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Starwars:
Islamic Teachings I start this
article with the famous quote “May
the Force be with you” by a Yoda the master of the Jedi Knights
from the movie Starwars. In
case you are wondering what exactly does this mean and what this quote and
the movie have anything to do with Islam.
Well my friends, I am about to get into the details of the quote
and the movie “Starwars”; All I ask of you is to have an open mind to
read this article, see and understand things from a different perspective. The
movie of 6 episodes has been released over the period of about 30 yrs. The
basic story of the movie is the battle between the good and bad and
ultimately the good precede the bad. So what’s so special about this
movie? Well the writer/director of the movie was influenced by the eastern
religions and he incorporated lot of the belief system and some of it
happens to be Islam & Sufism.
As Muslims we are advised to greet each other by saying the very
least “As-Salaam-Alykum” which means “May Allah’s
Mercy/Peace/Blessing be with you.” Starting the article by saying “May
the force be with you” is no different than saying As-Salaam- Alykum. If
you interpret or understand the meaning of the “Force”
with anything that you can connect with or get the inspiration from can be
the force. For example the word “Force” can be Allah, 99 attributes of
Allah, your conscience, your spiritual guide, your prayer, your faith,
etc, any number of other things that you can used to interpret/understand
the word “Force”. After
we say salaam and shake someone’s hand you may have noticed some of us
have the tendency to touch our heart/chest. This practice has lot of
meaning and importance in Sufism with the belief that the person you shook
hands with has a positive force that may transform in your heart. Hugging
another Muslims is done for the very reason, exchanging of the positive
forces. Obi-Wan
taught young Luke that: "The
Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by
all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us. It binds the galaxy
together." Being in tune with this Force is what makes the Jedi who
they are.” Yoda
explained the Force most eloquently in ESB. "For
my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it
grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not
this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you, here, between you,
me, the tree, the rock, everywhere!". You probably now realize
that you have this “Force”
with you no matter where you are and where you go and now you are on your
way to be a Jedi What
is a Jedi? A true believer (Muslim) is no different than being a
Jedi;
according to the writer/director of the movie George Locus “Jedi are the
guardians of peace in the galaxy. Jedi use their powers to defend and
protect, never to attack others. Jedi respect all life, in any
form. Jedi serve others rather than rule over them, for the good of the
galaxy. Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.” “Let there arise out of you a band
of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and
forbidding what is wrong: and these it is that shall be successful.”
Qur’an, Sura 3:10) If you have seen
the films you will know that Luke Skywalker (the main character in three
of the six films), when discovered, was trained in the Jedi arts by Yoda,
a great Jedi master. In much the same way, Sufis have a teaching tradition
that consists of murshid (spiritual master) and mureed (disciple), who are
bound together by a spiritual bond that often extends past the death of
the master. It is interesting to note that Luke Skywalker still hears the
voice of his initial master. Yoda
teaches Luke self-control, the importance of restraining the senses. Every
Jedi, he says, must overcome desire and anger; one
of first things you learn in Sufism is the importance of controlling our
desires and anger. The
element of letting go is of prime importance. That is to let go of desire,
which is just another way of defining acceptance. Non acceptance of the
way things are--desire--is at the root of every action, interference, or
assertion. Say:
"I am ----------" Say: "I will not follow your vain
desires: If I did, I would stray from the path, and be not of the company
of those who receive guidance." The Quran 6:56 In
the movie during the training, following is the conversation between
Obi-Wan and Luke “Obi-Wan:
Use the Force, Luke. The
lesson given here, the importance of letting go of your fears/doubts and
trusting the Force (Allah); “And
put thy trust on the Exalted in Might, the Merciful,”- The Quran 26:217 “So
put thy trust in Allah. For thou art on (the path of) manifest Truth.”
The Quran 27:79 In
Episode -3 Yoda tells Anikin Skywaker “Train to let of things that you
fear you will loose’ this is another very important teaching of Sufism
emphasizing that this world we live in is for a short time and do not get
attached to it. In Episode I,
Master Qui-Gon spoke of his meeting young Anakin Skywalker as the
"will of the Force," and this is very close to the Muslim belief
of all things happening according to God's will or “Insha-Allah”. The point of the
Force and of most Religions is to make people better, to teach, and to
prepare for the next step. It can all be possible. In the words of Master
Qui-Gon Jinn: "Your focus determines your reality” The principles
of the Jedi: devotion to the Force (read: God), honor, discipline, and
service for justice, are principles that our world, torn apart by the Dark
Side of human nature, is in desperate need of. So the big
question I have for the readers is “Are you a Jedi (True Muslim)? I
would like to call myself as Jedi in training, where I count on the help
of my Force to make me a “True Muslim” a Jedi. “The article is not intended to
offend or make fun of anyone or their beliefs but to show the reader that
the teaching of Islam are being used by the non- Muslims in different
ways. Due to the limited space I
could not write this article with more depth in Sufism
but Inshallah I will write that in the next article commenting on
another Hollywood movie “Matrix: Be prepared to take the Blue pill or the
Red pill”
Until next time “May the Force be with you “
About the Author: azmi.tariq@gmail.com |