A few days ago, I came across an interview with the well-known Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah, in which he expressed his views about Islam in the following words:
“People worry about the afterlife but not about what is happening in the world. They only think about whether they will go to heaven or not, whether the One above is recording their good deeds or not. I have always found it foolish to believe that God is sitting up there, watching everyone and keeping notes on what each person does. He must be very busy. How could He possibly have time to do anything else? I couldn’t make sense of such stories even when I was five or six years old. And now, I have completely…
I am a lapsed Muslim.
People like Javed Akhtar and Naseeruddin Shah, who have earned great fame in the Indian film industry, are still regarded by Indian society as Muslims, even though they describe themselves merely as “cultural Muslims.” Because of the growing extremism in India, they often feel the need to clarify repeatedly that they have nothing to do with the religion of Islam. Naseeruddin Shah’s interview seems to be one such attempt, which, in principle, could be ignored. However, since he has also presented reasoning for his viewpoint, it becomes necessary to comment on it.
His first remark is not actually about Islam, but about the behavior of some Muslims, who generally neither know nor care about what is happening in the world. Adding to this are sectarian divisions, religious extremism, and the terrorism that, for several decades now, has given the world the worst possible image of Islam. Therefore, if his criticism is valid, it is directed at Muslims, not at Islam itself. In Islam, the standard for salvation is precisely that a person should do good deeds in this world.
As for his second statement, it relates to matters of faith. What Naseeruddin Shah has failed to understand is his question about how God, who is always aware of everyone’s condition, could possibly have time for anything else. This way of thinking arises from comparing the Creator to His creation. When it comes to human beings or any other creature, the objection is valid that if they do one thing, they cannot do another simultaneously. But regarding God, what evidence does he, or anyone else, have to claim with certainty that God cannot perform multiple tasks at once?
The truth is that human beings themselves have created things that possess such capabilities. A major example is the computer networking system, such as a bank’s ATM network. The central computer or server of a bank holds information about all the customers’ accounts. Even if millions of people around the world try to withdraw their money at the same time, the computer system operates so swiftly that it can process all transactions simultaneously.
If such power exists in human-made creations, then to assume that the Being who created humans would be incapable of managing multiple tasks at once is a very weak argument. And abandoning Islam on the basis of such reasoning is even weaker.
However, we firmly believe that people who leave Islam do not do so because of such questions. In most cases, the real reason is the wrongful behavior of Muslims themselves, which implants an incorrect image of Islam in people’s minds. From there, the distancing from Islam begins. Therefore, rather than criticizing such individuals, the greater responsibility lies in reforming the followers of Islam who misrepresent it.
Translated by Ali Zafar