What the Taliban do may be wrong - but let us not forget what they initially stood for - oh and Eid Mubarrak!!

I wanted to write on another topic that ive been meaning to write on - but I feel that I must clarify the topic of the Taliban further.

Let me say again, like I did in my previous post, I do not support the Taliban. I support those who follow Allah (S.A) and his Messengers (May Peace Be Upon Them). Hence, for me its a case by case analysis.

If the Taliban strive to bring about a rule where Allah's laws and the laws of his Messengers are followed - then that is good. If in the course of trying to obtain this goal, they transgress the boundaries and limits set down by Allah - then that is wrong!

The issue that I have is that people are so quick to condemn them but dont even bother to think about what they are trying to achieve. If they are transgressing limits then yes, they should be condemned, but like any true intellectual, you must take the good along with the bad so that you can understand how and why something can go wrong - otherwise we may end up unknowingly repeating the mistakes of history.

Hitler was a terrible person for what he did to the Jews - but there are lessons that can be learned from how he united Germany and commanded them as a leader of an army. Of course people only started talking about this years after the events. Let us not wait for years to pass us by while we sit and do nothing while each and every "non-western" country of the world is slowly colonized by the "West" - and that is a fact that history can easily prove. Let there not come a time when the whole world succumbs to a western culture which puts all importance on material gain and is trying to forget religion. If such a thing eventually happens, then let us not say "Oh, if only we had stood tall and firm in our belief in Allah and his Messengers".

While growing up - in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan - I lived in a very religious world. I was taught concepts about Islam and we used to study the Quran and the stories of the Sahaba of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). In those days - a class of Islamic studies or Quran was ignored by 90% of the entire class. My own class used to indulge ourselves in "gup-shup" (small talk) during Islamic Studies and Quran studies were just something that we HAD to do - just get a passing grade - after all, we all knew that the Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology etc results were the ones that really mattered. Once again - I say most of us followed this life style - there were a select few - may Allah be pleased with them - who did take these seriously. Ofcourse back then we used to think of them as too strict.

Because of this attitude, Islam became something like a dream or ideal situation that was around a long time ago - or for a lack of a better word - ancient history. I mean so much of what we were taught didn't relate at all to what was really happening in our lives at that time. We were taught how humbly the people lived during that time - how the Prophet (S.A.W) used to spend that what he had earned each day on that day. They lived in humble abodes. A simple life.

The world we grew up in is full of big houses, lavish weddings, excess spending on lavish cars, fast food, giant malls, servants to help us around the house - in short - what we were taught couldn't be further away from the reality that we lived in.

This is where the problem begins and I believe this has been around for a long time now. This vast difference in the way people live their lives now as opposed to the life back then has caused people to jump to conclusions like . . . .

"Oh, we cannot possibly live the way they used to live! It was a different time! With different culture and life styles!"

Its funny to note that most of the educational systems around the world follow very simple and standard principles. We are all taught the same subjects and we all go through grades (or years) and at year 12 we move on to higher studies and from there to Universities and from there we start to work for some private corporation whose goal - as with any private corporation is to make money. I wonder where such a standard system of education managed to spread all over the world?

Of course the west excelled in the advancement of technologies and wealth and soon the muslims were left behind - a forgotten once great empire. I believe this lagging behind resulted in certain Islamic laws passing like the concept of Islamic Banking and interest and the emergence of the "Modern Islamic way of life" - so that we can catch up to the west.

Catch up to the west while we mix their global educational system with our religious way of life. Like mixing oil with water. You have to be kidding me!

And whats with this "catch up to the west"? I hear it so many times - but please tell me, what will that accomplish? Its like this magical goal or dangling carrot placed in front of us and all we can think about is trying to achieve it - not bothering about whether its a goal worth achieving in this life.

In this life. So many times it all comes down to that. By the grace of Allah I am still alive and breathing and healthy as I write this. Had Allah willed, I could have died before this while trying to achieve this "goal" - and had it been so it would have been the ultimate loss - for I must admit that in the persuit of this "goal" my faith and my practicing of Allah's religion had diminished - may Allah forgive me.

Since my childhood - the reality that I described above has only gotten worse. From the year 1982 to the present year there have been wars in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Palestine and Lebanon off the top of my head. 7 Muslim countries. I see soo many Muslims who have forsaken their prayers and hardly read the Quran or study their religion.

Hence, when I heard the presentation given by Yvonne Riddley and her capture by the Taliban ( It may have been a one off exceptional case, I wouldn't be surprised as I believe the minority are righteous while the majority transgress the limits set by Allah.) I heard a story of a people who were trying to spread the rule of Allah and his Messengers (S.A.W) in this modern world.

It is a goal that we must all strive for. As Muslims we should read the Quran (with translation if you cannot understand the Arabic). We should study the life of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). Those two sources of knowledge are the foundations of a pious and good hearted believer. Further more we need to open our eyes to the reality of what is happening around the world and link it with the signs (or ayats) of Allah (S.A).

I said before that the mixing of this global educational system with religion has been like mixing oil with water. On the other hand, understanding the world around you to strengthen your faith in Allah (or understanding the Quran and Sunnah to make sense of the world around us) is like mixing honey and lemon (or if you prefer, french fries with Coke, Parat-ha with Omelet etc). The Quran is filled with signs and analogies. They help us understand the creator Allah (S.A) and to find Allah (S.A).

I would love to see an educational system where the Quran and Sunnah come first and the science of this world and life comes afterward.

I end this essay (at least that's what it's become lol!) with this - The topic(s) that I have touched upon is/are vast. There are so many other factors that are involved (e.g Culture etc) so I will gladly write more on it at a later date if Allah (S.A) permits me.

And I wish everyone a happy and joyous Eid ul Fitr!