Who do you idolise?

"The word idol in the program’s title is highly appropriate, for it is thought that the term has its modern root in the early Christian era. It was associated with the Latin, idolum, and meaning ‘image of a false god’ and entered the language via Old French, idole or idele. So what does an image of a false god have to do with a popular court jester figure? It is surely an over dramatisation of the issue to link reality TV with worship of false deities. However in a time when worship in the traditional Christian manner is on the wane in the White Anglo Saxon world, other diverse forms of worship are being adopted wholesale. G.K. Chesterton the English writer and satirist has been attributed with the saying, "when people stop believing in God they don’t start believing in nothing. They start to believe in anything." This is not merely an accurate description of the West, but a description of the nature of human beings. "

Who do you idolise?

A few years ago a TV phenomenon captured the meagre imaginations of the mindless moronic masses from Maidstone to Manchester. In Britain, one program and one program alone, Pop Idol, monopolised prime time Saturday night viewing. The program’s concept was a UK wide quest for a manufactured musician to take the temporary mantle of popular pinup. Ordinarily, such an individual’s route to public adoration would be plotted and planned in sweaty back-street dance and recording studios. However the brazened business of entertainment now felt that they were in a position to reveal the genesis of an icon before the very eyes of the naive punters that would love, care, and support such a creature for the whole duration of their 15 minutes of fame. The program producers thought this might provide popular family entertainment. They were right. This wave of Pop Idolatry swept across Britain, but became a tsunami when it was exported to other parts of the English-speaking world. The English

invited a gentle game know as rounders, to be played in rural villages, which when taken to America, metamorphosed into a monster known as baseball. Parallels may be found in the pyjama-wearing, bodyline and bouncer form of cricket, adopted by the Australians as compared to the village green authentic form played in England. Thus when Pop Idol became American Idol and Australian Idol the idea went stratospheric.

The word idol in the program’s title is highly appropriate, for it is thought that the term has its modern root in the early Christian era. It was associated with the Latin, idolum, and meaning ‘image of a false god’ and entered the language via Old French, idole or idele. So what does an image of a false god have to do with a popular court jester figure? It is surely an over dramatisation of the issue to link reality TV with worship of false deities. However in a time when worship in the traditional Christian manner is on the wane in the White Anglo Saxon world, other diverse forms of worship are being adopted wholesale. G.K. Chesterton the English writer and satirist has been attributed with the saying, "when people stop believing in God they don’t start believing in nothing. They start to believe in anything." This is not merely an accurate description of the West, but a description of the nature of human beings.

Observing our nature reveals that Humans have certain needs and instincts. We all need food, water and air to breath. These are the organic needs. As Muslims we believe that Allah’s (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) will (Qadr) is that He created us with the need for food and water. Similarly it is Qadr that we experience certain discomforts when aspects of our lives are lacking. If we do not fulfil an instinct it results in anxiety and even misery. The root instincts are few; but the manners in which they manifest themselves in our behaviour are many. The sanctification instinct stems from the fact that we are all subordinate to various things. We are all very much aware of our inferiority to many phenomena. Past people have been worshipped or have commanded others to worship them. The Qur’an tells us of Fir’aun. History and human narrative have informed us of communities that lived by the sea have recognised how their whole existence relied upon the sea; as a result they would worship the sea.

This is paralleled in communities that lived on the banks of the Nile or within the shadow of a volcano. Similar examples can be seen in communities that acknowledged the importance of the fire, the moon and the stars etc. The sun in particular has been depicted as a perfect circle that gives life to the world in many diverse cultures across the globe. The notion of worshiping the sun god is still represented in modern times, by having a day (the first day of the week) still set-aside for the god of the sun. This is also the case for Saturn (Saturday), Thor (Thursday) and the moon days etc. The method of worshipping these things has been disparate.

With regards individuals idolising other fellow humans. A person, at whatever age or circumstances, feels the need to look up to someone. This feeling does not occur coincidently. Although the person may not recognize this phenomenon at first, however he/she by their very nature aspire to think and act towards this feeling, subconsciously or otherwise. However in these modern times we have our emotions stewarded towards worshipping all that is shallow, unreasonable and false. It starts with appreciating the entertainment value that underlies these television broadcasts and ends with the screaming, ranting and raving and other forms of veneration of these vacuous vultures. I use the term vulture with no hesitation. Celebrities are not only unworthy of worship, they are also unworthy of an iota of respect. They generally have the personalities of pigs and the talent of slime-mould.

Although we have focused on the most trivial of issues, this subject should prompt us to think about a more serious human problem. That is the question of who should we worship. Throughout history humans have revered and worshipped things. Ranging from the One, true God (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) through to a mixture of the weird and wonderful. Innate in us is a desperate desire to sanctify. This sanctification is present in the West today in many guises. Similar guises appeared within the ideology that denied this instinct’s very existence; the old Communist bloc. The worship of old Communist heroes, the red flag, the symbols of the hammer and sickle and the Party itself were all examples of how this worship tendency was channelled. In China the Red Book would be chanted in incantation and in the USSR the very embalmed body of Lenin would be revered.

As Muslims this instinct is a positive energy that we tap into, providing many practical applications.

The sanctification of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala)

"Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth;- (Here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise." [TMQ 2:164]

Muslims derive inspiration from the wonders of the world. Appreciation of the magnificence of the creation pushes us to have a greater fear of the Creator (Subhanahu wa ta’ala). This fear affects us by prompting us to obey Allah’s (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) law. The more aware we are that Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) is watching us, the more vigilant we should become of our responsibilities. Sanctification is a central part of our daily lives. As a minimum of five times a day we turn in prayer to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala). An integral part of salah is the sanctification and the begging of our Lord (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) for guidance and help. When performed sincerely this should inspire us to be mindful of Allah’s (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) laws in the periods between the salah. Thus the fruits of the remembering Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala), in this world, should be born out in our behaviour.

"Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest without doubt." [TMQ 29:45]

The power that is released when sanctifying Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) should be harnessed to influence our lives in general. The more aware we are of Allah’s (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) existence the more mindful we should be of the law. This fear of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala), and the submission that follows, is what characterises the Islamic society.

Muslims acknowledge the brilliance of many things. However, all our worship is channelled to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) and not the created things. We recognise the power of a riding beast. There are many dangers involved in riding a camel or a horse. This may be extrapolated to the dangers of driving a car. Rather than resign ourselves to thinking that our well being lies in the handling of the car or the beast only, we ask Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) to grant us control over His (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) creation, "Glory be to him who has subjected these to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). And to our Lord, surely must we turn back." This is often recited with real conviction and trust in Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala), not only by habit. After seeing or hearing of a terrible road accident we appreciate the horrors that the car can inflict on the human. It is at that time when we recite this du‘a with the most conviction.

J‘afar as-Sadiq once addressed a staunch atheist, saying; "Have you ever travelled on the sea?" He replied "Yes." J‘afar then asked, "Have you experienced its terrors?" "Yes, indeed! One day while we were out at sea, a terrible hurricane blew up and smashed our ship. Several sailors perished. I clung to a rafter of the ship but soon it was snatched away. I was thrown about in the stormy sea but was eventually tossed up on the shore." "When the storm broke," J‘afar commented, "perhaps you first relied on the ship and the sailors for your safety and then on the rafter which saved you for a while. But when all these went, did you resign yourself to death or did you still hope of safety?" "I hoped for safety," the atheist answered. "On whom did you hope for safety?" The man was silent and J‘afar said, "The Creator is the One on whom you placed your hopes at that time, and He (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) is the one who delivered you from drowning." After this conversation the atheist was no

longer an atheist.

So it is not sufficient for us to denigrate the superficial nature of the American/Australian/Pop idol phenomenon without trying to learn some serious lessons from our observations. The reverence of celebrity and the desire to be popular is something born of the nature of humans. Anything, no matter how trivial, that prompts us to contemplate our very essence can be used for good. Let us all think deeply about our own condition, our own beliefs and our own acts of worship.

Source: KCom Journal