It is of no use to berate the forces of darkness for enticing the young minds to leave the path of truth and accept the eternal falsehood. Young minds are lured by material comforts to convert, is an absurd argument. Moreover it is an effort to shirk the process of introspection: why and how the society has gone astray. We are immensely proud of the fact that we only worship Allah---the omnipresent and most merciful: “Thee do we worship. And Thine aid we seek”.  There are no two opinions about the fact: light cannot be compared with darkness. It is a very pertinent question why few followers of Tawhid توحيد ---Allah is one and unique--- having blessed with light decided to convert and fall in the abyss of darkness. Quran is emphatically clear: through which God shows unto all that seek His goodly acceptance the paths leading to salvation and, by His grace, brings them out of the depths of darkness into the light and guides them onto a straight (5:16). Why few among us have willfully decided to shun the light and accept the darkness? It is nothing else than the weakness of faith, whenever lingering doubts replace the conviction--- the faith---forces of darkness, always on the prowl are ever ready to pounce upon a person like a jackal.
Few among us, the fashionable pacifists type of pseudo intellectuals, without knowing the fact that right and wrong, evil and virtue are perennially opposed to each other--- there is no grey area in between either it is black or white--- counsel that it is an intellectual debate related to freedom of expression and free choice. If an adult person of his/her own free will, wants to adopt a new faith, the society has absolutely no role and it cannot intervene, is the argument. “There shall be no coercion in matters of faith (2:256), indeed nobody can even think of transgressing the injunctions of holy Quran. Still when we believe that “Say: “Can the blind and the seeing be deemed equal? - or can the depths of darkness and the light be deemed equal?” (13:16)” how is it possible to accept the preference of darkness over light, as a free choice? Nobody here is in business of denying anybody his right to practice his faith as one wish to. Nor should the consistent campaign of depriving the natives their faith by the alien forces trigger any violence response in the society.      
Nevertheless the society on the whole has to grapple with the stark reality: why our immune system has become so weak that it encourages the forces of darkness to make an effort to deprive our youth their faith. Filth of modernity indeed has corrupted the vulnerable minds. 
Wealth creation whether by legitimate means or dishonest ways, has become sole yardstick of success in the highly materialistic society. Our traditional value systems have almost crumbled under the weight of ever flourishing globalisation.  Presently all the emphasis is on acquainting with the alien customs.  Western civilization dominates in all respects of our life. Our education, economy, societal behaviours, all are influenced rather dictated by the values of the West. Only thing left with us was our faith that too in a very narrow sense of following merely the rituals. Majority in the society now hardly takes guidance from principles of Islam in the matters of day-to-day life. It might be painful but it is a hard reality, for majority of us Islam does not shape our world view, anymore. The new generation by temperament is considered to be rebel against the tradition and normative behaviour. The onslaught of all pervading western culture is to be felt everywhere. In such circumstances it is obvious for the new generation to feel overwhelmed under the weight of this cultural aggression. Ironically this cultural aggression without questioning its virulent effects has now been accepted as the modern way of life. Whether we accept or not, Western civilization is profoundly influenced by the value systems propounded by the Christianity. Since we are comfortable with almost all the other aspects of western civilization, sooner or later our progeny shunning its traditional faith and converting to Christianity was bound to happen. In case we continue to accept the western civilization without questioning its ill effects, it will not take longer for the trickle to turn into a torrent.
Time has come for us to decide what is dear to us: our faith or blind chase of wicked materialism. Faith will indeed test us, who continue to uphold the good and strive against the evil will be successful here and hereafter. Do men think that on their [mere] saying, "We have attained to faith", they will be left to themselves, and will not be put to a test? (29:2). |
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Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 Nov 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 Nov 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 5 Nov 2011 00:00:00 IST