The
Qur’anic Worldview and Human Culture: -- 1
The Qur’anic Worldview as the Foundation for Reform --
1
How Did the Islamic Worldview Become Distorted? -- 4
The Conflict Between Revelation and Reason: Reality or
Illusion? -- 15
The Islamic Worldview Between the Prophet’s Companions
and the Desert Arabs -- 22
What is the Qur’anic Worldview? -- 30
Self and Other in the Qur’anic Worldview
-- 40
The Qur’anic Worldview is One of World
Peace -- 55
Constants and Variables in the
Dimensions of Time and Place -- 63
A Realistic Idealism – 66
CHAPTER I
THE QUR’ANIC WORLDVIEW
AND HUMAN CULTURE
The Qur’anic Worldview as the Foundation for Reform
EVERY
cultural system is associated with an underlying worldview which is translated
into action by means of a particular way of thinking or mindset. Similarly,
every way of thinking is associated with guiding principles that serve to
define its outcomes. The clearer, the more positive, the more comprehensive,
and the more flexible such a way of thinking is, and the more accurately it
reflects the essence of its associated cultural system and worldview, the more
effective and dynamic it will be. For this reason, increasing emphasis is being
placed on the academic study of mindsets or ways of thinking – since, as I have
noted, the fruits of a given cultural system, its effects, be they positive or
negative, on the nations and peoples it governs, and its contributions to the
progress (or regress) of humankind as a whole – are determined by this cultural
system’s underlying way of thinking.
One of the difficulties faced by those engaged in the
study of cultural systems and their associated worldviews is that such systems
and worldviews are sometimes marked by a degree of ambiguity and inconsistency.
As a result, one may encounter contradictions between the theoretical premises
on which such systems and worldviews are based, and the actual practices
engaged in by the societies they have helped to form. It is essential that both
a worldview and its associated way of thinking be positive, harmonious, and
coherent. Consequently, those engaged in their study need to be aware of any
and all imbalances or contradictions in a given worldview or its system of
thought, since
(pg.1)
any
flaw in either of them will diminish the effectiveness and vitality of the
society or nation for which it serves as a guide, and will lead ultimately and
inevitably to backwardness and cultural disintegration.
The principles, values, and concepts embodied in a
given way of thinking both influence, and are influenced by, the worldview
associated with this way of thinking. Such a way of thinking serves as the
means by which a nation’s worldview finds concrete expression in culture.
Consequently, no way of thinking – including its component principles, values,
and concepts – can be effective unless it is based on a soundly constructed,
positive, coherent view of the world and culture whose foundations and aims are
clearly defined and which has been instilled firmly in the minds and
consciences of the society’s members. This is the kind of worldview and way of
thinking which can become a source of dynamism and well-being on both the
individual and communal levels.
Throughout this work Islamic and Qur’anic worldview
are used synonymously. The discussion of the Islamic worldview and its cultural
implications must precede the discussion of the principles embodied in its
associated way of thinking. Hence, I will begin by identifying the Islamic
worldview as it pertains to culture, since it constitutes the roots out of
which the Islamic way of thinking grows. It is the Islamic worldview, which
determines and governs this way of thinking with its related principles,
concepts, and values – as well as the goals and higher aims which they seek to
fulfill. This worldview should be reflected in a cogent, coherent, scientific
manner in the structure of an Islamic society’s way of thinking, as well as in
the ways in which this way of thinking is applied and the outcomes to which it
leads.
Lack of awareness of the structure and content of the
Islamic world-view – including the principles, values, and concepts which find
concrete expression through its associated way of thinking – has caused this
way of thinking to lose its vitality and resilience, robbing it of its
centrality, relevance, and intellectual productivity. In other words, it has
caused Islamic principles, concepts, and values to lose their influence over
the way people think on the day-to-day level, and this despite the abundance of
writings from the Islamic heritage at our disposal and the methodological tools
we possess with which to understand this heritage.
(pg.2)
The Muslims’ way of thinking and their concepts and
associated values have undoubtedly emerged from the Muslim community’s Qur’anic
worldview, since it is this view of the world which determines the way in which
people – whether as individuals, nations, or a race – understand themselves,
the meaning, purpose, and end of their existence, and their relationships to
themselves, to others, to the world, and to the universe in all its dimensions.
Hence, this worldview represents the motive force that defines the nature of
the emotional and psychological energy that moves society and its individual
members – determining their attitudes, their actions, and the trajectories of
their lives, as well as the extent to which their lives contribute to cultural
progress and its role in history.
Therefore, to the extent that this worldview is clear,
consistent, positive, easy to understand, realistic, and down-to-earth, it will
succeed in being a doctrinal force that forms people’s psychological,
spiritual, and intellectual lives in such a way that it moves them to positive,
principled action both individually and communally. However, when such a
worldview is vague, abstract, fanciful, and removed from reality, it reduces
the nation’s rich store of principles, concepts, and values to nothing but
hollow words mouthed in assemblies and places of worship, or lengthy tomes held
too sacred to be removed from the shelves where they sit gathering dust. As
such, on the level of thought or social interaction, it will have little effect
on individuals’ lives or on the state of society.
There is, in the Muslim community, a lack of
enlightened awareness and a lack of concern to make a thorough, studied
examination of the Islamic worldview. This lack of awareness and concern are
among the primary causes behind the perplexity, passivity, decline,
disintegration, and backwardness which the Muslim community, both communally
and individually, has suffered from increasingly over the last few centuries.
Muslim intellectuals’ fascination with the competent,
triumphant Western model because of its scientific and material achievements –
together with the tendency among Western-educated Muslim thinkers to succumb to
the spirit of receptivity and imitation rather than affirming confidence in
their own heritage – has led Muslim
(pg.3)
intellectuals,
whether consciously or unconsciously, to adopt a Western mentality along with
its underlying worldview. Consequently, they have not been prone to make
serious attempts at reforming Muslim thought patterns through the critical
study and examination of their own tradition – and, most fundamentally, the
Islamic worldview which has served in the past to renew the foundations of human
civilization in ways that have made an indelible mark on human history. If they
were, however, to undertake such a study, it would enable them to ascertain the
reasons for the decline in adherence and application of the Islamic worldview
and – with it, that of the decline of Islamic thought, social structure, and
cultural standing.
Hence, unless Muslim intellectuals of all stripes and colors
overcome their blind infatuation with Western ways, and unless Muslim educators
and reformers undertake, seriously and with a spirit of objectivity and
constructive criticism, to open the files of their own history and culture,
they will never be able to effectively address the weakness, backwardness, and
decline that have afflicted the Muslim community and marginalized its
existence. It is important for such thinkers to realize that the first issue to
which attention must be given is that of the primacy of the Islamic worldview
and the failure to adhere to it, since herein lies the doctrinal foundation and
the intellectual, psychological, and emotional impetus needed for the Muslim
community to recover what it has lost.
The
questions, then, which we need to address have to do, first, with the nature of
the worldview appropriate for the Muslim commu-nity and its cultural system –
and, second, with the reasons for this worldview’s distortion and
marginalization by Muslims, and the ways in which this distortion and
marginalization have taken place.
How Did the Islamic Worldview Become Distorted?
To
start with, we who are Muslims know about our glorious past, from the days of
the Prophet to the early centuries of Islam with the Muslims’ notable cultural
achievements. Similarly, we are aware of the regrettable condition that
prevailed during subsequent eras and which still prevails today. Consequently,
the achievements witnessed during the days of the Prophet and the era of the
rightly guided caliphs (Abu
(pg.4)
Bakr
the Righteous, and Umar the Discerning) – the impeccable integrity and
performance of their leaders, the unity and determination of their ranks, and
the marvelous achievements by virtue of which new blood flowed through the
arteries of human civilization – can only be explained with reference to the
vital, effective view of the world and culture which such leaders possessed.
This worldview imbued them with an enterprising spirit, dynamism, and an
intellectual and emotional power that rendered them capable of accomplishments
that dazzled their contemporaries. Moreover, the legacy of these people’s
historic feats lives on even now in the consciences and consciousness of the
Muslim community. For the changes that were effected among the nations and
peoples that came under Islamic rule did not stop at the levels of doctrine,
culture, formalities, and attire; rather, they went beyond such things to
encompass an unprecedented dimension – namely, that of language itself; for the
tongues of these various peoples gave way to Qurayshite Arabic [The Quraysh
were the ruling tribe of Makkah and the tribe to which the Prophet belonged],
which became the language of the land wherever that uniquely influential
generation set foot.
Hence, the question that we most need an answer to is:
what are the features of the worldview that informed and guided that earlier
generation, and how did this worldview come into existence? No less
importantly, we need to know why and how, with the passing of the centuries,
this worldview lost its influence, effectiveness, and dynamism to the point
where the Muslim community of today has become weak, passive, and even
persecuted.
However, before answering these questions and seeking
to clarify the features of the Islamic, that is, the Qur’anic, worldview, it is
important for us – given the radical changes reflected in our present situation
– to distinguish the vision that guided the early generations of Muslims from
the burdensome inheritance bequeathed to us by our latter-day ancestors.
Judging from its visible effects, this modern-day worldview is for the most
part a reactive theory, most of whose rhetoric consists of nothing but
intimidation, reminiscence, allegations, dreams, and illusions that lay burdens
on the Muslim’s shoulders in an arbitrary, dictatorial fashion. Moreover, such
a rhetoric of intimidation requires
(pg.5)
Muslims
to engage in a kind of ‘self-negation’ (as opposed to self-affirmation) in
keeping with the dictates of this daunting, despotic, supremacist worldview.
A worldview and rhetoric of this nature tends to lead
to a sense of oppression and defeat, passivity and marginalization, which leads
in turn to a loss of drive and enthusiasm for the pursuit of knowledge and
inspiration through the laws of the universe, for stewardship of the earth’s
resources, and for the improvement of human culture and civilization. Such a
mentality can never yield anything but a passive, dependent, marginalized,
oppressed, ineffective nation or community that lacks purpose, motivation, and
passion. The members of such a community tend to be self-centered and to lack a
spirit of solidarity, cooperation, and communalism. Hence, it comes as no
surprise to find that the rhetoric of self-negation would be met with negative
responses and with the tendency to resort to an unconscious defense of the self
through a retreat into self-centeredness, hedonism, individualism, and passive
introversion – a spiritual and psychological state reflected in the Qur’anic
term al-nafs al-ammarah bi al-su’ (the self that “…incites [him] to
evil…” surah Yusuf, 12:53). In such a situation, the occasional flashes
of desire to do good for others and excel in one’s performance become nothing
more than a token expression of the latent, God-given spiritual urges of the
human conscience, or what the Qur’an refers to as al-nafs al-lawwamah
(“…the accusing voice of man’s own conscience!” surah al-Qiyamah, 75:2).
The Qur’anic worldview could only have achieved what
it did in ages past because it was a positive, dynamic perspective that
fostered the realization and affirmation of the self in its various individual
and communal aspects. The motivation generated by love, positive desire, and
conviction (“…those who have attained to faith love God more than all else….” surah
al-Baqarah, 2:165) outweighs the effects of fear, intimidation, and
passivity. In this way, human beings are able to achieve self-realization and
come to understand the meaning of their lives through constructive action in
the context of the human culture to which they belong. In so doing, they
experience enthusiasm for their performance in life, both individually and
communally, and on both the material and spiritual levels. When people live
under the
(pg.6)
influence
of the constructive Qur’anic worldview that prevailed in the early days of
Islam, they begin to respond to their God-given spiritual longings just as they
do to their physical urges and needs. In meeting their physical needs and
urges, moreover, they do so not in response to temporal, selfish, aggressive,
animal instincts (the self that “incites to evil”) based on the desire to
vanquish or to survive at others’ expense – in which case ‘might makes right,’
and life is a matter of the survival of the fittest. Rather, they do so in ways
that are consistent with their God-given spiritual nature based on the values
of justice, charity, brotherhood, and peace in the broadest sense – in which
case ‘might serves right’ in keeping with the inclinations of a God-inspired
conscience.
God
Almighty declares:
فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفً۬اۚ
فِطۡرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيۡہَاۚ لَا تَبۡدِيلَ لِخَلۡقِ
ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٲلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَڪۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا
يَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٠) سُوۡرَةُ الرُّوم
And so, set thy face steadfastly towards the [one
ever-true] faith, turning away from all that is false, in accordance with the
natural disposition which God has instilled into man: [for,] not to allow any
change to corrupt what God has thus created – this is the [purpose of the one]
ever-true faith; but most people know it not. (surah al-Rum, 30:30)
إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكۡرٌ۬ لِّلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٢٧) لِمَن
شَآءَ مِنكُمۡ أَن يَسۡتَقِيمَ (٢٨) سُوۡرَةُ التّکویر
This [message] is no less than a reminder to all
mankind – to every one of who wills to walk a straight way. (surah al-Takwir,
81:27–28)
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۚ
لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡہَا مَا ٱكۡتَسَبَتۡۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن
نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرً۬ا كَمَا
حَمَلۡتَهُ ۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا
مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآۚ
أَنتَ مَوۡلَٮٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ (٢٨٦) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
God does not burden any human being with more than he
is well able to bear: in his favour shall be whatever good he does, and against
him what-ever evil he does. O our Sustainer! Take us not to task if we forget
or unwittingly do wrong! O our Sustainer! Lay not upon us a burden such as Thou
didst lay upon those who lived before us! O our Sustainer! Make us not bear
burdens which we have no strength to bear!… (surah al-Baqarah, 2:286)
لَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ (١) وَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِٱلنَّفۡسِ ٱللَّوَّامَةِ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ القِیَامَة
Nay! I call to witness the Day of Resurrection! But
nay! I call to witness the accusing voice of man’s own conscience! (surah al-Qiyamah,
75:1–2)
وَأَمَّا مَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى
ٱلنَّفۡسَ عَنِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰ (٤٠) فَإِنَّ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ هِىَ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰ (٤١) سُوۡرَةُ النَّازعَات
But unto him who shall have stood in fear of his
Sustainer’s Presence, and held back his inner self from base desires, paradise
will truly be the goal! (surah al-Nazi’at, 79:40–41)
لَهُ ۥ مُعَقِّبَـٰتٌ۬ مِّنۢ بَيۡنِ
يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦ يَحۡفَظُونَهُ ۥ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِۗ إِنَّ
ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنفُسِہِمۡۗ
وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِقَوۡمٍ۬ سُوٓءً۬ا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۥۚ وَمَا
لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ (١١) سُوۡرَةُ الرّعد
…Verily, God does not change men’s
condition unless they change their inner selves;… (surah al-Ra’d, 13:11)
Hajib ibn al-Walid related, on the authority of
Muhammad ibn Harb, on the authority of al-Zubaydi, on the authority of al-Zuhri
, on the authority of Sa’id ibn al-Musayyab, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah,
who used to say, “The Messenger of God said, ‘Everyone who comes into this
world is born with his or her God-given nature. Then his or her parents make
him or her into a Jew, a Christian or a Magian.…’”1
In a hadith related by Wabisah ibn Ma'bad, we are told
that he came to the Messenger of God, who said to him, “Wabisah, shall I tell
you what you have come to ask me about?” “O Messenger of God,” he replied,
“Tell me!” And he said, “You have come to ask me about righteousness and
unrighteousness.” “That is correct,” Wabisah replied. The Messenger of God then
held his three fingers side by side and began scratching Wabisah’s chest,
saying, “Wabisah, ask yourself what righteousness and unrighteousness are.
Righteousness is whatever sets your heart and soul at rest, while
unrighteousness is whatever causes unrest in your heart and soul, even if
others should tell you it is right.”2
Clouds of ambiguity came gradually to settle over the
Islamic worldview after the end of the Prophetic era and the days of the
rightly guided caliphates. This process took place due to the gradual disappearance
of the community of the Prophet’s companions, who had been nurtured on the
words of the Holy Qur’an under the tutelage of the original bearer of the
Islamic message and its ideal proponent. It was these men who had witnessed and
internalized the Prophet’s example and the wisdom with which he had applied the
Qur’anic vision, principles, and values to the concrete situations they faced
in their own day. With the passage of time, the Companions’ numbers began to
dwindle through death. Some of them died natural deaths, while a good number of
them met their ends on the battlefield due to the necessity of confronting the
desert Arabs’ uprising against Islamic rule following the Prophet’s death. This
was followed by the confrontation with the corrupt aggressor empires of the age
– namely, the Persian Empire to the north and east and the Byzantine Empire to
the north and west. It was this latter confrontation which made it necessary to
draft the Arab tribes into the Muslim army of conquest at a time
(pg.8)
when
they had yet to be fully educated in the Islamic message and mentality. As a
result, the rebelling desert Arab tribes defeated the Muslim state’s military
force and undermined its political life. Given the fact that the desert Arabs
were new to Islam, they were still under the influence of primitive racist
tribal values and social traditions of the sort that exclude the Other. It
would not have been possible entirely to erase the effects of such tribal
mentalities – especially given the enormity of the conflicts imposed by the
Byzantine and Persian Empires on the fledgling Islamic state, not to mention
the harshness of desert life and long-standing tribal conflicts over scarce
natural resources. All such factors served to hinder the absorption of the values
of solidarity and metatribal thinking that underlie Islamic social institutions
such as the family, brotherhood through nursing from the same woman, treaties
of protection and safe-conduct, citizenship (the principles of which are set
forth in the Charter of Madinah), and the concepts of state and nation. It is
important for us to realize the significance of the fact that the desert Arabs
were able to undermine the fledging Muslim nation’s political life, as well as
the fact that the political realm gained control over the religious, putting it
to use for its own ends, an eventuality that led inevitably to tyranny and
corruption. Many of the Prophet Muhammad’s predictions concerning the future
had to do with distortions and uprisings that were to take place and the
perilous effect they would have on the course of the Muslim nation’s economic,
social, and political life. Even more importantly, such events would have a
critical impact on the nation’s intellectual life and on the Islamic worldview.
The desert Arab tribes inhabited an arid, barren
environment, and lived an isolated existence in the Arabian peninsula’s vast,
mountainous deserts. Hence, prior to the coming of Islam, these tribes
exhibited a kind of cultural incompetence or immaturity. Given this situation,
the Islamic community and state had a duty to work for these tribes’ human
welfare by all available and appropriate means, and to integrate them into a
civilized, cohesive, humane system free of racial prejudice. As the first phase
in a process of cultural and social education, the fledging Muslim state sought
to do just this by bringing the Bedouin into the newly developing Islamic
society. Hence, although the
(pg.9)
Messenger
of God and Abu Bakr after him adhered to a policy of ‘either Islam, or war,’
the Arab desert tribes were not in actuality being coerced into embracing
Islamic doctrine. Rather, this policy might better be likened to the approach
required for wild horses that need to be bridled in order to be tamed and
domesticated, or the firm approach needed for an unruly child:
۞ قَالَتِ ٱلۡأَعۡرَابُ ءَامَنَّاۖ قُل لَّمۡ تُؤۡمِنُواْ
وَلَـٰكِن قُولُوٓاْ أَسۡلَمۡنَا وَلَمَّا يَدۡخُلِ ٱلۡإِيمَـٰنُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمۡۖ
وَإِن تُطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ لَا يَلِتۡكُم مِّنۡ أَعۡمَـٰلِكُمۡ
شَيۡـًٔاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ (١٤) سُوۡرَةُ الحُجرَات
“The Bedouin say, ‘We have attained to
faith.’ Say [unto them, O Muhammad]: ‘You have not [yet] attained to faith; you
should [rather] say, “we have [outwardly] surrendered” – for [true] faith has
not yet entered your hearts….’” (surah al-Hujurat, 49:14).
It was not without reason that when the Bedouin tribes
showed signs of retreating from the Islamic community of brotherhood,
co-operation, and solidarity and returning instead to a life of desert wolves
whose existence revolves around narrow tribal allegiances, conflict,
aggression, highway robbery, plundering, and looting, and the principled Caliph
Abu Bakr declared, “I swear by God, I will fight whoever distinguishes between
prayer and zakah!” Hence, emphasis was not placed on doctrine and faith, but
rather on ritual prayer and the payment of zakah, which served to form the
spiritual and material building blocks by means of which the community could
attain greater maturity, competence, social solidarity, and a sense of their
responsibility as God’s stewards on earth. Prayer, for example, helps to form a
spiritual, doctrinal, emotional, and intellectual community that lends its members
a sense of belonging. The organization and structure of such a community are
characterized by coordinated, harmonious communal action and ritual which
foster a spirit of brotherhood and equality without distinction based on one’s
tribal affiliation, race, color, language, or social standing. Similarly, zakah
is an expression of the spirit of brotherhood and solidarity, which is
necessary for the establishment of a truly human cultural community.
As for faith in the one God and in the message of
peace, justice, compassion, human brotherhood, and purposeful, ethical
steward-ship, which was brought by the Prophet Muhammad from God Almighty – a
message accompanied by various forms of worship of the just and merciful God,
and which in turn involves willing self-surrender based on inward conviction to
the disciplines of fasting, pilgrimage,
(pg.10)
and
the pursuit of goodness, justice, excellence, and sincerity in all one’s
actions – knowledge, reasoned persuasion, and time will suffice to instill them
consciously in people’s hearts and minds.
The following verses from the Holy Qur’an illustrate
the features of the Bedouin tribes’ barbarism and primitive way of thinking.
Through these words we get a sense of their immaturity and their need for
social, cultural, and ethical instruction. Concerning these tribes, God
Almighty states:
ڪَيۡفَ وَإِن يَظۡهَرُواْ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ لَا
يَرۡقُبُواْ فِيكُمۡ إِلاًّ۬ وَلَا ذِمَّةً۬ۚ يُرۡضُونَكُم بِأَفۡوَٲهِهِمۡ
وَتَأۡبَىٰ قُلُوبُهُمۡ وَأَڪۡثَرُهُمۡ فَـٰسِقُونَ (٨) ٱشۡتَرَوۡاْ
بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ثَمَنً۬ا قَلِيلاً۬ فَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦۤۚ إِنَّہُمۡ
سَآءَ مَا ڪَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ (٩) لَا يَرۡقُبُونَ فِى مُؤۡمِنٍ إِلاًّ۬
وَلَا ذِمَّةً۬ۚ وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدُونَ (١٠) فَإِن
تَابُواْ وَأَقَامُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُاْ ٱلزَّڪَوٰةَ فَإِخۡوَٲنُكُمۡ فِى
ٱلدِّينِۗ وَنُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأَيَـٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ۬ يَعۡلَمُونَ (١١) وَإِن
نَّكَثُوٓاْ أَيۡمَـٰنَهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ عَهۡدِهِمۡ وَطَعَنُواْ فِى دِينِڪُمۡ
فَقَـٰتِلُوٓاْ أَٮِٕمَّةَ ٱلۡڪُفۡرِۙ إِنَّهُمۡ لَآ أَيۡمَـٰنَ لَهُمۡ
لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَنتَهُونَ (١٢) سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة
How [else could it be]? – since, if they [who are
hostile to you] were to overcome you, they would not respect any tie [with
you,] nor any obligation to protect [you]. They seek to please you with their
mouths, the while their hearts remain averse [to you]; and most of them are
iniquitous. God’s messages have they bartered away for a trifling gain, and
have thus turned away from His path: evil, behold, is all that they are wont to
do, respecting no tie and no protective obligation with regard to a believer;
and it is they, they who transgress the bounds of what is right! Yet if they
repent, and take to prayer, and render the purifying dues, they become your
brethren in faith: and clearly do We spell out these messages unto people of
[innate] knowledge! But if they break their solemn pledges after having
concluded a covenant, and revile your religion, then fight against these
archetypes of faithlessness who, behold, have no [regard for their own]
pledges, so that they might desist [from aggression]. (surah al-Tawbah,
9:8–12)
ٱلۡأَعۡرَابُ أَشَدُّ ڪُفۡرً۬ا وَنِفَاقً۬ا
وَأَجۡدَرُ أَلَّا يَعۡلَمُواْ حُدُودَ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦۗ
وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ۬ (٩٧) وَمِنَ ٱلۡأَعۡرَابِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ مَا
يُنفِقُ مَغۡرَمً۬ا وَيَتَرَبَّصُ بِكُمُ ٱلدَّوَآٮِٕرَۚ عَلَيۡهِمۡ دَآٮِٕرَةُ
ٱلسَّوۡءِۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ۬ (٩٨) سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة
[The hypocrites among] the Bedouin are more
tenacious in [their] refusal to acknowledge the truth and in [their] hypocrisy
[than are settled people], and more liable to ignore the ordinances which God
has bestowed from on high upon His Apostle – but God is All-Knowing, Wise. And
among the bedouin are such as regard all that they might spend [in God’s cause]
as a loss, and wait for misfortune to encompass you, [O believers: but] it is
they whom evil fortune shall encompass – for God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (surah
al-Tawbah, 9:97–98)
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى بَعَثَ فِى ٱلۡأُمِّيِّـۧنَ
رَسُولاً۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡ
وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِى
ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ الجُمُعَة
He it is who has sent unto the unlettered people an
apostle from among themselves, to convey unto them His messages, and to cause
them to grow in purity, and to impart unto them the divine writ as well as
wisdom – whereas before that they were indeed, most obviously, lost in error; (surah
al-Jumu’ah, 62:2)
(pg.11)
The Bedouin tribes’ negative influence on Islamic
political life began with the collapse of the rightly guided caliphate and the
establishment of the ruthless Umayyad dynasty. The lingering effects of their
primitive ways of thinking and racist approach to human relationships further
obscured the Qur’anic worldview – which had been so splendidly incarnated in
the lives of the Prophet and the Prophet’s Companions, including both the
Emigrants and the Supporters* – gradually supplanting it with a desert Arab
worldview. This perspective was derived primarily from what one might term the
‘mixed discourse’ that had been addressed to them by the Messenger of God, who
tempered the divine message to them in ways that took account of their
particular circumstances, spiritual condition, and level of understanding.
These extenuating factors can be discerned through what remained of their
pre-Islamic traditions and narrow tribal allegiances, the descriptions of them
in the Holy Qur’an and sayings of the Prophet predicting times of future unrest
– as well as in the Prophet’s warnings concerning the state in which the Muslim
com-munity would find itself after his departure due to the influence of the
desert Arabs and other peoples who were to come under Islamic rule in the wake
of the tremendous conflicts that would break out between the Islamic state and
the hostile, corrupt empires surrounding the Arabian peninsula.
During the latter part of the era for which the
Prophet left us an overall, predictive description, the desert Arab tribes and
the Umayyad leadership did away with the rightly guided caliphate. During this
period of time, the Qur’anic spirit was notably muted, while the prudent
consultative approach of the first four caliphs was transmuted into a wicked,
tyrannical regime in which power was passed on based on heredity alone. The
city of Madinah was occupied; the Ka‘bah was razed; and al-Husayn ibn ‘AlI and ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr were killed.
Meanwhile, the Companions’ successors and the school of thought that had served
as the basis for the rightly guided caliphate were essentially eliminated, and
the life of the mosque was isolated
*Supporters
(Arabic: Ansar) denotes the Madinan citizens that helped Prophet Muhammad and the
Muhajirin (Emigrants) on their arrival to the city after the migration to
Madinah.
(pg.12)
from
the affairs of political life. The Companions’ successors became little more
than theorists whose role was restricted for the most part to the realm of worship
in the narrow sense, affairs relating to the individual and the family, and
legal rulings pertaining to contracts of sale and individual transactions. This
development caused an attitude of dependency to make its way into the public
and political spheres, while blurring and distorting many aspects of the
Islamic worldview. As a consequence, religion came gradually to be employed in
the service of political rulers and their devotees; public institutions
suffered decline; tyranny was established as the rule of the day; and
corruption and its attendant injustices reached alarming proportions in the
political, the economic, and the social spheres alike.
By virtue of this noxious, pagan tribal legacy and the
entry of new peoples into Islamic society, including what these peoples’
cultures, worldviews, and heritages brought with them by way of traditions and
ways of thought inherited from bygone civilizations that had gone bankrupt or
died, having served their purpose in the history of human civilization – particularly
the Greek civilization with its formal logic and mythically oriented doctrines
– the intellectual and doctrinal confusion only grew worse. This, not
surprisingly, produced even greater distortion in the Islamic worldview, which
led in turn to further spiritual weakening in the Muslim community. The
aforementioned developments were clearly observable by the end of the Umayyad
era through the disintegration of the Islamic state’s political system and a
retreat from the fundamentals that had been revealed in the Holy Qur’an for the
renewal of human civilization. Such fundamentals included the vision of a
divinely granted stewardship, the purposefulness of creation, the rule-governed
quality of human nature, the ethical foundations of human conduct, and the
commitment to the principles of justice, brotherhood, the oneness of God,
consultation, freedom, responsibility, and constructive action.
It is important for us to realize also that the
aforementioned retreat from a properly Islamic vision of human beings’
God-given purpose on earth could not have been corrected by the material
prosperity that had been achieved over time, in large part due to the influx of
skilled artisans and other professionals that had accompanied the Islamic
(pg.13)
conquests
and territorial expansion. Nor could the facade of material success conceal the
spiritual malaise that had overtaken Islamic culture and society in the form of
corruption, institutional rigidity, and break-down. The process of cultural,
intellectual, and doctrinal distortion eventually reached crisis proportions:
things had now reached the point where – given the ubiquity of fatalism,
superstition, charlatanry, attempts to lend legitimacy to the status quo
through distorted, truncated, and forged texts, and the growing influence of
Jewish folklore and Gnostic or mystical beliefs – the Islamic worldview had all
but been lost. Gone was the sense of purposefulness and motivation that had
once driven the nation, and with it, progress, creativity, and constructive
action. The resulting vacuum was filled by the rhetoric of subjugation and
intimidation, which further reinforced people’s sense of indifference and
impotence. Conflict, fragmentation, backwardness, and institutional dysfunction
were now so much the order of the day that the worn-out, ossified, corrupt,
tyrannical regimes, which ruled throughout the Islamic empire, were – albeit
with a few rare exceptions – no longer capable of protecting their subjects
from exploitation, subjugation, and crushing defeat.
If we give careful thought to the course taken
historically by Islamic thought, we will find that all the aforementioned
factors – in particular the formalism of Greek thought and logic and the
mythical bent of its doctrine and philosophy (features which ought to have been
taken note of in order not only to benefit from their positive aspects, but in
order to avoid their pitfalls as well) – had a notably deleterious effect on
the course of Islamic thought in its doctrinal, intellectual, and cultural dimensions
alike. Preoccupation with doctrinal, metaphysical, and theological sophistries
exhausted the energies of Muslim scholars and philosophers – be they Mu‘tazilites,
Asharites, Shiites, Sunnites, Sufis, or otherwise – while distracting the
Muslim community from its true mission, namely, that of developing human
civilization through creativity and the wise use of the human mind and material
resources. Examples of such sophistic digressions include the controversy over
the creation of the Qur’an, predestination vs. free will, and other issues
emphasized by Scholastic philosophy, none of which was of any relevance to the
way in which to administer human affairs.
(pg.14)
The Conflict Between Revelation and Reason: Reality or Illusion?
The
question of whether there is a conflict between revelation and reason is based
on an illusion that has embroiled the Muslim community in a sophistic
philosophical battle, which has no foundation either in human nature or
objective reality. In fact, any inconsistency or conflict between revelation
and human reason is an illusion, since the function of reason in this realm is,
in essence, like that of a scale that undertakes the task of comparing and
contrasting two sets of givens in order to determine the degree to which one
balances the other out.
The two scales of the balance here are not reason and
revelation themselves, but rather the written texts of the revelation (in
Arabic, al-naql, literally, ‘that which has been conveyed’) on one hand,
and the reality of human nature and the laws of the universe (al-fitrah wa
al-sunan) on the other. The task of reason is to determine the extent to
which there is agreement and harmony between revelation as that which has been
conveyed to human beings (al-naql) and the God-given nature of things,
both humanly and non-humanly speaking. In other words, reason’s job is to
verify that the revelation (that which is written, al-mastur) describes
the reality of nature, both human nature and the wider universe (that which is
observed, al-manzur).
From the foregoing it will be clear that the conflict,
if such exists, cannot be between revelation and human reason, which is on the
order of a scale for weighing things. However, one might envision the existence
of such a conflict – on the theoretical level, at least, between revelation and
nature – in which case, the function of reason is to investigate the
relationship between the two of them and to ascertain whether it is a
relationship of balance and mutual support, or one of discord and disagreement.
In the case of discord and disagreement, we are called
upon to engage in scientific investigation, study, and examination so as to
discover why the scale is giving the reading it is. In this way, one hopes to
determine the reasons for the imbalance, where the truth lies, and what will
serve everyone’s best interest. Is there an inadequate understanding of the
meaning of the revelation sent down by the Creator?
(pg.15)
Or
has there been a misunderstanding of human nature and the laws of the universe?3
Because both revelation and the laws of the universe
come from the same source, there is no way that there could be any genuine
inconsistency or discord between the actual meaning and guidance conveyed by
divine revelation, and the true character of human nature, the laws of the
universe, and their purposes. When examined in a scientific manner, revelation
is seen to be entirely just and fair – being a reflection of true human nature
and the laws of the universe, and a source of guidance for the purpose of human
fulfillment and self-realization in the soundest, truest sense of these words.
It is for this reason that God Almighty commands us, saying:
فَأَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفً۬اۚ
فِطۡرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيۡہَاۚ لَا تَبۡدِيلَ لِخَلۡقِ
ٱللَّهِۚ ذَٲلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَڪۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا
يَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٠) سُوۡرَةُ الرُّوم
And so, set thy face steadfastly towards the [one
ever-true] faith, turning away from all that is false, in accordance with the
natural disposition which God has instilled into man: [for,] not to allow any
change to corrupt what God has thus created – this is the [purpose of the one] ever-true
faith; but most people know it not. (surah al-Rum, 30:30)
When viewed from this perspective, it can be seen that
the pleasure experienced in marital union, striving for an honest living, the
pursuit of beneficial knowledge, and martyrdom in defense of people’s lives,
wealth, and honor against those who would commit aggression against them, are
all equally affirmations of God’s love and ways of seeking His blessing and
approval.
Under the influence of Greek formal logic, Muslims
unwittingly fell prey to the fallacious notion that there is a conflict between
reason and revelation. This development constituted a dangerous turning point
in the course of Islamic thought and civilization. Moreover, until we realize
the destructive impact this fallacy has had on Islamic thought and
civilization, the Muslim community will never be able to regain its unity, its
vision, its motivation, its pioneering spirit, or its scientific and cultural
edge. And until it is able to recover these blessings, it will find no way to
set human civilization anew on the path of justice, brotherhood, cooperation,
progress, and peace.
The approach based on the Greeks’ sophistic, mythical
philosophy, and formal logic was, in essence, an academic luxury enjoyed by the
(pg.16)
‘free
men’ in power. As such, it had nothing to do with an understanding of reality,
human nature, and the laws of the universe; nor did it bear any connection to
research, reflection, and objective, scientific investigation of the realities
of the cosmos for the purpose of populating and developing the earth and making
good use of its resources. Rather, it was a self-absorbed system of thought
steeped in myth and abstract reasoning, which did nothing but exhaust people’s
mental energy on useless concerns that had no basis in reality. Such a system
of thought, which grew out of the subjective reflections, excesses, and
delusions of the ruling class allowed numerous disparate visions and
perspectives to arise, not because this was what the facts dictated, but rather
due to the diversity of the whims and illusions of the society’s leading
thinkers. It was this that opened the door wide to a plethora of whimsical
inclinations and designs, subjective perspectives and visions, all of which led
in turn to needless, baseless discord and division. If only those embroiled in
such disputes and divisions had appealed for solutions to the authentic,
integral texts of the revelation, the facts of human nature and the laws of the
universe, most of their disagreements would have faded away into nothing, and
they would have come together as brethren in the unity of truth.
As such, reason is not a type of subject matter, but
rather an instrument or tool without which it would not be possible for human
beings to perceive, judge, or compare. After all, whenever a conflict of any
sort arises, it is resolved through the use of reason, by means of which we
assess the claim being made by examining it in relation to the facts at hand.
Only in this way are we able to determine whether the claim being made is
consistent with the objective facts. If, for some reason, we are unable to
reach a conclusion, it indicates that the issue of concern calls for further
examination and that more facts need to be gathered.
Something we should not lose sight of in this
connection is that nowhere in the Qur’an do we find any mention of ‘reason’ or
‘the mind’ in and of itself. Indeed, the Arabic word which is rendered reason
or mind (al-‘aql), is nowhere to be found in the Qur’an (The word
aql appears in the Qur’an in its verb form ya’qilun meaning “to
apply reason” and not in its noun form meaning “discernment”). The reason for
this is that rather than being a discrete entity, al-‘aql is, an
instrument
(pg.17)
or
tool by means of which human beings understand, compare, and draw connections
between facts, patterns, and laws of the cosmos. Consequently, the issue of
concern to human beings in relation to the mind, or reason, has to do not with
reason itself or its axioms – since these are an unchanging aspect of human
nature – but rather with the way in which reason and its capacities are put to
use. When we reason, we are able to perceive reality and arrive at judgments
concerning claims and assumptions in relation to facts and objective scientific
laws. If the claims or assumptions under discussion are found to agree with the
facts before us, they may be said to ‘be correct.’ Otherwise, we know there to
be some flaw in our understanding that needs to be addressed through further
research, thought, and investigation. This is why the Qur’an speaks so
frequently of the processes of trying to understand (al-tadabbur) –
using one’s reason (al-‘aql/al-ta’aqqul), reflection (al-tafakkur),
and seeing (al-ibsar).
Early Muslim scholars sometimes encountered situations
in which their logical, linguistic understanding of Qur’anic texts conflicted
with what was required in order to serve people’s best interests. This happened
most frequently in connection with newly arising circumstances, which were
compared by way of analogy to texts dealing with similar situations that had
arisen at an earlier time. Realizing that they did not possess sufficient
knowledge or information to identify the errors in the analogies they had
drawn, scholars would simply adopt an interpretation that was in keeping with
the overall spirit of the Islamic law and which they saw as meeting the
requirements of human welfare; in other words, they adhered to the practice of
juristic preference (istihsan).
This approach developed into what came to be known as
the discipline of maqasid al-shari’ah (the higher intents of Islamic
law), which involves examining particulars in light of universals as a way of
fulfilling the spirit of the Islamic law in concrete human situations. In this
way, scholars were able to protect and uphold people’s spiritual and material
interests, which embodies the ultimate aim of the Islamic message:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَجِيبُواْ لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمۡ لِمَا يُحۡيِيڪُمۡۖ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيۡنَ ٱلۡمَرۡءِ وَقَلۡبِهِۦ وَأَنَّهُ ۥۤ إِلَيۡهِ تُحۡشَرُونَ (٢٤) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنفَال
“O you who have attained to faith! Respond
to the call of God and the Apostle whenever he calls you unto that which will
give you life;…” (surah al-Anfal, 8:24).
(pg.18)
One of the primary reasons for the difficulty involved
in drawing a valid analogy between a new situation and a text that applied
originally to an earlier situation is that the element of place and time is not
fully understood or taken into account, which causes the analogy drawn to be
partial. Consequently, societal conditions are in a state of such constant flux
that partial analogies are of no real benefit.
Be that as it may, it is impossible that there should
be a genuine conflict between revelation in the sense of that which is written
(al-mastur) and the realities of existence, or that which is observed (al-manzur).
Nevertheless, apparent conflicts may arise when there is an inadequate
understanding of either the revelation or the realities of existence. Hence,
lest harm be done to people and their interests through a deviation from what
is most just and beneficial, priority must be given to universals and higher
intents until the source of the misunderstanding has been identified.
Human reason operates in much the same way as a
computer in that its output is dependent on its input. If the input it receives
is valid, its output will likewise be valid. Similarly, if one has the proper
conceptualization or understanding of things and if the claims one makes are
consistent with this conceptualization, one’s actions will be an expression of
reality and truth. If, on the other hand, the input one receives consists of
sophistries, humbug, and caprice, the output likewise will be more sophistries,
humbug, and caprice – and the human cultural enterprise will go the way of the
wind. When this happens, the mind of the Muslim becomes preoccupied with
useless superstition, trivial thought revolving around the minutiae of life and
pointless philosophical wrangling like whether man is determined or free, or
whether the Qur’an is created or not.
As revelation (al-mastur), the Qur’an is an
expression of that God-given, integral human nature which is purposeful,
constructive, and ethical, and of the laws and patterns revealed in the cosmos
in which we live (al-manzur). Hence, the proper understanding of
revelation cannot possibly require coercion, compulsion, or a negation of
nature, be it human nature or the laws of the cosmos. Nor does it entail the imposition
of burdens and obligations that are extraneous to the meaning of human
existence. On the contrary, divine revelation came
(pg.19)
in
order to lead us to an understanding of our own true nature and the nature of
the creation as a whole. In this way, the Qur’an serves to guide our course in
such a way that we achieve genuine self-realization – living in harmony with
our God-given human nature and responding fully and rightly to our need to be
responsible, productive stewards of what God has given us. For only in this way
will we be able to build a just, healthy, creative society.
Hence, for example, when the Qur’an informs us that
man was created as a vicegerent (that is, divinely commissioned steward) on
earth, one who would inherit it (surah al-Baqarah, 2:30), it is not
imposing this function on human beings as an additional burden that is not
integral to who they are. Rather, it is simply calling our attention to this
inborn aspect of our nature. For we are, in fact, qualified by virtue of our inborn
capacities to undertake this function, and the revelation serves to guide us in
its fulfillment by giving us the proper awareness of it. In this way, it
enables us to achieve self-realization and to achieve genuine felicity in both
this world and the next.
Similarly, the Qur’an affirms that human beings have
been given a divine trust to bear (surah al-Ahzab, 33:72). In so doing,
it is not assigning people a task that does not belong to the essence of what
they were created to be. After all, the individual is aware within himself of
both positive and negative spiritual propensities – some that impel him to seek
reform and edification, others that lure him toward corruption and attachment
to the merely physical or material; some inspire him to seek justice, while
others tempt him to injustice; some summon him to the highest good, while
others threaten to drag him into the abyss of evil. Moreover, everyone has the
intuitive sense of possessing, albeit in limited measure, the ability to choose
freely which of two alternative paths they will tread. Divine revelation urges
human beings to activate and obey their will to do good and provides guidance
to this end. Moreover, those who read the divine revelation know within
themselves that what the revelation is urging them to do is right. At the same
time, the revelation reassures us of the justice of God, who only requires of
us what we are capable of and no more, since our responsibility is commensurate
with our abilities, potential, and the knowledge and understanding at our
disposal:
(pg.20)
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۚ
لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡہَا مَا ٱكۡتَسَبَتۡۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن
نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرً۬ا كَمَا
حَمَلۡتَهُ ۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا
مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآۚ
أَنتَ مَوۡلَٮٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ (٢٨٦) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
“God does not burden any human being with
more than he is well able to bear: in his favour shall be whatever good he
does, and against him whatever evil he does…” (surah al-Baqarah, 2:286),
and,
مَّنِ ٱهۡتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَہۡتَدِى
لِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيۡہَاۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ
وَازِرَةٌ۬ وِزۡرَ أُخۡرَىٰۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبۡعَثَ
رَسُولاً۬ (١٥) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
“…We would never chastise [any community
for the wrong they may do] where We have sent an apostle [to them].” (surah
al-Isra’, 17:15).
When, for example, the Qur’an calls upon human beings
to read (surah al-‘Alaq, 96:1), it is not assigning us a task that is
alien to our nature. After all, people had been reading prior to the time when
the Qur’an was revealed, and they will go on reading as long as humanity exists
for the simple reason that it is in their nature to do so. Without reading and
writing in their various forms, human beings would not be equipped for the task
of vicegerency and stewardship, nor would they be capable of developing advanced
civilizations. Reading, which is necessarily accompanied by recording and
writing, is a fundamental, instinctive means of establishing, nurturing, and
preserving human culture from one generation to the next. The Qur’an affirms
human beings as ‘reading’ creatures by commanding them to, ‘Read!’ In so doing,
it calls this essential aspect of our nature to our attention and brings it to
the center of our awareness. At the same time, this affirmation in the form of
a command is meant to guide this human capacity of ours in such a way that we
will use it for the good, and that its use will be motivated by faith, wisdom,
and a sense of ethical purposefulness:
قَالَ رَبُّنَا ٱلَّذِىٓ أَعۡطَىٰ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ
خَلۡقَهُ ۥ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (٥٠) سُوۡرَةُ طٰه
…Our Sustainer is He who gives unto every
thing [that exists] its true nature and form, and thereupon guides it [towards
its fulfillment].” (surah Ta Ha, 20:50)
ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ (١) خَلَقَ
ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ (٢)ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ (٣) ٱلَّذِى
عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ (٤) عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ (٥) كَلَّآ
إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَيَطۡغَىٰٓ (٦) أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰٓ (٧) إِنَّ
إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلرُّجۡعَىٰٓ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ العَلق
Read in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created –
created man out of a germ-cell! Read – for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful
One who has taught [man] the use of the pen – taught man what he did not know!
Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be
self-sufficient: for, behold, unto thy Sustainer all must return. (surah al-‘Alaq,
96:1–8)
وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ إِنِّى
جَاعِلٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةً۬ۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَجۡعَلُ فِيہَا مَن يُفۡسِدُ
فِيہَا وَيَسۡفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَۖ
قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٠) وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ
ٱلۡأَسۡمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَہُمۡ عَلَى ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ فَقَالَ
أَنۢبِـُٔونِى بِأَسۡمَآءِ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَـٰدِقِينَ (٣١) قَالُواْ
سُبۡحَـٰنَكَ لَا عِلۡمَ لَنَآ إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمۡتَنَآۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ
ٱلۡعَلِيمُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ (٣٢) قَالَ يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ أَنۢبِئۡهُم
بِأَسۡمَآٮِٕہِمۡۖ فَلَمَّآ أَنۢبَأَهُم بِأَسۡمَآٮِٕہِمۡ قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُل
لَّكُمۡ إِنِّىٓ أَعۡلَمُ غَيۡبَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَأَعۡلَمُ مَا
تُبۡدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمۡ تَكۡتُمُونَ (٣٣) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
And lo! Thy Sustainer said unto the angels: “Behold, I
am about to establish upon earth one who shall inherit it.” They said: “Wilt
Thou place on it such as will spread corruption thereon and shed blood –
whereas it is we who extol Thy limitless glory, and praise Thee, and hallow Thy
(pg.21)
name? ” [God] answered: “Verily, I know that which you
do not know.” And He imparted unto Adam the names of all things; then He
brought them within the ken of the angels and said, “Declare unto Me the names
of these [things], if what you say is true.” They replied: “Limitless art Thou
in Thy glory! No knowledge have we save that which Thou hast imparted unto us.
Verily, Thou alone art All-Knowing, Truly Wise.” Said He: “O Adam, convey unto
them the names of these [things].” And as soon as [Adam] had conveyed unto them
their names, [God] said, “Did I not say unto you, ‘Verily, I alone know the
hidden reality of the heavens and the earth, and know all that you bring into
the open and all that you would conceal’?” (surah al-Baqarah, 2:30–33)
It will be clear from the foregoing that in the
Qur’anic worldview, there is no possibility of genuine conflict between
revelation on one hand, and the facts of nature, both human and cosmic, on the
other. Hence, all that is required of the searcher for truth is to persevere in
the process of weighing and comparing the input at his or her disposal. As for
rational criteria and sensory data, these are the human instruments and
measures that make such weighing and comparison possible for the purpose of
arriving at the truth. If one has reason to believe that one’s understanding of
the revelation conflicts with human interests, one must search for greater
understanding of either the revelation or the scientific facts of relevance to
the issue at hand. In this way, one will be able to discern the course of
action that is most in keeping with the spirit of the Islamic law even if it
happens to differ from earlier rulings based on the text under consideration.
However, what this approach tells us is not that there is more than one truth.
Rather, it simply points to the differences that exist among situations,
perspectives, and circumstances from one time or place to another. If
understood properly, this insight does not create division; rather, it affirms
that there is unity in diversity, and diversity in unity.
The Islamic Worldview Between the Prophet’s Companions and the Desert
Arabs
If,
after the passing of the Prophet’s Companions, the Muslim community had
continued to adhere to the Qur’anic worldview – realizing the objective,
integral connection that exists between revelation and
(pg.22)
nature
– we would have preserved our unity as a nation; we would have led the way in
the development of Islamic social sciences; and we would not have split up into
warring factions and parties. In this event, it would not have been possible
for the ‘pharaoh’ and ‘priest’ syndicates to mislead the public and destroy its
unity – with either secular, liberal, and democratic slogans or religious platitudes,
presenting falsehood and self-serving goals as disguises for a quest for truth
and justice. Yet, in fact, all of these errors and crimes have been committed
without regard for the genuine interests of the Muslim individual or community,
and without regard for objective facts. Bogus personal choices and unproven
axioms and hypotheses have been treated as though they were established facts,
and in the process, truth and genuine human interests have been lost, the
community has been torn apart, and its members have all but gone their separate
ways.
If Islamic thought had continued to be governed by
Qur’anic concepts and understandings, there would have been a realization that
the words the Prophet spoke to the desert Arab tribes (that is, the Bedouin tribes)
were tailored to their specific needs and capacities, and to the cultural and
historical phase through which they were passing. As the Prophet himself once
cautioned, “Speak to people in ways that they can understand.”4
And as Muslim quotes ‘Abd Allah ibn Masud as saying, “If you talk to people
over their heads, your words are bound to become a source of temptation and
trial to some of them.” It appears, however, that this wisdom was not taken to
heart by Muslim thinkers, who demonstrated a lack of awareness of the specific,
time-and place-bound nature of the discourse the Prophet had addressed to the
desert Arabs. Over time, this lack of awareness contributed to a willingness to
accept much that – for innumerable reasons and motives – had been interpolated
into Islamic writings by way of tribal, Jewish, Gnostic, and superstitious
notions and traditions. This, in turn, led to a clouding of the Qur’anic
worldview, which impeded the progress of Islamic civilization by putting a
damper on its spirit, it dynamism, and its creative thought patterns. Over
time, the Qur’an came to be thought of as little more than a means of acquiring
a blessing and a heavenly reward through its recitation and memorization while,
at the same time, there was little in the way of ijtihad (attempts to grapple
(pg.23)
with
its meanings in new and creative ways). There came to be an exaggerated
emphasis on writings that contained historical applications of Qur’anic
teachings based on a purely linguistic understanding of the text, while the
Muslim community fell prey increasingly to lethargy, stagnation, passivity,
superstition, and sophistry. As a consequence, the foundation of knowledge and
strength upon which this community had originally been founded began to
crumble, while the guiding light of reflection, investigation, creativity, and
conscious stewardship steadily died out.
The Bedouin Arabs’ perspective – colored as it was by
their exclusivist, dictatorial, chauvinistic tribal traditions and ways of
thinking – had thus come to be a dominant force in the Muslim community. This
development was reinforced by the entry into Islam of still other peoples, who
brought with them traditions and notions inherited from their own autocratic
cultures. Another factor at work, as we have seen, was the failure to
distinguish carefully between the timeless, placeless discourse of the Qur’an
and the practical Prophetic discourse that had been addressed specifically to
the pagan Arabs of the Arabian peninsula in light of their particular circumstances.
The focus of this applied discourse was on the fundamentals of the religion and
the building of the community and society through ritual prayer and zakah. When
the Prophet addressed the desert Arab tribes with the words, “Either submit to
Islam, or be prepared for combat,” his aim was to bring them out of their
primitive social and cultural state into an understanding of the basic starting
points for creating a global civilization based on the Qur’an and its
teachings. However, this discourse of threat was, despite its time-and
circumstance-bound nature, allowed to eclipse those teachings of the Qur’an
that go beyond any one time, place, or circumstance and speak to human beings
of all nations and ages.
All the aforementioned factors played a part in the
distortion of the Islamic-Qur’anic vision that had guided the Prophet’s
Companions. With this distortion, moreover, increasing emphasis came to be
given to a rhetoric of threat addressed to hostile, obdurate deniers of truth.
This being the case, in the face of subsequent challenges and developments and
against the background of the failure to distinguish between the believer who
had mistakenly gone off track and the recalcitrant
(pg.24)
rebel
– between the lost soul and the antagonistic, stubborn infidel – the way had
been paved for further regression in the Muslim community on the levels of both
thought and cultural achievement.
Consequently, it is important for us to distinguish
here between the Qur’anic worldview of the Companions that had dazzled the
world around them, and that of the primitive desert Arabs, which was reflected
in what might be termed ‘the minimalist discourse that the Prophet had
addressed to them by virtue of his role as a wielder of authority in their
society.’ By telling them, in effect, “Either submit to Islam, or prepare for
war,” the Prophet’s aim was to establish the basic structure of a civilized
human society among these primitive pagan tribes in the simplest, least
demanding of forms, and to do this by emphasizing the pillars of Islam,
particularly those of prayer (with its cohesive force) and zakah (with its
capacity to affirm and enhance social solidarity and cooperation). Needless to
say, the two points of view stood worlds apart: the civilized Qur’anic worldview
that the Prophet’s Companions lived by and passed on, and the primitive
worldview of the desert Arabs, together with the coarse rhetoric they were able
to understand.
The Companions gathered around the Messenger of God to
learn the Qur’an and its civilized, universal worldview. This worldview spans
human history, from man’s creation as God’s vicegerent and steward on earth –
وَإِذۡ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةِ إِنِّى
جَاعِلٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ خَلِيفَةً۬ۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَتَجۡعَلُ فِيہَا مَن يُفۡسِدُ
فِيہَا وَيَسۡفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحۡنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَۖ
قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعۡلَمُ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٠) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
“…Behold, I am about to establish upon
earth one who shall inherit it” (surah al-Baqarah, 2:30)
–
until, when those who dwell thereon fulfill their purposes through the
creative, beneficial use of the earth’s resources:
إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا
كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخۡتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
مِمَّا يَأۡكُلُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلۡأَنۡعَـٰمُ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَخَذَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ
زُخۡرُفَهَا وَٱزَّيَّنَتۡ وَظَنَّ أَهۡلُهَآ أَنَّہُمۡ قَـٰدِرُونَ عَلَيۡہَآ
أَتَٮٰهَآ أَمۡرُنَا لَيۡلاً أَوۡ نَہَارً۬ا فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهَا حَصِيدً۬ا كَأَن
لَّمۡ تَغۡنَ بِٱلۡأَمۡسِۚ كَذَٲلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأَيَـٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ۬
يَتَفَڪَّرُونَ (٢٤) سُوۡرَةُ یُونس
“…until, when the earth has assumed its
artful adornment and has been embellished, and they who dwell on it believe
that they have gained mastery over it - there comes down upon it Our judgment,
by night or by day,…” (surah Yunus, 10:24).
The
Companions, then, were students of the Holy Qur’an; when they had heard ten
verses of it, they would stop, commit them to memory, then act on them under
the watchful eye of God’s Chosen One as the teacher, example, and guide whose
character was reflected in the Qur’an:
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ۬ (٤) سُوۡرَةُ القَلَم
for behold, thou keepest indeed to a sublime way of
life; (surah al-Qalam, 68:4)
(pg.25)
وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَـٰكَ إِلَّا رَحۡمَةً۬
لِّلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (١٠٧) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنبیَاء
And [thus, O Prophet,] We have sent thee as [an
evidence of Our] grace towards all the worlds. (surah al-Anbiya’,
21:107)
It should come as no surprise, then, to find that
when, in certain exceptional circumstances, someone would write down an action
or a statement of the Prophet, he would instruct them to erase what they had
written. It was for this reason that during the days of the Prophet and the
rightly guided caliphs, hadiths – that is, reports concerning something the
Messenger of God had said, done, or approved – were not recorded with the
accuracy and precision with which the Qur’an was recorded. The reason for this
is simply that the Qur’an, rather than the hadiths, is the source of the
timeless, abiding Islamic worldview. At the same time, this is not inconsistent
with the fact that the Messenger of God instructed his people to obey his
commands and directions in view of his being their earthly authority and head
of state. Indeed, no one was to refrain from obeying the Prophet’s commands on
the pretext that they were not found in the Qur’an, since the concrete,
detailed applications which his commands represented were not part of the
Qur’an’s function. Rather, the Qur’an is a constitution, an eternal message, a
call, a law, and a worldview whose validity spans all times and places:
طسٓمٓ (١) تِلۡكَ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ
ٱلۡمُبِينِ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ الشُّعَرَاء
Ta. Sin. Mim. These are messages of the divine writ,
clear in itself and clearly showing the truth. (surah al-Shu’ara’,
26:1–2)
وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَا
طَـٰٓٮِٕرٍ۬ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيۡهِ إِلَّآ أُمَمٌ أَمۡثَالُكُمۚ مَّا فَرَّطۡنَا
فِى ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ مِن شَىۡءٍ۬ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّہِمۡ يُحۡشَرُونَ (٣٨) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنعَام
…No single thing have We neglected in Our
decree… (surah al-An’am, 6:38)
الٓرۚ كِتَـٰبٌ أُحۡكِمَتۡ ءَايَـٰتُهُ ۥ
ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتۡ مِن لَّدُنۡ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ (١) سُوۡرَةُ هُود
Alif. Lam. Ra’. A divine writ [is this], with messages
that have been made clear in and by themselves, and have been distinctly
spelled out as well – [bestowed upon you] out of the grace of One who is wise,
All-Aware,… (surah Hud, 11:1)
الٓرۚ ڪِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ إِلَيۡكَ
لِتُخۡرِجَ ٱلنَّاسَ مِنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ بِإِذۡنِ رَبِّهِمۡ إِلَىٰ
صِرَٲطِ ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلۡحَمِيدِ (١) سُوۡرَةُ إبراهیم
Alif. Lam. Ra’. A divine writ [is this – a revelation]
which We have bestowed upon thee from on high in order that thou might bring
forth all mankind, by their Sustainer’s leave, out of the depths of darkness
into the light:… (surah Ibrahim, 14:1)
هَـٰذَا بَصَـٰٓٮِٕرُ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدً۬ى
وَرَحۡمَةٌ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يُوقِنُونَ (٢٠) سُوۡرَةُ الجَاثیَة
This [revelation, then,] is a means of insight for
mankind, and a guidance and grace unto
people who are endowed with inner certainty. (surah al-Jathiyah, 45:20)
(pg.26)
The function of the Qur’an is not to
issue instructions or promulgate laws pertaining to the management of society
and its affairs in specific times and places; rather, its function is to set
forth the timeless, divinely inspired worldview, which the Prophet so wisely
applied in specific circumstances
رَبَّنَا وَٱبۡعَثۡ فِيهِمۡ رَسُولاً۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ
يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ
وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ (١٢٩) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
“O our Sustainer! Raise up from the midst
of our offspring an apostle from among themselves, who shall convey unto them
Thy messages, and impart unto them revelation as well as wisdom, and cause them
to grow in purity: for, verily, Thou alone art Almighty, truly Wise!” (surah
al-Baqarah, 2:129),
and
in light of whose concepts and principles such societal management was intended
to take place throughout subsequent history. It is this fact which can help us
to understand why, after certain Companions who had gone out to various cities
and begun teaching people hadiths concerning the Prophet’s words and actions,
the rightly guided caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab issued instructions for them to
return to Madinah, since people residing in these other cities, unlike the
people of Madinah itself, would not be able to understand what the hadiths
meant, the Prophet’s purpose behind the actions he had taken, and the words he
had spoken, or the circumstances out of which they had arisen.
A thorough study of the history of Islamic scholarship
makes clear that tribal ways and thinking, together with the influx of non-Arab
peoples into the Muslim community, exerted a major impact on the course of the
Arab nation-state following the defeat of the heirs to the Madinah School, who
were isolated from the Muslim community’s public affairs and relegated instead
to the realm of private worship and personal affairs. The forerunner of the
Madinah School and the founder of the ‘Opinion School’ (madrasat al-ra’y)
was Imam Abu Hanifah al-Nu’man (d. 150/767), whose approach was founded upon
the principles of reasoned opinion, reflection on the Qur’an, and the wisdom
embodied in the Prophet’s applications of Qur’anic teachings to specific
situations. When arguing for this or that opinion or ruling, Imam Abu Hanifah
contented himself with minimal citations from the Prophetic Sunnah. However,
this does not mean that the texts of the Sunnah and the wisdom embodied in its
applications of
(pg.27)
Qur’anic
teachings were not present in the minds of Imam Abu Hanifah and other adherents
of his school of thought as they reflected and wrote. Like Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik
ibn Anas (d. 179/795) included relatively few (five hundred) Prophet hadiths in
his Muwatta; moreover, if he encountered a conflict between the accounts
found in the Sunnah and the views adopted by thinkers of the Madinah School, he
would adopt the latter rather than the former – the reason being that for Imam
Malik in particular, the conclusions reached by thinkers of the Madinah School
were most in keeping with the thought and practice that were prevalent in the
days of the Prophet himself.
We see a contrast, however, in the case of Imam Ahmad
ibn Hanbal, the founder of the last of the four Sunnite schools of jurisprudence,
who developed his thought in Iraq – that is, in an environment that was
distinct in many ways from that of Madinah. Iraq, which had been the birthplace
of a number of bygone civilizations, witnessed critical developments during the
rise of the Abbasid caliphate following the defeat of the Barmakids (al-baramikah),5
the power struggle between al-Amin and al-Ma’mun,6 and the
shift in the balance of power in favor of the Turks during al-Mu’tasim’s reign.
Needless to say, such events served to distance Imam Ahmad in particular from
the society that had existed during the days of the Prophet and to which the
Prophet’s applications of Qur’anic teaching had been suited. Consequently, as a
way of addressing the crisis of thought that had arisen in his day, Imam Ahmad
included in his Musnad approximately forty thousand hadith narratives,
many of which are weak,7 and which he had chosen from among
hundreds of thousands of hadiths and other narratives with which he was
familiar. This work of Imam Ahmad contributed to the proliferation of hadiths
compilations and encyclopedias whose purpose, alas, was not primarily as a
resource for readers to benefit from the wisdom to be gleaned from the ways in
which the Messenger of God had applied Qur’anic teachings, but rather as a
means of establishing their sanctity so that – as imitation became increasingly
entrenched as a substitute for independent reasoning and interpretation and the
creative application of Qur’anic concepts to new situations – such texts could
serve as a means of holding at bay the incoming philosophies, cultures, and Gnostic
thought systems that had
(pg.28)
begun
impacting the thought of Muslim philosophers and mystics, scholastic
philosophical movements, and politically oriented Shiite thought.
As a result of the aforementioned developments, most
Muslim scholars ended up focusing on matters relating to personal piety, or
what came to be termed modes of worship (‘ibadat) – even though,
for the well-intentioned Muslim, every action he or she undertakes, public or
private, is a form of worship. Similarly, scholars immersed themselves in
attention to personal status laws and regulations governing mundane
transactions such as sales agreements and the like. As a consequence, no real
time or energy remained for writing books dealing with the public sphere, that
is, the management of government affairs and public interests. The only books
that did touch on such themes restricted themselves to nebulous exhortations to
justice. To make things worse, such books were dedicated to the wielders of
dictatorial powers, who would never have heeded such exhortations to begin
with. The near-complete loss of the Islamic worldview with its balanced
emphasis on the public and private spheres resulted in an overreliance on the
rhetoric of threat and intimidation based on the assumption that the Muslim
population at large was destined to remain ignorant, their faith weak, and
their rulers’ predisposition one of evil and disobedience. This type of
rhetoric and assumptions enabled those in positions of power to don robes of
bogus sanctity, while adopting the role of despotic caretaker in relation to
the Muslim community. This posture was epitomized by the Abbasid caliph
al-Mansur (d. 159/775) in his claim to be ‘God’s vicegerent on earth.’ Islamic
discourse thus appeared to have become devoted to the aim of negating both the
self and the mind by encouraging servile acquiescence to the authority of
bigoted tyrants. In so doing, it demonstrated wanton disregard for the Muslim
community’s bona fide right to oversee its rulers, whose duty is to protect
their subjects’ interests and lend their approval to the decisions that grow
out of joint consultations between ruler and ruled.
It was only natural that – in response to the rhetoric
of self-negation, the pitiful intellectual condition in which the Muslim
community now found itself, and the erosion of its Islamic worldview – this
should
(pg.29)
lead
to a backlash in the form of self-centeredness, individualism, racism, egotism,
and an unhealthy passivity. Such was a far cry from true self-realization as
individuals and as a nation. Hence, decisive action, mastery, creativity,
reform, self-giving, and exertion gave way to indecision, fear, meekness, and
servility.
In this connection, it is important to note that the
way in which the Messenger of God addressed his Companions was marked
consistently by love, esteem, respect, and recognition of their noble
qualities, accomplishments, and contributions. As such, it was a far cry from a
rhetoric of contempt, humiliation, or intimidation. It is this kind of communication
that reflects the Qur’anic view of others and the world. As God Almighty
declares,
يَقُولُونَ لَٮِٕن رَّجَعۡنَآ إِلَى
ٱلۡمَدِينَةِ لَيُخۡرِجَنَّ ٱلۡأَعَزُّ مِنۡہَا ٱلۡأَذَلَّۚ وَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡعِزَّةُ
وَلِرَسُولِهِۦ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلۡمُنَـٰفِقِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ المنَافِقون
“…all honour belongs to God, and [thus] to
His Apostle and those who believe [in God]: but of this the hypocrites are not
aware” (surah al-Munafiqun, 63:8).
It
follows, there-fore, that Muslims should always be addressed with esteem and
respect.
What is the Qur’anic Worldview?
The
Qur’anic worldview is an ethical, monotheistic, purposeful, positive
perspective on the world and those in it which reflects the healthy,
well-balanced human nature that God created within us. It follows of necessity,
then, that it is a scientific, law-governed perspective that supports
responsible stewardship of the earth and its riches. Such a worldview aims to
create an awareness of the elements that go to make up sound human nature,
since it is only through such an awareness that we will possess the guidance we
need in order to achieve true self-realization on both the individual and
communal levels. True self-realization entails the ability to respond in
moderation to our various needs and impulses, while exploring the horizons of
human existence in all of its creative spiritual dimensions:
مَنۡ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحً۬ا مِّن ذَڪَرٍ أَوۡ
أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٌ۬ فَلَنُحۡيِيَنَّهُ ۥ حَيَوٰةً۬ طَيِّبَةً۬ۖ
وَلَنَجۡزِيَنَّهُمۡ أَجۡرَهُم بِأَحۡسَنِ مَا ڪَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ (٩٧) سُوۡرَةُ النّحل
As for anyone – be it man or woman – who does
righteous deeds, and is a believer withal–him shall We most certainly cause to
live a good life; and most certainly shall We grant unto such as these their
reward in accordance with the best that they ever did. (surah al-Nahl,
16:97)
When
a person is living in harmony with his or her God-given human nature, there is
a desire and willingness both to sacrifice oneself
(pg.30)
in
order to ward off aggression, defend the truth, preserve human dignity, and
pursue legitimate pleasures in life (the Prophet said that “making love to
one’s spouse merits a reward from God as though it were an act of charity”).
Hence, in the Islamic worldview, one receives a reward in both cases.
Similarly, one receives a reward for striving to earn an honest living for
oneself and those one supports financially, for making responsible use of the
resources at one’s disposal, and for pursuing understanding and knowledge, be
it spiritual or mundane. After all, none of these activities aims to bring harm
to anyone or any-thing; on the contrary, they are positive endeavors that help
to fulfill the meaning of life and its God-given purposes.
A Muslim who has grasped the Qur’anic worldview will
live in harmony with his or her God-given nature, which is essentially good. It
follows, then, that such a person will love God – Who is perfection and supreme
purity, truth, justice, mercy, and peace. Conversely, he is bound to hate evil,
which is synonymous with harm, injustice, corruption, cruelty, and aggression.
These qualities are abhorrent to God, who warns us against them; it is only
natural, then, that a believing Muslim will abhor them as well.
The Qur’anic worldview that we as Muslims are called
upon to instill in our children’s minds and hearts is a vision of love,
dignity, and peace. Its warp is the belief in God’s oneness, and its woof is
the pursuit of knowledge and the purification of one’s mind and emotions. Those
steeped in the Qur’anic worldview will be blessed with a love for God, and with
God’s love for them. Such individuals freely offer themselves in service to
God, since it is their nature to love Him who is truth, justice, and mercy, and
since there is no one else that so deserves to be loved, and His approval
sought. This includes one’s own parents or children and even oneself, since the
self has neither existence nor meaning apart from the love of God. If a person
with a sound spiritual and doctrinal orientation observes crookedness or a
desire for evil within himself, he will know no rest until he has turned away
from it. This is what it means to love God; it means to love perfection,
purity, and goodness and not to approve of oneself if one goes astray and
commits any kind of evil or injustice.
This is the meaning of the words of the Prophet: “None
of you has truly believed until I have become dearer to him then his children,
his
(pg.31)
parents,
and all people.”8 The same message is conveyed by the
following exchange between ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and the Messenger of God:
Once, taking the Prophet’s hand, ‘Umar said, “O
Messenger of God, I swear you are dearer to me than everything but my own
soul!” He replied, saying, “By the One who holds my soul in His hand, I tell
you, [you will not have perfect faith] until I am dearer to you than your own
soul.” “Therefore,” replied ‘Umar, “you are now dearer to me than my own soul.”
“And now, O ‘Umar, [your faith has been perfected]!”9
What this tells us is that our faith will only be
complete when we have become utterly sincere in our love for God, a love expressed
in a pure, passionate love for goodness and truth in this world. It should also
be remembered that love for the Prophet is part of love for God – since through
his morals, his character, and his behavior, the Prophet served as the supreme
human expression of what love for God means. As God Almighty once said to him,
“– for behold, thou keepest indeed to a sublime way of life;” (surah
al-Qalam, 68:4). Similarly, God declared to the early Muslim community:
لَقَدۡ جَآءَڪُمۡ رَسُولٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَنفُسِڪُمۡ
عَزِيزٌ عَلَيۡهِ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيۡڪُم بِٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ۬
رَّحِيمٌ۬ (١٢٨) سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة
Indeed, there has come unto you [O mankind] an Apostle
from among yourselves: heavily weighs upon him [the thought] that you might
suffer [in the life to come]; full of concern for you [is he, and] full of
compassion and mercy towards the believers. (surah al-Tawbah, 9:128)
And:
مَّن يُطِعِ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَقَدۡ أَطَاعَ ٱللَّهَۖ
وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَـٰكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَفِيظً۬ا (٨٠) سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء
Whoever pays heed unto the Apostle pays heed unto God
thereby;… (surah al-Nisa’, 4:80)
Sa’d
ibn Hisham relates that he once said to A’ishah, “Tell me about the character
of the Messenger of God,” to which she replied, “His character was the Qur’an”10 In sum, then,
those who are sincere in their love for God and His attributes will also love
His Messenger and what his attributes represent; they will also love in
themselves whatever is consistent with these attributes, and will hate in
themselves whatever comes in conflict with them.
(pg.32)
Love for the Messenger of God and the members of his
household with whom he has lived on intimate terms – including his wives, his
daughters, his grandchildren and other relatives, as well as the Companions who
believed in his message, followed him, learned from him, and were sincere in
their faith and their struggle on behalf of the truth – is by no means a
personality cult. Rather, it is a love for the noble qualities, values, and
principles which he embodied; anything other than this is a departure from the
sound path and a fall into the trap of racism, bigotry, and obsession with
lineage that marred the Muslim community’s Qur’anic vision in later days – thereby
ossifying its social and institutional structures, facilitating tyranny and
corruption, under-mining its sense of solidarity as a nation, and contributing
to the disintegration of Islamic civilization.
Given the centrality of Muslim’s feelings toward God,
particularly in the wake of the negative intellectual and cultural influences
at work in modern-day materialistic culture, it is important to undertake
socio-psychological studies that reflect the Qur’anic worldview and the
centrality of love for God as the Most Compassionate, Loving, Generous One who
is worthy of all praise and who turns to us in His mercy when we turn to Him in
repentance. Such studies might take the form of literature dealing with
parental and school-based educational materials emphasizing God’s love for the
Muslim child. In addressing adult audiences, attention should be given to
conscious reflection on God’s blessings and providential care and the ways in
which He has honored human beings (“ for although you see Him not, He sees you”
– cited in Muslim). Anas ibn Malik reports that the Messenger of God once said:
God’s joy over a servant of His who repents might be
likened to that of a traveler who was passing through a barren, uninhabited
expanse when suddenly, his mount broke away from him carrying all his food and
drink. Despairing of ever seeing his mount again, the traveler betook himself
to a nearby tree and went to sleep in its shade. When he awakened from his
slumber, what should he find but his mount standing before him. Seeing his
returned mount, he grasped it by the halter and, beside himself with joyous
relief, cried, “O God, You art my servant, and I am thy Lord!” So intense was
his joy, he failed to express himself coherently.11
(pg.33)
Muslims need to be aware of the fact that love for God
and the remembrance and worship of Him are only real if they bear fruit in the
individual’s life by, for example, his carrying out the tasks involved in
responsible stewardship of the earth in a conscientious, creative manner. Otherwise,
we show ourselves to be inferior to animals, plants, and inanimate objects, all
of which praise God in their respective ways by behaving in conformity with the
functions He has assigned them:
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتُ ٱلسَّبۡعُ
وَٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَمَن فِيہِنَّۚ وَإِن مِّن شَىۡءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِهِۦ
وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَفۡقَهُونَ تَسۡبِيحَهُمۡۗ إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ حَلِيمًا
غَفُورً۬ا (٤٤) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
…and there is not a single thing but extols
His limitless glory and praise: but you [O men] fail to grasp the manner of
their glorifying Him! (surah al-Isra’, 17:44)
أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ
لَهُ ۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱلطَّيۡرُ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٍ۬ۖ
كُلٌّ۬ قَدۡ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ ۥ وَتَسۡبِيحَهُ ۥۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ
بِمَا يَفۡعَلُونَ (٤١) سُوۡرَةُ النُّور
Art thou not aware that it is God whose limitless
glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens and on earth extol, even the
birds as they spread out their wings? Each [of them] know indeed how to pray unto
Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do: (surah al-Nur,
24:41)
ٱتۡلُ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيۡكَ مِنَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ
وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَۖ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ تَنۡهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ
وَٱلۡمُنكَرِۗ وَلَذِكۡرُ ٱللَّهِ أَڪۡبَرُۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تَصۡنَعُونَ
(٤٥) سُوۡرَةُ العَنکبوت
...and be constant in prayer: for, behold,
prayer restrains [man] from loathsome deeds and from all that runs counter to
reason; and remembrance of God is indeed the greatest [good]. And God knows all
that you do. (surah al-Ankabut, 29:45)
Abu Hurayrah reports that the Messenger of God once
said, “Many a person who fasts gains nothing through his fasting but hunger,
and many a person who spends the night in prayer has nothing to show for it but
hours of sleep lost.”12 In this connection, Anas ibn Malik
related the following account:
Three men once came to the houses of the Prophet’s
wives inquiring about the Prophet’s devotional practices. When they had
received answers to their questions, they replied – as though they were
surprised to find that he was not more rigorous in his disciplines – “But how
could we compare to the Prophet, whose past and future transgressions have all
been forgiven?” (surah al-Fath, 48:2). One of them then said, “As for
me, I spend every night in prayer.” Another said, “I fast all year round.” And
the last of them added, “I abstain from all contact with women, and have never
married.” The Messenger of God then came and said, “Are you the ones who said
such-and-such? God is my witness that I am the most
(pg.34)
God-fearing amongst you and the most conscious of Him.
Nevertheless, I fast [at times] and break my fast [at others], I perform the
ritual prayers [at times] and take my rest [at others], and I take women in marriage.
And whoever spurns my example, has nothing to do with me.”13
In a similar vein, Abdullah ibn Amru ibn al-As related
the following encounter with the Prophet, saying, “The Messenger of God once
asked me, ‘Abdullah, is it true what I have been told, that you fast by day and
pray by night?’ ‘That is true, O Messenger of God,’ I replied. ‘Do it no
longer,’ he said to me. ‘Rather, fast on some days, but not on others. Spend
part of the night in prayer, but not all of it. For your body has rights over
you, your eyes have rights over you, and likewise, your wife.’”14
Given what has been said thus far, we can begin to
envision the implications of the Qur’anic worldview for our societal
institutions by applying Qur’anic concepts to various areas of life. We can
begin with the concepts of mutual consultation, justice, charity, the doing of
good, and purification – as well as the opposing concepts of injustice,
wrongdoing, aggression, and all that runs counter to reason and human
interests. In so doing, we challenge the superficial view of the Qur’an as a
book that is useful for nothing but recitation for the sake of receiving
personal blessing and reward. In place of this view, we seek to establish a
proper understanding of the Qur’an as the source of guidance and a constructive
spiritual worldview on which to base our lives and our society. The Qur’an
serves as a measuring rod for all our proposed aims and purposes – as well as a
set of criteria on the basis of which to evaluate the content of narratives and
other texts and their various interpretations so that that which conforms to
Qur’anic criteria is judged to be valid, while that which violates them can be
modified, set aside, or corrected.
A number of intellectual and cultural battles are
currently raging due to the efforts of some to obliterate or marginalize Muslim
identity and culture with its distinctive features and destroy its ability to
make creative, reformative contributions to modern materialistic culture, whose
deviations and distortions threaten human society and existence. An example of
the issues around which such battles rage is that of women’s rights and roles
in the family and society. The institution of
(pg.35)
the
family has historically been given special attention by Muslim scholars due to
its vital connection to Islamic law. Consequently, the Muslim family has
preserved its importance and moral strength despite the devastating atrophy and
stagnation that has afflicted Islamic thought in the past. Hence, it is the
Muslim family that has stood fast in the face of the storms of corruption that
have wreaked such havoc on Muslim political life and led to the disintegration
of Muslim society’s public institutions.
Unless we reform the family and work systems in a
manner that reflects the wisdom of creation manifested in men’s and women’s
complementarity roles and responsibilities within the family structure, we will
contribute even further to the destruction and disintegration of the Muslim
community and its peoples. And in this event, it will be even more difficult
for Muslim societies to rebuild their foundations and their hopes of
contributing to the progress and well-being of contemporary human civilization.
When viewed from the perspective of the Qur’anic
worldview, the relationship between the man and the woman is one of complementarity,
not similarity. The complementary unity of the sexes brings harmony to human
existence and to the physical, psychological, and social makeup of both the man
and the woman, as a result of which the two of them together form a complete,
synchronized entity. As we are reminded by the words of the Holy Qur’an:
۞ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ وَجَعَلَ
مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا لِيَسۡكُنَ إِلَيۡہَاۖ فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّٮٰهَا حَمَلَتۡ حَمۡلاً
خَفِيفً۬ا فَمَرَّتۡ بِهِۦۖ فَلَمَّآ أَثۡقَلَت دَّعَوَا ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا
لَٮِٕنۡ ءَاتَيۡتَنَا صَـٰلِحً۬ا لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ (١٨٩) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴعرَاف
It is He who has created you [all] out of one living
entity, and out of it brought into being its mate, so that man might incline
[with love] towards woman…. (surah Al-A’raf, 7:189)
وَمِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦۤ أَنۡ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنۡ
أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَٲجً۬ا لِّتَسۡكُنُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيۡنَڪُم
مَّوَدَّةً۬ وَرَحۡمَةًۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (٢١) سُوۡرَةُ الرُّوم
And among His wonders is this: He creates for you
mates out of your own kind, so that you might incline towards them, and He
engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages
indeed for people who think! (surah al-Rum, 30:21)
Hence, although the notion of male-female similarity
that prevails in contemporary materialistic society claims to be based on an
objective, scientific worldview, it nevertheless flies in the face of reality,
and works at cross-purposes with our God-given human nature. Guided
(pg.36)
by
little more than animal-like whims and impulses, this modern-day notion of the
male-female dynamic demonstrates an arbitrary disregard for human nature as it
really is and the laws of the cosmos that govern the psychological and physical
dimensions of the relationship between male and female. Hence, rather than
basing our thinking and behavior on the assumption that men and women are
essentially alike, we as Muslims are to operate on the assumption that, while
they may be alike in some respects, men and women are nevertheless distinct
from one other in complementary ways.
The confusion that marks contemporary materialistic
civilization with respect to the woman and the family is a glaring example of
the coarse, perverted nature of the worldview on which this civilization is based.
The materialistic worldview disregards or underplays the essential, organic
psychological and social differences between men and women. We are witnessing
the devastating effects of this view on Western societies, where this
nihilistic, unwarranted, unscientific view has led to injustices against women
and their dignity as well as against the rights of children, thereby destroying
the institution of the family with its constructive ethical foundations.
Consequently, we should not be surprised at the turmoil
and perversion that have resulted from the disintegration of the family and its
morals in Western society. Given the distorted view that prevails of relations
between women and men in the construction and development of human society,
women have had to bear burdens that prevent them from fulfilling their motherly
instincts – or, when they have chosen to fulfill this instinct, to bear alone
the material and psychological costs of this choice. Meanwhile, men have been
exempted from responsibility and been allowed to give free rein to their
selfish inclinations, in some cases as brazen buffoons who spend their free
time in nightclubs and brothels. At the same time, children have been deprived
of fatherly nurture while women have, practically speaking, ceased to be viewed
as mothers, wives, and daughters, being treated instead as chattels or
commodities whose purpose is to provide passing satisfaction for men’s whims
and desires.
Unfortunately, lack of awareness of the Qur’anic
worldview, its social dimensions and the structure of its cultural system, has
served the
(pg.37)
interests
of those engaged in the cultural dispossession of the Muslim community. Their
task has been further facilitated by widespread infatuation with modern Western
civilization’s scientific and material achievements and the influence of the
weapons and strategies employed in the service of such cultural invasion,
including the use of artfully woven entertainment programs broadcast over
satellite channels and Internet websites. Add to this, the Muslim community’s
lack of well-guided doctrinal, intellectual and educational tools of
resistance, the weakness and superficiality of the Muslim intellectual and
educational movement, and the dearth of authentic studies dealing with the
Muslim personality and its circumstances in all of their positive and negative
aspects in the diverse lands where Muslims reside.
The concept of monotheism and the purposeful, ethical
view to which it gives rise lead in turn to the concept of complementarity. The
concept of complementarity provides a positive explanation of the similarities
and differences that exist between men and women. Similarly, it provides a
means of ordering social relationships between men and women and their
resulting rights and responsibilities in light of their God-given natures and
the Qur’anic concepts of love (al-mawaddah), compassion (al-rahmah),
the doing of good (al-ma’ruf), and charity (al-ihsan). As a
result, every party to this human relationship is able to achieve self-realization
in the best, most positive sense of the word, enjoy fair treatment, and receive
assistance in performing his or her role in the variety of situations, areas,
and phases that life entails.
Our understanding of the Qur’anic worldview continues
to be murky as it relates to modern Islamic thought, while Islamic thought –
based solely on traditional models, particularly with respect to family
relationships and laws established in earlier historical periods and in
locations other than our own – is ineffective and inflexible. Consequently,
there is a need for a more thorough understanding of the Qur’anic worldview and
its associated concepts. Moreover, this worldview needs to be understood on a
deeper level not only as it relates to the marital relationship between the man
and the woman, but in addition, as it relates to the kind of practical
reformulation that guarantees the rights of both the man and the woman in the
economic, political, social, and educational domains. Such a reformulation will
(pg.38)
make
it possible for these spheres to begin operating harmoniously in keeping with
Qur’anic concepts and principles, thereby forming integrated subsystems within
the broader system represented by society as a whole. When this takes places,
both spouses will become better able to perform their respective functions and
tasks and the woman will receive fairer treatment, particularly during the
phases of her greatest vulnerability, namely, those of pregnancy, lactation and
childrearing, since the task of motherhood belongs to the woman in particular,
and no one but she can perform it.
In light of the Islamic worldview and Qur’anic
concepts and values, this, then, is one example of the issues that modern-day
Islamic thought needs to grapple with in a progressive, forceful manner. It is
also important for us to observe that the community or nation in the Qur’anic
worldview is understood to be an inseparable part of human existence, which is
only complete when the life of the individual is complemented by that of the
community. For, in fact, the individual has no real existence apart from the
collectivity to which he or she belongs, just as the community has no existence
apart from the individuals that make it up. Similarly, the individual’s
well-being and prosperity depend on the strength of the community and the
soundness of its structure, just as the strength and prosperity of the
community depend on the degree to which its members master their work, their
sincerity and dedication, their participation, and their willing contributions.
Hence, the discourse of the Qur’an is addressed to the individual, to the
community, and to the human race as a whole:
وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ
وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ڪَمَا
ٱسۡتَخۡلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمۡ دِينَہُمُ ٱلَّذِى
ٱرۡتَضَىٰ لَهُمۡ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّہُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ أَمۡنً۬اۚ
يَعۡبُدُونَنِى لَا يُشۡرِكُونَ بِى شَيۡـًٔ۬اۚ وَمَن ڪَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذَٲلِكَ
فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَـٰسِقُونَ (٥٥) سُوۡرَةُ النُّور
God has promised those of you who have attained to
faith and do righteous deeds that, of a certainty, He will cause them to accede
to power on earth. (surah al-Nur, 24:55)
وَقُلِ ٱعۡمَلُواْ فَسَيَرَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمۡ
وَرَسُولُهُ ۥ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَۖ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَـٰلِمِ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ
وَٱلشَّہَـٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ (١٠٥) سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة
And say [unto them, O Prophet]: “Act! And God will
behold your deeds, and [so will] His Apostle, and the believers:…” (surah
al-Tawbah, 9:105)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعۡبُدُواْ رَبَّكُمُ
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمۡ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (٢١) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
O Mankind! Worship your Sustainer, who has created you
and those who lived before you, so that you might remain conscious of Him. (surah
al-Baqara, 2:21)
The aforementioned verses point to three foundations
for successful
(pg.39)
human
action according to the Qur’anic worldview, namely: (1) the strength of one’s
certainty and faith, (2) the productivity of one’s action, and (3) the
effectiveness of one’s action due to its righteousness. The effectiveness and
productivity of one’s action are related to one’s adherence to a scientific
objectivity in one’s approach, or what has been traditionally termed rightness
(al-salah). Hence, someone who fails to perceive the facts and laws
of the cosmos as they are in relation to what he does will receive a single
reward in the afterlife, namely, the reward for faith and good intentions
–whereas someone who perceives them correctly in relation to what he does will
receive two rewards, namely, the reward for faith and good intentions, and the
reward for outward rightness or usefulness (al-Salah). If, for example, someone
wishes to dig a well but does not understand the objective facts pertaining to
how and where to dig it, he will be rewarded in the afterlife for his good
intention; as for someone who not only wishes to dig a well but, in addition,
understands how and where to dig it, he will receive both a reward in the
afterlife for his intention to dig it, and the earthly reward of having
actually been able to obtain cold water.
If the Muslim community, collectively and
individually, wishes to release its dormant psychological and spiritual energy,
its members have no choice but to reflect on the Qur’anic worldview, then labor
to recapture its values and concepts as they apply to belief, emotions, and
their perceptions of the environment and the meaning of existence. Well did
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab speak when, in giving voice to the clear-sighted,
Qur’an-inspired, responsible, realistic approach to life by which he and the
other Companions of the Prophet lived, he said, “I flee from the decree of God
(His laws and statutes) to the decree of God (His laws and statutes).”15
Self and Other in the Qur’anic Worldview
If
this is the kind of dynamism and guidance which the Qur’anic worldview offers
the Muslim community, then what does it have to offer to others? And who are
these ‘others’? What governs the relation-ship between Self and Other in the
Qur’anic view of the world? The path before us will only be clear when we have
clarified this vital human dimension of the Qur’anic perspective on the world
and
(pg.40)
human
life. Given the universal, integrative dimension of the Qur’an’s monotheistic
vision, the ‘Other’ is seen to be an integral part of the ‘I,’ just as the ‘I’
is understood to be an integral part of the ‘Other.’ When seen from the
perspective of the Qur’anic worldview, relationships between this or that Self
and this or that Other are viewed as interpenetrating circles – each of which
has something beneficial to contribute to the other, and which together form an
exquisite tapestry of purposefulness, integration, coordination, and
constructive interaction. It is in this kind of a context – that is, in one
ruled by the ideals of justice, tolerance, brotherhood, and peace – that the
meaning of individual and collective human existence is fulfilled.
Self
and Other in the Qur’anic worldview – male or female, black or white, believer
or non-believer – are all equally members of the human race, brought together
and united by the fact of their belonging to the human totality. Seen from the
Qur’anic perspective, all human beings are a single entity, created equally as
brothers and sisters and members of the greater human family:
بِيَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬ وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ وَخَلَقَ مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنۡہُمَا رِجَالاً۬ كَثِيرً۬ا وَنِسَآءً۬ۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلۡأَرۡحَامَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ رَقِيبً۬ا (١) سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء
O mankind! Be conscious of your Sustainer, who has
created you out of one living entity, and out of it created its mate, and out
of the two spread abroad a multitude of men and women. And remain conscious of
God, in whose name you demand [your rights] from one another, and of these ties
of kinship. Verily, God is ever watchful over you!… (surah al-Nisa’,
4:1)
Self and Other in the Qur’anic discourse – men and
women, derived from a single soul – have been granted diverse and separate
existences in order to complete one another as mates, peoples, and nations who
are brought and held together by the bonds of loving-kindness and compassion.
Self and Other are people who belong to ‘peoples and
tribes’ in a variety of human social systems which, despite their underlying
unity, represent diversity. By virtue of this diversity there can be shared
inter-action, knowledge of one another, and integration. If all parts were
identical there could be no interaction or complementarity. Attraction, for
example, does not take place between two positive or two negative poles, but
only between a positive pole and a negative one. Interaction, like attraction,
requires cooperation and complementarity; it is for this
(pg.41)
reason
that human beings were created to branch out as diverse peoples and tribes – as
males and females, with varying abilities and capacities, so that they could
interact, come to know one another, and help bring one another to completion:
۞ وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمۡ صَـٰلِحً۬اۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوۡمِ
ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُ ۥۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم
مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱسۡتَعۡمَرَكُمۡ فِيہَا فَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓاْ
إِلَيۡهِۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌ۬ مُّجِيبٌ۬ (٦١) سُوۡرَةُ هُود
…[He] brought you into being out of the
earth, and made you thrive thereon.… (surah Hud, 11:61)
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَڪُمۡ خَلَـٰٓٮِٕفَ
ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعۡضَكُمۡ فَوۡقَ بَعۡضٍ۬ دَرَجَـٰتٍ۬ لِّيَبۡلُوَكُمۡ فِى
مَآ ءَاتَٮٰكُمۡۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ ۥ لَغَفُورٌ۬
رَّحِيمُۢ (١٦٥) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنعَام
For, He it is who has made you inherit the earth, and
has raised some of you by degrees above others, so that He might try you by
means of what He has bestowed upon you.… (surah al-An’am, 6:165)
Hence, difference and diversity in the Qur’anic
worldview have nothing to do with racism or one group’s or individual’s being
superior to another; rather, they have to do with unity and a supportive human
complementarity, which is vital to the existence of both the individual and the
community.
Self and Other differ in terms of ‘tongues and colors’
through which creativity and beauty manifest themselves in the creation from
the level of the individual to that of tribes, peoples, and races. On the level
of their human essence, however, “no Arab is superior to a non-Arab, nor white
to black, unless it be by virtue of God-consciousness.” (the Prophet’s last
sermon):
وَمِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ خَلۡقُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ
وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱخۡتِلَـٰفُ أَلۡسِنَتِڪُمۡ وَأَلۡوَٲنِكُمۡۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ
لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّلۡعَـٰلِمِينَ (٢٢) سُوۡرَةُ الرُّوم
And among His wonders is the creation of the heavens
and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colours: for in this,
behold, there are messages indeed for all who are possessed of [innate]
knowledge! (surah al-Rum, 30:22)
Qur’anically speaking, Self and Other exist on all
levels: the individual, the communal, the global. They may be related by
marriage or by blood; they may be neighbors; they may be fellow citizens of the
world from across the globe. In all cases, however, such relationships can be
likened to concentric and interpenetrating circles held together through
justice, peace, good will, compassion, tolerance, cooperation, and mutual
support:
وَمِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦۤ أَنۡ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنۡ
أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَٲجً۬ا لِّتَسۡكُنُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيۡنَڪُم
مَّوَدَّةً۬ وَرَحۡمَةًۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (٢١) سُوۡرَةُ الرُّوم
And among His wonders is this: He creates for you
mates out of your own kind, so that you might incline towards them, and He
engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages
indeed for people who think! (surah al-Rum, 30:21)
(pg.42)
وَءَاتِ ذَا ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ حَقَّهُ ۥ
وَٱلۡمِسۡكِينَ وَٱبۡنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرۡ تَبۡذِيرًا (٢٦) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
And give his due to the near of kin, as well as to the
needy and the wayfarer, but do not squander [thy substance] senselessly. (surah
al-Isra’, 17:26)
وَإِذۡ أَخَذۡنَا مِيثَـٰقَ بَنِىٓ
إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ لَا تَعۡبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ وَبِٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَانً۬ا
وَذِى ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلۡمَسَـٰڪِينِ وَقُولُواْ لِلنَّاسِ
حُسۡنً۬ا وَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُواْ ٱلزَّڪَوٰةَ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيۡتُمۡ
إِلَّا قَلِيلاً۬ مِّنڪُمۡ وَأَنتُم مُّعۡرِضُونَ (٨٣) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
…You shall worship none but God; and you
shall do good unto your parents and kinsfolk, and the orphans, and the poor;
and you shall speak unto all people in a kindly way; and you shall be constant
in prayer; and you shall spend in charity. (surah al-Baqarah, 2:83)
Self and Other differ from one another in terms of
abilities and potentials “…to the end that they might avail themselves of one
another’s help…,” (surah al-Zukhruf, 43:32). Such differences and distinctions
exist not in order for one person or group to lord it over another or to think
of himself as superior to others; rather, they exist in order for people to
cooperate and to complement each other in united endeavors to make responsible
use of the planet and its resources, to provide for their own and others’
needs, and to produce civilizations and cultures. Hence, differences and
distinctions within the human community are a blessing, indeed, a necessity,
for without them no one of us – whatever his or her race, color, language, or
abilities – would survive:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا
تُحِلُّواْ شَعَـٰٓٮِٕرَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا ٱلشَّہۡرَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ وَلَا ٱلۡهَدۡىَ
وَلَا ٱلۡقَلَـٰٓٮِٕدَ وَلَآ ءَآمِّينَ ٱلۡبَيۡتَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ يَبۡتَغُونَ
فَضۡلاً۬ مِّن رَّبِّہِمۡ وَرِضۡوَٲنً۬اۚ وَإِذَا حَلَلۡتُمۡ فَٱصۡطَادُواْۚ
وَلَا يَجۡرِمَنَّكُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوۡمٍ أَن صَدُّوڪُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ
ٱلۡحَرَامِ أَن تَعۡتَدُواْۘ وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ
وَلَا تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡعُدۡوَٲنِۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ إِنَّ
ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
…but rather help one another in furthering
virtue and God-conscious-ness, and do not help one another in furthering evil
and enmity; and remain conscious of God: for, behold, God is severe in
retribution! (surah al-Ma’idah, 5:2)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا
يَسۡخَرۡ قَوۡمٌ۬ مِّن قَوۡمٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونُواْ خَيۡرً۬ا مِّنۡہُمۡ وَلَا
نِسَآءٌ۬ مِّن نِّسَآءٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيۡرً۬ا مِّنۡہُنَّۖ وَلَا
تَلۡمِزُوٓاْ أَنفُسَكُمۡ وَلَا تَنَابَزُواْ بِٱلۡأَلۡقَـٰبِۖ بِئۡسَ ٱلِٱسۡمُ
ٱلۡفُسُوقُ بَعۡدَ ٱلۡإِيمَـٰنِۚ وَمَن لَّمۡ يَتُبۡ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ
ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ (١١) سُوۡرَةُ الحُجرَات
O you who have attained to faith! No men shall deride
[other] men: it may well be that those [whom they deride] are better than
themselves; and no women [shall deride other] women: it may well be that those
[whom they deride] are better than themselves. And neither shall you defame one
another, nor insult one another by [opprobrious] epithets: evil is all imputation
of iniquity after [one has attained to] faith, and they who [become guilty
thereof and] do not repent – it is they, they who are evildoers! (surah al-Hujurat,
49:11)
We are called upon in the Qur’an to exhort others to
do good in a spirit of gentleness, earnestness, and kindness: “help one another
in
(pg.43)
furthering
virtue and God-consciousness” (surah al- Ma’idah, 5:2). We are to seek
always to guide each other with words of wisdom, encourage others to do good,
and discourage them from doing what is harmful or contrary to reason and
prudence:
ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ
وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِۖ وَجَـٰدِلۡهُم بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحۡسَنُۚ إِنَّ
رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦۖ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ
بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِينَ (١٢٥) سُوۡرَةُ النّحل
Call thou [all mankind] unto thy Sustainer’s path with
wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner:…
(surah al-Nahl, 16:125)
وَلَوۡ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لَأَمَنَ مَن فِى
ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ڪُلُّهُمۡ جَمِيعًاۚ أَفَأَنتَ تُكۡرِهُ ٱلنَّاسَ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُواْ
مُؤۡمِنِينَ (٩٩) سُوۡرَةُ یُونس
And [thus it is:] had thy Sustainer so willed, all
those who live on earth would surely have attained to faith, all of them: dost
thou, then, think that thou couldst compel people to believe, (surah Yunus,
10:99)
كُنتُمۡ خَيۡرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ
تَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنڪَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِۗ
وَلَوۡ ءَامَنَ أَهۡلُ ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبِ لَكَانَ خَيۡرً۬ا لَّهُمۚ مِّنۡهُمُ
ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَأَڪۡثَرُهُمُ ٱلۡفَـٰسِقُونَ (١١٠) سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
You are indeed the best community that has ever been
brought forth for [the good of] mankind: you enjoin the doing of what is right
and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and you believe in God.… (surah Al
Imran, 3:110)
The Messenger of God said, “If someone goes into
combat out of blind allegiance to this or that group or blind hostility against
this or that group and is killed in battle, he meets his death at the hands of
ignorance.”16
Self and Other differ in attitudes and perspectives;
this simply reflects the nature of creation, which is characterized by
diversity in unity, and unity in diversity. Hence, the Other, in whatever ways
he or she differs from the Muslim, is worthy of all respect on both the
spiritual and material levels, and the relationship between them is to be one
of tolerance, kindness, fairness, and justice:
لَّا يَنۡهَٮٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمۡ
يُقَـٰتِلُوكُمۡ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلَمۡ يُخۡرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَـٰرِكُمۡ أَن
تَبَرُّوهُمۡ وَتُقۡسِطُوٓاْ إِلَيۡہِمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُقۡسِطِينَ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ المُمتَحنَة
As for such [of the unbelievers] as do not fight
against you on account of [your] faith, and neither drive you forth from your
homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards
them with full equity: for, verily, God loves those who act equitably. (surah
al-Mumtahinah, 60:8)
By virtue of their unity as human beings and the
mutual belonging this entails, it is justice alone which must govern the
relationship between Self and Other even in situations in which there is enmity
and alienation. For without justice, neither the bond of humanity nor the
(pg.44)
responsibility
to act as stewards of the creation has any meaning:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ
قَوَّٲمِينَ لِلَّهِ شُہَدَآءَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَلَا يَجۡرِمَنَّڪُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ
قَوۡمٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعۡدِلُواْۚ ٱعۡدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقۡرَبُ لِلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ
وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
O you who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in
your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let
hatred of any-one lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just:
this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily,
God is aware of all that you do. (surah al-Ma’idah, 5:8)
Similarly, the brotherly bond born of their common
humanity requires that Self and Other avoid all injustice and aggression toward
one another. Even when repelling aggression and defending those wronged or
oppressed, there is no justification for hostilities beyond what is required to
put a stop to the other’s aggression and to whatever injustice is being
perpetrated. Rather, it is preferable to pardon when-ever possible:
وَقَـٰتِلُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ
يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ
(١٩٠) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
And fight in God’s cause against those who wage war
against you, but do not commit aggression – for, verily, God does not love
aggressors. (surah al-Baqarah, 2:190)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُحِلُّواْ
شَعَـٰٓٮِٕرَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا ٱلشَّہۡرَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ وَلَا ٱلۡهَدۡىَ وَلَا
ٱلۡقَلَـٰٓٮِٕدَ وَلَآ ءَآمِّينَ ٱلۡبَيۡتَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ يَبۡتَغُونَ فَضۡلاً۬
مِّن رَّبِّہِمۡ وَرِضۡوَٲنً۬اۚ وَإِذَا حَلَلۡتُمۡ فَٱصۡطَادُواْۚ وَلَا
يَجۡرِمَنَّكُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوۡمٍ أَن صَدُّوڪُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ
أَن تَعۡتَدُواْۘ وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ وَلَا
تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡعُدۡوَٲنِۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ إِنَّ
ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
…help one another in furthering virtue and
God-consciousness, and do not help one another in furthering evil and enmity;…
(surah al-Ma’idah, 5:2)
وَمَن يَقۡتُلۡ مُؤۡمِنً۬ا مُّتَعَمِّدً۬ا
فَجَزَآؤُهُ ۥ جَهَنَّمُ خَـٰلِدً۬ا فِيہَا وَغَضِبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِ
وَلَعَنَهُ ۥ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ ۥ عَذَابًا عَظِيمً۬ا (٩٣) سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء
But whoever deliberately slays another believer, his
requital shall be hell, therein to abide; and God will condemn him, and will
reject him, and will prepare for him awesome suffering. (surah al-Nisa’,
4:93)
It is not without reason that the Qur’an refers to the
act of repelling aggression as itself aggression: “Thus, if anyone commits
aggression against you, attack him just as he has attacked you” (fa man i’tada
alaykum fa’tada alayhi bi mithli ma I’tada alaykum).17
The reason for this Qur’anic appellation is that conflict and warfare among
brothers in humanity always, and inevitably, involves the crossing of a red
line of sorts. Hence, even the legitimate right to repel another’s act of aggression
(radd al-udwan) when necessary is referred to as aggression (al-udwan).
In this way, the Qur’an alerts us to the seriousness of such an action, as well
as to the dignity and value of human life. In keeping with this message, we are
admonished concerning the need to be
(pg.45)
conscious
of God and to fear Him in all that we do. As Abel once replied to Cain,
لَٮِٕنۢ بَسَطتَ إِلَىَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقۡتُلَنِى
مَآ أَنَا۟ بِبَاسِطٍ۬ يَدِىَ إِلَيۡكَ لِأَقۡتُلَكَۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ ٱللَّهَ
رَبَّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٢٨) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
“Even if thou lay thy hand on me to slay
me, I shall not lay my hand on thee to slay thee; behold, I fear God, the
Sustainer of all the worlds.” (surah al-Ma’idah, 5:28).
The Muslim is always both just and moderate, seeking
to be equitable in all he does and allowing all his conduct, toward himself and
toward others, to be governed by the values and purposes that are in keeping
with justice and moderation. Without moderation there can be no justice;
indeed, justice is simply a fruit of moderation in all things – in tranquility
and in anger, in giving and in receiving. In times of peace, moderation yields
brotherhood and harmony, and when repelling aggression, it leads one to act
with both strength and generosity of spirit:
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٲمِينَ
بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ شُہَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَوِ ٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ
وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَۚ إِن يَكُنۡ غَنِيًّا أَوۡ فَقِيرً۬ا فَٱللَّهُ أَوۡلَىٰ
بِہِمَاۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعۡدِلُواْۚ وَإِن
تَلۡوُ ۥۤاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ
خَبِيرً۬ا (١٣٥) سُوۡرَةُ
النِّسَاء
O you who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in
upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though
it be against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk.… (surah al-Nisa’,
4:135)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ
قَوَّٲمِينَ لِلَّهِ شُہَدَآءَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَلَا يَجۡرِمَنَّڪُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ
قَوۡمٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعۡدِلُواْۚ ٱعۡدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقۡرَبُ لِلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ
وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ (٨) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
...and never let hatred of anyone lead you
into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being
God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that
you do. (surah al-Ma’idah, 5:8)
وَجَـٰهِدُواْ فِى ٱللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِۦۚ
هُوَ ٱجۡتَبَٮٰكُمۡ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ فِى ٱلدِّينِ مِنۡ حَرَجٍ۬ۚ مِّلَّةَ
أَبِيكُمۡ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَۚ هُوَ سَمَّٮٰكُمُ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ مِن قَبۡلُ وَفِى
هَـٰذَا لِيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَتَكُونُواْ شُہَدَآءَ عَلَى
ٱلنَّاسِۚ فَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُواْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ
بِٱللَّهِ هُوَ مَوۡلَٮٰكُمۡۖ فَنِعۡمَ ٱلۡمَوۡلَىٰ وَنِعۡمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ (٧٨) سُوۡرَةُ الحَجّ
…and has laid no hardship on you in
[anything that pertains to] religion,… (surah al-Hajj, 22:78)
God does not burden any human being with
more than he is well able to bear: in his favor shall be whatever good he does,
and against him whatever evil he does. “O our Sustainer! Take us not to task if
we forget or unwittingly do wrong!…” (surah al-Baqarah, 2:286)
وَءَاتِ ذَا ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ حَقَّهُ ۥ
وَٱلۡمِسۡكِينَ وَٱبۡنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرۡ تَبۡذِيرًا (٢٦) إِنَّ
ٱلۡمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوٓاْ إِخۡوَٲنَ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينِۖ وَكَانَ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ
لِرَبِّهِۦ كَفُورً۬ا (٢٧) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
And give his due to the near of kin, as well as to the
needy and the wayfarer, but do not squander [thy substance] senselessly.
Behold, the squanderers are, indeed, of the ilk of the satans – inasmuch as
Satan has indeed proved most ungrateful to his Sustainer. (surah al-Isra’,
17:26–27)
وَكَذَٲلِكَ جَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ أُمَّةً۬ وَسَطً۬ا
لِّتَڪُونُواْ شُہَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ
شَهِيدً۬اۗ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا ٱلۡقِبۡلَةَ ٱلَّتِى كُنتَ عَلَيۡہَآ إِلَّا
لِنَعۡلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيۡهِۚ وَإِن
كَانَتۡ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَى ٱللَّهُۗ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ
لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَـٰنَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِٱلنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (١٤٣) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
And thus have We willed you to be a community of the
middle way, so that [with your lives] you might bear witness to the truth
before all mankind, and that the Apostle might bear witness to it before you.…
(surah al-Baqarah, 2: 143)
(pg.46)
In a hadith qudsi18
transmitted by Abu Dharr on the authority of the Prophet, God states, “O My
servants, I have forbidden injustice to myself and have likewise rendered it
forbidden among you. Therefore, commit no injustice against one another.”19
In the account of the farewell address delivered by the Prophet during his
final pilgrimage to Makkah, Abdullah ibn ‘Umar states:
We were discussing the Farewell Pilgrimage once with
the Messenger of God in our midst. At that time, we did not yet know what the
Farewell Pilgrimage was. The Messenger of God then uttered praise to God and said,
“God has rendered your lives and your property as sacred as this day of yours,
in this land of yours, in this month of yours. Do you hear what I am saying?”
“We hear you,” his listeners replied. He then continued, saying, “O God, bear
witness!”20
In the same vein, Hudhayfah relates that the Messenger
of God said: “Do not be double-minded people who say, ‘If others are good to
us, we will be good to them, and if others wrong us, we will wrong them.
Rather, accustom yourselves to doing good to others whether they do good to you
or not.’”21 The Prophet’s wife A’ishah reported having heard
the Messenger of God say, “Anything, if accompanied by kindness, is beautified
thereby, and anything, if lacking in kindness, is thereby abased.”22
Both the Other and the ‘I’ are integral parts of the
individual, since the human personality is far from simple; on the contrary, it
is a highly complex entity. It includes, for example, both the self that
“incite[s] to evil” (al-nafs al-ammarah bi al-su’) (surah Yusuf,
12:53) and “the accusing voice of man’s own conscience” (al-nafs al-lawwamah)
(surah al-Qiyamah, 75:2). As such, it is an entity with multiple
associations, allegiances, and extensions, and it comprises dimensions that are
both indispensable and inseparable from the individual, from humanity (since
the ‘I’ is the human being, and humanity is an inseparable part of the ‘I’) to
the clan, tribe and nation, to neighbors and blood relations.
In seeking to meet their needs, both Self and Other
should bear in mind that within each one of us, complex beings that we are,
there are both base and aggressive impulses ruled by the ‘law of the jungle’
where ‘might is right’ (the self that incites to evil, al-nafs al-ammarah bi
al- su’),
(pg.47)
and
spiritual, altruistic aspirations that lead us to strive for fairness,
compassion, and peace. Such aspirations, which are governed by the law of
justice where ‘right is might’ – that is to say, where power and strength are
derived from truth – cause human beings to incline toward values of truth and
justice and to resist impulses that are hedonistic, aggressive, and racist.
When Self and Other are both Muslims, they are joined
by a common identity based on doctrine, belief, and vision, which lie at the
heart of what it means to be a human being. After all, the essence of human
existence is not forms, appearances, or the merely physical – however important
these may be as resources and tools for carrying out our various tasks and
giving expression to the content of our visions, values, and principles, and
despite the fact that human beings would have no existence without material
reality and its practical, creative, and aesthetic manifestations. Hence, the
brotherhood that exists bet-ween Muslims is more precious than that which is
based on our common humanity alone, since shared belief helps to form the most
powerful spiritual bond on earth:
إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ إِخۡوَةٌ۬
فَأَصۡلِحُواْ بَيۡنَ أَخَوَيۡكُمۡۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُرۡحَمُونَ
(١٠) سُوۡرَةُ الحُجرَات
All believers are but brethren.… (surah al-Hujurat,
49:10)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ
ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ (١٠٢) وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ
بِحَبۡلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعً۬ا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُواْۚ وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ
عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ كُنتُمۡ أَعۡدَآءً۬ فَأَلَّفَ بَيۡنَ قُلُوبِكُمۡ فَأَصۡبَحۡتُم
بِنِعۡمَتِهِۦۤ إِخۡوَٲنً۬ا وَكُنتُمۡ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفۡرَةٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ
فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنۡہَاۗ كَذَٲلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ
لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَہۡتَدُونَ (١٠٣) سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
O you who have attained to faith! Be conscious of God
with all the consciousness that is due to Him, and do not allow death to
overtake you ere you have surrendered yourselves unto Him. And hold fast, all
together, unto the bond with God, and do not draw apart from one another. And
remember the blessings which God has bestowed upon you: how, when you were
enemies, He brought your hearts together, so that through His blessing you
became brethren;… (surah Al Imran, 3:102–103)
وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتُ بَعۡضُهُمۡ
أَوۡلِيَآءُ بَعۡضٍ۬ۚ يَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَيَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ
وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤۡتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ
وَرَسُولَهُ ۥۤۚ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ سَيَرۡحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ
عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ۬ (٧١) سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة
And [as for] the believers, both men and women – they
are close unto one another: they [all] enjoin the doing of what is right and
forbid the doing of what is wrong, and are constant in prayer, and render the
purifying dues, and pay heed unto God and His Apostle. It is they upon whom God
will bestow His grace: verily, God is Almighty, Wise! (surah al-Tawbah,
9:71)
Abdullah ibn ‘Umar reports that the Prophet said, “The
Muslim is a brother to his fellow Muslim. Hence, he should never wrong him or
abandon him.”23 Abdullah ibn ‘Umar also related that the
Prophet said, “The true Muslim is someone from whose words and actions
(pg.48)
other
Muslims have no reason to fear harm, while the true Emigrant is someone who has
abandoned all that God has forbidden.”24 Abu Musa al-Ash’ari relates that the Messenger of God once said,
“One believer is to another as one stone is to another in a mighty edifice,
each of them serving to support the other and hold it in place.”25
He also said, “So great is the compassion, affection, and sympathy shared by
the believers that they are like a single body: if any member of the body
suffers, all other parts of the body call out to one another with wakefulness
and fever.”26 Similarly, he commanded, “Desire for your
brother what you desire for yourself.”27 And in his farewell
address, he reminded the Muslims with him of the sacred bond among them,
saying, “O people! Your lives and your property are to be treated with the same
sanctity as this day of yours, in this land of yours, in this month of yours
until the Day on which you meet your Lord. Do you hear what I am saying?” “We
hear you,” his listeners replied. He then continued, saying, “O God, have I
delivered the message?”28 The Prophet’s wife A’ishah related
that he had said, “Anyone who goes to bed on a full stomach knowing that his
neighbor is hungry is not a believer.”29 Abu Hurayrah
reported that the Messenger of God had said, “God will come to the aid of the
servant who comes to the aid of his brother,”30 and,
“Everything associated with the Muslim – his life, his honor, and his
possessions – is to be viewed by his fellow Muslims as sacred.”31
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri related that the Messenger of God had said, “You have a
single Lord and a single forefather. Therefore, the Arab is not superior to the
non-Arab, nor the non-Arab to the Arab, nor the red-skinned to the
black-skinned, nor the black-skinned to the red-skinned, except on the basis of
greater consciousness of God.”32 Anas related that the
Messenger of God had said, “Come to the aid of your brother whether he has been
wronged or has done wrong to another.” Hearing what the Prophet had said, one
man said, “O Messenger of God, I will gladly come to my brother’s aid if he has
been wronged. But how can I do so if he has wronged someone else?” The Prophet
replied, “You come to his aid by restraining him or preventing him from doing
[further] wrong.”33 Hudhayfah related that the Messenger of
God had said, “Whoever does not show concern for the Muslims as a community
does not belong to them.”34
(pg.49)
The brotherhood of Islam is thus a brotherhood founded
upon goodness, truth, justice, righteousness, kindness, and compassion. It is a
brotherhood of solidarity and cooperation in the doing of good and the fear of
God. Consequently, it is the sublimest, most powerful possible expression of
human belonging. If Muslims realized the implications of this type of belonging
and brotherhood for today’s world, and if they truly assimilated the Qur’anic
worldview, they would truly be a single nation, a united family, a guiding
light, and a constructive, creative force.
In the Qur’anic worldview, Self and Other represent
diverse associations and affiliations all of which are ‘I,’ since one’s identity
is comprised of links to others based on blood, marriage, race, and humanity,
as well as doctrine and thought. At the same time, it is a single entity
composed of all these associations, every one of which renders the ‘I’ a ‘they’
as well, and the ‘they’ an ‘I.’
Consequently, the trust embodied in the duty of
stewardship requires that the Muslim take on constructive, reformist
inclinations and values. If the honest Muslim is remiss in any of his
responsibilities toward himself or others, he will repent and correct himself.
Faithfulness to the task of being a good steward of God’s gifts calls for the
acquisition and cultivation of personal character traits that enable us to
translate our God-given responsibilities into realities in our behavior and our
relationships. The Qur’an has detailed such character traits for us; hence, if
a Muslim discovers that he lacks these qualities in himself and that, as a
consequence, they are not reflected in his actions and his relationships with
others, be they human beings, animals, or other aspects of his environment,
then he needs to examine himself, hold himself accountable, and strive to
cultivate those virtues that will enable him to take on the God-given trust,
which constitutes the meaning of his life – and his response to which will
determine his destiny.
Carrying out one’s God-given responsibilities
requires, first of all, honesty, faithfulness to one’s word, a spirit of
fairness, a refusal to engage in wrongdoing or aggression, humility, charity,
and generosity toward others, and a commitment to act with integrity and shun
corruption. If a Muslim finds that he has a tendency to be harsh, cruel,
(pg.50)
or
violent, to be wasteful or extravagant in his spending, to lie, to break
promises and not to live up to responsibilities or commitments he has taken on,
then he should be aware that his faith and worship are lacking. In response to
this awareness, he must face himself, recognize his error, and turn away from
it before that Day when “…neither wealth will be of any use, nor children, [and
when] only he [will be happy] who comes before God with a heart free of evil!”
(surah al-Shu’ara’, 26:88–89). It is clear from both the Qur’an and the
life of the Messenger of God that if one lacks the above-mentioned virtues, his
faith is not genuine, nor has he benefited from the acts of devotion he engages
in – be they prayer, remembrance of the Divine Name, fasting, or spending the
night hours in prayer and worship:
وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ مَالَ ٱلۡيَتِيمِ إِلَّا
بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحۡسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبۡلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ ۥۚ وَأَوۡفُواْ
بِٱلۡعَهۡدِۖ إِنَّ ٱلۡعَهۡدَ كَانَ مَسۡـُٔولاً۬ (٣٤) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
…And be true to every promise – for,
verily, [on Judgment Day] you will be called to account for every promise which
you have made! (surah al-Isra’, 17:34)
وَيَـٰقَوۡمِ أَوۡفُواْ ٱلۡمِڪۡيَالَ
وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَلَا تَبۡخَسُواْ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشۡيَآءَهُمۡ وَلَا
تَعۡثَوۡاْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مُفۡسِدِينَ (٨٥) سُوۡرَةُ هُود
Hence, O my people, [always] give full measure and
weight, with equity, and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs,
and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption. (surah Hud,
11:85)
وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡ يَدَكَ مَغۡلُولَةً إِلَىٰ
عُنُقِكَ وَلَا تَبۡسُطۡهَا كُلَّ ٱلۡبَسۡطِ فَتَقۡعُدَ مَلُومً۬ا مَّحۡسُورًا (٢٩) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
And neither allow thy hand to remain shackled to thy
neck, nor stretch it forth to the utmost limit [of thy capacity], lest thou find
thyself blamed [by thy dependants], or even destitute. (surah al-Isra’,
17:29)
وَأَمَّا مَنۢ بَخِلَ وَٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰ (٨) وَكَذَّبَ
بِٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ (٩) فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ ۥ لِلۡعُسۡرَىٰ (١٠) وَمَا
يُغۡنِى عَنۡهُ مَالُهُ ۥۤ إِذَا تَرَدَّىٰٓ (١١) سُوۡرَةُ اللیْل
But as for him who is niggardly, and thinks that he is
self-sufficient, and calls the ultimate good a lie – for him shall We make easy
the path towards hardship: and what will his wealth avail him when he goes down
[to his grave]? (surah al-Layl, 92:8–11)
۞ لَّيۡسَ ٱلۡبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ قِبَلَ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقِ
وَٱلۡمَغۡرِبِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلۡبِرَّ مَنۡ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأَخِرِ
وَٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕڪَةِ وَٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَءَاتَى ٱلۡمَالَ عَلَىٰ
حُبِّهِۦ ذَوِى ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ وَٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلۡمَسَـٰكِينَ وَٱبۡنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ
وَٱلسَّآٮِٕلِينَ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّڪَوٰةَ
وَٱلۡمُوفُونَ بِعَهۡدِهِمۡ إِذَا عَـٰهَدُواْۖ وَٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ فِى
ٱلۡبَأۡسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَحِينَ ٱلۡبَأۡسِۗ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ ٱلَّذِينَ
صَدَقُواْۖ وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَ (١٧٧) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
True piety does not consist in turning your faces
towards the east or the west – but truly pious is he who believes in God, and
the Last Day, and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his
substance – how-ever much he himself may cherish it – upon his near of kin, and
the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the
freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayers, and renders
the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever
they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hard-ship and in time of peril:
it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious
of God. (surah al-Baqarah, 2:177)
(pg.51)
وَلَا تَمۡشِ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مَرَحًاۖ إِنَّكَ
لَن تَخۡرِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَلَن تَبۡلُغَ ٱلۡجِبَالَ طُولاً۬ (٣٧) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
And walk not on the earth with haughty self-conceit:
for, verily, thou canst never rend the earth asunder, nor canst thou ever grow
as tall as the mountains! (surah al-Isra’, 17:37)
وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمۡشُونَ
عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ هَوۡنً۬ا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُواْ سَلَـٰمً۬ا
(٦٣) سُوۡرَةُ الفُرقان
For, [true] servants of the Most Gracious are [only]
they who walk gently on earth, and who, whenever the foolish address them,
reply with [words of] peace; (surah al-Furqan, 25:63)
ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ
وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِۖ وَجَـٰدِلۡهُم بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحۡسَنُۚ إِنَّ
رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦۖ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ
بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِينَ (١٢٥) سُوۡرَةُ النّحل
Call thou [all mankind] unto thy Sustainer’s path with
wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner:…
(surah al-Nahl, 16:125)
يَـٰبُنَىَّ أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأۡمُرۡ
بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَٱنۡهَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَٱصۡبِرۡ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَصَابَكَۖ إِنَّ
ذَٲلِكَ مِنۡ عَزۡمِ ٱلۡأُمُورِ (١٧) سُوۡرَةُ لقمَان
O my dear son! Be constant in prayer, and enjoin the
doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and bear in
patience whatever [ill] may befall thee: this, behold, is something to set
one’s heart upon! (surah Luqman, 31:17)
وَلَا تَسۡتَوِى ٱلۡحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُۚ
ٱدۡفَعۡ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحۡسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيۡنَكَ وَبَيۡنَهُ ۥ
عَدَٲوَةٌ۬ كَأَنَّهُ ۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ۬ (٣٤) سُوۡرَةُ حٰمٓ السجدة / فُصّلَت
But [since] good and evil cannot be equal, repel thou
[evil] with some-thing that is better – and lo! He between whom and thyself was
enmity [may then become] as though he had [always] been close [unto thee], a
true friend! (surah Fussilat, 41:34)
وَلَمَن صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ إِنَّ ذَٲلِكَ لَمِنۡ
عَزۡمِ ٱلۡأُمُورِ (٤٣) سُوۡرَةُ الشّوریٰ
But withal, if one is patient in adversity and
forgives – this, behold, is indeed something to set one’s heart upon! (surah
al-Shura, 42:43)
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ
وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡمَرۡحَمَةِ (١٧) سُوۡرَةُ البَلَد
… those who have attained to faith, and who
enjoin upon one another patience in adversity, and enjoin upon one another
compassion. (surah al-Balad, 90:17)
وَلَا تَجۡعَلُواْ ٱللَّهَ عُرۡضَةً۬ لِّأَيۡمَـٰنِڪُمۡ أَن تَبَرُّواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ وَتُصۡلِحُواْ بَيۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ۬ (٢٢٤) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
And do not allow your oaths in the name of God to
become an obstacle to virtue and God-consciousness and the promotion of peace
between men: for God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (surah al-Baqarah,
2:224)35
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا
تُحَرِّمُواْ طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَآ أَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ
ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ (٨٧) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
O you who have attained to faith! Do not deprive
yourselves of the good things of life which God has made lawful to you, but do
not transgress the bounds of what is right: verily, God does not love those who
transgress the bounds of what is right:… (surah al-Ma’idah, 5:87)
قُلۡ مَنۡ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِىٓ
أَخۡرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِۦ وَٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ مِنَ ٱلرِّزۡقِۚ قُلۡ هِىَ لِلَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُواْ فِى ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا خَالِصَةً۬ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِۗ
كَذَٲلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأَيَـٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ۬ يَعۡلَمُونَ (٣٢) سُوۡرَةُ الاٴعرَاف
Say, “Who is there to forbid the beauty which God has
brought forth for His creatures, and the good things from among the means of
sustenance?…” (surah Al-A’raf, 7:32)
(pg.52)
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱدۡخُلُواْ
فِى ٱلسِّلۡمِ ڪَآفَّةً۬ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَٲتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِۚ
إِنَّهُ ۥ لَڪُمۡ عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ۬ (٢٠٨) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
O you who have attained to faith! Surrender yourselves
wholly unto God, and follow not Satan’s footsteps, for, verily, he is your open
foe. (surah al-Baqarah, 2:208)
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ
تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ (٢) ڪَبُرَ مَقۡتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن
تَقُولُواْ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ (٣) سُوۡرَةُ الصَّف
O you who have attained to faith! Why do you say one
thing and do another? Most loathsome is it in the sight of God that you say
what you do not do! (surah al-Saff, 61:2–3)
Abdullah
ibn Mas’ud reported that the Messenger of God had said:
…beware
of lying, for no good can come from lying whether it is done in seriousness or
in jest. A [righteous] man would not promise his son something, then fail to
keep his promise. Untruthfulness leads to unrighteousness, and unrighteousness
leads to hell, whereas truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness
leads to paradise. Of the truthful person it is said, “He spoke truly, and he
was righteous,” and of the untruthful person it is said, “He spoke untruth and
was unrighteous.” If one of God’s servants continues to speak untruth, he will
be recorded in God’s register as a liar.36
Samurah
ibn Jundub reported that the Messenger of God had said:
Two
men came to me [during my heavenly ascent] and said, “The man whose jawbone is
being split was a liar [during his life on earth]. When he uttered a lie, it
was passed on [to others] until it reached the horizons, and thus will he be
tormented for his lying till the Day of Resurrection.”37
In
a similar vein, we have the following statement of the Prophet reported by Abu
Hurayrah, “There are three signs by which one recognizes the hypocrite: When he
speaks, he utters untruth, when he makes a promise, he fails to keep it, and
when trust is placed in him, he betrays the trust.”38
‘Umar
ibn al-Khattab, who had sat at the Prophet’s feet and whose character had been
formed by the Book of God, once avenged a young Copt who had been struck by the
son of the Arab commander and prince, ‘Amru ibn al-As, then governor of Egypt.
Inspired by the example of the Prophet and the Qur’anic perspective on the
world, ‘Umar addressed ‘Amru, his son, and the generations that would follow
them in a bold affirmation of the brotherhood and equality of all
(pg.53)
human
beings, saying, “How can you enslave human beings who, when their mothers
brought them into the world, were free spirits?”39 Indeed,
how can one human being dare to enslave another when they are brothers in
humanity, created by a single Maker, descended from a single soul, and equally
worthy of honor and respect?
It should be clear from the foregoing that the
Qur’anic perspective views sound human nature as something that entails unity
and diversity – balance, integration, and complementarity between the human
being as individual and the human being as community. For as we have seen –
just as the body has no existence without the members and parts that make it up,
nor do its members and parts have any existence or function apart from the body
as a whole – so also do the community and the individual need one another in
order to survive and to thrive. There is no individual without a family,
without a people, without a homeland, without a nation; nor can the individual
exist without an awareness of familial, ethnic, national, religious, and human
identity and the relationships, associations, and affiliations that they
generate in so many concentric and overlapping circles. All of these are
fundamental, positive dimensions of the individual’s being that help to ensure
sound performance, a full existence, growth, and prosperity based on the
principles of justice, charity, peace, and the rejection of injustice, corruption,
and aggression.
The distinctive feature of the Qur’anic worldview is
that, in contrast to a materialistic, racist worldview, it looks upon the
differences and distinctions that exist among people as well as the various
components of the universe overall as parts of a purposeful divine scheme
founded on complementarity and mutual benefit.
The ability to perceive differences and distinctions from this positive
perspective constitutes the foundation for a harmonious, sound human existence
in which we make responsible, loving use of our human and natural resources.
There is no room in this perspective for exclusiveness or extremism on either
the individual or the communal level; on the contrary, it promotes the pursuit
of integration, balance, moderation, and peace in all its dimensions.
Consequently, believers’ prayers in the Qur’an do not
stop at the concerns of the individual except insofar as such concerns touch
upon
(pg.54)
one’s
strictly private affairs. Instead, they go beyond the individual to the
community, since the best interests of the individual are inseparable from
those of the community to which he belongs. We are taught in the Qur’an to
pray, saying:
إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ (٥) سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة
Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone do we
turn for aid. (surah al-Fatihah, 1:5)
وَإِذۡ يَرۡفَعُ إِبۡرَٲهِـۧمُ ٱلۡقَوَاعِدَ
مِنَ ٱلۡبَيۡتِ وَإِسۡمَـٰعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّآۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ
ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ (١٢٧) رَبَّنَا وَٱجۡعَلۡنَا مُسۡلِمَيۡنِ لَكَ
وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَآ أُمَّةً۬ مُّسۡلِمَةً۬ لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبۡ
عَلَيۡنَآۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ (١٢٨) سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة
…O our Sustainer! Accept thou this from us:
for, verily, Thou alone art All-Hearing, All-Knowing! “O our Sustainer! Make us
surrender ourselves unto Thee, and make out of our offspring” a community that
shall surrender itself unto Thee, and show us our ways of worship, and accept
our repentance: for, verily, Thou alone art the Acceptor of Repentance, the
Dispenser of Grace! (surah al-Baqarah, 2:127–128)
وَٱلَّذِينَ جَآءُو مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ يَقُولُونَ
رَبَّنَا ٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَلِإِخۡوَٲنِنَا ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِٱلۡإِيمَـٰنِ
وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡ فِى قُلُوبِنَا غِلاًّ۬ لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ
رَءُوفٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ (١٠) سُوۡرَةُ الحَشر
And so, they who come after them pray, “O our
Sustainer! Forgive us our sins, as well as those of our brethren who preceded
us in faith, and let not our hearts entertain any unworthy thoughts or feelings
against [any of] those who have attained to faith. O our Sustainer! Verily,
Thou art com-passionate, a Dispenser of Grace!” (surah al-Hashr, 59:10)
The Qur’anic Worldview is One of World Peace
The
final religion came as a source of guidance and as a means of inaugurating the
universal, scientific phase of human civilization with its vision of justice,
brotherhood, compassion, peace, and creativity. Consequently, the words of the
Qur’an were not addressed solely to this or that tribe, people, group, or
class. Rather, they were, and continue to be, addressed to humanity at large.
Nor is the Qur’an a discourse of the supernatural and the miraculous like the
revelations that had been delivered to humanity in earlier periods of its
development. Rather, it is the discourse of knowledge, of reading, of
reflection, and of contemplation; it is a discourse of reason, argument, and
persuasion, of guidance and direction, of brotherhood, justice, and peace.
Hence, the Qur’anic worldview and the revelation that embodied it have brought
the universal perspective suited to the worldwide scientific phase of
humanity’s evolution, a phase that best reflects our God-given human nature and
the timeless laws of the cosmos, and which goes well beyond the narrow
isolationism of the racist, materialistic view of the world that prevailed in
the ages of primitive thought and prehistory.
(pg.55)
The Qur’anic message of Islam is one that transcends
superstitions and the racist, antagonistic inclinations generated by
tribalistic, nationalistic mindsets and philosophies and affirms instead the
unity of the human race overall. As such, it is capable of guiding humanity by
instilling within them those values and principles that are conducive to true
security and peace.
Racism, tribalism, and nationalism are exclusive by
nature, since their premises and philosophies emphasize aspects of contrast and
difference. Differences then become a means of excluding others, claiming
superiority to them, and promoting and facilitating conflict and hostility
against anyone who is not like ‘us.’ Hence, the vision of the world founded on
differences and negative distinctions fans the flames of conflict and enmity,
turning diversity into a basis for hostile confrontations. In so doing, it
generates relationships founded on inequality, domination, and opposition among
nations, states, and ethnic groups – on account of which recent centuries have
witnessed the crimes of colonialism and world wars, which to this day pose a
danger to the world’s safety through perilous arms races on the part of
tyrannical regimes that believe in nothing but power politics and the
monopolization of influence and control via deception, manipulation, and fraud.
The Qur’anic worldview is, in reality, the only
philosophy and perspective that highlights and affirms the unity of humanity
despite the differences that exist among peoples and individuals on virtually
all levels:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُم
مِّن ذَكَرٍ۬ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ شُعُوبً۬ا وَقَبَآٮِٕلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓاْۚ
إِنَّ أَڪۡرَمَكُمۡ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتۡقَٮٰكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ۬
(١٣) سُوۡرَةُ الحُجرَات
…Behold, We have created you all out of a
male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might
come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the
one who is most deeply conscious of Him… (surah al-Hujurat, 49:13)
وَلَا تَتَمَنَّوۡاْ مَا فَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ
بَعۡضَكُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٍ۬ۚ لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌ۬ مِّمَّا ٱڪۡتَسَبُواْۖ
وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٌ۬ مِّمَّا ٱكۡتَسَبۡنَۚ وَسۡـَٔلُواْ ٱللَّهَ مِن
فَضۡلِهِۦۤۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ڪَانَ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمً۬ا (٣٢) سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء
…do not covet the bounties which God has
bestowed more abundantly on some of you than on others… (surah al-Nisa’,
4:32)
The Qur’anic worldview is a philosophy that views the
various relationships that exist between us and others as complementary rather
than competitive, and that calls for them to be governed under all
circumstances by a spirit of goodwill, charity, and justice.
(pg.56)
The materialistic worldview, by contrast, starts with
the individual and his or her ego-driven needs (the ‘self that incites to
evil’). Consequently, it has given rise to the nationalistic, racist,
exclusivist political orientation that has been adopted in modern times
especially with the abandonment of religion as a foundation for itself and the
rest of the world. This act of abandonment took place in response to the
corruption, superstition, and ecclesiastical domination that had made its way
into its religious traditions, customs, and culture. It also took place in
response to the fact that the religions concerned were tied to bygone
historical periods that had lost their relevance to modern life. The
materialist view thus turned its back on the spiritual worldview in favor of
the materialistic, competitive, conflict-based orientation epitomized in the
law of the jungle, where aggressive, group-based solidarity and its interests
rule the day. What ensued was an era that witnessed the emergence of various
and sundry nationalisms with their resultant self-centered, racist, aggressive,
colonialist, brutal power politics. In the name of class struggles across the
globe and in every society, the tyrannical, materialist, godless worldview
embodied in Marxism has produced a perpetual state of conflict as a result of
which both the peoples that have lived under Marxist rule and those around them
(particularly the Islamic peoples in Central and East Asia) suffered
injustices, oppression, and corruption that led ultimately to the collapse of the
Marxist empire from within.
Given the tremendous dangers posed by the
materialistic world-view, a “law of the jungle” philosophy if nothing else, and
the devastating conflicts, both worldwide and regional, to which it has led –
not to mention the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the
possibilities they represent – it is vital for the Muslim nation and humanity
as a whole to understand, and help others to understand, the Qur’anic worldview
as it relates to the building of societies and the fostering of relationships
among peoples and nations. Only in this way will we be able to create a culture
of justice and peace. However, this understanding must not be superficial or
merely theoretical; rather, it needs to be thorough and based on solid facts.
It also needs to be educational, applicable to people’s emotional and
psychological upbringing – both organizational and institutional. In other
words,
(pg.57)
such
an understanding needs to be fit to serve as the basis for a peaceful, global
human system which affirms that people’s beauty, worth and potential lie in
their diversity. Given this affirmation, we will be equipped to make
responsible use of our human and natural resources and lay the foundations for
a society of justice, compassion, and peace.
Surah al-Tin
clarifies the relationship that exists between the spiritual aspect of the
individual – referred to in surah al-Fajr, 89:27 as al-nafs al-mutma’innah
(the soul ‘that has attained to inner peace’) – al-nafs al-ammarah bi al-su’
(the material, ‘animal’ aspect or the self ‘that incites to evil’), and the
role of the human will in purifying the person and enabling that side of human
nature, which strives for what is pure, lofty, and righteous to prevail over
the side that tends toward decadence, self-gratification, and corruption. This
surah begins with a divine oath that stresses the importance of the issue to be
dealt with: “Consider the fig, and the olive, and the Mount of Sinai, and this
land secure!” (surah al-Tin, 95:1–3). This surah deals with the creation
of humanity and the relationship between the material and spiritual within the
human being: “We have indeed created man in the best of molds.” In surah Ta
Ha, the following verse speaks of human being’s spiritual creation in the
world of the spirit in Paradise, where he or she was content and unfettered by
needs of any kind:
فَقُلۡنَا يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا عَدُوٌّ۬
لَّكَ وَلِزَوۡجِكَ فَلَا يُخۡرِجَنَّكُمَا مِنَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ فَتَشۡقَىٰٓ (١١٧) إِنَّ
لَكَ أَلَّا تَجُوعَ فِيہَا وَلَا تَعۡرَىٰ (١١٨)وَأَنَّكَ لَا تَظۡمَؤُاْ
فِيہَا وَلَا تَضۡحَىٰ (١١٩) سُوۡرَةُ طٰه
And thereupon We said, “O Adam! Verily, this is a foe
unto thee and thy wife: so let him not drive the two of you out of this garden
and render thee unhappy. Behold, it is provided for thee that thou shalt not
hunger here or feel naked, and that thou shalt not thirst here or suffer from
the heat of the sun. (surah Ta Ha, 20: 117–119)
However, when Adam disobeyed and gave heed to the
powers of evil and corruption embodied in Satan’s whisperings and suggestions,
thereby incurring God’s decree against him, God caused him to descend from the
world of spiritual bliss and purity to the world of material, animal existence
with its needs, disgraceful acts, and injustices:
فَوَسۡوَسَ إِلَيۡهِ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ قَالَ
يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ هَلۡ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ ٱلۡخُلۡدِ وَمُلۡكٍ۬ لَّا يَبۡلَىٰ
(١٢٠) فَأَڪَلَا مِنۡہَا فَبَدَتۡ لَهُمَا سَوۡءَٲتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا
يَخۡصِفَانِ عَلَيۡہِمَا مِن وَرَقِ ٱلۡجَنَّةِۚ وَعَصَىٰٓ ءَادَمُ رَبَّهُ ۥ
فَغَوَىٰ (١٢١) سُوۡرَةُ طٰه
But Satan whispered unto him, saying, “O Adam! Shall I
lead thee to the tree of life eternal, and [thus] to a kingdom that will never
decay?” And so the two ate [of the fruit] thereof: and thereupon they became
conscious of their nakedness and began to cover themselves with pieced-together
leaves from the garden. And [thus] did Adam disobey his Sustainer, and thus did
he fall into grievous error. (surah Ta Ha, 20:120–121)
(pg.58)
لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ فِىٓ أَحۡسَنِ
تَقۡوِيمٍ۬ (٤) ثُمَّ رَدَدۡنَـٰهُ أَسۡفَلَ سَـٰفِلِينَ (٥) سُوۡرَةُ التِّین
It was in this way that Adam and his descendents came
to combine within themselves both the spiritual and the material: “Verily, We
create man in the best of conformation, and thereafter We reduce him to the
lowest of low” (surah al-Tin, 95:4–5).
Between
the world of the spirit, the conscience, and the pursuit of goodness and
righteousness on one hand, and the world of matter and self-centered,
hedonistic impulses on the other – the role of the human will is to choose
between self-purification via the pursuit of justice, reform, and constructive
action, and the base, self-serving impulses that manifest themselves in acts of
injustice, aggression, and the spread of corruption:
ثُمَّ ٱجۡتَبَـٰهُ رَبُّهُ ۥ فَتَابَ
عَلَيۡهِ وَهَدَىٰ (١٢٢) قَالَ ٱهۡبِطَا مِنۡهَا جَمِيعَۢاۖ بَعۡضُكُمۡ
لِبَعۡضٍ عَدُوٌّ۬ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأۡتِيَنَّڪُم مِّنِّى هُدً۬ى فَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ
هُدَاىَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشۡقَىٰ (١٢٣) سُوۡرَةُ طٰه
Thereafter, [however,] his Sustainer elected Him [for
his grace], and accepted his repentance, and bestowed His guidance upon him,
saying: “Down with you all from this [state of innocence, and be henceforth]
enemies unto one another! None the less, there shall most certainly come unto
you guidance from Me: and he who follows My guidance will not go astray, and
neither will he be unhappy.…” (surah Ta Ha, 20:122–123)
In
other words, the goodness of humanity, its existence and its civilization on
earth depend on the victory of the powers of the spirit through the certainty
of faith in the oneness of the Creator, the purposefulness of the creation, and
commitment to the ethical constraints inherent in a truly righteous life.
At this point we need to clarify the difference
between Islam and the Muslim, and between the call to faith (al-da’wah)
and the state (al-dawlah). Islam is the final divine message to human
beings, which provides us with the foundations of the Qur’anic perspective on
the meaning and purposes of human existence and our God-given potentials as
stewards and vicegerents on earth. Notwithstanding differences in their
circumstances, potentials, and the like, human beings are addressed by the
Islamic message in their capacity as God’s stewards and representatives on
earth. Each one of us takes from the values and teachings of Islam whatever he
or she has the capacity and the will to absorb and apply. Then, as our lives
and strivings come to an end, be
(pg.59)
they
for good or for evil, we are held accountable for what we have been and done.
As a community, Muslims are people who believe in the
fundamentals of Islam and the unchanging truths embodied in its creeds.
However, it is up to each individual Muslim – based on his and her own reason,
emotions, and will – to determine the morality of his or her behavior and the
seriousness with which he or she strives for the good in all things. Hence, as
with all groups of people, Muslims will differ from one another in terms of the
strength of their faith and commitment and the soundness of their conduct.
Therefore, it is a mistake to attribute this or that individual Muslim’s
behavior to his religion and beliefs. For to the extent that he speaks and acts
with integrity and purity, this will be undoubtedly be due to the effect of his
religion and its creeds; similarly, to the extent that he departs from the
ideals and principles of his religion, this will be due to factors relating to
his individual choices and propensities, as well as his upbringing and the understanding
he has of his religion’s teachings.
Similarly, we must be careful not to confuse the
Islamic call to faith, or da’wah, with the Islamic state, or dawlah.
The da’wah is a discourse addressed to the heart and the conscience for
the purpose of assisting, guiding, and teaching; such a discourse must
therefore be delivered with gentleness and kindness:
مَّنِ ٱهۡتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَہۡتَدِى
لِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيۡہَاۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ
وَازِرَةٌ۬ وِزۡرَ أُخۡرَىٰۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبۡعَثَ
رَسُولاً۬ (١٥) سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء
Whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it
but for his own good; and whoever goes astray, goes but astray to his own hurt;
and no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear another’s burden.… (surah al-Isra’,
17:15)
As for the state, it is a political entity which
exists, in one or another of a variety of forms, for the purpose of human
social organization. In one way or another, the state has to do with human
communities and their sociopolitical systems, their lands, their interests, and
their arrangements – both internal or domestic arrangements pertaining to the
members of the society in question, and external or international arrangements
pertaining to relations with other communities, states, or societies.
Relations between the state and other entities take
one of three
(pg.60)
forms:
(1) a state of peace governed by binding principles and laws that order the
internal affairs of the political community concerned; (2) a state of covenant
and agreement between the political community or state and other communities or
states, in which case relations are governed essentially by agreement,
commitment to promises made and treaties concluded, and the principle of
reciprocity; or (3) a state of conflict, hostility or war, the outcome of which
is decided by the balance of power:
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا
تُحِلُّواْ شَعَـٰٓٮِٕرَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا ٱلشَّہۡرَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ وَلَا ٱلۡهَدۡىَ
وَلَا ٱلۡقَلَـٰٓٮِٕدَ وَلَآ ءَآمِّينَ ٱلۡبَيۡتَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ يَبۡتَغُونَ
فَضۡلاً۬ مِّن رَّبِّہِمۡ وَرِضۡوَٲنً۬اۚ وَإِذَا حَلَلۡتُمۡ فَٱصۡطَادُواْۚ
وَلَا يَجۡرِمَنَّكُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوۡمٍ أَن صَدُّوڪُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ
ٱلۡحَرَامِ أَن تَعۡتَدُواْۘ وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقۡوَىٰۖ
وَلَا تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡعُدۡوَٲنِۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۖ إِنَّ
ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ (٢) سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة
“…And never let your hatred of people who would bar you from the
Inviolable House of Worship lead you into the sin of aggression: but rather
help one another in furthering virtue and God-consciousness,…” (surah al-Ma’idah,
5:2).
The Islamic worldview bases all such relationships on
the principle of justice and peace. Within the domestic realm, justice, joint
responsibility, and mutual agreement serve as the foundation for all relations,
while advisement and mutual consultation are the means by which decisions are
made. If relations go awry and injustice is perpetrated, appeal is made to the
law, be it secular law or Islamic law. Peaceful means of protest and civil
disobedience are the soundest ways of correcting matters and obliging the party
or parties who have erred to mend their ways by pulling the rug out from under
their feet, so to speak. If, in spite of such measures, the offending party
persists in its destructive, aggressive, or disruptive conduct, it must be
confronted by the state itself – since it is not acceptable for parties other
than the state to take the law into their own hands, thereby entering into
violent conflicts that would paralyze the nation and further harm its
interests.
As for relations with another political entity, they
are to be conducted through negotiation between those in power in order to
ensure that the rights of all are respected. War and bloodshed must only be
resorted to if it has proved impossible to ensure people’s rights by any other
means. If war is declared, it must target only those in authority by obliging
them to conform their conduct to the truth or by removing them from power.
Moreover, if violence is resorted to, it must be kept to the minimum level
possible under the circumstances.40
It is unfortunate that the West has latched so
enthusiastically onto the scientific method, without also accepting the
monotheistic Islamic worldview. The West was introduced to the systematic study
of the
(pg.61)
physical
sciences through contact with the Islamic world and the Muslim community during
the Crusades, the reception of knowledge from Muslim institutes of learning,
particularly in Andalusian Spain, as well as the translation of the works of
Muslim thinkers into European languages. Western thinkers were guided later to
an understanding of the laws and principles on the basis of which human nature
and human society operate; as a result of this, they developed the social
sciences, albeit from a materialist perspective, which enabled them to construct
their societies and institutions on a ‘survival of the fittest model,’ in which
the members of one species (read: ‘nationalisms,’ ‘ethnicities,’ and
‘cultures’) are pitted in solidarity against the members of all others. All of
this has served to exacerbate the effects of the West’s abandonment of religion
due to its having fallen under the sway of formalism and excessive
ecclesiastical control – and as a result of which religion in Western societies
has almost come to be viewed as a superstition of sorts.
In response to antagonistic misrepresentations of
Islam and its Prophet by ecclesiastical authorities anxious to preserve their
own narrow interests and corrupt practices, European peoples likewise adopted a
hostile stance toward Islam and its founder. Meanwhile, the West inclined
increasingly to a materialist, dog-eat-dog mentality and racist bigotries,
which served to promote nationalism and its resultant conflicts – attempts at
mutual exploitation, aggression, fanaticism, and power politics. The
materialist philosophy that gave rise to the foregoing attitudes and practices
has served likewise to foment the spread of maladies associated with moral
decadence. And to make things still worse, moral laxness and its outcomes have
not been viewed as intolerable ethical and social aberrations; rather, they
have come to be adopted as the norm: as models of natural, acceptable social
conduct and its outcomes. Throughout the West and in liberal societies
generally, this development has led to the disintegration of the family and the
spread of violence and other social ills, the dangers of which prudent thinkers
in the West have been warning against with growing urgency. Yet, even such
thinkers, for all their sagacity and insight, have been unable to perceive any
way out of the West’s predicament, so bound are they to the materialistic
worldview they have imbibed for so long.
(pg.62)
Regrettably, the era of the rightly guided caliphate
was brought to an end and, with it, the possibility of developing viable
institutions based on its concepts, perspectives, values, and historic,
Qur’an-based leadership models that had found expression in that bygone era.
Having imbibed the foundational principles of Islamic culture and the practices
that marked earlier Islamic eras, modern Western nations have now succeeded the
Muslim nations in carrying the banner of the scientific study of the material
and social domains. Hence, as the Muslim community comes to a new awareness of
itself and a new recognition of its Qur’anic worldview, it needs to take note
of the importance of its institutions and to instill within them the Islamic
values of justice, freedom, brotherhood, consultation, constructive action, and
peace. For without Islam-based institutions, the powers of base self-interest
will gain ascendency once again – dragging the Muslim community anew into the
slough of tyranny, corruption, violence, impotence, ignorance, backwardness,
and the monopolization of power and wealth.
Given the foregoing, let us state again a proper
understanding of the Qur’anic worldview and the structure of its associated
social institutions is the starting point for all true reform, peace, and
prosperity – not only for the Muslim community, but for humanity at large.
However, before undertaking an overview of the principles of the Islamic worldview
and methodology, it will be important for us to recall the issue of time and
place in understanding the revelation and its written repositories – namely,
the Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah. Otherwise, we run the risk of confusing
constants and variables – or of allowing variables to become constants and
constraints, in which case we rob the sacred law of Islam of its comprehensive
quality and its ability to provide us with the guidance we need in the
circumstances and situations that arise in differing times and places.
Constants and Variables in the Dimensions of Time and Place
Revelation,
as the most fundamental source of the religion and its capacity to guide us as
human beings, is manifested first and foremost in the Holy Qur’an, which is the
word of God revealed to His noble Messenger. The Qur’an is a final, universal
divine message which bears
(pg.63)
the
character of an unchanging reality. What this means is that it is a message
that conveys aims, values, and concepts that remain constant over time, and
from one place to another. These aims, values, and concepts are what we are
referring to as ‘constants’; an example of such constants are fatherhood and
sonhood – and the bonds, rights, and duties that are associated with them.
Because the conditions of human life – as well as
human knowledge, potentials, needs, and challenges – are in a state of
continual flux and evolution, the applications of Islamic values and concepts
must also change and evolve in keeping with the realities of people’s lives,
which change from one era to another, and vary from one place to another. As
for the role of the Messenger of God as the final Prophet, it lay in being the
model who provides definitive evidence that the Qur’an is not a book of
fanciful, idealistic conceptions or dreams, but rather a message of guidance to
be applied to the rough-and-tumble of everyday life and its practices. Hence,
in addition to his responsibility to deliver the message he had been given and
to call others to the truth with kindness and goodly exhortation, his mission
was to apply the values embodied in the message he had been given. In this way,
he demonstrated that the guidance he had brought was directly relevant to the
reality of people’s lives, and that it was to be assimilated by each
individual, community, and generation in accordance with their particular
capacities and understandings.
Sound application of Islamic values and concepts
within the context of particular times and places requires wisdom, knowledge,
and discernment. Hence, the ways in which the Prophet – as the builder of a
society and head of state – applied the values and concepts of the Qur’an to
his particular circumstances offer a model for others as they seek to reapply
these values and concepts to their own changing, evolving times and places. The
application of the principles of mutual consultation (al-shura) to and
in the era of transportation on the backs of donkeys and mules, for example, is
bound to differ from their application to the age of electronics, air travel,
and communication via e-mail and the Internet. Herein, lies the significance of
the lessons to be derived from the life and example of the Prophet, because
Islam has a relevance that will be ongoing until the Day of Judgment:
(pg.64)
الٓرۚ كِتَـٰبٌ أُحۡكِمَتۡ ءَايَـٰتُهُ ۥ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتۡ مِن لَّدُنۡ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ (١) سُوۡرَةُ هُود
Alif. Lam. Ra. A divine writ [is this], with messages
that have been made clear in and by themselves, and have been distinctly
spelled out as well – [bestowed upon you] out of the grace of One who is Wise,
All-Aware. (surah Hud, 11:1)
لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ
بَعَثَ فِيہِمۡ رَسُولاً۬ مِّنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ
وَيُزَڪِّيہِمۡ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِڪۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن
قَبۡلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ (١٦٤) سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
Indeed, God bestowed a favor upon the believers when
he raised up in their midst an apostle from among themselves, to convey His
messages unto them, and to cause them to grow in purity, and to impart unto
them the divine writ as well as wisdom – whereas before that they were indeed,
most obviously, lost in error. (surah Al Imran, 3:164)
Hence, we must realize the nature of the sources of
the religion, including both its constants and its variables. For if the Qur’an
is the word of God and His final message to humankind, it follows, therefore,
that it is the source of valid guidance in the proper use of nature and the
laws of the cosmos in all times and places.
As for the role of the Prophetic Sunnah as a second
source of the Islamic message, it consists in manifesting the wisdom required
in the application of the values, principles, and concepts of this message and
the fulfillment of its aims in time and place, and in making clear to people
that the message of the Qur’an is not some fanciful, idealistic set of notions,
but rather a message of concrete guidance for humankind. Herein, we find the
reason for the divine preservation of the Qur’an. At the same time, we begin to
understand why the Messenger of God commanded those who had recorded any part
of the Sunnah in writing to strike it out, since the purpose of the Sunnah had
already been fulfilled by pointing to the practical nature of the Qur’anic
teachings and by manifesting the wisdom required for their application in place
and time. Through the Prophetic Sunnah, we see that the application of the
Qur’an is by nature something which changes and evolves with changes in
people’s circumstances, knowledge, potentials, and challenges.
Given the foregoing, we can better understand why it
is that, although the Messenger of God took care to ensure that his commands,
statements, and actions in relation to the management of the affairs of state
and society during his lifetime were not recorded and preserved in written form
– nevertheless, in his capacity as head of state, he insisted on the necessity
of others obeying his commands. He insisted that his
(pg.65)
commands
be carried out, since what he was commanding, though not in the Qur’an, was an
application thereof to the circumstances in which he and his community found
themselves. If, however, the Prophet’s instructions had been placed on a par
with the Qur’an itself, this would have led to a confusion between the enduring,
conceptual nature of the Qur’an, which has relevance to all times and places –
and his own conduct and applications, which had relevance to his own location
and time in particular. In other words, the Messenger of God sought to make
clear that we are not to apply the teachings of the Qur’an in a rigid, literal
fashion that conforms precisely to the ways in which it was applied during his
lifetime; rather, we are to cultivate an awareness of the temporal and
geographic variables that apply to our own situations, and to take these
variables into consideration when applying the Qur’an to our own time and
location.
In light of the foregoing, we can understand why the
rightly guided Caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab instructed some of the Companions
who had gone to other cities and regions not to speak with those around them
about certain sayings and actions of the Prophet – since, unlike the
inhabitants of Madinah, people elsewhere would not be familiar with the
circumstances that had provided the occasions for many of these actions and
sayings and, as a result, there was a risk of them not understanding them
properly. Thus, the necessary foundations for the reconstruction of our
educational curricula are: an understanding of the nature of the Qur’an and the
Prophetic Sunnah, a knowledge of human nature and the laws of the cosmos, and
an awareness of particular people’s circumstances with their potentials and
challenges.
Given this analysis of the issue of time and place as
it relates to the nature of Qur’anic concepts and the Prophetic Sunnah, we now
proceed to a discussion of the principles of the Qur’anic worldview and a sound
Islamic mindset.
A Realistic Idealism
Is the worldview conveyed through the Qur’an and the
life of the Prophet a purely idealistic vision on the order of a philosopher’s
utopia? Is it merely an intellectual luxury that has no place in the details of
people’s daily lives? Or is it a realistic message capable of guiding
(pg.66)
people
to what is best for them by enabling the forces of goodness in the human soul
to overcome inclinations toward hedonism, evil, injustice, and self-interest?
On first consideration, it is difficult to imagine a
positive answer to this question, particularly in light of many aspects of the
reality being experienced at present by the Muslim community, which has witnessed
deterioration in its social fabric, its political and economic systems, its
conduct, and its relationships with others. In short, the reality being lived
at present by the Muslim nation appears to be at complete odds with the
guidance embodied in the message and vision conveyed in the Holy Qur’an.
In order to answer the question being posed, we need
first to bring to mind a number of premises. The first of these premises is
that there is nothing in the Qur’anic worldview which does not answer to the
longings of the human heart. The second premise is that the era of the Prophet
was the concrete model that conformed fully to the Qur’anic vision, as a result
of which people could see its realism and the possibility of achieving it in
place and time thanks to the forces of goodness, righteousness, spiritual
aspiration, and creativity inherent in the human soul. And the third of these
premises is that there are inevitable disparities among individuals and
societies in terms of their capacity to apply the values and concepts of
goodness, reform, and cultural progress to their individual conduct and
communal structures. Therefore, societies or communities in which the forces
for good, justice, and constructive action are relatively weak need not despair
of their ability to reform themselves and to set themselves on a positive,
constructive course.
The starting point for such a process is for the
Muslim community to recognize that it has regressed, and that these
developments have taken place for identifiable reasons which can be treated and
dealt with. Such a recognition need not discourage the Muslim community in its
efforts to reform itself and to regain its footing. On the contrary, it is
through such honesty and realism that the forces of goodness and reform can be
released anew. Since utopian idealism is one thing, and realistic idealism is
another, the Muslim community must learn to turn a deaf ear to ignorant or
biased claims to the effect that what Islam calls us to be and do is
unrealistic.
(pg.67)
At
the same time, idealism can only be of value if it has ways of dealing with the
human self – its complex makeup, its aspirations, and its inclinations on the
concrete, temporal level. Otherwise, humanity is bound to retreat into the
darkness of its base, materialistic impulses – into racism, conflict, mutual
attempts at exploitation, cruelty, blood-shed, and aggression in the name of ‘realism.’
Meanwhile, the acceptance of all manner of human decadence and depravity will
be justified based on the claim that every reform and every attempt to rein in
the forces of evil and injustice is romantic idealism and nothing more. Hence,
a realistic idealism offers humanity its only hope of deliverance from further
regression into the darkness of crass materialism and its woes.
The second part of the question raised earlier
concerning the idealistic nature of the Qur’anic worldview is: does this mean
that in order to live up to this Qur’anic idealism, the Muslim is required to
apply all Islamic values, concepts, and principles in all areas of his or her
life and behavior, in his or her every waking moment, every day of his of her
life? In other words, in order for a person to be Muslim, must he or she be
infallible and invulnerable to sin and temptation? As we have had occasion to
note, the language of threat and intimidation into which Islamic discourse has
slipped has reinforced this perception and belief – which has in turn caused
the Qur’anic worldview, seen within the context of the current cultural
realities of the Muslim community, to appear well-nigh impossible of
attainment.
Moreover, given what we know of human nature, which is
a veritable battleground for opposing forces – material and spiritual, good and
evil, altruistic and egocentric – it goes without saying that error and sin are
part and parcel of the human experience, and that there is no basis for the
belief that anyone (except God’s messengers and prophets) could be infallible
in any area of life whatsoever.
“Every
human being is a sinner, and the best of sinners are those who turn to God in
repentance.”41 What this means is that deep within every one
of us is a spiritual nature and a moral force that impels us to seek wisdom,
goodness, charity, and righteousness. However, our physical needs and our baser
proclivities tempt us to be drawn into the commission of injustice, indecent
acts, and aggression. When this
(pg.68)
happens,
sound-minded people’s consciences and spiritual affinities pursue them and
condemn them for the evil or indecent acts they have committed. The Qur’anic
worldview confirms the reality of this inward struggle, teaching us how to cope
with it and enable the forces of good within us to overcome our baser drives.
The psychological struggle that takes place within the
individual between the forces of goodness and the forces of evil is a universal
reality. Similarly, both the longing for goodness and righteousness and the
possibility of error and sin are ingrained within our very nature. However,
seen from the perspective of the Qur’anic worldview, this is no cause for
frustration or despair. On the contrary, this struggle can be best dealt with
by supporting the forces of goodness in the soul and not despairing of one’s
ability to correct whatever has gone awry. For God, who has imbued us with
moral failings as well as with virtue and consciousness of Him (surah al-Shams,
91:8), is the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, and the Most Generous, who
receives those who, having fallen due to weakness, ignorance, or necessity,
repent and turn away from error and sin. Indeed, the door is open to every
remorseful, repentant individual, and once one has repented and returned to
God, the slate is wiped clean as though one had never gone astray.
It is thus important to draw a distinction between the
Qur’anic worldview, which is a source of guidance, support, and reinforcement
for the forces of goodness, reform, and forward movement in the human soul, and
the human assimilation of this perspective with its associated values,
concepts, and principles. The reason for this distinction, as we have seen, is
the conflict that takes place within the individual due to the rival forces and
currents at work within each of us, which make it possible for us to err and
lose our way. This conflict can be dealt with, however, through an awareness of
the situations and circumstances that cause individuals, nations, and
civilizations to stumble and fall, followed by conscious efforts at reform.
In order for reform and lasting change to take place,
we will need to take some critical, penetrating looks at our cultures, our
discourses, and the ways in which we raise our children and train our
workforce. Once we have done this, our vision will be corrected, our thinking
will become sound, and our emotions and wills will be purified. Then,
(pg.69)
as
we seek to meet our needs and achieve our interests as individuals and as a
community, the predominant orientation among us will be the desire for what is
good and right. Error and wrongdoing will be an exception that is decried by
the community, and that the individual finds so repugnant that even if he
succumbs to temptation, he will readily repent and turn away from it.
Muslim thinkers, reformers, and educators are called
upon to identify the ills that afflict present-day Islamic culture, its ways of
thinking, its approaches to childrearing and professional training, its
educational curricula, and its institutions. Similarly, each subgroup within
the wider Muslim community is called upon to recognize the sources of the
malfunction or imbalance within it and methods of correcting it. However, when
this takes place, the community will be able to regain its health and its role
as a cultural pioneer with a clear vision and a sense of hope and optimism. The
Qur’anic worldview will again serve as the basis for the community’s way of
life, and consequently, it will not be diverted from its mission by slips and
errors. Rather, the societal forces that reject and confront such errors will
possess a renewed capacity for revitalization and empowerment in the life of
the community, and for the development and improvement of its institutions. As
we read in the Holy Qur’an:
۞ وَمَآ أُبَرِّئُ نَفۡسِىٓۚ إِنَّ ٱلنَّفۡسَ لَأَمَّارَةُۢ
بِٱلسُّوٓءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّىٓۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (٥٣) سُوۡرَةُ یُوسُف
And yet, I am not trying to absolve myself: for,
verily, man’s inner self does incite [him] to evil, and saved are only they
upon whom my Sustainer bestows His grace. Behold, my Sustainer is
Much-Forgiving, a Dispenser of grace! (surah Yusuf, 12:53)
وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوۡ
ظَلَمُوٓاْ أَنفُسَہُمۡ ذَكَرُواْ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسۡتَغۡفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمۡ وَمَن
يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمۡ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُواْ
وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُونَ (١٣٥) أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ جَزَآؤُهُم مَّغۡفِرَةٌ۬ مِّن
رَّبِّهِمۡ وَجَنَّـٰتٌ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡہَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَاۚ
وَنِعۡمَ أَجۡرُ ٱلۡعَـٰمِلِينَ (١٣٦) سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان
and who, when they have committed a shameful deed or
have [otherwise] sinned against themselves, remember God and pray that their
sins be for-given – for who but God could forgive sins? – and do not knowingly
persist in doing whatever [wrong] they may have done. These it is who shall
have as their reward forgiveness from their Sustainer, and gardens through
which running waters flow, therein to abide: and how excellent a reward for
those who labor! (surah Al Imran, 3:135–136)
As
we build our lives and pass through its various stages, be they fruitful or
barren, trouble-free or trying, we need to bear in mind that Islam provides a
sound perspective on human existence. As such, it is a
(pg.70)
lifeboat
that will bring us safely to shore, a compass that will ensure our secure
arrival at our journey’s end. Understand that:
·
Islam is not a form of racism that caters to human pride or base,
aggressive instincts.
·
Islam is not a naive, enslaving, humiliating, monastic idealism.
·
Islam is not a nihilistic materialism founded on the survival of the
fittest.
·
Rather, Islam is a down-to-earth yet spiritual idealism that is both
balanced and healthy.
This vision of Islam provides a basis for meeting
human needs in an atmosphere of safety, justice, and peace of mind. As such,
the Islamic vision celebrates and enhances life, leading us to the means of
achieving a happy, sound human existence.
Sex, for example, is the springhead of life and the
means of its continuation. Therefore, Islam celebrates and affirms sex, while
at the same time stressing the importance of bearing the responsibilities it
carries with it and protecting the rights of all parties involved. Science and
knowledge are one of the sources of civilization, progress, and creativity;
hence, Islam encourages the sciences and the pursuit of knowledge in all areas
of life, while insisting that knowledge and scientific discoveries be used in
ways that are beneficial rather than harmful. Similarly, earning a living and
seeking to acquire the means of earthly enjoyment are welcomed by Islam;
however, the means employed toward these ends must be legitimate and honorable,
devoid of any sort of injustice, deceit, or overindulgence. Life has no meaning
without freedom and the protection of human rights, dignity, and honor.
Therefore, Islam insists on the protection and defense of human freedoms and
rights, while forbidding hostility and aggression and encouraging pardon and
forgiveness wherever possible.
No sound, healthy behavior poses hardship for someone
who has a clear, sound vision of things and has been given a healthy
upbringing. If there is any difficulty or hardship, it results in most cases
from the distorted worldview that has shaped one’s social milieu and led to
decline and corruption in its culture and educational system. In such
(pg.71)
situations,
both individuals and nations have the responsibility to confront whatever
crises are being faced by the society rather than attempting to evade the
issues on the pretext of a sham idealism or so-called realism. The issue, once
again, is one of vision; it is a matter of mindset, culture, and educational
approach in all their dimensions as well as the numerous factors that go to
make them up and activate them. Hence, it makes no sense for the Islamic
religion or its associated worldview to be scapegoated for human inadequacy and
negligence. Nor can we disregard the true reasons for the crisis – be they
subjective or objective, internal or external – or allow the forces of darkness
and ignorance to exercise their sway over society and hinder efforts to bring
about change.
(pg.72)
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