for ourselves and for others. As the Hadith extols: If you are on your way to plant a tree, and you know that the Day of Judgment is tomorrow, even then, go ahead and plant the tree. In this day of Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, space travel, microbiology, atoms, neutrons, protons, DNA and microbes, the appearance of a single individual who would rectify the ills of the world is unlikely. It is not going to come from the leadership of Saudi Arabia or Turkey or Iran or Pakistan, Indonesia or Malaysia. What is more likely is the emergence of a crescent moon composed of a million points of light. That crescent moon is composed of you and I, each one anchored firmly in faith, reinforced by patience and endurance, each a reflector of knowledge that serves humankind, so that if an astronaut from space were to look at the earth from heavenly distances, he would see the earth as a crescent moon, composed of a million points of spiritual light reflecting the Light of Muhammed. That is the calling of our times. That is the corrective torque we must apply to our civilization. In the twenty-first century, as it was in the thirteenth century, there are countless Baraka Khans waiting to hear the call of the spirit.
