REFLECTIONS ON MODERN SOCIETY
History is a reflection of human performance on earth. Humanity has come a long way to the present situation which breeds uncertainties at all levels of the existence: whether it is in the area of social-political-economic development or in the area of spiritual and moral growth, modern man and woman feel dissatisfied with the way this world is moving away from the purpose for which it was created. The period of uncertainty in all areas of human existence has led people to search and yearn for that faith that can generate inner peace through a sense of wholeness and security that such a faith is capable of guaranteeing. Indeed, the mark of true faith is that sense of inner security which enables a person to stand firm in the face of all the challenges that seem to destroy whatever is left of that sense of security after a rapid period of human progression toward material well-being.
A number of religious thinkers have pondered about the situation and have prescribed withdrawal from the material life as the only viable solution to the problem of this growing sense of meaningless existence. Their solution to salvage the pure faith at this critical time is to be suspicious of everything that modernity has to offer. Modernity founded upon human rationalism and secularism is seen as a major threat to comprehensive religions like Islam which offer their followers prosperity in this and the next world. Indeed, a world-embracing religion like Islam promises its followers both material and spiritual incentives to lead a life that would lead to establish justice on earth. Whether it is democratic politics or protection of human rights, economic well-being or social security, the contemporary history of the world does not offer much confidence to the people when it comes to the preservation of human dignity or human moral worth, which has been time and again violated by some of the most civilized peoples on earth. It is not surprising that some of these religious leaders are advising their followers to be wary of the comforts and material benefits that are being offered in the name of human progress by the powerful countries because they understandably see the accompanying corruption of human character and human relationships in extreme forms of human self-centeredness and individualism. But can we avoid engagement with the world today?
Modern society is characterized by two countervailing trends: First, one can take note of unprecedented economic integration and cultural homogenization at the hands of materialist culture at the global level. Consumerism and its unavoidable negative impact upon human greediness and selfishness have left many wondering about the so-called globalization of consumer markets. Second, one can observe a new phenomenon of cultural and religious fractionalization caused by the prescriptive directives offered by some religious leaders to rebel against materialist homogenization that is coming through the globalization of consumerist psychology which is impacting adversely on the spiritual and moral well being of the peoples. People are more in the business of amassing wealth for themselves than expending it for the benefit of others through acts of charity and sharing.
At the global level cultural integration occurs when a culture increasingly upholds universalistic standards stimulating more intimate interaction among people of diverse cultural orientations in the open world markets today. At one time modern historians had coined “Cocacolanisation” to capture the spirit of this cultural integration. Today they speak about “CNNization” and “Soninization” indicating how the new technology has brought different nations of the world together at one level and yet, factionalized them on another. People know more about one another today than they did a decade ago; and yet, the sense of human community as one under one God is far distant today than it was in the past. On the global religious scene one cannot fail to notice that this economic and cultural integration occur more readily in the liberal religious sphere where multi-faith communication and cooperation are increasing today among different communities more than ever before. There was a time when different religions even in one area of the world were not willing to talk to one another. Religious leaders in many parts of the world have demonstrated their willingness to talk to one another and even cooperate on common issues that confront their respective faith communities. Nevertheless, some religious leaders have rebelled against this integration at the material level fearing its negative impact upon people’s sense of scared. It is indeed the mark of modernity that sacred is no more held as sacred. Everything seems to have succumbed to the pressure of rational inquiry in the area of supernatural phenomena, which has led to the devaluation of sacredness of the divine and the sanctity of the revelation.
Today religious communities are left with only three options in dealing with modernity: Either, withdrawal from engagement with modernity by closing all the venues of communication with modern society, as some extremely suspicious leaders have suggested; or, accommodation with social and cultural forces by conforming with materialism and adopting secularism as a strategy to privatize religion by keeping the public space clear of any religious interference – a strategy that has been propounded by a number of sociologists of religion who support the concept of “civil religion”; or, as some thoughtful leaders have argued, resistance to the modern world by adopting a defensive reaction against the cynical qualities inherent to the modern world.
There are Muslim leaders who have adopted a form of religious revival calling for “withdrawal” in the midst of great social, cultural, and psychological uncertainty today. These leaders are searching for stability and identity by reenacting imaginary historical connection between the autonomous Muslim Umma, its religion and law. However, it is an irony that the reality of modernity is too palpable in Muslim societies. The universal technological culture is everywhere in the Muslim world. It is impossible to adopt “isolationism” as a strategy of combating the ill-effects of modernity. Some have suggested selective assimilation as a logical strategy in living as a member of open society, while maintaining some kind of “separatism” or “isolationism” in one’s approach to religious life. Such a selective approach may become a source of hypocritical life style which is equally detrimental to one’s overall moral well-being. It is a fact that consumerist-materialist culture is being globally institutionalized through economic globalization. The question is: Can one adopt “separatism” in one’s religious life while seeking assimilation in all other areas the open society has to offer?
THE PRESENT PAPER
The basic assumption of this paper is that there is a crisis in the spiritual-religious lives of the contemporary society in which religion does not play a decisive role. Modern individual is searching for a way to maintain a hope in the better future without abandoning his faith. Although I have spent my early academic years in researching about human belief in the Day of Deliverance (yawm al-khala>s}), and concentrated on Muslim belief in political and religious messianism (mahdawi>ya), I quickly realized that the only school of thought among Muslims that maintained a strong spiritual link to the future hope and constantly prayed for the deliverance (faraj) were the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt. While all Muslims believe that one day the divinely guided (al-mahdi>) leader will come to deliver humanity from corruption and tyranny to establish justice and equity, it was the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt who made it part of their active faith response to prepare themselves for that Day of Deliverance. But how exactly should that preparation take place and with what result has been a matter of religious speculation since the last Imam, al-Mahdi>, went into invisible existence in 942 CE.
Two objectives have directed this religious speculation about the future coming of the Imam from his invisible existence. The reason I consider this reflection speculative is that knowledge is limited only to God. Human beings are not privy to this knowledge about the future except what has been reported in the sayings of the Prophet. There are numerous traditions that speak about the Signs of the Hour (‘ala>’im al-sa>’a) and the calamity that awaits humanity before the final revolution is launched by the descendant of Imam ‘Ali and Fa>t}ima, the daughter of the Prophet, to purify the religion of God and to establish justice on earth. While there are a number of traditions that speak about the catastrophe that awaits humanity towards the End of Time, there are indeed few traditions that provide instruction about how to conduct life while awaiting the appearance of God’s Proof (h}ujjat alla>h) so that the Day of Deliverance can become a reality.
However, there is one tradition that deserves special attention in the context of this paper. It provides with an important observation about those who believe in the invisible presence of the divinely guided leader and who wish to attain certainty in the matter of the future of humanity. This paper seeks to show that Imam ‘Ali b. al-Husayn in his description of the future generation of Muslims awaiting the divinely promised Imam’s appearance underscores the importance of intellectual engagement with one’s age as God’s special favor. The tradition’s optimistic tone and encouragement to those who believe in the certainty of God’s promise to the downtrodden on earth raise the prospect of hope for the future generations in such a way that as long as their progression toward perfection is directed by their hope in the future coming of the ideal leader, they are already witnesses to the presence of the Imam of the Age in their own struggle. The life on earth, as the tradition points out, cannot be lived in isolation and separation from everyday engagement with other human beings and realities that human beings encounter. It must be lived, in accord with intellectual integrity and moral and spiritual awareness so that it can serve as the preparation ground for the ultimate victory of truth over falsehood, and justice over injustice.
