People are not going to convert to the new religion that is being offered to them. And by ‘people’ I mean the people of Pakistan who by an overwhelming majority were born Muslims, grew up as Muslims and carry Muslim beliefs. The name of the new religion that is being offered to them is Enlightened Moderation. As no one yet has taken any trouble to define this ‘phrase’ each of its followers is free to interpret it in the manner that suits him or her. For example, to some, enlightened moderation means not to frown at some one who finds nothing objectionable in appearing in a state of ‘semi-undress’ in public. To others, it may mean freedom to act in whatever manner he or she wants to act, to treat morality and all matters related to it in whichever way pleases him or her, and to abandon whichever values are in conflict with prevalent fashion and modernity. To some others it may mean to treat religion purely as a personal matter, and keep it as far away from matters of economy, social conducts and politics, as possible. To America in particular and to the West in general, enlightened moderation means ‘re-reading of Quran, re-interpretation of its dictates and commandments, editing of its text if possible and re-inventing the meanings if the text cannot be edited.’ Most subscribers to this concept of enlightened moderation are those who find it ‘taxing’, ‘demanding’ and ‘bothersome’ to practice Islam as it is. Some others are those who have cultivated all such habits and practices which are not in conformity with Islamic injunctions, or which are in their outright violation. They feel guilty in the absence of a convenient justification for their way of life. And a concept like ‘enlightened moderation’ offers them an escape from guilt. And there are many who simply have no place for religion in their lives. Either theoretically. Or in practice. They are perfectly happy with their secularism. And with their ‘you sleep with your mistress, and I sleep with mine’ culture. To them religion is a constant pain in the neck, and sooner this ‘humbug’ is rooted out from their environment, the better.
Everything in my view boils down to one simple equation. Does God exist for us? Or He doesn’t?
For me He exists.
And I decided about it more than five decades back. Even though my belief in God now is blind and rocklike, and it can not be disturbed or shaken by even the most savage onslaught of the tides of Reason, yet when I first vowed my firm allegiance to the Existence of an Almighty God, it was not without going through a period of questioning, doubt, uncertainty, fear and mental turmoil. I was lucky to find some very convincing answers to all the questions I had in my mind regarding the matters related to the “Natural”, the “Supernatural”, the “Earthly” and the “Celestial”. Let me state here that most of these “answers” sprang up from certain personal experiences which had no basis in the term Reason.
I was quick to conclude that Reason had and would always have its limits, and to arrive at Truth through Reason required many a lifetime.
Here I am now. A Believer.
A Believer who says: “There is no God but God. And Mohammad (PBUH) is His Prophet.”
A believer need not be a Muslim. But I am. The reason I am, is that in my view there has to be one God. And because He has to be One, He has to possess same Attributes and Qualities. God cannot be One and Many at the same time. God cannot be Creator and Created at the same time. God cannot be a Single Entity and a Family at the same time. Thus I arrived at the conclusion that it was God of Mohammad (PBUH) and Of Al Quran Who was the Real God. The One and the Only. Whom none had given birth to, and Who had given birth to none. Who stood Mighty in His Oneness. And Sublime. And Invisible. And with no shape. No limits. Who had created the Universe and all that existed and would exist from infinity to infinity.
Everything, as I said, boils down to the recognition of this one fact.
If I do believe that there is God, and that He is God of Mohammad Who has revealed Himself, His Will and His Guidelines in His Book (Al Quran), I simply have to believe that whatever He has commanded, ordained and prescribed for us in His Verses is final, irrefutable, undisputable and irrevocable.
If anyone cannot make himself or herself come to believe in the Word of God, and if anyone considers the Word of God in conflict with his or her concept of liberalism, libertarianism, enlightenment and moderation, the best course for him or her is to declare his or her exact state of belief.
A person is either a Muslim, or not.
In between is nothing but void.
And those who live in this void don’t have any right to decide about the destiny of 210 million Muslims of Pakistan.
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