Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 26
26 islam’s response to contemporary issues Let us first examine the rationality of such a claim by any religion of the world. Can any religion—Islam, Christianity, or whatever you may call it—become universal in its Message, in the sense that the Message be applicable to all people of the world, whatever their colour, race or nationality? What about a host of different racial, tribal, national traditions, social habits and cultural patterns? The concept of universality as proposed by religions, should not only transcend the geographic and national boundaries but should also transcend time. So, the question would be: can a religion be timeless, i. e. can the teachings of any religion be applicable with equal fitness to the people of this age as well as to those of a thousand years ago and a thousand years hence? Even if a religion was accepted globally by the entire mankind, how could it be competent enough to fulfil the needs of the future generation? It is for the followers of every religion to suggest how the teachings of their religion propose to resolve the problems discussed above. However, on behalf of Islam, I should like to summarise very briefly the Islamic answer to these questions. Islam Is a Universal Religion The Holy Quran repeatedly makes it clear that Islam is a religion whose teachings are related to the human psyche. Islam emphasises that any religion, which is rooted in the human psyche, transcends time and space. The human psyche is unchangeable. Therefore, the religion which is truly rooted in the human psyche becomes unchangeable by the same token provided that it does not get too involved with the transient situations of man, in whatever age, as he