The Importance of Religion

The Importance of Religion

1988 6 June 15-17 The Importance of Religion (938) The expression, ‘Islam in modern times,’ has the same inapposite ring to it as ‘the sun in modern times.’ It invites us to suppose that a religion, which is actually ageless and eternal, can be of increasing or diminishing relevance to particular historical periods, even suggesting, insidiously, that the significance of Islam is a changing and changeable commodity, to be appraised and re-appraised and then discarded if it does not fit into some neat, contemporary slot. It has even been asserted that modern civilization has proved religion to be superfluous.

But let us ask ourselves what actual contribution western civilization has made to the uplift of humanity in general. Certainly, it has laid great emphasis on comfort and convenience, the beautification of people, places and things, and has made abundant provision of the material props on which all these features of life depend. But, more pertinently, has it given us an internationally viable moral code? And even if, in certain parts of the world, a moral code is in existence which ought to produce a humanitarian and cohesive society, do we, in fact, witness its widespread effects? If we consider the multitudes of disadvantaged peoples all over our globe, the evidence of oppression everywhere, and the alarming rise in the rate of crime in the so-called advanced countries of the world, we are left wondering in what way the material advantages of western civilization are supposed to have benefited humanity – for spiritual advantages there are none.

On the one hand, we have all the concrete manifestations of civilization – imposing architecture, increasingly rapid transport and communications, high fashion clothes, gourmet food, dazzling forms of entertainment and all the artefacts of luxurious living; while, on the other hand, we have the whole range of all that is most ignoble in the human psyche blatantly on display – greed, envy, vengefulness and the all-consuming lust for power and glory. Material pandering to the basest of human desires has, therefore, become a major in this modern age. In all this welter of non-spiritual, hedonistic activity, religion has gradually become eroded and submerged.

It does not follow, however, that there is no need for religion. There is a greater need for it now than ever before. But if people are fully to comprehend this, it would take a complete change of heart on the part of individuals, and even of whole societies, who are at present hell-bent on pursuing materialistic goals. Only if they pause for a moment to give serious thought to whether the possession of amenities like cordless telephones and air-conditioned cars really makes belief in God meaningless, will they ever begin to see the true light of religion. We cannot surely believe that communication by satellite has negated the inspirational forms of wahi transmission, or that the ability to fly beyond the stratosphere precludes the possibility of a cosmic afterworld. Does the mere existence and availability of delectable food, elegant clothes and designer furnishings make belief in Heaven and Hell a thing of the past? Does the capacity of more and more women to operate computers of increasing complexity belie the Quranic assertion that “men are in command over women?” Do the legislative powers of certain individuals seated in the grandeur of our Houses of Parliament invalidate, purely by their democratic origin, the traditional authority of the Shariah? While acknowledging the practical utility of modern technology, and the array of amenities it provides, we are at a loss to understand how, as a feature of modern living; it can be said either to verify or to negate the time-honoured truths of religion.

Religion has at all times been concerned less with social manifestations than with fundamental values; its relevance in this material age is, therefore, undiminished. We must never lose sight of the fact that where social phenomena are in a constant state of flux, the values of human life are divinely pre-ordained and, in consequence, immutable. It matters little, for example, that modern technology has given us increasingly rapid means of transport. What is really important is that the ethical standards to be observed in the manufacture and use of vehicles have lost none of their essential validity. Modern means of communication may have rendered the older forms obsolete, but the question as to whether these facilities should be used to convey the truth or falsehood is of the same immediacy as before.

M.P.s may now go to work by helicopter or jet plane, but they are nevertheless morally bound to fashion and enforce laws which are in accordance with the Divine Order which regulates the entire universe. Whether they are housed in opulent buildings or straw-thatched huts, judicial bodies must still uphold the innocent ‘and punish the guilty, thereby maintaining the same high standards of justice as have traditionally prevailed.

When we speak of a moral code, of ethics, of standards of behaviour, we must inevitably realize that the values on which they are based are the very pillars of Islam. Islam, to be precise, is the true guidance of man by God. As such, it is an expression of eternal realities. Just as man is in constant need of the sun’s light to construct his material life, so is he in perpetual need of the true guidance of God for the moral reconstruction of humanity.

Those who, knowing this, do not adopt Islam, display the same foolishness as one who attempts to construct his material life by first eliminating the sun from his list of top priorities. Without the sun, man’s world would be plunged in darkness. Without divine guidance, man’s after-life would be the blackest of abysses.