Religion Islam - Basic of Islamic Ideology

The Mosquein Islamic history was the focal point where political, social, and religious activities were perfectly blended together. The concept of Islamic ideology paid as much attention to a man’s well-being and welfare in this world as much as the life hereafter. In this sense the role of the mosque has always been instrumental in the social-moral and political uplift of the Muslim Community. However, in the later period after Khilafat-e-Rashida, the period of first four pious caliphs with the decline of the political supremacy of the Muslims resulting in their disintegration under foreign rule, the concept and role of the mosque also underwent fundamental changes. Consequently the active and dynamic role the mosque played in the life of the Ummah in the period of our prophet and caliphs was reduced to a place of rituals and worship. The later concept continues up to today. This has not only rendered the mosque ineffective as a center of social uplift but it has rather indirectly or directly increased the sectarianism and parochialism among Muslims. It is therefore of paramount importance that the present concept of the role of mosques be analysed and redefined in the light of its original concept and function in the days of the Prophet and in the context of the present needs of the Muslim community.

(1) Mosques have lost their social character much more so in cities. More emphasis is given on the neutral role of the mosque in society and is no more a part of the social life of the Community.

(2) Mosques tend to belong to sects, localities but not to the Muslim community as a whole.

(3) With the exception of a few mosques, persons from other sects are not allowed in some mosques. Strange it may look but the entrance of other sects in some mosques is forbidden by notices written on their main doors i.e. Masjid Hanfiah, Masjid Gausia, Masjid Ahle-Hadith etc.

(4) Islam does not advocate the division of loyalty towards God and Caesar. The mosque was not only a place of worship, but also the center of political, social and military activities in early Islam. Due to various political and historical reasons the role of mosque was reduced to a place of worship only.

In order to revive the mosque at least as a center for community, it is essential to study the role and function of the mosque built by the Holy Prophet when he migrated from Makkah to Medina. Intention here is not to delve into details but a casual look at Islamic literature will reveal that the mosque was a place for Salaat as well as a center of temporal activities. The concept of holiness is alien to the Islamic concept of mosque and is a later development.

By - Religion Islam

Private relationship between man and his Creator is essentially founded on the idea of salvation. Salvation is common to all religions, even to Buddhism which does not acknowledge the existence of God.The idea of salvation was born out of the belief that man's stopover on earth was one of bondage. How to free him from that bondage thus became the main object of his life.

Islam on the other hand, is neither such a relationship between man and God, nor is it characterized by the experience of an individual of a subjective nature, but is essentially a "Code of Life" regulating the conduct of affairs concerning the individual as well as the collective life of human beings. Secondly, it does not consider man’s life on earth a period of bondage; therefore the idea of salvation does not arise in this approach. In reality Islam has assigned to man a very high position in the universe. Islam expects him to take up the challenge of life boldly in order to harness the forces of nature for the development of his own self and the larger community of mankind. The fallacy of considering Islam a religion springs from the fact that absolute "faith" in God is of fundamental importance to it, as it is supposed to be more or less so in all religions, past and present, but it is not only the " faith" in God that should serve as a criterion in arriving at a correct estimate of one or the other. The real question we should be concerned with is, what is the concept of God which is supposed to be the common factor?

By - Religion Islam