Opinion 
 

Opinion

The Chosen?

The connection of the human soul with the Unseen cannot be limited to believers of a single religion.

By Nikhat Sattar | May 2021

A twitter message read “I feel bad for non-Muslims, they don’t get the feeling we get when we pray.” Probably many Muslims, in our bubble of righteousness and pride, bursting with the presumed monopoly of possessing true religion and a unique spirituality, would agree.

The Quran says: Those who believe (in the Qur’an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians, - any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord. (2:62). The substance of these verses does not pertain only to those living in the Arabian peninsula and are not limited to the followers of Abrahamic religions. God has said that He sent messengers to all communities on earth. We can presume, therefore, that nations other than those living in the Middle East also received messengers to guide humans. People throughout the world do good deeds and worship the Creator in their own ways. God has advised humankind to develop piety, be good to fellow humans and other creations and strive to come close to Him. He promises that all human beings shall be accountable for what they do, since they have been awarded the right to choose. Thus, they shall be rewarded for the sincerity and purity of intention and deed and punished for adopting falsehood and arrogant attitudes. We have been instructed to do our best: the rest is up to God.

There is no preference of humans by God, except in piety. Whoever fulfils or even attempts to fulfil the expectation by God of humans being, His vicegerents on earth, would be considered worthy of reward. God has not chosen any nation or any religion over another. If He had, He would have created uniformity among humankind and made all generations obey His will. Instead, He has given the right to choose and with this right also its responsibilities. Not your desires, nor those of the People of the Book (can prevail): whoever works evil, will be requited accordingly. (4:123)

The common belief among Muslims that they are the chosen ones and that whatever sins they commit would be forgiven if they pray five times a day and fast during Ramadan is nothing short of a fallacy. It is the same belief that Jews and the mushrikin were condemned for in the Quran. It was and is a belief based on arrogance and a sense of supremacy over others, two qualities that are abhorrent to the ethos of Islam. Arrogance, as is known, is strongly condemned in the Quran. The Prophet (sws) has said that anyone who has the weight of a mustard seed of arrogance in his heart shall not be admitted into heaven (Sahih Muslim 91). This not only pertains to arrogance because of social or ethnic status, but also of religious belief. Indeed, religious supremacy is as damaging and anarchic as racial or gender supremacy. This is what the Quran says: O ye that stand on Judaism! If ye think that ye are friends to Allah, to the exclusion of (other) men, then express your desire for Death, if ye are truthful! (62:6)

The quoted tweet provides an insight into the exclusive spiritual gratification of the writer while he prays. He seems to have decided that only he and fellow Muslims feel close to God when they pray. This is a common error we often fall into - that of knowing the heart of another person. Can anyone really comprehend the feelings of another? Who would know of the depth of spirituality in the heart of the Christian kneeling in a church, a Jew praying in a synagogue, a Hindu in a temple, a Sikh in a Gurdwara, or even an agnostic or atheist waking up to a dawn of chirping birds, rustling leaves and cool winds? The connection of the human soul with the Unseen cannot be limited to believers of a single religion. This would be anathema to the generosity and mercy of the Creator who has created all humans equal in His eyes. Most people, regardless of the faith they follow would have had some sort of spiritual experience, a feeling of a higher force, a depth of inner belonging to something deeper within the universe. These spiritual moments can be felt by anyone, not necessarily Muslims when they perform their prayers.

Feelings of being supreme over others in terms of religious beliefs lead to exclusive “ownership” of God. Such supremacists would not only believe that only they are deserving of God’s blessings, but would also consider others to be less worthy and inviting God’s wrath. It is often tempting to believe that one belongs to a select group - the chosen among all, by who else other than the Creator. This sense of spiritual superiority is dangerous, as it could be a precursor of disdain or even hatred for others, at best, and verbal and physical violence when taken to the extreme.

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