Page 16 - Spirit of Islam-May'17

The decline of an ummah means decline in terms of spirit, and not in
terms of form. Forms or rituals have always been in existence: what
disappears is the spirit. So, it is the spirit that needs to be revived, and
not merely forms or rituals.

What is degeneration? Degeneration is simply a kind of detachment.
When people forget the original message of Islam and cling merely to
some lifeless rituals—that is the sign of degeneration.
At such times Muslims need to revive their faith, to rediscover the living
ideology of Islam and to re-awaken their minds along the lines which
were followed by the Prophet and his Companions. It is this act which
is called in the Hadith (saying of the Prophet) tajdeed, or revival.
The process of tajdeed cannot be successful if the reformers only want
to revive the ritualistic form of Islam. The above example of the barren
land tells us that the starting point for reform is intellectual awakening
and not just the revival of ritualistic practices.
Moreover, the task of revival needs a creative approach, entailing the
use of the contemporary idiom; reformers should try to sense their
listeners’ moods and preach in such a manner that their minds may
be addressed. If people’s minds are not addressed, then no reform
movement will yield any positive results. o

Super Achievement

Super achievement is everyone's dream,
but super achievement does not suddenly
knock at your door. It requires hard
labour, continuous effort, well-considered
planning, the utilization of full energy
on a single focus, and most importantly,
unshakable positive planning.

14 Spirit of Islam Issue 53 May 2017