The Holy Quran describes the Muslim Ummah in verse 143 of Surah 2 Al-Baqarah as follows:-
Thus have we made of you
An Ummah justly balanced
That ye might be witnesses
Over the nations
And the messenger a witness
Over yourselves; (Translation by: Abdullah Yusuf Ali)
The essence of Islam is to avoid excesses on either side indicating a middle path in all spheres of life. The melady inflicting the Muslims in our times is extremism on either side resulting in radicalization of Islam on one side and blind westernization on the other side with all its vices. The only rational way was treading a middle path avoiding all extremes of modernity and fossilized orthodoxy divorced from the 21st Century needs of life requiring adjustments required for present life. No amount of copying the old style of life would suit a person living in 21st Century. Just copying appearances of clothes and facial appearances of 1400 years ago would not engender piety in Muslims nor living a “Madar Pidr azad” version of life. Just as new rules are required for regulating traffic of cars and planes which were not needed for people riding horses and donkeys in older times. As time changes new rules and laws are required to balance the society. As such a new political party named as umma-tul-wusta party is needed in the country to synthesize the old values in modern life without making it vulgar and corrupt.
At present the nation is divided in a bipolar fashion. On one side is the shaved upper lip and long beard as also old fashion shuttle cock burqas and covered female faces while on the other side is heavy make up of women with expensive coloured clothes closely fitting. There is no meeting ground between old and new fashion Muslims. There are extremes of prototypes and modernists in both sexes as also extreme behaviour in society. The prime examples of shooting of a provincial governor by an extremist guard taking law in his own hands and rustication of a Ph.D student in an university due to protest over dancing and merry making of students. Fortunately it has been reversed lately. A need is felt of synchronizing the old habits and new requirements of young people in nation building activities of students like games instead of extreme behaviour of “Halla Gullah”.
DR. MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI,
Lahore, January 8.