PAK ISLAMIC STUDIES
ROLE OF ISLAMIC TEACHINGS IN PAKISTANI SOCIETY REPORT ARIF SAEED 7/1/2009
Role of Islamic teachings are playing in our society and how we can further enhance it.
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CONTENT: 1. What is religion and what role it posses in human life? 2. Role of Islam in life and society 3. Overview of Pakistani Society a. Role of parents b. Role of educational institutes c. Role of religious scholars d. Role of media (TV / Radio / Newspapers) e. Role of Government f.
Wrong concepts
4. Steps for betterment 5. Views of random people 6. Conclusion
RELIGION AND ITS ROLES IN OUR LIFE Religion means “The Path” and ‘The Way”. Religion not only teaches us the love of the creator but also it’s a guide of life. Religion tells us the right way to live our life. Religion possesses an important role in the life of man; call it a guide or way to success for life hereafter.
“For most people, religion provides answers to the big questions in life. It teaches people how they should relate to their desires, worries, and fears. It also brings them comfort and impresses upon them the need for resignation. At the same time, based on these teachings, it provides a system of norms regarding daily conduct.” {Hideki Kato Chairman, The Tokyo Foundation (http://global.tokyofoundation.org/en/opinion/article/o08040102/view)}
ROLE OF ISLAM IN LIFE AND SOCIETY Islam is a complete code of life, a complete guide of life which covers each and everything a man can face in life. Islam is a major part of our life being a Muslim, not only it teaches about the Almighty Allah and how to worship and thank him for all the gifts he provided us but also to tell us how to live with each other in a society. Holy Quran is our main book and our Holy Prophet (SAWW) is practical of these teachings and a bright model for us to follow. Islam gives us two duties, Duties towards Allah (Haqooq Allah) and Duties towards other humans (Haqooq ul Ibad). Duties towards other human beings are the duties for society. Islamic teachings play vital role in every aspect of life, whether being a good son, being a good and respecting student, husband and father. Islam teaches care for others, respect for elders, helping and being good with neighbors and other beings. Thus by acting on Islamic teachings truly, society can be heaven on earth.
OVERVIEW OF PAKISTANI SCOIETY Pakistan itself is based on ideology of Islam, as we popularly know the phrase, “Pakistan ka matlab kia, La illaha illallah” The roots of Pakistani Society are build on the strong base of islam, and it reflects in our traditions and in our living and daily life. The respect a Pakistani child got in his heart for his elders and other fellows is the teachings of islam and also the will to sacrifice his own life for country (country build on the name of islam) to get the honorable position of “Shaheed”. But with a glorious past we also have to pay attention to where now we are heading towards as a society. The fading respect for parents, for sister and brother and even mothers, the declining respect for teachers and elders, drifting away from the teachings of islam and a rush to get a label of moderinism. Theft, bribe, corruption and most of all not thinking them as sin its a point to worry for all of us and for our future. Wisemen said that a person who thinks he is doing a sin got a chance that he will ask forgivness, but the person who dont thinks sin as a sin and justifies it will not have that chance. The problem of today in our society might be that we are justifying our sins. The teachings of islam that are present in our society to some extent are that a child is taught respect of elders and teachers and parent and of fellows, the family system is strong due to islam, because parents never leaves their child as mostly seen in non muslim world, also the children dont throw there parents in old homes, as they knew its their duty to take care of them. A functional member of Pakistani society knows what is right and what is wrong and the habbit of worship Almighty Allah and helping others is what we can say are the results of teachings of islam. Though they are fading in some parts and increasing in some. The respect levels are declining at such fast rate on the name of moderinism that I got cold shivers in my spine when I saw a girl in a Dare Challange Show claiming to salp her mother because she said something about her boyfriend. Thats not the only case of disrespect of such kind in our sorroundings. Just stop for a second a look around there a dozens of examples like such. This is not what Islam teaches us this not any parent would want his child to be like then the question arises why they are turning to be like this? Mother, Parents, teachers and society are the institutions of learning for a child, we will get the answer when we will observer and analyze what role they are playing. ROLE OF PARENTS IN SOCIETY
Parents are the first source of education for a child, till the school going age the child observes his parents and that’s the period he develops the character that is lifelong. ROLE OF EDUCATION IN SOCIETY Education is very important and vital part of our lives without which our lives would have no meanings and would be leading our lives in a way that wild animals do. Education teaches the manner to live and move in society and help us making our lives and society to be a better place to live. “Education is the underlying firmament that makes good governance, a fair and open judicial system, and technological development possible. The true nature of education in the civilized society runs deeply through all that we are and have achieved. In fact, I contend that without education the civilized society would not be possible. Education defines what a civilized society is. Education does not “polish off” a society and make it that little bit more civilized, it is not the icing on the cake when everything else has been dealt with, but rather is the fundamental pillar of the structure that helps to makes society civilized in the first place”. ( Speech by Olwyn Enright TD, Spokesperson on Education and Science)
Now as we realized that education plays a vital role in any society and the quality of education is also very important. What education teaches us in an Islamic society (Pakistan) is what are right ways and what are wrong, it aware us with respect and tells us about our Holy Prophet and his model life and trains us to love Allah and his Prophet and to aim and try to walk on way Holy Prophet (SAWW) shown to us and it makes us functional Muslim Pakistani, and the sole purpose to demand Pakistan (freedom to live life as Muslim) Being a Muslim the main and sole purpose is to worship Allah and enjoy life discovering his things, his creations and the whole universe was made for man to discover and remember Allah. But our educational system glided a bit from the way and made Islamite and Islamic teachings a different subject, Islamic teachings are mostly looked like another subject in educational institutes, just take the class memorize it and pass the examination, it’s not taught as a code of life as a guide to live and as the root of all subjects. Our educational system is making Islam just another subject. How can we hope for a truly Islamic member of society from an institute when we never told him that the worldly issues and jobs are in the end to live a life according to Islam and to worship Almighty Allah.
ROLE OF MEDIA IN SOCIETY
Media plays a vital role in shaping any society. A side effect of media is that it promotes the sins too which is wrong, Scholars agreed that sin must be hidden or kept secret (and must ask for Allah’s forgiveness) for seven following reasons: 1. Almighty Allah dose want sin to be open in society, as Holy Prophet (SAWW)
said that if one commits a sin he must keep it secret behind the cover of Allah. 2. Secondly if it (sin) remained hidden in this world there is hope that they will be kept secret in life hereafter. 3. Person who committed the sin must fear the taunting of people, as it will
make him sad and he might loose interest in good deeds. 4. People might be against him or taunt him for his sin. 5. He must fear that if it will be known to people it might make that sin popular
and people might do it after him. Over asking some people they answered that media is not actually spreading the sins it is trying to grab the attention of government to take notice and stop, but I must question you, is it what’s happening? Another things that media is spreading like virus is glamour and elite life style, if young minds and elders are shown elite class of living in dramas, don’t you think they will also wish for such life style and if the greed increases it will push them to get money and that life from whatever means they can get.
ROLE OF GOVERMENT IN SOCIETY If we pick the Muslim history we will observe that they faced four identical problems in nearly all ages. Those are: 1) Unstable politics and government which mostly revolves around personal interests. 2) Lack of unity, always divided in groups which lead to lack of patience and anger.
3) Materialism and greed for wealth and rule and for this people even conspired against their own country. 4) Instead of practicing simple acts of Islam always stuck in complexities of Islam and ruined their world and world hereafter. (Tarikh Islam ki Azeem Shakhsiat by Nama-e-Saheeb page vii ) And these conditions are still present today and the rush and greed for rule wealth and power is still on the run. Being a Muslim country its duty of governing body to make it an Islamic society. Islam has not bounded us to certain pre-made social system. The vivid and ideal qualities and Islamic society must possess are: 1) “To not have wish for rule himself and to avoid any personal interests and benefits. 2) Rulers must not act like dictators but take suggestion from group of wise people. 3) State must be a welfare state, where every citizen gets full government support for his life, wealth and rights. 4) Promoting good deeds and stopping sins. First Islamic society was established by Holy Prophet (SAWW) in Madina, later Khulfa-eRashideen followed the same system.” {Tareekh-e-Islam ki Azeem Shakhsiat page viii} It is not that the qualities are not present in our society but it’s because people are corrupting as the government is not able to play its role properly and keep the cycle rolling.
MISCONCEPTIONS AND COMPLICATIONS: “life of Sahaba-e-karam is a proof that they think religion (islam) attached with every aspect of life and work accordingly, that’s why we see that some sahaba karam are expert in war so they took more part in fights, while some had interest in praying , and some in other but we never sew that if one had interest in one thing so he only talked about it and rest of things matter nothing to him.
In the beginning when scholars saw lack of anything they turned more attention towards it. Like Hasan Basri when saw lack of spiritualism he tried to wake the society, but some less wise took it as the all about religion, while some stuck into the complications of Islam and only gave attention to one part of it and neglected the other , which misbalanced the beautiful balance of Islam” {Tareekh-e-Islam ki Azeem Shakhsiat page xiii} During my queries with different people I realized that many people thinks that life now is more complicated than that old ages which indirectly and unconsciously they are saying that, God forbid, Islam is old for new age, which is not the case things are not complicated more, but we made them. The continuous false role of institutions and scholars are increasing the gap between Islam and real world. Adding my own experience, once I have to argue with teacher when teaching us the benefit of learning education and its rewards, he said by “Ilm” it means education of Islam not worldly education, which stunned me because I have read that if a person provides his family food and shelter from the earnings rightfully earned, it’s a good deed itself. And worldly education and jobs make it possible to earn by rightful means not by illigimate means. The point is, we need to correct the coming generations from school and institutions. If worldly affairs are so non Islamic then Islam might have taught us to leave everything behind and live in forest and deserts, but that’s not the case Islam guides and teaches us to live within the society, handle worldly affairs and worship our creator Almighty Allah.
STEPS FOR BETTERMENT: Mostly after a problem a question arises that What should I do? OR What can I do? The answer is simple; to solve bigger problems we have to start from smallest thing we can do, just like to reach the top you have to step on first stair. Society is interrelated in such complex ways that one action affects all, If a person is bad, it’s not only his decision, he might be affecting others around him. So to make a new better society in Pakistan, we have to start from ourselves. You might say, this is it? Yes, if we start from ourselves, then we can be a good child, student, worker and a good citizen and we will also be making an example for others and if many people start , and everyone start from himself instead of waiting for some big revolution suddenly in morning. In this way the whole society will start to output better persons to rule and when better rulers, they country will move rapidly towards development and a happy Islamic society.
Problems are that we don’t want to do hard work ourselves and want to wait for some miracle. Most of time people will complain that, this country is now hopeless? why not hopeless if you don’t want to move and work for it instead our young generation like and feel proud to abandon their country. May Allah guide our nation and put it back on right track (off course with our hard work too involved in it)
VIEWS OF PEOPLE: I decided to ask some people in my surrounding and find out their views.
Q1) Role of Islamic teachings in Pakistani society? •
Tanvir Ullah Khan (Director Medialine Advertising)
Islam is much saturated in eastern traditions and the respect we see and family system and awareness of right and wrong is the role of Islamic teachings young’s are taught. Parents still care for their child and child knows the duty to care for his parent in elder age is also Islamic teachings. •
Ibrahim Fahmi Chohan (Managing Director Medialine Advertising)
As modern studies are proving Quran and Sunnah right which means that we can build a strong society on the basis of Islam, the current infra structure of Pakistani society is much based on Islam. It’s another thing that we are going away from it. Islam is not form anyone but from most powerful Almighty Allah. The remaining good in Pakistani society is due to Islam. •
Fouzia Inam (Lecturer, FAZAIA College)
Religion is basic part of our society. Societies that don’t have religion or believes are like untamed animals. Eastern/Pakistani customs and culture is heavily based on Islam. Religion is not part of life , it is life
Q1) what should we do to correct or improve current situation of Pakistani society? •
Tanvir Ullah Khan (Director Medialine Advertising)
Parents must teach and guide their child in his childhood, a child learns what he see and taught, we cannot expect to get a good personality when we don’t taught them. Childhood is very important , it’s the base of the personality. •
Ibrahim Fahmi Chohan (Managing Director Medialine Advertising)
Islam must be included in every stage of education according to my thinking, Islam is life and it’s not something different from other subjects, study must be done in Islamic way. It’s not impossible to make doctor and engineers who act on Islamic teachings.
•
Fouzia Inam (Lecturer, FAZAIA College)
For this change we have to change our educational system. we have to relate and take religion and education side by side. We must also give attention on moral characters of students. Media also play it role in education the youth.
Q1) Whom to blame? •
Ibrahim Fahmi Chohan (Managing Director Medialine Advertising)
Apart from ourselves we can blame the scholars and leaders of this time. •
Tanvir Ullah Khan (Director Medialine Advertising)
Instead of blaming we have to work ideally in our limits. Government never stopped you to be a good citizen and good student and to respect the law; we must apply law from our own side and circle. On other hand government must use the resources wisely and work for the betterment for society and nation.
Rest of people more looked like they are waiting for someone or something to work for them instead, they only want the problem to be solved, not to solve the problem. Many wanted the teachers to do this and many blamed the government for all the sins people doing on their own. Which points out the depression and hopelessness and laziness in general people and it is looking like a fashion to just blame someone out and sit back and relax and wait that one morning it might be all done. Now it’s you turn to think what we are doing and what we can, we want to be a follower of crowd or we want to make your own path.
THE END.