THE ETERNAL RELIGION
Dr. Rafi Ismail Patel
Pages 542
Printed and Bound by
Maoolee Prints and Arts, 28/202, Anant Niwas, Dr. Vijaykumar Valimbe Marg, Parel Village, Mumbai-400012
Reviewed by KAMRAN SHAHID ANSARI
Ever since the inception of liberalism in the middle centuries, religion became a topic of discussion. It was the introduction of liberal ideas that questioned the monopoly of religion and religious preachers, which slowly and gradually led to the reduction of religious influence all across the globe, particularly in Europe. The rise of liberals led to the heated polemics questioning the veracity of religion and the issue of eternal religion came to surface. The presence of various religions forced people to brainstorm as to which religion is eternal and how to sift the truth from the plethora of opinions and options.
The brainstorming led to many different conclusions. Some began to tow the line of their ancestors; some others came up with the concept of unity of all religions, yet another group termed religions as different paths to reach the same lord, whereas few negated the very concept of God and the guidance revealed from Him. Now the question which even remains today is how to reach the truth i.e. what is the eternal religion?
Dr. Rafi Ismail Patel’s book, The Eternal Religion, tries to answer this question incorporating the varying degrees of questions that one comes across on the journey in search of truth. Dr. Patels’s book, written in simple and easy-to-understand English, is divided in three parts, with first part further divided into two sub-sections.
On the issue of how to deconstruct eternal religion, the book says; “…Among the revealed scriptures that scripture can only claim to be the most updated edition of the eternal religion, which is based upon the right estimation of the majesty of the one Eternal Lord and has a potential to guard itself against the innovation and misinterpretation. In addition, such a scripture must prove itself to be a testimony and a witness, confirming that all the revealed scriptures were from a single source preaching the same message of the one eternal religion.”
The book emphasises a lot on monotheism and extensively deals with the difference between absolute monotheism and non-absolute monotheism. It talks about the concoction that comes when people zero in on the external, visible and tangible god, while leaving aside the real, incomprehensible and utterly transcendent God. Excerpt:
“Belief in Non Absolute monotheism sets a vicious cycle of misconceptions as it is the outcome of not distinguishing the creator from the created, the eternal from the ephemeral, the infinite from the finite and the independent from the dependent. Non Absolute monotheism is the outcome of comparing the divine affairs on par with human affairs…Non Absolute monotheism is the outcome of false justification of human history as divine history. It is the outcome of reverence of an individual to the level of worship.”
The book takes on very genuine, yet largely unanswered questions which generally boggle human minds. It answers the question in an easy and comprehensible manner, without bringing in the complex concepts with which common man is unfamiliar. The book also explains the reason for interpolation in the divine guidance and warns the readers not to step into such domains which are confined only to the creator of the world. We as a created being will never be able to comprehend and understand some part of the message from divine as we will never be able to elevate to the level of the creator. Hence one must refrain from indulging in such questions whose answers are beyond our reach. Excerpt:
“The Qur’ān frequently warns not to conjure about that of which one has no knowledge and especially if it belongs to the unseen domain like the creator and the life of hereafter. Unfair privilege in the interpretation of divinity has led to deviation from the original faith and emergence of diverse theologies and different objects of worship.”
One thing which adds credibility to the arguments of the book is that every argument is substantiated by related verses from the Holy Qur’ān. The book is full of translated verses from the Holy Qur’ān with proper citations. It can be termed as a complete book for those who want to know the basic tenets of Islam and which covers a large number of topics while dealing with the question of eternal religion. The book dedicates particular chapters on ‘Freedom of Will,’ ‘Final Destiny,’ ‘Essence of Faith,’ ‘Messenger and Scripture,’ ‘Day of Judgment,’ ‘Deviation from Eternal Religion,’ ‘Eternal Reward and Punishment,’ ‘Allah’s Mercy,’ etc.
Dr. Patel in the concluding chapter of the book devotes a page to death and tries to reinvigorate in the hearts of readers a sense of urgency to hold fast to the eternal religion which Allah has sent. “There is no second chance to make amends.”
The book would prove to be a good read for those who have just begun their journey and want to quench their thirst of knowledge. In this context the first page of the book which says, “Dedicated to those, who want to educate their faith,” seems rather falling in line with the contents of the book.
The book will hopefully awake the hearts which have not yet turned to the eternal and Supreme Being by answering the unanswered and explaining the unexplained.