By Rashid Samnakay, New Age Islam
20 Feb 2015
Most major religions of the world have a
day in a week designated as a holy day for the worship of their particular
deity. The Muslim world keeping in step with it, has chosen Friday, the sixth
day – يومالسادسof the week as a holy day for itself and named it Juma’, the day of
gathering.
The day before Friday, that is Thursday,
is called خميس the fifth day. All days are given numbers.
The root of Juma’ comes from JMA’ and is
a derivative of jamaa’-come together, congregate, assemble. In the days of
Messenger Muhammad, it was any day the small community was needed to gather for
a meeting to discuss important matters affecting the community and decide on
the action to be taken.
A call was put out for this purpose for
people to attend, which later became the ritualistic religious Adhan, a call
for prayer.
The three verses 9, 10 and 11 of Chapter
62, “ Juma’ “ are quoted here to establish the above argument, that is to say
that Juma’ is not a specific holiday of the week nor is it supposed to be a
holy day for cessation of activities and business for mankind.
62-9- Oh you who believe, when you are
summoned on the day of congregation, make haste to be there for Almighty’s
remembrance and leave all commercial activities. That is better for you if you
but only knew.
“Make haste”: to be there on time to
participate fully in the business and not half way through or part of it.
“Leave all commercial activities”, Stop
all activities for a while to attend the meeting.
“Almighty’s remembrance”: to listen to
the address to the community given by the Apostle, head of a Muslim State or
State authority on important matters to be decided, is an obligation on the
part of Believers in order to fulfil their obligations to the State/community
and hence a duty to Almighty- Zikrillah- . This consciousness of Al mighty is
termed as his remembrance. It is not running rosary or worry beads/Tasbih,
through the fingers chanting God is great etc.
62-10 But when the duty is done spread in the land
and seek Almighty’s blessings and remember Him often that you may prosper.
“When the duty is done”: The duty of
attending the meeting. Then go back to your work as normal.
“That you may prosper”: Prosperity comes
from endeavour, labour and hard work and not going to bed and for holiday!
62-11-And when they see bargains or
sport, they rush to it and leave you (Apostle) standing. Say what is with
Almighty, is better than these goods and sport, and Almighty is the best of
provider.
“He is the best of provider”: The
provision is assured from honest work.
It stands to reason that if the day and
time is pre-fixed as it is today in religion, then Believers do not have to be
“summoned “or called on the day, for they should be conscious of their duty to
Almighty and be present there at the appointed time, as it is obligatory for
them to do so.
It may be logically argued therefore
that Juma’ being holy the other unholy days are left free to indulge in unholy
or illegal activities as one pleases!
Most ridiculous and preposterous
argument.
In practical terms this religious-holy-holiday
in the Muslim world puts it out of synch with the rest of the economic and
commercial world. In some Muslim countries Thursday is supposed to be half a
working day. Thus during the normal working week the Muslim world loses out 30%
of commercial time with the rest of its trading partners!
The verses above do not suggest any such
hindrance in the path of acquiring normal lively hood and sustenance all
through the week.
Consider 53-39: That human being can
have nothing except what it strives for.
And 53-40: that the reward of striving
will soon be obvious.
Iqbal the poet as usual is very
conscious of what the religious brigade does to mankind: Quran Ko Bandhe Chaye
Taweez Banaakar—Chahey to Khud Ik Taazah Shariet Kare Ijaad.--
By making Quran a sport for reinterpretation-They
invent a new code as they please.
The capitalist world of the old for its
industrial and agricultural production purposes considered Labour of the poor
which was taken as of no-worth as their fiefdom to be exploited at will. Labour
was supposed to work for them like a mule or worse, day in and day out till it
dropped dead.
The Labour movement of the world fought
long and hard and won the right for a “rest day” once a week and that became
their right.
Saturday and Sunday though do have close
relation with the Sabbath, however these days have acquired worldwide secular
holiday importance and nobody thinks twice of them in terms them having
religious connections.
The Muslim church played its negative
part here too and established a perfectly normal working day of Friday for its
own purpose as a holy day, separate and in excess of the secular holidays of
the world. Thus putting Muslims out of steps with the other trading partners of
the world and for the worse.
The Muslim nation has fallen in the trap
of this holiness and believes that there is salvation in hereafter in observing
the worshiping rituals of Juma’, even to the expense of inconveniencing members
of the public of this world, and breaking a few safety laws in the process, as
these pictures taken in an airplane and street of New York show:
(“If you get stuck, you have to wait 20
to 30 minutes until they finish praying,” said De Robertis, a New York delivery
driver!). Denying him the reward for his labour for the time!
The mindset that the religious industry
has installed in its followers is best illustrated also by the common
experience of many unfortunate Juma’ goer drivers face:-
A late comer with a huge car had illegally
parked his vehicle behind the legally and correctly parked vehicles in parallel
parking bays, thus blocking at least three cars from moving out.
The owners of the blocked cars, waiting
for this inconsiderate owner of parked car got very upset at him when the
driver at last ambled in the car park from the mosque, with smug expression on
his bearded face for having attended the Juma’.
Obviously Heated argument ensued. The
arrogance of the driver was a shock to all—“don’t you see I am coming from Juma’?”
The taunt of Quran is obviously meant
for the likes of such people:
107-6: Those who want to seen by others.
To be seen as pious at the expense and detriment of the others?
Need one comment on the character of the
man in the light of what he thought was him doing favour to the world at large
for having come to “pray Juma”, albeit coming very late for it (62-9?). And
then the total disregard to the inconvenience caused to the waiting drivers and
ingratitude and arrogance shown to them, generated by his false-hood of piety,
not to mention the harm to public and breaking the law of the land.
Would the waiting drivers who were
obviously late to go to their work/offices (62-10) be held responsible if they
had taken the law in their own hands and had pushed the offending vehicle in
the ditch?
Should they have collectively done so as
a religious edict and/or as citizen action?
Thank goodness that the majority acted
as good citizens and did not act religiously.
Such fake religiosity of the offending
driver negates all goodness that a human being is endowed with.
To do good for goodness sake, which is a
universal endowment of all civilised people, is so arrogantly thrown out of
religion window as to leave no trace of any decency left in men.
When no trace of decency is left, the
void created gets filled by arrogance and there are many forms of that. Thanks to religious obligations man is brain
washed to observe and neglect what is the essence of Juma’ for the
community as a whole.
Quran asks: Hal Jazaa ul Ehsaan Illal
Ehsaan 55-60—is the reward for gratitude other than gratitude? Has the
arrogant man ever heard of this? If he has, does he thinks that the world owes
him gratitude instead for offering Juma’ as a reward and should therefore be
allowed to park where ever suits him?
Who knows? Perhaps he does! Religious
codes are “invented” to break all other codes!
URL: http://newageislam.com/islamic-society/rashid-samnakay,-new-age-islam/juma’-is-not-ordained-a-muslim-holy-day-or-a-holiday/d/101620