The Holy Prophet himself did not prescribe these laws as a part of religion...

The Holy Prophet himself did not prescribe these laws as a part of religion, for they were not related to his mission as a Messenger. It was only a chance that, as the Head of the State, he had to give some laws also. Otherwise, religion has nothing to do with the worldly life of the people. Meanwhile, it is hard to believe that a person living in a Muslim country should be so ignorant of the precepts of Islam. Has not the Qur’an described the aim of the Prophets and the Apostles?

Does not the Qur’an expressly say: “We have sent Our Messengers with clear proof and We have sent down with them the Book and the Balance, so that people may rise with justice” (1). The Qur’an describes social justice as the main aim of all the Prophets. If you like, you may not act on the teachings of the Qur’an, but why do you commit a bigger sin by bringing a calumny against Islam and the Qur’an?

Most of our misfortunes are due to the fact that our morals and laws have lost their only source of strength, viz. religion. It is only during the past half a century that we have come to hear the cry that Islam is good, provided it remains confined to the places of worship, and has nothing to do with the society. This cry has burst forth from across the frontiers of the Muslim countries, and has been propagated throughout the Muslim world.

To make the purpose of this cry clearer, it may be said that the idea behind it is that Islam should stay as a force to withstand the spread of communism, but when it clashes with the interests of the West, it must go.

From the viewpoint of the West, the devotional rites of Islam must continue so that the Muslims, whenever need be, could be stirred up against the atheistic and godless system of communism, but the social rules of Islam which provide a philosophy of life to the Muslims must go, for these rules give the Muslims a sense of independence and separate identity, and prevent their being swallowed up by the greedy West.

Unfortunately, the exponents of the thesis that Islam is not concerned with the daily practical life, have ignored certain basic facts. Firstly, Islam, 1,400 years ago, depreciated the principle of, “We believe in certain things (some of the teachings of Islam) and reject the others”, and proclaimed that the rules of Islam are irreversible. Secondly, we believe that the time has come, when the Muslims should not be misled by such deceptive slogans.