Change is inevitable in human life and society.
Every day He manifests Himself in yet another (wondrous) way (verse 29, Sura
Al-Rehman). The Quranic State of our vision as outlined above is not only
Islamic it is also modern but without violating the spirit of Islamic
principles. The holy Quran repeatedly asks the unbelievers to abandon their
ancestors ways. The same advice also holds good for the believers. Tribes give
asylum to an assassin and will not let law to take its course because they are
bound by an age old custom of their forefathers. This attitude is in-Islamic
Change is a fact of life. A society that refuses
to adjust in accordance with changing .circumstances soon becomes decadent. In
recent history the rigid fixation with tradition has led to destruction of
Afghanistan and Iraq, two great Muslim countries, at the hands of the US after the
incident of 9/Il. Osama bin Laden was under Taliban`s protection. They accepted
the destruction .this substantial part of a great Islamic civilization for the
sake of an individual to uphold their A.-old tradition. This was unwanted,
unreasonable, irrational and un-Islamic.
I jihad means to strive, to make effort to find a
solution to a problem which is not available form either the holy Quran or
Sunnah. The Quran repeatedly ordains the Faithful to think, observe, analyze
and dilate over the word of God. What for? If all what is there is required to
be taken for granted for all times to come, then why think? If religion and
religious laws are meant to remain as
they are why then think over them? The fact is that our religion has two
aspects i.e. transcendental and transient. The former is immutable while the
latter is subject to change. Slavery is transient while human dignity is
transcendental. That is why slavery, once permissible is extinct today. Human dignity lives on.
Similarly concubines had the sanction of the holy Quran. They do not anymore.
Islam is a religion of Nature and human nature.
Anything that is in conflict with Nature is un-Islamic. Therefore, all that
currently goes on in violation of the human nature in the name of Islam is
un-Islamic and is to be undone. Ethnic and tribal prejudices, extremism,
factionalism, customs that trample human rights, intellectual stagnation, bar
on education of women, curbs on watching TV and listening to radio, shaving of
beard, honour killing, Vani / Sawara, marriage of daughters with the holy Quran
are some such practices that are irrational. They cast slur on the fair name of
Islam. They project it as a regressive religion. Change is will of God and must
have its sway when it becomes due. The obdurate attitudes and straight-jacketed
views stand in the way of Ijtihad that must be practiced to give a progressive
thrust to Islamic ways of living.
In human affairs, the process of Ijtihad’ continues
to work silently even if no effort at the desired change is consciously made.
For example, in course of time, slavery went out of practice and became a legal
offence without any divine commandment or any fatwa by a ‘mujtahid’. At a
certain stage the civilized mind realized that enslavement of man by man was an
offence to human dignity therefore it should be abandoned and it was dispensed
with.