In the absence of Gentlemen...Ladies,
It is indeed an honor and a privilege to stand before you today. I am asked to talk on 'How non-Islamic youth see Islam and its influence on the present day world ?' Before I proceed to share with you, the influence of Islam to provide the rationale for individual and social behavioral patterns in the present day world, I wish to draw your attention to an important, and rather unnoticed aspect of our life... the divide between all external factors including society (you) and you as a person, your consciousness (me)....
One of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho, in one of his works said, and I quote; "If all the words were joined together, they wouldn't make sense, or, at the very least, they'd be extremely hard to decipher. The spaces are crucial" It is important that one understands the space between the social setup we have all put together for ourselves and the true and innocent consciousness of our own. In living our lives, we are always through a constant struggle to learn, understand and live by various rules of society. In our attempt to be an acceptable social being, we never really explored the basis for all these so called rules. Sea happens to be a collection of drops of water, and is nothing if we try to see it without understanding the value of every individual drop. Similarly, society is a set of people.. a set of individuals like us. When we see society as a collection of such individuals, we start to recognize that all the social patterns are nothing but opinion of various individuals...To understand and respect the power or the consciousness of a society...we need to understand and respect the individuality of every being.
The belief that each and everyone of us are an essential part and a manifestation of the universal light (Allah - may His name be praised) is seen through the five pillars of Islam. The first of the five, speak of how Allah - may His name be praised has chosen Prophet Muhammad to lead others to understand the beauty around them. The second, speaks of recognizing the power of collective worship..to understand that each and everyone of us are a part of the Universal light and respecting everyone's role in the act of worship is recognizing the marvels of Universal Light (Allah - may His name be praised). The act of charity and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan speak of our respect for each other...to understand that each and everyone of us are here with a purpose and that we all are manifestations of the Universal Light...it becomes important for us to consider and understand the various aspects of life...to truly understand how we are spaced in our lives...and to respect in complete honesty ...dignity and individuality of everything around us. The act of pilgrimage speaks of our acceptance of Universal Light (Allah - may His name be praised) as the sole authority and that this society...a set of individuals who are a part of the Universal Light and that their opinion (rules of society) are all in a way...acts of guiding us by Universal Light (Allah - may His name be praised)
Friends, no lamp is lit in order to hide it behind the door....each and everyone here is a manifestation of the divine light ...with a purpose, to reveal the beauty, happiness and joy around. I invite you to explore this thought, understand your purpose and lead others...Let there be light!
Eid Mubarak!
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This post is a part of the talk on the auspicious occasion of Eid by Abhijith Jayanthi at Tehran, Iran in 2009. It has been modified into a commentary to include explanations needed. © Copyrights Reserved.
