“Those are matters of the world, not matters of religion.”

“Those are matters of the world, not matters of religion.”

A highly respectable gentleman during a discussion on an important subject observes the following:

“Yes, Islam is a major religion and its scriptures give a lot of guidance to mankind. That guidance is on various aspects of a man’s life. Religious matters are only one aspect. The overall guidance from religion is like a top level macro criteria (work hard, seek God’s help, be honest etc). But to be practical as we deal with and explore various aspects of our lives; economics, health matters / medicine, housing, transportation / engineering, food / agriculture, natural phenomenon / science; civic matters / law, politics etc, we have to expand each subject matter and develop expertise in those areas. 

Those are matters of the world, not matters of religion. To handle each of these respective areas we need leadership in them. The leadership in each area should be knowledgeable in the areas that they are leading. Thus a very learned leader in the field of Islamic theology can not lead in the field of science or economics because he/she is simply not knowledgeable in science and economics. How can one lead in a field where he does not have knowledge of that field? In fact this is how major mistakes with devastating results have occurred.

To say that by doing this we are separating matters of Duniya from the matters of religion is to confuse the subject. The Qur’an and the prophet themselves exhort man to develop learning and knowledge in each of the fields that form part of life.”

If we use Urdu equivalents of “world” and “religion” it will obviously be Dunyaa and Deen respectively. Let’s once again read the sentence “Those are matters of the world, not matters of religion” and try our best to figure out if we are(n’t) dividing the two, Dunyaa from Deen.

While the beautiful principles of Islam guide the overall life, when we come at the micro level then a significant part of the same life immediately goes beyond the purview of those beautiful principles and becomes the “matters of the world, not matters of religion”. If it still remains within the purview of those principles, will we call it “matters of the world” or the “matters of religion”? There is something amiss here. And we need to stop here for a while.

In our life – the complete life – we are either following Islam or we aren’t following it. There is no other option and position. For instance, when we are on a road then either we are observing the traffic rules or we are violating them. One cannot say that today I have firmly decided to neither observe nor violate any of the traffic rules in my entire journey from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

Is “learning and knowledge” required in one part of life and not in others? If someone begins to “develop learning and knowledge in each part of the fields that form part of life” because of the exhortation from Qur’an and the Prophet then how “economics, health matters/medicine, housing, transportation/engineering, food/agriculture, natural phenomenon/science; civic matters/law, politics etc” will be the “matters of the world, not matters of religion”? Can we argue that a rudimentary knowledge of these areas will be the “matters of religion” but the advanced knowledge and expertise in these very same areas will become the “matters of the world”?

The same gentleman in another message on  a different subject argues: “Time has come that these large Muslim organizations use their base in the community and resources to improve and modernize madrasas so that the madrasa graduates become productive members of society and are able to help- their own families and community.” Earlier it was suggested by him that “matters dealing with madrasaas” are “religious issues”. What will happen if the madrasaas are modernised? What is not happening now which will happen then? How will the “madrasa graduates” become “productive members of society”? What is meant by society (does it include “religious” as well as “non-religious issues”? Why aren’t they “productive members of society” now (if they aren’t)?

There is some serious problem with our worldview due to a faulty education system. We as a people have to come to terms with the reality that Islam has NOT established two different worlds, Deeni and Dunyaawi or Spiritual and Material. It has a unified outlook towards (the complete) life, hence our unflinching belief in Tauheed. Life is a single entity as is the Universe. If the value of ALL that we do is determined by our INTENTION and the ultimate purpose behind it, then how much valid should the division be?

The division of Dunayy and Deen is very deep, however. This is why those, too, keep dividing the two who think that they aren’t dividing them. It is a hindrance in developing a correct worldview and it makes us constantly contradict ourselves. Moreover, this division is a big check against excellence. This division has created self-doubt among the ‘modern’ educated and a sense of guilt in them. It has created a sense of detachment from life among the ‘traditionally’ educated. They both are INCOMPLETE PRODUCTS from a faulty industry.

Thanks and salaam.

Wasim