What makes a people long for deliverer?
This is the question posed by Glaser and Kay at the opening
of chapter 5 of their excellent book Thinking Biblically about Islam.
They were looking at the state of mind among Jewish people at the time of the coming
of Christ before turning to similarities with the Muslim world.
I would say a people looks for deliverance not just because things
are not good, but because there is a profound sense that things are not as they
ought to be. For the Jewish people, understanding themselves to be the people
chosen by God with a glorious destiny outlined by the prophets, how could it be
that they were a mere province of a pagan empire or a misunderstood minority of
no great significance in a world run by arrogant gentiles?
Surprising as it may seem to many of us in the West, a lot
of ordinary Muslims share those feelings. Islam is supposed to be the religion
of the only God, the final one, completing and replacing all that went before
and a power for good in the world. For centuries, Islamic civilisation had been
prosperous and dominant. Now, the Muslim world finds itself put in the shade by
the wealth and technology of the West and its friends. Global institutions are run
on Western rules, not Islamic ones. Muslims don’t command respect globally or
locally. Terrorism is an acute embarrassment. Islam is regarded by others as a
problem to be managed. Muslims see themselves as failed by their leaders both
religious and political. Things should not be like this. Something is deeply
wrong.
Ordinary people respond to this state of affairs in a
variety of ways. Many of course, give up hope, become cynical and invest
themselves in other pursuits. For those pushing back, looking for the shame to
be lifted, there are basically two tracks that they are taking. One is
Salafism, the approach that lays aside centuries of accumulated tradition,
seeks to reconnect with the original revelation and work out how to apply it in
the modern world. This group includes some that take up arms, but it is not
restricted to them nor are they the majority. The other track is Sufism.
The Salafis go back to the fundamentals of the law, to
interpret it afresh, to live by it and urge others to do the same. They have
something in common with the Pharisees back in the day. The Sufi-minded, and I
am talking about the contemporary movements, not the tired, old traditional
ones, look for the true representative of Muhammad on earth. They are not
allowed to think of such a person as a prophet but they believe that a holy man
today can be in living contact with their prophet, can embody his teachings and
carry in himself his inheritance. This is not a new belief; back in the 9th
century there was a strand of Islam exploring the idea that in every generation
God would provide authentic spiritual champions in a corrupt world. When somebody
is identified as the living representative of Muhammad alive today, that imparts
hope which can turn even the tired and cynical back to faith.