The
contemporary Muslim’s relation with Islam, as I see, is one of dilemma. The
crux of the problem lies in the Muslims’ inability in understanding the
relation between Islam and modernity, which is, in fact, complementary and not
derogatory. Is this because of ignorance
or because of some vested interests’ fear of losing their grip on the Muslim
society?
Modern Muslim lives in the middle of
countless moments of irreconcilable differences, within and without. These
include the values taught and promoted within the mosques and madrassas and the
secular ways of life out of the mosque; the laws emanating from Shari’a, and
the official law of the land; the inherently pervasive and centralized modern
state, and the un-representativeness of the Muslim body politics; the world-view
advanced by modern education, and that associated with traditional texts in the
Islamic schools. In many respects, therefore, what is ‘Islamic’ in modern
Islamic thought is largely a construct in which a complex nexus of forces and
cognitions are at play in the context of modernity, which defies easy labels
and definitions. Today’s Muslim feels that in the present state of things, they
can neither get salvation in their life hereafter, nor experience prosperity
and advancement in their life hereunder.
The future of Islam in the events
of the forthcoming world can be estimated on the basis of its past resilience
towards historic changes. Islam is not
the only civilization that has potential to cope with the changing
circumstances of the world events. What distinguishes Islam is its attitude of
ethical trends in social behavior and political justice. The need of the hour is to protect the values
embedded in pristine Islam and not let them be corrupted by misuse for
political ends by hereditary monarchs and sultans. This, to be sure, is the
real challenge which Islam faces today.
