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The
Choice is Yours
By
Khalid Baig
A recent article in the
Detroit News contrasted the lives of two ordinary persons from Palestinian refuge
camps in Jordan. Two persons joined by faith and circumstances, yet separated
by choices of their lifestyles. One awakens at 4 a.m. every day and walks a
mile to the mosque for the Fajr prayers. At that time, the other is often just
getting to sleep, capping off another night of drinking and socializing at a
bar that caters to tourists and wealthy Palestinians. One keeps abreast of the
latest political developments in the Middle East to "ensure our future
liberation from Israel." The other, "like many in his Heineken-drinking
clique, is oblivious to the latest showdown between the United States and Iraq
and the subsequent peace brokered by the United Nations. But … knows all
the words to the latest music videos." One wears a beard. The other religiously
shaves it before happy hour, "because the real hot girls like soft skin."
One is concerned about moral decadence and the mortal danger it presents to
"their country and their afterlife." The other asks, "Why shouldn't
we enjoy ourselves? Come on, you only live once, right?"
The article titled "Partying
versus Praying", is pleasantly free of the propaganda overtones characteristic
of the mainstream media reports about the Muslim world. In a typical piece,
the first person would have been depicted as a "fundamentalist", a
fanatic, a "bad guy" who is danger to himself and to the world. The
second person, would, of course, be the "good guy"--- the friendly,
"civilized" person who needs encouragement and support. In contrast,
here is an objective observation about the clash of two currents. Its objectivity
compels those it reports about, to reflect on their situation.
In a way, the story captures
the current state of the entire Ummah. For today, the Ummah is a big refuge
camp: Robbed, wounded, tortured, expelled, dispossessed, and disenfranchised.
And just like the refuge camp it has two powerful but exactly opposite currents:
One represents awakening, turning to Allah, overcoming the base desires, and
preparing for liberation from slavery, both physical and intellectual. The other
represents falling asleep, turning away from Allah, and "enjoying"
the slavery. This is a clash between piety and profanity, between light and
darkness, between the path to Paradise and the way to Hell.
It is born of the freedom
of choice that has been given to every human being. Allah has created two possible
destinations for all human beings, and there are two opposite paths leading
to them. "We have shown him the two paths." [Al-Balad 90:10] "We
showed him the Way: Whether he be grateful or ungrateful." [Al-Insan 76:3]
The first path leads to success, the other to failure. "By the Soul and
the proportion and order given to it, and its inspiration as to its wrong and
its right. Truly he succeeds that purifies it and he fails that corrupts it."
[Ash-Shams 91:7-10]
Qur'an is very emphatic
that those who choose the disparate paths cannot be alike, either here or in
the hereafter: "Shall We treat those who believe and do good works as those
who spread corruption in the earth; shall We treat the pious as the wicked?"
[Sad 38:28]
"Is he who is a believer
like unto him who is an evil-liver? They are not alike." [As-Sajda 32:18]
"Is then one who does know that that which has been revealed unto you (O
Muhammad), from your Lord is the Truth, like one who is blind?" [Ar-Rad
13:19] "The Day when Man shall remember all that he strove for, and Hell-Fire
shall be placed in full view for him who sees. Then, for such as had transgressed
all bounds, and had preferred the life of this world, the abode will be Hell-Fire;
and for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord and had
restrained their soul from lower desires, their abode will be the Garden."
[An-Naziat 79:35-41]
It is, then, for each one
of us to make up our mind regarding our destination and to check whether we
are moving in its direction. Of course, the choice would not be difficult if
we were only looking at the destination. No one in his right mind would choose
Hell over Heaven or eternal failure over success. But the eternal success requires
us to go uphill. It takes effort and patience. The journey to hell, on the other
hand, is downhill. One can just slide to it. And so, weak and prone to temptations
that we are, we slip. That slip alone would not be that much of a problem, because
one can also recover from it through repentance. The real problem occurs when
we lose all sense of direction and purpose and start thinking that our fall
is our rise.
To complicate matters further,
today big outside forces are also busy at work to smooth our slide and cheer
us at our fall. It is a juggernaut of unbelievable proportions and unprecedented
wickedness. The television and music videos, present everywhere and all the
time, are part of it. The UN Social Action Program and its plans for "development"
and "empowerment" are part of it. The various NGOs working for "Human
rights", "Women's rights", or whatever rights, are part of it.
All those propaganda pieces that praise "moderates" and demonize "fundamentalists"
are part of it.
Of course none of that can
do any harm to us if we are willing to cut through the haze and see things for
what they are. It is Allah's promise that both paths will remain open to us.
It is our choice. The young Palestinian man who walks a mile to the mosque three
to five times a day has made his choice. So have thousands upon thousands of
others like him in the Ummah who have decided to shun evil and follow the path
of piety and righteousness. So can the millions of others who are just wandering
around.
Let us remember: we cannot
get to the high ground by taking the low road. We cannot win our Creator's pleasure
by disobeying Him. We cannot enter Paradise by being ambivalent about it. The
clash between the two lifestyles here is actually the clash between two afterlives.
And the choice is ours.
[reproduced with permission
from www.albalagh.net]
Date/Time Last Modified: 6/18/2002 8:05:13 AM
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