Derived from a conversation with Javed Ahmed Ghamidi on the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day
On August 14, 1947, the Muslims of Pakistan envisioned establishing on earth a sovereign state where Islam would be practiced in its entirety, encompassing its philosophy and legal system. The world would once again witness the social justice that had emerged fourteen centuries earlier in the form of the Rashidun Caliphate. This entity would serve as a central institution for the Islamic community and stand as a testament to the invitation of Islam to the non-Muslim world. Within its borders, the paths to advancement for Muslims would not be obstructed by the prejudice of any other nation. They would unite to fortify it as a stronghold of Islam, providing support and cooperation for other Muslims around the world. They believed they were creating a state that would reflect all the concepts of a modern welfare state, where citizens would have their rights without discrimination and enjoy equal access to education, employment, health, and public safety services. Their vision was to bring into existence a country governed by political democratic values, where the people would structure their own collective system and have full authority to make changes and appoint or dismiss their leaders.
It has been more than half a century since Pakistan was established. Thanks to Allah, its existence remains secure, but the truth is that our dreams still await fulfillment.
The social justice and the Rashidun Caliphate of Islam are ideals that seem celestial in nature; we have yet to attain even those earthly ethics which are universally agreed upon and have been practiced for centuries by nations unfamiliar with Islam. Instead of becoming a laboratory for the Islamic state and its practical demonstration, it has unfortunately contributed to tarnishing the conventional status of
Islam. The introduction of Islam offered by its inhabitants through their words and deeds has led the global community to perceive it as a rigid, irrational, emotional, and incompatible religion with the modern era.
All concepts of a welfare state have disintegrated. Poverty is reaching its peak. The national economy is declining day by day. It is becoming increasingly difficult for most of the population to obtain two meals a day. The state of educational backwardness is such that the primary aim of education has become the acquisition of employment. The condition of educational institutions is that they continue to teach curricula in philosophy, literature, history, sociology, economics, mathematics, science, art, and other disciplines that the developed nations of the world have abandoned decades ago. A majority of people do not even have access to basic health needs. It would not be incorrect to say that our journey concerning the welfare state remains as incomplete today as it was fifty years ago.
As far as democracy is concerned, the truth is that we have perhaps not even been able to experience it for a few days. From the bottom to the top, our democratic politics has merely turned into politics of interests. The non-democratic institutions of the military and bureaucracy are permanently ruling, and the people are continuously deprived of their right to genuine representation.
This is the fate that has befallen our dreams and our ideals. The conditions of our collective existence are so evident that no one can deny them. However, a question inevitably arises in everyone’s mind: what is the cause of this state of affairs? Is there a lack of human resources here? Are there incompetent people residing here? Do the people here lack interest in the implementation of Islam? Are the inhabitants of this land devoid of the desire for personal and national development? Do the citizens here not wish to run the political system according to their will? Or is this region a victim of divine calamities or is its land devoid of natural resources?
In response to these questions, everyone would say that this is certainly not the case. This country is rich in human resources. There is no shortage of natural resources either. This land possesses such diversity and balance in terms of agriculture and minerals that few countries in the world have such distribution. The inhabitants here are no less in capability and diligence than anyone else. These are the people who, through relentless struggle, established a country that the world deemed impossible. Whenever a call for the survival of the nation and the country was made, its people did not hesitate to even offer their lives. They have always responded to the call for democracy. Their love for Islam is such that even if an ambitious person raised the slogan of Islam, they did not hesitate to respond to it.
If this is the case, then what is the reason that despite the passing of many years, not only we have failed to reach our destination, but we have even lost the signs of the destination? There is only one cause for this entire situation, and that is our ignorance in religious and worldly matters.
The reason we have not been able to turn this country into a laboratory for Islam is due to our ignorance about the religion. The extent of this ignorance is such that the common people’s notion of religion is limited to following the jurisprudential opinions of specific schools of thought. There are issues concerning the loud or silent recitation of prayer, whether trousers should be above or below the ankles, the length of one’s beard, and disputes over turbans and caps. As for the elite, due to the misinterpretations of Islam, they regard it as an ancient tale and deem it incompatible with the demands of the modern age. Regarding religious scholars, most insist on keeping the people engaged in conflicts. During this time, they have never made any effort to enlighten people with the true understanding of religion, arrange for their moral education, or encourage them to devise strategies suited to the circumstances. In particular, in this era, it was their responsibility to examine the questions posed by the modern mind about Islam and formulate satisfactory answers in the contemporary style. Tragically, rather than engaging in academic and intellectual work in this field, they have focused all their attention on the adversarial political struggle and fostering an emotional atmosphere against hostile forces.
If we have not been able to make this a welfare state, it is due to our ignorance regarding worldly matters. We have always adopted an attitude of neglect and indifference towards the general education of our people. As a result, all our classes, without exception, are victims of ignorance. A fundamental characteristic of a welfare state is that the collective system of society is just, transparent, and equipped with life’s amenities. We have never planned to achieve these objectives. What factors are necessary for the development of society, what is the importance of the rule of law, how do higher human values transform into institutions, how do welfare organizations serve, what are the responsibilities of citizens, what duties must the rulers perform, what planning must the government undertake to provide health, education, and employment facilities, and how do the public participate in this process, how are public order issues resolved, how is a plan of action formulated for the eradication of oppression and the establishment of justice? These issues have never become part of our thought and action framework.
In this age, the material development of any nation solely depends on the pace at which it progresses in the field of science and technology. Development in defense, industry, agriculture, and communication can only be achieved based on science and technology, yet our condition in this field is extremely poor. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that the real cause of our poverty is indifference to modern scientific knowledge. The concept of a welfare state is incomplete without public order. For its establishment, it was necessary for us to be endowed with a sense of general ethics. We should have been trained in our responsibilities as citizens, how the rights of others are fulfilled, the benefits of observing the law, and the disadvantages of breaking it, how deception, fraud, animosity, obstinacy, and deprivation distort human personalities and create issues of peace and order for the entire society. We have not been able to train ourselves in these aspects to this day, nor have we been able to formulate any plan of action for this purpose.
If we are unable to strengthen democratic values here, the reason lies in our ignorance regarding political matters. The majority of our population remains oblivious to political awareness. Democracy is defined as the vigorous participation of the public in the political process. This means that individuals of a nation identify their needs through mutual consultation, formulate strategies to fulfill them, organize themselves, distribute responsibilities based on the principle of division of labor, form institutions and associations for this purpose, and engage actively in national development with full dedication. Every individual of the nation participates in this activity with complete consciousness. In contrast, our situation is such that the operative elements deceive the public, and the people easily fall prey to their deceit. The individual or group in power desires to hold onto it forcibly and does not hesitate to undermine democratic institutions to achieve this goal. In such circumstances, the public is unable to effectively protest or strive for change along the correct lines. The result is that democratic institutions collapse even before they are established, and the country remains engulfed in an atmosphere of political instability.
In this context, we understand that the only path to realizing the true interpretation of the 1947 dream is education. Until we free ourselves from ignorance both religiously and worldly, and comprehend the reality that in the present era, progress can only be achieved through education and learning, this dream of ours will remain just a dream.