The song Midday (Avoid City After Dark) carries with it an important message,
especially for young men and women living in the
dark urban maze. Having gone through what most
kids experience in that developmental age in the
sub-gutters of Soho and the seedier side of the
West End of London - and still remembering some
of the scars - I realize much could be avoided
if my mentors and goals were different.
The pressure of social conformity is hard to escape
with the confines of the city, and human beings
find it easier to go with the current rather than
move against it. There are always those who will
submit to the stronger in appearance ? the fact
is, appearances are often extremely deceiving.
The enduring battle of light verses darkness is
not going to go away, but it helps to know there
are some who are ready to put on the armour of
light and goodness and follow the path of radiance,
till the sun rises from the West.
“God is the friend
and protector of those who believe (in Him). He
brings them out of the (depths of) darkness into
the light. As for the unbelievers, they have Taghut
as their protector, who drives them out of light
into the darkness.”
The word Taghut literally applies to everyone who
transgresses the limits. The Qur'an uses this word
for one who rebels against God’s; falsely
presenting himself to be a master and sovereign
over God’s creatures, and compelling the weak
amongst them to become his servants.
Though taghut is singular in form, here it is plural
in meaning, for the one who abandons God becomes
a slave not of one but of several forms of Taghut.
One of these is Satan who goes on tempting him with
many false and alluring temptations. Another is
his own self that makes him a slave of passions
and lusts and misleads him into crooked ways.
A human being’s rebellion against God has
three degrees: (1) One is fasiq (disobedient) if
one claims to be a loyal subject but of the Divine
but, in practice, acts against enlightened guidance
and commands; (2) One is kafir (unbeliever) if one
believes he is independent of God; or chooses allegiance
to something or someone else; (3) One is taghut
if one rebels against God and exerts to make His
subjects subservient to himself. Such a one may
be Satan or in extreme cases, even a religious or
a political leader or a king. Therefore no one can
be a true believer of God unless he disowns taghut.
"Darkness" stands for the darkness of
ignorance that causes one to go astray from the
Right Path, and to spend all one's efforts and energies
in wrong ways. In contrast to this, "Light"
stands for the light of the Truth which enables
one to see clearly the Reality and perceive the
real aim of life and follow consciously and deliberately
the Right Path, in loving submission.
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