One side effect of being distant from the Holy Quran is that Muslim societies, in general, have developed quite a few misconceptions about what the Holy Quran is, what is the purpose and how to use it. Let me attempt to clarify some common ones.
The Holy Quran is a collection of speeches, or sermons, delivered to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) at various times, often in response to a particular situation or to address a certain issue. This constuction is unlike ordinary books. This is done in a way that the overall message remains quite universal and the guidance provided is not time-bound. In other words, the messaging is still contemporary and "fresh" - and by all appearances, it will stay that way in the future as well.
It is very clear that Arabic was chosen as a language deliberately because it is a vast language and is comprehensive enough to convey complex subjects in a very compact way. Many words and expressions in Arabic contain multiple meanings, leading to a very rich linguistic description that spans a broad range of interpretation according to any circumstances - cultural, geographical or societal.
The Holy Quran is essentially a book of moral and ethical guidance to peoples and societies. It is not a book of sciences, whether it be physics, chemistry, biology, geography, or geology. Although it uses examples of scientific discovery (e.g., iron ore extraction, planetary movement, etc) and brilliant insights (e.g., embryonic development) the purpose is not to serve as a scientific handbook from which scientific discoveries can be derived. Many Muslims accept the fallacy that Quran contains knowledge on every aspect of human knowledge; this comes from not understanding why the Holy Quran was delivered to us, i.e., as a Moral GPS.
The Holy Quran is not a book of history. Again, it points to many historical events to make certain points about societal problems and their consequences. It also corrects the historical inaccuracies that have crept into other "edited" divine scriptures. Most notably, many descriptions relating to previous prophets in the Bible and Talmud have been corrupted to show that those people had many moral weaknesses and flaws; that is done partly to justify moral depravities found in those societies. So, the Holy Quran sets the record straight - but again the purpose is not to become a history book.
The most significant misconception amongst a vast majority of Muslims is that because they have heard bits and pieces of the Holy Quran in TV shows, Friday sermons and school, they really know the Quranic message. These commonly-used verses comprise perhaps 5% of the whole book. It is like claiming that a person can become a doctor by reading a selection of few paragraphs from a medicine text book. I can speak from my own experience that my misconception was only corrected after I read the whole book. The message in the book is holistic and comprehensive, and can be really understood by reading all of it.
An even more dangerous trend is pick out one or two verses and interpret them out of context. The worst examples of this can be observed by the usage of a few select verses by extremist groups to serve their own nefarious purposes. Not only is the Holy Quran contextual, but it is holistic as well - you need to get the big picture in order for it to really serve as the Moral GPS.
Finally, many Muslims shy away from reading the Quran on the pretext that either it is too complex or that reading it will somehow put undue constraints on their lifestyle. The former pretext is entirely incorrect. The Holy Quran has been translated into every known language, so are books of "tafseer" which provide historical and circumstantial context. One can easily pick up any of these translations, for non-Arabic speakers, and follow the book on their own. For Urdu speakers, I would recommend going to Quranurdu.com for many text and audio resources. The latter pretext is also wrong but the concept is correct - the purpose of reading and understanding the Holy Quran is precisely to change your life from inside out.
So, please take this as an invitation to discover the Holy Quran on your own. Every time you read it, you will get new insights into its guidance and message. That is the beauty of the book that gives you arguments and guidance that can fit both deep spiritual aspects as well as common day-to-day issues.
24 September 2010
21 September 2010
Who is an ideal Muslim?
In today's hyper-connected world, it is as easy to disinform as it is to disseminate facts. Interestingly, the popular media projects a lot of incorrect stereotypes about what Muslims are like and why everyone should be afraid of them. Unfortunately, many of us who are Muslims accept these arguments at their face value.
We have to scratch below the surface and try to understand the kind of person an ideal Muslim is meant to be. In the segments below, I try to summarize the most common and prevalent characteristics of a Muslim as defined in the Holy Quran. These are listed here in no particular order:
Fiscal Prudence: It is expected that an ideal person would have a balance between philanthropy and cautiousness. The Holy Quran establishes mechanism for obligatory and optional charity, including describing ways in which it is meant to help with societal cohesion. Equally, there is a strong caution against excessive spending and reckless showmanship.
Let me close off with three thoughts to ponder upon:
First, a person who has the combination of the above characteristics will be a formidable personality and character. She or he would be able to command leadership in all aspects of societal development and growth.
Second, the list above -- abstracted from the Holy Quran -- does not include mention of how long the beard is, or how high are pant sleeves above ankles, or what kind of rituals to perform in our day to day lives. It should be a good indication that we are buried neck-deep in rituals that have little or nothing to do with our character as Muslims.
Third, we need to look in the mirror and assess where we are lacking. There is no doubt that we as a society fall very short of these ideals. Fixing these character flaws can start with the "man (or woman) in the mirror" -- fortunately, we have the moral GPS available to guide us in this endeavour.
We have to scratch below the surface and try to understand the kind of person an ideal Muslim is meant to be. In the segments below, I try to summarize the most common and prevalent characteristics of a Muslim as defined in the Holy Quran. These are listed here in no particular order:
Honesty: Honesty is a very basic pillar of a society and no society can thrive without it. In a legal sense, honesty relates to utilization of factual information in an upright manner. In a societal sense, honesty relates to all aspects of human interactions – ranging from business dealings to the very personal ones.
Humility: A primary personal trait is humility, which is an explicit antithesis of arrogance. This stems from the fact that each person is subject to a higher moral authority of God – a most common way of demonstrating humility to God is through prayer. The absence of arrogance – a trait very hard to find in the Muslim world today – in turn defines social interactions in societies and is the basis for kinder interactions amongst members of a society.
Peacefulness: It is very clear that the Holy Quran’s instructions to people are to stay away from creating chaos and unrest in societies, or between societies. Individuals are expected to stay away from even minor discord, but certainly away from unjust bloodshed. It is unfortunate that most Muslim societies today have forgotten this very basic tenet and people are very trigger-happy to jump into "action" at the slightest provocation -- the result is that many Muslim societies are characterized as violent.
Belief in Divinity: Individuals have to believe that there is a need for divine guidance and in fact that guidance is available to us in the form of divine scriptures. This belief leads to a number of related aspects: belief in the oneness of God; belief in that God has established a mechanism for delivery of his message through human beings of extraordinary character; and belief that justice and accountability require a post-life assessment combined with rewarding/punishment arrangements.
Faithfulness: This is a pretty broad concept, so we can slice it down to better understand it. In a limited sense, faithfulness applies to all human relationships – between husband and wife, between family members, between colleagues, and between leaders and followers. In a different sense, it can also be described as faithfulness to ones beliefs. This means that what our belief should drive our personal agenda in life.
Let me close off with three thoughts to ponder upon:
First, a person who has the combination of the above characteristics will be a formidable personality and character. She or he would be able to command leadership in all aspects of societal development and growth.
Second, the list above -- abstracted from the Holy Quran -- does not include mention of how long the beard is, or how high are pant sleeves above ankles, or what kind of rituals to perform in our day to day lives. It should be a good indication that we are buried neck-deep in rituals that have little or nothing to do with our character as Muslims.
Third, we need to look in the mirror and assess where we are lacking. There is no doubt that we as a society fall very short of these ideals. Fixing these character flaws can start with the "man (or woman) in the mirror" -- fortunately, we have the moral GPS available to guide us in this endeavour.
17 September 2010
Do Societies Need Moral Guidance?
Other related question that one might ask: Can all people not identify basic moral values on their own? Through trial and error, or perhaps through some chain of logic?
These questions are ostensibly innocent. But they also open the door to tremendous and most fundamental elements of our belief system. To answer those questions, we need to first understand why do humans exist and whether their presence is driven by a simple evolutionary process.
Without getting bogged down into a discussion on the nature of biological evolution, it is important to point out that many philosophers and thinkers have agreed about the unique nature of humans as thinking and moral beings - even atheists and agnostics agree with this point of view. We as Muslims (as well as Christians, Jews, Hindus and Budhists of various stripes) have additional notions of responsibilities bestowed on us as sentient beings, and a sense of accountability that stretches beyond our own mortal life.
A number of secondary points emerge if we agree that we --as individuals and as societies -- have certain responsibilities given to us and that we will be evaluated on how we manage them. I realize that many with the atheistic persuasion will not be convinced with this argument, and that is not my intention anyway.
In a fair, just and balanced universe we cannot be held accountable without receiving adequate resources to act on our responsibilities - particularly considering that many of our societal responsibilities are purely moral in nature. If we are responsible beings then we must also by provided with a user's manual so that we can determine the correct modus operandi.
And that brings us back to the topic of this blog. There is no evidence that people can arrive at a code of morality entirely on their own and by following some logical steps. My argument rests on two pillars.
First, history has a number of examples in which "logical" thinking has led to bizarre and horrific experiments with society. The communist philosophy created by the likes of Karl Marx and perfected by Vladimir Lenin is the most prominent one in recent history. The misery of many millions and a near-complete collapse of the philosophy within a century is a clear example of disastrous human-led creation of societal moraliy.
Second, all societies that appear to be successful today have the basis of their morality embedded in divine inputs. To use Samuel Huntigton's approach the following civilizations can all track their roots to divine scripts: Orthodox, Christian (Western), Hindu, Muslim, Sinic (Chinese), Japanese, and African. Those divine scripts may have faded in history or become grossly distorted over time, but their origin remains clear. Put differently, the moral underpinnings of currently "successful" western civilization can also track its roots to Catholic and Anglican churches. Again, I will avoid getting bogged into a (separate) debate on the current state of that morality.
In my view, we not only need guidance that is divine in nature but we will surely fail without it. (You can track back to my blog on 12 September 2010 to catch a fuller description of these failures). We are also blessed in that the Holy Quran provides an un-altered and precise moral GPS to all of us.
These questions are ostensibly innocent. But they also open the door to tremendous and most fundamental elements of our belief system. To answer those questions, we need to first understand why do humans exist and whether their presence is driven by a simple evolutionary process.
Without getting bogged down into a discussion on the nature of biological evolution, it is important to point out that many philosophers and thinkers have agreed about the unique nature of humans as thinking and moral beings - even atheists and agnostics agree with this point of view. We as Muslims (as well as Christians, Jews, Hindus and Budhists of various stripes) have additional notions of responsibilities bestowed on us as sentient beings, and a sense of accountability that stretches beyond our own mortal life.
A number of secondary points emerge if we agree that we --as individuals and as societies -- have certain responsibilities given to us and that we will be evaluated on how we manage them. I realize that many with the atheistic persuasion will not be convinced with this argument, and that is not my intention anyway.
In a fair, just and balanced universe we cannot be held accountable without receiving adequate resources to act on our responsibilities - particularly considering that many of our societal responsibilities are purely moral in nature. If we are responsible beings then we must also by provided with a user's manual so that we can determine the correct modus operandi.
And that brings us back to the topic of this blog. There is no evidence that people can arrive at a code of morality entirely on their own and by following some logical steps. My argument rests on two pillars.
First, history has a number of examples in which "logical" thinking has led to bizarre and horrific experiments with society. The communist philosophy created by the likes of Karl Marx and perfected by Vladimir Lenin is the most prominent one in recent history. The misery of many millions and a near-complete collapse of the philosophy within a century is a clear example of disastrous human-led creation of societal moraliy.
Second, all societies that appear to be successful today have the basis of their morality embedded in divine inputs. To use Samuel Huntigton's approach the following civilizations can all track their roots to divine scripts: Orthodox, Christian (Western), Hindu, Muslim, Sinic (Chinese), Japanese, and African. Those divine scripts may have faded in history or become grossly distorted over time, but their origin remains clear. Put differently, the moral underpinnings of currently "successful" western civilization can also track its roots to Catholic and Anglican churches. Again, I will avoid getting bogged into a (separate) debate on the current state of that morality.
In my view, we not only need guidance that is divine in nature but we will surely fail without it. (You can track back to my blog on 12 September 2010 to catch a fuller description of these failures). We are also blessed in that the Holy Quran provides an un-altered and precise moral GPS to all of us.
13 September 2010
Quran as the Moral GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on the Earth.
A 'Moral GPS' is the one that provides a sense of being - not just in a spatial sense but also how we relate to the society around us - and a sense of temporal awareness in all conditions and times. Such directional guidance is essential for humans and does not get defined through pure trial and error. The Holy Quran is a user's manual that provides such guidance.
Let us review why the Holy Quran can be justified as a moral GPS for us. Please consider the following characteristics:
Societal Contextualization: The guidance provided by the Quran is contextualized by indicating its signficance to the wellbeing of a society. The 'normal' moral values, as considered in most societies, are explained in terms of the benefits they bring, or in the converse, the societal problems that would be created in their absence. For example, unfair business practices like over-pricing and fraudulent sales can amplify in a society and create a disproportionate distribution of wealth. There are many examples of social revolutions, for example the French revolution, that had their roots in unfair wealth distribution. While creation of wealth in itself is endorsed strongly in the Holy Quran -- a concept that does not fall too far from the capitalistic approach -- it defines the standards that must be applied.
Framework for Justice: The Holy Quran informs us about the generally accepted standards of justice in legal and societal terms. At the same time, it points out that these frameworks can expose us to justice only in a limited way. Many of our actions go unnoticed and do not garner rewards or punishment within the society, as the case may be. More importantly, the consequences of our actions have knock-on impacts that extend considerably beyond our lifetimes. It, therefore, argues that true justice and fairness require a long-term review process, which is introduced in the Holy Quran.
Governance Constructs: A number of directional guidelines are provided to define the societal needs for governance and basic principles for their implementation. The Holy Quran reinforces the basics of democracy and focuses on using consensus to prevent societal discord. Interestingly, a number of social welfare concepts, commonly relied upon in developed countries, are presented.
Openness and Transparency: The Holy Quran stresses on openness and transparency in socieities. It defines the standards for sharing of information as well as constraints in communication; for example, strongly-worded instructions to stay away from slander. At the same time, the Holy Quran also exposes itself to transparency and openly invites its readers to think about and question the concepts it has introduced. This notion is somewhat contrary to the popularly held belief that raising questions in an effort to understand the message of the Holy Quran is somehow sacrilegous -- our instructions are to ponder upon the guidance being provided as well as the reinforcing indications we see from the universe around us.
Reinforcement of Existing Moral Standards: The Holy Quran endorses the standards found in many societies and often conveyed through holy scriptures. Despite the editorial changes introduced in many scriptures, the moral aspects are typically retained intact. That is particularly true for ancient scriptures, like the one preserved in Hinduism. More 'recent' scriptures, like the ones included in the New Testament, contain essentially the same concepts -- albeit the contextualization and implementation instrucations are off-course as per the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran clearly claims that it has been published to reinforce those concepts and to rectify the implementation details.
Lastly, it is important to remember that the Holy Quran is the only divine scripture that has survived the ages without any deviation in its text. Historians and clergy would readily admit that the other scriptures - the Tora, the Old Testament, the New Testament, Geeta -- have benefited from 'editorial improvements' over the ages. This puts the Holy Quran in a superlative position, particularly because we are invited to understand its message, ab initio if needed.
A 'Moral GPS' is the one that provides a sense of being - not just in a spatial sense but also how we relate to the society around us - and a sense of temporal awareness in all conditions and times. Such directional guidance is essential for humans and does not get defined through pure trial and error. The Holy Quran is a user's manual that provides such guidance.
Let us review why the Holy Quran can be justified as a moral GPS for us. Please consider the following characteristics:
Societal Contextualization: The guidance provided by the Quran is contextualized by indicating its signficance to the wellbeing of a society. The 'normal' moral values, as considered in most societies, are explained in terms of the benefits they bring, or in the converse, the societal problems that would be created in their absence. For example, unfair business practices like over-pricing and fraudulent sales can amplify in a society and create a disproportionate distribution of wealth. There are many examples of social revolutions, for example the French revolution, that had their roots in unfair wealth distribution. While creation of wealth in itself is endorsed strongly in the Holy Quran -- a concept that does not fall too far from the capitalistic approach -- it defines the standards that must be applied.
Framework for Justice: The Holy Quran informs us about the generally accepted standards of justice in legal and societal terms. At the same time, it points out that these frameworks can expose us to justice only in a limited way. Many of our actions go unnoticed and do not garner rewards or punishment within the society, as the case may be. More importantly, the consequences of our actions have knock-on impacts that extend considerably beyond our lifetimes. It, therefore, argues that true justice and fairness require a long-term review process, which is introduced in the Holy Quran.
Governance Constructs: A number of directional guidelines are provided to define the societal needs for governance and basic principles for their implementation. The Holy Quran reinforces the basics of democracy and focuses on using consensus to prevent societal discord. Interestingly, a number of social welfare concepts, commonly relied upon in developed countries, are presented.
Openness and Transparency: The Holy Quran stresses on openness and transparency in socieities. It defines the standards for sharing of information as well as constraints in communication; for example, strongly-worded instructions to stay away from slander. At the same time, the Holy Quran also exposes itself to transparency and openly invites its readers to think about and question the concepts it has introduced. This notion is somewhat contrary to the popularly held belief that raising questions in an effort to understand the message of the Holy Quran is somehow sacrilegous -- our instructions are to ponder upon the guidance being provided as well as the reinforcing indications we see from the universe around us.
Reinforcement of Existing Moral Standards: The Holy Quran endorses the standards found in many societies and often conveyed through holy scriptures. Despite the editorial changes introduced in many scriptures, the moral aspects are typically retained intact. That is particularly true for ancient scriptures, like the one preserved in Hinduism. More 'recent' scriptures, like the ones included in the New Testament, contain essentially the same concepts -- albeit the contextualization and implementation instrucations are off-course as per the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran clearly claims that it has been published to reinforce those concepts and to rectify the implementation details.
Lastly, it is important to remember that the Holy Quran is the only divine scripture that has survived the ages without any deviation in its text. Historians and clergy would readily admit that the other scriptures - the Tora, the Old Testament, the New Testament, Geeta -- have benefited from 'editorial improvements' over the ages. This puts the Holy Quran in a superlative position, particularly because we are invited to understand its message, ab initio if needed.
12 September 2010
A Moral GPS in Pakistan?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on the Earth.
A "Moral GPS" is one that provides a sense of being - not just in a spatial sense but also how we relate to the society around us - and a sense of temporal awareness in all conditions and times. Such directional guidance is essential for humans and does not get defined by pure trial and error.
This blog focuses on moral guidance provided in all religious - particularly that in the Holy Quran. Why the Quran? Because it is the only text that remains unedited and unmodified. In broad strokes, it reinforces and consolidates the messages in the old testament and the new testament.
Why do we need a moral GPS in Pakistan? Let us start by an analysis of the moral decrepitude observed in Pakistan. Interestingly, what is considered "normal" has shifted enormously within our lifetimes. No one blinks an eye on corruption, which pervades each and every aspect of the day-to-day life and extends into the top-most echelons of policy, planning and politics (even sports are not immune).
There is a great deal of restlessness due to the lack of simple human security -- terrorism, armed robberies, public murders, targeted killings, mass rapes, etc. -- do not seem to trigger any strong reaction beyond lip-service and living room conversations.
Interestingly, the middle-class has disappeared -- what is left now is the super-rich and the poor. Lack of economic development and continuous interruptions in various democratic processes by interlopers like Zia and Musharraf have run the country into the ground. These interventions also create enough of a negative societal inertia that drags any democratic government into the pits as well, which is what we are witnessing right now.
This whole situation fits very well with the description provided in the Holy Quran. Both in direct reference to muslims and in indirect pointers towards other historical events, it is apparent moral depravation in nations leads to their humiliation at the hands of stronger powers, coupled with strife, anxiety and poverty.
Many point to the numerous mudrassahs, countless mosques and eloquent moulvis in Pakistan. Since these ostensibly Islamic institutions are so widespread, it leads to the fallacy that there must be something fundamentally wrong with Islam. The simple explanation is that these mudrassahs are not teaching Quran (other than parroting the Arabic text) and focus on books of Sharia belonging a particular brands of Islam; I personally dislike all brands. Even if you ignore the fact that the kids going to these places are the ones who fail otherwise in the society (and may be intellectually-challenged), they are being fed a narrow interpretation of Islam. So, there is no benefit to the wider society.
The educated and well-off part of the Pakistani society is no better. The ethics and moral norms fit very well with the societal patterns described earlier. You can hardly find anyone who has actually tried to understand the translated version of the Holy Quran.
So, we shouldn't be surprised if the core of the society -- normally built on basic moral and ethical standards -- is rotten. Unless we can fix that, there will not ever be a positive outcome of development schemes, liberalization of media, creation of civil society groups and influx of foreign aid. These are all band-aids stuck on a festering cancer.
There appears to be a general consensus that a fundamental change is needed in the Pakistani society. This is coupled with the understanding that we are nearly at bottom and can only go up.
A lot of views pervade on how to fix this problem. Here is mine: we need to understand the message of the Quran in a very direct way and apply it to improve ourselves as human beings. Getting there would require some basics: reasonable levels of literacy, loosening of the vice-like grip of the theocracy, open debate on issues, and highlighting "bright spots" in our society. These changes will not happen in a day or a year, or perhaps even a decade.
Fortunately, we do have a moral GPS in our hands.
A "Moral GPS" is one that provides a sense of being - not just in a spatial sense but also how we relate to the society around us - and a sense of temporal awareness in all conditions and times. Such directional guidance is essential for humans and does not get defined by pure trial and error.
This blog focuses on moral guidance provided in all religious - particularly that in the Holy Quran. Why the Quran? Because it is the only text that remains unedited and unmodified. In broad strokes, it reinforces and consolidates the messages in the old testament and the new testament.
Why do we need a moral GPS in Pakistan? Let us start by an analysis of the moral decrepitude observed in Pakistan. Interestingly, what is considered "normal" has shifted enormously within our lifetimes. No one blinks an eye on corruption, which pervades each and every aspect of the day-to-day life and extends into the top-most echelons of policy, planning and politics (even sports are not immune).
There is a great deal of restlessness due to the lack of simple human security -- terrorism, armed robberies, public murders, targeted killings, mass rapes, etc. -- do not seem to trigger any strong reaction beyond lip-service and living room conversations.
Interestingly, the middle-class has disappeared -- what is left now is the super-rich and the poor. Lack of economic development and continuous interruptions in various democratic processes by interlopers like Zia and Musharraf have run the country into the ground. These interventions also create enough of a negative societal inertia that drags any democratic government into the pits as well, which is what we are witnessing right now.
This whole situation fits very well with the description provided in the Holy Quran. Both in direct reference to muslims and in indirect pointers towards other historical events, it is apparent moral depravation in nations leads to their humiliation at the hands of stronger powers, coupled with strife, anxiety and poverty.
Many point to the numerous mudrassahs, countless mosques and eloquent moulvis in Pakistan. Since these ostensibly Islamic institutions are so widespread, it leads to the fallacy that there must be something fundamentally wrong with Islam. The simple explanation is that these mudrassahs are not teaching Quran (other than parroting the Arabic text) and focus on books of Sharia belonging a particular brands of Islam; I personally dislike all brands. Even if you ignore the fact that the kids going to these places are the ones who fail otherwise in the society (and may be intellectually-challenged), they are being fed a narrow interpretation of Islam. So, there is no benefit to the wider society.
The educated and well-off part of the Pakistani society is no better. The ethics and moral norms fit very well with the societal patterns described earlier. You can hardly find anyone who has actually tried to understand the translated version of the Holy Quran.
So, we shouldn't be surprised if the core of the society -- normally built on basic moral and ethical standards -- is rotten. Unless we can fix that, there will not ever be a positive outcome of development schemes, liberalization of media, creation of civil society groups and influx of foreign aid. These are all band-aids stuck on a festering cancer.
There appears to be a general consensus that a fundamental change is needed in the Pakistani society. This is coupled with the understanding that we are nearly at bottom and can only go up.
A lot of views pervade on how to fix this problem. Here is mine: we need to understand the message of the Quran in a very direct way and apply it to improve ourselves as human beings. Getting there would require some basics: reasonable levels of literacy, loosening of the vice-like grip of the theocracy, open debate on issues, and highlighting "bright spots" in our society. These changes will not happen in a day or a year, or perhaps even a decade.
Fortunately, we do have a moral GPS in our hands.
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