The Different Types of Ideology and the Islamic Ideology

In the name of Allah the most Merciful Beneficent
The Different Types of Ideology and the Islamic Ideology
Man cannot lead his life successfully without a proper direction and a definite purpose. Every one of us acts either out of compulsion of carnal desires like thirst, appetite, and other physical and bodily desires, or we act according to directs and dictates of our intellect. In both cases we are prone to make mistakes, Working wholly as per the physical needs goads a young student to pass his time in merry making and pleasure physical activities which may waste his precious time required for studies and as a result may lead to failure in exams and hence life. So if we fully rely on the impulses of our physical needs for the direction of our life and determining the course of our actions, we are always at danger to go astray and ruin our life.
On the other hand we can also follow the dictates of our intellect, which asks us to , for an instance, to avoid indulgence and merry making while in student life and concentrate on studies so that or future is not badly affected. But our intellectual capabilities are pruned as per our knowledge and experience, and these both factors are always very limited in an individual’s life. We can not afford to make big mistakes by taking wrong decisions and then understanding that they were wrong after facing their bad consequences. History is a witness to the facts that many a men have ruined communities by their well calculated decisions and well orchrasted policies. And if we add questions concerning to human life like happiness, eternity, social welfare etc the entire picture becomes only too complex to be solved and understood easily. An action of man could be beneficial for himself but could be harmful for the society, something may be good for his physical health and may harm his soul.In the same way there are many things which we need to take into consideration while taking into account before doing any act.
Now here comes the need for a framework, or an ideology which could determine the entire course and direction of life and could set the limits for action and inaction for benefit of man in particular and society to which he belongs to in general.
Ayatolla martyr Murtaza Muthari defines ideology : “a general theory or a comprehensive and harmonious system whose fundamental aim is the human perfection and the happiness of all. This system should specify the fundamental principles, methods, do's and don'ts, good actions and bad actions, aims and means, requirements and their solutions, responsibilities and obligations. It should be the source of the inspiration of duties for all individuals.”
On the importance of ideology in human life the great scholar of Islam says : “From the very beginning or at least from the time the developed social life has led to so many dissensions, man has been in need of an ideology or in the Qur'anic terminology, Shari'at. As the time passed and man became more developed, this need also became more intense. In the past, racial, national and tribal tendencies ruled over human societies like a collective spirit. This spirit in its turn brought into existence a series of ambitions (though inhuman) which united each society and gave it a particular orientation. Now scientific and intellectual progress has weakened these bonds. It is a characteristic of science that it tends towards individualism, weakens sentiments and dulls the bonds based on sentiments. It is only a consciously selected rational philosophy of life or in other words, a comprehensive and perfect ideology which may unite the humanity of today or rather of tomorrow, give it an orientation, a common ideal and a common standard to judge what is right and what is wrong.
Today more than ever man requires such a philosophy of life, a philosophy capable of attracting him to the realities beyond the individual and individual interests. There is no longer any doubt about the fact that a school or an ideology is one of the necessities of social life. ”
Now the question raises who will determine this framework? Will man himself determine his ideology as the proponents of liberalism assert, or it would be resolved and set by state for himself as the socialists and communists argue? Or it will be determined by the One Who is Al-knowing, Wise, Al-mighty Creator of man and universe?
Aytolla Mutahri discusses : “Now the question is: who can lay down such an ideology? Undoubtedly the intellect of any single individual cannot do so. Can the collective intellect do that? Can man with the help of his total experience and his past and present information lay down such an ideology? If we admit that man does not know himself, then how can we expect him to know human society and social weal. Then what to do? If we have a right conception of the universe, and believe that the world has a balanced system and there is nothing wrong or absurd in it, we must admit that the great creative machinery has not left this big question unattended and has already specified the fundamental outlines of an ideology from a horizon above the horizon of human intellect, that is from the horizon of revelation (the principle of Prophethood). The job of intellect and knowledge is to move along these outlines.
How nicely has Avicenna put this question when, while describing the need of mankind to the Divine law (Shari'at) revealed through a man, he said in his book, Najat: "The need of a Prophet and exponent of the Divine law and human ideology for the continuity of human race and man's attaining perfection of his human existence is far greater than the growth of hair on his eyebrows, the concavity of his soles or other such things, which are at the most useful for the continuity of human race, but not essential".
In other words, how can the great creative machinery which has not left small and superfluous needs unattended, leave the most essential need uncared for?
But if we lack the right conception of the universe and creation, we may accept the idea that man has been condemned to bewilderment and error and any human ideology is no more than an interesting pursuit or pastime.
The above discussion not only makes the need of the existence of a school or an ideology clear, but also shows the necessity of an individual's adhesion to it
The true adherence to an ideology means to have faith in it, and evidently a true faith cannot be imposed by force nor can it be acquired as a matter of expediency. One can be made to submit to a thing by force, but ideology does not demand submission. It demands faith. It is to be accepted and assimilated.
A useful ideology, on the one hand, must be based on a sort of world conception that may convince reason and feed thinking, and on the other hand, must be able to derive attractive goals from its conception of the universe. Conviction and zeal are the two basic elements of faith which go hand in hand and remould the world.”
Kinds of Ideologies : There are two kinds of ideologies : (i) Human Ideology, and (ii) Class Ideology. The human ideology is concerned with the emancipation of whole human race irrespective of any race, class, or community. On the other hand the Class Ideology concerns itself with a particular class, group or a stratum of society. Its aim consists of emancipation or supremacy of a particular group.
Both of these two ideologies are flawed as they look only to one aspect of human life and ignore the other. Islamic Ideology is fully based upon human nature which encompasses all aspects of human life. The Creator of man says about Islam : “Be devoted to the upright religion. It is harmonious with the nature which God has designed for people. The design of God cannot be altered. Thus is the upright religion, but many people do not know (holy Qutan,30:30).”
The great scholar Aytolla Mutahri says :” From Islamic point of view man has been created to be superior to historical and social factors. He has a special existential dimension, and has been endowed with high qualities which distinguish him from animals. According to this view, man's creative design is such that all human beings have been endowed with a sort of consciousness and intuition, which makes them fit to be addressed and enables them to respond to a call. Human ideologies base their preachings on the natural intuition peculiar to mankind and infuse a spirit of action in man……..There is no doubt that the ideology of Islam is of the first kind, and is based on true nature of man. That is why Islam addresses its message to the 'common people', and not to a particular group or class. Islam was able to draw its supporters practically from all groups, even from those to fight against which it had risen, namely the groups which it termed the luxuriously living. It was a great achievement of Islam that it was able to draw recruits from a class to fight against that very class and from a group to fight against the interests of that very group, and even to arouse the individual to fight against himself. This is a deed which Islam has performed and is still performing. Islam being a religion which relies on the innate nature of man and infiltrates into the inmost traits of his existence, can arouse the individual to fight and bring about a revolution against himself. This revolution is called penitence. The revolutionary power of a class or group ideology is limited to the instigation of an individual against another individual or a class against another class, but it cannot persuade an individual to revolutionize himself, nor can it put the inner sentiments and passions of man under his own control.
Islam, being a religion, and for that matter the final religion, has come, more than any other religion, to set up a system of social justice.Naturally it aims at the emancipation of the oppressed and the underprivileged. But it does not direct its message to the oppressed and the underprivileged alone. Islam has not recruited its supporters from this class only. As history bears witness to it, relying on the force of faith and the innate nature of man, Islam has been able to draw its supporters even from among those classes to fight against which it had risen. Islam presents a theory of the triumph of humanity over animality, of knowledge over ignorance, of justice over tyranny, of equality over discrimination, of virtue over depravity, of piety over sensuality, and of monotheism over polytheism. The success of the oppressed people against the tyrants and the despots is a manifestation of this triumph.”
We would like to conclude the discussion on ideology by quoting Aytolla Mutahri , where he explains the Islamic conception of the world :
“Islamic conception of the world is monotheistic. Islam has presented monotheism in its purest form. From Islamic point of view, Allah has no like of Him and nothing can be compared to Him: "There is nothing like Him." (Surah ash-Shura, 42:11)
Allah is absolutely independent. All depend on Him, but He depends on none:
"You are in need of Allah. And Allah! He is Absolute, Laudable." (Surah al-Fatir, 35:15)
Allah is aware of everything. He can do whatever He likes:
"He is fully aware of everything." (Surah ash-Shura, 42:12)
"He is able to do all things." (Surah al-Hajj, 22:6)
Allah is everywhere. Every place, whether it is above the sky or in the depth of the earth has the same relation to Him. To whatever direction we stand, we face Him: "Wherever you turn, there is Allah's countenance" (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:115)
Allah knows what is in the hearts of people. He is aware of their intentions and aims: "Indeed We have created man and We know what his soul whispers." (Surah Qaf, 50:16)
Allah is closer to man than his jugular vein: "We are nearer to him than his jugular vein." (Surah Qaf, 50:16)
Allah has all the good attributes and is free from every defect: "Allah's are the fairest names." (Surah al-A'raf, 7:180)
Allah is not a material organism and cannot be seen with eyes: "Vision does not comprehend Him, but He comprehends all vision." (Surah al-An'am, 6:103)
From the stand point of monotheistic and Islamic conception of the world, the universe is a creation and is looked after by Divine will and attention. If Divine attention were withheld for a moment, the whole universe would be annihilated in no time.
This world has not been created in vain or in jest. There are many advantages implied in the creation of man and the world. Nothing has been created unbecoming and futile. The existing system of the universe is the best and the most perfect. It manifests justice and truth and is based on a sequence of causes and effects. Every result is a logical consequence of a cause and every cause produces a specific effect. Divine destiny brings a thing into existence through its specific causes only, and it is a chain of causes which constitutes the Divine destiny of a thing.
Divine will always operates in the world in the form of a law or a general principle. Divine laws do not change. Whatever changes take place, they are always in accordance with some law. Good and evil in the world are related to man's own conduct and his own deeds. Good deeds and bad deeds, besides being recompensed in the next world, have their reaction in this world also. Gradual evolution is a Divine law. This world is a nursery for the development of man.
Divine destiny is supreme in the whole world. Man has been destined by it to be free and responsible. He is the master of his own destiny. Man has his special dignity. He is fit to be the vicegerent of Allah. This world and the Hereafter are but two interconnected stages like those of sowing and harvest, for one reaps what one sows. They may also be compared to the two periods of childhood and old age, for the latter period is the outcome of the former.”