I have a question from the Presidential Address by Hazar Imam at the International Seerat Conference in Karachi, March 12, 1976:
In the speech, Hazar Imam says: "Thus it is my profound conviction that Islamic Society in the years ahead will find that our traditional concept of time, a limitless mirror in which to reflect on the eternal, will become shrinking cage, an invisible trap from which fewer and fewer will escape.
Can someone break this down for me and explain what it means? Also, what is "our traditional concept time"?
Seerat Conference Speech
You mean “our traditional concept of time”…you kinda forgot to include ‘of’ …so just making sure.
If so, it is a very very good question…which I can not explain because I probably don’t even know what “our” means here specifically. I suppose Hazar Imam means of “our” as the Muslim Ummah and I am not sure if the whole Muslim community or majority of that is even agreed upon a specific 'concept of time'…so that is kinda a very deep philosophical, historical and a dynamic point to understand…I hope some one can explain that here.
Though, for the rest of the quote, I think, He means that in years ahead that “traditional concept of time” will become so incompatible, confusing, puzzling or at least will seem like that for majority of the muslims except to a very few enlightened or special individuals with knowledge, education and such and such…and that is actually happening in the Muslim societies nowadays…the solution is there. it just has become very hard to discern with the changes of the latest times…and, I think, those changes are technological and cultural revolutions of different kind at different places in the Muslim and non Muslim world.
If so, it is a very very good question…which I can not explain because I probably don’t even know what “our” means here specifically. I suppose Hazar Imam means of “our” as the Muslim Ummah and I am not sure if the whole Muslim community or majority of that is even agreed upon a specific 'concept of time'…so that is kinda a very deep philosophical, historical and a dynamic point to understand…I hope some one can explain that here.
Though, for the rest of the quote, I think, He means that in years ahead that “traditional concept of time” will become so incompatible, confusing, puzzling or at least will seem like that for majority of the muslims except to a very few enlightened or special individuals with knowledge, education and such and such…and that is actually happening in the Muslim societies nowadays…the solution is there. it just has become very hard to discern with the changes of the latest times…and, I think, those changes are technological and cultural revolutions of different kind at different places in the Muslim and non Muslim world.