Rising above poverties of the spirit
Friday, 27 November 2009
THE festival of Eid ul Azha, which will once again see the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of cattle heads in the name of the Almighty, will, it is hoped, keep as close to the original spirit of the ritual, which is supreme allegiance to Allah. Be that as it may, there are a good many truly introspective Muslims who can rise above the multiple poverties of the spirit -- poverties of the heart, intellect and understanding -- and share their bounties with kith and kin and the community around them, according to the principles laid down in the Quran. If society at large would only learn from the examples of these laudable brethren, hunger, illiteracy and destitution of all kinds would be no more in Bangladesh, which is overwhelmingly populated by over eighty per cent self-professed Muslims.
The occasion should be an inclusive one and help foster spiritual renewal among avowed believers who have been dragged down by self-centred materialism, rather than raised above ordinary failings through the inculcation of Islamic ideals. If these values could really have affected the lives and livelihoods of the governors and governed in Bangladesh, the status of both the state and the people would have been higher -- in terms of education, economic justice and general well-being -- than the reality on the ground. With genuine spirituality rather than mechanistic rituals dominating the private-public space, interfaith relations would have been vibrant and wholesome enough to transform the people of Bangladesh into mare humane and enlightened ones in the comity of nations in this 21st century.
With Islam's message of universal brotherhood, egalitarianism, equity, decency -- indeed all the values human rights activists fight for -- this fastest growing religion could have delivered a truly sustainable, caring and sharing world order. Unfortunately, these virtues are seldom described as 'Islamic'. Global power politics, curiously, seem rather jealous of this down-to-earth faith and have been using every trick to demonize Islam and its adherents. Indeed, corporate media's selective projection of decadence, distortions and divisions among some, and the mangling Islam suffers at the hands of political game players -- international, regional and national -- may make out asa if bona fide believers are a dying breed. Among knowledgeable Muslims few are inclined towards removing even gross misconceptions, lest they be tainted with unwelcome political colours.
This has to be overcome if spiritual poverty, ignorance and hypocrisy that have become entrenched in society -- and which are palpable as material and intellectual corruption, injustice and inequity, and everything that prophets throughout human history, including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had fought against -- are to be effectively eradicated. Mere profession of the creed does not make one a Muslim True religion is in righteous conduct and it is the duty of all truly religious people to strive to build a just society where wealth is distributed fairly and the poor and vulnerable are protected.
The occasion should be an inclusive one and help foster spiritual renewal among avowed believers who have been dragged down by self-centred materialism, rather than raised above ordinary failings through the inculcation of Islamic ideals. If these values could really have affected the lives and livelihoods of the governors and governed in Bangladesh, the status of both the state and the people would have been higher -- in terms of education, economic justice and general well-being -- than the reality on the ground. With genuine spirituality rather than mechanistic rituals dominating the private-public space, interfaith relations would have been vibrant and wholesome enough to transform the people of Bangladesh into mare humane and enlightened ones in the comity of nations in this 21st century.
With Islam's message of universal brotherhood, egalitarianism, equity, decency -- indeed all the values human rights activists fight for -- this fastest growing religion could have delivered a truly sustainable, caring and sharing world order. Unfortunately, these virtues are seldom described as 'Islamic'. Global power politics, curiously, seem rather jealous of this down-to-earth faith and have been using every trick to demonize Islam and its adherents. Indeed, corporate media's selective projection of decadence, distortions and divisions among some, and the mangling Islam suffers at the hands of political game players -- international, regional and national -- may make out asa if bona fide believers are a dying breed. Among knowledgeable Muslims few are inclined towards removing even gross misconceptions, lest they be tainted with unwelcome political colours.
This has to be overcome if spiritual poverty, ignorance and hypocrisy that have become entrenched in society -- and which are palpable as material and intellectual corruption, injustice and inequity, and everything that prophets throughout human history, including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had fought against -- are to be effectively eradicated. Mere profession of the creed does not make one a Muslim True religion is in righteous conduct and it is the duty of all truly religious people to strive to build a just society where wealth is distributed fairly and the poor and vulnerable are protected.