as before, i notice many people projecting their views onto the rest of the nation.
a member once said that majority of bangladeshis have little regard for islam because he himself had no regard for islam.
now, banglatiger shahib is implying that most bangaldeshis would not be averse to shariah (at least thats my understanding of his post).
and of course poorfan, is making the old argument that islam is an archaic curse on humanity. i am not even considering that as worthy of refutation because clearly this illustrates 1 of 2 and only 2 possiblities: a complete lack of knowledge about islam or intense dislike of islam.
back to banglatiger bhai:
i disagree respectfully. i doubt whether most bangladeshis would applaud sharia. from my perception, the poorer members of our society tend to be more humble. obviously money and power have not corrupted them.
however the middle and upper class bangladeshis would not want anything to do with sharia. to them islam is no more than roja during ramzan mash, jummar namaaz, and eid er deen.
the bottom line is that very few understand what islam is really about: what kind of a person we are and how we treat others (human beings, animals, the environment, everything).
salaat, zakat, hajj, sawm, iman are all integral. but what is the purpose? we know allah (swt) is not in need of us, so why all this 'work'?
well because islam has one ultimate goal: to transform the beast known collectively as homo sapien into rijaal, man.
the homo sapien is an animal. no different from other animals. in fact, 99% related genetically to other primates, who are also animals.
what seperates man from homo sapiens is that man is aware (has taqwa) whereas the homo sapien is just as the chimp, the tiger, the gorilla, the beast. it mates with whoever it pleases, it eats whatever is suitable, it kills anything for immediate carnal benefit.
the man is aware, he sees that he is above the bestiality of nature. that he must react differently. and it comes down to how we treat the rest of creation, most importantly other humans.
this is the ultimate reason for the knowledge imparted to homo sapiens from their Lord.
osama bin laden prays 5 times a day, but at the end of the judgment his reward will be an-naar, the fire. i am not judging anyone, but basing on action and all that is apparent.
so we see that islam is ultimately about the physical and spiritual trancendence of people. trancending that which is animalistic and temporal to that which is holy and eternal.
sharia is a means, not an end. it will not guarantee salvation. if tomorrow bangladesh became the islamic republic of bangladesh it would not guarantee even one bangladeshi of being an inhabitant of jannah.
may allah guide us as He knows best. Ameen
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