Leadership isn’t snatched by some and isn’t given to others without prior efforts and hard work. It is high time to wake up from the deep slumber otherwise it will be too late.

The contemporary world is controlled by Science and Technology. Human intellect has evolved so greatly that they are doing justice with the status of being God’s subordinates. The Creator no doubt created the universe and has great control over it, but in many important tasks, he has given responsibility to humans. Fortunate are those who are taking care of such responsibilities and are contributing heavily in diverse fields like Social Science. Economics, Politics, Geography, astronomy, Geology, Information Technology, Medical Science, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Robotics, etc.
Unfortunately, some consider these intellectual developments contrary to nature by providing certain illogical and unacceptable explanations. The Lord of the universe hasn’t created humans just to eat and gossip but has assigned some special work to their shoulders so they themselves as well as others can benefit. But some people try to mix up so many things and have developed a notion that these developments are alien to religion. They have degraded the religious paradigms. It is not religion which has a problem but there is mental decay to those people who try to hijack the religious texts and explain it in their own way which actually is far away from reality. The religious texts give us guiding principles of what is to be done and what is not. It has stopped us from doing only that which is harmful to nature. When religion prohibits us from doing a certain act, it takes into consideration the loss that can be the outcome of the particular work. In that sense, we can say that the invention of destructive tools isn’t a good thing but now this too has become an urgency of all the nations else that nation can have no say in world affairs.
There are numerous signs in the religious texts wherein the followers are recommended to use their intellect for the larger good of humanity. In this regard, a learner can consult the primary religious texts wherein the signs are heavily available. The texts also highlight that those who don’t use their mind are disliked. The religious texts also recommend being a giver rather than a taker. One may thus claim that those who use their intellect for the betterment of humanity are more loved by God.
Human intellect has done wonders and has made life easier. The world is now like a small village known as a global village. It is yet again a positive outcome for the human brain. Travelling to the corners of the world is no longer a hectic task. The encyclopaedia of information required to a student for qualifying for any exam is abundantly available on the internet, which has indeed brought a revolution in the academic field. The development of Artificial intelligence is yet another advancement. Exploring space and reaching out to the moon and other areas is yet a step forward to knowing more about the Lord of the universe and his miracles. So one can say that science has positively contributed to the betterment of humanity. No doubt there are certain negative developments that have produced no good for humanity. Here a balance needs to be promoted wherein no such developments can occur that are hazardous to humanity and other species. The development of certain instruments for warfare can jeopardize the world. These negative developments need to be kept under proper scanner so that humanity may not meet a huge loss as happened in different parts of the world.
While the scholars of other communities are contributing greatly, the Muslim scholars are still debating the concepts of less priority and at the same time have misquoted the religious texts and have developed a sick mentality in their followers that stops them from doing something great for the world. The other communities of the world have reached the climax of technology. Muslims are creeping backwards and are less fruitful now. They are no longer producers but have accepted the backwardness and are happy to beg in front of others enjoying being at the receiving end while they were recommended to be the vice versa.
It is never too late to begin if the path is right. Muslims need to evolve technically so that they too can get some leadership. Muslims do fight to get the leadership of a masjid but are less serious about gaining the leadership of this planet. A beggar can’t be a leader; yes a giver and a contributor can be. So it is time to think about how Muslims can contribute in diverse fields. In the field of science and technology, they are lagging behind. Gone are the days when they had contributed in diverse fields but now they prefer rest over hard work. They are gifted with talent and the top resources of the world are with them but they don’t even know how to extract and use these resources, hence are dependent on others. no doubt they are capable of what not but are they ready to kick out laziness from their lives? If they show some hard work, seriousness, patience and steadfastness they too can excel and can be more fruitful. Till now they are in great slumber and are laziest on earth’s surface. If the process continues the same way they may have to face dire consequences. They won’t have any say in worldly affairs. Meanwhile, they will freeze to make any independent decisions on themselves.
It is high time to wake up from the deep slumber otherwise it will be too late. A doctor should first know how to treat a patient, then and only then his religion can be praised. If he fails to do so his religiosity will mean nothing. A driver should know better driving, and so should the others in their own fields, otherwise they will lose their value. In a nutshell, one may say that leadership isn’t snatched by some and isn’t given to others without prior efforts and hard work. One who does wonders in a specific field will attain leadership in that particular field. Muslims should remember their status and work hard to attain the lost glory in this way they can prove to be the subordinates of the Lord and run the world as per God’s wish.
The writer is a senior research scholar at BGSBU Rajouri and can be reached at [email protected]

Muttaqi Naik