09.15.08

Al Tawhid and its Social Implications

Posted in Personal at 11:35 pm by Abbas

There is a pamphlet online by Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamanei called “Al Tawhid and its Social Implications.” It discusses the natural result of a Tawhidi world view from the viewpoint of society and humanity’s relationship with all others. It emphasized a point which I find valuable; that such “secondary principles” are made truly important, valuable, and achievable only by a correct understanding and implementation of Tawhid in a person’s life and society’s life. I found it generally instructive and inspiring.

http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/tawhid_social/

Excerpts:

“Before we elucidate the principle of Tawhid from this point of view, that is, its rejection of social predominance by a single class, I think it necessary to mention the fact that Tawhid, contrary to the popular belief that it is merely an intellectual and philosophical theory, is not only a fundamental outlook regarding man and universe, but a social, economic, and political doctrine as well.

Amongst all religious and non-religious terms and concepts it would be difficult to find any term or concept so loaded with construc tive and revolutionary implications, which cover diverse social and historical aspects of human existence. It was no accident that every one of all the Divine movements in history was launched with so much of emphasis on Unity of God, His unshared Divinity and authority over the whole universe.”

“The Holy Prophet of Islam (S) laid down the principle of Tawhid as a path before mankind; but, afterwards, it was merely reduced to the status of an abstract theory and a subject of theoretical discussions and debates. In the days of the Prophet (S), it was a fresh world outlook and a new programme of life;. later, the same principle served as no more than a topic of theological dissections and leisurely scholarly pursuits. In the days of the Prophet (S), it formed the infrastructure of the whole system, and the axis of all social, political, and economic rela tionships; but later it became merely a show-piece and an embellish ment of scholarly endeavour. What else could be expected from a decorative and formal auxiliary which had no active and constructive role to play?”

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