The Revolution Within

The dilemma of today’s Muslim society is lack of religious knowledge. Despite being sincere believers, we are not good practitioners of Islam. The fault is our own; we have a lack of zeal to acquire Islamic knowledge but would readily search for details of a movie premier or read music review of a newly released song. We have ample time to satisfy our desires (nafs) but cannot spare enough to remember Allah. Many muslims spend long hours in front of television watching cricket matches, soap operas, political debates, cartoons, music programs but Quran stays neatly stacked, up in that respectable place in our homes, catching dust.

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.


Due to this lack of knowledge, our society at large, has started practicing many bida’hs and do not understand the gravity of this act. Some bida’h become customs in certain societies and take form of social habits. Habitual activities may be transmitted from one generation to another. When customs are practiced for a long period of time, they gain roots, get established and acquire the force of law.

"No written law has ever been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion" Carrie Chapman Catt

Unfortunately, customs are more affectionately followed in our society than laws. And when a few of such customs are accommodated in to our faith, we may unintentionally be practicing bid’ah. So bida’h can sometimes give rise to religious customs and vice versa.

With that perspective, I could not help but reflect on my past life; trying to review my former actions to determine whether I had deterred from the right path in my previous life. There were several instances where I had joyfully committed a bida’h (unknowingly) in name of a social custom. As a knee-jerk reaction I blamed our society, for surely my habits are result of my social framework and the customs practiced within it.

William Wordsworth said,

"Habit rules the unreflecting herd"

I realized, the fault lies within, not without. If I choose to blindly follow the herd without making an effort to learn about my religion when ample resources and opportunities are available to do so, how can I blame the society for my actions? I had to make a fresh start, with full realization of my past mistakes; I closed the door of my past behind me, in hopes of beginning a better and brighter tomorrow. I prayed to my Lord for forgiveness of the sins I had previously committed and sought guidance for my future actions. With a determination to amend my ways I saddled up for my tedious quest for religious knowledge, to be able to fulfill my desire to tread on the right path.

As I progressed in my journey I started viewing my surroundings in a new light. A lot of everyday deeds seemed so wrong. A lot of my friends seemed to be heading in reverse direction to mine, not realizing the illusions of life and present times. I wanted to share with them the realization, that had awakened me from deep slumber, wanted them to benefit from my experiences but none were ready to accept my advice. It seemed to me that their lives and life-styles were too dear to them; they were comfortable with their routine and enforcing a change in it would require effort and dedication they were unwilling to contribute. The society had conditioned them to accept its rituals and stepping away from these could result in isolation from their social circles, a price they were not ready to pay. Many were so lost in their lives that their religion had become secondary to them. They acknowledged the that they had deterred from the right path, but yet, were unwilling to mould their lives in accordance with the divine teachings, declaring this act impractical in present times. Is following the eternal teachings of Quran and Sunnah really impracticle today, I would muse? Our religion was meant to be valid till end of time. How can it be impossible to practice it in its totality in any age or era? Is Islam a prisoner of certain time boundaries? Do its teachings decay with time and become impractical? Hopefully,time will resolve those puzzles for me.

My grandmother’s voice kept echoing in my mind when doubt made my thoughts foggy.The roadway to heaven is not easy; following Allah’s path was never easy. Our prophet (SAW) and all the prophets (AS) before him and their companions faced testing times to earn their places in paradise. We are blessed with numerous luxuries of life, and live in times of religious freedom. Yet we complain! These realizations kept my faith strong and I tried to hold steadfast to my beliefs despite satirical opinions of the world that surrounded me.

I pray that Allah shows me the right path and gives me strength and courage to tread upon it. I also wish the same for my fellow muslims. No one can coax a change in another. There is no compulsion in religion. If a person wants to change their ways, the change has to come from within. May Allah guide us all.