Why Institutional Religion?

"At first I was somewhat startled by the Koran’s concern not only with matters spiritual but also with many seemingly trivial mundane aspects of life; but in time I began to understand that if man were indeed an integral unity of body and soul – as Islam insisted he was – no aspect of his life could be too ‘trivial’ to come within the purview of religion. With all this, the Koran never let its followers forget that the life of this world was only one stage of man’s way to a higher existence, and that his ultimate goal was of a spiritual nature. Material prosperity, it said, is desirable but not an end in itself; and therefore man’s appetites, though justified in themselves, must be restrained and controlled by moral consciousness. This consciousness ought to relate not merely to man’s relation with God but also to his relations with men; not only to the spiritual perfection of the individual but also to the creation of such social conditions as might be conductive to the spiritual development of all, so that all might live in fullness."

In Egypt, he started learning about Islam by discussing various issues with Shaikh Mustafa al Maraghi, while at the same time learning Arabic with the help of a student of Al-Azher University. The more he studied Islam and appreciated its teachings and programme of life, the more he realized how much Muslims had deviated from their religion. He, however, did not consider accepting Islam. “I did not consider it desirable for an intelligent man to conform all his thinking and his entire view of life to a system not devised by himself.” He wondered whether it is necessary for one to belong to one particular faith –

“Tell me, Shaykh Mustafa,” I asked my erudite friend Al-Maraghi on one occasion, “why should it be necessary to confine oneself to one particular teaching and one particular set of injunctions? Mightn’t it be better to leave all ethical inspiration to one’s inner voice?”

“What thou art really asking, my young brother, is why should there be any institutional religion. The answer is simple. Only very few people – only prophets – are really able to understand the inner voice that speaks in them. Most of us are trammelled by our personal interests and desires – and if everyone were to follow only what his own heart dictated, we would have complete moral chaos and could never agree on any mode of behaviour. Thou couldst ask, of course, whether there are no exceptions to the general rule – enlightened people who feel they have no need to be “guided” in what they consider to be right or wrong; but then, I ask thee, would not many, very many people claim that exceptional right for themselves? And what would be the result?”

In Islam, he saw the true meaning of life. It was not a religion but a way of life, a programme of life, the parts of which were so harmoniously built to complement each other. But a question still remained in his mind: “Was Islam truly a message from God or merely the wisdom of a great, but fallible, man ...?”