Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 60
60 islam’s response to contemporary issues Two Climates of Social Order The Holy Quran describes two social climates: 1. One in which evil is free to flourish, and 2. The other in which the growth of evil is strongly inhibited. If you take up Islamic moral teachings piecemeal, it would be very difficult for the Western mind to understand the philosophy of its Message. This is because moral teachings must be studied as parts of a social climate. One must look at them in totality. You cannot understand the autumnal season just by looking at a fallen dry leaf or some foliage changing its colour. One has to visualise and feel the whole atmosphere and temperament of autumn to know what autumn is and what it does to plant life. Likewise, one swallow does not a summer make. Whereas autumn discourages life, spring encourages it. It is not just a change in temperature but a transformation in the whole atmosphere when the very wind seems to breathe life. Social systems are also like seasons with their own qualities and influences. Vanity of a Materialistic Society and Its Ultimate Destination Islam deals with this subject in exactly the same manner. First, let me describe a society, which, according to the Quran, is un-Islamic.