The following is an extract from my new e-book Coping with Suffering.
Sabr is an Arabic word that
means ‘perseverance’ and ‘persistence’. The believer should exercise sabr in
order to remain spiritually steadfast and to keep doing good actions in the
personal as well as social domains. Sabr is all the more significant while
dealing with problems and setbacks. Sabr is essential for the alleviation of
suffering.
The Quran promises a double
reward to those who practise sabr in the face of difficulties and challenges.
Nothing happens without Allah’s knowledge. If you are going through a phase of
suffering Allah knows that and He has willed it thus. You should not question
His will. Everything that is happening is part of His divine plan. You may not
understand it.
Even the prophets did not have
it easy. They endured trials and tribulations. Prophet Yusuf (biblical Joseph)
was thrown into a well as a boy by his brothers. Prophet Yunus (biblical Jonah)
had to live in the belly of a whale for three days. If the prophets of Allah
were thus tested, what about the ordinary mortals?
We are weak creatures who
easily fall prey to temptations. Therefore we need to fight a constant war,
jihad, against the temptations. That is how we sustain a world of peace and
goodness where suffering will not have a place. Jihad is of three different
types:
·
A believer’s internal struggle to
live out the Muslim faith as best as possible
·
The struggle to build a good Muslim
society
·
Holy war: the struggle to defend
Islam, with force if necessary
The struggle to make oneself
and the community living in harmony with the divine order would create a kind
of paradise on earth. It is the duty of every Muslim to create a just and
equitable society where the poor and the vulnerable are taken care of. Prophet
Mohammad had a socialist vision. The believers were encouraged to share their
wealth for the welfare of the whole community. Contributing to the society
[zakat] accompanied by prayer [salat] represent two of the five essential
‘pillars’ or practices of Islam.
The Quran and the Muslim
traditions offer explicitly clear guidelines for the believers to form an ideal
society. Duties to parents, neighbours, relatives, sick people, the old, and
minorities are all well-defined. It is a religious obligation to respect and
obey your parents and take care of them, especially in their old age. Even
duties towards other relatives, neighbours and orphan children are specified.
A utopian society where
suffering would be minimal was what the Prophet envisaged. There was equality
of the sexes too in it. Islam is often seen today as a misogynistic religion. The
perception is not without reasons either. Islam has undergone many undesirable
changes. A religion which sought to create a paradise on earth has ended up
creating hells almost all over the world. A religion of peace has become a
religion of terrorism. A religion of joy has become a religion of suffering.
Far from being a misogynist,
Prophet Mohammad advocated women’s rights. The Quran strictly forbade the
killing of female children and rebuked the Arabs for their dismay when a girl
was born. It also gave women legal rights of inheritance and divorce. In that
regard, Islam was ahead of most other religions. Mohammad encouraged women to
play an active role in the affairs of the community. They were free to speak
out their opinions and were listened to respectfully. Even the hijab is a later
addition.
In short, Islam was a
progressive religion in its early days. It had a great vision. Its greeting,
‘Salam alaykum’ [Peace be with you] was an invitation to universal fraternity.
It was an invitation to a possibility of a better world, a joyful world, that
would eventually lead us all to a more joyful heaven.
It is a tragic pity that this
great vision of a joyful existence has been reduced to its exact opposite
today. It is a historic irony that a religion which was to be an oasis of peace
and joy in a desert of strife and tears has become a major source of suffering
in the world.
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| For your copy of the book, click here |
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