Islamic Identity

Islamic Identity

1991 1 January 11-12 Islamic Identity (769) If the Hindu communal parties of India were to demand that Muslims wear the same dress as the majority community, e.g. dhoti-kurta, or that they greet people by joining their hands as Hindus do ‘in order to bring about communal harmony,’ all our Muslim leaders would raise a hue and cry that this was a plot hatched to destroy our communal identity, and that we would never agree to fall in with it.

This shows the degree to sensitivity of Muslim leaders on the subject of communal identity. But those same leaders are totally insensitive to the Islamic identity as such. In fact in present times, Muslims have actually submerged their Islamic identity in large numbers, without any of our leaders having come forward to launch campaigns against backsliding, or to try-to compensate for the damage already done. Evidently, it is only when the danger to communal identity comes from other communities that Muslims can be gathered together en masse on this issue. But since Muslims themselves are responsible for abandoning their ‘Islamic identity’ it is hardly possible to bring together large number of Muslims even to discuss this issue, for such a move would amount to self-blame. They would do well to remember that an important attribute of the Islamic identity is the kind of self-restraint which is implicit in the following verse from the Qur’an: “they pay no heed to vain talk, but say, ‘We have our actions and you have yours. May Peace be upon you. We do not seek the company of ignorant men.”(28: 55, 25: 72).

Ibn Kathir in his commentary on the Qur’an, elaborates on the above verse. The righteous do not return idle talk for idle talk. They rather forgive those who so speak. If they find themselves in such company, they leave politely so as to avoid friction. They have no ill-will against anyone. They wish everyone well. They behave in the same manner as the Prophet, who, faced with the acrimony of the ignorant, only became more tolerant and forbearing.’ (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, part III, pp. 324-25).

At another place, the Qur’an says: ‘Those who do not lose their dignity when listening to profane chatter.’ (25: 72).

Maqatil, in his commentary on the Qur’an, construes the above verse to mean, ‘when the righteous are abused they pay no heed’. (Al-Tafsir Mazhari, vol. VII, p. 54)

According to both the Qur’an and the Hadith, the Islamic identity of the faithful is such that they simply do not react to those who abuse them; they avoid all risk of friction and pass by such places with dignity where they are being abused and hurtful things are being said against them.

Now, if you view this issue in the light of the Qur’anic injunction, you will appreciate that the Muslims of this country have lost their Islamic identity in this respect. Consider how they behave when the non-Muslim majority community lead their processions through the streets of Muslim localities – a regular occurrence in India – shouting slogans hurtful to Muslim sentiments in the way of the ‘ignorant’ in the Qur’an. What, for their part, do the Muslims do on such occasions? Provoked by slogans, they retaliate – mostly by stopping the processions. Their reaction, I would stress, is wholly against Islamic teachings. On those very occasions when the Qur’an asks them to remain patient and follow the path of avoidance, that is exactly when they react ,and retaliate, unable to ignore provocation. Muslims have thus lost a vital part of their Islamic identity.

This abandoning of the Islamic identity is undoubtedly a far more crucial matter than the loss of cultural identity through the adoption of non-Muslim dress, etc. But, on this, Muslim leaders have nothing to say. Even in full awareness of the problem, they do not tell Muslims to adhere steadfastly to Qur’anic teaching and to maintain their Islamic identity at all costs.

The state of present-day Muslim leaders is such that where it is a question of preserving the communal identity vis a vis the Hindus, they speak with great eloquence, but when it comes to preserving the Islamic identity, as concerns all Muslims, they fall silent. This neglect of the more serious issue on the part of our leaders has reached criminal proportions. By following such a policy our leaders have, of course, proved successful in maintaining their popularity among Muslims. But are they not afraid that this policy might make them ‘unpopular’ in the next life? For the moment they cross the dividing line between this life and the next, no amount of eloquence will suffice to exonerate them (164:11-12).