Ill-founded Pride

Ill-founded Pride

1990 12 December 9-10 Ill-founded Pride (624) Those who adopt the religion of the Qur’an after having come to believe in the Qur’an are given the name of Muslims. As the Qur’an says, “It is He who has named you Muslims.” (22:78). This appears to be a simple matter – the naming of a religious adherent by the holy book in which he believes – but this does not apply to the followers of other religions.

Those who believe in the religion of Moses are known as Jews. But, in their book, the Torah, it is nowhere mentioned that Moses had given the name of Jews to his followers. Similarly, the followers of Christ are called Christians, but nowhere does the New Testament tell us that Christ had given his name to his followers.

The same is true of Hinduism, the followers of which are known as Hindus. Nowhere in their holy books is it written that those who believe in this religion will be called Hindus.

In its issue of August 20, 1990, the Times of India brought out an article by Indira Rothermund, entitled: ‘Fundamentalism has no Legitimacy in Hindu Dharma’. This article states:

“An eminent historian has pointed out that the word Hindu is not found in many ancient Indian texts but was coined by the invading Arabs in the 8th century AD and was a geographical term applied to people who lived on or beyond the banks of the river Sindhu or Indus.”

Not only the name of Islam, but everything which is considered a part of religion is plainly recorded for all times in the Qur’an and Hadith, whereas other religions have seen changes on a vast scale. As such their sets of beliefs have no solid, historical basis.

Unlike all the other religions, Islam has preserved its pristine purity. It has a long record of complete historical credibility something of which no other religion can boast. Islam, in the best sense of the word, is a scientific religion, while all other religions amount to little more than sets of unfounded beliefs. They cannot, therefore, be accorded the status of scientific religions in the modern, academic context. While Islam is the religion of today, other religions are mere faded relics of antiquity.

This does not mean, however, that other religions were not initially true. So far as their original form is concerned, they were true religions, but, as time went on, they failed to retain their purity, thereby forfeiting any right to be given any credence from the academic and scientific points of view.

Islam was invested with this distinctive quality by God, so that its followers would find it easy to communicate it to the rest of the world. When, out of a long list of religions, only one religion is authentic and all the rest are spurious, the choice for the seekers in the matter of religion becomes easy. It no longer entails a long and arduous quest, for there is but one truth in this field which they can safely adopt without questioning.

The Muslims of today have done nothing to present this unique truth to the world. Yet they have begun to take a pride in the fact of their being the sole possessors of this truth. They have thus failed to put this distinguishing feature of Islam to good use in spreading its truth far and wide. Instead they have made it into an object of pride.

If Muslims engaged themselves in the communication of the Islamic message, they would be amply rewarded for it by God. Instead, they inscribe on the walls of the cities, “We take pride in Islam.” thus seeking to take credit for an act they have yet to perform – a sin no doubt in the eyes of God.