Motahari and Islamic Awakening

It was actually Martyr Motahari\\\\\\\'s ideology that made Iranians flock under Imam Khomeini\\\\\\\'s banner and led them to the revival of Islamic values in the society. One such immortal thinker was Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari, who was martyred by the enemies of humanity because of his untiring efforts to breathe into the society the genuine teachings of Islam to which he gave new and dynamic interpretations in order to cater to the inquisitive scientific minds of the modern generation. He battled against social ills and superstitions through his unraveling of the hitherto unexplained dimensions of Islamic philosophy, as well as by exploring new grounds in jurisprudence and ijtehad for the benefit of the youth. He believed that like water, religion grants life to human beings. Since it is clear and pure water that ensures physical health, likewise, only the genuine precepts of religion guarantee the development and soundness of the society in addition to salvation in afterlife.

Martyr Motahhari realized that the new Godless schools of thought were misleading the modern man by posing as the new religion of the masses, albeit in secular garb. He properly analyzed and gauged these ideologies as stagnancy and stemming from ignorance. At the same time he was fully aware of the degeneration that was plaguing Muslim societies including Iran, through blind adherence to outdated values and aversion towards new ideas. This, however, does not mean that any new phenomenon that emerged could be called as progressive, as was the case with those at the other extreme of the society that ignorantly opposed time-honoured and time-tested values, including religious and spiritual ethics. Thus, on one hand was retardation with its inability to differentiate the positive and negative ideas of the rapidly changing modern world, and on the other hand were those alienated from their own culture and religion, who blindly aped the West by imitating whatever was fashionable in the Occident, regardless of its destructive consequences. Professor Motahhari in his book titled “Introduction to Islamic Worldview”? focuses on the dynamism of the Islamic system and introduces it as the live and independent religion that speeds up the progress of both the individuals and the societies towards freedom in the real sense. History testifies that it is due to this very characteristic that Islam has made astounding progress in every century rapidly winning adherents all over the world. The Holy Qur’an describes the manner of growth of the faithful and Islamic movement in ayah 29 of Surah Fath as follows:

“Such is their description in the Torah and their description in the Evangel. Like a tillage that sends out its shoots and builds them up, and they grow stout and settle on their stalks, impressing the sowers... Allah has promised those of them who have faith and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward.\\\\\\\"

For the awakening of a society, the most important point that Martyr Motahhari emphasizes is the sense of dignity. If a nation never enjoys a sense of dignity it will never take the initiative to bring about change and revolution. He says there is no greater asset for a society than enjoying the sense of dignity and having confidence in its abilities and the richness of its culture vis-à-vis other societies. The greatest asset for a society is its philosophical independence that inspires it to enact epics. He points out that: If the Algerians succeeded after a century of struggle in bringing the French colonialism to its knees and achieving independence it is because they enjoyed the sense of dignity. Likewise, if in the east, another Muslim nation decides to confront the strongest and the most developed nations of the world, it is because of the sense dignity of that nation that inspires it to stay alive and independent rather than succumb to death.

The other factor of awakening according to Professor Motahhari is the ideology and the insight that mobilizes people against colonialism and global arrogance by inspiring them to strive for establishing of justice and security in the society. The ideology that harmoniously binds religion and politics together does not consider humiliation, dependence and surrender for its followers. He says: The basic task is that people should consider political struggle is a legitimate and religious duty. It is only in such a case that their struggle will bear fruit. Martyr Motahhari considered Islam as the most important factor for awakening and mobilization against oppression, saying: Islam should not be compared with religions that offer nothing except a few words of advice. Islam is the panacea for all problems of the society. It is the set of laws revealed by God for the betterment of the human societies through formation of the most dynamic system of government. Its mission is to reform the world, and therefore such a religion cannot be indifferent.

He believed that it is necessary for the awakened Islamic masses to set practical examples by setting up the model government that serves as patter for other aspiring nations. Professor Motahhari with his sharpness which seems to have foreseen the current developments in today\\\\\\\'s world over three decades after his martyrdom had said: I believe the Islamic Revolution will not remain restricted to Iran; it will inspire millions of Muslims around the world, and what a great honour it will be for Iran for the Islamic Movement to take all Muslim states under its influence.

The End
Source: IRIB World Service

It was actually Martyr Motahari\\\\\\\'s ideology that made Iranians flock under Imam Khomeini\\\\\\\'s banner and led them to the revival of Islamic values in the society. One such immortal thinker was Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari, who was martyred by the enemies of humanity because of his untiring efforts to breathe into the society the genuine teachings of Islam to which he gave new and dynamic interpretations in order to cater to the inquisitive scientific minds of the modern generation. He battled against social ills and superstitions through his unraveling of the hitherto unexplained dimensions of Islamic philosophy, as well as by exploring new grounds in jurisprudence and ijtehad for the benefit of the youth. He believed that like water, religion grants life to human beings. Since it is clear and pure water that ensures physical health, likewise, only the genuine precepts of religion guarantee the development and soundness of the society in addition to salvation in afterlife. Martyr Motahhari realized that the new Godless schools of thought were misleading the modern man by posing as the new religion of the masses, albeit in secular garb. He properly analyzed and gauged these ideologies as stagnancy and stemming from ignorance. At the same time he was fully aware of the degeneration that was plaguing Muslim societies including Iran, through blind adherence to outdated values and aversion towards new ideas. This, however, does not mean that any new phenomenon that emerged could be called as progressive, as was the case with those at the other extreme of the society that ignorantly opposed time-honoured and time-tested values, including religious and spiritual ethics. Thus, on one hand was retardation with its inability to differentiate the positive and negative ideas of the rapidly changing modern world, and on the other hand were those alienated from their own culture and religion, who blindly aped the West by imitating whatever was fashionable in the Occident, regardless of its destructive consequences. Professor Motahhari in his book titled “Introduction to Islamic Worldview”? focuses on the dynamism of the Islamic system and introduces it as the live and independent religion that speeds up the progress of both the individuals and the societies towards freedom in the real sense. History testifies that it is due to this very characteristic that Islam has made astounding progress in every century rapidly winning adherents all over the world. The Holy Qur’an describes the manner of growth of the faithful and Islamic movement in ayah 29 of Surah Fath as follows: “Such is their description in the Torah and their description in the Evangel. Like a tillage that sends out its shoots and builds them up, and they grow stout and settle on their stalks, impressing the sowers... Allah has promised those of them who have faith and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward.\\\\\\\" For the awakening of a society, the most important point that Martyr Motahhari emphasizes is the sense of dignity. If a nation never enjoys a sense of dignity it will never take the initiative to bring about change and revolution. He says there is no greater asset for a society than enjoying the sense of dignity and having confidence in its abilities and the richness of its culture vis-à-vis other societies. The greatest asset for a society is its philosophical independence that inspires it to enact epics. He points out that: If the Algerians succeeded after a century of struggle in bringing the French colonialism to its knees and achieving independence it is because they enjoyed the sense of dignity. Likewise, if in the east, another Muslim nation decides to confront the strongest and the most developed nations of the world, it is because of the sense dignity of that nation that inspires it to stay alive and independent rather than succumb to death. The other factor of awakening according to Professor Motahhari is the ideology and the insight that mobilizes people against colonialism and global arrogance by inspiring them to strive for establishing of justice and security in the society. The ideology that harmoniously binds religion and politics together does not consider humiliation, dependence and surrender for its followers. He says: The basic task is that people should consider political struggle is a legitimate and religious duty. It is only in such a case that their struggle will bear fruit. Martyr Motahhari considered Islam as the most important factor for awakening and mobilization against oppression, saying: Islam should not be compared with religions that offer nothing except a few words of advice. Islam is the panacea for all problems of the society. It is the set of laws revealed by God for the betterment of the human societies through formation of the most dynamic system of government. Its mission is to reform the world, and therefore such a religion cannot be indifferent. He believed that it is necessary for the awakened Islamic masses to set practical examples by setting up the model government that serves as patter for other aspiring nations. Professor Motahhari with his sharpness which seems to have foreseen the current developments in today\\\\\\\'s world over three decades after his martyrdom had said: I believe the Islamic Revolution will not remain restricted to Iran; it will inspire millions of Muslims around the world, and what a great honour it will be for Iran for the Islamic Movement to take all Muslim states under its influence. The End Source: IRIB World Service