Being brought up in Pakistan you must have been certainly brought up with a religious belief. Talking about my own experience, I was brought up in an Islamic family. They taught me all the beliefs that they knew themselves and hammered into me the concept of heaven and hell. Which led me to the belief that for every good thing I did I was getting rewarded with naikiyan and had a better shot at heaven.
Then I grew up and saw the world for what it was. Started watching the society more keenly and how people hid behind religion. How a mere phrase they spoke in Arabic made them a Muslim – in the eyes of the society that was filled with the same people. Most of us have been hypocrites and very big ones at that. On so many occasions have we called ourselves Muslims just on the basis of performing a few rituals, while do we have any idea what is written in the Quran? What is actually preached in it, what different matters it talks about? How it lays down different historic events for lessons to be taken from and the different aspects of life it brings forward? No we haven’t, most of us have no clue other than what we have heard from people that have usually heard from someone else too which might lead back to some maulvi who told them that. The authentication of that heard thing is misplaced and jumbled between people’s thoughts and words.
I’ve looked at myself in the mirror over the past few months and asked myself the question am I really a religious person or just a ritualistic one, whose just been performing different rituals to deem himself as a worthy Muslim. The whole debate of what makes you a Muslim or not is not what I am addressing here. I want to propagate the fact that we have never been following a religion but a mere set of beliefs that has had us thinking we are a good person because we perform some rituals that have been given more importance than some other issues (such as the huqooq ul ibaad) which make us more religious. We have never understood the Holy Book or even read what is in it. Sure we all must have read it in Arabic because once again it helps us get some naikiyan and we are more inclined to go to Jannah. Again how many times have we actually read it to know what it beholds? Most of the society feels proud on fasting for 30 days and praying for 5 times a day because then again naikiyan and acceptability in the society are the main reasons.
I might be popping many bubbles or putting forth the truth some people have wished to avoid but this is the truth. What we are is a ritualistic society that performs rituals not for any religious purposes but for selfish reasons. If we had actually understood the deeper meaning of these rituals we wouldn’t be praying at 100 Km/h or fasting while sleeping most of the time or at times have problems while paying for zakat. We tend to be more ignorant, less helpful, less sympathetic, and more judgmental and backbite like our lives depend on it. Being religious would actually mean that we be better as a person and help the society in anyway or every way we can but yet we fail at that but ace at the rituals.
Being religious has more meaning to it than what we have known for most part of our lives. There are people present who are actually religious and bravo to them but most of us are just ritualistic and a part of that ‘most’ has actually left these rituals due to different reasons. We are scared of society’s judgment and Islamic extremism in our country. If it weren’t for these factors many of us would have stopped calling ourselves Muslims.
If you find peace within yourself just by performing these rituals and considering yourself religious Allah bhalla karey apka (may God bless you) but if your heart actually feels uneasy and unsteady, like mine does, why not try finding answers? Almost all of my age group is confused and uncertain, why not try to find the real answers in religion by actually studying it and not following it on the basis of what people have told you because honestly I’m tired of that. We seem to find answers in the religion that we have heard at times and blame it too but do we actually know what it is, do we?
There’s a whole ocean left to be explored when it comes to studying religion. It is your choice to explore it and find answers or stay wherever you are.
