ISLAM AND PEACE

If the modern man is actually yearning for a practical solution to the crisis that has plagued the world, then we must agree and adhere to the teachings of religion. Religion as pointed out by learned people is one if not older than the world; it must be as old as the world we know.

Among other religions, Islam is one that means peace; stands for peace and proclaims peace. It is a religion that attempts in its bid towards weaving a social fibre of progress in the world. Yet, it is the most misunderstood religion by the “uninitiated” and even a majority who belong in it. Most people are ignorant of the virtues of Islam and its dogma, and the result sometimes very worrying.

Those who belong in the house of Islam are referred to as ‘Moslems’ it means people who have decided to submit entirely not to do their ‘will’ but the will of the most high God; peacefully.

What then is the will of God in the holy Qur’an? God Almighty tells mankind in very simple and plain words that he created man to be his representatives on earth (Holy Qur’an 2:30). If we are the representatives of God on earth, why then is the world plunged into a flood of social unrest and sedition?

It is crystal clear as anything that God is the absolute good, gracious, merciful, lovely and harmonious. Why are we not treading in the pathways of goodness, grace, mercy, love and harmony? The representatives of God must be ready at all times to do the will of God they profess to stand for. But what we rather see is quite alarming.

On a daily basis, society continues to sink deep into the mud waters of hatred, petty jealousies and envy. We trade these negative traits with abusive and offensive language. The end result is often chaos and anarchy, making peace and security impossibility in our societies.

‘Peace is a necessary ingredient for development to take place’ has become a maxim in the words of social commentators and development experts. However, we can only achieve peace and security if we can actually find a lasting solution for the evils recounted earlier.

In dispensing with negative traits such as hatred and offensive language, we must be mindful of the golden rule in Islam as taught by prophet Muhammad (SAAS); ‘You can never be considered righteous until you want for your neighbour what you want for yourself.’

This rule teaches patience. With patience you can entrust to a neighbor what you want and throw overboard what you hate to bring about peace.

It sounds ironic and absurd on our part if we hold grudges hate and envy one another and in the next moment we are found in congregations claiming to be worshiping and praying to the same God. I am not castigating religion, far from that. Rather, this is an attempt to tell all Moslems and even non-Muslims that we must hold ourselves up to a standard that religion wants us to be. Patience must be seen with us at all times.

In his compilation of wise thoughts, Dr. Ishmail Ibn Yahaya of the University for Development Studies has posed this question: “Where do you put your hatred while you pray? Or do you become a hypocrite?

If we want to be good moslems and seen by God to represent him and do his will, hatred and all other blinding emotions must be nipped in the bud.

On the other hand, patience is a virtue which must be cultivated and practiced regularly. It is one of the quickest means to peace and tranquility. Our creator tells us in the Holy Qur’an that He is with the patient and the prophet of Islam says that the remedy to every obstacle in this life is patience.

People imbibed with patience can tolerate the words of vicious persons. Some have said in the past that there will be the greatest peace on earth if on every bad mouth a padlock is hung – a very good assumption far from becoming a reality in this world. It would be very difficult to fish out the foolish ones and gag their opprobrious epithets from being uttered out to others. However, there will be absolute peace on earth if the masses of people in all societies of the world will make patience their companion in all their daily interactions. For it is only in this euphoria that we can receive God into our inner selves at all times as stated earlier, ‘God is with the patient’.

Patience and peace are bed-fellows. The practice of this noble virtue (patience) leads to peace and harmony in any social and human endeavour.

In this light, we can in reality, ‘peacefully’ submit ourselves entirely to do the ‘will’ of God and properly represent him on earth. At the end of the day, we will be guided on the straight path and not the path of those who incur the wrath of God as indicated in the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an (Surat al Fatiha).

THE WISE SCHOLAR AND THE RICH MERCHANT

Abstract

Set against the background of a typical Arabian society, the story is purely fictitious and makes no direct reference whatsoever to anybody, group of persons or an entity. The characters herein are the sole creation of the author. 

 

In the kingdom of Shadnahuk a scholar who had wondered in quest for knowledge and wisdom gathered much of it and decided to settle in his home province of Shifa.

This wise man became so popular among the inhabitants of Shifa for his wisdom. He was held in reverence for the unfathomable epithets his speeches contained. In some cases, his writings and utterances were given further interpretations. He wrote extensively on a wide range of issues bothering humanity.

Whenever an issue became so complex for the ruler of the kingdom, it was referred to the “The man with the black turban” as he was rightly called due to the black turban he wore in recognition of his knowledge and wisdom.

Others referred to him as the ‘Wali’ (an Arabic word meaning friend of God) because of his good virtues, patience, his constant meditation and submission to the ways of Almighty God.

The Wali’s tent was sited a few meters away from Shifa on the road to a neighbouring community. Wali’s tent was only a temporal domicile. He was the architect of an arch residence he was raising behind the tent with the support of his family and other members of the community.

When the house was completed, the wise one thought of marriage. His only problem was that, it would have been difficult living with an unlearned wife. Already, people in the community saw his utterances as complex and incomprehensible.

One day, Wali made up his mind to go in search of a wife in Albarka, a neighbouring province. When he got on the road, he met an old merchant on camel to the same place. After a few salutations, they decided to go together keeping each other company.

“Who among us will carry the other as we go?” Wali enquired. Surprised by the nature of the question, the merchant remained silent for he did not understand exactly what his new found companion was driving at.

The journey was eventful with conversation and smiles though intermittently, the Wali’s statements were inexplicable. The road to Albarka went through a large barley farm belonging to a native of the place.

For a second time again the weary old rich merchant began to doubt the mental capability Wali after the former made a remark on the progress of the barley field to the later. The merchant said to Wali, “This barley farm belongs to my neighbour and as you can see, it is doing well and he will make significant gains after harvest”. Wali replied with divergent but complicated view. “Yes, your neighbour will make significant gains from the harvest only if he had not consumed the produce of the harvest as you see it standing”. This statement baffled the kind old merchant and he thought he was in deed traveling with a lunatic

As they approached the threshold of the province, a man came their way and informed the merchant that Abu, a native of the community had passed away and the interment process was ongoing. Hearing this, the merchant turned and passed the information to Wali “May his soul rest in perfect peace” Wali prayed and asked the merchant whether the deceased was completely dead or he died partially.

By this time, the merchant was convinced that Wali was not in his senses and in an undertone he remarked, how can a man die and live at the same time. He furtively left Wali and went home.

The merchant got home and his family was excited to see him back safely. Ummu Salma, the youngest of his three daughters was an intelligent young lady. She asked to know what her father had brought for them. “You are not lucky, I met a very handsome Youngman at Shifa province; I came with him to this town. He was here to find a wife for himself but unfortunately he is insane.” The merchant bemoaned. “How do you know he is insane when you’ve just met him for the first time? Ummu Salma asked.

The merchant narrated all what transpired between him and Wali to justify his conclusion. The girl told his father that Wali is not a mad man but a wise man who spoke in parables. She went on and gave a step by step explanation of all what he said to her father. The first question he posed; who among us will carry the other as we travel along?  This means, who among you would be on the vanguard and lead the way as you travel.

The second statement about the barley farms means that if so much money has been expended with the hope of paying back with the harvest, the owner of the farm will make insignificant gains.

Finally, the question on the death of Abu implies leaving behind children. A man who is completely dead has left no child behind – partial death means leaving a child behind before death.

The merchant was overwhelmed by his daughter’s responses to those seemingly baffling questions. He went out search of the wise man until he met him in a mosque where he was preaching to a group of men who knew him well.

Finally, an arrangement was made and the old merchant gave out his daughter Ummu Salma to the Wali. The marriage was endorsed by the fact that the young lady was able to interpret all that Wali told the old merchant.

The end.

  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 The author is a professional teacher and e-market information agent.

He completed Ghana Secondary School, Tamale in 1994. Later he enrolled at Tamale Polytechnic Institute where he pursued HND Programme in Secretaryship and Management Studies in 2004 and proceeded to the University of Education Winneba, Kumasi where he obtained a Diploma in Education on graduation in 2009. During the period, he enrolled at the University of Cape Coast and completed a Bachelor of Management programme in 2011. He is currently pursuing a postgraduate diploma in International Finance Management at Concord Business College, Tamale.

He started his career as a teacher in 1995 at the Little Flower Primary School, a private school in Tamale. Later he wrote articles and feature stories for the “New Ghanaian” the “Northern Advocate and the “News Update” and was later appointed as a newspaper correspondent for the “Envoy” in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.

Shortly after completing the HND programme, he served as Marketing Officer for the Association of Church Development Projects (ACDEP) in the execution of their market access sponsored project under the E. P. Church Rural Development Programme in Yendi.

After national service, he served again under the National Voluntary Programme at Dagbong State Senior High Technical School, Yendi in 2006. In the same year, the author was also appointed as secretary to Tisung Agro Production and Processing Organisation, an agro processing non-profit making organisation based in Yendi and Po in Burkina Faso.

He was formally appointed as a teacher by the Ghana Education Service in 2007 and posted to Dagbong State Senior High Technical School where he has been teaching ICT.

He was appointed as Esoko e-market information agent for Yendi in 2008 and later trained as a certified Esoko agent in 2010. In 2010, he was again appointed as a part-time management tutor by the School of Professional Studies, Yendi. He also doubles as assistant to the coordinator of School of Professional Studies, Yendi. He is also a part-time lecturer at Concord Business College, Tamale.