Daily Times

Current version of Islam, based on early Muslim history, is termed ‘Ajami (alien) Islam’ by Allama Iqbal, ‘Invented Islam’ by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Jamaluddin Afghani labelled it as ‘Fatalistic Islam’. Before we move to solutions, let us revisit what we have got ourselves into.

All celebrated Sunni (six) and Shia (four) collectors of Ahadith were of Persian (Magian) origins. A significant majority of Muslims believes these compilations to be the perfect books and their validitynext only to the Quran. However, most of their authors had a poor opinion of one another. The foremost Muslim historian and leading author of exegesis (Tafsir) of the Quran, Imam Tabri, was of Persian origin. The logical fallout of this version of Islam, among other issues, is the Baha’i religion. The Baha’i prophet Baha Ullah claims descent from Yazdegerd-III, the King of Persia. Two prominent claimants of prophethood in the subcontinent, Muhammad Jaunpuri and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani, were also of Persian origins.

Most of us have heard about the renowned Tafseer-e-Kabeer written by Imam Fakhruddin Razi. He was also of Persian origin. After having written 300 volumes, the Imam actually made a very brave confession, “All my intellectual and supposedly logical statements in the explanation of the Quran turned out to be lame. All the explanations of the Quran done by the so-called Imams (Tabari, Zamakhshari, IbneKathir, Bukhari, Muslim etc) were misguided and misleading. All of us were the tools of Satan. Our souls were polluted by our physical desires. All our endeavours and works of this world promise to bring upon us nothing but eternal humiliation, torture and doom.”

How Islam changed as a result of these Magian machinations is a long story. Perhaps a review of what some of their intrigues did to us would suffice.

Salat is a principle concept of the Quran but it has been interpreted as the ritual prayer Namaz for us. Namaz is actually something which Zoroastrians used to offer as a prayer in front of theirHoly Fire. In reality, Salat is a comprehensive concept — it entails perpetual submission to Allah’s commands and striving collectively to establish a social order where no one in the society is subservient to another (Quran 1:1-7). The ritual prayer is only a small component in establishing this system of Salat (Aqeem-Us-Salaat).Similarly, Zakat, invariably linked with Salat in the Quran, is about government and people keeping their wealth and resources open for the benefit of their fellow human beings. It is not 2.5% – people should give “whatever is more than their needs.” (Quran2:219).

The Quran does not mention any Messiah or Mahdi, and not asingle reliable Hadith concerning him can be established. However, belief in the Mahdi who would appear and rule the world before the end of times and get rid of the evil, has become an integral part of our faith.This belief and his anticipated arrival receives galvanized focus whenever it coincides with a time of crisis for the Muslims.

Due to the spirit of Jihad, Muslims have never lacked in courage throughout their history. They have always been, unfortunately, undone by their own. People did stand up against this conspiracy in letter and spirit whenever and wherever it was possible

Throughout history, different religious adventurers have used this belief to advance their own agendas. The Zoroastrians (Magians) had always waited for a messiah (Mateera) for their salvation. Magian culture actually suffered repeated breakdown and restoration of its communities while experiencing religious adventurism due to this concept until Islam emancipated them and the mankind from this morbid anxiety through belief in the Finality of Prophethood. Unfortunately, what Allama Iqbal considered a foreign concept to the character of Islam, has been adopted by us.

I have already mentioned how the fundamental plank of this huge conspiracy was actually against the Quran. First of all, inherently unreliable Ahadith were invented to create doubts about the style, content and structure of the Quran. Then they were exploited to determine the meaning of the Quran through Shan-e-Nazool of almost each verse of the Quran. The loop of this intrigue was completed through the explanation or exegesis (Tafseer) of the Quran. All three strands of this scheme were shaped into an entrenched doctrine and anyone attempting to disagree with the officially recognised version or Imam of his time or deviate from this‘established’ tradition later was persecuted by the authorities and shoved outside the pale of Islam by the debauch clergy. All conspiracy was put into motion by highly intelligent and skilled Magian ‘coverts’ with intentional or insightless support from their royal patrons,corrupt clergy, and pertinent assistance from other religions.

Due to the spirit of Jihad, Muslims have never lacked in courage throughout their history. They have always been, unfortunately, undone by their own. People did stand up against this conspiracy in letter and spirit whenever and wherever it was possible. We do not know them because their names and works were systematically erased from history after persecution, whippings and assassinations. Abu Muslim Isphahani, Abul Qasim Balakhi, and Aqeel bin Asad were so methodically purged that today their names can only be found as minor and incredibly negative references in others’ books.Since frequent historical dissent could have turned into a mass insurgence, Islam was ruined though the same trick employed against Christianity….

To be continued

The writer is a Consultant Psychiatrist & Visiting Professor. He tweets @AamerSarfarz

Published in Daily Times, November 20^th 2018.