Malcolm X: Life Beyond Death

(2:154) Do not say of those who are slain in the Cause of God, “They are dead.” Nay, they are alive, but you perceive it not. If you’re reading this article, then you must be attending the event which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the death of Malcolm X. What a life Malcolm lead, standing up for the rights of the oppressed and, when he realized that the Nation of Islam was in error, having the courage to leave them completely. That kind of personality is so rare in the world. After this event, you would have remembered, learnt a little bit more about Malcolm, enjoyed some food and listened to some music. What now? Back to work or school tomorrow?

Is Malcolm X only to be remembered, fawned over and admired?

Is your life about knowing Malcolm or becoming Malcolm?

The Qur’an says very clearly to us that we should not hope to enter The Garden (of Paradise) unless we strive in the way of God – that is, Allah (swt) - with our selves and our possessions (9:111, 2:214, 3:142, 29:1-2). Knowing about Malcolm isn’t enough to save you which is the whole point of existence itself, according to Al-Islam.

For many of us, life is a journey from school to university to work where we continue to struggle and strive in order to ‘get on’ and ‘earn an honest living’. For those without a higher purpose in life, the reward for effort lies in nothing more than the ability to acquire first the necessities and then the luxuries (or ‘comforts’) of modern living. But that’s where it ends. As time goes by and they grow older, such people will enjoy these ‘fruits’ of their labours’ less and less until death finally overtakes them.

Is this what it’s all about? On the Last Day, will Allah (swt) accept us as one of those He has favoured based on how wealthy we were? Or will He judge us based on our belief in His System and the constructive actions we subsequently performed in accordance with this belief?

The answer is clear in our hearts even before we open His Book to find out.

How do we begin to change things? For a start, we need to identify exactly what is wrong with the world.

Once we do this, we will immediately come to understand that there are people in this world who are being oppressed by other people.

For example, in today’s capitalist world, the oppressed work tirelessly in order to earn a pittance, a miserable income that barely allows them to meet their basic human needs – providing food, clothing, shelter, education and health-care for themselves and their families. Living on the edge of a precipice like this affords them no security and little possibility for peace; in short, their lives are – or rather, their lives have been made into - a living hell.

In the language of The Qur’an, there is no salaam in the world.

‘Salaam’ can be understood as “peace, tranquility, freedom from danger and flaw”.

Al-Islam is literally the bringing about of salaam.

The Qur’an provides us with all the guidance we need in order to bring about salaam in our lives and in the lives of others. A study of The Qur’an reveals that it contains a collection of stories about past communities. These stories aren’t told for the sake of history – they are not mere ‘fables of the ancients’ - but to provide us with a clear picture of how Al-Islam is meant to affect our own lives and to strengthen our hearts for the struggle ahead.

For example, there is the story of Moses and Pharaoh, where Moses strives to liberate those who would be liberated from Pharaoh’s system of caste-based oppression. This story is told in many different forms throughout The Qur’an.

Then there is the story of Abraham, who struggled hard against his people, inviting them to serve Allah (swt) instead of worshipping false gods who could neither benefit nor harm them. After leaving his people, Abraham went on to establish the first Islamic ‘house’ (that is, system or institutional structure) which became a rallying point for humanity.

These stories have been given to us to study closely, to take lessons from. They are as relevant now as when they were first revealed because the nature of the human condition does not change and because Allah (swt), in His Infinite Wisdom, understands this nature - a nature that He created.

The Qur’an also provides guidance on how to live one’s life individually and collectively, a simple collection of rules which will help us attain the salaam that is so vital to human well-being.

Returning to our brother Malcolm, we acknowledge that he lead an extraordinary life. He gave the people inspiration which did not die with him. However, he is accountable to Allah (swt) for his actions and we are responsible for ours. While we may learn much from the lessons Malcolm taught us, we will not have benefited at all until we put into practice the principles that he stood for. We can learn these principles from The Qur’an ourselves and benefit from them in much the same way as our brother.

Let’s not go home today without planting that seed in ourselves. Time grows short.