Fw: THE SPIRIT OF ISLAMIC CULTURE..SPEECH BY LATE Mr. SHEHERYAR KAOOSJI

[HASAN CHISHTI]

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From: Captain BS Kaoosji <kaoos...@yahoo.com>
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Subject: THE SPIRIT OF ISLAMIC CULTURE..SPEECH BY LATE Mr. SHEHERYAR KAOOSJI

SPIRIT   OF   ISLAMIC    CULTURE.

Dear Moderators,

Charminar Connection.

Adaab Arz Hai,

It gives me great pleasure and I feel honoured and fortunate enough to very humbly post this speech delivered by my late father Janab Sheheryar Kaoosji, in New Delhi on 28 July 1967,where he was invited to speak on The Spirit Of Islamic Culture. 

He spoke,I believe, in front of some very learned figures of the time including famous Educationists and  Scholars.

May his noble soul rest in eternal peace. Ameen.

Captain Bakhtyar S Kaoosji

Malaysia.

SPIRIT  OF  ISLAMIC  CULTURE.

Speech delivered by Late Mr Sheheryar Kaoosji.

Venue:- THE SAPRU HOUSE,New Delhi

Date:-   28 July 1967

                                                   Honorable President,Ladies and Gentlemen.,                              

  The phenomenal rise of Islam and its very fast disintegration are an important landmark of World History.From Leaders of Social Equality and the Rescuers of mankind from every indignity, the Muslim conquerors soon fell victims to the Cultures they had conquered and getting assimilated with them they ceased to be what they were made to be and the erstwhile ideal democracy and social justice soon turned itself into a feudal system,perhaps the worst of its kind in this World.

The two(2) centuries preceding ours have witnessed changes in every walk of human activity.The rise of the physical sciences revolutionized human knowledge.The conquest of the forces of nature gave a new face to Industry and Economy.The awakening of Democracy and its principles shook the very foundations of ancient monarchies and toppled down crowns that  held sway over large chunks of the earth.The grip of Feudalism weakened every where and above all,the traditions built up in the name of religion and their concomitant powers were laid bare to the common man who could now question an authority which,hitherto,held an unquestionable control over Kings and Emperors.

But in the medley of revolutions and changes the Muslim world remained a disinterested spectator and without a protest allowed the flux of these changes to touch its borders while within itself it remained living past.As the forces of these revolutions,entirely Western,swept over the world,the Muslim remained static and dormant and would not toe the line in this physical progress yet allowed their politics and economy to be exploited by the innovators.

This callousness and the inability of the Muslims of the post 18th Century to cope with the rise of the western nations gave the latter a chance to create an analogy based upon the apparent fact that wherever Muslim domination was found two facts were evident;degeneration and Islam...Hence Islam was held responsible for this state of affairs.The same Islam that had given the world the basis of all progressive revolutions was now the laughing stock of progressive nations.

Under these conditions the Muslims themselves found it difficult to ascribe a good reason for their degenerate state. One school of thought said that the prevalent state of affairs was due to the neglect shown by the Muslims towards the teachings of Islam and that the progress shown by the Western Nations was mainly due to their imbibing the Spirit of Inquiry and Search as taught by Islam though they did not openly profess it.Others argued that this could not be true as the Nations that had over run the world did not have the doctrinal Islam in them.Narrow minded Mullahs and Vision less Sufi s declared that the world is a prison-house for the Momin( True Believer) and a Heaven for the Kafirs. What truly mattered was the AFTER LIFE and this has been assured to the Muslim,however degenerate or degraded he may be in this world;that the world is transient, wealth and power pass away soon and that the rise and fall of Nations has no bearing upon true religion.Therefore, they  argued, that when evil becomes rampant in the world and its powers play havoc with human life, it is the duty of the Momin to retire into seclusion and seek the purification of his soul.

Such depressing ideas were playing havoc with the Muslim Mind and degeneration into a society that had to its credit the Worlds best Message of Dynamic Life; when certain personalities like Iman Gazzali, Maulana Rum, Jamaluddin Afghani and our own Allama Dr Iqbal came out with their own exposition of Islam and the Spirit of its Culture.

According to them, and this was again in accordance with the Teachings of the Holy Quran and the life of the Holy Prophet Mohammed(May Allah's Peace be on Him) Islam is a Universal Message that was sent for the guidance of all mankind.The mere repetition of certain prayers or the performance of particular ceremonies does not guarantee salvation to any community.The creator who sent the Holy Quran plainly warned earlier communities like the Jews and the Christians and had extended the same warning to the Muslims that if they rebelled against the Laws of Nature which are firm and unalterable, others who observed them will be made rulers over them.Thus we see that these Nations, though not Muslims by faith or conviction, but who adopted Natures ways and had realized the true values of life as was preached by Islam, did supersede the Muslims proving to the world that the Message of Islam was a practical Code of LIFE and could be practiced by one and all.

A question is bound to arise out of this statement.HOW is it that the Muslims for whom the teachings were a heritage did not venture into the field of Science and discoveries and this work was left to the Western Nations?The fact is that early Muslims did imbibe the spirit of RESEARCH and played an active part in the gathering and dissemination of knowledge.Geography, Chemistry, Astronomy were their domains in the civilized world of those days.Algebra comes from the Arabic words Al jabr o muqabila. Numerology was theirs, architecture was developed to a high degree and even the Art Of Warfare owes a lot to the early Muslims.But once their kingdoms were established and they came into contact with other nations, they began to take it easy and fell back into the luxury that their simplicity had conquered and with the wealth and power in their hands they became lethargic.The Message was of course there but they had not to struggle for it.

On the contrary the conquered nations had their ignorance and taboos.For them the acceptance of The Muslim Way of Life was a crime however good it was for the progress of man. The intelligentsia of Europe grasped it and knew that this way of life alone could help them to solve the mysteries of nature and create the unity of mankind.They began following the methods but carefully blacked out the source of their experiments.They had to offer heavy sacrifices for these ventures.BRUNO was burnt alive for saying that the World revolved and that the sun was static. GALILIO was dubbed a magician and sorcerer when he made the telescope to see the stars.DANTE was exiled for his forward views on religion and society.Such people were bound to value this message of the liberation of man and his free use of his talents, while the Muslims,the real successors to the message lagged behind.Thus in the race for physical and social progress the Muslims of later times fell into the unraveling of Philosophy and Metaphysics while the Western world forged ahead with experiments and discoveries in all branches of knowledge and became the leaders of the Modern World.

The rudiments of the Teachings of the Holy Quran and the spirit of Islamic Culture are contained in the earliest of the Revelations that came to the Holy Prophet Mohammed(May Allah s Peace Be Upon Him). 

The first verses of the 96th Surah AL-ALAQ(the clot) after due praise of Allah gives that essence:

1.Read:In the Name of the Lord who createth.

2.Createth man out of a clot

3.Read: And the Lord is the most Bounteous

4.Who teacheth by the Pen

5.Teacheth man that which he know not

6.Nay, but verily man is rebellious

7.That he thinketh himself independent

8.Lo! unto thy Lord is the return.

With this as the basis of belief, ignorance is ruled out in Islamic Teachings and the acquisition of knowledge is pointed out as the greatest piety.Thus the Spirit of Islamic Culture is a theory of life with the unity of the creator as its basis.The Creator is introduced as All-Pervading, All Knowing, Ever-Dynamic and Boundlessly Benevolent.Creation and Benevolence are His nature.He has blessed his creatures with the qualities of Knowledge and Benevolence.Just as Allah's Blessings are common to all, He expects his creatures to imbibe these qualities of benevolence and kindness and in their turn to be benevolent and kind to each other.

According to Islam man has not been created to be a mere spectator of nature or to praise his creator in certain particular phrases or with some particular ceremonial.On the other hand man has to get acquainted with the attributes of the Creator and to himself practice these attributed and become creative within his own means.The Islamic concept of the Unity of The Creator is in fact a concept of the Totality of Life itself and such a concept creates a Special Kind of Ideology and a way of life.

Islam aims at creating a freedom for men from all the fears that surround him due to his ignorance.Thus the Momin or the true believer is a person free from all such fears and a friend of the Rab e Rahim o Aleem, that is the Benevolent and All Knowing CREATOR, and the dispenser of his Knowledge and his benevolence.

The Quran certainly says that man has been created for devotion, Prayer and the Glory of Gods name.But the  Islamic concept of Prayer or devotion, apart from the daily prayers enjoined upon the Muslims, is highly revolutionary.The acquisition of Knowledge and its discrimination is True Devotion.Every atom of creation is a page of knowledge which means that the whole universe is the Book of Knowledge and its understanding and its unraveling is true devotion.Thus today when man has conquered Space, Walked on the Moon and has returned safely to earth, is an action in perfect consonance with the spirit of Islam.The 33rd Verse of the 55th Surah,Ar-Rahman(The Beneficient) reads thus:

     " O company of jinn and men, if ye have power to penetrate(all) regions of Heaven and Earth, then penetrate(them)!Ye will never penetrate them save with (our) sanction."

     " Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?"

Yes , the sanction was given most benevolently and today our gratitude is to Him only for the safe return of our Astronauts and the success of the experiment.

So the search for the unknown is true devotion and it is only by adopting this type of devotion that man becomes the representative of God on earth.Nations and communities that neglect knowledge actually break away from the Creator.Knowledge is the lost heritage of the Faithful. He has the right to it and it is his duty to search for it and take possession of it wherever it is found.A famous tradition of the Prophet says 

'Look for knowledge even if you have to go to China for it' 

and in those days with the means of transportation available to man,China was a far cry!As long as this spirit of search prevailed among the early Muslims they continued collecting information and adding to their knowledge.The ignorant Arabs did not have any particular art or information, but once imbibed with this spirit of search they ran to the fountain of knowledge and drank deep of it.As long as this spirit lasted with them, they and not the present Western Nations were the leaders of men in every walk of  life in the civilized world.

Islam does not accept any kind of clash between Faith(Religion) and Knowledge nor does it consider the needs of the matter(body) different to the needs of the Soul(spirit).Both these wants and their satisfaction are at once governed by the same principle  which is the Unity of God the Creator,naturally followed by the Unity of the Universe and the Unity of Mankind.

I have already referred to the earliest revelation of the Holy Prophet(May Allahs Peace Be On Him) regarding the word 'read'(aqra).Once Allah is the foundation head  of all Creation,Knowledge and Bounty, it naturally follows that the next teaching will be that of Benevolence and Justice.The Quran enjoins on the Muslims not to limit these qualities to the Momins only but to extend them to those also who may not hold the same faith as theirs.To protect their lives and properties of such who come under their rule.To help the down-trodden and to raise them to a respectable status.To free all slaves as slavery is an insult to mankind, and, till such time it is not totally abolished, to keep slaves and to treat them as their equals.Here I may mention that the treatment of slaves under the early Muslims was such that it gave a completely new connotation to the word itself.The Master-Slave relationship in Islam is best illustrated by the mutual regard  and respect that was found between the Holy Prophet and his slave Hazrath Bilal, the Abbysinian. This tradition continued for generations giving us examples like Sultan Mahmood of Ghazni and his slave Aiaz as also Qutubuddin Aibak the slave of Mohammed Ghori who succeeded to his Master's Eastern dominions, established a dynasty known in history as the Slave Dynasty and left a landmark, The Qutub Minar, which is the pride of this fair city.

Toleration of other faiths is yet another salient feature of Islamic Teachings.This is based upon the words of the Holy Quran,"La Iqra fidden".There is no compulsion or force in faith.Islam is not insular or enclosed.It is Boundless and Universal.It allows its followers to mix freely with people of other faiths.It has full confidence in the merits of its own teachings and practice.Therefore the mixing with peoples of other faiths does not endanger Islam.On the contrary there is a possibility of the peoples of other faiths appreciating this way of life and adopting it,and this was the real proselytizing force among the early Muslims.Thus the freedom of thought conferred on men by Islam was such that comparatively all the political systems of the Modern world , be they under monarchies, democracies or Communism appear to have denied this basic right in the true spirit of the word Freedom.It was the true Muslim in Mansoor the Martyr, when feeling great proximity to God he declared 'Anal Haq" I am the truth and it was the Ignorance (Jihalat) in his persecutors-the so called Muslim Divines of those days, including the great Shibli; who misconstruing this metaphysical nearness to the creator tantamount to hearsay,executed him.The same happened in India when Aurangzeb ordered the execution of Sufi Sarmad. 

The greatest contribution of Islam is that it created a Universal brotherhood of man.It never allowed linguistic, racial or geographical considerations to disrupt the Unity of Mankind.The Western type of Nationalism,Racism and Colourism were never accepted by Islam.Certain modern trends of the above 

'isms' have certainly alienated the modern Muslim from true Islam.BUT there is always a possibility of return as the principles of Islam have not changed for him who would sift the grain from the chaff.

For centuries True Islam has lain hidden under the garbage of unislamic Imperialism, narrow fanatism and loose and lop-sided philosophy.But for True Islam the message of the Quran still holds good and will hold good for ever that "This flame cannot be put out by its enemies".

This hidden Truth has to come out among its votaries but this might take some time.First it will have to do away with the adverse extraneous influences,later or along side it, it will have to break the shackles and chains that have been clamped down on it by static ideas and time torn traditions.The original and real Islamic Culture will be that where there will be 'Jihad' or fight for the establishment of Universal Justice and Peace as also an 'Ijtehad' or true search into the feasibility of adopting human life to the fast changing pattern, yet holding on to the higher values of life.

Both 'JEHAD' and 'IJTEHAD' depend upon KNOWLEDGE because it alone conquers in the end.But knowledge without a Centre(Belief) to look upto lands us into a multitude of sins,whereas the knowledge based upon the Unity of the Creator is the true knowledge and helps us to create a World of Peace, Justice and Equality, which has been the goal of mankind since the dawn of creation and the hopes of those Prophets and Seers who offered every kind of Sacrifice for its attainment.

May God grant us the sense to understand the TRUTH, the Moral Courage to ACCEPT and DECLARE it and the strength to FIGHT against the forces of evil.

Thank You.

Hyderabad.                                                                                                       SHEHERYAR   KAOOSJI.

Copied from the original faded copy by Captain BS Kaoosji in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

THE SAPRU HOUSE.

http://www.thedelhiwalla.com/2012/08/04/city-landmark-sapru-house-mandi-house-chowk/