As any community journeys towards dystopia, many goods in it are misinterpreted. While many nasties are euphemized making them acceptable and softer on the victims. Like corruption is called Ta’awun and Mukmuka in Pakistan. Like a bad act is hidden by a softer word, similarly, many good ideologies in the society are also intentionally misinterpreted. Their meanings are changed by the leaders of the time. These are the people who get benefitted from these misinterpretations. One such term is "Tazkiya-e-Nafs".
A person who prays a lot and recites the holy book a lot, keeps his ankles uncovered (for men. For women, the decree is to cover the ankles along with everything else) and a cap on his head, this image is associated with someone being Muttaqi, PrhezGar, and someone practising tazkiya-e-nafs.
Tazkiya-e-nafs means, literally, ‘Purification of oneself’. Now, what evils can one pure oneself from? These are the negativities like cowardice, flattery, greed, and jealousy stemming from a person’s inner self. No matter what I am wearing or what I practice daily in my routine, if I have greed and cowardice and jealousy and flattery and selfishness and hatred and recession in me, I am certainly not on any level of taqwa. I cannot be called a Muttaqi, a PrhezGar, and someone practising tazkiya-e-nafs.
In mathematics, there is a theorem that if x equals y and y equals z, then we can conclude that x equals z. Now taking this formula, we see what the Quran has to say about Taqva. "If I have certain stuff in my ‘self’, which is also present in the definition of Taqva in the Quran, only then can I safely presume that I have Taqva in me as is it described in the Quran". Am I right? If not, kindly guide me in a message!
Anyways, in the Quran, “ i`dilu huwa 'aqrabu lit-taqwa” translates as “Be just (i`dilu): that is nearest to piety and God-consciousness (huwa aqrabu li al-taqwa)”. Quran here says that being just is the nearest thing to achieving Taqva (and not the things stated in the 2nd paragraph). Did your parents or any Molvi ever mention to you that Taqva has nothing to do with your prayers or your fasting? They always told us the opposite, right? Because that’s what they heard from the generation before them, and no one cared to check!
Anyways, In the same Quran, it is also said ‘Vla Qd Karramna Bni Aadm’ which translates as “We have honoured the children of Adam”. (Note how it is the children of Adam, and not only of Muslims or Mughals or Buggtis or Jams or Jatts or Khans). Lastly from Quran “Lqd Khalaqna Al insaan Fi Ahsan-i-Tqveem”. It's translated as: “We have indeed created man in the best of moulds”. Now one wonders, the best of the moulds should be progressive, right? It certainly should not be something which accepts oppression from its fellow human moulds. It should not bend its ass in front of cruelty and in this way, also support cruelty.
Dunya me Qteel us sa munafiq nhi Koi
Jo zulm to Sehta he, Bghavt nhi krta!
So taqwa or being Muttaqi teaches us not only to defend but also to fight back against the oppression we face. If I find the creations of Allah sectored from their very births into poor class, lower-middle and middle and upper class, nations segregated into third and second and first world countries, and I say “Okay” to this, instead of starting a fight against it, then this is not taqwa. Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Jilani says “Taqwa is the capability to recognize the unjust from the just”. To become mature mindfully is taqwa. One who is dumb and is used by entities around him/her cannot be a Muttaqi. Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad says, “Dumb and sincere human beings are the transports of Satan”. The easy translation here is, “A person who is sincere to his cause, but his cause is determined not by him and instead, he just follows it blindly, is actually being used by Satan”. He or she is not using his energy to find answers. Whatever the name of evil in that community might be, that will use this sincere human being for personal gains.
If we promise ourselves to start developing this capability of recognizing cruelty from justice, that is the basic demand of taqwa. That is step 1. If people around you are begging for alms openly, not having a clue where their next meal would come from, but you (and I and everyone else) are limited to “Oh I got this job” or “Oh I have got to get this job and that car or go on a world tour or get a grant from the government for my research”, even though these are important needs of lives, if these become our life’s priorities, we are practising selfishness to complete our vested interests and raise our careers and families and our villas. If this is you which I sincerely hope not, then know that humanity in you is no longer there in you my good friend. Pray at nights now, and recite all you can at dawn and at dusk, Allah has no need of our blind acts of obedience. “Allah us Samad” people! He does not need anything from us once we have quit on making a difference between cruelty and justice. When the system implemented in society is dystopian, making slaves of every child that is born (except for corrupt civil and military establishments and politicians’ children), if this system is used to get money and facilities for the elitists, then it is our responsibility to rise against this cruelty. In our hearts, if we are not disgusted by the difference between the rich and the poor, then let it be known that our humanity is dead. Ibadat and zikr can go down the drain for all Allah care now. HOWEVER, don’t use this excuse to not pray if you are a religious person. Pray, and ask for “Shaoor” or “mindfulness” from whatever your faith is.
Allah loves his people 70x more than a mom loves her child, that’s what Muslims believe. Now if a mother’s child is being pushed towards fire and people standing there keep on praising the mother herself instead of saving her child, she will not care for those praises. Or will she? She does not need those praises at the moment. She needs someone to save her child. The victims of the cruel system are like the children of a mother. Allah loves them more than a mother loves her child.
We, ladies, and gentlemen must create a society where humanity’s value prevails above all, and it is possible. In the past, it has happened. We must destruct this society where the value of money and power and social status is more respected than that of the life of a human being. We must create a society based on fairness and equality and justice, and if it comes into your heart, if you find it in yourself to create such a society, and start acting on it, believe me, you are far more than just a Muttaqi already. You are a Molana no matter if you are in pants or tights, a believer, or an atheist. You are a more respect-worthy human being than someone who prays all night but does not care about his neighbours sleeping hungry. Or rather, not being able to sleep for the same reason. Have you heard of Abu Ibn Adham Poem by Leigh Hunt? A rough summary is that, an Angel approached this man, Abu Ibn Adham, while he was sleeping. The angel had a book in his hand. Abu Ibn Adham saw him and said, “Hy, what’s that book you’re carrying? The angel said, “this is a list of the people whom Almighty Allah holds close to himself”. Curious, Abu Ibn Adham inquired if his name was in the book. The angel said, “No, your name is not in here”. Abu Ibn Adham requested him to instead put his name on the list of people who hold the creations of Allah dear. The angel stays silent and disappears. The next night, Abu Ibn Adham again sees the angel. This time, before Adham speaks, the angel exclaims “Abu Ibn Adham, your name has been written at the top of the list of people who are dear to Allah himself!”. Now even though this is a story based on a dream of a real person in history, we can understand that if we hold Allah’s creation close, Allah will hold us close to himself. The way to Allah, to taqwa, is through Allah’s creations.
Surah Maun in the Quran has the following stuff to say about hoarders, I have written the translation. Arabic verses are attached in the picture.
“Well, you see him who belies the Requital. Then he is the one who drives away the Orphan. And does not urge the feeding of the poor. Then woe to those prayer performers. Who are heedless of their prayers. Those who make a show of it. And refuse to give articles of use.
Wealthy people can be religious no doubt. But their faith is of no use to them, as Quran clearly says above, if they don't fight this oppression upon mankind. I am not a final word, especially on this matter. See the Quran yourself if you believe it. If not, good, then see it in yourself. Is it okay to keep multiple vehicles and multiple course dinners and millions and billions of properties passed on in generations, of people living in walled colonies far from the access of other wretched humans? Do you think you are doing your best to destruct this system of unjust distribution of wealth? If the answer is no, change yourself before it is too late. I can not do anything against anyone except what I am doing. The threat is the one whom you try to please by giving alms. Those who deserve that same money given to them in alms or stipends or scholarships, as their paychecks and salaries. Every man’s food is in this world. Those with 3-course dinners are stealing from their two brethren, For a short talk or a movie night, groups of friends waste as much money as some poor living in the same kilometres radius can use to afford for a week! Is this justice? If not, does this not boil your blood? Do something about it! (Something is explained in part 2)
In the words of Sir Nelson Mandela, “Eradicating poverty and hunger from a society is not an act of charity. It is an act of justice”. These are basic human rights.
Food
Shelter
Clothing
Education
Health
Justice
Being affluent enough to marry legally
These are the basic rights of every human being. Providing these is a duty of the state. If this is not ensured and the society does not care, then let it be known that none of the people living in that society have taqwa. Taqwa is only in that person who sees this system, recognizes its roots and then starts his efforts against it. This is what the final Prophet of Muslims, Muhammad PBUH teaches us in his life. He saw the system in place that was of AbuJehl and Utba and Sheeba, and he recognized how that system was creating classes among the people of his society. He then started his resistance against that system. Simple and straight resistance
(Part 1 ends here)
コメント