Mouood Mouood English Edition
At the time of Be’that, there were great civilizations in the world. There were nations that had knowledge of philosophy and other areas and enjoyed civil awareness. The last Be’that could have happened in those countries or regions. But Allah the Exalted determined that this Be’that which was supposed to benefit humanity, for God knows how many millennia should not happen in those places. He determined that this Be’that should not happen in a place where other factors would interfere at the time of the inception of this idea and this invitation.
At that time, there were great civilizations in the western part of the world. The way they treated the Holy Prophet (S) shows that they were civilized people. One example is the people of the city of Antioch and in Sura al-Yasin Allah the Exalted simultaneously recounts the story of three prophets who were sent there and how the people of that city showed ingratitude. This is not an insignificant point. History books contain certain things about those nations. Allah the Exalted determined that the Holy Prophet should not be sent to that place.
The areas of knowledge that had developed elsewhere did not exist in the Arabian Peninsula. There was only polytheism and primitive areas of knowledge that were contaminated with polytheism. You see that the Holy Quran is seriously opposed to polytheism.
Anything that is contaminated with polytheism is rejected in Islam. Apart from this, Islam was introduced to humanity in a pure form and it spread to different parts of the world in a pure form. Wherever Islam spread, it revealed its sharpness and salience in its confrontation with different civilizations and cultures until those who were promoting Islam and their call to Islam gradually
Sura al-Ikhlas has highlighted “He begets not, nor is He begotten” very much. In this four-Ayah sura, “He begets not, nor is He begotten” has been placed at the heart of the sura. Also “and none is like Him” 12 has been stressed and highlighted. The purpose is to erase polytheism from minds and to prevent the message of God from being mixed up with polytheism.
Anything that is contaminated with polytheism is rejected in Islam. Apart from this, Islam was introduced to humanity in a pure form and it spread to different parts of the world in a pure form. Wherever Islam spread, it revealed its sharpness and salience in its confrontation with different civilizations and cultures until those who were promoting Islam and their call to Islam gradually lost their original purity. However, this Be’that will remain permanent for humanity and this is the characteristic of Be’that of the Seal of Prophets (S). That is to say, whenever the world and human life becomes devoid of spirituality, the teachings that the Holy Quran promotes can step in and fill the vacuum. The quality of Islamic teachings is such that the force which exists in the Islamic system of laws and teachings can fill spiritual vacuums in all conditions and provide humanity with an opportunity to live in a spiritual environment.
The need for Islam’s rational and spiritual prescription: A similarity between the current era and the era of Be’that
Today we are in one of those situations. What are the conditions that have to be met before a call gains ground among nations and countries and attracts attention? First, the call has to be rational and reasonable. Any claim that distances Islam from its rational foundation will work against the growth and spread of Islam. Those who comment on Islamic issues should pay attention to this point.
Islam is a religion that is based on rationality. Islam is a religion that can be understood, appreciated and accepted by healthy minds. This is the characteristic of Islam. This does not mean that every Islamic ruling should be accompanied by a rational justification. Why does the dawn prayer consist of two Raka’at? Does this require a rational justification? No. Similarly, it does not mean that any rational reasoning that comes to mind could be found in Islam. Rather, it means that Islamic teachings which are judged by religious experts to originate from Islam, can be defended in any rational and scholarly setting. It is possible to make even the most materialistic people understand what prayer is and why Islam has made it obligatory.
A famous western intellectual from the 19th century, which was the century of impiety in the west, says that prayer contains a great secret. I do not want to mention the name of that intellectual, but he is famous. Yes, if prayer did not contain a great secret, an intellectual in that materialistic context would not have said such a thing. Just, scholarly and logical people can understand all Islamic teachings. They can appreciate and accept all Islamic teachings. This is the characteristic of Islam.
Therefore, being logical and rational is one of the characteristics of Islam. Those who try to distance Islam from this characteristic, those who promote the idea that Islamic teachings go against science and rationality, those who attribute to Islam what is not Islamic and cannot be confirmed and accepted by sound minds such people are definitely working against the spread of Islam and they are not at all helping Islam. This characteristic of Islam is an inherent quality that can help Islam spread in the world.
Another characteristic of Islam is that it is spiritual and divine. That is to say, Islam is not like the picture that is presented of Christianity whose spiritual aspects dominate its worldly aspects. Islam considers the world as part of the hereafter. Your life, your business activities, your studies, your bureaucratic work and your political activities are part of your afterlife. The world is part of the hereafter. The acts that you perform with good intentions are virtuous deeds that will help you achieve closeness to God and high spiritual positions in the hereafter. If, God forbid, you do certain things out of selfishness, those things will lead to spiritual decline and your downfall.
This is how Islam is. Everything that exists in our life and all our worldly efforts are part of our afterlife. The world is not separate from the hereafter. What is bad is that you perform your daily activities with bad intentions. This is what is meant by the negative meaning of “worldly life”. Otherwise, the world is not separate from the hereafter. This world is the farm of the hereafter. What is meant by“farm”? Is it possible to reap what you have sowed anywhere other than your farm? This shows perfect unity and harmony. Islam is a spiritual religion despite the fact that it attaches importance to every aspect of worldly life. In an Islamic environment, hearts should have a tendency towards God. Intentions should be divine. This is among the characteristics of Islam and a means for spreading Islam.
The shortcoming that is currently felt in the world is the lack of spirituality and the spiritual vacuum, particularly in the western world. They are obsessed with materialistic aspects of life. They have drifted away from spirituality. They are immersed in human passions. The characteristic of human passions is that if they are continued, they lead people into a life of hell. When human passions dominate the life of a person or a nation, they turn their life into hell. This is the characteristic of human passions.
You cannot find a person who continues living a happy life while indulging in human passions. God has not created such a person. If you go and research this issue, you will come to the same conclusion. This is definite and obvious. As far as human beings are concerned, living in passions is the same as living in hell, and this is the problem that has plagued the life of some wealthy people in the west. And those who are not wealthy are drowning in a hell of poverty, wretchedness and corruption. Of course, this is not the case with all westerners. There are always exceptions among all kinds of people. Definitely, there are good people in the west. However, their situation is generally like this. Today’s world requires this Be’that. 13
• 1.Sura al-Hujraat, Ayah 13
• 2.Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on in a meeting with government officials on the occasion of birthday anniversaries of the Holy Prophet (S) and Imam Sadiq
• 3.Sura Aal-e Imran, Ayah 164
• 4.Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 68, P. 382
• 5.Sura al-Hadid, Ayah 25
• 6.Kafi, Vol. 5, P. 266
• 7.Sura al-Hadid, Ayah 25
• 8.Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on January 21, 1993 in a meeting with government officials on the occasion of Mab’ath
• 9.Ibn Abi al-Hadid’s commentary on Nahjul Balaghah, Vol. 1, P. 136
• 10.Sura al-Hujraat, Ayah 10
• 11.Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on September 5, 1993 in a meeting with government officials and ordinary citizens on the occasion of birthday anniversaries of the Holy Prophet (S) and Imam Sadiq
• 12.Sura Ikhlas, Ayahs 3-4
• 13.Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on January 10, 1994 in a meeting with government officials on the occasion of Mab’ath
