Let Us Divorce God

Is fatalism inherent?

The age old and ever inconclusive debate over Jab'r and Qad'r, Ordained or Free Will, Determinism or Indeterminism is being lost to Ordained without a whimper.

Uttering meaningless InshaAllahs and MashaAllahs, invoking His help without doing the leg work, hoping without effort, are the hallmarks of the New Desi Muslim.

There are three broad categories of Desi Muslim.

1: The vast majority who are too impotent or apathetic to do anything. Their first struggle is for survival. The divine handlers of opium see to it that they do not come out of their stupor.

2: A minority debates and pontificates interminably over issues in vain.

3: And an even tinier minority takes matter in their hands. This includes the likes of Edhi and Burney and some NGOs.

The latter pay their respects and homage to gods in their own way. But from the practical stand point they have all but divorced God from their efforts. They practice their religion or belief system but do not wear it on their sleeves.

They exemplify the tolerant and practical face of Islam that is in such short supply.

this was written earlier in another context but it is relevant to today's discussions