I had a thought, which I wanted to share. Chapter 57 Al Hadid, verse 16:
“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allāh and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened…”
This verse indicates that as time progressed, the people of the book treated their faith as a bunch of empty practices, just like one fulfils cultural practices. The issue with treating faith like a cultural practice is that with the passing of time people give up cultural practices. For example, one will often observe a father who dresses according to his culture and heritage yet their child will dress according to a different culture. Therefore, as time passed for the people of the book, they eventually abandoned practicing on their faith, as they were nothing but empty practices to them, and their faith became just an empty shell whereby people claimed to believe yet failed to practice their religion. This is quite evident when one observes people today who claim to follow certain religions yet do not act upon their teachings at all. Once upon a time their religious institutions were always full of devoted learners and worshippers, now they are empty.
Unfortunately, the same thing has occurred with Muslims who, with the passing of time, observed their religion as a few empty practices, which eventually the coming generations abandoned.
The earlier generation of Muslims were devoted to Islam and therefore it was a way of life for them, not just practices and rituals. They dedicated themselves to learning and acting on the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and therefore Islam influenced their every word and action and every sphere of their lives, such as their personal, social, financial and work life. To them, Islam had fused with their blood and became inseparable from their daily activities. Practices can be abandoned, whereas something which is a way of life cannot be. For example, someone can give up a hobby because they do not feel like doing it but they cannot give up food or breathing oxygen for prolonged periods, as the latter is a way and means for life whereas the former is only a practice.
This attitude of the righteous predecessors has, in most cases, been abandoned, just like the people from other religions abandoned the teachings of their faith, as Islam is now observed as a set of practices and rituals with no real effect on one’s day to day activities or conduct. This is the reason why the Mosques, which were always full during the five daily congregational prayers, are now practically empty. Only the practice of the Friday congregational prayer remains, but if things continue as they are, even that will be abandoned by the coming generations.
In addition, blind imitation of others is not good enough, as it prevents one from appreciating that Islam is a way of life and instead convinces them and those who observe them, such as the next generation, that Islam is only a few empty rituals and practices, which can be abandoned, just like cultural practices can be abandoned.
The way to avoid this outcome is to understand that Islam is not a bunch of practices, rather, it is a way of life which affects every moment of a Muslim. This understanding only comes when one learns and acts upon the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as this ensures that every aspect of a person’s life is connected to Islam. This ensures one uses the blessings they have been granted in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted. This in turn leads to peace and success in both worlds. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
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