Religion is not all About Rituals……Follow Rituals or Burn in Hell!!

My religious perspective mostly generates discussions with range of people across society. Lately, one of our friend “he is one of the leader in the largest Political Party’ was blamed that he drinks alcohol, its Haram etc. I hardly do the religious rituals yet claim to be a Muslims or rather good human being and at times people comment that you guys will be burn to hell. I won’t mind social drinking, having deep down respect for Hindus, Jews, and Christians rather for humans.

I am completely skeptic of Pakistani society, a twin faced, people wearing mask, using religion to look pious and do moral policing yet deep down living a monstrous life.

People do all kind of rituals, mosques are full, Umrah & Haj rituals are not missed yet our society is turning ugly, crime, corruption, tax evasion, exploitation of labor, brutality against women, killing in the name of religion & honor, sectarianism is witnessing rising trend.

Does anyone care? Or we are blinded by rituals or turned into unthinking ritualistic society!! Lately I was reading Nadeem Paracha “NAKED LUNCH: To Burn or Not to Burn in Hell” in daily dawn, he initiates an interesting discussion. People emphasize religious rituals yet society is turning ugly.

People emphasize on offering prayers “its essence is to stop and remind Muslims that curtain things are bad, to be avoided” rather prayer is way forward to becoming a good human being and social person. However, the essence is practically missing from our acts and dealings rather as a society we are too focused on rituals ‘focus is, how to hold hands during prayers, what should be length of shalwar ….. Shalwar takhnoon say kitni oopar honi chahiyeh etc’

He asks an interesting question “don’t you think had Muslims spent more time philosophically and rationally determining and investigating the message of the Qu’ran instead of reducing the intellectual discourse in this regard to the basic levels of ritual and dogma handed down to us by some rigid old men, the sight of mosques full of worshippers could have really meant something more than mere ritualism?”

He further writes “Quran needs interpretation according to the needs of Muslims in every day and age. It is full of metaphors. It is meant to be interpreted, isn’t it? That’s what most rational Islamic scholars have been trying to do for so long.”

He laments that there is no awakening happening among young Muslims, it seems like, we are collapsing inwards with outdated talk about laws made hundreds of years ago by Ulema of their times and their followers who would now like to see Muslim groups turn into static, unthinking totalitarian societies.

This discussion makes me think that science, philosophy and reason is need of the hour to rationally interpret religion rather pushing people into rituals.