AL-
HADHARA (CIVILIZATION):
COMPLEXITY OF TERMINOLOGY AND COMPLEXITY OF PERFORMANCE
INTRODUCTION
Praise
be to Allah, The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds. He, who honored us by
positioning us on a just place among nations, and delegated us the mission of
witness among people. I also pray and praise to the messenger of mercy, our
Leader, the Prophet Mohammad, son of Abdullah, he, who raise the ban
on just globalization on earth, and his pioneer leadership among people.
I also pray and praise on his purified family and all his notable companions.
This research
paper is submitting ideas and issues for further study and revision from people
of knowledge, thoughts’ culture and competence. The aim is to find the right
path to guide ourselves and others.
The title of
this topic has been chosen after thorough and careful thinking on the current
international situation. In my consideration, the features of the current
international situation became so clear to the knowledgeable people and those
who are tracing the tottering paces of humanity and the dangers and hardship
which the international communities are facing.
I was always
contemplating and asking how can the intellectuals participate to get the
humanity out of these crises? What
is the way to the correction and reform? What is the responsibility of this
nation – nation of excellence? As Allah has described it (you are the best
of peoples ever raised up for mankind), her responsibility to participate in
the forces of this correctness and reform, taking into considerations that Allah
has honored her by this just position among the nations and also honored her to
bear the responsibility of cultural witness among the peoples. The nation which
was delegated the burden to realize the message of knowing each other, activate
the principle of checking one culture by means of the other, to eradicate
depravity from earth and make peace and prosperity prevail among people.
It
is hoped that this research may answer these questions by help and success from
Allah.
Al-Hadhara
(Civilization/Culture), as a terminology
People
have talked and will continue to talk on culture. This talk is updated every
time. The reason in my view, is that civilization is encyclopedic term and not
easy to fully comprehend. It has philosophical, cultural, materialistic,
spiritual, and religions meanings. It is a real encyclopedic term. People when
dealing with it, each one deals from his cultural perspective and on the basis
of his conscious and educational origin. Thus, views became wide and numerous. I
tried to count what I know, and I found that came, it reached to a hundred
terms, set by many thinkers and scholars from all over the world; from Europe,
America, East and West and from our rich Islamic history. This means that the
term is not yet well defined in peoples mind. The issue is still wide enough to
accommodate more thoughts, through time and place. This, in my views, is a
positive sign, because it forms a base for innovation and interaction. It gives
a chance to keep man in continuous search for the best.
Before I start
to talk on the complexity of civilization it would be more rational for me to
confess that I have found a complexity of various sides. I started to look into
the main factors and the origin of this complexity, in order to make it easy,
for the reader and myself, and also to explore the possibility of search and
cooperation to deal with this issue. I finally, found it possible to say that
the complexity of civilization, regionally and internationally, can be
summarized in two points:
1.
Complexity of terminology
2.
Complexity of performance
I will try to
explain, as much as I can, some views and ideas on those two complexities as
follows:
As I have
mentioned at the beginning, civilization is an encyclopedic term. This makes it
subject to speculation and dispute among thinkers and concerned. After along
careful examination, I came with a vision on this respect which I felt
comfortable about. It seems to me that the civilization complexity among circles
of Islamic concept is resulted from inconsistent overlapping between the
concepts of the stable and the unstable of the religious text from one side, and
the confused understanding between religious and earthly relationship from the
other side. As a result, we have this complexity stand of each one from the
other.
No doubts that
religious texts are of decisive validity, but the problem is how to understand
them and understand the methodology of implementing them in reality. As an
example, you will find great contradiction and dispute with some people in
understanding the text and how to implement it, as with regards to our
relationship with the other, which will be detailed later on.
Civilization:
Examples of Islamic concepts
Let
me start with Ibn Khaldūn. I have chosen some quotations which, in my views
summarize, his vision on this issue. He said: "civilization is that which
exceeds the necessity of development". That means there is a necessity
which is not included in civilization. This is obvious, as civilization starts
from surplus (excess). This emphasizes the strong relationship between the
beginning of civilization and the emergence of a strong state. There is no
civilization in the absence of strong state. He continued to say that religion
is a major factor in establishment of civilization.
That was a brief summary of the basic ideas of Ibn Khaldūn in the
issue of civilization.
One of those
who are concerned with the issue of civilization in the current history, is the
well known personality among all of us i.e. Malik bin Nabi. In fact he spoke on
civilization and its theory in an admiring scientific and rational manner.
He emphasized on the idea of the encyclopedic meaning of the terminology.
He mentioned many definitions to civilization and said that it is rather
difficult to make an accurate and specific one. He said civilization is defined
either by its content, formation, performance, function or relationship of a
community with the other. Finally he submitted a theory of civilization formula,
that drew my attention to this issue, since 1971.
In that year, Malik bin Nabi was invited by King Abdul Aziz University in
Jeddah, which was then a private university. I was invited among other invitees
to listen to his views on civilization. At that time he has a debate with Sayed
Qutb on the concept of civilizations. Sayed Qutb sees that Islam is the
civilization. It is incorrect to use the term civilization to any action that is
not related to Islam methodology. Malik bin Nabi sees that civilization is a
common target for all. Any fruit of constructive human action is civilization.
Between these unlimited expansions to the concept of civilization in views of
Malik bin Nabi, and the confined definition of Sayed Qutb, I found it possible
to think in a different way. In fact what encouraged me to think that way was
the chemical equation which Bin Nabi wrote on the board of the university at
that time, while he was delivering his lecture.
He was trying to explain the mistake of Sayed Qutb in confining the
civilization in the Islamic action only, not otherwise. The equation was:
O+H2 = H2O (water).
His
comment was that the chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen takes place
by a catalyst sparkle which resulted in what we know as water. I guessed that he
said life water. He continued to say: the civilization equation is similar to
this equation but its components are different:
Soil
(earth) + human being + time = civilization.
Of course, for
me, as specialist in chemistry, I found that simplification very improper;
Land +
human being + time = civilization.
The matter
is more complicated than that. At the end of the lecture, I took his permission
to comment. I said that "this chemical equation is the simplest form of
reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. No doubts that, normal hydrogen in this
reaction with normal oxygen under defined conditions gives normal water, (life
water) as you have said. But if we change the conditions and replace hydrogen by
one of its similar the result of the reaction will change. It will either be
what is called (oxygenated water) or (heavy water)".
I wrote the following equations:
-- Oxygen +
normal hydrogen, under normal conditions give natural water.
-- Oxygen +
hydrogen isotope (1) under changing conditions, gives heavy water (not edible),
but suitable for other use known to the specialist.
Oxygen +
hydrogen (2) under changing conditions give what is known as oxygenated water
(not edible), but useful for industrial purposes.
Therefore,
oxygen in its various reactions with hydrogen under changing conditions, gives
three types of water, all are useful, but there is only one water which have the
complete characteristics of the matter suitable for life, which is the natural
drinking water. If we want to apply this formula to the reaction of man with
soil or, more accurate, with matter, (as soil is a part of matter, and there are
matters other than soil, such as water, air and other gasses).
I said to him; let us change the formula to be like this:
Human being
+ mater under changing methodology give civilized diversity. As it is the
methodology that forms the human behavior, originates his competence and skills
while he deals with the matter. There is a righteous person and the contrary,
correct one and mistaken one, a responsible and irresponsible one. A human being
with such diversity and characters, he, who affects the result of the formula at
the end, and it, is he, who controls the nature of the civilized out put of the
formula. Yes there is a cultural diversity and I support you in the fact that
every human reaction with matter will give a result which is a cultural out put,
but they are not equal out puts. There is a good civilization and there is a
better one. Subsequently, on the other had there is evil civilization and there
is a corrupting one. In this, I wanted to explain that I am not with Sayed Qutb
in his views that (No civilization without Islam), I am also not with you when
you treat and say (civilizations are equals). I am with civilization diversity,
and that there is a common relationship among civilizations, but civilizations
are not equals.
When
I said that Malik bin Nabi became furious and angry and hit the platform by his
hand, I was so surprised by his fury and anger but I kept silent. The audience
grouped into two, each one supports a view. I was encouraged by that support to
my ideas, and I started my journey with the issue of civilization since then. I
wrote my first article on culture with a title “Chemistry of Civilization) in
which I discussed the chemistry of civilization in the human's soul and in the
community. From that article, my interest in concept of civilization has
started.
Civilization:
Examples from Western concept
From
the definitions of culture in the West, I have chosen the definition of the
German, Ozwald Shpingler who spoke a lot on civilization and said very accurate,
rational and deep words. The cream of his words is that, every civilization has
moral principles which are reflected in faith and personal power. The
civilization principles are not focused in the mind but on emotions. He
emphasized on human emotions and human behavior in the issue of civilization
concept. He made the mind follows the emotions, - contrarily to what others say
(i.e. minds is first and emotions are second).
Another example
in the context of terminology complexity is the views of Arnold Tuinbey, who is
a well known sociologist like Ibn Khaldūn. While he was speaking on social
theory, he talked on civilization. He defined it as one of history units. He
says” History is composed of units. Civilization is a history unit. He also
spoke on civilization evolution. He presented the idea of response and
challenge. He said that the human response to the challenges, as an individual,
or a community, is the reason of civilization evolution. Whenever there is a
response to the challenges, there will be civilization which will continue and
develop. When this response gets weaker, the human creativity stops and the
journey of civilization gets to disturb and the creative elites turn to be a
force or aggressive ruling elites, because they feel that
they have created the civilization and failed to continue.
Then they start to compensate their weakness in order to continue in the
field of civilization creativity, through means of dictating the out come of
their civilization inventions on the other by force. At this stage, he continues
to say, the decline of civilization starts. This means clearly that the
fascination of the creative person by his invention and his confinement to the
glory of his civilization product, and thus his attempts to dictate this
heritage on the other by force, is an expression of his incompetence to continue
in his creativity or, an expression of self admiration and superiority complex.
All that is the beginning of civilization collapse.
No doubt that
this analysis shows a thorough deep thinking and has its proofs throughout the
human history. We are now living in our contemporary history which is the
evidence of that theory.
Therefore, is
there any thing new regarding the issue of civilization terminology?
After this
journey with examples of some definitions of civilization, which are about a
hundred definitions, as I have mentioned earlier, I have chosen the important
ones to avoid lengthiness. I asked: what is then after? Is it possible to give a
new vision on civilization terminology? And if we want to define civilization in
the light of what was motioned, what are we going to say?
In the light of
what has been said, internally and externally on culture and my involvement in
this complexity of terminology, I found that West speaks about civilization as
urbanization which was meant to be civilization. This term was translated into (Hadharah)
in Arabic. In my views it is not an accurate translation. I found from another
side that West uses the term culture to represent Hadharah
(civilization). I also discovered that there are two schools of culture among
the western thinkers. Each one uses its own term to mean civilization which
relates to civic, city (civilization). There is a debate and dialogue on this
issue between these two schools. If we study carefully the term (Hadharah)
in Arabic language, which came from the word (Tahadhdur and hudhour),
which means settlement – urbanization which is contrary to nomad, or the state
of movement and unsettlement). With the evolution of construction and formation
of settled communities, or what we call the urbanized society (community), I
felt that the world (Hadharah) in Arabic is more appropriate to express
this. The world (Hadharah) in our term expresses a situation combined
from (social construction and building construction). In other words, it is a
term that expresses the state of integration between urbanization and culture.
Thus, in this case, the Arabic terminology have expressed the aims of the two
western schools; (school of culture and school of urbanization) and submitted to
the humanity, a terminology which ends the ongoing debate between culture and
civilization, and which one is more accurate to express the developed human
stage. For us, (Hadharah) involves both terms of culture and civilization
(urbanization) or culture and construction. Therefore, the definition of Hadharah
in my views is: (it is a fruit of every human effort exerted to inhabit and
construct the land within a certain culture). This means that, every nation has
its social methodology, competence and skills. In other words, every nation has
its own culture, and its own urbanization. Culture and urbanization are
complementary factors for establishing civilization structure for each nation.
This perspective to the concept of civilization brings two essential questions:
1.
Are we before many human civilizations or one civilization?
2.
What is the civilization common factor among the nations?
In the context of our previous definition of
civilization (Hadharah), we found that it is based on two pivots; A
cultural pivot and a civilian pivot. Since each nation has its own culture,
competence, skills and invention outputs, then no doubts that we are before
diversified cultural units. The source of this diversification, in my views, is
the cultural diversity which forms the main source of the nation skills and its
materialistic inventions. Accordingly, two important questions are raised here:
1.
Are we before integrated units of materialistic inventions? or,
2.
Are we before isolated units of materialistic inventions in our human
civilization movement?
Within the framework
formed in my mind on the concept of Hadharah (civilization), I can say:
§
Civilization
(Hadharah), from its material side, is an accumulative human product.
Each nation has its added materialistic portion of its civilization, through the
process of materialistic construction.
§
The
human civilization construction, in general, involves creative units which
represent the civilization stamp of each nation. It also involves civilization
performance units that reflect the nation’s culture, methodology and behavior.
§
We
are before accumulative materialistic structure, which represents the common
civilization human heritage, comprises of creative units, as well as modes and
moral features of civilization performance. It stands a witness to the
nation’s civilization identify and its impact in human life and the
environment either positive or negative.
§
Finally,
and in brief, we are before civilization diversity and integration. Integration
in materialistic construction and diversity in creativity and moral performance.
Civilization Diversity
In the light of what
was mentioned above, I would like to confirm that there are numerous
civilizations. They integrate in materialistic construction and vary in moral
performance. Humanity has witnessed the civilization of Stone Age, Coal Age,
Petrol Age, Atomic Age, Electronic Age, Radio active Age and now we are
witnessing the Genetic Age. This cycle will continue till the earth accomplished
its glamour face and the judgment of Allah come, and then there will be an end
to the human journey on earth. We pray to Him (SWT) to grant us the best end.
Across these civilizations, many nations, sects and cultures have passed. Each
of them played its role and participated in constructing the materialistic
civilization structure, throughout the history, left its finger prints,
positively or negatively on people’s life, community and ecology. We may even
find, sometimes, positive and negative marks as well in the same civilization.
We also find diversified creative touches in the same civilization. For instance
we have Andalus (Spanish) civilization touches, Indian, Pakistani, Turkish,
Syrian, and Yemeni, Persian and others, within a framework of one Islamic
civilization. Even in one community, we have creative civilization touches in
the South as well as in the North. This diversity in creativity and performance
resulted from cultural and ethical diversity. Each nation has its own culture
and its civilization. Nations integrate in their civic products and diversify in
their cultural behavior. Within this concept of civilization (Hadharah),
I suppose that complexity of the terminology ends by suggesting the adoption of
the Arabic terminology (Al Hadharah), to explain the state of human
transformation from no-construction to construction, from no stability to
stability, from no state to state, and from backwardness to development. By
that, we will put an end as I can see, to the continuous debate between the two
western schools of culture and urbanization, which one is more accurate to
express the evolution of the state and constructions. We have unified them
together by adopting the terminology of (Al-Hadharah) in Arabic, as we
have explained earlier, by evidence in this respect.
Based on that, the definition of civilization will be established, as I
understand, the way I have already explained, i.e. "civilization (Hadharah),
is a fruit of every human effort exerted to inhabit and construct the land
within a certain culture".
Complexity of Civilization
Performance
From my point
of view, the complexity of civilization performance is more important and very
crucial on human life and the ecology. The civilization performance has two
parts: Production civilization performance (quantity and quality) and applied
civilization performance. Culture in its contents of values and ethics, decides
at the end, and judges the identity of civilization performance, in its two
mentioned parts. Decides whether
the performance was in favor of man, his dignity and for the safety of
environment, or whether it was against that. We all believe that Allah (SWT)
made the human being his vice regent on earth for a noble mission, which is the
inhabitation and construction of earth and to perform justice. Thus, every human
being is responsible to perform this task of vice regency. It is a divine
delegation to the human being, irrespective of his racial origin gender,
nationality, color or faith. The sources of differences and diversity in the
structure of this vice regency will then be the culture in its comprehensive
dimensions in which faith forms its major central factor. Based on that
comprehensive concept of culture, I suggest a definition to the concept of Hadharah
(civilization in Islam), I said: "Islamic civilization (Hadharah
Islameyya) is a fruit of human effort exerted to inhabit and construct the
land within the methodology of divine vice regency)". Because Allah, when
appointed man as a successor in earth to inhabit and construct the land. He did
not leave him without a guide (methodology). He set a method to inhabit and
construct the land. I call this the divine methodology of vice regency. What is
this methodology? This methodology stands on two pivots:
1.
Pivot of values, principles and moralities
2.
Pivot of materialistic, skills and means
The pivot of values, principles and
moralities is represented in the meaning of the verse (know therefore, that
there is no god but Allah) and what is involved in it as of values,
principles criteria, control and morals. All prophets have come to speak on this
focal issue as from Adam, Noah, Muses, Jesus up to Mohammad, prayers and praise
of Allah be on them all. Prophet Mohammed is saying (Me, like similar prophets
before me, is like a man who built a house and beautified it in a good shape.
People come around it and say, oh, how beautiful and fair this building is, if
just that place of the brick! Now I am that missing brick, I am the seal of
Prophets).
The prophet is emphasizing that the
methodology of divine vice regency is one. It has been preached by all prophets
and messengers of Allah, each one by what qualified his commandments and
conditions in time and place. All have spoken about monotheism, faith, ethics
and moralities.
As for the pivot of materialistic, means and
skills, it is represented in the meaning of the verse “So traverse ye
through its tracts and enjoy of the Sustenance which He furnishes: but unto him
is the Resurrection” and all that is involved in this meaning and coped
with materialistic, means and skills.
Therefore, we are before a methodology of
vice regency based on knowledge and deeds. We are between the pivot (word) ‘know’
and ‘traverse’. If the accurate balance is maintained between the
principles of ‘know’ and ‘traverse’, then the appropriate
methodology to inhabit and construct the earth is established, secured and just
civilization is built. If there is any defect occurred between these two pivots,
then there will be a defect in productive performance, as well as in the applied
performance to the civilization output.
Now-a-day, we are suffering from the
complication of civilization performance in our contemporary history. There is a
defect in productive performance as well as in applied performance. There is a
defect in dealing with the pivot of “know” as well as in the pivot of
‘traverse’. Some nations have traversed well in earth and surpassed
in skills and became eligible to invest the universe and its contents but they
failed to deal with the pivot of ‘know’ i.e. with values, principles
and ethics. The out come of this failure is defect and absurd in their
technological productive performance (in quality and quantity), on the account
of human dignity and safety of ecology. On the other hand, there are some
nations which ware characterized by their good dealing with the pivot of “know”
i.e., values, principles and ethics, but failed in the field of “traverse”.
As a result, there was a defect in their civilization journey which affected
negatively the stability and safety of their people.
Therefore, there was a defect here and a
defect there. There is supremacy in technological invention with a defect in
values, principles and behavioral. On the opposite side there is a severe defect
in the pivot of ‘traverse’ i.e. in materialistic, means and skills,
with stability in values, principles and behavioral. Therefore, we are in need
to correct this complexity of performance in production, (which we mean the
absurd production) and in application, (which we mean not to strive towards the
welfare and interest of people). The day we succeed to correct this defect, and
the day we become able to bring back the equilibrium to these two methodology
pivots of the vice regency, pivots of values and materialists, the day we
control the criteria and production values and civilization application, we will
then put the civilization application in its right path that realizes human
dignity, safety of environment and just, safe human coexistence.
In
my views, the problem of performance in production, and application, which is
resembled in absurdity and lack of care to the human welfare, since a long time,
was the real hazard that endangers the safe journey of civilization and drawback
the fruit of civilization efforts to become a source of destruction and misery
instead of life stimulant, construction and welfare.
Past
and present life emphasized and proved that History tells us on civilizations
which evolved and acquired the supremacy according to their time and condition
but finally they fell and became extinct, due to a defect in their performance
and downfalls of their values, like civilizations of Hamourabie, Babylonians,
Confucius Manouis, Pharaohs, Persians, Greeks and Romans. Qur’an told us about
peoples of Ad Thamūd, Saleh and others, who have established great
civilizations and made unique constructions and monuments but they were unjust
to their selves, became tyrants and made corruptions in earth. Subsequently,
their states and construction collapsed and they became extinct. What was left
after them were just rocks and inscriptions which tell the following generations
part of their existence story, as Allah (SWT) told us, in the meaning of his
words: “Do they not travel through the earth and see what was the end of
those before the? They were superior to them in strength: they tilled the soil
and populated it in greater numbers than these have done, thee came to them
their messengers with clear signs which they rejected to their own destruction,
it was not, Allah who wronged them but they wronged their own souls) Sura
30-9.
As for recent history, it gives us
testimonies from renowned leaders who assure to us that the thing that endangers
the humanity journey most, is this disequilibrium in civilization performance
and the lack of balance in the process of technological inventions and lack of
value and behavior in performance.
Roosevelt, the former President of USA on
the issue of performance problem said: (What we have is not the important thing
to make us a great nation. What important is the way we utilize what we have).
As for John Foster Dallas, he said: (The issue is not related to materialistic
as we have the largest international production.
What we need is strong, solid and effective faith. Without that faith all
that we have will be less). He assured that the power of the nation is not what
it has in production of nuclear weapons. The nation real power is in its faith
and values. Gorbatchev said in his Perestroika (We and America, have stored
nuclear weapons enough to blow the earth ten times!)
Oh God! Do we need to blow it more than once? That if blowing the earth
became a civilization target and a common goal once upon a time.
Therefore, for the sake of what then, the extra nine times production of
nuclear weapons is needed for? Is it not the absurdity in the performance of
technological production? Is it not a compound absurdity to direct the nuclear
technology towards the industry of death, destruction and sufferings instead of
life, construction, development and welfare! Is it not madness to continue to
exaggerate the production of this holocaust into many multiples? On the account
of food, medicine and clothes for hundred of millions of peoples living below
the poverty levels and on the accounts of treating the problems of unemployment
poverty and malnourishment, which millions are suffering, from these countries
of nuclear inflation and arsenals of mass destruction of chemical, and
biological weapons, those weapons which are embargoed in every value and norm in
heaven or in earth.
So we are facing
technological absurdity, absurdity in utilization and application. This
technological absurdity is now controlling the civilization journey. It is this
absurdity that confirms the civilization and the performance complexities. There
is a big ‘disturbance’ in the relationship between science and values. We
are sitting on the top of materialistic industrial production, but
unfortunately, we are suffering from horrible retardation in moral and
behavioral values in the usage of these industrial productions in various
aspects of life. In this report, the Indian poet and philosopher, Taghour said
to a friend from the west “you were able to fly like birds, and dive in seas
like fishes, but unfortunately, you failed to walk on earth like human
beings”. So what we need is a person who walks on earth knowing what is
required from him. Mr. Eden, former British Prime Minister said: (what strange
and funny is that some countries spend millions of pounds to protect themselves
from disastrous weapons that they fear, but pay nothing to control those
weapons)!
I would like to conclude with the words of a
contemporary leader, i.e. the former USA President, R. Nixon from his famous
book “The Historical Chance”, He said: (in the 20th century our
technological development made progress far wider than our moral and political
progress. The matter which we should not let it happen in the twenty first
century, for the sake of being partners to increase the chances of peace and to
minimize the chances of wars.) Unfortunately, things came contrary to Nixon’s
wish. We are now receiving the second millennium with world war of opened time
and target. USA is now invading and destroying under ambiguous slogans and
unsubstantiated reasons.
I meant to prove, by saying that, the other
agrees with me that the problem of civilization complexity is a complexity of
performance.
The Civilization
Complexity among Muslims
Generally, that was
all about the civilization complexity in the Journey of humanity, but what is
our civilization problems, we the Moslems?
By this question we turn now to talk about
ourselves. Our civilization problem is the complexity of performance. Like all
other nations. Our problem of performance is summarized as follows, but before
talking about this issue, I would like to remind about what I have mentioned
earlier in this paper. As I said, I
am submitting thoughts and ideas. What I have said or I will say, will remain
debatable. They are ideas for
further thinking and I will be happy that they will be subject to discussion.
Based on that, I can say that our dangerous problem in civilization
performances, as I can see, is represented in the ambiguity of concepts of the
relationship between:-
1.
Faith, Shari‘ah (Islamic Law) and mission. (will be explained
later)
2.
Religiousness of individuals and religiousness of the state.
3.
Diversity of faith in the nation and the mutual constructive
mission with the other.
We Moslems, believe that Islam is a faith, Shari‘ah and mission.
This is a fiqh (jurisprudent) issue and I am not a jurist, but I explain
my understanding to this issue in a framework of what I have learnt from Shari‘ah
scholars. Faith, as I understand, represents a religious feature that recognizes
a Moslem from the followers of other faiths. Similarly, other non-Moslems have
part of their religion, which features them among others. This religious
characteristic is the base of religions diversity. Islam has already resolved
its position from this issue, (to you be your way and to me mine” Sura
109-6 and by (let there be no compulsion in religion). Therefore, there
is no need to continue the debate on the issue of faith, as already Islam has
set the divine rule “to you be your way and to me mine”.
Then let’s come to a common factor, which will be elaborated later. I
found that Shari‘ah is talking on two primary issues: one related to
religious family law, for human being, such as marriage, divorce, heritage and
other family relations. These matters Islam has already resolved them and gave
the non Moslems their right to refer to their own laws and norms. Therefore,
there is no problem with non Moslems in this respect, as the matter is so clear.
The
other part of Shari‘ah is related to the public welfare of the
nationals. Islam states that all nationals are equal in rights and obligations.
Therefore this assures, again, that there is no problem of a non Moslem with Shari‘ah.
Let us come to the mission. What is this
mission? The mission, as I traced, is that, Allah (SWT), when he made man as
vice-regent in earth in order to inhabit and construct it, He made him as human
being, and that was all; irrespective of his identify of race, nationality,
religion gender or color. The Holy Qur’an within the contest of vice regency,
said about this responsibility, “we did indeed offer the responsibility to
the Heavens and Earth and the mountains but they refused to undertake it.
Being afraid thereof. But man undertook it”. Therefore it is only
the human being who undertook this responsibility.
Scholars were different in the interpretation of this verse. They have
more than twenty meanings. But finally, most of them are with the interpretation
that, what is meant by the responsibility here is the responsibility of vice
regency. So if this is what is meant, then it is not the responsibility of a
Moslem alone. It is my responsibility as a Moslem as well as the responsibility
of my Christian friend and all other human beings, irrespective of their faiths
and beliefs. Thus, we all have to talk on this responsibility as human beings
(men and women). Since Our Lord has
offered us this responsibility to each one, as per his faith and rules. I,
within my rules and the other within his, but we all meet in methodology,
values, principles and responsibility of vice regency.
Principles of vice regency
Methodology
What are these principles and values of vice
regency methodology? These are what I call the mission of the comprehensive
Islamic methodology. I was recently in Rodes Island, Greece, where there was
international conference attended by about four hundreds of personalities from
all over the world. The topic was on dialogue of civilizations.
In my paper, submitted to that conference, I said: "since we are now
talking about civilizations dialogue, then that means we believe in numerous
cultures. Culture is a primary component of civilization. We believe that
culture is numerous, we also believe in cultural particularity which is the base
of cultural diversity. No cultural diversity without cultural particularity. If
there are no particularities then there would be only one culture. Therefore,
cultural diversity is the reason of cultural particularity. But are this
agreement and understanding enough or we need another move in this direction?
And what is that move? What is needed? I said: "the movement should be from
the addressing private issues to the addressing public (general) issues, and
from regional and national concern, to the horizons of international and human
concern. What is required from us is the hard work, searching for mutual
culture. But what is this mutual human culture? This is the mission , as I call
it. It is from the methodology of divine vice regency to inhabit and construct
the earth. I said to them “Islam
has taken care of this issue, before fourteen centuries, and made seven pillars
base, for common human culture. Now what are these pillars which are
representing the basic fundamental of the first international pact in human
history? I said “Prophet Mohammad (peace and prayers of Allah be upon him), in
the farewell pilgrimage, (after I explained what is the meaning of farewell
pilgrimage), has declared to the people these seven pillars.
1.
Oh people, your Lord is one. This confirms the oneness of the
faith origin.
2.
Oh people, your father is one. This confirms the oneness of the
human
family.
3.
Oh people, your blood and wealth are sacred. This confirms the
divinity of
human life and belongings
4.
Oh people, Allah forbade himself from injustice and made it
forbidden
among yourselves. This emphasizes that justice
is the origin of every
virtue and the strongest safe guard of the
security of individuals, peoples
and communities.
5.
Oh people, the number of months with Allah are twelve
months. Four of
them are sacred. This confirms the
security, peace and safety of ecology.
This also means that
safety of ecology is not just a law but a religious
emotional base. Four sacred months confirm the importance of
security
culture, peace and safety of ecology in people’s life.
6.
Oh people, take good care of women they have right upon you
and you
have right upon them as well. This emphasizes the
importance of right and
obligation arrangements between
man and woman, to ensure the
integration of their
responsibilities in aspects of life.
7.
Oh people, Allah has judged that no riba. This emphasizes on
the
economical security and protection of the poor, not to
be exploited
or
impoverished, for the benefit of the rich
and greedy people.
So, we are before a mutual culture that stresses on the oneness of faith
origin for all people, oneness of human family, performance of justice,
integration of responsibilities between man and woman, ecological safety,
international peace and economical security. These are seven pillars, pivots or
basis, which Islam submits to be the source of our understanding horizons to the
greatness of the Islam mission and humanitarian aims. Unfortunately, most of us
and most of the youth, even some of our scholars, have contrary understanding to
this Islam mission through disturbing overlapping between the concept of faith,
Shari’ah and mission. This overlapping resulted in expanded phenomena of
immunity and loyalty (Bara’a & Wala’a). Thus, the issue of (Takfeer)
has evolved and propagated. Now we are living in what was called locally,
“internal chaos” between faith, Shari’ah and mission. Hence, I think we
need to reconsider our understanding to the relationship between Faith,
Shari’ah and mission and redefine the border lines of fiqh in a
scientific and rational manner among these three circles. It is important to
make it clear to the generations, the limits of Faith and its fiqh
(jurisprudence), in people’s life, and so with Shari’ah and mission. A
Moslem is obliged to be of a solid faith, by the integration of these three
circles among each other. It is one unit which cannot be separated, neither from
its origin, targets nor aims. The borders drawn above are only to feature the
functions and performance, but not to separate, isolate or disconnect them.
Mission in my understanding is values, principles and basis from Islam
methodology. It organizes the relationship of Moslem with the universe and the
other. It draws the divine common path to people in order to hold the
responsibility of earth inhabitation and construction and to evade corruption in
conformity with “For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by
means of
another, monasteries,
churches, synagogues and mosques,” (For had it not been that Allah checks one
set of people by means of another, earth will be corrupted.”
Also to realize knowing each other and work
together to achieve the best for the benefit of all in accordance to the meaning
of the verse: “Oh people, we have created you from a single male and female
(man and a woman) and made you nations and tribes verily to know each other).
Therefore, these values have been stipulated by Allah (SWT) to achieve the
mutual welfare to all people and to check them to compete for welfare deeds.
Rightly as it appears in the meaning of the verse “Is it they who portion
out the mercy of your Lord? It is we who portion out between them their
livelihood in this world and we raised some of them above others in ranks, so
that some may employ others in their works.” So, Allah (SWT) established
the rule of employment of people to each other in their needs as well as he
decided the principles of checking and knowing each other and competition to
achieve virtues. These principles are not generally activated in Muslim's life
in these days, nor in others life. Civilization checking is not activated,
knowing each other, cooperation, competition towards good, all are not
activated. Within my personal concern on this issue, I found myself reading the
Quranic verse which means “And we have sent down to you the Book in truth,
confirming the scripture that came before it and Muhaymin (trustworthy in
highness and a witness) over it. So judge among them by what has revealed and
follow not their vain deserves. Diverging away from the truth that has come to
you. To each among you, we have prescribed a Law and clear way ...” Sura
5-48. This is an address to all people “To each among you we have
prescribed a Law and a clear way.” The verse continues to narrate Allah
intention “If Allah had willed, He would have made you one nation, but that
He may test you in what he has given you.” Then the great objective and
divine call comes “So compete in good deeds.” Then the verse
concluded to alarm us all to a very important and significant matter “The
return of you (all) is to Allah; then He will inform you about that in which you
used to differ.” Therefore, do not argue much on the differences of Laws,
but make this diversity as a source of enrichment and cooperation and a source
of competition in good deeds. To each among you, we have prescribed a Law and
a clear way. If Allah had willed, He would have made you one nation. But that He
may test you to what he has given you, so compete in good deeds.
Separation
of Religion from the State:
There is an
important issue which we need to stop for while to discuss. It is said that the
West made progress on us when they made a border line (separation) between
religion and the state. This is a clear reality, but on the other side, there is
another reality which has its credibility and proof. It is that: the Moslems,
based on solid integration between religion and the state, have developed very
much in their history and built a great civilization. They, perhaps, have also
achieved part of that in their contemporary life. So how can we solve this
puzzle? If someone asked where is the truth? People committed themselves to
religion and they have succeeded and people separated themselves from religion
and have acquired success after being retarded for a long time. What is the
relationship between religion and progress in the fields of life? A nation
claims that the source of its progress is its commitment to its religion while
the other claims that the source of its progress and development is based on its
separation between religion and the state. The question is: where is the truth?
I would like to answer this question by saying that “The statement that
the West has separated religion from the state” needs to be revised by those
who are adopting it. The West, in my opinion, did not separate religion from the
state. In fact they separated and abolished the religious obstacles from their
path of life and its needs. Those obstacles which were aggressively imposed by
the church, thinking that it was the best way to unite the people with the
church, sustain their loyalty to it, to have them surrender to the hegemony of
clerical predomination. So it set its rule, which was then condemned by each
rational mind, the rule that says “Science is that which contradicts with
religion”. Thus, a wall which separated between religion and civilization
scientific progress has been raised. The answer then came through the industrial
revolution which rebelled against the clerical values set by the clerical
authorities. Hence, the West has washed out its burden of this undesired
heritage and broke the clerical chains which kept it away from life and field of
development and progress. But the West remained in its conscious, spiritual
values and general customs related to the church. Then, later, the clerical
authority corrected its mistakes of wrong clerical practices which contradict
human nature and life codes. Those practices which caused the isolation of the
church authority, away from civilization and from its followers, Those who went
with caravans of science and industry that responded to their ambitions and
challenges of their times. They are those who were called the seculars (against
the monastic) of the clerical authority. The Catholic Church held its
international clerical conference (The Second Vatican Forum), in order to
correct its universal perspective towards science dynamics. The preparations to
that conference took more than two years from 1960 to 1962. The conference
itself continued in consecutive sessions up to the year 1965, when issued its
decisions, laws and religious stand from other religions and secularization.
There, they have declared reconciliation between the church and secularization.
Parts from the report of the (second Vatican Forum) consist of the following
“The second Vatican Forum brought to the mind the terms, (people of the God)
and (the church - people of Faith) which were not limited to the clergy men, but
also involved the seculars. It considers and respects their mission and gives
them back their salient and basic role in the life and history of the church. It
is that forum which gave the seculars great and unique concern and allotted them
a chapter in the faith principles (church) and a considerable portion in the
patronage principles (church of today). It issued a comprehensive decision which
gives them back the recognition and consideration and assured their
distinguished mission”. The report continues to say: “The apostolic work of
the seculars and their patronage services are integrated with each other). The
report continues to say on seculars in another phrase, that “the apostolic
working field is wide at both national and international side, where the
seculars are the agents of Christianity wisdom). Finally, the report concluded
“Let the pastors welcome with comfort and thankfulness, those seculars and
cater for their life affair to be consistent with justice, fairness and love.
They should also care to provide those seculars with necessary means to educate
them spirituality and to encourage them".
By this, the clerical catholic authority put an end to its isolation from
its faith followers and turned of the page of bitter conflict with secularism
that rebelled against the clerical authority, the authority that hindered its
steps in the field of life, invention and progress. The church gave them back
their religious consideration and respect. Not only that, but asked the pastors
to care for them as mentioned earlier.
Thus, it is
certain that the secularism was not separated from the church, emotional or
spiritual, but it was the church that isolated itself from real life and the
demands of human nature. As for the secularism, it pursued its right to rebel
against the incorrect understanding which resulted from the clerical authority
in favour of its hegemony and other aims beyond the scope of this subject.
Association
of religion with the state:
We,
as Moslems, when we achieved progress, we were activating the values of religion
and life. We were activating aims and principles of Islam mission which
encourages us for scientific research and invention, calls us to work and
utilize the potentials of the universe to perform our responsibility of
inhabitation and construction of the earth. Islam has connected all that with
the basis of faith and made them within the circles of reward and punishment,
emphasizing on the association and integration between spiritual worshipping and
construction and civilization worshipping. Islam is the only religion which
rewards the mistaken scholar to encourage him to continue in his study and
research in every field that realizes inhabitation and construction of earth and
provide welfare to the creative beings. As for the successful creative scholar,
Islam doubles for him the reward in appreciation to his creativity and
invention, and encourages him to go forward in the field of research and
development. When we lagged behind and staggered to activate the values of Islam
and its mission in life, and when we are contented with emotional and spiritual
part only, like what was desired by the church to its followers earlier, and
when we neglected our religious incentives and the divine call to take means of
scientific and technological research, we ended up to the level of this
miserable situation. The matter, in my view, related to the activation of life
aspect, or to the pivot of (traverse) in our life, the thing which should
be the common objective among all nations, to take the burden of the
responsibility of vice regency in earth.
Today,
we, also, within the framework of the problem of civilization performance, are
suffering from the problem related to the exchanged accusation phenomena of
being isolated from Islam. It is a desperate attempt from some of us to cover
and justify our failure in life. It is the same as we confront the phenomena of
generalization of conspiracy. Taking into consideration the assumption of
absolute conspiracy exposition to the events around us, no doubts that, the
conspiracy and the conspiratorial deed exists. The conspirators are continuing
to develop their means and I don’t expect any rational person to deny that.
What is rejected and unacceptable is the hypomania phenomena of conspiracy, or
the phenomena of absolute conspiracy exposition of events, taking it as an
excuse to cover behind it our failure in active involvement and in serious
challenges of our time. Thus, the hypomania of conspiracy, and the accusation of
being away from Allah, becomes the hard hook on which we hang all our misery,
failure and disappointment. It is sorrowful and at the same times funny, a
person who says and repeats the accusation of being away from Allah! He always
accuses someone else assuming himself innocent from this serious accusation. At
the same time if he was accused from other person, he becomes furious, angry and
perhaps he retaliates aggressively to the accuser. Therefore, there is one who
is away from Allah, but neither you nor me, (as we are all close to Allah), and
the one who is away is another one in another place, and the other one in the
other place, and so on. So every one is innocent and every one is accused. The
whole nation is then accused and the whole nation is innocent. What a desperate
this situation is!
The whole nation is with Allah (when one
talks to himself) and the whole nation is away from Allah, (when he talks to the
other)!
It
is a fearful and dangerous situation.
Let us go back to the noble prophet saying,
which some has taken it as a base to condemn the nation that it became away from
Allah. Some went even further by confining the reasons of the nation being scum,
and retarded, confining it in the hadith,(prophet saying): "Nations
are about to fall upon you like eaters fall on their food bowl". Some
asked" Is it because we are few at that day, oh, prophet? The prophet
answered: " No, on the contrary, (You are large in number that day). The
speech was addressing the Moslems. The question is meant to say that: Are
Moslems few in number that day? Then the prophet was saying' No, but you are
(you Moslems) are at that day, large in number, but you are scum, like the scum
of the flood'!
The problem is then in the scum and not
related to the issue of faith, level of belief or the violation of Islam ties,
as some prefer to interpret and analyse the prevailing situation of the nation.
The problem is the scum of performance. It is which I called the complexity of
performance. Therefore, I would like to assure that our problem is not related
to faith but to our performance of Islam values and principles. The problem is
the scum performance. It is not in the fundamentals of Islam and faith. So, from
one side the accusation is to the performance and should not be that of being
away from Allah and His religion.
No doubts that faith increases and
decreases. This is a fact supported by evidence from the Book (Qur'an), and
prophet's sayings (Sunnah), but the issue does not reach to that extend
of neglecting and desertion of Allah's religion. It is because of this scum that
Allah (SWT) judged us two punishments:
"Then
Allah will remove veneration from you and will send wahan (asthenia) into
your hearts: It was said to him, what is wahan (asthenia) oh, Messenger
of Allah? He, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, said: Love of earthy world
and dislike of death”. These two punishments are because of what? It is
because of the scum. What is meant by this scum is the scum of performance and
activation with universe and challenges of life. It is not the scum of faith and
being away from Allah “For that day you were large in number". If we
consider the saying of faith scum and being away from Allah, we will be in an
embarrassing situation. Through different stages of our Islamic history which
confronted many cases of success and failure, we have come across troubles and
disturbances, we fought each other and we poured our bloods by our own hands,
but who dares to accuse the best Companions of the Prophets in their faith
because of that troubles and disturbances? It is always easy to say that the
reasons of those disturbances are a defect in the concept of political
performance at that time and because of a defect in the fiqh
(understanding) of the management of life affairs. They are human beings,
subject to all that happen and affect human beings, right or wrong. Thus the
case remains related, at each time, to a defect somehow occurs to the fiqh
(understanding) of life concept. Therefore, we should, while trying to read our
backwardness and retardation, move ourselves away from the dialectics of faith,
to the rational treatment of our retardation problem in the fields of
civilization performance. The nation had succeeded once when it was superior in
its civilization performance, but when it became inferior in that, it became
weak and was affected by scum, asthenia and humiliation.
The
ambiguity of individual doctrine and state doctrine:
The
second religious complexity, in our methodology within the framework of our
civilization performance is the ambiguous understanding to the individual
religious responsibilities and the state religious responsibilities or the
ambiguous understanding to the concept of individual and the state religious
doctrines.
At
the beginning, I would like to say that the religious doctrine of the
individuals is based on precaution and determination (leave what doubts you to
the doubtless), while the religiousness of the state is dealing with realization
of nation welfare and cater for its interest (traverse with the pace of the
weakest among you). Therefore, the general symptom of religious doctrine of the
individual is the firm will, while the religious doctrine of the state is the
easy and permissible. Therefore, in a war field, the individual doctrine tends
to sacrifice and redemption, while the state doctrine tends to take the means of
safety and prevention of bloodshed. I will give an example from sira (the
biography of the Prophet). It is the behaviour of Amirul Mumineen Omer Ibn
Khattab (Allah be pleased upon him) during the Hudaybiyyah treaty and how
he talked to Abu Bakr, protesting the treaty conditions which the Prophet had
signed with Sahl bin Omar, the Qurayesh delegate. Omer said “Aren’t
we Moslems? Isn’t He, the messenger of Allah? Why we accept to ourselves to be
inferior? Then Abu Bakr answered him “Cool down Omar, I do know that he is a
Prophet”. Then Omar was obliged to go to talk directly to the Messenger
(prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), “Aren’t you the Messenger of
Allah? Aren’t we Moslems? Why then we accept to be inferior in ourselves? The
Prophet at then turned his face away from Omar to express his discontent on
Omar’s opinion regarding his understanding to the doctrine of this peace
treaty. The Prophet executed his peace treaty with the Qurayesh within
the details known to the concerned scholars. During their journey back to El
Madinah, Allah (S.W.T.) revealed to his Apostle Al Fath Sura (The Victory),
supporting the events of Hudaibyyah treaty. The Omar then desperately
continued to repeat. Is this a victory? Is it a victory? The Prophet answered
him jokingly. It is a victory in spite of Omar! That incident made Omar feel
with regret to what he had said at the days of Hudaibeyya peace treaty.
Since then, Omar continued to repeat that “two days deprived Omar from a
sleep: the day of Hudaibeyya and the second day was the day when he tried
to exploit the need of a Jewish woman whom he had done a favour and honoured her
and then asked her to embrace Islam. He was afraid that his behaviour might be some sort of
religious coercion! Let Allah be pleased on You Omar. You were always penitent
to the truth; always talk loudly with the truth. Even the devil fears Omar,
whenever you take a path the devil takes another.”
Therefore,
there must be efforts to put an end to this defect between individual religious
doctrine and the state religious doctrine, in order to have the nation in one
line behind a rational understanding to the doctrine of the state and
international relations, within great Islam methodology.
Faith
peculiarities and mutual inhabitation and construction:
Our
third religious problem within the framework of our civilization performance
complexity is that disturbance of faith peculiarity doctrine of the nation and
the mutual inhabitation and construction, between the nation and the other
nations. This, in my view, needs to be explained and elaborated in a separate
lecture due to its importance. However, I would like to say few words in this
regard. No doubts that the nation, like others, had its faith which
distinguishes it from other religious and spiritual beliefs. It has also its
cultural peculiarities within human cultural diversity. It is believed in Islam
that all the human life is to worship Allah (I have only created Jinns and
men, that they may serve Me) Sura 51-56. Worships in Islam are of two types:
spiritual, which related to the basis of belief that represented in unification
of Allah and abolishing of polytheism, performing the prayers, fasting the month
of Ramadan, payment of zakah and perform Hajj, at least once in life if
possible. These worships are integrated to another worship, which I call it
inhabitation and construction worship or civilization worship. So, we are before
two worships in Islam, one spiritual and one constructional. The inhabitation
and constructional worships are concerned to perform the responsibilities of
vice regency in earth. Since all people are equally responsible to perform this
mission, therefore, we are all partners. Since this performance is a divine
obligation, whoever performs it to obey Allah’s orders, and then he is in
worship. It is like any other worship which will be awarded the hereafter and
has its benefits in this earthly world. The worshipers, according to their
intentions and contentment of Allah towards their faith, are of two levels of
this worship. A level which its people get the reward of the hereafter as well
as the earthy benefits, while the other level get their earthly reward fully
without any decrease but they get nothing in the hereafter.
Based
on this understanding, I assumed that the matter of complexity of faith
peculiarity is solved within a framework of mutual inhabitation and construction
among all peoples. Thus the concept of fictitious contradiction among some of
us, between religious faith peculiarities and the responsibilities to perform
the mission of mutual inhabitation and construction of earth is resolved and the
aims of Allah in that are realized and justice among the people is performed.
Therefore,
and in the light of the mentioned concepts and views, I assume that the
cooperation among us has become more urging in order to put an end to the
problem of religious and cultural performance and to be consistent with real
aims of Islam mission. It is also so urgent to cooperate with others to
formulate a framework for mutual international culture and make it a base for an
international mutual civilization performance. This proposed framework should be
more appropriate and consistent with respect to human life, dignity, freedom and
safety of the environment. It is also to make the civilization performance
eligible to achieve fair, secured human coexistence among the communities.
By