THE MUSLIM DILEMMA

(The following is a summary of the chapter IV of the book: ISLAM AND SECULARISM by By Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas.

Summarised by Ismail Nizam)

The major problems that plague Muslim society stretches back to the historical confrontation which Western culture and civilization had perpetuated against Islaam. The causes of these problems originated from the earliest periods in the formation of Christianity. The knowledge of the dilemma is only a partial solution to the problem. Some of the components of this dilemma have their origins within our own physical world and intellectual history while others instigated as effects of the confrontation, which was external to our own affairs.
The root cause of the confrontation is to be discerned in the formation of Christianity and the rise of Islaam. The Christian thinkers and theorists believed that the Christianity possessed not only the potentiality and capacity to become a world religion, but also strived to develop into a universal religion that would dominate over nations. They foresaw the lack of potentiality of the existing world religions to become universal ones. Indeed, the historical existence of other religions as confined to their own territory proved themselves to be insulated within their own influential domains and spheres. This is because the existing religions did not possess doctrines of salvation like the one Christianity was formulating, and hence they dispossessed the salvation spirit of mission which was necessary to make religion universally acknowledged. The very idea of universality in religion is itself unique and revolutionary in its effect upon human life. Neither cosmopolitan life nor universal life is possible unless the God of religion is also a Universal God. According to the Holy Qur’an the true religion was from the very beginning universal since it refers to one and the same Universal god. It was thus God who revealed man the universal religion. The idea of universal religion did not originate in man’s intellect and gradually evolve and develop in his culture and history. It was revealed to man by the true God, Allah. If it had been otherwise, man would never have been able to conceive it.
Therefore, at this juncture, there is a question realistically required to be answered; how did the idea of a universal religion come to be claimed as having originated in Christianity? The answer to this question was given in the holy Qur’an and can be interpreted as; God revealed to Jesus (peace be upon him) the coming of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) who would ultimately establish among mankind the universal religion. Jesus (peace be upon him) narrated this revelation to his disciples. Later, the followers of Jesus (peace be upon him) interpreted his teachings incorrectly and applied to their own new creation. The so-called Christian idea of universal religion was taken from the sermon of Jesus (peace be upon him). The original statement of Jesus (peace be upon him) actually referred to Islaam, which was interpreted differently and appropriated for the new religion Christianity. However, as Muslims, the point to be remembered is that God’s plan is far more superior and accurate, which can neither be confounded nor prevented from coming to pass. At the very beginning of its manifestation Islaam addressed itself to the whole of mankind and forged a firm brotherhood among members of multiracial communities. It was this uniqueness of Islaam which naturally followed universality.
The rise of Islaam changed the world. The rapid dissemination of Islaam worldwide caused two major historic events in the western world, shaping its ensuing history and destiny. One was the dissolution of unity in the Mediterranean, molding the life styles of peoples of neighboring regions. The other was the subsequent shift in the western Christian life from Rome to North Aix Ia Chapelle. These two events resulted in a drastic change in Western culture and civilization, not only physically but also spiritually. As a result Christianity itself suffered a separation of destinies between Rome and Constantinople. In addition to the influences that affected the Christianity, Islaam caused revolutionary changes in the linguistic, social, cultural, political and economic facets of Western life. Islamic centers of learning in the west reflected knowledge to the western world, with which western scholars, thinkers and theologians were able to regain their intellectual position, exerting greater influence in nurturing the spirit of their renaissance.
Islaam, in its very beginning, challenged Christianity’s right to universality. The Holy Qur’an challenged the authenticity of Christianity following the revelations at Makkah. Islaam challenged this doctrinal confrontation.
Islaam played a dominant role in shaping world history for a thousand years. The western counter-attack came gradually with the western scientific revolution in the 13th century due to its military and economic power. The progressive exploitation of Muslim world was caused primary by internal elements. As a result, the west was able to implant its worldview in the field where once a single Islamic worldview existed. This intellectual attack resulted in the dissemination of the basic essentials of the western worldview in the Muslim mind. It was gradually consolidated and accomplished via the educational system founded on the western conception of knowledge. This, ultimately, brought about a new concept among Muslims known as deislamisation of Muslim mind. The confrontation between these two worldviews transformed from historic, military and religious levels to intellectual level.

CORRUPTION--DAMAGING EDUCATION

The following short report is taken from BBC

Bribery and corruption damage universities and schools across the world, according to a report for the UN's education wing, Unesco.
The study says education is plagued by rigged tendering processes, academic fraud and bribes over places and posts.
Academic fraud, such as fake degrees, is more common in the United States than in developing countries, it says.
The study of more than 60 countries says that in some, illegal use of funds meant for schools can be very high.
This loss between ministries and schools - or "leakage" as it is called - can be as much as 80% of the non-salary cash for schools.
Recent surveys have shown that ghost teachers on school payrolls represent 5% of the payroll in Honduras and 15% in Papua New Guinea, according to the survey.
Fake universities
In higher education, the problems centre mostly on bogus universities, degrees which can be bought rather than earned and fake accreditation or licensing of institutions.
The study says the number of fake universities on the internet offering bogus degrees rose from 200 to 800 between 2000 and 2004.
Officials in Ukraine had admitted that in 2005 most licensing or accreditation applications for the country's 175 private universities required some form of bribery for success.
Authors Jacques Hallak and Muriel Poisson paint a bleak picture of world education.
Such widespread corruption not only costs societies billions of dollars, it also seriously undermines the vital effort to provide education for all
Koichiro Matsuura, director-general of Unesco
Their report says: "In most societies - rich and poor - the education sector is facing severe difficulties and crisis; financial constraints, weak management, low efficiency, wastage of resources, low quality of service delivery and lack of relevance as illustrated by high unemployment of graduates, among others".
The authors say the lack of integrity in education systems leads donors to question the worth of aid programmes.
The answer, they say, lies in strengthening regulatory systems and management as well as educating future generations about ethics to try to stamp out corruption.
They say there are good examples of countries which have overcome corruption problems, such as Azerbaijan, where fraud in university entrance exams was cut through the use of computer technology which stopped people altering marks.
In Uganda, they say "leakages" of funds in the transfer of money from the education ministry to schools was cut from 87% to 15%. This was achieved by giving more information to local communities and by publicising penalties taken against corrupt officials.
The director-general of Unesco, Koichiro Matsuura, said the report was a call to action.
"Such widespread corruption not only costs societies billions of dollars, it also seriously undermines the vital effort to provide education for all".
"It prevents poorer parents from sending their children to school, robs schools and pupils of equipment, lowers teaching standards and thus education standards generally, and compromises the future of our youth. We cannot let it go unchecked."

(Source: Taken from BBC)

SECULARISM--THE MODERN JAAHILIYYAH

Author: Ismail Nizam

Secularism is not a new ideology. It is the modern manifestations of the old conflict that existed between Islam and “the way of ignorance” in a new form. Secularism is also mutating and has various names and symbols, but the common element of which is maintained - polytheism. The long-age Islam-Secularism clash is none other than that of monotheism and polytheism. This is the struggle that began against monotheism, Thawheed, since the day the prophets first pronounced the belief in the history of prophets. Secularism, in its mutated forms, will continue to fight Islam until Allah, the Lord of the worlds, calls to the end of the Earth and its very contents.

This global phenomenon has entered the Maldives, and has spread its tentacles all over the intellectual movements, among the reformists, representing the so-called modern democracy. Secularists in the Maldives believe that the society can never be reformed except by buy systems of laws from the West. This is the reason we see them begging behind the West. They, in most learning attempts, are blind followers. They even bring and introduce the most spoiled and collapsed elements of Western civilization in the Maldives, and claim that there is no other way to reform, develop, and civilize. As the Jaahiliyyah of old appealed to the practices of the pagan-Arabian tribes for laws, the secularists appeal to the West for laws to be implemented in the country. However, these legal philosophies run contrary to Islam, our worldview, culture and values. The secularists name their calls “reformation”, “modernization” and “development”, but in reality they are calling to Westernization. This is totally incompatible with the thinking, culture and principles of our society.

GLOBAL WARMING AND SEA LEVEL RISE: FORGOTTEN ISSUES!

Global warming, and an effect of which, sea level rise, are critical to world today. This is the most debated topic in any meeting of enviornmental ministers, NGO officials, and environmentalists and their pressure groups. However, in meetings of such nature, participants often seem to have forgotten some very critical issues which are directly linked to these environmental threats. Infrarred rays are one of the key contributors to global warming, but a very pertinent issue is forgotten while discussing infrarred rays. In world countries, the highways, roads and streets are constructed using tar, made up of coal. This reflects the heated sun's rays back into the atmosphere. The Authorities must now think of an alternative material for constructing these highways such as cooking facility (water) beneath higways, that would keep the temperature low. With regards to sea level rise, no body talks about the increase in sea level due to water displacement by ships and other sea vehicles. Imagine the total volume of water displacement that would be caused by all the ships and sea vessels on the world's oceans. Are we not brave enough to manufacture these ships and vessels in a fashion that would minimise the displacement or develop energy consuming airbuses, that are environmentally friendly? A series of serious research is required in these critical areas.

THE LAST SERMON OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW)

All praise is due to Allah, so we praise him, and seek His pardon and we turn to Him. We seek refuge with Allah from evils of ourselves and the evil consequences of our deeds. Whom Allah guides aright there is none to lead him astray; and there is none to guide him aright whom Allah leads astray. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, the one, having no partner with Him. Allah is the sovereignty and to Him is due all praise. He grants life and cause death and is powerful over everything. There is no God but Allah, the one, Who fulfilled His promise and granted victory to His bondsman, and He alone routed the confederates ( of the enemies of Islam).
O’ people, listen to my words, for I do not know whether we shall ever meet again and perform Hajj after this year. O’ people, Allah says; “ O’ people, We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into tribes and nations, so as to be known to one another. Verily, in the sight of Allah, the most honored amongst you is the one most righteous. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab and for a non-Arab over an Arab, nor for the white over the black, nor for the black over the white except in God consciousness. All mankind is the progeny of Adam and Adam was fashioned out of clay. Behold, every claim of privilege whether that of blood or property, is under my heels except that of the custody of Quraish. Don’t appear on the day of the judgment with the burden of this world around your necks, whereas other people may appear before their Lord with rewards of the hereafter. In that case I shall not avail you against Allah.
Behold, all practices of the day of ignorance are now under my feet. The blood revenges of the days of ignorance are remitted. The first claim on blood I abolish is that of Ibn Rabi’ah Binth Harith who was nursed in the tribe of Sa’ad and whom the Hudhayis killed. All interest and usurious dues accruing from the times of ignorance stand wiped out.
And the first amount of interest that I remit is that which ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib had to receive. Verily, it is remitted entirely.
O’ people, verily, your blood, your property and your honor are sacred and inviolable until you appear before your Lord, as the sacred inviolability of this day of yours, this month of yours and this very town of yours. Verily, you will soon meet your Lord and you will be held accountable for your actions.
O’ people, verily, you have got certain rights over your women and your women have certain rights over you. It is your right upon them to honor their conjugal rights, and not to commit acts of impropriety, which if they do, you are authorized by Allah to separate them from your beds and chastise them but not severely, and if they refrain, then clothe and feed them properly.
Behold, it is not permissible for a woman to give anything from the wealth of her husband to anyone until he allows. Treat the women kindly, since they are your helpers and are not in a position to manage their affairs themselves. Fear Allah concerning women, for verily you have taken them on the security of Allah and have made their persons lawful unto you by words of Allah.
O’ people, Allah, the Mighty and exalted, has ordained to everyone his due share of inheritance . Hence there is no need of special testament for a heir departing from the rules laid down by the Shari’ah. The child belongs to the marriage-bed and the violator of wedlock shall be stoned, and reckoning of their deeds rests with Allah. He who attributes his ancestry to other than his father or claims his client ship to other than his master, the curse of Allah is upon him. All debts must be repaid, all borrowed property must be returned, gifts should be reciprocated and a surety must make good must make good the loss to the assured. Beware, no one committing a crime is responsible for it but himself. Neither the child is responsible for the crime of his father, nor the father is responsible for the crime of the child. Nothing of his brother is lawful for a Muslim except what he gives willingly. So, do not wrong yourselves. O’ people, every Muslim is the brother of other Muslim, and all the Muslims form one brotherhood. And your slaves! See that you feed them with such food as you eat, and clothe them with the clothes that you wear. Take heed not to go astray after me, and strike one another’s necks. He who has any trust with him, he must return it to its owner. O’ people, listen and obey, though a mangles Abyssinian slave is appointed your Amir, provided he executes the book of Allah among you. O’ people, no prophet would be raised after me and no Ummah would be formed after you. Verily, I have left amongst you that which will never lead you astray, the book of Allah and my Sunnah, which if you hold fast you shall never go astray. And beware of transgressing at ever being worshipped in this land of your, but if obedience in anything; short of worship is expected; he will be pleased in matters you may be disposed to think insignificant. So, beware of him in your matters of religion. Behold, worship your Lord; offer prayers five times a day; observe fast in the month of Ramadan; pay Zakat on your property; and perform hajj to the house of Allah and obey your rulers and you will be admitted to the paradise. Let those present convey this message to those absent. For many people to whom the message is conveyed may be more mindful of it that the audience. And if you were asked about me, what would you say? The audience answered: We bear witness that you have conveyed the trust and discarded your ministry of apostle hood and looked to our welfare. Thereupon, Allah’s messenger s.a.w lifted his fore-finger towards the sky and then pointing towards people said; O’ Allah, bear Your witness! O’ Allah, bear Your witness!!

Note: Adapted from a Book, not my own!

Why POVERTY PREVAILS?

Author: Ismail Nizam

ECONOMIC SYSTEMS CREATE POVERTY

The resources on the earth are sufficient to feed the world population. According to the report “World Hunger: Twelve Myths” by CIFDP, there is food in abundance in the world, so much so that 78% of all malnourished children aged under five live in countries with food surpluses. The reason for malnutrition is that many people are too poor to buy readily available food. The report further adds; “The true source of world hunger is not scarcity but policy, not inevitably but politics. The real culprits are the economies that fail to offer everyone opportunities.”
Never was the need for a new global economic thought more demanded than today. Repeated failures of world economies, sometimes as Latin American economic crisis, sometimes appearing as South East Asian economic crisis and more recently the apparent symptoms of failures of world’s largest economies.
Economic laws are not like natural laws which were fixed and unavoidable. Natural laws are obliged to be obeyed irrespective of the religion, whether a Muslim or non-Muslim. The laws of nature are set by the Divine decree. For example, unless astronauts follow the law of gravitation, they cannot send a rocket into the space.
Such is not the case with economics. Economics is a social science. A discipline of social science has always the room for change and improvement. The contemporary economic system has evolved over the centuries, but yet, it is not a guarantee that what we have is the only and the best economic system possible.

CUASES OF POVERTY

1. The Concept of Scarcity

Scarcity, according to Economists, is the originating point of economic thought. The conventional economics has failed at this very origin of economics. Conventional economists define scarcity as insufficient natural resources to satisfy unlimited human wants. Islamically speaking, scarcity is not an absolute concept. Islam, does not disagree with scarcity. However, Islamic view on the scarcity is different. Islam disagrees to natural resources scarcity, as Allah has provided enough resources for the creations to sustain their living. What is scarce is the effort and knowledge of human being to extract the resources. Furthermore, scarcity is created by wrong choices in the production, distribution and consumption functions by the economic agents. This is the chief cause of poverty in the world.

2. The so called interest

When a business man borrows money from banks or capital market, he has to pay interest irrespective of the stressful conditions of the business in terms of losses or need to retain fund within the business working capital. When the lenders pressurizes the businessmen to repay the amount with interest, the businessmen recover the lost sum by charging higher prices to consumers. This aggravates inflation.
Further, interest is deterrent to productive economic activities. This is evident in situations when interest rate is low and people are ready to invest and expand the business. And in the case when interest rate is high people are discouraged from real investment. As a result of interest rate discouraging investment, the economy loses small and medium sized businesses causing a aggregate supply shortage. This in turn raises the inflationary pressure in the economy. The reduction in these small and medium size enterprises creates unemployment and skill loss of people as they provide employment to many people. This ultimately put the country into a situation where few large companies supporting the whole economy. Having gained monopoly power, these few companies, in most cases, exploit the common men’s income. The country becomes more vulnerable to world economic crisis because of less corporations to be depended on.
As explained above, loss of small and medium businesses allows the nation’s wealth to circulate in few hands. This perpetuate inequality in the distribution of resources. Interest becomes the source to major problems of economic discipline: Inefficiency and inequity.

The need for a unified scholarship and leadership

Author: Ismail Nizam

Islam– the strongest Ummah

Islam in its tender days, when our holy Prophet (saw) started preaching, was very weak. Islam was just able to survive itself. However, as days passed by, our prophet (saw) started succeeding gradually. Islam slowly, but surely became the superpower of the time. Islamic state established in Medina by the Prophet (saw) was the strongest politically, socially and economically.
The main reason why Islamic Ummah gained the above status was the unique leadership skills of the Prophet (saw). He was the leader of all affairs. He was the religious leader as well as the political leader. However, he showed the best democracy the world has ever seen. He consulted his Sahabah in all the matters including administration and religion. He maintained a proper controlled over the affairs in line with the Islamic teachings.

Present day Islamic Ummah

The present day Islamic Ummah is very weak socially, politically and economically. The primary reason for this fall down of Islamic Ummah is lack of leadership. Islamic Ummah is divided into several nations and each leader of nations prefers national interests over Ummah’s interest for political advantages. However, Islamic leaders have done enough folly over the history. It is now time for them to erect themselves against the intellectual attacks of the West. If they are to play that stupid game of international politics, they better step down from the offices.
In the whole Islamic world, there is not a single leader genuinely striving to serve the Ummah. On the contrary, Islamic leaderships are driven by the material incentives of the Western governments.
Islamic scholars are given a lower status throughout the Islamic world. They are even tortured in some parts of Islamic world. However, Ummah must now stand in its way. We must resort to our past to get lessons from the Prophet (saw) about running an Islamic state. Under an Islamic state, scholars and leaders are a single body. Leaders must be scholars and nothing unfavorable in Islam should be done for political interests. Religious interests should be placed over all other interests, whether political or economic. The reason is that “Islamic” actions are always positive politically and economically. Islam cannot be compromised for anything. However, we see many Islamic leaders sell Islam for political gains. This must alert every Muslim and must try to do something about it!!!