Islam and the state Flashcards
What is sunnism?
Sunnism
o Sunnis claim that they represent the traditional, common understanding of Islam proclaimed by the Prophet. It focuses on the collective will of the group, emphasizing consensus on religions, social, political, legal and doctrinal issues.
o After its founding in the 7th century, Sunnism became an expansive religion in the Middle East. However Sunnism has come across many challenges over the centuries, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. Due to a result of Western colonialism, the Muslim world was severed into small nation-states, each struggling for justice, further weakening Muslim cohesion.
o By the end of the 20th century most Muslim countries were dealing with militant fundamentalist groups bent on reform. These anti-western and regime movements due to Western society conflicting with Islam. However, while such groups consider themselves to be Sunni, they are widely regarded as wrong and a new Islamic identity that’s completely different to classical theism.
What is shia?
Shi’a
o The Imamah are the Shi’a Imams, who are the centural figures of their ummah.
o ‘[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise’ (4:165). Shi’as believe the Imamah as one of their Principles of Faith. As the verse 4:165 of the Qur’an expresses the necessity to the appointment of the Prophets; so after the demise of the Prophet, Allah will assign someone similar to the Prophet in his attributes and Ismah (protection from sin) as his successor to guide the people without any deviation in religion.
o For a Shi’a, the Imamah is a position which is appointed by God and must be specified by Him. They are protected by God and no one excels in their nobility. Finally there can be no age without an Imam and finally Imam knows everything which is needed for us to get to Heaven.
o “And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [ Allah ] said, “Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people.” [Abraham] said, “And of my descendants?” [ Allah ] said, “My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.” (2:124)
It’s forbidden for the Imamah not to be from the family of Muhammad (PBUH). While to follow the offspring of a corrupted family would be hard, Muhammad (PBUH) came from a noble lineage and was noble himself. It’s believed that all Muhammad’s (PBUH) ancestors up to Adam were true Muslims. Jesus was also form a pious family, as it’s mentioned in the Qur’an that after his birth, people said to Mary: ‘O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste’.
Discuss secularisation and the state in modern Islam
o Secularism is the separation of religion and politics. A secularist would argue that the majority decides what such laws are and what their extent is.
o Secularism argues that the same exact law should exist for everyone. This means that the state would remain neutral and no one will be privileged or be at a disadvantage based on their beliefs (or lack of).
o Secularism ensures that all the problems are solved rationally by just scrutinizing the bare facts. There are no personal biases or emotions involved. This ensures equality for all, regardless of what sect or faith he belongs to. This also breaks down the barriers of caste and class as well.
o Secularism ensures that religious groups don’t get to interfere in affairs of state. For example, in a secular setting, after Pakistan passed the Women’s Protection Bill, many members of the ‘Council of Islamic Ideology’ were against this. So secularism isn’t against religion but rather against those who abuse it. Muslim secularists argue such scholars twist meanings of the Qur’an to further their own power over people and to acquire wealth and obedience. Secularism would put a stop to that.
o Politician choose secularism to allow the nation to progress in economic front as it reduces a major obstacle to that path which can be caused by religious conflicts. And in process they need to work with logics that may or may not be acceptable by their religious beliefs. So religion always stops progress in science and technologies due to its old prejudiced concepts with adoptation of new ideas.
What is the Islamic point of view of secularism
Secularism focuses on worldly maters, desires and pleasures; it makes this world the only goal in life, and forgets the Afterlife.
The words of the Prophet may be applied to the secularist: “Wretched is the slave of the dinar and the slave of dirham and the slave of the Khameesah (a kind of luxurious garment made of wool with patterns). If he is given he is pleased and if he is not given he becomes discontent. May he be wretched and doomed, and if he is pricked with a thorn may it not be pulled out (i.e. may he have no help to remove it).” Narrated by Al-Bukhaari.
“So do you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? Then what is the recompense for those who do that among you except disgrace in worldly life; and on the Day of Resurrection they will be sent back to the severest of punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do”. (2:85)
So whoever accepts whatever suits him of the religion, such as laws on personal and family matters, and rejects whatever doesn’t suit him, is included in this verse.
The aims of the secularists are focused on worldly accumulation and pleasures, even if it’s Haram and prevents one from performing their deen.
“Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments - We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived. Those are the ones for whom there is not in the Hereafter but the Fire. And lost is what they did therein, and worthless is what they used to do”. (11:15-16)
As Islam is a comprehensive system of worship (Ibadah) and legalisation (Shari’ah), the acceptance of secularism means abandoning Shari’ah which is a denial of the divine guidance and a rejection of Allah’s commands.
“Say! Do you know better than Allah?” (2:140). Man-made secular laws represent mankind’s limited knowledge and experiences to the divine guidance.
Secularism is compatible with the Western concept of God which maintains that after God had created the world, He left it to look after itself. In this sense, God’s relationship with the world is like that of a watchmaker with a watch: he makes it then leaves it to function without any need for him.
This concept originates from Aristotle’s theory of the Prime Mover, who argues God is neither in control or knows anything about this world. This is a helpless God as described by 20th century philosopher Will Durant. How can a God who legislates mankind when he’s ignorant of their affairs?
Explain the muslim world today
o Despite a 600 years Golden Age of scientific and cultural innovation, Islam has unfortunately not made any advances for a long time.
o The UN department Program reports that the total number of books translated into Arabic since the 9th century is around 10,000. This is also the amount of books that get translated in a single year in Spain.
o Governance is problematic throughout the Muslim world, where true democracies are rare and most states routinely deny basic human rights to their citizen. Of the 46 Muslim-majority countries, Freedom House deems only 7% (3 countries) to be ‘free’, while 43% (20 countries) are ‘partially free’ and 50% (23 countries) aren’t ‘free’.
o Human Rights Watch reports that in Saudi Arabia, the birth place of our Prophet, citizens are denied “the rights to free association, peaceful assembly, and free expression… torture of those arrested for crimes remains common, and the institutionalized system of legal guardianship denies women basic rights of travel, access to justice, health care, and educational choices”.
o With the exception of a small minority, the governments of the world that claim to speak on behalf of the global community of Muslims are controlling and repressive. These states promote a distorted and medieval form of Islamic law to justify their harsh practices and, often, the very existence of their regimes. Even more radical and violent views of Shari’ah are the source of inspiration for terrorism.
o Western critics view Muslim terrorists as support that Islam is an inherently backwards faith. Christopher Hitchens said Islam was “extremely dangerous” because it can’t be reformed, however Ayaan Hirsi Ali maintains that is “wishful thinking”.
o While most Muslims reject extremism, they’re caught between narratives promoted by radicals within their own faith community and conservatives from outside their communities. The roots of these dual misinterpretations of Sahri’ah come from a specific set of historical circumstances that have cast a long shadow on the Muslim world and its interaction with the West.
Discuss Reclaiming Tradition: Islamic Law in a Modern Muslim World
o While the West separates religion from law, Islamic countries and their Shari’ah aren’t purely confined to religious matters. Shari’ah is applied to a wide variety of ‘secular’ legal issues, ranging from inheritance, marriage, and divorce to contracts and criminal punishments. Moreover, after a brief popularisation in secularization during the 1950’s to 60’s, many Muslim countries have now embarked upon conscious efforts to inject more religion into government.
o An increasing number of Muslim-countries are inserting ‘Shari’ah supremacy’ clauses into their constitutions, making any legalisation which contradicts the provisions of Islamic law unconstitutional.
o The majority of the West view Sahri’ah as a rigid and immutable ‘law of God’ based on unchanging texts written in the Middle Ages. Understood and applied correctly, Shari’ah is a flexible, dynamic and jurisprudence that’s fully compatible with the modern human rights framework.
What are some examples of secularization in Islam?
- Democracy
- Women’s right
- Freedom of religion
Explain democracy
Democracy
Shari’ah doesn’t legitimize an authoritarian approach to governance. Though the Qur’an doesn’t specify what form of governance should be used in an Islamic state, it does allude to several concepts that are basic to democracy, and “undeniably proposes that the affairs and governance should be based on Shura (discussion/ consultation)”.
The Prophet himself was commanded by God in the Qur’an to “consult with (the faithful) upon the conduct of all affair”, and the hadith recount many instances of Muhammad (PBUH) consulting with some followers- and implementing the decisions of the majority.
Also, after the Prophet died, the majority of the Sahaba voted for his successor to be a Caliph (rather than a blood relative).
Explain women’s right
Women’s right
Women throughout the Islamic world don’t enjoy the same legal rights and privileges. In Saudi Arabia, women are prohibited from appearing in public without a veil or without a male relative as an escort, nor do women have the right to drive or to leave the country without permission from a male relative.
Azizah al-Hibri, a contemporary Islamic scholar, notes that early Muslim women were actively involved in every aspect of the life of the Muslim society. They include businesswomen, poets, jurists, religious leader and even warriors. “One cannot help but marvel at the fact that the Prophet’s first wife, Khadijah, was highly successful businesswoman who met Muhammad (PBUH) when she hired him to work as her business agent, and who subsequently proposed marriage to Muhammad (PBUH) on her own initiative. In present day Saudi Arabia, however, she would be prohibited from running a business or interacting with men in public. Similarly, the Prophet’s second wife, Aisha would become a figure in Islamic community, even leading a group of Muslims into battle. Yet in today’s Saudi Arabia, women are denied the right to vote or to meaningfully participate in politics.
The Qur’an expresses the importance of equality in genders. Many great jurists of Islamic history were women or were taught by women (including Sahfi’, father of the eponymous school of law).
On polygamy, The Qur’an commands that men can have no more than four wives, provided that the husband can treat all of them equally- but then warns in the same chapter that “Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women, even if it is your ardent desire”. This tells is that polygamy should be resorted to only in extraordinary cases, such as when a society’s normal gender balance is distorted by war.
The inequality of women doesn’t originate form Islam, but rather Medieval jurisprudence that warped Islamic law in order to justify a return to the old norms of Pre-Islamic Arab culture.
Explain freedom of religion
In 2006, an Afghan Muslim, Abdul Rahman, converted to Christianity and as a consequence was made to stand trial. This was controversial as Afghanistan’s Sahri’ah experts believed apostasy was a crime punishable by death.
The Qur’an does warn in that “anyone who, after accepting faith in God, utters unbelief… on them is wrath form God, and theirs will be a dreadful penalty”. But not one of the many verses describing apostasy mentions any punishment. Instead it’s a crime that left to God to punish in the afterlife (“on them is wrath from God”). The principle of tawhid clearly applies in this case, in that when punishment is reversed for God, it’s not up to his to decide how apostasy should be remedied.
This conclusion is supported by other statements in the Qur’an. For example, although God’s “Wrath” will be on unbelievers, the Qur’an states clearly that “there is no compulsion in religion”.
Islam is therefore not to be viewed as superior to Judaism or Christianity, but rather as one path among several. Muslims do believe that Islam supersedes previous Abrahamic faiths and is the ‘last word from God’; but this doesn’t mean that believers of other faiths are committing any sin or crime.
From these verses, punishing a Muslim apostate should be abhorrent under Islamic law and a contravention of clear Qur’anic guidelines. When God confirms that the multiplicity of religion is part of His plan, it would clearly contradict Shari’ah law to try to stamp out religious diversity.
Discuss the different reactions to secularism in the Muslim world
Islam is a comprehensive system ofIbadah (worship) and Shariah (legislation), the acceptance of secularism means abandonment of Shariah, a denial of the Divine guidance and a rejection of Allah’s injunctions. It is a total falsification to claim that Shariah is not proper to the requirements of the present age. The acceptance of a legislation formulated by humans means a preference of the humans’ limited knowledge to the Divine guidance: “Say! Do you know better than Allah”? (Al-Baqarah2: 140). For this reason, the call for secularism among Muslims is atheism and a rejection of Islam. Its acceptance as a basis for rule in place of Shari`ahis a downright apostasy.
However for some, secularism does not essentially result in a completely secularized and atheistic society. Turkey can be cited as an example where constitution embodies secularism but the society is still not secularized. A secular state, at least theoretically, is religiously neutral and does not try to infringe the religious freedoms of the religious lot. So fears that secularism would lead to elimination of religious freedom or even loss of significance are largely misplaced.
Critics argue that Muslim followers are not monolithic (as they are divided into sects), therefore a secular state, by being neutral ensures neutrality on religious grounds. It will also protect non-Muslims living within Muslim countries and thus promote internal cohesion and also improve the image of Muslim societies in the international arena.
Explain the degree to which Islam sanctions life as a religious minority in non-Muslim lands
Not only does Islam demand the freedom to practice religion, but also that we treat people of other faiths equally. Warning against any abuse of non-Muslims in an Islamic society, the Prophet stated: “Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, curtails their rights, burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawud)
In a time when Muslims were being tortured to death in then pagan Mecca, Jews were being persecuted in Christian Europe, and various peoples were being subjugated due to their particular race or caste- Islam called to the just treatment of all peoples and religions, due to its merciful tenets which gave humanity the right to their humanness.
