The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: so make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah that you may receive Mercy. (Qur’an, 49:10)
Indeed, the teachings of Islam cater to humanity-at-large. All problems affecting man and his environment can be solved through proper implementation of Islamic Law. But, how can the current global problems be solved through Islam, when Muslims themselves do not implement it? How can we prove to others that we can solve their problems when we ourselves have more problems to solve? There are instances in life when you feel all alone. I don’t mean it in literal sense. What I mean by being alone is that you can’t relate yourself with anyone. Not your friends, your well-wishers, your relatives, your siblings, or even your parents. It seems like no one gets what you are feeling. It’s very painful where you are not able to express what you feel. And even in the midst of crowd you will feel all alone, like a misfit on this planet. In this competitive, ruthless, aggressive race of moving ahead in life and proving oneself, no one seems to have time and energy for your ranting. It seems like you are static or slowed down and world does not seem to care, it will continue with or without you. Hold on.. There is actually someone who cares about what you feel. Yes! Have you thought of sharing your thoughts, feelings with the One who created this whole world. Even though He already knows what you feel, your feelings, intricacies, complexities more than yourself, He wants to hear it all from you. Just internalize it. The King of all kings. The Owner of all. Your Rabb loves to hear your voice. You an insignificant speck in universe are not insignificant to the Creator of this universe. He loves to hear your rantings. He can hear what you speak and He can hear the unspoken. He is the owner and maintainer of heavens and earth and all in between and of all what we don’t know about. It does not stop Him from listening to your incoherent speech. Share all your complexities, share what you can’t share with anyone. Share it with Him. He knows. He understands it all, the internal conflicts, the struggles. You may not be able to express it all. Don’t worry about coherence. Just Tell Him. Everything. The viability of Islamic Law to solve the current global problems. The divine nature of Islam makes it the only religion in the world that offers genuine solutions to such problems as social unrest, political instabilities, poverty and destitution, prostitution, homicide, killing, drug addiction, alcoholism, family break-up, juvenile delinquency, suicides, Aids, and the like. Islam is not only a religion, but also a complete code of life. All facets of life, public and private alike, are covered under the realm of Islamic Law. Islamic Law is “the epitome of Islamic thought, the most typical manifestation of the Islamic way of life, the core and kernel of Islam itself… Apart from this, the whole life of the Muslims, Arabic literature and the Arabic and Islamic disciplines of learning are all deeply imbued with the ideals of Islamic Law; it is impossible to understand Islam without understanding Islamic Law.” Absolute prohibition of adultery, prostitution and other forms of sexual promiscuity. Islamic Law explicitly prohibits adultery and fornication as clearly mentioned in the following Qur’anic injunctions:
“Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils)” (Qur’an, 17:32). “The man and woman guilty of adultery or fornication, flog each of them with a hundred stripes: let no compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if you believed in Allah and the Last Day: and let a party of believers witness their punishment” (Qur’an 24:2). Adultery, fornication and other promiscuous sex practices are punishable in Islam, because they are indeed serious crimes which affect the entire society. As discussed earlier, the Aids problem, which is reaching pandemic proportions, is due largely to sexual permissiveness. Thus, the divine punishment (hudud) for these social ills is certainly for the good of the entire humanity. Although, the Aids problem is currently affecting largely those indulging in sexual promiscuity, many innocent individuals, including doctors, nurses and children, have been victimised by this social carnage. Even in countries, where Aids is virtually non-existent, people are wary about the underlying danger. That is why the Chinese doctors likened Aids to that of a holocaust. Allah’s justice is equally open to all. In Islam, one cannot just be abused by the law. For instance, a charge against a chaste individual needs to be confirmed, beyond any reasonable doubt. Allah says: “And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses (to support their allegations), flog them with 80 stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors.” (Qur’an, 24:4). Islam, therefore, discourages unwarranted suspicions as much as possible. Allah says: “O you who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: and spy not on each other, nor speak ill of each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you would abhor it… But fear Allah: for Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 49:12). So, if a wicked person accuses a woman or a man of adultery or fornication, she or he should be given the benefit of the doubt. Allah warns the believers against the mischief of the wicked as follows: “O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done.” (Qur’an 49:6). True Muslims are indeed God-fearing. They avoid all kinds of vices to please Allah alone. True believers, for instance, are definitely mindful of the warning of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) that: “There is nothing which Allah so abhors as his male and female servants committing adultery”. (Quoted by Azizullah M, Glimpses of the Hadith).
No Muslim commits suicide, because if he does, he will have the Hell-fire as his eternal abode. The Prophet says: “He who throws himself from a mountain and kills himself will be thrown in the fire and remain in it forever; and he who sips poison and kills himself will have his poison in his hand and sip it forever and ever in the fire of hell.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Nasai) “Do not harm yourself or others.” (Ahmad and Ibn Maja). Muslims need to think “global” as members of the Ummah.
The Principle of Equality and Justice: The Way to Overcome the Crimes Worldwide. Islam also provides absolutely effective solution to murder and other related crimes common in the West and elsewhere. The Islamic laws of equality and justice, tempered with mercy, are seen in the following Qur’anic injunctions: “O ye who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude. This is a concession and a mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty.” (Qur’an, 2:178). “In the Law of Equality there is (saving of) life to you, O ye men of understanding that ye may restrain yourself.” (Qur’an, 2:179). “In it (ie the Torah) We decreed for them a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and a (similar) retribution for wounds. But for him who forgoes it out of mercy, it will atone for some of his sins. Those who do not judge in accordance with what Allah has revealed are indeed wrongdoers.” (Qur’an, 5:44-47)
“Nor take life – which Allah has made sacred – except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life; for he’s helped by the (Law).” (Qur’an, 17:33). “The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah: for (Allah) loveth not those who do wrong.” (Qur’an, 42:40). “As to the thief, male or female, cut off his hand or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is exalted in power.” (Qur’an, 5:38). “But if the thief repent after his crime, and amend his conduct, Allah turneth to him in forgiveness; for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an, 5:39). We have already seen earlier that murder, burglary and other related crimes are taking place, day by day, in both the capitalist and communist worlds, notably in the United States and the Soviet Union. Had the West and elsewhere been under Islamic rule, as is the case of Saudi Arabia, such crimes would have rarely occurred. Saudi Arabia has remained the most peaceful country in the world, because of its adherence to Shari’ah. For instance, when a murderer is finally convicted, after passing through a legal procedure in accordance with the Shari’ah, he will be punished accordingly in the eyes of the public. Conventional wisdom will tell anyone not to do anything against the law, when he sees that the culprits are duly punished.
For the man of faith, however, he looks at this divine punishment for the culprits as Allah’s blessing for the entire humanity. Duly punishing the convict for example, means that the law-abiding people will have peace of mind, because they know for sure that they are being protected by the Law. Thus, this is tantamount to removing the social cancer for the benefit of all. (In Saudi Arabia, it was a common knowledge that when the Saudi vendors go to prayer, they used to leave open their own stores, money and other belongings, without any resultant problem of shoplifting, stealing and the like. The foreigners have mixed reactions to this exemplary state of peace and order. Many attribute this to the superiority of Shari’ah as a constitutional guide to mankind. Some wicked individuals, however, took advantage of the situation, by bringing into the kingdom the malpractices they have inherited from their respective countries, such as indulgence in drugs, alcohol and the like. The situation, however, has remained under effective control, since anyone caught and convicted is penalised, in accordance with the Shari’ah.). In contrast, as long as America, Europe and the rest of the world – including Muslim countries which emulate the West – stick to their man-made laws, they will always be on the brink of chaos and instability. Where Islamic Law prevails, as in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the constituents are God-fearing and righteous. They obey the saying of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) that: “Of all men, the people who have faith abstain most from killing.” (Abu Dawood). Prohibition of intoxicants and gambling. At first, the Muslims in Medina were not prohibited to drink intoxicating wine or liquor, and to gamble. When Muslims began to ask about drinking and gambling, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) received the following revelation: “They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: ‘In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit.’” (Qur’an, 2:219). While this revelation helped in minimising alcoholism among Muslims those days, they still continued to drink. Many were even under the influence of liquor when they were in prayers. So, another Qur’anic injunction from Allah was revealed to the Prophet as follows:
“O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until he can understand all that ye say.” (Qur’an, 4:43). The final revelation on the prohibition of drinking wine and gambling says: “O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication) of stones, and (divination by) arrows are an abomination of Satan’s handiwork: Eschew such abomination, that you may prosper. “Satan’s plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred among you, with intoxicants and gambling, and to turn you away from the remembrance of Allah and from Prayer: Will you not then abstain?” (Qur’an, 5:90-91). Again, had the West and elsewhere been under Islamic rule, the problems of alcoholism in the United States, Soviet Union and elsewhere in the world would have been minimised, if not eradicated. The problems of alcoholism and drug-addiction prevalent among the people in the developed countries of the world point to the fact that they are unhappy.
The prohibition of suicide: In the non-Muslim parts of the world, when problems go uncontrolled, many simply do not know what to do and where to go. So, they kill themselves, as already discussed earlier. In contrast, a non-Muslim historian Philip Hitti in his book History of the Arabs, objectively emphasises that suicide is rare in Muslim lands. He says: “In this uncompromising monotheism, with its simple, enthusiastic faith in the supreme rule of a transcendent being, lies the chief strength of Islam. Its adherents enjoy a consciousness of contentment and resignation unknown among followers of most creeds.” (Quoted by Abdul A’la Mawdudi, Towards Understanding Islam)
Islam considers life as a trust (amanah) from Allah. All good things that one possesses are, in fact, amanah – his own mind, body and soul, his life-partner, his own children, his wealth and the like. All of these belong to Allah alone. Thus, what right has one got to take his life away. Allah says: “O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual goodwill: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful! “If any do that in rancour and injustice, soon shall We cast them into the Fire: and easy it is for Allah.” (Qur’an, 29:30). The Muslims know well that suicide is absolutely prohibited by Allah. No Muslim commits suicide, because if he does, he will have the Hell-fire as his eternal abode. The Prophet says: “He who throws himself from a mountain and kills himself will be thrown in the fire and remain in it forever; and he who sips poison and kills himself will have his poison in his hand and sip it forever and ever in the fire of hell.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Nasai) “Do not harm yourself or others.” (Ahmad and Ibn Maja). Muslims need to think “global” as members of the Ummah. They should be able to break all barriers against their unity and brotherhood. Muslims worldwide should continuously promote co-operation, brotherhood and unity among themselves.
( The authors write regularly on Islamic topics exclusively for “ Kashmir Horizon” . The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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