Rather than a fully developed ideology
itself, romanticism is rather an influence which permeates various other
ideologies, proffering them with an emotional quality that allows them to
rob people of their rationality. As it has penetrated such entirely
irreligious and perverse ideologies as fascism and communism, it also at
times makes its influence felt under the guise of religion.
Before broaching this topic, there is an
important point that must first be understood. A movement that claims for
itself the name of religion may not necessarily be truly religious. On the
contrary, in the past, there have been many individuals, groups and ideas
which, while operating in the name of God and religion, have intended to
do damage to religion and to its followers. God provides us with examples
of such instances in the Qu'ran. For example, a criminal was plotting to
kill one of God's prophets, the prophet Salih. While devising his plan, he
and those with him made an oath in the name of God:
They said, "Let us make an oath to one
another by God that we will fall on him and his family in the night and
then say to his protector, 'We did not witness the destruction of his
family and we are telling the truth.'"
(Qur'an: 27:49)
Those pagans who opposed the prophets often
accused them of "fabricating lies against God," pointing to the fact that
they thought of themselves as religious and God-fearing. (Qur'an, 42:24)
For example, Pharaoh, who was perverse to the point of claiming himself to
be a god, said this about Moses:
...Let me kill Moses and let him call
upon his Lord! I am afraid that he may change your religion and bring
about corruption in the land.
(Qur'an, 40:26)
This shows that it is possible to think
perversely and to carry out perverse acts under the name and guise of
religion, and romanticism is at the top of the list of those perversities
that are thought to be religious but, in fact, is not related to religion
at all.
To understand how romanticism is confused
with religion, it is necessary to fully understand the idea of
"sincerity." Sincerity is doing something in order to gain the approval of
God only. If the act is truly done with sincerity, it is counted as
worship in the sight of God. For example, praying, fasting, giving alms,
working in the cause of God, and all other acts of service, are to be
regarded as acts of worship, only if they are undertaken to gain the
approval of God. Worship performed without the intention of gaining God's
approval is invalid according to God's command in the Qu'ran: "So woe
to those who pray, and are forgetful of their prayer, those who show off"
(Qur'an, 107, 4-6) This is also clear in the words of the Prophet
Mohammed, who said, "God accepts those deeds
which were performed purely for His sake and which were meant to seek His
pleasure." (Hadith of Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i on the authority of
Abu Umamah,Words of the Prophet Muhammad, Selections from the Hadith,
Compiled by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan)
It is in this manner that romanticism
distorts religion. It directs religion towards a purpose other than
gaining the approval of God; it represents religion as an emotional
experience, in which people may satisfy their emotional needs, not to be
practised for the pleasure of God.
By obfuscating this subtle but very
important distinction, romanticism leads people to a completely false
understanding of religion, the end-result being mysticism. When people
cease to understand religion as submission to God, and begin to regard it
as a means for "psychological exhilaration," then a number of mystical
practices are sought, submerging them even deeper in this false approach.
When we compare romanticised religion with
the religion that God has revealed to us in the Qu'ran, we can recognise a
number of great difference:
-
In the Qu'ran, God commands human beings
to use their minds, to think, to consider what God has created and, in
this way, to come to faith. However, the romantic approach to religion
excludes reason; it doesn't lead people to use their minds, on the
contrary, it encourages them not to think at all.
-
According to the romantic notions about
religion, it is often deemed commendable for a person to abuse themselves
and cause themselves pain. For example, there are Christians who think
they are drawing closer to Jesus by having themselves crucified. In
certain Oriental religions, such as Buddhism, starving oneself, sleeping
in an uncomfortable place, and other forms of "self immolation," are
supposed to make one holy. However, in the Qu'ran, there is absolutely no
such idea as that a person should cause himself pain. This verse from the
Qu'ran expresses this warped romantic understanding succinctly:
"God
does not wrong people in any way; rather it is people who wrong
themselves."
(Qur'an, 10:44)
In short, according to the romantic
approach, religion is something that encourages one's tendencies to
idolize individuals, to be unreflective, nostalgic, self-effacing and
self-destructive. It is a counterfeit system, comprised of beliefs and
practices totally alien to true religion.
Instead of learning what God wants from
them, and living their lives accordingly, people prefer to continue the
approach to religion, the behaviour and stereotypical ways of thinking
inherited from their ancestors. They do not lead their lives according to
a rational assessment of the conditions surrounding them, but hold on to
the same old traditional patterns of thought and behaviour. This is a
perversity against which God warns strongly in many verses of the Qu'ran.
Here are a few examples:
When they are told, "Come to what God has
sent down and to the Messenger," they say, "What we found our fathers
doing is enough for us." What! Even if their fathers did not know
anything and were not guided!
(Qur'an, 5:104)
Whenever they commit an indecent act,
they say, "We found our fathers doing it and God commanded us to do it
too." Say: "God does not command indecency. Do you say things about God
you do not know?"
(Qur'an, 7:28)
When they are told: "Follow what God has
sent down," they say, "No, we will follow what we found our fathers
doing." What! Even if Satan is calling them to the punishment of the
Blazing Fire?
(Qur'an, 31:21)
If a person wants to be able to practise
the kind of religion that God wants him to practice, he must first escape
the mire of romanticism. As He has commanded in the following verse:
"That is because God is the Real…" (Qur'an, 22:62), God is the Real,
and to understand this it is necessary to be a "realist." Those who are
captivated by romantic ideals, on the other hand, are influenced either by
perverse ideologies, such as romantic nationalism or communism, or lose
touch with the notions of wisdom and sincerity through a romantic
interpretation of religion, or are affected by the kind of romantic idea
of love that we shall examine in the next chapters of this book.
Even if those individuals affected by this
way of thinking were to start practicing religion, they lack the mental
stability to persevere, because of the faltering spiritual condition that
romanticism leads them to have. There are numerous individuals who begin
to practice religion inspired by a few romantic notions, but who quickly
give it up and return to a life without religion.
However, God gives this command to human
beings:
He is Lord of the heavens and the earth
and everything in between them, so worship Him and persevere in His
worship. Do you know of any other with His Name?
(Qur'an, 19:65)
