2. Al-Baqara

Once an object, which is not God, is accepted as God as a result of man’s superstitious attitude, many other accompanying evils ensue. An animal may come to be regarded as possessing supernatural powers—something possessed only by God. That animal is then held to be a means of achieving proximity to God and is expected to be a source of blessings. In the next generation all these superstitious beliefs become firmly rooted in the human psyche and are upheld with great zeal and fervour as the sacred way of the forefathers. At this stage, people become resistant to any rational analysis of these superstitious beliefs. The situation deteriorates further with succeeding generations. People reach a level where they are totally unable to hear or understand any argument put forward to them. They act as if they have neither eyes nor ears to see and hear, nor brains to give thought to any argument presented to them.

Human beings should feel thankful and obedient to God while eating food and drinking water. They should express themselves thus, ‘In accordance with God’s commandment, we are eating and drinking what God has provided us with.’ These emotions evoke in a man the feeling of true devotion to his Maker. But this psychological make-up changes in the case of self-styled beliefs. In that case man’s attention is diverted to the supposed properties of the things he consumes. Therefore, the same divine blessing which is meant to produce feelings of thanksgiving, evoke instead feelings of veneration for material objects. Under the influence of such false beliefs, man comes to accord the position of Creator to the created. If something is held unlawful by God, it is not owing to the sacredness of that thing but rather because it is something impure or the divine law has testified to its uncleanness, e.g. carrion, blood, swine or an animal sacrificed in the name of some idol instead of in the name of God. In cases of extreme necessity where a man’s life may be at stake, he may eat food otherwise forbidden, for instance when suffering extreme hunger and when no other food is available, or in illness, or other such circumstances as may compel him to do so. However, it is essential that such forbidden food should not be taken simply for the pleasure of the palate. That is, one must remain within the bare limits of necessity.

Human beings should feel thankful and obedient to God while eating food and drinking water. They should express themselves thus, ‘In accordance with God’s commandment, we are eating and drinking what God has provided us with.’ These emotions evoke in a man the feeling of true devotion to his Maker. But this psychological make-up changes in the case of self-styled beliefs. In that case man’s attention is diverted to the supposed properties of the things he consumes. Therefore, the same divine blessing which is meant to produce feelings of thanksgiving, evoke instead feelings of veneration for material objects. Under the influence of such false beliefs, man comes to accord the position of Creator to the created. If something is held unlawful by God, it is not owing to the sacredness of that thing but rather because it is something impure or the divine law has testified to its uncleanness, e.g. carrion, blood, swine or an animal sacrificed in the name of some idol instead of in the name of God. In cases of extreme necessity where a man’s life may be at stake, he may eat food otherwise forbidden, for instance when suffering extreme hunger and when no other food is available, or in illness, or other such circumstances as may compel him to do so. However, it is essential that such forbidden food should not be taken simply for the pleasure of the palate. That is, one must remain within the bare limits of necessity.

When superstitious beliefs about prohibitions have been accepted by the masses as religious beliefs and held sacred, the religious scholars of the community fail to muster enough courage to declare openly that those beliefs have nothing to do with true religion, for they are afraid that if they did so, they would be severing themselves from the general public to whom they owe their popularity. They may revel in such compromises as bring them wealth and honour, but in the eyes of God, they are the worst offenders. Hiding the truth for worldly considerations is not one of those offences that God will ignore in the Hereafter. These are in fact crimes that deprive man of God’s mercy. Worse still are those, who, instead of accepting the truth when it is presented to them start engaging in meaningless discussions. They develop a propensity to divisiveness and ultimately they stray so far from the truth that there remains no chance of their returning.

When superstitious beliefs about prohibitions have been accepted by the masses as religious beliefs and held sacred, the religious scholars of the community fail to muster enough courage to declare openly that those beliefs have nothing to do with true religion, for they are afraid that if they did so, they would be severing themselves from the general public to whom they owe their popularity. They may revel in such compromises as bring them wealth and honour, but in the eyes of God, they are the worst offenders. Hiding the truth for worldly considerations is not one of those offences that God will ignore in the Hereafter. These are in fact crimes that deprive man of God’s mercy. Worse still are those, who, instead of accepting the truth when it is presented to them start engaging in meaningless discussions. They develop a propensity to divisiveness and ultimately they stray so far from the truth that there remains no chance of their returning.

When superstitious beliefs about prohibitions have been accepted by the masses as religious beliefs and held sacred, the religious scholars of the community fail to muster enough courage to declare openly that those beliefs have nothing to do with true religion, for they are afraid that if they did so, they would be severing themselves from the general public to whom they owe their popularity. They may revel in such compromises as bring them wealth and honour, but in the eyes of God, they are the worst offenders. Hiding the truth for worldly considerations is not one of those offences that God will ignore in the Hereafter. These are in fact crimes that deprive man of God’s mercy. Worse still are those, who, instead of accepting the truth when it is presented to them start engaging in meaningless discussions. They develop a propensity to divisiveness and ultimately they stray so far from the truth that there remains no chance of their returning.

There is no doubt that there are certain accepted forms of religious conduct but, in essence, a religious act is aimed at discovering God as the light of the earth and the heavens, One who is closer to man than his jugular vein. What brings man closer to God is not the mere adherence to outward religious forms but such actions as he performs, in total sincerity, for the sake of God alone. Man must discover God in a way that He becomes a part and parcel of his being. All his actions must aim at earning God’s pleasure. His attachment to God should be so great that, even in the most trying circumstances, he must not waver from the straight path. In short, the Almighty’s pleasure can be earned only by displaying true faithfulness and not just by turning our faces in one or the other direction. Believing in God is to trust in God in the full sense of the word. Believing in the Hereafter means giving the utmost importance to the life of the Hereafter instead of to the life of this world. Believing in the angels means believing in God’s emissaries who are running this world at the divine command. Believing in the Book means believing that God has sent His guidance for man, which man must follow. Believing in the prophets is to accept these mortals as God’s chosen messengers. The faith in all these matters must so deeply pervade the believer’s psyche that he helps the needy and others in distress by spending his wealth, says his prayers by surrendering himself totally to God, and pays the poor due—his only motivation being to earn God’s pleasure. One of the characteristics of a true believer is that when he enters into a contract, he fulfills it, treating it as if he has entered into a covenant with God. His trust in God is so great, even in the most dire of circumstances, that he always adheres to the godly path. These are the characteristics of a true believer. One who possesses these qualities will earn God’s blessing in this world as well as in the Hereafter.

Islam has laid down the principle of retaliation in like measure (qisas). For example, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. Retribution for a killer means the forfeiture of his own life. In this way, on the one hand, a capital crime like the taking of life is effectively discouraged, for the fear of losing one’s own life deters one from taking another’s life and, as a result, the life of all the members of a society become protected. The killing of the killer guarantees the saving of lives in a society. Thus the objective of qisas is the protection of the members of society, and not revenge. Moreover, the vengeful feelings of the family of the murdered person are cooled, thus obviating the possibility of any further injurious activity. However, qisas in Islam permits a settlement to be arrived at between the killer and the killed. The heirs of the deceased person may, of course, opt for the execution of the killer, but they may also, if they so wish, accept blood-money instead, or even forgive him. The main aim of these alternatives is to guarantee the prevalence of brotherly feeling in Islamic society, and to prevent an atmosphere of rivalry taking root. Then the principle of blood-money has the special advantage of giving the bereaved family monetary compensation for the death of one of its members.

After someone’s death the problem arises as to how to deal with his or her wealth. The Islamic injunction in this regard is to distribute it in a just and equitable manner to the heirs. One who fears God should follow this injunction regarding the disposal of intestate property in the spirit of justice. This will create a brotherly atmosphere in society, preventing litigation and quarrels over property. Where there is a member of a family, like an orphaned grandson, or any other needy member of the family who does not inherit under the Islamic inheritance scheme, the testator may provide for him, as he has been given the power to dispose of up to one third of his property by making a will in his favour. Islam approves of every lawful device for keeping society free from litigation and quarrels. But unless this is the objective, the changing of the provisions of a will is unlawful.