The Economic System of Islam — Page 78
78 for maintaining it and religion itself cannot long survive. In short, Communism aims to strangle the propagation of religion and seeks to establish an irreligious social order. Now consider another aspect of this question. Suppose a Muslim said that he wanted nothing from the Soviet State but be allowed to dedicate his life to the service of religion and to visit every Russian town and village to convey Islam’s message. Would the Soviet State permit him to do so? Would his activities not be stopped by straightaway throwing him in prison? There can be only one answer to this question. The Communist government of Russia would not hesitate to use force against such a person. He would be locked up in jail and told either to undertake some ‘useful work’ for his living or go without food or clothing. In other words, if I dedi- cated my life to God and the study of the Holy Quran and Hadith (a study indispensable for me if I desire to improve my life in the Hereafter), Communism would view this as sheer waste of time and an excuse to live at others’ expense. A Muslim must refuse to be tied down to the ultra materialistic theories of Communism in matters of such transcending spiritual importance. He must insist on his right to be guided by the Holy Quran, which deems it necessary that among the Muslims there should always exist a body of men entirely devoted to the task of calling people to the right path and dissuading them from the wrong. Allah the Almighty says: 24 24 S u rah A l-e-‘Imr a n , 3:105, (publishers)