IECRC (USA & Canada)

Issue #11

July 8, 2006 / Jamaduth Thani 12, 1427

Truth is life’s essential. It is truth that keeps us alive and creates within us a desire to recognize who we are as individuals and as societies. And it is through this Truth that we realize the Existence of God Almighty with love. All religions and creeds in this world are at some level related to truth. Hence there exists the usage of the term “universal truth”. To understand this concept of universal truth and to apply it is the purpose and theme of this year’s Conference.

Every individual is in search of themselves. Humanity is lost in this day and age to the extreme that neither do we recognize other humans nor humanity itself. We say that truth is lost, and we need to find it. No matter which religion we belong to, which creed we believe in, or which school of thought we subscribe to, we cannot deny that we are all oriented to the truth.

It is a common belief however, that truth leads to many difficulties and always being truthful can lead to problems. This is not the case. There is no doubt that the path of truth is difficult, and is laden with temporary anxieties. However the direction in which the truth gears us is a path of success, and happiness. We cannot deny that the Prophets and the Saints (may Allah be pleased with them) practiced Truth and taught the message of Truth. And they were indeed successful. If we analyze Plato’s philosophy or the teachings of Aristotle, even though these are not religiously based, the philosophy of truth can be found there as well. The “Truth of Socrates” is very famous. How did Socrates gain such victory through this value of Truth? This is because he made this universal message a part of his being. He said that his life and his death are for Truth. When his students came to him and advised him to flee from the government’s punishment, he replied, “All my life I have lived for truth; should I leave it now for fear of death? This cannot be.” Socrates was ready to give up his life but stayed steadfast on the Truth. This is the reason why today the name of Socrates is associated with the concept of Truth.

Which power of the world is not familiar with the Blessed Personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (b. 570 CE, Peace Be Upon Him) and which religion is not familiar with His (Peace Be Upon Him) teachings. Every language of the world has received the teachings of the religion of Islam. This message is now widespread. The question arises as to how this message became widespread. This is a very important point. The Arab society of the 7^th century CE worshiped itself. The people of those days of ignorance fought through generations upon the theft, murder or injury of a single camel. The ethnocentric Arabs of those days went to such extremes in their self made actions of idol worship that they forgot about their own true existence. But they held on to one identity: Being Arab. The Holy Messenger of Allah Almighty (Peace Be Upon Him) transformed that ignorant and negative attitude and behavior reminding them that it was not being Arab which defined their existence, but being  the noble creation of Allah Almighty which was the heart and soul of their being. He (Peace Be Upon Him) further warned them that they had forgotten Allah Almighty, the Truth, and the teachings which they were given; and instead had begun to consider themselves as the source of beneficial knowledge, considering that as their way of life, religion, creed, and truth. He y reminded them that they needed to return towards Allah Almighty. When the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) asked the disbelievers what they believed in relation to the Message that He (Peace Be Upon Him) had brought, and about Him (Peace Be Upon Him), the disbelievers and those who opposed Him (Peace Be Upon Him) said that they considered Him (Peace Be Upon Him) “Sadiq” (truthful) and “Amin” (trustworthy).  They did not doubt the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace Be Upon Him) truthfulness, trustworthiness, veracity and nobility.  But they were shackled to their old ways which in their minds obstructed them from accepting the Divine Message, i.e. the religion of Islam.  The point to be noted here is that despite their opposition to the message, the disbelievers did not doubt the Blessed Character of the Holy Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him).  So what we observe is that the Truth gets itself uttered from the tongues of the enemies. Countless Peace and Blessings be upon the Messenger of Truth!

Truth is the name of character, behavior, attitude, and ethics. Truth begins with Prophethood and ends at martyrdom which is when it becomes victorious as is the case with the beloved grandson of the Holy Prophet  Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Hazrat Imam Husayn (b. 626 CE, may Allah be well pleased with him) who is a symbol of truth. Similarly, Hazrat Abubakr Siddeeq (b. 573 CE, may Allah be well pleased with him), the closest Companion and first of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is a symbol of truth.  All of the Noble Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) are symbols of truth.

In Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and all the heavenly religions, truth is the real essence of life. It purifies the heart. It reveals reality. The entire systematic approach of Islam deals with truth. Our social, political, ethical, and professional institutions are based on truth.  Islamic society is formed on the genuine principle of truth. We cannot deny that all the governmental laws must be made on the foundation of truth.  If falsehood creeps into law, then it is called diplomatic law.  In this type of law, truth is not revered as an inherent quality.  If falsehood comes into law then its goodness is destroyed.  This is why it is said that if we want to progress our societies, we must progress towards truth.  If one observes all the religions of the world, they all have a common thread.  They all advise to speak the truth in order to find success. They warn against lying as it leads to harm.  This is why the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said:

“Truth liberates and falsehood destroys”

[Tahawi]

This concise statement embodies universal principles. This is the wisdom of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) that in concise statements He (Peace Be Upon Him) used to convey universal teachings and deep philosophies with great clarity and beauty.  He (Peace Be Upon Him) always relayed the Divine Intention and Will as testified by Allah Almighty in the Holy Quran [53:3-4].  The above Prophetic statement includes specific individual and social analysis. The person who lies is always ashamed and anxious.  In order to cover up his lies he tries to avoid people and may in some instances even  become suicidal.  Therefore, lying is such a negative behavior that it eventually destroys us. What then is the source of relief and freedom? The greatest Truth is the Divine Message and the Greatest Personality who practiced the final Divine Message is the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and His Blessed Family, the Ahle Bayt. They are the symbols of truth, followed by the Noble Companions.  When we find the reflection of these blessed personalities in our society then we say that it is a successful society.  This is why in the Holy Quran, Allah, the Most Exalted clearly established the topic of truth. Over and over again attention is drawn towards truth. If there is no truth, there is no society, no individualism, no humanity, no ethics, nothing in the world. Everything is in truth. And its reflection is in the human. As a famous poet has said:

“Don’t consider me merely of clay,
I reflect Divine Beauty.”

We are a body with a soul.  What is the purpose of our creation? Is it simply to satisfy the flesh in this life and then enter the door of death? No. The truth lies in that primordial covenant we took with Allah Almighty which is called the First Covenant or First Social Contract – the one that all the souls took with Allah Almighty where He Almighty asked us: “Am I not your Lord (Rabb)?” To this, all the souls replied in the positive. Why did Allah ask this question? Rabb means Kingship. When does one accept a King – when there is truth in ones mind, heart, and feelings. And where there is truth, there is purity, and success. What is God consciousness – it is truth. What is religion – it is truth. Unity of God is truth, Prophethood is truth, God’s Essence is truth and the Essence of the Chosen One (Peace Be Upon Him) is truth. We cannot escape truth. As the poet has written:

“Jhulas jaen akhlaq ki khetian,
na barse agar Unka abre karam”

The above couplet refers to the generous waters of truth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) without which any field of moral behavior would wilt. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is a complete role model for those who are in search of the truth, and for those who are really anxious to have the complete picture of truth so that they could follow and obey.  Who is He (Peace Be Upon Him)? According to the Holy Quran the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is a “Complete Role Model” for all of humanity. [Al-Quran, 33:21] He (Peace Be Upon Him) is the legitimate authority, lawyer, socio-political leader, Messenger, Complete Interpreter of Islamic Law.  He (Peace Be Upon Him) is a true and last Messenger of Allah Almighty.  As the Holy Quran says:

“…Be with the honest people”

[Al-Quran, 9:119]

The honest people are the followers of truth.  What is the reason for this order?  Indeed, because the Holy Quran supports logic, philosophy and reasoning.  The reason is so that we can be amongst the successful. The successful are the ones who are believers in the Oneness of God and the finality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). These are the two realities that belong to truth. The Holy Quran which is a complete code of ethics, code of life, and comprehensive cosmic law, teaches all about truth.  The real meaning of truth from other religions like Judaism, and Christianity, offer the same principle. There is no clash between Islam and Christianity or Judaism regarding truth because the essence of the message of truth is the same in all these religions.  We must not differentiate ourselves on the basis of religion – Muslim, Christian, Jew, or another school of thought.  The basic school of thought is truth. Truth is a religion and religion comes through a proper channel. And this is the channel of Prophecy.  Whether it is Prophet Moses, Prophet Jesus or Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon them all), they are all beacons of truth.  They are the authorities and the real sources of spreading truth in society because of their delegation of power. Because Judaism, Christianity and Islam are the real channels of truth for those who seek the real meaning of life through truth, therefore truth is the authority, the power, the strength and a way to find God. There is nothing wrong with the ideology of truth in any religion. There are similar definitions of truth in all these religions because these were revealed through Prophets to human beings for guidance and patronage.  And these are character makers.

Truth is the soul of religion, society, an individual, and of the entire system. Whether someone follows Socialism, Communism, Marxism, Liberalism, Modern Democracy, and Individualism – these schools of thought cannot exist in society without truth.  Every school of thought, every individual or political party calls for truth.  As human beings we believe that truth is an authority and a power. The meaning of life is to keep oneself with genuine people who are the successful ones.  We pray that this Conference will help all of us in the search of truth, for the real knowledge, and for the real authority so that we could be satisfied in our lives not only in this world but also after our death. Ameen.

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Ahmed Qadri

Founding Director, IECRC

The above is a translated and edited transcription of Vol. 1 of “The Truth,” a 5 Volume VCD set where Dr. Qadri, Professor of Political Science at Karachi University and recipient of the National Education and Research Award in 2005, expounds in both Urdu and English on some very pertinent Islamic topics related to the Soul, Tolerance, Sufism, Patience, Code of Ethics, Relation with Other Faiths, Gratitude, and the Rights of Women in Islam.