Islam Rediscovered
7. Discovery of Islam
~ 102 ~
How did this corruption set in in the literature
produced by the later generations? The answer is
that certain people, having a command over the
language, were able to acquire a superficial
knowledge of the scriptures but were unable to
understand them in depth; for this realization
(ma‘arifa)
is required. When one finds religion at the
level of realization, one is endowed by God with the
wisdom
(hikmat)
to be able to understand the
deeper meaning of the words of the scriptures. On
the other hand those who are not blessed with this
special gift of wisdom, have nothing by which to
understand Islam, except their own preconceptions.
They begin to interpret religion according to their
own mindset. The result is that, although they refer
to the Qur’an and Sunnah, their interpretations
have little bearing on the original texts. Religious
degeneration ensues in which they appear to follow
Islam but actually stray far from its spirit. They fail
to differentiate between God-sent religion and man-
made interpretation. At this point, one who calls
people to the original Islam becomes an alien
among his own people. He fails to gain popularity
even among those already in the Muslim fold.
