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There is another basic cause which has operated in creating
this difference. That difference is in the method of learning
of this unique generation.
They of the first generation did not approach the Qur'an for the purpose of acquiring culture and information, nor for
the purpose of taste or enjoyment. None of them came to the
Qur'an to increase his sum total of knowledge for the sake of
knowledge itself or to solve some scientific or legal problem,
or to remove some defect in his understanding. He rather
turned to the Qur'an to find out what the Almighty Creator
had prescribed for him and for the group in which he lived,
for his life and for the life of the group. He approached it to
act on what he heard immediately, as a soldier on the battle-
field reads "Today's Bulletin" so that he may know what is to
be done. He did not read many verses of the Qur'an in one
session, as he understood that this would lay an unbearable
burden of duties and responsibilities on his shoulders. At most
he would read ten verses, memorize them, and then act upon
them. We know this from a tradition reported by Abdullah bin Mas'ood .
This understanding-the understanding that instruction is for
action-opened the doors to spiritual fulfillment and to knowledge. If they had
read the Qur'an only for the sake of discussion, learning and information, these
doors would not have
opened. Moreover, action became easy, the weight of responsibilities became
light, and the Qur'an became a part of their
personalities, mingling with their lives and characters so that
they became living examples of faith - a faith not hidden
in intellects or books, but expressing itself in a dynamic movement which
changed conditions and events and the course
of life.
Indeed, this Qur'an does not open its treasures except to
him who accepts it with this spirit: the spirit of knowing with
the intention of acting upon it. It did not come to be a book
of intellectual content, or a book of literature, or to be considered as a book
of stories or history, although it has all
these facets. It came to become a way of life, a way dedicated
to God. Thus, God Most High imparted it to them in a gradual
manner, to be read at intervals:
"We have revealed this Qur'an little by little so that you
may recite it to people at intervals, and We have revealed
it gradually." (17:106)
The Qur'an did not come down all at once; rather it came
down according to the needs of the Islamic society in facing new problems, according to the growth of ideas and concepts,
according to the progress of general social life, and according to new
challenges faced by the Muslim community in
its practical life. One verse or a few verses would be revealed
according to the special circumstances and events, and they
would answer questions which arose in the minds of people,
would explain the nature of a particular situation, and would
prescribe a way of dealing with it. These verses would correct their mistakes,
either of understanding or of practice, would
bring them closer to God, and would explain to them the
wisdom of the various aspects of the universe in the light
of God's attributes. Thus they clearly realized that every moment of their lives
was under the continuous guidance and
direction of the Almighty Creator and that they were traversing
the path of life under the wings of God's mercy. Because
of this sense of constant relationship with God, their lives
were molded according to that sacred way of life which was
being instructed by Him.
Thus, instruction to be translated into action was the method
of the first group of Muslims. The method of later generations
was instruction for academic discussion and enjoyment. And
without doubt this is the second major factor which made
later generations different from the first unique generation
of Islam.
A third cause is also operative in the history of Muslims;
we ought to look at it also.
When a person embraced Islam during the time of the Prophet-peace be on
him-he would immediately cut himself
off from Jahiliyyah. [The state of ignorance of the guidance from God.]
When he stepped into the circle of Islam,
he would start a new life, separating himself completely from
his past life under ignorance of the Divine Law. He would
look upon the deeds during his life of ignorance with mistrust
and fear, with a feeling that these were impure and could
not be tolerated in Islam! With this feeling, he would turn
toward Islam for new guidance; and if at any time temptations
overpowered him, or the old habits attracted him, or if he
became lax in carrying out the injunctions of Islam, he would
become restless with a sense of guilt and would feel the need to purify himself of what had happened, and would turn to
the Qur'an to mold himself according to its guidance.
Thus, there would be a break between the Muslim's present
Islam and his past Jahiliyyah, and this after a well thought
out decision, as a result of which all his relationships with
Jahiliyyah would be cut off and he would be joined completely
to Islam, although there would be some give-and-take with the
polytheists in commercial activity and daily business; yet relationships of
understanding are one thing and daily business
is something else.
This renunciation of the jahili environment, its customs and
traditions, its ideas and concepts, proceeded from the replacement of polytheism
by the concept of the Oneness of God, of
the jahili view of life and the world by that of the Islamic view,
and from absorption into the new Islamic community under
a new leadership and dedication of all loyalties and commitments to this new
society and new leadership.
This was the parting of the ways and the starting of a new
journey, a journey free from the pressures of the values, concepts and
traditions of the jahili society. The Muslim encountered nothing burdensome
except the torture and oppression; but
he had already decided in the depths of his heart that he would
face it with equanimity, and hence no pressure from the jahili
society would have any effect on his continuing steadfastness.
We are also surrounded by Jahiliyyah today, which is of
the same nature as it was during the first period of Islam, perhaps a little
deeper. Our whole environment, people's beliefs
and ideas, habits and art, rules and laws-is Jahiliyyah, even
to the extent that what we consider to be Islamic culture,
Islamic sources, Islamic philosophy and Islamic thought are also
constructs of Jahiliyyah!
This is why the true Islamic values never enter our hearts,
why our minds are never illuminated by Islamic concepts, and
why no group of people arises among us who are of the calibre
of the first generation of Islam.
It is therefore necessary-in the way of the Islamic movement-that in the
early stages of our training and education
we should remove ourselves from all the influences of the
Jahiliyyah in which we live and from which we derive benefits.
We must return to that pure source from which those people
derived their guidance, the source which is free from any mixing or pollution. We must return to it to derive from it our concepts of the
nature of the universe, the nature of human existence, and the relationship of
these two with the Perfect,
the Real Being, God Most High. From it we must also derive
our concepts of life, our principles of government, politics,
economics and all other aspects of life.
We must return to it with a sense of instruction for obedience
and action, and not for academic discussion and enjoyment.
We should return to it to find out what kind of person it asks
us to be, and then be like that. During this process, we will
also discover the artistic beauty in the Qur'an, the marvellous
tales in the Qur'an, the scenes of the Day of Judgment in the
Qur'an, the intuitive logic the Qur'an, and all other such benefits which are
sought in the Qur'an by academic and literary
people. We will enjoy all these other aspects, but these are
not the main object of our study. Our primary purpose is
to know what way of life is demanded of us by the Qur'an,
the total view of the universe which the Qur'an wants us to
have, what is the nature of our knowledge of God taught
to us by the Qur'an, the kind of morals and manners which
are enjoined by it, and the kind of legal and constitutional
system it asks us to establish in the world.
We must also free ourselves from the clutches of jahili
society, jahili concepts, jahili traditions and jahili leadership.
Our mission is not to compromise with the practices of jahili
society, nor can we be loyal to it. Jahili society, because of
its jahili characteristics, is not worthy to be compromised
with. Our aim is first to change ourselves so that we may later
change the society.
Our foremost objective is to change the practices of this
society. Our aim is to change the Jahili system at its very roots
-this system which is fundamentally at variance with Islam
and which, with the help of force and oppression, is keeping
us from living the sort of life which is demanded by our Creator.
Our first step will be to raise ourselves above the jahili society
and all its values and concepts. We will not change our own
values and concepts either more or less to make a bargain with
this jahili society. Never! We and it are on different roads,
and if we take even one step in its company, we will lose
our goal entirely and lose our way as well.
We know that in this we will have difficulties and trials, and we will have to make great sacrifices. But if we are to
walk in the footsteps of the first generation of Muslims, through
whom God established His system and gave it victory over Jahiliyyah, then we
will not be masters of our own wills.
It is therefore desirable that we should be aware at all times
of the nature of our course of action, of the nature of our
position, and the nature of the road which we must traverse
to come out of ignorance, as the distinguished and unique
generation of the Companions of the Prophet - peace be
on him-came out of it.
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