THE ESSENTIALS OF AN ISLAMIC COMMUNITY

If we profess to be Muslims who value the integrity of our faith, we must vigorously reassert our religious and cultural identity. It is not enough to condemn the atheism of modern civilization and its institutions so destructive to all we cherish. Instead we must always stress the positive and constructive values of the Islamic way of life and build them up as practical alternatives.

Only after these alternatives are provided will it become possible to permanently demolish alien influence. In so doing we shall have to engage in a desperate struggle with vested interests within our ranks who will spare no pains to frustrate our efforts. They will invariably scorn the course of action suggested here as unworkable and the product of wishful thinking. They will point out that because of technological progress, all parts of the world have become so dependent upon each other that no people can remain aloof from modern civilization and hope to survive. They say that it is impossible for any government to function in the modern world based on a Law revealed more than thirteen centuries ago.

They insist that the Shariah is a fossil and the Khalifate no more than a museum piece.

It is highly questionable if those who put ‘realism’ and ‘practicality’ before all else have ever stopped to ponder that were the Holy Prophet of the same turn of mind, he and his tiny band of followers in Medina would have given up 101 their cause as hopeless, deeming it impossible to fight against the greatest imperialistic powers of the time. Surely the Battle of Badr would never have taken place since the poverty-stricken Muslims were so few in number that they could barely muster an army of 300 ill-equipped men on foot against more than 3,000 well-armed Quraishis on horseback.

Do they forget that it was the ‘realists’ who feared the destruction of the idols in the Kaaba because these were the source of income not only of Mecca but of the whole of Arabia.

Those who admire ‘practicality’ must logically praise Mu’awiya’s worldly triumph over Hazrat Ali and consider Hazrat Hussain hot-headed indeed because his chances of winning at the Battle of Kerbala were almost nil.

Indeed, the distinguishing characteristic between the believer and the unbeliever is that while the unbeliever bases his actions upon opportunism and expediency, the believer does what is right regardless of worldly consequences.

We cannot attain an Islamic society until we recognize the supremacy of the Shariah. Ruler and ruled alike are all equally subject to the Divine Law; tyranny and despotism will find no place in an Islamic state. In order to derive full benefit from the Shariah, it must always be interpreted in a strict, literal sense and no concessions nor compromises whatsoever be made to the so-called ‘changing times’.

This immediately raises the question of Ijtihad (use of independent judgment in interpreting the Shariah) versus Taqlid (or the reliance upon the authority of the previous jurists). It has become the fashion now-a-days to 102 blame the decadence, stagnation and decline of the Muslim world on Taqlid. This popular but misleading belief must be exposed for the fallacy that it is, for Taqlid was the result of these unfortunate circumstances and not the cause. During the Crusades and the Mongol invasions which destroyed so many centres of learning, the leading jurists and theologians were far-sighted enough to realize that society would disintegrate into utter chaos if unqualified, ignorant people were free to tamper with the Shariah as they pleased. The impact of modern Western civilization has created a similar situation of far more serious proportions. Now-a-days Western educated leaders with little or no appreciation of Islamic values are claiming the right of Ijtihad to mutilate the Shariah beyond recognition. This they do by rejecting the Fiqh of the great classical jurists as no longer applicable to the present day and by casting doubt on the authenticity of Hadith in order to allow them the maximum freedom to introduce Western innovations. This is what the modernizers today understand as Ijtihad.

There is no doubt whatsoever that Ijtihad is a basic and indispensable tool of Islamic jurisprudence sanctioned no less than by the Holy Prophet himself. Thus Ijtihad can never be rejected in principle, but rather only its abuses condemned as interpreted and practiced today. Ijtihad is valid when: (1) it is applied only where there are no specific injunctions of the Quran or Sunnah; (2) it does not conflict with Quran or Sunnah; (3) no sophistry is used to obscure the true principles of the Quran and the

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Sunnah. It is glaringly evident that the modernists have violated every one of these rules, particularly the last.

Any attempt to revise the Shariah in the light of modern conditions is bound to destroy the last vestige of permanency and stability which a Muslim instinctively and correctly associates with the concept of Divine Law. For if revision is necessary now, it will certainly become necessary a few decades hence when conditions will have changed again and so on until the Law of Islam will be entirely revised out of existence. If this were justified, what right would we have to claim the Law-Giver has conceived the Law of Islam as an eternal proposition? Would it not in that event be much more appropriate to say that this Law instead of creating conditions is subservient to them and that therefore it cannot be Divine Law?1

Education is the most important function of an Islamic society.

A renaissance of Islam is impossible without popular support. It can never hope to succeed unless the rising generation understand and fully appreciate the value of our faith. How can this be accomplished?

First of all, we must recognize the mosque as the only proper place for the education of our youth. Every mosque should also be a school.

Secondly, the study of Arabic must be made compulsory at all educational levels and given first priority. Every Muslim child should learn not only to read and recite but fully understand the meaning of the original text of Quran in Arabic. Arabic must be the medium of instruction and Quran, instead of being just another incidental subject, must be the focal point around

2 The Principles of State and Government in Islam, Muhammad Asad, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1961, pp. 2-3, 102-3.

114 which the entire curriculum revolves. All other subjects should be taught in relation to Quran to avoid any sharp distinction between religious and secular learning. In this way, the entire educational curriculum will be integrated harmoniously. The study of European languages, literature, philosophy and law should be confined to the universities, preferably on the graduate level. Under no circumstances should we expose our children to secularism because there is no deadlier poison to impressionable, immature minds. On the other hand, it is essential that those in positions of authority and influence possess thorough familiarity with modern civilization in order to effectively combat its influence. In order to give our youth a clear understanding of the past in relation to the present, we must revolutionize our attitude in regard to Islamic history. Too many of our educated elite regard the transmission of Greek philosophy by the Mu’tazilites (rationalists) to medieval Europe as the most important contribution of Islamic civilization to humanity. Such Hellenistic philosophers as al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd have been praised more than they deserve. A truer perspective of Islamic history enables us to understand why the achievements of Umar ibn Abd al Aziz, Salah-ud-din Ayubi and Alamgir Aurangzeb were so much greater. Instead of boasting of Islam’s contribution to Western civilization, we must be aware of the fact that the transmission of Greek learning to medieval Europe was quite coincidental and had nothing to do with Islam itself. Since Islam is of infallible Divine origin and therefore complete, self sufficient, and independent 115 dent of man-made philosophy, it is futile to attempt to justify its validity by a comparison with any other civilization, past or present. Hence the uselessness of trying to prove the greatness of Islamic civilization by boasting of its contributions to medieval Europe, for Islam exists independently for itself and not as subservient to other cultures. Although it is a religious duty for our rulers in their personal capacity to give their full moral support and generous financial contributions for the maintenance and growth of our educational system, schools should be freed from direct state control and allowed to flourish on an independent basis. Those who have wealth should be induced to contribute financially to schools at all levels both through Zakat and voluntary charity. With our educational system supported financially through Zakat, voluntary charity, wills and the Waqf foundations, it shall then be possible to make all education completely tuition-free from the primary through the graduate university level. Although primary schools should be open to all children, secondary and university education should be limited to those youth who possess sufficient interest and intellectual capacity to profit by it. Although parents should be given every encouragement to send their children to school, they must not be forced by law to do so because it is the father who must decide how his children are to be reared—not the State. An important function of an Islamic society is the protection of the family. Strong family ties of mutual affection and responsibility are indispensable for a healthy 106 society. Filial loyalty and respect and consideration for old people must be emphasized and encouraged in every possible way. The most effective means of doing this is to put an end to the cult of youth-worship. When women are made to feel dignified and important in bearing the major responsibility for preserving a wholesome home life, they will have no more desire to play the role of a man. No longer will they regard their dignity as human beings dependent upon competing with men in business and politics. Neither will they resent being required by law to dress modestly and conceal their bodies in public. An Islamic society must insist on segregation of boys and girls after puberty, ban immoral books, the publication of pictures in newspapers, magazines, books and commercial advertising, forbid the sale of alcoholic beverages and enforce the full penalties of the Shariah against illicit sex. No poison is more deadly to Islamic moral values than the modern cinema industry. Therefore it is imperative to ban the importation of all foreign films and prohibit the production of domestic ones. Cinema and television must be limited strictly to educational purposes. We must make every effort to combat the evil of nationalism and strengthen the bonds of the Ummah from one end of the Muslim world to the other. If the different Muslim countries are unable to unite politically at once, they can pave the way by eliminating visa requirements, passports, tariffs and custom duties in order to promote unrestricted freedom of commerce and travel. Minority groups living under Muslim rule must be allowed religious and cultural autonomy in self-contained 107 communities of their own and their rights scrupulously protected according to the laws of the Shariah. We will never gain vigour and vitality until we recognize the catastrophic consequences of imitating a foreign culture and do everything possible to put an end to this. Let anyone who doubts the crucial importance of avoiding the adoption of Western dress and living habits, listen to what the historian, Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) had to say on this subject: > The vanquished always seek to imitate their victors in their dress, insignia and other customs and usages. This is because men are always inclined to attribute perfection to those who have defeated and subjugated them. Men do this either because the reverence they feel towards their conquerors makes them see perfection in them or because they refuse to admit that their defeat could have been brought about by ordinary causes and hence they suppose that it is due to the perfection of the conquerors. Should this belief persist long, it will change into a profound conviction and will lead to the adoption of all the tenets of the victors and the imitation of all their characteristics. This imitation may come about either unconsciously or because of a mistaken belief that the victory of the conquerors was due not to their superior solidarity and physical strength but to the inferiority of the customs and beliefs of the conquered. > Hence arises the delusion that such an imitation will remove the causes of defeat. In fact, every country which has powerful conquering neighbours tends to imitate those neighbours as we see among the Spanish Muslims who imitate their Christian neighbours in their dress and ornaments even to the extent of having statues and pictures on the walls of their homes and shops. And in this the careful observer will mark a sign of inferiority. Here in this single paragraph, Ibn Khaldun has

1 The Muqaddimah, Vol. I, p. 266.

108 described with superb insight exactly what is wrong with us. The remedy is obvious. If our pride in our faith and its heritage is genuine, it must be expressed by our physical appearance. If we do not want to be like our enemies, we should not want to look like them either. Certainly we have no right to call ourselves Muslims if we are ashamed to be identified as such. Only a very poor psychologist will say that these things are merely outward and therefore unimportant. Next to a man’s body, his clothes and his home are the nearest things to his soul and have an incalculable influence upon it. It was easy for his soul to conform to Islam in the surroundings which Islamic civilization provided for it, but now, for no good reason, that God-given civilization has been pushed aside; therefore we find in most so-called Islamic countries, men have shaved off their beards, forsaken their turbans and taken to wearing a dress which puts many obstacles in the way of ablution and which makes the movements of the prayer look ugly and even ridiculous and as for their homes, there is nothing in them to make one remember God 1 and much to make one forget Him. One of the outward tokens of that inward dignity of the Muslim is the turban. The Holy Prophet praised the turban in many of his sayings just as he also enjoined upon men to grow their beards. It can also be said that the loose, flowing garments such as worn by him and his companions are the only true Islamic dress for this is the only kind of dress which conforms to the movements of the prayer. The Holy Prophet’s house in Medina was an extension of his mosque and for more than twelve hundred years, every Muslim house was an extension of the nearest mosque. Men took off their shoes to enter their homes; the floors were strewn with ritually purified mats or carpets; they sat at home as they would sit in the mosque and the ornaments on their walls were all reminders of God—Divine Names, verses from the Quran, sayings of the Prophet. This *is* the essence of Islamic civilization and there is absolutely no reason why any of the things that I have mentioned here 109 should have been changed or why the Muslim home today should not still be as an extension of the mosque. Only in such surroundings as these can Islam truly flourish.1 What will the world be like under Islamic rule? When men recognize the sovereignty of God and the supremacy of His Law, all false values will be automatically swept away. It will be a world where men are slaves of God and not to each other. It would mean freedom from all forms of tyranny. It will be a world where a man is judged by his character and not by his worldly success. There will be no place for racial discrimination or class hatred. Congregational prayer, Haj, fasting and Zakat will create strong bonds of affection, trust and responsibility between man and his fellow man. The prosperous will enjoy their wealth as a bounty from God in which the poor have rightful share assured by law. It will be a world without artificiality or deception. Women will not try to be like men nor will the old feel ashamed of their age. Since this world will be recognized as only a temporary abode, people will be preoccupied with eternal salvation and shun as evil all that diverts them from the remembrance of God and the Hereafter. Night clubs, dance halls, theatres, bars, saloons, gambling casinos and brothels would soon go bankrupt and forced to close down for lack of business. An Islamic society would not be utopia, for perfection does not belong to this world. Some of us will be tempted to break the Law but crime will be limited to isolated 110 individuals instead of a raging epidemic. There will be no confusion in any mind as to what is right and what is wrong. Yes, even in an Islamic society human beings will suffer, for sorrow is as an inseparable part of this life as are its joys. There will be pain, hunger, sickness and death. But despair and boredom will be absent. Suicides will be unknown. Nobody will doubt the meaning or the purpose of life.