Pakistan
Before we
proceed further, it is quite appropriate to see if the historical evidence
alluded to in this ayah has any special bearing on the current political
scenario of Pakistan. As Muslims, we believe that the teachings of the Qur’an
have eternal and everlasting validity and that, as a source of guidance, the
Qur’anic principles have applicability for all places and for all times to
come. Seen in this perspective, we can better appreciate the gravity of the
conditions prevailing today in Pakistan, and, at the same time, see a ray of
hope offered to all believers in the Qur’anic ayah under discussion. Just as
Allah (SWT) welded the warring Arab factions into a strong brotherhood fourteen
centuries ago He can now turn the disarrayed and conflicting provinces of
Pakistan into a strong unity, provided the people of Pakistan earnestly act
upon the three-point action strategy explained in these three ayaat.
It is an undeniable historical fact that the Indian subcontinent was partitioned on the basis of Two-Nation theory, and that Pakistan was established on the foundation of Muslim Nationhood and in the name of Islam. Muslims living in the widely separated areas of India were united by the bond of Islamic faith, and demanded a separate homeland with the objective that Muslims of India, by removing all the taints of decadent and monarchical Islam, get an opportunity to re-establish the pristine Islamic system of political, economic, and social justice which is the most important manifestation of the Holy Prophet’s (SAW) universal mercy and blessing.
We regret to say, however, that in spite of the fact that forty seven years have passed since Pakistan was established, no real progress has as yet been made towards achieving the envisaged goal. The political and economic system inherited from the British Raj has throughout been kept intact; not only in the overall system, but in matters of social and communal values also we are strictly maintaining the status quo. Both in practice and thought we exhibit the same old slavish mentality.
The system to which we are sticking in the political governance of our homeland has the following important features:
- Territorial Nationalism,
i.e., the concept of nationalism that was born of Western secularism and
on whose absolute negation Pakistan movement was launched.
- Parliamentary Democracy,
the initial training of which was imparted to us by our English rulers.
- The names and boundaries
of the provinces demarcated by the British for their administrative
expediency and which we consider not only permanent and everlasting but
even sacrosanct.
- The banking system — on
which all our industry and trade, in fact our entire economy, is based —
is contaminated to this day by the filth of interest. As a result, the
entire nation and the country is, in the words of the Qur’an, at war with
Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (SAW).
- Accursed evils of
gambling, speculation and lottery —declared by the Qur’an as “an
abomination of Satan’s handiwork” (Al-Mai’da 5:90) — are rampant.
- The system of feudalism
and absentee landlordism, the worst and most abominable form of oppression
and usurpation, has basically not changed at all in spite of the so-called
land reforms introduced twice.
- Mixed (non-segregated)
social living that debased the West as far as modesty and chastity are
concerned. It destroyed the domestic peace and confounded the family
structure. And this evil is such that it did not take roots in our society
even during the British rule to the extent it is now in vogue, and is
increasing by leaps and bounds every day.
- The distinction between
the “tribal” and “settled” areas in the N.W.F.P. is still continuing.
The current
scenario of Pakistan calls for a total change in the entire body politic and
socio-economic system of the homeland. Unity among the people of Pakistan and
the establishment of Islamic Social Justice is the need of the day. This, in
fact, was the real purpose of establishing Pakistan, and only this can ensure
her continued existence, stability and progress. It is on account of deviation
from this very cause that the Muslim nation of Pakistan got divided into
different regional, ethnic and linguistic nationalities.
This breaking of our vow with Allah (SWT) and disloyalty to His Deen has led to tremendous plunder and bloodshed among the people of various regions. Divine punishment whipped us in 1971 and even now if we do not make headway towards the real objective of Pakistan, Divine punishment could whip us again any time and would whip us more severely. Indeed, Pakistan has to prepare herself to face all the threats posed by the New World Order. If, on the contrary, Pakistanis do not come out of their deep slumber and do not give up their materialistic pursuits, the anti-Islamic designs of the so-called “supreme world power” will subjugate it to the point of virtual nonexistence. An ostrich-like attitude will not save us from perilous dangers, and it is imperative that we, at the earliest and in right earnest, read the writing on the wall.
If a true Muslim reflects on the conditions of Pakistan diligently and thoughtfully, he will realize that the situation of Pakistanis totally resembles that of the Arabs before the advent of Islam depicted in the words of the Qur’an — “you stood on the brink of a pit of fire.” And the only way out of this pit of fire is the one delineated by these ayaat of Surah Aal-e-Imran. As the Qur’an is the eternal Divine message for all humanity, its teachings too have abiding efficacy and applicability. No matter how degenerate our conditions and circumstances may be, the Qur’an offers a sure panacea for all our ills.
In the Khatm
Al-Qur’an prayer we most humbly pray to Almighty Allah (SWT) that Qur’an may be
made our leader, guide and beacon of light. But, surely, we cannot get it all
merely for the asking. We have to struggle hard to achieve our solicited
desires. Holding fast together to the cord of Allah — the Holy Qur’an — is,
therefore, the second practical point of the strategy laid down by the Divine
Book.
to be continued....
No comments:
Post a Comment