By Dr Wasim Ahmad,
Once in a while we hear about ‘the idea of India’. Who should give the idea of India? The Muslims. Because they are the ones who have the best ideals – Islam. Those who (should) have an idea about the entire Universe can give a better idea of every piece of land on the planet earth including India. They are the ones who (should) have the whole picture. They are the ones who profess a faith which is bi-polar, combining the soul and body in a perfectly harmonious manner – none at the cost of the other. Hence, the presence of Muslims in India should be a source of delight for the fellow countrymen and not of something else. The fellow citizens should be happy to have more and more Muslims with them and should consider them a boon.
The idea of India might be read in the following words of Dr Zakir Hussain: “We are obliged to seek freedom (for all) as Muslims. If we want to remove all kinds of bondages from the world, if we want that economic system wherein the gap between the rich and the poor does not deprive the majority from their dignity as human beings, if we want the honor of God-consciousness to replace that of wealth, if we consider that removing the biases of race and color is obligatory upon us then the place for the fulfilment of all of these lofty ideals is our very own dear homeland. From the soils of which we were born and in the soils of which we will be buried.” (Naqsh-e Zakir, New Delhi, 1987 p. 266)
For the above to happen what is required is primarily a change in outlook. And a paradigm shift – with all earnestness and sincerity. If this change in outlook occurs then the RSS and the BJP will also love it. They will hold the Muslims in the highest esteem. There is every reason to believe in the goodness of human beings – even though one may experience evil from them on a daily basis. Every new morning we should again reconfirm our faith in the human beings and in the inherent goodness in them.
Exclusivism antithesis of the idea of India
When, however, we think of exclusive educational institutions for Muslims then we immediately defeat the idea of India. When we think of a Muslims only political party we instantly violate the idea of India. When we talk about Muslims a lot and do not try to find out what makes us focus upon them then we have already gone against the idea of India. When we forget our job on earth and think only of asking and not of giving, it goes against the idea of India. When we do not analyze the reasons behind not getting the desired results from the educated then it is not in harmony with the idea of India. When we continuously separate dunyaa from deen it completely disregards the idea of India.
When we do not try to figure out what we stand for and which direction we should move into then we clearly indicate that we have nothing to do with the idea of India. When ten different persons are asked about what are they supposed to do on earth (neither beneath it nor above the heavens) and they ALL give ten different answers then we have lost touch with the idea of India. The idea of India requires that the Muslims stop talking to themselves and seek more avenues of engagement with ALL.
The idea of India requires that we remove all the vestiges (remnants) of exclusivity and isolationism from our minds first and then from the national life. Exclusivism is the antithesis of the idea of India. Our communitarian outlook, too, is a hindrance in the idea of India. The idea of India requires that our thought patterns change and become coherent. This is why when we run into self-contradictory situations then it violates the idea of India.
For idea of India, need to turn search-light inward
For the idea of India we have to seek more truth than we seek information. The truth which is not so easily reachable and which alone will liberate us. The truth which is free from self-contradiction and which is the equivalent of light. For this we have to turn the search-light inward. And all those things for which we hold ‘others’ responsible, we will have to hold ourselves responsible. In other words, the idea of India will require saying good-bye to many luxuries that we have grown up with and which we enjoy the most – like the desire for a leader and the conspiracy theories.
We have enough resources – human and material. We only have to redirect their use and utilization. We only have to take to the longest way – turning the problems into opportunities and the negatives into positives. Recalling always that there was a huge problem in Makkah due to rampant polytheism and widespread disbelief. But all these problems were an opportunity, too. What is the use of ‘physicians’ otherwise? With a change in outlook we will gradually see that the idea of India leads to the idea of the world. How could we make the world a better place without first exerting our utmost to turn India in a better place!?
(The writer is Dept Head, Islamic Studies, Preston University Ajman, UAE)