Maulana And Mr: A Dialogue

Mr: Assalaamu ‘alaykum.

Maulana: Wa ‘alykumussalam.

Mr: Good to see you. Have been thinking to meet you for long.

Maulana: I, too, wanted to but have been very busy. As a naazim I have to travel a lot – sometimes overseas. We had to arrange three buses. We needed one more jeep and had to arrange a lot of funds. We were also working to replace all the old fans in our masjid. It all required much travelling.

Mr: These are very good works. May Allah reward you immensely. I am curious to know why do you need buses and cars etc? 

Maulana: We have students coming from far away villages. Not all of them live in hostels. And we need to go to places to raise funds, meet eminent personalities and well wishers of our madrasah.

Mr: I am a bit more curious now. You are using these tools. Wanted to know more about the viewpoint of Islam about modern education – which is behind all such facilities and means of transport etc.

Maulana: Modern education in Islam is permitted on the condition that it does not take away the eemaan. It should not lead to haraam. And it does not cause too much love of dunyaa and make one unmindful of aakhirah.

Mr: Is there a real risk of all of the above? It seems from your answer that Islam is not much in favor of this. And it is better and safer to keep away from it. Am I right?

Maulana: Yes, there is too much risk of all of the above. These things make people worry more about this life and about tomorrow and forget about al-aakhirah.

Mr: Sorry, I couldn’t understand you much. Please elaborate.

Maulana: I mean that the modern educated seem to be running after dunyaa and they do not look quite Islamic.

Mr: What does running after dunyaa mean? Just being curious. I heard a friend of mine translating a verse from Qur’an to the effect that ‘when the salaah is over then spread out in the earth and seek from the favors of Allah’ (that, too, on Fridays)?

Maulana: This is right but one should not neglect his duties and should not be very much in love of dunyaa.

Mr: I have heard that Islam is more concerned about niyyah and an ‘aalim friend of mine told me a Hadeeth which implied that Allah does not look at our faces and bodies. He looks at our actions and hearts. Please enlighten.

Maulana: This is true but we have to remember our identity and should also look distinct.

Mr: I understand. However, please enlighten if Islam emphasizes more on zaahir or on baatin?

Maulana: Obviously baatin.

Mr: We went too far in our discussions. How is your family? How is your son?

Maulana: He is doing well, al-hamdu lillah. He has become an engineer. Now he lives in Dammam with his wife and children. He called me yesterday. We speak almost every alternate day on mobile.

Mr: Oh, that’s very good. I saw him when he was hardly five. Where did he study Engineering?

Maulana: In one of the Universities in Karnataka.

Mr: He did not study in your madrasah of which you are the Nazim?

Maulana: I put him in my madrasah first. But I noticed that he was not much interested in deeni ta‘leem. Also, he was quite sharp in mathematics, ma sha Allah.

Mr: Did you notice the same lack of interest in some other students in the madrasah and advise their parents to enrol them somewhere else?

Maulana: Not all the students show the same degree of interest, of course. But then deenee ta‘leem is very important. You know, it is in the path of Islam. (The Maulana tries to evade the question and to change the topic.)

Mr: You mentioned about travelling. Any travel related experience?

Maulana: Mostly I go to some of the Gulf countries especially in the month of Ramadan. Once I travelled by the Emirates Airlines and was impressed by their quality service. Also, I always desire to travel during the day and get the seat near window so that I could see the landscape beneath.

Mr: But the airlines are a product of science and technology and you are not quite favourable to it. Am I right?

Maulana: Islam is not a very strict religion, you see. It does not charge someone with a duty which he cannot bear. Qur’an says, laa yukallifullahu nafasan illa wus‘ahaa. Qur’an is a beautiful book. Yesterday I gave a lecture on its importance.

Mr: Very good. I will try to read the translation of Qur’an. I wish I knew some Arabic. Maa sha Allah, you are very well dressed!? This I admire in you a lot.

Maulana: Al-hamdu lillah. Islam stresses a lot on cleanliness and it is half the eemaan. I have six pairs of clothes. I keep at least four pairs ready – clean and ironed.

Mr: That’s very good. But isn’t it planning for future in this world? How do you know what will happen in the next few days?

Maulana: There is nothing wrong in it. A Muslim has to be well prepared for everything. 

Mr: You have nice spectacles, ma sha Allah!

Maulana: Yes. But I don’t use spectacles for reading, al-hamdu lillah. I just got my eyes examined by an eye-specialist and he said that my eye-sight was fine.

Mr: The spectacles and science and technology are intimately related with each other. Do you see any conflict here?

Maulana: There is no problem with this. But one should not look at bad things.

Mr: One can look at bad things with naked eyes, too?

Maulana: Yes, you are right. We should advise the people to restrain themselves. This life is a test. The Satan is our open enemy.

Mr: Everything that you are using including the kurtaa, wrist watch and shoes seems to be a product of science and technology. Why do you use all of these (like every other person) if you are not quite appreciative of the mind and the people who produced it?

Maulana: These are necessities of life and we cannot avoid them. They are halaal.

Mr: The human beings have been in need of tools ever since their advent on earth. I assume that the religion of nature cannot look down upon them. What do you think?

Maulana: Yes, you seem to be making a point. But please clarify.

Mr: I want to say that if the human beings were, for example, always required covering themselves so much so that when Adam (a.s.) was disrobed he started covering himself with fig leaves then it means that they needed some tools and techniques and some science right from the very beginning. If this is the case then what is the reason that the advancement in the same fields is less desirable today?

Maulana: Too much questioning is bad. The Jews were punished because of this. The Muslims should avoid it and concentrate more on the remembrance of Allah. They should always focus on al-aakhirah.

Mr: I understand your point. Will not take much of your time. Was curious if you still give khutbah on Fridays?

Maulana: Yes, I do and now a very big number of people come to listen my khutbah from even far away places.

Mr: Very good. You might be speaking very loudly to be heard by all?

Maulana: No. I use a cordless mike which I brought from Dubai last year. It is of a very good quality.

Mr: That’s very nice. Was very happy to meet you. Hope to meet you sometime soon, in sha Allah. Please include me in your prayers. Assalamu ‘alaykum.

Maulana: In sha Allah. Wa ‘alaykumussalam.