Islam and the Loss of Equilibrium

Abstract

The vast majority of Muslims arc neither interested in the dia- logue among religions nor concerned with the pressing problems of the modern world. No doubt, part of the reason for this is that, like most of the rest of the world's inhabitants, they are uninformed and shortsighted. But positive elements can also be discerned: To the extent that they are faithful to their own tradition and uninfluenced by Western education or recently imported ideologies, they are certain of Islam's truth and its superiority over other faiths, so these ways can hold no attraction for them. The Prophet himself said, "I seek refuge in God from a knowledge which is of no use to rne." Moreover, tradi- tional Muslims know that the present situation is willed by God, since it has come about. So they are far more concerned with taking care of their own immediate spiritual and worldly concerns than with worry- ing about the future of modern society and the global crises of man- kind. "Verily we belong to God and to Him we return'' (Koran II 156); the world is in God's hands today as always. The spiritual atti- tude that inspires traditional Muslims can perhaps best be summed up by a saying of Ali: "Live each day as if you will die tomorrow, and live each day as if you will remain for a thousand years". From either point of view, and more especially from the standpoint that com- bines the two, "today's problems" are truly insignificant.