Recalibrating The Moral Compass

As extremism has spread its tentacles across Pakistan, it has manifested itself in a familiar pattern. Barber shops are warned, and then blown up. Businesses selling music CDs are warned and then blown up. Reports have surfaced of men being pressurized to wear their trousers above their ankles. As extremists have gained sway and wished to further extend their sphere of influence, they have met resistance from government forces determined to deal with them once and for all. As a result, sporadic violence has snowballed into total anarchy in many areas. The goal of the extremists is clear: to create a climate of fear and force people to adopt a particular lifestyle against their will.

The apparent triviality of some of the attributes the extremists wish to inculcate among people may come as a surprise to a person ignorant of Islam. As Muslims, we should be wiser. From a theological point of view, the veracity of the attributes mentioned above is beyond question. It is well-established that the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) wore a beard and encouraged others to do so. In fact, on one occasion he(PBUH) turned his face away from envoys of Persian emperor Khusru who were beardless and had long mustaches. This was a sign of his disapproval of this practice. Similarly, the prophet of Islam exhorted his followers to wear their trousers above their ankles. Following these sunnah actions is praiseworthy and should not invite mockery. The discouragement of music in Islam is an open secret as well.

The desire of the extremists to hold firmly to each and every single facet of our prophet's appearance is admirable. But by resorting to violence to spread their message, they have abandoned the way of the prophet. In doing so, they have caused great damage to the image of Islam. Their excesses have provided enemies of Islam fodder for propaganda.

The goal of extremism is to bring about a 'top-down' revolution where an unrepresentative theocratic regime holds the reigns of power. Such a revolution, in the unlikely scenario it is brought about, has little hope of longevity because free people are averse to being dictated how to lead their lives, especially at gun-point. When a theocratic regime and the populace don't share values, the fire of rebellion is stoked. Such a fire will inevitably consume the regime. Looking at Pakistan's history, in my view it is nearly impossible to bring about a 'top-down' revolution here. The hysteria in the media about the possibility of Pakistan falling to extremists is no more than a storm in a teacup. The real goal of such insinuations is to fashion public opinion in a certain way and make it amenable to the implementation of an open-ended hap-hazard policy which has no realizable objectives. What can not be denied is the clear and present danger faced by Pakistanis as a result of the endless streak of suicide bombings which have taken a heavy toll on the police in particular. The permanent solution to the security issues in my view is not a magical one, it will have to be a slow process where the polarization in society is gradually reduced.

Nothing fuels self-righteous extremism more than the blood of innocent people. The loss of a loved one can transform a sane person in to a blood-thirsty monster. A wandering vagabond can suddenly find purpose to his being: to avenge his loved one and secure eternal paradise by slaying innocents. Clearly this is not a rational train of thought; not surprising since the train of rationality had left the station long ago. The current strategy of using military might to kill people already willing to die only strengthens the extremist movement. A knee-jerk, heavy-handed strategy will only compound the problem by creating more aggrieved people who are inclined to adopt violent methods to extinguish the fire that burns within them.

By embracing austerity and giving all their actions a self-styled Islamic tinge the extremists have projected themselves as champions of Islam. It can not be denied that they have challenged the faith of all Muslims. In answering this challenge, the average Muslim who is appalled by the violent and self-righteous stance of the extremists has two options: he can either retreat timidly and disown his own creed or step up and take his place as the true heir of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Having the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood is a gift that Allah endows upon very few people. Among this select group is the second caliph of Islam: Umar bin Khattab (RA). Soon after he converted to Islam, the prophet bestowed on him the title 'Al-Faruq'; meaning one who distinguishes truth from falsehood. In answering the extremist's challenge we need to take a leaf from the book of Islam's second caliph. So when we condemn the blowing up of a barber shop, we should ensure that the act of violence is condemned and not the sunnah of the prophet. When we hear of a girl being flogged for alleged immorality, we should condemn the dispensation of vigilante justice and not the punishment itself.

Every society has a set of beliefs and values it holds dear. These values help us determine where the moral compass of the society points to. The perspectives of the members of that society and their opinions on various issues are guided by this moral compass. Practicing Christians, for example, use the phrase 'What would Jesus Do?' to indicate that their moral compass points to the teachings of Jesus. Similarly, supporters of the conservative republican party in USA use the phrase 'What would Reagan Do?' to express their adherence to Ronald Reagan's political ideology. As faithful adherents of the last prophet Muhammad and in light of the unambiguously Islamic nature of our constitution, it should be patently clear that our moral compass should point to Islam. In our day-to-day dealings, in our political debates and at every juncture in our life; one question should determine the course of action we choose to take: 'What would Muhammad (PBUH) do?'. Given that even the most intricate details of his pure life have been preserved in pristine form, answering this question is often a matter of just asking a scholar of seerah.

For a variety of reasons, the moral compass of many liberal opinion-makers in Pakistan has wobbled and points to foreign value systems like secularism. What liberal pundits fail to see is that by trying to confine Islam to the mosque and interpreting events through the prism of secular thought, they are in fact contributing to widening social schisms which threaten the very fabric of the nation. My role and the role of all among us who are claimants to Iqbal's intellectual inheritance is simple; in Iqbal's own words: 'if we cannot make any original contribution to the general thought of Islam, we may, by healthy conservative criticism, serve at least as a check on the rapid movement of liberalism in the world of Islam'.

Iqbal expressed these thoughts almost 80 years ago as he sensed that muslims were on the verge of a renaissance. The nation he conceived was destined to lead the world in ushering in the new era of Islamic renaissance. But by ignoring his counsel, we have betrayed Iqbal and have brought the nation to the precipice of disaster. Our collective moral compass has meandered and we have lost sight of the real treasure of Divine guidance we have been entrusted with. As a result, only a few people exist among us who can make any original contribution to the general thought of Islam. The least we can do is heed Iqbal's word and act as a bulwark against proliferating liberalism.

There is a genuine need to recalibrate Pakistan's collective moral compass so that it is consistent with our founding principles as well as with our constitution. If we succeed in doing so, we can bring about a 'bottom-up' revolution; which unlike a 'top-down' revolution, is guaranteed to be durable and can form the bedrock of a strong and honorable nation where extremists will struggle to gain traction on religious grounds. Only then we can truly lay claim to Iqbal's intellectual legacy.