I was watching a short video discussing ‘freedom of expression’ (referring also to a proposed law to make criticism of Israel a crime). The video was highlighting the guest as author of ‘God is not great’, as if he is next in literary excellence only to the author of The Satanic Verses.
A second thought on these confirms the truthfulness and superiority of God. Because the same Creator, Master and Lord of the worlds, gave man the ingrate, freedom to criticise Him to the extent that he denies His very existence. The ideas, utterances and actions of ungodly followers of devil should not be allowed to cause any further chaos and bloodshed.
How can Islam, which says ‘let there be no compulsion in religion’ and instructs to say to its distracters ‘unto you your religion and unto me my religion’, force anyone into its fold? How can it condone terrorism when it says ‘killing of a single soul without valid reason is like killing of the entire humanity’ and ‘saving of a single soul is like saving of entire humanity’?
If the Merciful Allah who provided all faculties and guidance for man throughout his long history and blessed him with the final forms of shahadah, salaat, zakaat, saum and hajj is not the Greatest, who else can it be?
Very few of us are aware of Islam as the only unique balance between matter and spirit. For example, a hadith that says ‘trust in God but tie your camel’. In other words ’God helps those who help themselves’.
In TV programmes like ‘aap aur hum’ on ETV-Urdu, for example, there are barrage of questions like ‘how to overcome examination fever?’, ‘how to ensure success in examinations?, the solution to most of whom lies in the above hadith. You should do whatever you can humanly (physically and mentally) in the matter, (perform salat-ul-hajat etc.) and leave the rest to Allah the Almighty. This prevents students getting into nervousness and tension to the extent of getting unconscious in exam-halls.
There is no question of any prayers going unanswered. In case the prayer seems to be going unanswered, an equivalent recompense is expected in the hereafter. Prayers of parents for their children, of children for their parents, of the oppressed against the oppressor are promptly answered.
Supporting one’s family economically by legitimate earning and ambition are a form of worship as well.
People today say ‘do not discuss religion’, ‘I do not believe in any religion’, ‘don’t mix religion with politics’ so far and so on. There are still others who directly or indirectly mix their own blind beliefs or religion in politics and are dead opposed to Islamists coming to power in Muslim countries even by democratic means. This in spite of pluralism existing in Islamic states throughout.