Wengi wa watu wanaojiita "wasomi" wa leo wanakabiliwa na mgogoro wa kidini.

The majority of the modern "educated" people are today faced with a religious crisis.

Je, dini ni kweli ukweli wa maisha? Huenda ilikuwa hivyo zamani, lakini je, bado inabaki hivyo katika ulimwengu wa leo, wakati sayansi imebadilisha kabisa mwelekeo wa maisha, na wakati hakuna nafasi ndani yake ya chochote isipokuwa sayansi na yale ambayo ukweli wa kisayansi unakubali? Je, dini inawakilisha hitaji la kweli la binadamu? Au ni kitu kinachotegemea kabisa tabia ya mtu binafsi, hivyo kwamba mtu anaweza asiiamini kwa kuwa hakuna tofauti kati ya hali mbili za imani na kutoamini?

Is religion really a fact of life? It might have been one in the past, but does it still remain so in the world of today when science has changed the whole course of life, and when there is no place in it for anything save science and what scientific facts approve of? Does religion represent a genuine need of humanity? Or is it something wholly dependent upon the temperamental constitution of an individual so that one may not believe in it as there is no difference between the two states of belief and unbelief '?

Wanapozungumzia Uislamu, wao huonyesha hali kama hiyo ya mgogoro wa kifikra pale wamisionari wa Uislamu wanapowaambia kwamba Uislamu si imani tu, wala si kwamba unawakilisha tu kuelimisha nafsi au kusafisha na kufundisha sifa za kibinadamu, bali ni mfumo wa pamoja na wenye mshikamano unaojumuisha mfumo wa haki wa kiuchumi, mpangilio wa kijamii ulio na uwiano, kanuni za sheria za kiraia, za jinai pamoja na za kimataifa, mtazamo wa kifalsafa juu ya maisha, pamoja na mfumo wa mafunzo ya mwili, yote haya yakitokana na imani ile ile ya msingi ya Uislamu na mwelekeo wake wa kimaadili na kiroho. Wanaposikia haya yote, watu hawa "walioelimika" hushangaa sana, kwa sababu walidhani kwamba Uislamu ulikwisha toweka zamani kwa kuwa umepitwa na wakati na umemaliza kabisa umuhimu wake. Ndiyo maana hushangaa wanaposikia Waislamu wacha Mungu wakisema kwamba Uislamu hauko katika zama za mbali, si wa kizamani wala wa kupitwa na wakati, bali ni mfumo hai na unaostawi wa maisha hata sasa hivi, kwani unashikilia ndani yake vipengele vya maisha ambavyo hakuna mfumo mwingine unaojulikana kwa wanadamu unavyo, ikiwa ni pamoja na ujamaa pamoja na ukomunisti au mfumo mwingine wowote.

Talking about Islam they betray a similar state of intellectual crisis when the missionaries of Islam tell them that Islam is not a mere creed, nor does it represent simply an edification of souls, or a refinement and training of human virtues but is rather a harmonious whole that also includes a just economic system, a well-balanced social organization, codes of civil, criminal as well as international law, & philosophical outlook upon life along with a system of physical instruction, all of these flowing from the same fundamental creed of Islam and its moral and spiritual temperament. When they hear all this, these "educated" people are greatly perplexed, for they supposed that Islam had since long ceased to exist as it has become outmoded and had exhausted all its usefulness. That is why they are surprised when they hear devout Muslims saying that Islam does not belong to a remote past, it is not obsolete or antiquated but is a living and flourishing system of life even at the present moment, as it holds within itself such elements of life as no other system known to humanity does including socialism as well as communism or any other system.

Wanaposikia haya, mshangao wao unazidi mipaka, na hawawezi tena kujizuia; wanawapigia kelele wahubiri hawa wa Neno la Mwenyezi Mungu: Mnatuambia haya yote kuhusu dini inayoidhinisha utumwa, ukabaila na ubepari, mfumo unaoshikilia kwamba mwanamke ni nusu ya mwanaume tu na unamfungia ndani ya nyumba yake; mfumo unaoagiza adhabu kama kupigwa mawe hadi kufa, kukatwa viungo na kuchapwa viboko; mfumo unaowaacha watu wake waishi kwa msaada wa sadaka; mfumo unaowagawa katika matabaka mbalimbali, wengine wakiwanyonya wengine; mfumo usiotoa uhakika wa maisha ya heshima kwa watu wanaofanya kazi kwa jasho lao; na mfumo wenye sifa kadhaa kama hizo. Inawezekanaje mfumo wa namna hii kujiimarisha hata leo, achilia mbali kuendelea kuishi siku zijazo? Achilia mbali kushinda au kufanikiwa katika ushindani, mfumo kama huu unawezaje hata kusimama katika mapambano makali ya kiitikadi yanayoendelea sasa kati ya mifumo mbalimbali ya kisasa ya kijamii na kiuchumi?

At this their surprise exceeds limits, they can no more contain themselves, so they scream at these preachers of Gods words: Do you tell us all this about the religion that approves of slavery, feudalism and capitalism-the system which holds that woman is only a half-man and imprisons her within her household; which prescribes such punishments as stoning to death, mutilation and whipping; which lets its people live on charity; which splits them up into different classes, some exploiting the other; a system which provides no security of decent living to the toiling people; and a system which is such and such, how is it possible that such a system should even hold its own today, let alone its survival in the future? Not to speak of its triumph and contending successfully, how can such a system even hold out in the ruthless ideological struggle going on at present among different modern socio-economic systems?

Kabla ya kuendelea zaidi, na tusimame kidogo tuone: hawa "wasomi" wenye shaka ni akina nani? Shaka yao inatokana wapi? Je, mtazamo huu wa akili ni matokeo ya fikra zao huru wenyewe, au wanarudia tu maneno ya wengine bila hata kuyaelewa?

Before proceeding further let us, however, pause awhile and see as to who these "educated" skeptics are? Whence does their skepticism originate? Is this attitude of mind a result of their own free thinking or are they merely parroting the words of other, without even so much as understanding them?

Ukweli ni kwamba shaka inayoonyeshwa na watu hawa si matokeo ya fikra zao huru hata kidogo, wala haikuanzia akilini mwao kama ilivyo. Ili kufikia chanzo chake halisi, itatupasa kurejea kidogo nyuma katika historia ya nyakati za kisasa.

The fact is that the skepticism exhibited by these gentlemen is not at all a result of their own independent thinking, nor did it originate in their own minds as such. For its true source we win have to go back a little over the history of modern times.

Katika Enzi za Kati kulishuhudiwa vita vya Msalaba kati ya Ulaya na ulimwengu wa Kiislamu. Mapigano makali yalipiganwa baina yao, baada ya hapo kukafuata kipindi kilichoshuhudia kusitishwa kwa uhasama baina ya pande hizo mbili, lakini uhasama wao dhidi ya kila mmoja haukuisha kamwe, jambo linalothibitishwa vyema na kauli ya Lord Allenby aliyoitoa wazi wakati wa kukaliwa kwa Jerusalem na Waingereza katika Vita vya Kwanza vya Dunia: "Sasa vita vya Msalaba vimefikia mwisho!" Pia tunapaswa kukumbuka kwamba katika karne mbili zilizopita, ubeberu wa Kiulaya uliendelea kuwa katika mgongano na Mashariki ya Kiislamu.

The Middle Ages witnessed crusades between Europe and the world of Islam. Furious battles were fought between the two after which followed a period that saw a suspension of hostilities between the two camps but their hostility towards each other never ended as is well borne out by what Lord Allenby said in clear terms on the occasion of the British occupation of Jerusalem in World War I: "Now have the crusades come to an end!' We must also keep in mind that during the last two centuries European imperialism remained in conflict with the Islamic Orient.

Waingereza waliingia Misri mwaka 1882 kufuatia usaliti wa Taufiq. Walifanya njama pamoja naye kwa ajili ya kuikalia Misri kijeshi, ili kuvuruga mapinduzi ya wananchi yaliyoongozwa na Orabi. Baada ya hapo, sera ya Waingereza ya lazima ilizunguka lengo moja la msingi: kuimarisha zaidi na zaidi mtego wao juu ya ulimwengu wa Kiislamu, na kulinda maslahi yao yasifagiliwe mbali na roho ya kweli ya Kiislamu ya Mashariki. Katika muktadha huu, tungependa kutaja alichosema Waziri Mkuu wa Uingereza wa zama za Victoria, Bw. Gladstone, katika Baraza la Commons. Akiwa ameishika Qur'ani Tukufu mikononi mwake, aliwaambia wajumbe wa Baraza hilo: "Mradi Wamisri wanayo kitabu hiki pamoja nao, hatutaweza kamwe kufurahia utulivu wala amani katika nchi hiyo."

The British stepped into Egypt in 1882 following Taufiq's treachery. They hatched a plot with him for the military occupation of Egypt in order to thwart the popular revolution under the leadership of Orabi. Thereafter the British policy of necessity revolved around one basic aim: strengthening their hold more and more on the Islamic world and safeguarding their interests from being swept away by the true Islamic spirit of the Orient. We would in this respect like to refer to what the British Prime Minister of the Victorian age, Mr. Gladstone said in the House of Commons. Holding up the Holy Qur'an in his hands he told the members of the House: "So long as the Egyptians have got this book with them, we will never be able to enjoy quiet or peace in that land".

Kwa kawaida, sera iliyofuatwa na Waingereza ilikuwa ya kudharau sheria na kanuni za Kiislamu, ya kuondoa hisia za utakatifu wake mioyoni mwa Waislamu, na ya kuichora Uislamu kwa rangi nyeusi kabisa ili wauone duni na hatimaye waukatae kabisa. Walifanya haya yote ili kuimarisha zaidi mshiko wao wa kikoloni juu ya nchi hii.

Naturally the policy pursued by the British was one of deriding Islamic laws and principles, of exiling the sense of their sanctity from Muslims' hearts, and of painting Islam in the blackest of colors so as to make them look down upon it and in due course of time to discard it totally. They did all this in order to tighten up their imperialistic grip on this country.

Sera ya elimu waliyoipitisha nchini Misri ilikuwa ya namna iliyowaacha wanafunzi wakiwa hawajui sana kuhusu uhalisia wa Uislamu, isipokuwa kwamba ni dini inayojumuisha ibada, sala, kumsifu na kumtukuza Mungu, na kufuata mambo ya kiroho ya tasawwuf; kwamba Qur'ani ni kitabu kinachosomwa ili kuomba baraka za Mungu; na kwamba Uislamu ni mwaliko wa kinadharia wa kufuata maadili matukufu na ya ukarimu kabisa. Wanafunzi hawakuwahi kuambiwa chochote kuhusu Uislamu kama mfumo wa kijamii na kiuchumi wa utawala, wala kama katiba, wala kama msingi wa sera za ndani na nje, wala kama mfumo wa elimu, wala kama njia ya maisha na mlinzi wa maisha. Badala yake, walifundishwa yale shaka walizotupa dhidi ya Uislamu wataalamu wa mashariki (orientalists) na wengine miongoni mwa wapiganaji wa msalaba wa Ulaya, ili kuwafanya Waislamu waiache dini yao na kuangukia kwa urahisi katika hila mbaya za ukoloni.

The educational policy they adopted in Egypt was such as left the students quite ignorant about the reality of Islam, except that it was a religion embracing worships, prayers, praising and glorifying God, and pursuing mystic practices; that the Qur'an was a book read in order to invoke God's blessings and that Islam was a theoretical invitation to pursue the noblest and most generous of moral precepts. Students were never told anything about Islam as a socio-economic system of government or as a constitution, or as a basis of internal and external policy, or as a system of education, or as a way of life and a watcher over life. What they were taught instead was the doubts cast against Islam by the orientalists and other European crusaders in order to make the Muslims forsake their religion and succumb easily to the evil machinations of imperialism.

Walifundishwa kwamba mfumo pekee halisi wa kijamii uliokuwepo ni ule ambao Ulaya ilikuwa nao, kwamba mfumo pekee halisi wa kiuchumi ulikuwa ule ulioundwa na wanafalsafa wa Ulaya, na kwamba aina sahihi na inayofaa zaidi ya serikali ya kikatiba ilikuwa ile ambayo Wazungu, kutokana na majaribio yao mbalimbali, waliyoibuni. Walifundishwa kwamba haki za binadamu zilitambuliwa kwa mara ya kwanza na Mapinduzi ya Ufaransa, kwamba demokrasia ilikuzwa na kufanywa maarufu na Waingereza, na kwamba ni Dola ya Kirumi ndiyo iliyotoa msingi wowote wa ustaarabu. Kwa kifupi, Waingereza waliionyesha Ulaya kama jitu lenye uasi lakini lenye nguvu, lisilo na yeyote wa kulizuia wala kulikagua maendeleo yake, ilhali waliiwasilisha Mashariki kama kibaraka mdogo asiye na hadhi yoyote yake isipokuwa ile ya kutawaliwa na Ulaya, na kutegemea kabisa Ulaya kwa mtazamo wake wa kijamii na kitamaduni.

They were taught; that the only genuine social system in existence was that which Europe possessed, the only true economic system was one that was conceived by the European philosophers, the right and most appropriate form of constitutional government was what the Europeans, thanks to their various experiments, evolved. They were taught that the rights of man were first taken cognizance of by the French Revolution, that democracy was fostered and made popular by the English people, and that it was the Roman Empire that provided any basis of civilization. In short, the British depicted Europe as a rebellious but mighty giant with none to stand in its way or check its progress whereas they presented the East as a dwarfish underling with no standing of its own save that of subordination to Europe and complete dependence upon it for its social and cultural outlook.

Sera hii ya kisiasa hatimaye ilianza kutekelezwa. Miongoni mwa Wamisri zikaibuka vizazi ambavyo vilikuwa vimenyang'anywa kabisa fikra za ubinafsi wao au uwepo wao huru wa kiutamaduni. Walitekwa kabisa na Ulaya; waliiabudu kwa unyenyekevu mkubwa; hawakuweza tena kuona kwa macho yao wenyewe, wala hawakubaki na uwezo wa kufikiri kwa kujitegemea; walikuwa wakiona hasa kile ambacho Wazungu walitaka waone; na walikuwa wakifikiri kile ambacho Wazungu walitaka wafikiri.

This political policy at last took effect. Among the Egyptians there sprang up generations who were shorn of any thought of their individuality or independent cultural existence. They were completely enthralled by Europe; they worshipped it most devotedly; they could neither see with their own eyes nor were they any more left capable of thinking for themselves; they would see just what the Europeans wanted them to see; and they thought what they wished them to think.

Wasomi wa leo, yaani tabaka la "wasomi" wanaojiona kuwa na elimu, ndio kilele cha yale ambayo wakoloni, kwa mbinu zao za kisiasa, walikuwa wamefanikisha katika nchi hii.

The "educated" intelligentsia of today represents as such the culminating point of what the imperialists with their political maneuvers achieved in-this country.

Watu hawa maskini hawana chochote kuhusu Uislamu isipokuwa shaka. Kuhusu Uislamu hawana taarifa nyingine isipokuwa zile walizopokea kupitia mabwana zao wa Ulaya. Ndiyo maana huonekana wakipiga kelele kama wao, wakitetea kutenganishwa kwa dini na dola, na kutenganishwa kwa sayansi na Uislamu.

These poor people know nothing about Islam but doubt. About Islam they have no information save what they received through their European masters. That is why they are seen shouting like them advocating the separation of religion from the state and of science from Islam.

Lakini kwa ujinga wao wanapuuza ukweli kwamba dini ambayo Ulaya iliitupa ilikuwa tofauti kabisa na ile ambayo wanaoeneza itikadi ya Kiislamu wanawataka watu wairudie; na kwamba hali maalum zilizotawala Ulaya wakati ule, zilizosababisha igeuke mgongo dini, zilikuwa zimebaki katika eneo hilo la dunia pekee. Jambo kama hilo halikuwahi kutokea katika Mashariki ya Kiislamu; wala hakuna uwezekano wowote kwamba litatokea huko. Kwa hiyo, wanapowaita wenzao wa nchi yao waikatae Uislamu, au kutangaza kwamba Uislamu usiwe na sauti yoyote katika kuendesha mambo ya kijamii, kisiasa na kiuchumi ya jamii na maisha, wao wanakariri tu na kuiga mawazo yaliyoingizwa kutoka kwa mabwana zao.

But in their ignorance they pass by the fact that the religion that Europe shook off was one quite different from what the advocates of Islamic ideology call upon people to adopt; and that the particular circumstances that prevailed in Europe at the time and made it turn its back upon religion were confined to that region of the world only. Nothing of the sort ever happened in the Islamic orient; nor is there any likelihood of its ever happening there. Thus when they call upon their countrymen to discard Islam or declare that Islam should have no say in the management of social, political and economic affairs of community and life, they are merely expressing and parroting the imported thoughts of their masters.

Ulaya ilikuwa ndiyo mahali palipotokea mgogoro kati ya dini na sayansi, kwa sababu kanisa huko lilikuwa limekubali kiholela nadharia fulani na mafundisho fulani (lililoyarithi kutoka Ugiriki).

Europe was the scene of a conflict between religion and science, because the church there had arbitrarily embraced certain theories and dogmas (inheriting them from Greece)

na walisisitiza kwamba ni takatifu na ukweli usiotiliwa shaka. Kwa hiyo nadharia za kisayansi na za kimajaribio zilipoonyesha makosa na uongo wa nadharia hizi, watu huko hawakuwa na njia nyingine isipokuwa kuamini sayansi na kutoamini kanisa pamoja na dini ambayo wanaume hawa wa kanisa walisimamia. Vita kati ya dini na sayansi vilizidi kuwa vikali, na hamu ya kujiweka huru na utawala wa watu hawa wa dini iliongezeka kadiri kanisa barani Ulaya lilivyojipa mamlaka ya kimungu na kuanza kuyatekeleza kwa njia ya kidhalimu sana. Hivyo, kwa watu wale, dini ikawa kiumbe cha kuchukiza kilichowasumbua katika kazi zao kama vile katika saa zao za kulala. Ilikuwa ikiwatoza watu malipo makubwa ya lazima na kuwafanya kuwa watumwa duni chini ya wanakanisa, pamoja na kuwataka wameze upuuzi na khurafa kwa jina la Mungu. Kuwatesa wanasayansi na kuwachoma wakiwa hai kwa sababu walisema, kwa mfano, kwamba dunia ni duara, lilikuwa kosa la kuchukiza kabisa, lililofanya iwe wajibu mtakatifu kwa kila mtu mwenye akili, mwenye kufikiri huru na mwenye dhamiri njema huko kujitokeza na kusaidia nguvu zilizotaka kuliangamiza kiumbe hiki cha kuchukiza, au angalau kukifunga minyororo ili kisiweze tena kuwasumbua na kuwadhulumu watu, pamoja na kuidhuru dini kwa kuipotosha na kuwafanya wengine wajisikie kana kwamba dini haina chochote isipokuwa uongo na upotofu.

and insisted that they were sacred and a gospel truth. So when the theoretical and the empirical science demonstrated the error and fallacy of these theories, the people there had no other course but to believe in science and disbelieve in the church as well as in the religion these churchmen stood for. The war between religion and science gained in intensity and the enthusiasm to get free from the dominance of these religious men increased as the church in Europe conferred upon itself divine power and proceeded to enforce it in a most tyrannical manner. Thus for the people there religion came to signify an abominable ghoul that harassed them in their working no less than in their sleeping hours. It exacted from men costly extortion and reduced them to an abject state of subordination to the churchmen, besides calling upon them to swallow nonsense and superstitions in the name of God. The torturing of scientists and burning them alive because they said, for instance, that the earth was round, was the ugliest of crimes that made it a sacred duty of every sensible, free-thinking and conscientious individual there to come forward and help the forces that sought to destroy this abominable ghoul or at least put it in chains so as not to let it ever again harass and oppress the people besides harming the cause of religion by misrepresenting it and making others feel as if religion contained nothing but falsehood and untruth.

Lakini sisi, sisi tunaoishi Mashariki ya Kiislamu, tunapaswa kwa nini kutenganisha sayansi na dini, au kushikilia kwamba mambo hayo mawili yanatofautiana na kupigana vita kati yao? Je, kuna hata ukweli mmoja wa kisayansi ambao umewahi kugunduliwa kupingana na Uislamu na itikadi yake ya msingi? Je, wanasayansi waliwahi kuteswa katika eneo la Uislamu? Historia yote ya Uislamu iko mbele yetu. Inashuhudia kwamba kumekuwepo na madaktari wakubwa, wanaastronomia, wanahisabati, wanafizikia pamoja na wanakemia, lakini hawakuwahi kuteswa kwa sababu ya mitazamo yao. Hakuna athari yoyote ya mgongano kati ya sayansi na imani zao za kidini inayoonekana katika akili za wanasayansi hawa wakubwa wa Kiislamu. Wala hakukuwepo na uadui wowote kati yao na mamlaka tawala uliowezekana kuwaletea mateso au kuwachoma moto wakiwa hai.

But what about us, we who live in the Islamic East? Why should we separate science from religion or hold that the two are at variance and war with each other? Is there even a single scientific fact which has been found to contradict Islam and its basic creed? Were scientists ever subjected to persecution in the domain of Islam? The whole history of Islam is before us. It testifies that there have been great doctors, astronomers, mathematicians, physicists as well as chemists but never were they persecuted for their views. There is no trace of any conflict between science and their religious beliefs to be found in the minds of these great Muslim scientists. Nor did there exist any hostilities between them and the ruling authorities such as might have led to their suffering or burning alive.

Je, ni nini basi kinachowafanya hawa watu wanaojiita "wasomi" wadai kutenganishwa kwa dini na sayansi, washambulie Uislamu na kutafuta kasoro ndani yake bila ufahamu wowote wala maarifa juu yake? Kilio chao cha homa kali si kingine ila dalili ya sumu ambayo wakoloni waliwapa, bila shaka bila wao kujua.

What is it then that makes these "educated" people plead for separation of religion from science, for attacking Islam and finding faults with it without any understanding or knowledge of it? Their feverish crying is nothing but a symptom of the poison that had been administered to them by the imperialists, of course, without their knowing it.

Darasa hili la wasomi "walioelimika" halikuwepo kabisa akilini mwangu nilipoandika kitabu hiki.

This class of the "educated" elite was not at all in my mind when I wrote this book.

Hawatarejea kamwe kwenye lililo sahihi hadi pale mabwana zao huko Magharibi nao pia watakapogeuka kuelekea huko, baada ya kukata tamaa na ustaarabu wao usiomcha Mungu na wa kimaada, na kutambua kwamba hauwezi kuwaletea wokovu wowote, hivyo kurejea kwenye mfumo wa maisha ulio wa kiroho pamoja na wa vitendo kwa wakati mmoja, mfumo unaojumuisha imani pamoja na maisha, kwa wakati mmoja na sambamba.

They would never return to what is right until their masters in the West also do turn towards it after despairing of their Godless materialistic civilization and recognize that it can bring them no salvation, and so return to a system of life that is at once spiritual as well as practical-a system embracing belief no less than life at once and at the same time.

Ningependelea kuwa na kundi jingine mbele yangu nilipokuwa naandika kitabu hiki: vijana wenye nia safi na mwenye akili, wanaotamani kwa dhati kuijua hakika, ukweli, lakini shaka na uongo vinavyoenezwa kuhusu Uislamu na madola ya kibeberu ya udanganyifu vinawaacha hawana msaada wa kuona nuru, wala jibu la uongo huu. Hivyo wanabaki wanatapatapa gizani, kwa kuwa watumwa wa ubeberu na mashetani wa ukomunisti hawawaruhusu kutoka na kuingia katika njia iliyo sahihi - njia ya uhuru, heshima na utukufu. Ni kwa kundi hili la vijana wenye akili na nia safi ndipo ninapowasilisha kitabu hiki, na natumaini kwamba Mwenyezi Mungu atanisaidia kuondoa shaka kuhusu Uislamu kutoka akilini mwao.

I had rather another class before me in writing this book-the sincere and enlightened youth, who earnestly wish to find out the reality, the truth, but the doubts and lies spread about Islam by the deceitful imperialistic powers leave them helpless to see the light, or the answer to these lies, and so they are left groping about in darkness, for the slaves of imperialism and the devils of communism would not let them march out to the right paththe path to freedom, honor and sublimity. It is to this enlightened and sincere group of young men that I present this book and hope that it may please God to help me dispel doubts about Islam from their minds.