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| Effects of Tawhid on Human
Life from Towards Understanding Islam Abul A'La Mawdudi Now let us study the effects that the
belief in La ilaha illallah has on the life of a man and see why he should
always make a success of life and why one who denies it becomes a failure
in life, both here and in the hereafter. A believer in this Kalimâh can never be
narrow in outlook. He believes in a God who is the Creator of the heavens
and the earth, the Master of the East and the West and Sustainer of the
entire universe. After this belief he does not regard anything in the
world as a stranger to himself. He looks on everything in the universe as
belonging to the same Lord he himself belongs to. His sympathy, love and
service are not confined to any particular sphere or group. His vision is
enlarged, his intellectual horizon widens, and his outlook becomes as
liberal and as boundless as is the Kingdom of God. How can this width of
vision and breadth of mind be achieved by an atheist, a polytheist or one
who believes in a deity supposed to possess limited and defective powers
like a man? This belief produces in man the highest
degree of self-respect and self esteem. The believer knows that Allah
alone is the Possessor of all power, and that none besides Him can benefit
or harm a person, or provide for his needs, or give and take away life or
wield authority or influence. This conviction makes him indifferent to,
and independent and fearless of, all powers other than those of God. He
never bows his head in homage to any of God's creatures, nor does he
stretch out his hand before anyone else. He is not overawed by anybody's
greatness. This attitude of mind cannot be produced by any other belief.
For it is necessary that those who associate other beings with God, or who
deny God, should bow in homage to some creatures, regard them able to
benefit or harm them, fear them and place their hopes in them. Along with self-respect this belief also
generates in man a sense of modesty and humbleness. It makes him
unostentatious and unpretending. A believer never becomes proud, haughty
or arrogant. The boisterous pride of power, wealth and worth can have no
room in his heart, because he knows that whatever he possesses has been
given to him by God, and that God can take away just as He can give. In
contrast to this, an unbeliever, when he achieves some worldly merit,
becomes proud and conceited because he believes that his merit is due to
his own worth. In the same way pride and self-conceit are a necessary
outcome and concomitant of shirk (association of others with God in His
divinity), because a mushrik believes that he has a particular relation
with the deities which does not exist between them and other people. This belief makes man virtuous and upright.
He has the conviction that there is no other means of success and
salvation for him except purity of soul and righteousness of behavior. He
has perfect faith in God Who is above all need, is related to none and is
absolutely just. This belief creates in him the consciousness that, unless
he lives rightly and acts justly, he cannot succeed. No influence or
underhand activity can save him from ruin. As against this, the kafirs and
the mushriks always live on false hopes. Some of them believe that God's
son has atoned for their sins; some think that they are God's favourites,
and will not be punished; others believe that their saints will intercede
with God on their behalf; while others make offerings to their deities and
believe that by so bribing the deities they acquire a licence to do
whatever they like. Such false beliefs keep them enmeshed in sin and evil
deeds; depending on their deities, they do not bother about their souls
and living pure and good lives. As to atheists, they do not believe that
there is any Being having power over them, to Whom they should be
responsible for their good or bad actions; therefore they consider
themselves independent to act in whatever way they like. Their own fancies
become their gods and they live like slaves of their wishes and desires. The believer never becomes despondent. He
has a firm faith in God Who is Master of all the treasures of the earth
and the heavens, Whose grace and bounty have no limit and Whose powers are
infinite. This faith imparts to his heart extraordinary consolation, fills
it with satisfaction and keeps it filled with hope. Although he may meet
with rejection from all sides in this world, faith in and dependence on
God never leave him, and on their strength he goes on struggling. Such
profound confidence can result from no other belief than belief in one
God. Mushriks, kafirs and atheists have small hearts; they depend on
limited powers; therefore in times of trouble they are soon overwhelmed by
despair and, frequently, they commit suicide.2 This belief produces in man a very strong
degree of determination, patient perseverance and trust in God. When he
makes up his mind and devotes his resources to fulfilling the Divine
Commands in order to secure God's pleasure, he is sure that he has the
support and backing of the Lord of the universe. This certainty makes him
firm and strong like a mountain, and no amount of difficulties,
impediments and opposition can make him give up his resolution. Shirk,
kufr and atheism have no such effect. This declaration inspires bravery in man.
There are two things which make a man cowardly: (i) fear of death and love
of safety, and (ii) the idea that there is someone else besides God who
can take away life and that man, by adopting certain devices, can ward off
death. Belief in La ilaha illallah purges the mind of both these ideas.
The first idea goes out of his mind because he knows that his life and his
property and everything else really belong to God, and he becomes ready to
sacrifice his all for His pleasure. He gets rid of the second idea because
he knows that no weapon, no man or animal has the power of taking away his
life; God alone has the power to do so. A time has been ordained for him,
and all the forces of the world combined cannot take away anyone's life
before that time. It is for this reason that no one is braver than the one
who has faith in God. Nothing can daunt him: not even the strongest
tempest of adversity and the mightiest of armies. Where can the mushriks,
the kafirs and the atheists get such great determination, force and power
from? They hold life the dearest thing in the world; they believe that
death is brought about by the enemy and can be warded off by running away
from him! The belief in La ilaha illallah creates an
attitude of peace and contentment, purges the mind of jealousy, envy and
greed and keeps away the temptations of resorting to base and unfair means
for achieving success. The believer understands that wealth is in God's
hands, and He apportions it out as He likes; that honour, power,
reputation and authority - everything - is subjected to His will, and He
bestows them as He will; and that man's duty is only to endeavour and to
struggle fairly. He knows that success and failure depend on God's grace;
if He wills to give, no power in the world can prevent Him from so doing;
and if He does not will it, no power can force Him to. On the other hand,
the mushriks, the kafirs and the atheists consider success and failure as
dependent on their own efforts and the help or opposition of earthly
powers. Therefore, they always remain slaves to cupidity and envy. They
never hesitate to turn to bribery, flattery, conspiracy and other kinds of
base and unfair means to achieve their ends. Jealousy and envy of others
success eat them away, and they will stop at nothing to bring about the
downfall of a successful rival. The most important effect of La ilaha
illallah is that it makes man obey and observe God's Law. One who has
belief in it is sure that God knows everything hidden or open and is
nearer to him than his own jugular vein. If he commits a sin in a secluded
corner and in the darkness of night, He knows it; He even knows our
thoughts and intentions, bad or good. We can hide from everyone, but we
cannot hide anything from God; we can evade everyone, but it is impossible
to evade God's grip. The firmer a man's belief in this respect, the more
observant will he be of God's commands; he will shun what God has
forbidden and he will carry out His behests even in solitude and in
darkness, because he knows that God's 'police' never leaves him alone, and
he dreads the Court whose warrant he can never avoid. It is for this
reason that the first and the most important conditions for being a Muslim
is to have faith in La ilaha illallah. 'Muslim', as you have already been
told, means one 'obedient to God' and obedience to God is impossible
unless one firmly believes in La ilaha illallah. In the teachings of Muhammad (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) faith in One God is the most important and fundamental principle. It is the bedrock of Islam and the mainspring of its power. All other beliefs, commands and laws of Islam stand firm on this foundation. All of them receive strength from this source. Take it away, and there is nothing left of Islam. Notes: The testimony of Prof. Joad is also very
explicit on this point. He writes about the West: "For the first time
in history there is coming to maturity a generation or men and women who
have no religion, and feel no need for one. They are content to ignore it.
Also they are very unhappy, and the suicide rate is abnormally high."
(C. E. M. Joad. The Present and Future of Religion, quoted by Sir Arnold
Lunn., And Yet So New, London, 1958, p. 228). As to the world of Islam. let the views of a non-Muslim historian not in any way sympathetic to Islam, be read with profit: "In this uncompromising monotheism. with its simple, enthusiastic faith in the supreme rule of a transcendent being, lies the chief strength of Islam. Its adherents enjoy a consciousness of contentment and resignation unknown among followers of most creeds." "Suicide Is Rare in Muslim Lands" (Phillip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs, 1951, p.129). Source: |
