IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL

 

DO WE NEED GOD [ALLAH]?

 

[Shamim A Siddiqi, New York]

 

INTRODUCTION: Throughout the past millennium, many human beings, both individually and collectively, have been struggling to keep the concept of God away from socio-economic-political spheres of the society, restricting His presence only on personal and spiritual levels. The stalwarts of secularism, the “naturalist”, the ultra-liberal “cosmonauts” of modernism and the vested classes in different societies were clamoring to establish a system of “God-less” creed in the body politics of their respective countries. However, they succeeded only in getting their people more confused and frustrated. Pursuing the concept of denying the existence of God, the Communist Russia and its allies in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America succumbed to their call of nihilism and now lying buried on the bed of history. Its remnants in China, Indo China, India and elsewhere in the world have adopted the newly “knitted” garb of “socio-capitalism.” They are striving hard more for capitalistic economy in competition to advanced and developed countries of Europe, America and Japan than for their inherent pattern of socialism. They are keeping their system based on secular-cum-nationalistic idealism under tightly “controlled” unitary governments with little or no democracy at all and constantly violating human rights. The concept of God in all these countries is just marginal and purely “personal” between man and his or her Creator. The moral values of all these societies are dwindling fast, leaving only selfish self-centered materialistic characters behind at personal, national and international levels.

 

Muslims whose lives should have been rotating only around the concept of Monotheism stand in negation of what they declare through reciting their “Kalama” [prescribed words to express faith in God] “La Ilaha Illallah.” [There is no deity except Allah] They are monotheist just in name and the revolutionary Kalama is no longer inspiring their lives in any aspect. In return, they have lost the battle of “setting” models in this world to secular forces everywhere. As a result, they are no longer in the “good books” of Allah as an Ummah and are losing ground in every field of life. Jews, unfortunately, have made God as “O God of Israel” with an acute sense of “monopoly” as personal God with complete secular attitude of life as they are practicing in Israel and elsewhere in the world. Christians through “innovation” introduced by St. Paul adopted the concept of Trinity at its very beginning and spoiled the fair “fountain of monotheism” as propounded both in Old and New Testaments. Prophet Jesus (pbuh] never claimed by himself that he is the son of God. As such, the concept of “Tawheed” [monotheism] stands somewhere “polluted” and somewhere totally obscured in all the three sects of Abrahamic faiths. The consequences of this mishap are tremendous. All the three sects are suffering immensely in their social, moral, economic, political and spiritual spheres of life that is devoid of the concept of God. This deviation has made the people just to think only about this world and nothing beyond its horizons after death as if this is the only life. So enjoy it as much as you can.

 

As regards non-Abrahamic faiths, they are mostly idolaters or belong to pagan world of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. They mostly worship the idols of their respective “Gods”, animate and inanimate objects of nature and the manifestation of Creator’s bounties that are scattered all around in this cosmos. However, they all believe in some kind of God, the Almighty and in distress they call Him alone but through their idols: stones, trees, sun, moon, stars and human “body-parts”, filling their lives only with frustration and disbalances. They resort to secularism for the worldly problems as Jews, Christians and Muslims are behaving in the body politics of their countries.

 

THE AMAZING CONTRAST:  We all are living in the world created not by anyone of us, enjoying its enormous bounties with every moment of life without any contribution from any mortal frame except changing its utility value either transferring from one place to another or changing the shape of material that already exists. We are only exploring and exploiting the animate and inanimate objects of this cosmos without rendering any help in its planning, production and running the entire system meticulously in strictly disciplined order. However, man claims every now and then that he is the “master of all what he surveys.” Man hardly thinks that how it all came into existence. How omnipotent, how ever-vigilant and watchful, how extraordinarily regulator that power is? In contrast, how week and ungrateful we the humans are? How powerless we are on the surface of the earth? Just imagine, can we all together produce an insignificant “live fly”? Not only that, think the condition of our hopelessness that if a fly “takes away” something out of our food in front of us, can we take it back? How week is our claim of mastering this world and its contents?

 

In the midst of this “precarious” condition of humans, man declares that he is the sovereign. He asserts that sovereignty belongs to the people. How ridiculous this claim is? Man does not know his own shortcomings, neither his past that is obscured except some scanty knowledge and nothing about the future except making some rough shots here and there, claiming that he would deliver the code of conduct, a system of life, for self and the human society both at individual and collective levels. Can anything be far from truth than this assertion? History proves that all human efforts in the past and in the current world,  have been abortive, unsuccessful and of bitter failure, irrespective of the fact whether it is feudal system, capitalistic way of life, socialism, kingship or dictatorship [of the preliterate] of the past, present or the future. Humans have always cut a sorry figure because of the fact that this world does not belong to him or her in any form. He is not the master but its custodian only, a trustee, for a very little time of a few decades or so. It is the inherent right of the Creator and Sustainer of this cosmos to tell His supreme creature, the man, as how to live, act and behave in the world that does not belong to him or her in any way. It shows how dependable man is on his or her Creator and Sustainer but equally, how unmindful he/she is of this fact.     

 

However, humans are not prepared to accept this position. of man on earth. He is obstinate, adamant and a carry a sense of vanity in his “little” mind that he must do what he feels proper for himself and his society. This attitude of arrogance has played havoc in human society and its repercussions are extremely dangerous for the humans and their abode. The “temporary” custody that man gets over the material objects of this world, he assumes that he is the master and behaves like an arrogant. Humans use that “limited” mastery so recklessly that they fill the earth with chain of “oppression” and “exploitation” only. Who can give redress to suffering humanity?  For that, we need the Supreme authority of God. Why? It needs elaboration of the situation in which man lives on this earth and uses this world and its resources for the benefits of self, family or nation selfishly and makes this abode of man ‘unbearable” both for the oppressed and the have-nots.

 

WE NEED GOD - WHY? 

 

This question of “WHY” is very relevant in this context.  It would be extremely clear if I produce some scenarios from human life, the society that he/she constitutes and the living condition of man on earth. It would help us in understanding and concluding as” why we need God?”

 

First Scenario: Human society is full of injustices everywhere and at every place as we see around us. Humanity is crying under the pressure of “Zulm” [oppression] and tyranny but who cares? Human rights are being violated every now and then but where to appeal and to whom? The life of common man on earth has become extremely miserable and there is none to look after his or her sad plight. Those who are controlling the affairs of human society, sitting at the helm of its affairs, playing with destiny of mankind at national and international levels, in fact, are part of this process.  All the national and international institutions that stand for human rights protection, rendering humanitarian services on global levels are just expressing “lip” sympathy with the suffering humanity as they are totally powerless to hold the hands of the tyrants who are perpetrating the oppression on their fellow citizen on this earth. There is none to curb these atrocities, hold their hands and punish them for their innumerable heinous crimes, while sitting under the canopy of powerful governments and multinational agencies and corporations.

 

The so-called courts of Justices are adding fuel to the fire as they go by the laws and regulations that are made by the same “incompetent” men who are ignorant both of the past and the incumbent future. The judicial system of the time everywhere has become only a “stooge” in the hands of the “unjust” manmade system of life to perpetuate its age old tyranny and exploitation in the name of “law and order” and manipulating the “limited” rights that are mentioned in their respective constitutions and charters and whose implementation depends on the sweet will of the party in power. For instance a lot of human rights are guaranteed in Indian, American, French, Russian and unwritten British constitution, especially for the minorities and have-nots and the existing Muslim countries where even there is “no” guarantee at all, unfortunately, in ant form, who is going to see that these rights are not being violated every now and then by the people and regimes in power? They go by their whims, caprices, party politics and political expediencies and not by the rights of the “oppressed” or that of the minorities as per their own constitutions or commitments. All the secular governments around the world run their respective administration under oath to uphold the constitutional rights of their people but how many are “impeached” for its violation. Now the question arises who can scold them for their neglect, direct them to do justice and punish them for the gross violation of human rights and injustices that they are committing on their people? Where and in what court of appeal the oppressed could go for the attainment of justice that is “willfully” denied to them?

 

All the democracies and constitutional governments, what to say of dictatorial regimes, are silent on this point. They have, of course, established one International Court of Justice at Hague to protect the rights of the oppressed, minorities, injustices, crimes against humanity but it is a laughing stock of impotency as it has no force to implement its judgment. The recent verdict of this “august” body against the State of Israel that its building the “Wall of Demarcation” on the land of Palestine State is illegal and hence be removed does not hold good anywhere. Now see how this decision is being ridiculed by the Jewish State with an attitude of contempt and adamancy. Who will implement its decision? Will it by UN?  Forget it. It is another hopelessly impotent body whose resolutions are never carried out by its own permanent members and Israel at the behest of the superpower that is called the USA? Who will then deliver the justice and what “door” the oppressed people of the world should knock? The people of Kashmir are being butchered by the secular government of India but she did not care for the resolutions passed by the Security Council to have a referendum but who cares? More than fifty years have passed but Kashmir is still bleeding fast like Palestine and Chechnya, Afghanistan and Iraq. Where the sufferers should go for redress? It needs an absolutely supreme authority above the human institutions whose decisions are implemented without any challenge by any mortal frame and who is fully aware of all the circumstances and the truth about each and every happening on earth.  Where is that Supreme and omnipotent power to give redress to human sufferings? Can it be anything other than the Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer?            

 

Second Scenario: An individual, a tyrant, a monarch, a dictator commits a crime in the dead of night, behind the four walls of his of her house, in complete privacy where no police or any government agency is present and is able to hide it from the ken of mortal eyes as it happens in millions of cases everyday. Who will punish these culprits or from where the sufferers will get justice? They are beyond the catch of “manmade” laws. Who will bring him or her to the court of justice? Such people pass away from this world unnoticed, undetected and unpunished. How they will be made accountable, where and when justice will be delivered to the oppressed? Not only that who will account for the evil effects of the “hidden” crime that may continue for generations to come and centuries together. The crimes committed by Hitler, Stalin, fascist regimes of Italy and Japan in World War II, the crimes of genocide by Sharon, Monahan Began, Nasir, Sa’dat, Mubarak, Saddam, Hafiz Asad, the Bushes in America, the Sheikhs of the Middle East and millions and millions more around the world that are being committed every now and then, who will put each of the culprits to task and how they will be punished? This state of affairs suggests that there must be a supreme power that knows the past, the present and the future and has the unprecedented unquestionable power to foresee the evil effects of each act in a cumulative form and then punishes these criminals and compensate the oppressed justly and fairly. Can that Supreme authority be anything other than God?

 

Third Scenario: There are thousands and thousands of poets, novelists, philosophers, writers, actors and demagogues who spread only blasphemy, immorality and sensuality in the world through their writings, compositions, speeches and creative outputs and spoil the human society with corrupt practices. How will they be accounted for their wide spread consequences that continue for ages together. What human authority and what master computer can screen their evil effects? No human means can do it. Just take the case of Darwin, Marx, Lenin and Fried: Can any human being or any human built machine calculate the disaster that these philosophers of repute have created in the minds of modern man with what consequences both in personal and collective lives? Man with his limited talents and source has no means to measure them. That leaves us to only one option of the Supreme authority that controls all what is stored in the past, what is happening now and what will happen till this world continue to survive. Similarly, those who have done good for the humanity through their actions and deeds and served it with their noble services in every walk of life, who will reward them for their sacrifices, devotion and committed dedication to the cause of humanity with their trustworthy character? Only the aforesaid authority can do justice to these characters that live and die for the good of mankind. They too become eternal in human memory as evil doers. As such, can that supreme authority be anything other than God to punish the devilish and reward the good people ultimately?

 

 Fourth Scenario:  There are innumerable people on this earth, both at individual and collective levels, who usurp the rights of others, deny the legitimate shares to others, play foul with other’s destiny and pose themselves as very “pious” people. Their inside story cannot be discovered by anyone, if he or she himself or herself does not disclose it. Most of the “white-colored” biggies and feudal lords, big and small employers fall in that category. They exploit the innocent people under their command, misuse their power and position, maximize their share of “booty” and give very little to small fishes and wage-earners through manipulation, distortation of facts and twisting the rules of the game to their favor. The corporate bodies around the world are filled with these corrupt people. They are the bad stigmas on the face of “democratic” system and negate the concept of “government of the people, by the people and for the people” Do you think that can anyone on earth compensate millions and millions of poor shareholders of these corporate bodies on earth when these institutions have become defunct, bankrupt and written off? Do you think that their legitimate claims will go down the river? None except the Supreme Court of God where they all are will appear for justice and they will get it. Justices of this world will also cut a sorry figure there.    

 

Fifth Scenario: Right before our naked eyes a flood of concocted, false and fake stories is rampant, attributing the alleging the presence of WMD in Iraq and cementing Saddam relation with Al-Qaida. Both have been proved wrong by their own fact finding commissions.  Not only that, President Bush pin-pointedly alleged and attributed the tragedy of September11 to Bin Laden and Taliban within a couple of hours of its happening without having any national or international judicial probe even to this day. As a result, the “supreme” mega-power on earth has destroyed the infrastructure both of Afghanistan and Iraq, rendered their people to lead the life of pre-historic age and forced them to live as “occupied” people in this time of democracy and human freedom. Thousand and thousands of people have been killed at both the places and are being killed every day. The USA too had lost the life of its young men and women in uniform in thousands, including the injured ones. There is no solution before us. The Allied forces are bogged down there. Who will responsible for this human tragedy and the blunders of twenty-first century? How many times Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolf should be hanged and by whom? The blunders have been committed and their consequences will accumulate for centuries to gather perhaps till eternity. Who can do justice and “hanged them all to death” for the crimes committed by these arrogants? Only the God of this Cosmos can do it as they cannot cheat Him. They can avoid “impeachment’ by hook or crook on earth’ but who will save them from the wrath of Creator and Sustainer?  The suffering people of Afghanistan and Iraq need a God who can do justice for them and give redress to their extreme sufferings. God is there urgent need.    

 

The scenarios that need justice at every step are endless as the human society is full of corrupt people and their perpetual acts of tyranny. They all need a God who is all powerful and knows what each has done on earth with what consequences.  All these situations categorically and vociferously assert that there must be a Supreme authority. One may call it God or Allah or “Perbhu” [Hindu God]. He is our need, the need of suffering humanity.

 

 

 

Shamim A Siddiqi

July 31, 2004