MAKE ISLAM RELEVANT

Submitting our will to Allah has never been easy despite Islam being the religion that caters to the human fitrah. Why is it like this? How can it become easy? In my opinion, it is by making Islam relevant. People need to be convinced that success and resolution of problems can be achieved by implementing deen-e-Islam in their life. People also need to see Muslims adding value to the society in all fields through creativity, innovation, policies and socially responsible behavior. Fact is that Allah has perfected Islam as deen for us. Allah says in the Quran:

....This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion...(Al-Quran 5:3)

Allah also reminds us that Islam caters to the human fitrah:

So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know. (Al-Quran 30:30)

Through the Quran Allah tells us about a fact, an event which all of us have forgotten, but it resides in the subconsciousness. Allah reminds us:

And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we have testified." [This] - lest you should say on the day of Resurrection, "Indeed, we were of this unaware" Or [lest] you say, "It was only that our fathers associated [others in worship] with Allah before, and we were but descendants after them. Then would You destroy us for what the falsifiers have done?" (Al-Quran 7:172-173)

Accepting Allah as our Rabb (tawheed) is ingrained in our fitrah from birth just like other primordial instincts. Just like we take care of our primordial physical instincts we need to take care of our primordial spiritual instincts. This fact is of extreme importance because by awakening these primordial spiritual instincts, Islam becomes relevant. Allah says in the Quran:

So those who believe in Allah and hold fast to Him - He will admit them to mercy from Himself and bounty and guide them to Himself on a straight path. (Al-Quran 4:175)

So whoever Allah wants to guide - He expands his breast to [contain] Islam; and whoever He wants to misguide - He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus does Allah place defilement upon those who do not believe. (Al-Quran 6:125)

No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things. (Al-Quran 64:11)

These primordial spiritual instincts are revived through belief  (emaan) development. So to make Islam relevant, the first step that is required is nurturing belief in Allah and the tenets of emaan, because firstly it is in our subconscious by birth to accept Him as our Rabb and secondly it aids in getting guidance from Allah.

To develop emaan, Allah has bestowed us with the faculties of seeing, hearing, conversing, remembering, thinking, learning and understanding. Since knowledge of emaan is abstract the only way these faculties can be engaged in emaan development is through reading, writing, discussing, reflecting and solving problems. So instead of teaching children Islam from early childhood, we need to impart knowledge of tenets of emaan in a way that is understandable and interesting so that children have reason and conviction to act according to deen-e-Islam.

This is the way forward and it requires emaan based tarbiyah through a new Islamic studies curriculum and textbooks. Till we do that, developing a progressive vibrant society known for knowledge creation and wisdom won't be possible.