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COMPARISONS
BETWEEN THE QURAN
AND
MODERN CIVILIZATION
A
parable to understand the fundamental
differences between the Quranic wisdom
and human philosophy:
Once,
a religious and skilful, renowned ruler
wanted to write the Quran as beautifully
as required by the sacredness of its
meanings and the miraculousness of its
wording. He wanted to do this so that he
might adorn its wonderful words in a
worthy array. So, the artist ruler wrote
out the Quran in a truly wonderful
fashion. In writing it out, he used all
kinds of precious jewels. In order to
point out the variety of its truths, he
wrote some of its letters in diamonds
and emeralds, and some in pearls and
agate, and others in brilliants and
coral, while others he wrote in gold and
silver. Also, he adorned and decorated
it in such a way that everyone, those
who knew how to read and those who did
not, were full of admiration and
astonishment when they saw it.
Especially in the judgment of the people
of truth, since the outer beauty was an
indication to the brilliant beauty and
striking adornment within, that Quran
became a most precious artwork.
Then
the ruler showed the artistically
wrought and bejeweled Quran to a foreign
philosopher and a Muslim scholar. In
order to test them and for reward, he
commanded them; ‘Each of you write a
work about the wisdom of this!’ First
the philosopher, then the scholar,
composed a book about it. However, the
philosopher’s book discussed only the
shapes and decorations of the letters
and the relationships between them, and
the properties of the jewels and the way
they were used. He did not make any
observations at all about the meaning.
He was not even aware that the
embellished Quran was an invaluable,
book having depths of meaning. He rather
looked on it as an ornamented
art-object. He was well-informed about
engineering and chemistry. He had also a
great ability to describe things and
much knowledge about jewelry. So he
composed his book according to these
skills.
As
for the Muslim scholar, on seeing the
book, he understood that it was the
Clear Book, the Wise Quran. So, he-this
truth-loving person-neither paid any
attention to its outward ornamentation
nor busied himself with the decorations
of the letters. He was rather engaged in
something else which was millions of
times more exalted, more valuable, more
worthy of respect, more useful and more
comprehensive than the issues with which
the other man was occupied. Therefore he
composed an interpretation in which he
described the sacred truths and secret
lights behind the veil of decorations.
Both
men-the foreign philosopher and Muslim
scholar- presented their works to the
renowned ruler. The ruler first took the
book of the philosopher, and saw that
conceited man had worked very hard but
not written anything about the true
wisdom of the bejeweled Quran. He had
not understood its meaning at all, and
holding that book, which is a source of
truths, to consist in meaningless
decorations, showed disrespect for it.
Therefore, the wise ruler refused his
book.
Then,
the ruler looked through the book of the
truth-loving, meticulous scholar, and
seeing that it was a very beautiful and
useful interpretation, a wise and
illuminating composition, congratulated
him. It was pure wisdom and the one who
wrote it was a real scholar, a genuine
sage. The other man was an impertinent
artificer not knowing his place. Then,
he willed that, as reward, for each
letter of his work should be given ten
pieces of gold out of his inexhaustible
treasury.
Now,
if you have understood the meaning of
the parable, reflect upon its real
meaning:
The
embellished Quran is this artistically
fashioned universe. The ruler is the
Eternal Sovereign. As for the two men,
one represents the line of philosophy
and philosophers, the other, the way of
the Quran and its students. Indeed, the
wise Quran is the most exalted expander,
a most eloquent translator of this
macro-Quran of the universe. It is the
Criterion, which instructs the jinn and
men in the signs of creation-Divine laws
of the creation and operation of the
universe-inscribed by the Pen of Power
on the sheets of the universe and pages
of time. It looks upon creatures, each
of which is a meaningful letter, as
bearing the meaning of another, that is,
on account of their Maker, and remarks,
‘How beautifully they have been made,
and how meaningfully they point to the
beauty and grace of the Maker.’ Thus,
it shows the real beauty of the
universe. As for philosophy, it is
absorbed in the design and decorations
of the ‘letters’ of creation and, in
bewilderment, it has lost the way to
truth. While it ought to look upon the
letters of this macro-book as bearing
the meaning of another, that is, on
account of God, it does the reverse. It
looks upon them as signifying
themselves, that is, on account of
themselves, and remarks: ‘How
beautiful they are’, not ‘How
beautifully they have been made!’ By
doing so, it insults the creation and
causes it to complain about itself. In
truth, materialistic philosophy is a
falsehood bearing no truths, and an
insult to the creation.
A
comparison between the Quran and modern
civilization and philosophy with
respect to the moral training each
affords to human personal life
A
sincere student of modern civilization
and philosophy is a Pharaoh-like tyrant,
but one who abuses himself so far as to
bow in worship before the meanest thing
to serve his interest. That materialist
student is also a stubborn, misleading
one: unyielding but so wretched as to
accept endless degradation for the sake
of a single pleasure; unbending but so
mean as to kiss the feet of devilish
people for the sake of some base
advantage. That student is conceited and
domineering, but since he can find no
point of support in his heart, he is an
utterly impotent vainglorious tyrant.
That student is also a self-centered
egoist, who strives to gratify his
material, carnal desires and pursues his
personal interests after certain
national interests.
As
for the sincere student of the wisdom of
the Quran, he is a worshipping servant
of God, but one who does not degrade
himself to bow in worship even before
the greatest of the created. He is a
dignified servant who does not regard as
the goal of worship a thing of even the
greatest benefit like Paradise. Also, he
is a modest student, one mild and
gentle, but he does not lower himself
voluntarily before anybody other than
his Creator beyond what He has
permitted. He is also weak and in want,
and aware of his weakness and neediness.
Yet he is independent of others, owing
to the spiritual wealth which his
Munificent Owner has provided for him,
and he is powerful as he relies on the
infinite Power of his Master. He acts
and strives purely for God’s sake, for
God’s pleasure, and to be equipped
with virtues.
The
training the Quran and philosophy give
may be understood through this
comparison of the two students.
A
comparison between the Quran and modern
civilization
with
respect to human social life
According
to modern civilization:
The
point of support in social life is force
or power. Force calls for aggression.
The
aim of life is held to be the
realization of self-interests. Seeking
the gratification of self-interests
causes fighting for material resources.
Conflict
is the principle of relationship in
life. Conflict brings strife.
The
bond between communities is racism and
negative nationalism. Racism feeds by
swallowing others and therefore paves
the way for aggression.
The
fruits it produces are the gratification
of carnal desires and multiplication of
human needs.
It
is because of those principles of modern
civilization that despite all its
advantages and positive aspects, only
twenty percent of mankind are
superficially contented while the other
eighty percent are in hardship and
misery.
As
for the wisdom of the Qur’an,
It
accepts right, not force, as the point
of support in social life. Right calls
for unity.
It
holds, in place of the realization of
self-interests, virtues, and God’s
approval as the aim in life. Virtues
bring mutual support and solidarity. The
principle of mutual assistance means
coming to the aid of one another.
Instead
of conflict, it takes mutual assistance
as the principle of relationship in
life.
It
accepts, not racism and negative
nationalism, but the ties of religion,
profession and citizenship, as the bonds
between communities. Religion secures
brotherhood and mutual attraction.
Its
aim is to put a barrier against the
illicit attacks of lusts, to urge the
soul to ennoble and satisfy its lofty
aspirations, to encourage man to human
perfections and so make him truly human.
Restraining the carnal self and urging
the soul to perfections bring happiness
in this world and the next.
Thus,
despite its borrowings from the previous
Divine religions and especially from the
guidance of the Quran, which accounts
for its agreeable aspects, modern
civilization is the losing side in the
view of the truth in its controversy
against the Quran.
Another
comparison
The
laws and principles of the Quran are
beyond time and space, therefore they
never become out of date like those of
modern civilization.
Examples:
Despite
all its charity foundations,
institutions of intellectual and moral
training, and severe disciplines and
laws and regulations, modern
civilization has not been able to
contend with the Quran on the following
two matters and has been defeated:
The
Quran decrees:
Perform
the prescribed prayer, and pay the
zakat. (2:43)…
God
has made trading lawful and usury
unlawful. (2:275)
As
was explained in Signs of (the Quran’s)
Miraculousness, the cause of all
revolutions and social upheavals, and
the root of all moral failings, are
these two attitudes or approaches.
I
don’t care if others die of hunger so
longer as my own stomach is full.
You
must bear the costs of my ease-you must
work so that I may eat.
A
peaceful social life depends on the
balance between the elite and common
people or the rich and the poor. This
balance is based on care and compassion
on the part of the elite, and respect
and obedience on the part of the latter.
Nevertheless, the first attitude (Let
others die of hunger so long as I am
well-fed) has driven the rich to
wrongdoing, usurpation, immorality and
mercilessness, while the second one (You
toil so that I may be at ease) has led
the poor to hatred, grudges, envy and
conflict with the rich. As this conflict
has destroyed social peace of mankind
for the last two or three centuries, so
too, as the result of the century-old
struggle between labor and capital,
those famous upheavals have taken place
in Europe. So, despite all its
charitable societies, institutions of
moral training and severe laws and
regulations, modern civilization has
succeeded in neither reconciling these
two social classes nor healing those two
severe wounds of human life, whereas the
Quran eradicates the first attitude
through the obligation of zakat
and heals the wound caused by it, and
eradicates the second through the
prohibition of all interest-bearing
transactions. Indeed, the relevant
verses of the Quran stand at the door of
the world and turn away interest. ‘In
order to close the doors to social
conflicts and struggles, close the doors
of banks or houses of interest,’ it
decrees to mankind, and orders its
students not to enter through them.
A
comparison between the Quran and modern
civilization
with
respect to bringing happiness to men and
women
Together
with severely prohibiting idol-worship,
the Quran also condemns the ‘worship’
of images, which can be a sort of
imitation of idol-worship. In an attempt
to contest with the Quran, modern
civilization, by contrast, regards
sculpture and making pictures of living
beings, which the Quran condemns, as one
of its virtues. Whereas, forms with or
without shadows (sculptures and pictures
of living beings) are each either a
petrified tyranny (tyranny represented
in stone) or embodied ostentation or
embodied caprice, which urge people to
tyranny, ostentation and capriciousness.
Also,
out of compassion, the Quran orders
women to wear the veil of modesty in
order to maintain respect for them, and
so that they who are mines of compassion
will not be abased under the foot of low
desires, nor become the worthless means
of exciting lusts. However, modern
civilization has drawn women out of
their homes, torn aside their veils and
led mankind astray into corruption.
Whereas, family life is based on mutual
love and respect between man and woman,
both modestly dressed; modern
civilization has destroyed sincere love
and respect, and poisoned the family
life. Sculptures and pictures,
especially obscene ones, have a great
share in this moral corruption and
spiritual degeneration. Just as to look
at the corpse of a beautiful woman
deserving of compassion with lust and
desire destroys morality, so too looking
lustfully at pictures of living women,
which are like little corpses, troubles
and diverts elevated human feelings,
shaking and destroying them.
Thus,
besides serving to secure the happiness
of mankind in this world, the Quranic
commandments also serve their eternal
happiness. You can compare other
subjects with those mentioned.
As
modern civilization stands defeated
before the Quran’s rules and
principles concerning social life and
mankind, and is bankrupt before the
Quran’s miraculous content, the
European philosophy and scientism, which
is the spirit of that civilization, is
helpless in the face of the
miraculousness of the Quran’s wisdom.
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