Striking the perfect balance between Athens and Sparta
February 21, 2009 by Guest Author
The way the Noble Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) brought up the Islamic Ummah.
When one expects the very first word to be revealed to a prophet would be “Kneel!”, “Bow!”, “Prostrate!” or “Hark!”, it is surprising to learn that the first word revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was “Read!”.
It is all the more surprising when you know that Prophet Muhammad was an illiterate person who belonged to a mostly illiterate nation!
The following are the very first ayas (verses) that the Prophet had received:
“Read in the name of thy Lord Who created; Created man from a clot; Read, and your Lord is the Most Bounteous; Who has taught (the writing) by the pen; He taught man that which he knew not.” (Holy Qur’an, 96: 1-5)
The Holy Qur’an revolutionized a nation of illiterate, hostile warring tribes by inviting them to reflect, think and re-think about everything in life, especially the signs of God’s oneness, greatness and blessings.
In fact, Edward De Bono* once said: “Islam is more about thinking than any other religion”. He also testified that “there are 130 verses in Koran specifically about thinking”.
Little wonder, it only took a few decades to transform a people with hardly any civilization worth mentioning into the patrons of science and enlightenment for the next one thousands years!
On the other hand, Islam brought up a nation of disciplined fearless warriors who would sacrifice everything they had to please their Lord.
Allah (swt) states in the Noble Qur’an: “Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in rows (ranks), as if they were a solid structure.” (61:4)
Muslims had a strong belief in the afterlife and knew that dying on the battlefield was not just an honour, but also a direct path to paradise.
It was a win-win deal – and still is for people who believe!
The very compulsary five daily prayers that should ideally be performed in a mosque or in congregation not only taught Muslims discipline, but also strengthened their sense of brotherhood and unity.
With their high spirit and strong faith they were able to defeat armies many times greater and better equipped than theirs (See the table below).
Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed was a Muslim commander who is considered to be one of the most successful military commanders of all time. He never ever lost a battle! But he was by no means the only great Muslim commander. There were many others, as you’ll see later.
Strength – be it in body, mind or spirit – was a highly appreciated quality in a Muslim and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is known for having said: “A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak believer; and there is good in both”.
Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) also once said: “Teach your children swimming, archery, and horse-riding”.
Furthermore, Islam discouraged Muslims from living an extravagnt lifestyle and was categorically against excess, especially when it came to material matters.
Austerity was encouraged; and, in fact, one of the Prophet’s (pbuh) well-known sayings is: “Toughen yourselves, for life’s blessings do not last for ever”.
Finally, the Prophet (pbuh) predicted that there would come a day when Muslims will be so large in numbers yet so weak that their enemies would invite one another to assault them. The reason? Muslims would have become fond of life and fearful of death.
These dark days have already been around for some time. But, insha’Allah, with sincere efforts to revert to our deen, the dawn is not too far away!
Just some of the historical battles in which the Muslims defeated their enemies despite being greatly outnumbered.
| Battle | Year | Muslim Commander | Number of Muslim forces | Number of their enemy forces |
| Badr | 2 Hijri / 624 A.D. | Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) | 313 | 1,000 |
| “That Assalasel” | 12 Hijri | Khalid Ibn Al-Walid | 18,000 | 80,00 |
| Al-Yarmuk | 15 Hijri / 636 A.D. | Khalid Ibn Al-Walid | 24,000-40,000 | 100,000-400,000 |
| Al-Qadisiyyah | 15 Hijri / 636 A.D. | Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas | 36,000 | 60,000-100,000 |
| Nahawand | 21 Hijri / 642 A.D. | An-Nu’man Ibn Al-Muqarren | 30,00 | 150,000 |
| Az-Zallaqa | 1086 A.D. | Yusuf Ibn Tashfin | 30,000 | More than 60,000 |
*Edward de Bono (born May 19, 1933, in Malta) is a Maltese physician, author, inventor, and consultant. He is best known as the originator of the term “lateral thinking” (structured creativity) and the leading proponent of the deliberate teaching of thinking in schools.
You know, what strikes me the most is this statement, “Islam is more about thinking than any other religion”.
I always find it odd when non-Muslims assume that their way of life is about thinking and reason and ours is about blind following. I just want to laugh so hard because I know both sides of the fence, and trust me, the level of deep thinking I’ve done as a Muslim is like an ocean compared to the one drop of water I drank before I converted to Islam.
I think it has to do mostly with the fact that they don’t like the ritualistic part of our deen/way of life.
Although any Christian who believes in God but has difficulty in accepting the idea of trinity, son of a god or mankind bearing the sin of Adam and Eve, etc. would find the answers to his/her questions in Islam because it doesn’t require a person to believe in such ideas; still they might not like the idea of dressing in a certain way, giving up on what they perceive as essential elements of their life (such as drinking, partying, pre-marital sex, gambling, lottery, etc.) or praying 5 times a day.
In socially stratified societies like India, some might not like the Islamic idea that ALL people are essentially equal except in piety.
I once heard from a Goan friend that the only way the Portuguese collonialists managed to spread Christianity in that part of the Indian sub-continent was to promise the Hindu upper class there that they won’t lose their high social status upon becoming Christians.
But as Brother Abdul Raheem Green once said on The Deen Show, one should not follow a religion because he/she likes or dislikes certain aspects of it. One should follow a religion because it’s the truth.
Therefore, people find comfort and solace in Islam because it doesn’t have a priesthood that actually teaches its followers to believe in some “tenets” or ideas that actually go against logic as well as the teachings of their Holy Book and considers it blasphemous to refuse what would otherwise be considered the real blasphemy.
It’s true, there are certain aspects of our deen (Islam) that require faith without necessarily having a logical explanation, but it’s not hard to accept these aspects simply because we believe in its authenticiy and have the proof for that.
There’s only one Noble Qur’an and not several versions as is the case with other books described as holy.
Plus, not a word has changed in the Qur’an ever since it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) 1400 years ago.
Finally, the Noble Qur’an uses compelling proofs and arguements (including scientific miracles) to cause one to accept the elements that may not have been proven scientifically as of yet.
Once you’re convinced that this must be the word of God, you won’t (or shouldn’t, at least) argue against what is unanimously agreed upon by all Muslims scholars as THE Islamic law. Simply because, if you know that this is the book of God, it follows that God knows what’s best for you, regardless of what era or environment you live in.
As for how and where the Noble Qur’an or the Sunnah actually encourage thinking, I hope I’ll get the chance to write on this in further detail in the near future, insha’Allah.
Salam to all!