Quest for Meaning and Need of Religion in Human Life

Religion is one of the most powerful, deeply felt and influential forces in human society. It shapes people’s relationships with each other, influences families, communities, economic, political, and religious life. Religious beliefs and values motivate human action, and religious groups organize their communal religious expressions, giving to its adherents, collective and an individual sense of meaning and belonging.  The word used in the Qur’an for religion is din, which means creed, faith, belief, and in a general sense, submission; for Allah says in the Quran: ‘the true religion with God is submission’.  In Islam, thus, religion is a significant aspect of life, and life is an important part of our spiritual being.

The search for and submission to the ideal of faith starts with questions of ultimate significance which every human being – from the dawn of time – consciously or sub-consciously, have asked about themselves and their place in the universe. They have posed questions such as: Who are we?  Why are we here?  Is there a purpose to life?  Why is there evil and suffering in this world?  What happens when we die?  At some point in our lives, we may also ask such questions.  These questions are not like the ordinary ones which arise every day. They are to do with our lives as a whole and the purpose of everything. We begin to pose these questions, when we think about the many puzzling mysteries of our existence. These ‘big’ questions may also arise when we face a crisis in our lives, such as the loss of a near one.  At these times, what we accept as normal, ceases for us, and we are pushed to ask if there is something more to human life. These questions are fundamental to those who seek meaning and purpose in their lives.  They aspire towards searching for what is true, right, just and good, in order to lead better or happier lives.

The ‘big’ questions also arise for groups of people as a whole, who may ask: What defines us as a society or as a Jamat?  What vision should inspire our social order?  How should we live together?  What is to be understood by justice, freedom or equality?  What values ought we to hold, and which ends should we pursue? Responses to these questions has led to different models of society. The way of life or a world view that a society adopts points to a vision of what it holds as ultimately significant.

In religious contexts, many of the ideals which humans yearn for are of a transcendent or other worldly nature. They are believed to be absolute, eternal, and all-embracing. In religious traditions, human life in its earthly existence is mostly seen as incomplete and unfulfilled. It gains meaning by being located within a larger spiritual framework. In the religious context, faith is the act by which believers orientate themselves towards the eternal. It is the hope they carry of finding meaning, spiritual happiness and fulfilment in their lives by relating it to a transcendent vision.

During a speech at Peshawar University in 1967, Mawlana Hazar Imam drew our attention to the need and relevance of faith:

“The day, we no longer know how, nor have the time nor the faith to bow in prayer to Allah because the human soul that He has told us is eternal is no longer of sufficient importance to us to be worthy of an hour of our daily working, profit-seeking time, will be a sunless day of despair.”

Faith pertains to our whole life because it deals with what is absolute and eternal. It means recognizing that we are dependent on the higher reality, that we are not ourselves the source of life. It also means that we are answerable to our Creator for how we lead our lives.

Image Source: Institute of Islamic Studies, Karamat Ali