Summary of Islam and Destiny of Man PDF

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Summary on Islam and Destiny of Man...

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Farzana Uddin 03/21/17 Journal Entry # 1 Number of Words: 793 out of a maximum of 1500

We live in such a world where Islam is taught as a hateful religion. Well that is what I thought before taking this class. Islam is a religion of peace, but how can one understand that without understanding its root words. In that sense, how can one understand the religion of Islam, without learning its history? Prior to this class, I have learned about Islam mainly through the Internet, therefore I am not that knowledgeable on it. While reading chapter 5 of Gai Eaton’s Islam and the Destiny of Man, I have learned a lot about Islam that I have not already known, which strengthened my views on Islam. Eaton’s first excerpt, chapter 5 “The Messenger of God”, was an eye opener for me. It tested my memory of information that Muslims should already know, and in addition expanded my knowledge on Islam. One sentence from this chapter, really made me think, and question my life: “The hero of pre-islamic Arab poetry was always the Bedouin ‘knight’, standing upright, true to himself, in a world reduced, as it were, to the bare bones of sun, sky, sand and rock, proud even in poverty and seeking joy in self-mastery, scornful of security and all the ambiguities of wealth, and ready to look death in the face without flinching” (Eaton, 98). My thoughts immediately after reading this sentence was that it seemed like poetry that put me in a trance like state. This long sentence is engraved in meaning and portrays that even in the darkest of times, the Bedouin never took for granted what they had nor did they look down on

themselves for the lack thereof. They were ready to look death in the face, which shows signs of confidence, but when I look at myself, I lack this confidence. If I were to die today, I would die unaccomplished for I have duties as a Muslim that I have yet to carry on. In modern times, many Muslims, even me, are so wrapped around worldly or materialistic matters that we forget our true purpose in this world- and that is to serve God. The 7th century Arabs, held very honorable values, even the non-Muslims. Many Muslims today lack these values. I sometimes, find myself backbiting about others, and very distant from my family members. The Bedouin people would have thought of me as disloyal. This sentence, reminds me that no matter what time period it is, we should keep our heads held high, and never lower our standards or values for worldly matters. I found myself at awe, when reading about how powerful the word was for the Bedouin people. It seems very strange that a poet could defeat their opponents before the war has even started. It is unfathomable that during the early times, the Bedouin were very civil, but as time advances, it seems that people are becoming less civil. Warfare at that time was far less brutal than it is in modern times. Bedouin people were very honorable, and people to be respected because of their manners. Prior to reading about them, I would think that that the seventh century Arab was uncivilized, but after reading about them my viewpoint changed. Unfortunately I never heard about the Year of the Elephants up until I read it in this excerpt. I find it astonishing how the elephants refused to bring the Ka’ba down. I started to question how this was possible. Elephants are gigantic and very strong mammals so they have the strength to bring the Ka’ba down but they “chose” not to. I could not think of an explanation for this besides the fact that, this event was the power of God. Stories like this strengthen my views on Islam and make me want to learn more.

What strikes me most of all, is that the worst enemy of Islam, could become a follower. Abu Sufyan, who was related to the prophet (peace be upon him) through his wife, was a very powerful man who opposed Islam and the prophet yet he ended up embracing Islam. He started to embrace Islam while it was gaining many followers. “It is too easy in this context to speak of insincerity, and a good Muslim is not permitted to do so, since he cannot read the secrets of hearts, but Abu Sufyan was a man of power who could only recognize truth when it manifested itself as power.” (Eaton, 127). This sentence made me realize that Islam was so powerful that it changed the views of its enemy. That is why Islam teaches to be kind to everyone, regardless of how rude they are towards Muslims, because even they have the possibility to change.

Works Cited Gai, Eaton. “Islam and the Destiny of Man” Chapter 5: The Messenger of God...