Of course no Muslim could accept Islam merely as an idea. As the survey
itself mentions, Islam is based on the "word of God, revealed syllable
by syllable to Muhammad fourteen hundred years ago" (p.4 c.2). Thus
it is no mere idea, rather it is the idea, the ideology, the truth, exclusive
of all others. As the Qur'an states: "Indeed the religion before
Allah is Islam" . . . "Whoever wishes for a way of life other that
Islam, never will it be accepted from them and in the hereafter they will
be amongst the losers" (Surah Al Imraan 3:85). The religion
has been completed and perfected, and has no need for alteration or adjustment:
"This day we have completed your religion for you and perfected our
favour upon you and chosen for your way of life Islam" (Surah
al-Maa'idah 5:3). The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said:
"There
is not one thing that shall bring you closer to the Paradise and away from
the Fire without me having informed you of it, and there is not one thing
that will take you away from paradise and towards the fire except that
I have warned you about it." It is indeed true that Islam does
not allow its followers to draw a distinction between the "inner"
and "outer" aspects of life, between belief and actions, religion
and politics, because in reality such distinctions are totally fallacious.
Man's beliefs are the foundations and prime motivators for actions, for
what is held to be true on the inside must manifest itself outwardly. Indeed
the very first task given to Muhammad, peace be upon him, was to correct
the false beliefs. It was not that the pagan Arabs did not believe in Allah,
or God the Creator. In fact the Qur'an tells Muhammad, peace be upon him,:
"If you ask them who sends down rain from the sky, and gives life therewith
to the earth after its death? They would certainly say 'Allah!' Say: 'All
the praise and thanks be to Allah!' Nay! Most of them have no sense"
(Surah al-Ankaboot 29:63). "Say: 'Who provides for you from the
sky and from the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out
the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who disposes
the affairs?' They will say: 'Allah.' Say: 'Will you not them be afraid
of Allah's Punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allah)?'"
(Surah Yunus 10:31). Indeed the pagan Arabs used to worship Allah,
pray to Him and sacrifice to Him in times of need and distress, as did
the Jews and Christians, and they even claimed to love Him, but Allah rejected
all of this from them and referred to them as senseless, and astray, and
as disbelievers. So this is the reality concerning most of the men and
jinn , that they claim to believe in Allah, and worship Allah, but what
they believe about Him is incorrect, and the way they worship Him is incorrect
. . . "Most of them do not believe in Allah except while joining
partners with Him" (Surah Yusuf 12:106) . . . and it's manifestations
are many and the evil consequences numerous.
All of this has one common cause, or origin, and that is thinking and speaking
about Allah without knowledge, and thus ascribing to Him that which should
not be ascribed to Him, such as sons, or daughters, or human qualities
and weaknesses, or claiming that some of the creation possess His powers
and abilities, or by claiming that He, the Majestic, is pleased by some
action that in fact angers Him, or that He is angered by some action that
in fact pleases Him. So thus the idol worshippers call upon that which
can neither benefit nor harm them, and the Christians call upon Jesus,
and the Jews believe their racial origins guarantee His good pleasure,
and those who believe that power, wealth and the such are means of success;
all have put their faith and trust in something vain. This in itself is
a great evil, for they have only wasted their time and effort, yet this
is least of the evil consequences. As for that which is most severe . .
. those who have fallen into associating partners with Allah have earned
His anger and wrath, and upon them shall fall humiliation in this life
and a most terrible fate in the next: "Surely Allah will not forgive
as-shirk (the association of partners with Him), but He forgives sins less
than that of whomever He wishes" (Surah an-Nisa' 4:48).
So "as-shirk", or ascribing partners to Allah (in whatever form
it may take) is the unforgivable sin, because it is in reality the source
of all evil, the greatest injustice, the worst oppression and wrongdoing.
For if one is unafraid of speaking about Allah without knowledge, and this
is a knowledge unattainable except through Him, for He is the best knower
of Himself and His will, and that which pleases and displeases Him, then
about what and about whom will one be afraid of speaking about ignorantly?
For truly, as is obvious to anyone witnessing the destructive forces of
nature, and untold misfortunes and miseries over which Allah alone has
ultimate power and control, both in this life and the next, Allah is the
most terrifying and most worthy of being feared. And also anyone witnessing
the miraculous order, and precision, and symbiosis within the earth and
universe, must realize the unparalleled knowledge and wisdom of its Creator.
So if one is heedless of transgressing the laws of Allah, and thinks them
of little or no importance, or worse considers them bad, evil, and outdated,
then what of the laws conceived in the limited minds of men? If one is
ungrateful to his Lord, the provider of all, then of what little consequence
to such a one is ingratitude to the creation? If one denies the rights
and dues of Allah, which are the most worthy of being fulfilled, then what
rights and dues will such one be fearful of denying then? Thus imagine
the case of a worker in a company run by yourself , who believes you are
the lavatory cleaner, and the lavatory cleaner is the director! Would there
not be evil results? Would you tolerate such a person? If so, for how long?
Now envisage this fool teaching this to others, and insisting on it, so
that the majority of the company came to believe it, ignoring your orders
and prohibitions, and inventing them for themselves, and making their guide
the lavatory cleaner who is moreover deaf and dumb!
The true cause of the evils that beset mankind are disbelief, sinfulness
and ingratitude to Allah: "And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it
is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much" (Surah
as-Shura 42:30).
"Evil has appeared on the land and sea, because
of what your hands have earned. That Allah may make them taste a part of
that which they have done, in order that they may return" (Surah
ar-Rum 30:41). As the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him,: "There
is none who has a greater sense of ghira (a feeling of great fury and anger
when one's honour and prestige is injured or challenged) than Allah, and
so He has forbidden shameful deeds and sins. And there is none who likes
to be praised more than Allah does" (Reported in Saheeh Al Bukhari).
Allah is more infuriated by the disobedience of His slave than a man of
honour is finding his wife fornicating with another man. So how is His
fury with those who insult Him by ascribing rivals, and partners with Him,
while He is glorious above such things! And the evil consequences are not
limited to this life: "Verily, those who disbelieved, and die while
they are disbelievers, the whole earth full of gold will not be accepted
from anyone of them even if they offered it as a ransom. For them is a
painful torment and they will have no helpers" (Surah Al Imran
3:91). The Prophet, peace be upon him, explained: "On the day of judgement
a disbeliever will be asked: 'Suppose you had as much gold as to fill the
earth, would you offer it to ransom yourself from the hell-fire?' He will
reply: 'Yes!' Then it will be said to him: 'You were asked for something
easier than that, that you should join none in worship with Allah, and
submit yourself to Him, but you refused'" (Reported in Saheeh
al-Bukhari).
Indeed the message of all the prophets is one and the same: "Verily,
We have sent to every nation a messenger saying: 'Worship Allah and avoid
false objects of worship'" (Surah an-Nahl 16:36) and indeed
this is the very purpose for which Allah created mankind: "I did
not create the jinn and mankind except for My worship" (Surah
ad-Dhaariyaat 51:56). So
"shirk" (i.e. ascribing partners to
Allah) is in contradiction to that reason for which Allah has created us,
and the purpose for which we exist, which is to choose to single out Allah
for worship, avoiding all false deities, and to worship Him completely,
with sacrifice, supplication, submission, subjugation, obedience and compliance,
and with love, fear, hope, trust and reliance upon Him, seeking only His
pleasure and not the admiration of His creatures, and to do all of that
according to that which was revealed to His last and final Messenger Muhammad,
peace be upon him,, and not according to whims and desires and mere conjecture.
Furthermore, and of immediate relevance to the discussion, are those qualities,
unique to Allah, that single Him out, such as
"al-Hakim", the Judge;
"al-Hakeem", the Wise; "al-'Aleem", the All Knowing and "as-Shariy",
the Legislator. Not only is Allah the Creator and Controller and Sustainer,
but also the sole possessor of the wisdom and knowledge to legislate for
mankind and to determine what is good and what is evil, what is right and
what is wrong, what is lawful and what is prohibited, and thus what laws
we should judge by, what social, economic and political system we should
utilize . . . "And no partner in legislating has He - He is alone"
(Surah al-Kahf 18:60) . . . "Indeed, the ruling is Allah's"
(Surah Yusuf 12:40). Allah admonished the Jews and Christians, and
called them disbelievers, for " . . . taking their priests and rabbis
as lords besides Allah" (Surah at-Tawbah 9:31). The Prophet,
peace be upon him, went on to explain that the priest and rabbis "made
lawful that which Allah had made unlawful, and made unlawful that which
Allah had made lawful and the people accepted it...So that was their (i.e.
the people's) worship of them." Thus to ascribe legislative power
to people is a clear and obvious form of disbelief, and
"shirk",
or setting up rivals to Allah, and is the unforgivable sin, and a contradiction
of the purpose of creation. If Allah blamed the people from the Jews and
Christians for accepting from those among them who were learned in the
Scripture and Divine legislation changes and alterations, and the making
the forbidden allowed and visa versa, as we see them doing until this day,
then how about those who accept such actions from every Tom, Dick and Harry,
who have no scripture, and no wisdom and only pure speculation, whims and
desires, as is the case of Democracy?!?
So The Economist magazine's survey admits that Islam
makes no distinction between outward and inner, private and public life,
yet goes on to suggest Muslims should abandon this, and adopt the ways
of the worst error: disobedience to and rebellion against Allah, and commit
the unforgivable sin of ascribing partners to Him. Truly Allah speaks the
truth when He says: "Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied
with thee unless thou follow their form of religion" (Surah
al-Baqarah 2:120)and we seek refuge with Allah from that, for
surely we would be of the losers.