The need for Islam’s rational and spiritual prescription

a similarity between the current era and the era of be’that

 

Today we are in one of those situations. What are the conditions that have to be met before a call gains ground among nations and countries and attracts attention? First, the call has to be rational and reasonable. Any claim that distances Islam from its rational foundation will work against the growth and spread of Islam. Those who comment on Islamic issues should pay attention to this point. Islam is a religion that is based on rationality.

Islam is a religion that can be understood, appreciated and accepted by healthy minds. This is the characteristic of Islam. This does not mean that every Islamic ruling should be accompanied by a rational justification. Why does the dawn prayer consist of two raka’at? Does this require a rational justification? No. Similarly, it does not mean that any rational reasoning that comes to mind could be found in Islam. Rather, it means that Islamic teachings which are judged by religious experts to originate from Islam, can be defended in any rational and scholarly setting.

It is possible to make even the most materialistic people understand what prayer is and why Islam has made it obligatory. A famous western intellectual from the 19th century, which was the century of impiety in the west, says that prayer contains a great secret. I do not want to mention the name of that intellectual, but he is famous. Yes, if prayer did not contain a great secret, an intellectual in that materialistic context would not have said such a thing. Just, scholarly and logical people can understand all Islamic teachings. They can appreciate and accept all Islamic teachings. This is the characteristic of Islam.

Therefore, being logical and rational is one of the characteristics of Islam. Those who try to distance Islam from this characteristic, those who promote the idea that Islamic teachings go against science and rationality, those who attribute to Islam what is not Islamic and cannot be confirmed and accepted by sound minds – such people are definitely working against the spread of Islam and they are not at all helping Islam. This characteristic of Islam is an inherent quality that can help Islam spread in the world.

Another characteristic of Islam is that it is spiritual and divine. That is to say, Islam is not like the picture that is presented of Christianity whose spiritual aspects dominate its worldly aspects. Islam considers the world as part of the hereafter. Your life, your business activities, your studies, your bureaucratic work and your political activities are part of your afterlife. The world is part of the hereafter. The acts that you perform with good intentions are virtuous deeds that will help you achieve closeness to God and high spiritual positions in the hereafter. If, God forbid, you do certain things out of selfishness, those things will lead to spiritual decline and your downfall.

This is how Islam is. Everything that exists in our life and all our worldly efforts are part of our afterlife. The world is not separate from the hereafter. What is bad is that you perform your daily activities with bad intentions. This is what is meant by the negative meaning of “worldly life”. Otherwise, the world is not separate from the hereafter. This world is the farm of the hereafter. What is meant by “farm”? Is it possible to reap what you have sowed anywhere other than your farm? This shows perfect unity and harmony. Islam is a spiritual religion despite the fact that it attaches importance to every aspect of worldly life. In an Islamic environment, hearts should have a tendency towards God. Intentions should be divine. This is among the characteristics of Islam and a means for spreading Islam.

The shortcoming that is currently felt in the world is the lack of spirituality and the spiritual vacuum, particularly in the western world. They are obsessed with materialistic aspects of life. They have drifted away from spirituality. They are immersed in human passions. The characteristic of human passions is that if they are continued, they lead people into a life of hell. When human passions dominate the life of a person or a nation, they turn their life into hell. This is the characteristic of human passions. You cannot find a person who continues living a happy life while indulging in human passions. God has not created such a person.

If you go and research this issue, you will come to the same conclusion. This is definite and obvious. As far as human beings are concerned, living in passions is the same as living in hell, and this is the problem that has plagued the life of some wealthy people in the west. And those who are not wealthy are drowning in a hell of poverty, wretchedness and corruption. Of course, this is not the case with all westerners. There are always exceptions among all kinds of people. Definitely, there are good people in the west. However, their situation is generally like this. Today’s world requires this be’that. 

Reference:Lessons from the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) A selection of statements by Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on the personality and be’that of the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.)