Now let me start this lecture by reciting an ayat of the Quran. "How is it that you do not fear Allah, while the Messenger calls you to believe in your Lord, and He has made a covenant with you if you are believers?" (Quran 57:8)
So, this is in the Quran and it says that corruption in the land and sea occurs because of our actions (Amal), and Allah gives us a taste of the consequences of what we have done. This is not a punishment on Earth, but a stage for us to return to Allah and correct our deeds. Because if we didn't see the consequences of our deeds, then we would continue to make more and greater mistakes.
So, the key solution is that the problems are caused by our actions, not by external circumstances. The solution is to change ourselves. Allah will not change our external conditions until we change what is inside us. Allah has given us the complete and perfect guidance, and He says that this is the greatest gift of Allah for mankind.
It often happens that what we think conflicts with what the Quran says, and today it is common for us to adjust the Quran instead of our thoughts because that is easier. We reinterpret the Quran to make it align with the way we think. But it is much harder to do the opposite, which is what we need. We need to adjust our ways of thinking. We have to take the Quran as given, as the truth. And if my thinking is not aligned with that, then I have to change my way of thinking. I shouldn't change the Quran. This is very difficult to do because changing our thoughts requires changing our actions. Our thoughts are tied to the way we act, so they are designed to justify how we act to ourselves. So, to change our thinking, we have to change our actions.
The Quran was complete and perfect guidance, and it started with the command to read. Allah gave knowledge to mankind which they did not have. This knowledge had a tremendous impact on the world. It took the backward Bedouin and made them world leaders and created a civilization that was the world leader in knowledge for more than a thousand years. So, this knowledge is very powerful.
The question is, what was this knowledge that Allah gave to the early Muslims? And do we still have this knowledge? If we have this knowledge, then we wouldn't be in the bad condition that Muslims are in today. And then the question is, does this knowledge still have the same revolutionary power that it did 1400 years ago? It seems as if it does not because we have this knowledge and we are not launching a revolution. But if we accept what the Quran says is true and change what our thoughts are telling us, then we have to realize that it must be the case that we don't have this knowledge. Because if we did, then this knowledge would teach us how to change the world. So, this is the critical question: What does the Quran teach us about how to change the world today?
So, some of the lessons that I've already given are that the Quran tells us that we have to change ourselves if we want to change the world. One of the reasons that we are unable to see the treasure of the Quran is because we are blindly following the ways of the Jews and the Christians, as reported in Hadith. There is a prophecy that Islam came as a stranger and it will become a stranger. So, blessed are the strangers. We have to become strange. If we follow Islam, we will appear to be very strange to our fellows. So, instead of seeking guidance from the Jews and the Christians, instead of asking a Harvard professor to solve our economic problems, we should turn to the Quran.
Summary by Juwairia:
Muslims living in contemporary times often question why the Muslim world has descended into such a deplorable state, especially given the robust history that we claim to inherit. Allah ﷻ states in Surah Rūm, “Corruption prevails in the land and the sea because of (all the evil) that the hands of humanity have earned so that He may cause them to taste something of that which they have done so that they may return (in penitence to God).” This verse indicates that corruption on Earth is a direct consequence of mankind’s actions. This may not necessarily be a punishment, as this temporal world is designed to remind us of our meeting with the Creator ﷻ. Allah ﷻ states in Sūrah al-Ra’d, “Indeed, God does not change a people's condition until they change what is in their souls.” This verse indicates that mankind must strive for internal change in order to see external change. Because the primary cause for the problem is our actions, we must change our actions to find a solution. Muslims living in contemporary times must internalize the fact that the ultimate truth is the Qur’an. Instead of attempting to adapt the Qur’an according to modern thought, which is the approach many contemporary groups take when encountering an intellectual conflict, Muslims must change their thought to understand the Qur’an as it was revealed. To change our thinking, we must change our actions, as our actions influence our thought.
The need to interpret the Qur’an as it was revealed and intended is crucial to understand its true meaning. Allah ﷻ gave knowledge to man that he did not have previously. This knowledge led to the development of a civilization that ruled the world for over a millennium. What knowledge did the early Muslims have that led to a global transformation? Do Muslims today still have access to this knowledge, and if yes - will it have the same revolutionary impact? The answers to these questions lie in the reality that the deepest treasures of the Qur’an cannot be discovered until the Qur’an is interpreted as it was intended. If Muslims are following the ways of the Jews and the Christians, how will the true meaning of the Qur’an be understood? Unfortunately, Muslims today know more about European figures, as opposed to leading thinkers of the Ummah. Intellectually submitting to the guidance Allah ﷻ has provided in the Qur’an is a necessary prerequisite to not only transforming one’s personal actions, but also transforming society at large.
The most important questions in this life are:
Why was the universe created?
Why were we created?
What is the purpose of my life?
How can I fulfill my purpose?
The Western education system fails to answer these questions, and instead teaches its students to ignore what actually matters. The Islamic paradigm effectively answers all the above questions, and provides an effective roadmap to navigating this life. The universe was created as a test, with the ultimate goal of reaching Allah. Islam informs us that our lives have purpose, which is to perform the deeds most pleasing to Allah. These deeds are outlined by the sharī’ah of the Messenger ﷺ. The Western Education system is at complete odds with this. The universe was created as an accident, our lives are meaningless, and man is simply an animal competing with other animals. The western paradigm does not answer any meaningful questions about life, and instead presents a bleak, inanimate understanding of this world.