THE MUSLIM DILEMMA

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.