Thirty  Seven

Why is Islam not accepted?

If Islam is good and effective, with about hundred crores of Muslims and more than fifty Muslim countries, why is its principles not successfully implemented. Why is its effectiveness not experienced?
Islam is a divine system of life which ensures individual, social and political success in this life as well as victory in the life after death. It acts as an umbrella that gives shade in the blistering heat of individual's life, and as a lamp that dissolves darkness, and as a controlling rein of joy in success, and as consolation in grief and as a healing touch of love in moments of pain. It gives a sense of direction to life, thereby puts an end to aimlessness and unrest. It ensures peace and integrity with in the family. So the practising of Islam in individual's life will bring him good fruits, and the sincere observation of it will save him from hell and ensure him heaven - in the hereafter. All these missions have been continuously and effectively performed by Islam for the last fourteen centuries. In the present world also Islam has an active presence which gives its fruits to billions of people.
A thing may not be accepted by people for the simple reason that it is good and useful. Everyone knows that smoking is harmful; still there are millions of smokers in the world. Using alcoholic drinks is harmful for body and brain as it is harmful to the family, society and to the nation. Yet people spend crores of rupees on it. So the criterion for a thing to be good or bad, useful or harmful, effective or injurious is not the number of people accepting or rejecting it. Rather the criterion is that a thing is good if its acceptance and practice bring virtues and good fruits, and a thing is bad if its rejection and avoidance bring virtues and good results? On the basis of this view, whenever the social, political, economic and administrative aspects of Islam were practised and implemented it gave humanity great achievements and unparalleled success. Its partial implementation brought only partial success, whereas its complete implementation made the success complete.
Isn't the set back of Islam comparable to that of Socialism?
''People, who find the defect of the system responsible for disintegration of the socialist bloc, are not ready to accept it in the case of Islam. Isn't it a contradictory attitude?
The disintegration of the socialist bloc and the set back that gradually emerged in due course of time into the administrative system of Islam may outwardly seem alike. But there are obvious differences between the two. It becomes clear to anyone who studies the ideological structure, claims, lessons from history and practical experiences of both socialism and Islam.
1. As the Communist Manifesto reveals the objective of communism is the creation of a classless society. As V.I. Lenin explained it is the creation of a society without a ruler and the ruled, leader or follower, without police, military and courts of law. But such a society has never existed any where in the world. In other words Marxism or Communism was not established in the world even for a brief time. But this was not the condition of Islam. It had been completely implemented and brought its fruits which are unparalleled in history.
2. The masters of communism had introduced it as a system which will be inevitably established. They used to propagate that its implementation is an unavoidable law of nature, like rain in its season. They described that the evolution from capitalism to socialism and from socialism to communism is an inevitable process in history and according to them it was impossible to prevent it. But what happened was just the opposite. The society doesn't progress from socialism to communism. Rather it is making a retreat to capitalism. This is clear from the experiences of socialist countries and their people.
But Islam has never claimed that it would be at any rate implemented. It is an ideology that allows freedom to people to accept it or reject it. It will be implemented when people's will and desire, their decision and favourable condition, and above all the will of God come together. Otherwise it is confined at the ideological level. In other words the Islamic system doesn't emerge and exist by itself in all circumstances. Islam has not been introduced anywhere thus. It is not justice to criticise Islam about something that it has never claimed.
3. In countries which implemented socialism that was described as foot step to communism, the problems of the people were not solved. Rather their problems grew larger. The state robbed their entire rights, and put the citizens to work like machines after dehumanizing them. Yet the basic needs of the citizens remained unsolved. So the people rose in revolt against the socialist system and uprooted it. But whenever the Islamic system was implemented the citizens' problems were solved and there existed a state of well - being. So the people had wanted the Islamic system to be implemented, and they also desired it to continue. But the rulers stood against it. After the four caliphs, the Umayyad and Abbasid rulers made a serious lapse in the implementation of the Islamic system. During this period also the people had stood by the Islamic system. The situation is not different today also, (While the people of Egypt, Algeria, Turkey etc... desire and stand for the Islamic system, the rulers generally adopt a different attitude). The rulers are being supported by the western capitalist and imperialist forces. The socialist system is being opposed by the people of the countries, where as the totalitarian rulers of those countries try to protect it. On the other hand, the people of the Muslim countries want Islamic system to be implemented Islamic system where as the rulers of these countries refute it. This situation brings out the obvious differences between the two systems.
4. The Islamic system may be likened to traffic rules. If the rules are observed it will be safe and accidents can be avoided. If the rules are disobeyed accidents are unavoidable. Like the traffic rules man is free either to accept or to reject the Islamic system.
5. At the initial stage of the propagation of Islam in a very hostile atmosphere the prophet had made a prediction that a time would come when the Islamic system would be implemented, so that a caravan can travel peacefully from Sana'a to Hadramouth. History witnesses that this prediction was fulfilled. What the prophet had predicted about the refutation of the Islamic system in due course of time has also come true. The fulfilment of both predictions is a proof for the truthfulness and divinity of Islam. At the same time the predictions of Marx about the time, place and manner of the implementation of his system were wrong.
6. The Islamic system is repetitive in nature. People can implement it at anytime and anywhere. During the last fourteen centuries the Islamic system in its full sense was frequently implemented as history witness. So the argument that the Islamic system has been refuted is neither true nor based on facts. After being refuted, it was also implemented many times.
7. The Islamic system is unique and it is worthy of emulation for all times. It is true that this system did not exist for long years after the prophet. At the same time until the end of the Ottoman caliphate in 1924, it had existed partially, and sometimes almost completely, and yet other times completely, in various periods in history. Even today in several countries people enjoy the benefits of the Islamic system of administration. During the last fourteen centuries there has not been a single incident of people completely refuting the Islamic system and adopting any system which is contrary to it. But the socialist communities, after a brief period of experimentation, discarded the system altogether, and embraced capitalist system which is quite contrary to socialism. This is undisputable and East European countries are best examples.
8. Islam is not merely a political or administrative system. Its ultimate objective is to save man from God's wrath and to make him eligible for His pleasure and reward, i.e. the heaven. Simultaneously in the worldly life it ensures peace of mind, purity of the individual, integrity of the family and peace in the society. Irrespective of time and space all these missions have been fulfilled by Islam, and it will continue to do until the Day of Judgment. But nothing like these is ever expected from communism.